#It's hard to explain but I just hnnngh

[gwynbleiddyn]

💗🔮🍆📀⭐️🔥 for Mr Mio please señor!

💗 What would your OC say is their best feature? Why? What do their friends / family / lover(s) / people they know think is their best feature and why?

i think we all understand Mio's vanity is a character in itself by now but to get all Deep and Introspective about it, there is something to be said for how manifestation in physical form is a belief that his culture very much celebrates and upholds. statues, carvings, reliefs, paintings -- art mediums that intentionally capture the form of a person are revered as ways to shape that person into what they would like to be. you make an image of yourself that you love, that other people love, and the power behind that concept is a kind of magic that will shape you.

it's not a hard bridge to cross then, when you think of how many paintings and portraits mio must have sat for. how many statues of his forefathers he walked past every day. he was surrounded by people that deliberately made themselves works of art, so it's easy to see how the trait fell into him too.

it's a little complicated for mio to point out something he likes about himself now, because he doesn't look much like the prince that now exists only in portraits around Raqasr, or in murals, or in statues. static pieces and remnants of the boy he was. he feels irrevocably changed and not in a way he has any control over, so he's a little uncomfortable in his skin and is mostly choosing to ignore that right now.

objectively speaking though if he just looked at himself in a mirror, i think he would like his eyes. they're a gem-like green (so often called malachite for good reason lol) that is very typical of the Basekh family, you can see it in generations going back, and i think Mio likes that connection. it's a part of him that's genuine, and it doesn't hurt that people think they're pretty :) little self-esteem boost thank u

his family... i mean. it's hard to say, they haven't seen him in a while. i like to think that once upon a time, his younger brothers would've said his hugs were the best thing about him - always warm and safe, even when they were being shitheads to him. he protected them without question, until he wasn't there. that's been hard to reconcile.

lovers... loaded question. two i can speak for - i know one would say his words because that was what she valued most, knowing that he couldn't lie to her the way he could lie to everyone else. the second might say his shoulders, in the most point-blank, blunted statement ever, but he means the shoulders of atlas that shored up a world of incorrigible expectation, and he has never forgiven certain people in Mio's life for that. i think Mio is afraid to consider what Diric might say - he found Diric at a point of significant change in his life when he wasn't really sure of who he was, he felt like an amorphous creature that was just kind of fitting his surroundings, playing to the needs of the party, so his demeanour and his behaviour may have been hard to pin down over that time. he likes to think he was fun and gave Diric some light in his life which, in Mio's pov, seemed to be cast in a long shadow.

i accosted the crew for input from his party members so have some quotes:

"Alar likes Mio because they have similar vibes, like they can be goofy or serious together. But he also likes that they have a, as far as Alar is concerned, a strong relationship that to others might not look like it is built on much.

They keep pretty much all info on a need to know basis, but that allows them to work on a 'If I have told you or asked about this, even without all the info, I need you for this' system." - from eddy who graces us with Alar, aka Mio's frat bro bestie, they're a couple of ride or die aasimar out for vengeance and redemption

"dir just loves mio in total ok he can't explain what specifically he just do T_T he loves mio's drive, loves how he can be silly, just. hnnnngh" im keeping the hnnngh because that resonates with me thank u @soulventure91 <3

and then ur delicious response which im chewing up:

"Zin… hm. Now would they love it, or are they just jealous of it? Mio’s presence, his charm, his panache, his knowledge, his Charisma that oozes through every hole in Mio’s body and how he gets people to listen and pay attention in just the right ways, they want to be like that, but also recognise the effort that goes into maintaining that. So it’s both a covetous affair and something to admire from afar. But also his general devotion and drive, his perseverance and ability to stick to his guns, that’s something they do find attracts them to him."

also several reports for his ass as his best feature

🔮 Star gazing or cloud watching? Hand-holding or snuggles? Early mornings or late nights?

oh, star gazing!!! the stars over Akhenaton.... especially if you ride out a little bit into the desert bluffs or the tombs outside the city, they're beautiful and endless. and it's nice sometimes to be spared the intense heat of the sun, but still see its light reflected in the moon.

hand holding, for sure. he doesn't mind snuggles but he doesn't generally like being crowded for long, while holding hands affords him the closeness without the problem of someone being up in his space.

early, early mornings, when the dawnlight spills out like a softly breaking wave, the pink-purple glow that preludes the inevitable sunrise... the smell of warmth on the air, encroaching... when the river is still and gentle and the world isn't watching him for a moment. yes.

🍆 Tea or Coffee or Hot Chocolate? Sweet or Spicy? Fruits or Vegetables?

well i really thought this emoji was implying another kind of question

i think coffee! it's something he would have had a lot back home, and it carries a kind of warm nostalgia for him.

spicy spicy spicy

i think probably vegetables, purely on the basis of prevalence and versatility in dishes. the farms of Akhenaton were bountiful thanks to the river delta and the nutrients stored there, so veggies came up in abundance as opposed to the more seasonal-dependant fruits.

📀 How easy is it to shock your OC? To confuse them? To lie to them, to manipulate them? How are they with feelings of trust? Can your OC be trusted?

i think shock and confusion don't tend to creep up so much in Mio's obvious responses, whether that's because he deliberately doesn't show it or doesn't feel it, kind of hard to say. he's dealt with a lot in his life, he's seen a lot - people are fucking unhinged, especially in royal courts where there's plenty to gain - and he's extremely well versed in liars and manipulators, because he is one. however, the current thread in Faelethris that seems to be unravelling is one that i think Mio is genuinely out of his depth on. the swarm of devils and fiends that appear to be threatening his city is not only a situation he has no control over, it's a situation that is utterly sacrilegious to his devotion. that's shocking to the core. he's scrambling to find purchase on something before he goes diving in, which is where his intent on searching the Shadowfell and finding the Raven Queen is coming from.

trust is a difficult line to walk for Mio. there's few people he trusts implicitly, and he usually always likes to have some measure of control over a situation where his life or reputation might temporarily fall into someone else's hands. and i think in return, he doesn't enjoy being burdened with trust from others - partly because he knows he isn't entirely honest and upfront, and partly because that leaves him vulnerable if he fucks it up. it's something he's slowly unpicking by virtue of being surrounded by a party that he often has to rely on to keep him safe and mostly sane.

trusting Mio is very much at ur own risk because as i've said before he will absolutely drop a bitch for the sake of his gods

⭐ What is your OC afraid of? Any crippling phobias or some such? How do they act when scared and what helps them calm down? Does anyone ever find your OC scary? Why?

he's not a huge fan of the dark or being on the edge of something that is very high up. like purely on a practical level, these things suck, yes he has darkvision, yes he can fly, no it doesn't make a DIFFERENCE IT'S ABOUT THE RANCID VIBES

but there are certainly more insidious things that scare him! the whole experience with Laz's magnificent mansion that got twisted by the fucked up Weave in shadereef - that was terrifying. i think in that instance, what scared him was that he felt like he did when Akhenaton was attacked. the horror of the unknown, the oppressive darkness, the creeping stench of rot and decay. logically he understood the two situations were very, very different, but the feeling that it invoked was horrible. he's still on edge now, and you see that he can be sharp and almost cruel - he's not a malicious person in combat, but the way he killed that erinyes was a pointed statement from a very, very scared man. fear makes him throw up all his defenses, everything that says 'keep away' because it's such a vulnerable emotion and he fucking hates people seeing his vulnerability.

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

likes:

colours - warm tones, oranges and yellows and golds. white or black contrasts. metallics in gold and bronze and brass. PTHALOGREEN. sometimes turquoise. the yellow-toned blues. he loves loves loves colour, and his armour is devoid of it but his formal attire is drowned in it. Just Something To Muse On,,,,

textures - he is a DECADENT BOY when it comes to fabrics - silk, satin, luxurious materials that slide over the skin. warm sand through the fingers. cool water lapping at his ankles. the wiry hairs of a lion's mane. smooth gemstones. the dense weight of platinum in his hand, versus the softness of gold. he is a tactile person, and textures sit quite strongly in his mind.

music - the combination of heavy drums and powerful voices is something Mio likes, because it's very reminiscent of numerous songs that come out of festivals and celebrations in Akhen. i think more than anything though he just likes to hear singing.

weather - this is the obvious one, but hot, dry days where the sun is blazing and it almost feels too heavy to move. nothing better than lounging around like a glorified housecat in the shade while you sip on fantasy margaritas by a river.

dislikes:

colours - he's not a huge fan of pastel type colours, he doesn't generally like greys and muddy colours, all for the same reason: no vibrancy or life to them. he is like a silly little bug that lands on the brightest and loudest flowers in the garden and nothing else.

textures - coarse things, rough hewn fabrics, heavyweight fabrics are all BLEH. he doesn't like the way linen creases so he has to get it flattened constantly. he's particular about the skin on certain fruits - god forbid anyone leave a little of the rind on the oranges. he also hates rose-cut gemstones because why. also when metal drops onto marble = BAD NOISE, BAD TEXTURE, BAD TIME ALL AROUND. ceramic on marble is okay tho, crunchy and satisfying.

music - overly long piano pieces are a blight upon the upper echelons of operatic society, and he will cry if he has to attend any more recitals.

weather - snow and cold and frost and anything that demands he put on a coat. this includes cold northern rain or maritime fronts. tropical rain is okay, mostly.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Order #3: Bittersweet Nostalgia, Bittersweet Tea.

Hngh...

...?

Hnnngh...

Uh...

Hngh.......

Oi! 

*snap!* *snap!*

Eh!?

*Maya clicks her fingers in front of Kuripa’s face.

What’s up? I can’t have you spacing out on me.

Sorry, sorry, I was just distracted by something...

By what?

*sigh* Look over there.

...?

*Kuripa points to the corner of the cafeteria. Maya follows his finger line to a table attended to by one person.

...

...

Uh...You mean at the guy with the ferocious eyebrows?

Yeah, him.

What’s wrong? Is...there some sort of problem?

Well, not necessarily. It’s just...ah, let me explain.

That guy is Kiyotaka Ishimaru. He’s one of boss’s old classmates, and the current leader of Branch 9.

He’s a nice guy, but he’s also really uptight, and cares about rules and regulations way too much. He was known as the Ultimate Moral Compass back in his Hope’s Peak days.

And that’s a problem...why? Maybe he’s just waiting for his order?

Yeah, he probably is, but knowing Taka, he might be here for an inspection. To make sure we aren’t doing anything dodgy.

Ugh! I hate inspections! They’re so nosy and always ask to look in places that I don’t like them poking their nose into.

Seriously! “Can I take a look in the back?” No you can’t! Customers don’t go in the back, why do you care!?

Well, I guess it does become difficult when you have a secret vigilante base under your café.

Just saying, you should probably prepare the permits if he comes around asking questions. I’m gonna go over to him and take his order in the meantime.

*Maya nods. Kuripa goes over to Taka’s table.

Welcome to Canzanilla Café, can I take your oooooorder~?

Oh! Evening Kuripa. Sorry, I didn’t see you coming.

What brings you to the house today Mr Ishimaru? Got nothing to do?

Pfft. Me? Nothing to do? Hardly. I have a very strict schedule of events today, and I plan to follow it to the letter.

I’ll be going to the shops later with Sayaka and her friend from Towa City, then after that, I’ll be meeting my father at a restaurant and-uh...well, I’ll spare you the boring details.

But Mondo informed me that you and a friend from America were running this establishment here, so I decided to drop by to see how you were doing.

(I knew it...)

So. Tell me...what is it like? Have you been enjoying it so far?

Well, this is really the first time I’m trying something like this, but I do have experience making tea for other people.

Still a little too early to tell whether this is...well...my cup of tea. “Badum-TISH~”

Well, just give me some basic emotions. Is it exciting, is it confusing? Anything else?

(*sigh* He’s not gonna stop until I give him an answer, is he?)

It’s a little hectic, but it’s a new experience. I think I can take something away from this.

...

I see.

That’s good. I’m happy to hear that.

On that note...are you just here to ask questions, or are you gonna order something?

Oh, yes! My apologies for loitering.

May I have some...English Breakfast Tea, please!?

You hear that Maya? English Breakfast Tea over here! Get it started for me please!

On it!

I’ll get started on that for you right now sir.

...

...?

...?

*Kuripa brews Taka’s tea, and he and Maya bring it to the table. He takes a sip, as the two glare at him in anticipation.

Hm...Not bad. Not bad at all!

Gonna be real. It was a little hard to make this with the ingredients we had.

But if the leaves are fresh and well-grinded, it adds a taste to the cup without adding anything extra. And with Maya’s magic coffee touch, we can easily make a delicious cup, even with minimal ingredients.

My magic coffee touch? Stai zitto.

By the way, you never clarified whether you wanted milk and sugar or not, so I left both with you to do as you wished. Looks like you didn’t need it though.

Hmhmhm...I appreciate the fine customer service.

So, did we pass?

Huh? Pass what?

The examination. Kuripa told me that you might be here to check on our establishment; to see if we’re running it in the most appropriate way.

Ah...I see...I don’t blame you for coming to that conclusion, but...I assure you that’s not why I’m here.

I was just feeling...nostalgic is all.

Nostalgic? Why?

Well, there’s a bit of a story. Would you be willing to bend an ear?

Of course.

Thank you. It just so happens that...when I was younger, I actually worked in a café part time, much like this one.

For real?

Yes. It was part of my work for the public morals committee. I had experience with making tea and coffee blends ever since I was a young child.

My grandfather and father would often bring important persons over to our home after all. My father put me and my late mother in charge of making food and drinks for the guests.

Important persons? What kind of important persons?

Ah, I guess I should explain...

Or...wait...should I? Sorry, I guess it’s not my place to say, is it?

Go ahead. It’d make it easier for me if you provided her the context.

Alright then, if you’re sure. Basically, Taka here was actually the grandson of one of Japan’s prime ministers in the past.

Sul serio!?

Yeah, seriously. But...

After only a few months in office, the public opinion of Taka’s grandfather changed from high praise to widespread criticism due to a disastrous scandal, and he was forced to step down. After that, his business collapsed and the Ishimaru Family was left mistrusted and in huge debts.

That’s...that sucks...I’m sorry about that.

It’s ok. My work for the Future Foundation has helped restore public opinion, and my father is working to repay whatever debts remain in his retirement.

But as I said, when my grandfather DID have his position, I was trusted to brew drinks for his clients. And it just so happens that English Breakfast Tea was my specialty.

*He lowers his head, laughing.

Hahaha...It’s funny to think back on. I have a vivid memory that no one ever actually finished my drinks.

I was still quite young after all and my parents gave me minimal guidance. They gave me the ingredients, told me how much needed to go in each cup, but then let me experiment with how I made it.

No instructions of what goes in when?

No. I remember, as a result, that I tended to put the milk in first, then the sugar, then the teabag and then the hot water last. 

Well, as long as it all goes in, it doesn’t really matter what order it happens. Right?

*sigh* To me? No. To you? It shouldn’t. But to high society assholes in the government, they’ve got really fucked standards. I remember Kokona ranting to me about it.

But that aside, from the way it sounds, I think your father might have been trying to test your creativity.

In hindsight, that may very well have been the case.

I don’t think I did too badly. No one ever finished my drinks, but they did drink at least half every time.

Maybe the problem was that you didn’t mix the sugar or whatever was in it properly? If you don’t, it can sometimes end up at the bottom of the cup.

*sigh* I see...It’s embarrassing to look back at my past and think about just how naïve I was.

Well...I wouldn’t be so sure.

Huh?

You were a kid. Kids are naïve by nature because we haven’t LEARNED yet. We do loads of shit that we remember vividly as adults and look back at shamefully, but now we KNOW BETTER.

No one in the world is born as a genius that knows right from wrong, and no one survives off of natural gifts alone. I know this because YOU taught me that.

And look at where you went with it. You put in the elbow grease, you strived to learn, and you even started working at a coffee house to help improve your skills and repay the debt you owed society. THAT’S what’s important. That you put in the effort to improve and be better in the wake of the embarrassment you felt as a kid.

Kuripa...

You still keep in contact with your father, right? Have you ever talked about your tea making as a kid with him?

Well...no, not that I remember. And he didn’t say anything at the time either.

You know what I think that means? You can ask him for his side of things later obviously, but it sounds to me like he ENJOYED your tea.

I...guess I never thought about it that way. But...thank you. I think I needed to hear that.

*Taka checks his wristwatch and nods. He stands up and picks up his tray after leaving the money for his drink on it.

Right. As I mentioned I intend to follow my schedule for today, so I shan’t loiter around any longer. Thank you very much for your hospitality, and for letting me vent about my troubles to you.

Don’t worry about that sir. It’s part of the job. I’m just sorry I got the wrong idea about why you were here.

Believe me, if I WAS here for an inspection, the only thing I’d mark you down for is your language. But even that’s a part of your charm, Mancare.

And I have no doubt you’ll continue to develop your own skills through this job, Kuripa. I know you’ll do very well.

Thank you Taka. Say hello to your dad for me.

And maybe send him our way as well if he has the time?

I will remember to do that. I look forward to seeing your good efforts over the holiday. Farewell for now.

*Taka hands Maya his tray and shakes Kuripa’s hand, swiftly marching out of the cafeteria.

Well. He wasn’t at all what I was expecting. You said he was pretty uptight and strict.

I did, and he is.

But I also remember saying that he was a nice guy.

[jxpxnese-txrtle]

I need to get more icons made for Rise!Yin...=w=;;;

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 12 rewatch thoughts

- I would like to thank them for keeping in din’s harried yet triumphant ‘hAH!!’ when he gets the explosives to stick to gideon’s ship in the ‘hey remember when this happened last season’ section, that was a nice gesture from the showrunners to me personally, I assume

- this episode actually helped me find more enjoyment in the last one, because it’s such a nice reassurance that even though they’re pulling in more stuff from other star wars media this show won’t suddenly stop being its own thing and mando won’t suddenly stop being himself and it’s very comforting to me somehow haha

- the small hesitation before din calls out “do you... do you have the wire?” lol lol lol he’s completely aware of the bizarreness of what he’s doing here but hey being alive is already so damn weird etc. 

the softness of his voice the whole way through and the fact that he never, never blames the baby for not being able to do what shouldn’t really be asked of him in the first place, tho... ;____;  

- the tiny exasperated head tilt din does when he realizes the hatch isn’t going to extend all the way fdslkfhasdlashfs  

- din is looking down at the baby the entire time while greef talks to the mechanics ❤️❤️❤️

(the baby seems pretty drawn to/excited to see greef again and mando seems to notice which is extremely cute. he’s becoming really good at tuning in with the kid) 

he also greets cara baby first in much the same way as he does peli, like he knows what the main attraction here is lol, they do a very sweet bro nod at each other. god I wish gina carano wasn’t so terrible imagine if we could just have this BrOTP without hesitations :( 

I think greef is actually a bit worried to begin with after seeing the ship, he sort of takes din in intently before he huffs a little laugh and grabs his arm. it must be a bit stressful to be his friend and not be able to see his expression right away when you worry something might be seriously wrong haha

- people are finally treating the baby like you would a real baby and it’s such a blessing, everyone talking and cooing at him and baby babbling back

(I wonder if greef has children of his own? he does have an undeniable air of experienced grandpa about him in this episode, it’s adorable)  

- din does so much talking -- unprompted, even! -- these days, it truly is an embarrassment of riches 

- capital E Emotional about this shot with IG-11 right behind din and cara inviting him into the school in front of him. some past carried with us into the future shit going on here  

IG-11′s legacy’s still got our back y’all :’) I swear to god if gideon blows up nevarro at some point I’m going to lose it 

the ‘oh yeah?/that so?’ way din leans his head back after she says “wait until you see inside” is also amazing

- baby reaching out his hand like ‘can have?’ is so polite ;______; he takes after his father (including in the ‘fool me twice, I’ll fuck you up’ department haha. listen you get one chance to be cool about it and then no more mr nice mando/baby)

-

go ahead, kid, make a fuss about it. who are you going to tell, huh? who’s going to believe you? you gonna tell them you got bested by a baby? a magic baby? no? that’s right. I took your dignity as easily as I took your macarons, there’s nothing you can do to change it, and now you gotta live with that. sweet dreams.

(this is a joke. the baby is not evil. I hate that I even have to specify this but I’ve seen some stupid shit in the tags in my time you guys haha) 

- I can’t work out what anything on greef’s desk is supposed to be, but if that’s a computer it’s got to be older than even the razor crest lol

- friends: din yes?

mando: din no, only repairs

friends: din yes please?

mando: ... [sigh] din yes 

he truly has next to no defense against people he actually likes asking him for something huh lol. well a self care co-op mission clearly did him a world of good in this one at least it’s all fine

- “I’m starting to dehydrate, Boss” is an excellent line and delivered perfectly, I cackle every time (”You park your gills right there until I say otherwise” is a good runner up too) 

- it’s so nice to see the small moments of communication between them in this one after mando was so out of sync with the team in the last one (and tbf those guys didn’t even try to give him any pointers at all, they really left him to flounder through the whole thing if you watch it carefully haha)

- the mythrol’s jacket still looks so comfy, I want one

- aaaaah the way din says “I don’t like this” is just so... hnnngh it’s perfect, there’s a vulnerability and openness to it for a moment. greef glances over at him like he hasn’t heard him sound like this before too, which just sells it even more

u ok bro?

you know shit’s fucked up when din djarin expresses an emotion without even being forced to by circumstance (I think what I mean is that it’s actually really rare for him to state how he feels about something just to do it, usually his communication is more practically oriented, more along ‘I think this is the best cause of action because of a and b’ lines, or like when he tells omera he’s grateful it’s... more to inform her of it and make sure she knows than to express himself? but he’s starting to do it more with people he trusts now and it gets me in the heart? man I’m finding this hard to articulate let’s move on lol)

- I really, really wonder about pershing’s position in all of this. his plea for the child’s life did sound genuine -- he did try to guard him with his own noodly scientist body when he thought din was out to hurt him, remember -- but is that only because he knows he’s in deep shit himself without the blood the baby can give? is he maybe not quite cool with whatever gideon has him doing? (he does sound quite strained when he talks about the ‘body’ rejecting the transfusion and the ‘volunteer’ potentially suffering the same fate... hm.)

idk why I want there to be something redeemable in him so bad, maybe it’s just my weird yet enduring attachment to ladon radim in stargate atlantis messing with me they’re kind of similar in some ways (yeah don’t ask me I don’t know either sometimes the heart wants what it wants in ways reason can’t explain)

- tfw ur literally launching yourself across a pool of boiling lava because you’re Dad and your baby’s in danger T__________T he just does not stop running towards that kid for even a single second help

- there’s something so innocently pure and... old fashioned? about the scene with mythrol and greef screaming the entire time they drive off the cliff, it feels like something out of a movie from like three decades ago. that whole segment feels a bit like that, it’s just there to be fun and that’s okay sometimes

- every dog fight in every movie should have a baby nonchalantly snacking on a cookie in them, it elevates the experience immeasurably (he squishes his nose a little bit with the macaron when he misses his mouth at one point, which is more than anyone should be expected to bear honestly)

I love that even all fixed up again the razor crest groans and creaks like an old tired thing when din makes it flip to dive, he 100% did take out a bunch of ferraris in his stalwart morris minor of a spaceship and I treasure him     

- there’s so much life and emotion in din’s voice here I can’t!!!! I simply can’t!!!! imagine if we get to hear him openly laugh one day, would I even survive it??!!!!

 also the kid makes such pitch perfect ‘having my lil nose wiped and whining about it’ baby noises when din uses his cape to clean him up (din does turn the autopilot on before he turns around to deal with it, for those who, like me, worry about these things) 

- between carson showing up and the stuff the droid talks about in the lesson they’re doing quite a bit of outer rim vs. core worlds theme building in this one, I wonder if this is going to ramp up more or what

- god but gideon’s theme SLAPS tho 

he’s probably going to try to fuck up everything I love but you can’t fault him on the tunes he’s going to do it to 

[herewithstupid]

Man it’s hard explaining to people why I don’t enjoy cuddles. Like, how do you tell a person that their bones and joints are uncomfortable to lay on and that I want to shift and adjust but I’d be doing that every five minutes and I don’t want to keep disturbing them or make them feel uncomfortable and HNNNGH.

Like I know they offer cuddles to try to make me feel better but I guaran-fucking-tee you that my butthole just clenched 10x tighter at the IDEA of having to think of another person when I’m just trying to get cozy in my little space.

[steampoweredwerehog]

First Meal

I haven’t written fic in years, but the idea wouldn’t leave me, so here we are~  A certain someone is getting used to being alive again. Spoilers abound!

EDIT: Now with AO3 link! -https://archiveofourown.org/works/20478245

When Yomiel finally woke, he knew it wasn’t the first time. Dim flashes of brief consciousness scrolled through his memory. He remembered words like “surgery” and “stable” being murmured over his hospital bed. He was sure someone had held his hand at one point before he slipped into darkness again.

His fingers clenched. 

Yomiel let his eyes roam around the room. His vision was still bleary, but he could make out the space well enough. It was the same stark white one would expect from a hospital room, although Yomiel had to give it credit for the turquoise trim along the walls. He turned his head towards the steadily beeping heart monitor. It stood like a little sentry to his right, reminding Yomiel that his heart was actually beating. The slight pinch of an oxygen meter’s clip felt strange around his fingertip. All those years of numbness... Muscles jerked at the sound of a door clicking open. Yomiel couldn’t see the nurse’s face until she was nearly at his bedside, with the bed set so low. “Ah! Hello, glad to see you’re awake. How are you feeling, Yomiel?” The nurse spoke to him gently as she checked his vitals. She scribbled on her clipboard before stashing her pen away in the pocket of her robin’s-egg scrubs. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her eyes were kind. “...Feeling alright, considering. I’m...disoriented.” Yomiel said slowly, gesturing sloppily to his head. He wasn’t drowsy, but every movement felt sluggish. Whatever painkillers they put in him must still be screwing with his brain. “That’s pretty normal; you have been asleep for a while. Do you feel dizzy at all?” The nurse asked. Yomiel shook his head. “Any nausea?” Again, he shook his head. The nurse nodded and smiled, satisfied. She asked, “Do you remember me at all?” “Heh, no.” “That’s alright! I’m Nurse Vera. I’ll be looking after you. It’s pretty late, so I was wondering if you were up for eating dinner tonight?” Yomiel stared through her as his brain buffered a second. He managed a nod, and Nurse Vera left his side to grab something. She mentioned something about adjusting the bed, but his mind was wandering by now. As the bed lifted him to a position resembling sitting, Yomiel ignored that he couldn’t feel any shift from the hips downward. A stray strand of hair fell in his face when the bed stopped. With a clumsy hand, he felt his loose, un-styled hair. Had they washed it? Combed it? When would they have done that? Was he really out that long? And when was the last time someone asked him about food? When you’re a walking ‘shell’, meals stop being a priority. He startled when his stomach decided to voice its disagreement with that thought. The feeling echoed inside him while his organs made themselves known. It all felt so new and amplified... “Hnnngh...quiet.” he groaned, gripping his middle. Vera returned with a tray holding a plate with a Tupperware lid. The tray clicked neatly in place on the sidebars of the bed, and Vera carefully lifted the plastic lid. There sat the prettiest serving of spaghetti Yomiel had ever seen. Steam rose hot off the homemade noodles and well-seasoned meat sauce. Just the right amount of Parmesan was sprinkled evenly over the meal. It’s tantalizing smell quickly filled the room.

“I doubt that this is the hospital’s food.” Vera laughed. “You doubt correctly! Miss Sissel brought this for you today. She’s been coming to visit you since you were admitted.” Yomiel froze. Any mention of her still caught him off guard. He looked at the platter with a new appreciation. Sissel had been coming to see him after what he’d done, and even cooked a meal for him. The back of his eyes stung. Despite himself, Yomiel couldn’t quite bring himself to be excited about the dish itself. Vera pulled a wrapped set of plastic utensils from her side pocket. After opening it, she neatly set the utensils down with a napkin next to the full plate at Yomiel’s lap. While Vera turned to throw away the wrapping, Yomiel concentrated on picking up the fork. His fingers wrapped around it easier than he expected, and a little triumphant smile graced his face. The fork hovered over the steaming noodles. He sat. And sat. “Is something the matter with your spaghetti?” the nurse asked kindly. Yomiel glanced at his plate, fork sitting numbly in his grasp. He couldn’t tell her he’d just spent an alternate decade as a walking corpse, with no functioning digestive system to speak of. He couldn’t tell her of when he first tried to eat, back then, and felt a wrongness so otherworldly he couldn’t open his mouth again for hours. He couldn’t explain how the other few attempts had ended with the same result before he gave up. That version of him might’ve loved to divulge every horrid detail of his suffering, but that was all behind him now. “No, nothing’s wrong, I’m just... It’s still kinda hot. I’ll let it cool.” he lied. “Well alright. Is there anything else you need? The bed level is okay?” Vera asked. Yomiel nodded his head. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Vera smiled and reached for the head of the bed. “Before I go, there’s a remote for things like the lights, the tv, and so on.” she said, pulling a wired, round gray remote free from its pillowy prison. Yomiel did a once-over of the buttons while she set it down gently at his side. “If you need anything, just hit the ‘nurse call’ button, okay? I’ll be back later to check in on ya.” “Okay, thanks.” By the time Nurse Vera was opening the door, Yomiel was already staring at his plate again. He let his wrist rest against the tray, fork still in hand. Anxiety stirred in his gut. A sensation he didn’t quite miss, now that he thought about it. There was nothing wrong with the food; it was just spaghetti. He knew that. So why was this so hard? “You’re alive again. You have to eat if you’re alive.” Yomiel chided himself before twirling a measly bit of pasta onto his fork and popping it in his mouth. He stiffened, eyes scrunched, anticipating the wrongness and not-nausea to overwhelm him. The seconds ticked by, and it never came. Yomiel’s shoulders relaxed. His eyes opened.

“...Oh.” His voice was soft and quiet.

It tasted as good as it looked, and it wasn’t too hot after all. Long-buried memories of the time he and his fiancée spent together welled to the surface. Her cooking, her voice, the sound of her laugh, the way she would hold his hand... After a long moment, he let himself chew like any other normal person having dinner.

                                                      ~~~~~ Later, when Vera returned to check on him, she noted that the plate was licked clean. Yomiel would deny it and also insist that no, he absolutely had not been crying.

[sukorage]

Not Alone - Chapter 1-

I do not own Youjo Senki or any of the LN.

Chapter 1

Unified Year 1924

'Everything is going according to plan!' Thought a small girl no older than 10 years old.

'All that's left to do is to use signaling theory to show my human resources value and it's off to the elite track!' Smiling while going to her seat at the front.

"I'm telling you Captain Uger! You don't need to worry about me I am capable and responsible enough to take care of myself."

Tanya looked to the entrance where Captain Maximilian Johann von Uger was having a conversation with a boy inches taller than herself. She guessed she shouldn't be suprised the Empire was a militaristic nation there was bound to be recruits that are the same age as she is but what she didn't expect is to see one of those young recruits in the War College.

Captain Uger put his hands on his hips and sighed "I know that, I just can't believe that you're here as young as you are." Captain Uger said clearly distressed.

"And why not? I even have the paperwork and the letter belonging from command that I am to be transferred to continue my studies in the War College." the unnamed boy said irritated, then he took a deep breath, "Look we'll talk more about this later let's just go to our seats."

Tanya was confused, what is his relationship with Captain Uger to speak to him so informally like that. The boy had black hair standing at a height of 5'1 inches with a standard officer uniform with patches that give evidence that he is a 1st Lieutenant in the Imperial Army with computation orb that looks exactly like the standard computation orb but instead of the orb being crimson it was colored a dull gray, It looked as if it was somewhat incomplete.

Tanya's eyes widened,'A new model perhaps?' she couldn't believe he got permission to develop another one. She subconsciously stared at the unnamed boy thinking that she was doing a great job not to get noticed, little did she know that the boy in question noticed the stare and gave no reaction to it.

She then after a few seconds averted her eyes and sat straight up eagerly waiting for the class to start and everything after that was a blur.

"Haah…." a boy in a standard 1st Lieutenant uniform sighed.

His name was Viktor Aurick Uger, like Tanya he was also what the upper brass called a 'prodigy', he graduated early from the OCS and was sent to be a test subject for a sister project for the Elinium T-95. Dr. Adelheid von Schugel had asked for him because the normal computation orbs was very incompatible and hard to control for his formulas which always baffled others, he could do the basic things but it felt like the damn things were sucking him dry.

They had thought that the prototype orb can fix the problem but alas the T-95 still has the same results even after it being much more advanced. The higher ups since then had halted his tests on the orb other than for Tanya because for some odd reason she was the only one capable of using it without it blowing up, but he wasn't going to complain, the scientist had a few loose screws in his head. It was only an accident that he had come across this orb or as the doctor put it a 'failed' project.

It wasn't even suppose to work according to him since it lacked the essentials, It baffled the doctor that he was able to even use it at all and had tried to get him to stay for more research but the request for transfer was already accepted and since they couldn't explain why the said failed orb worked so well with him, and he couldn't use other orbs without him getting tired, and for a lack of a better alternative, they had given him the orb on the pretense that it was getting a field test.

He was currently lounging around in the Military Academy Library sitting on a chair next to the tables provided inside, ever since he was given the go ahead to leave the testing grounds and go and study in the War College, his days has become too monotonous in his opinion.

"Hnngh!….. Hnnngh!" The sound of someone struggling enters his ears.

"Hm?" He looks around until he spots a girl no older than he is and saw what she was doing or at least trying to do.

After watching her struggling for a minute he sighed and got up and borrowed a stepping block to try and give her a hand.

"It seems like you need a little help."

"Huh?" Her eyebrows furrowed with disapproval.

Viktor sighed once again.

"You don't need to give me that look, Here." He gently places the stepping block next to the bookcase.

The girl kept her eyes narrowed at him and gave a huff.

"Thanks..."

"Ah, so you can talk." He scoffed.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?"

"No no! my apologies, My Names Viktor Aurick Uger, A First Lieutenant Mage in the Imperial Army."

She raised a brow "Very well, my name is Tanya Degurechaff , A First Lieutenant just like you." Without skipping a beat she used the stepping block to better reach the book she was earlier trying to reach. "We seem to be almost the same age but I do not recall you being in the OCS."

He gave a half-smile " Ha ha...ha, Well you see I graduated early and was sent to a lab to test out a prototype orb under the Chief Engineer." he blanched when he recalled the excited voice of Dr. Schugel, as much as the project gave him an edge to use in the battlefield, The old man was strange to say the least.

"The prototype orb being the Elinium T-95?"

"Yes that is correct, In fact I was chosen to test it before you came along, I'm glad you made it out that crazy doctor's lab in one piece."

Her whole face lit up "Right! That crazy scientist almost blew me up several times!" Finally someone other than her knew of the crazy the empire's Chief Engineer has regarding his inventions! "Wait, how did you get away from him then? they denied my transfer several times!"

Viktor was surprised by her change in attitude and answered quickly, " Well about that, my uncle pulled some strings after I had informed him of the impossibility of what the scientist was asking of me, it also helped that you were there to take my place." His voice becoming a whisper at the end of the sentence.

"What!?" She screamed surprising everyone present in the library. 'Damn it! I wish I had the same connections as he did, It would have saved me from a lot of trouble.' she thought as she bit her lip in frustration.

He grimaced, "Yeah, I got really lucky." he explained slightly remembering the scientist blabbering something about God while doing so.

"Anyway enou-" He was about to say before being interrupted.

"Ah, First Lieutenant Viktor, what a surprise."

Viktor looked behind him and saw Vice Director Zettour

He was surprised but still promptly saluted "General!"

Tanya was also momentarily surprised and saluted.

"I-I'm sorry General my name's Tanya Degurechaff a first lieutenant mage in the Imperial Army." Tanya nervously said.

"At ease both of you."

Both 10 year old gave a sigh of relief.

Zettour chuckled " I did not think you both would be having a rendezvous in this isolated part of the library, what would your uncle say Viktor."

Tanya had a bitter look on her face while Viktor face flushed red.

"What?! N-no sir you've got it all wrong I was jus-" Viktor tried to explain while Tanya just opted to just stay quiet in the sidelines with her head lowered, one could see her eye twitching if they stared long enough but she opted to hide it since it would be a bad first introduction to the general.

"Don't worry I'm just joking, I've known about Viktor since he was first put into OCS, but you however Tanya in particular has been quite busy I hear." He then smiled, "If both of you aren't in a hurry could you both come with me?"

"Yes sir! with pleasure!" Saluted Viktor with a little less enthusiasm than he would have liked and with Tanya saluting with the still bitter look on her face.

"What could he possibly want with us?"

Viktor mused as he followed Brigadier General Hans Von Zettour silently. He then looked to his right, walking alongside him was Tanya, despite the situation earlier she was now inexplicably smiling while following their superior.

'What the hell is up with this girl?' he thought, A little bit creeped out by the smile she was now wearing, though that thought was interrupted when the stopped walking.

"We've arrived, Come in." Zettour invited both Tanya and Viktor as he opened the door.

As both Viktor and Tanya entered they took note of the room. It was spacious, it had bookshelves filled with books on each side of the room and had a desk with chairs at both sides with the window directly behind it providing sufficient lighting inside. 'A perfect place to have a conversation you wouldn't want anyone else to overhear' Viktor thought.

Zettour then proceeded to walk behind the desk to look outside the window, Looking outside he saw citizens drinking at the local pub like it would be their last, they were obviously in high spirits, be it because of the current situation of the war or whatsoever.

Zettour hummed, then proceeded to speak "Be seated, Both of you."

"Yes sir! excuse us." Viktor and Tanya both spoke with the latter being more enthusiastic.

Viktor proceeded to take a seat with Tanya taking the vacant chair to his left, he gave her a sideways glance but the girl paid him no mind. A moment passed, the atmosphere suddenly became a little uneasy.

It was then that Zettour lay the first stone. "What are your thoughts on the war?" Zettour suddenly asked.

In the army, superiors appreciates those who will discuss in complete detail and report in often, So it's better to ask if you don't know what they're talking about for better clarification.

This applies to what the was asking of them, the question was too broad to even think of an answer immediately. There would be too many factors that one would have to think about. Viktor was about to speak his mind but the girl beside him beat him to the punch.

With determined eyes Tanya spoke. "With all due respect , your question is too broad." she opined.

Viktor's eyes widened by a small amount for a mere second but then relaxed and a smile danced on his lips. 'Let's see how this plays out.' he mused. He did not want to cut in if he doesn't need to. He was certain this was just how the General , tests the waters as one could assume, He leaned back into his chair and watched the two continue.

Zettour released a breath, He then turned to take a seat opposite from the two in front of him.

"Yes, you are right. Let me ask this in another way. What kind of form do you think this war will take?"

"Sir, I think this is beyond our pay grade to even comment on."

It was true, She would need to abstain from saying anything past her power. Like how the Personnel Department shouldn't remark on operational issues, the Operations Department shouldn't meddle with the undertakings of staff matters. Anyway, the point is to know one's own limits on authority. He looked to the with narrowed eyes 'What's your game, Old Man?' he thought.

Zettour looked at the girl. "It's fine. You may speak freely." he stated resting his hands now crossed on the desk.

"As you wish then." Tanya relented.

Viktor let out a quiet chuckle, it would be rude for her to continue refusing to answer. Humans have two ears and one mouth, which meant that if someone was willing to listen, you just need to use one mouth. Even though it was possible to communicate by stating the minimum amount of words, communication was impossible without first opening your mouth.

"I would like to think that this war could develop into something akin to a Great War." Tanya answered.

This seemed to have caught Zettour's interest. "A Great War you say?" He spoke waiting eagerly for Tanya to continue her prediction.

Viktor could see where she was going with this, by common sense, he could see how this would develop into a world war. As the immense countries battle each other for power, and every one of the nations would need to go hard and fast.

Tanya then proceeded to explain on how this would happen, starting from how the other great nations would start lending a hand, Be it volunteers or equipment under the guise of nice mediators. Even if the Empire would have a crushing victory over the Republic it would not be long before a joint interference from other nations will become inevitable.

"If that was the case, we should follow history and try to make early talks with the surrounding nations, if still possible. But the top most priority should be minimizing the empire's losses." Tanya finished with a satisfied smile.

"So in other words, you wouldn't try to win? your words might make others suspect your reason to fight." Zettour stated with a slightly disapproving tone.

A moment passed and Viktor could only hold his amusement. The girl's facial expression immediately changed, gone was the satisfied smile and in place the girl beside him was wide-eyed and had beads of sweat trailing down the side of her face. This brought a smirk to his face. 'She dug her own grave.' Viktor thought. 'How will you reason your way out of this, I wonder.'

"I-It might seem like that, on the off chance that you take the statement as it is. In any case, it doesn't mean we don't look for triumph in the war." she assured him.

"Do continue." urged Zettour.

Tanya continued to suggest that a combination of defensive infantry tactics with the mages operating with offensive strategies in order to tire out the enemy resources. When Viktor heard her idea he was amazed, He couldn't refute that it was a good idea. But with it there are some problems.

Viktor thought it was now a good time to join in the conversation. "You forgot one thing though, even if we did get approval from the operations department. Mages like us aren't exactly in abundance." Viktor opined. "And we aren't exactly the type of units fit to hold ground, if you haven't noticed." he proceeds to put his fingers on his chin as if he was deep in thought.

Tanya looked at the boy beside her and gave a rather intense glare, to which Viktor was unfazed."Unless..." He closed his eyes and after a pause his eyes widened. "Do you plan to use the mages to thin out the enemy soldiers, for our men in the ground to have an easier time in the battle?" inquired Viktor. 'But it still doesn't resolve the problem of where we can get the extra mages, The north and west front are strained enough as it is.'

"Yes, that is exactly right." She kept her glare, she wanted so hard for this wanna be to shut the hell up right now, but kept her cool as she didn't want to leave a bad impression on the General.

Zettour paused seemingly contemplating the idea and after a few seconds spoke. "I'll look into it, you go on ahead and file a formal request. I have some business to talk to about with First Lieutenant Viktor."

"Yes sir!" Tanya then promptly stood up and saluted, then proceeded to head out of the room giving a sideways glance at Viktor and Zettour. As soon as the door closed Viktor spoke his mind. "You're not seriously thinking about going through with this plan, are you sir?"

"Why not? It sounds like a brilliant plan"

"The north and west probably don't have any mages they can spare, as for the east... well I don't think their mages are up to par since they rarely don't get the combat experience as the east is really quiet right now." Viktor trailed off. The east has no ongoing conflicts right now, so the troops stationed there would not have the experience that the troops have in the north or in the west.

"While you do make good points I ask that you leave that to me and the general staff, let's talk about something else." Zettour leaned into his chair and crossed his arms. "What do you think of her?"

"Her?" Viktor knew what the General was referring to but opted to ask just in case, It was an out of the blue question after all.

"Tanya Von Degurechaff."

Viktor seemed to contemplate on the question that was asked of him for a couple of moments, but in all honestly he couldn't really give an opinion on what he thought about her.

"Sir, I don't believe you'll hear anything different from what the others has already told you." he told the old General, both children haven't got time to reacquaint themselves. Their first meeting was just earlier in the library after all.

"Don't you share the same lectures?" asked Zettour, "I would have thought both of you would have been friends by now."

Viktor cringed at that, just because they were the same age doesn't mean they'll get along. And from how she acts she might as well be someone as old as his uncle."She is rather.." said Viktor trying to think of a word, "unapproachable."

Zettour chuckled at this.

"Nevertheless, do your best to be in good terms with 1st Lieutenant Degurechaff, It might be beneficial for the both of you from now on. Dismissed." After giving some parting advice, Zettour dismissed the young 1st Lieutenant, he could see the look of confusion on the boy's face but nevertheless he saluted the general and excused himself out of the room.

After the door closes, Zettour turned his chair and leaned into it while proceeding to light up a cigar and looking outside the window.

"Beneficial indeed."

[yujachachacha]

Hey, do you know the very first picture the seiyuus took as a group?

(FYI: I put a “read more” cut in this post not just for the length of the actual answer, but because I…uh…got a little too eager in my appreciation of 2015 Shukashuu. Whoops.)

That’s a great question, Anon! I’m honored that you asked a noob like me, haha.

First off, I’m assuming that this question is for Aqours rather than µ’s. I’ll also assume that you’re referring to official photos rather than any selfies/personal photos that the cast took when they first met up. Let me know if I’ve screwed up by interpreting your question this way. _(:3 」∠)_

The short answer:

The earliest official group image I possess is from circa January 2016, but there was likely an earlier image that was taken sometime between Spring 2015 and January 2016. I can’t quite recall due to µ’s still being big during this time, which meant a lack of Aqours content.

The long answer: I’m so sorry to tell you this, but I’m actually not sure! It’s kind of hard for me to figure out for reasons I’ll explain below, but at the very least, I can give you my best guesses.

IIRC the first time Aqours did an official event with all 9 members was their 0th Live in January 2016. Here’s a snapshot of the Dengeki G’s event report:

There are plenty of group shots taken for that event, so feel free to look up any Dengeki G’s (or other relevant magazines) images from January 2016.

However, since LLS officially began in 2015, I assume that there must have been an earlier picture.

If you’re looking for partial group shots, Aqours did fan meetings during Fall 2015 within year trios (i.e. first years, second years, third years). You can find plenty of trio images scattered around Twitter, on seiyuu accounts and the official accounts of the places they visited (e.g. Gamers, Animate). For example, here’s a second-year trio selfie from their visit to Tokyo in October 2015, the first of the tours:

And yeah, I know I said I was gonna answer in terms of official pics rather than seiyuu selfies, but this pic is just so precious! Feel free to check out the tweet I linked above for a more serious shot. Oh, and if you’re interested in finding more pics like these, just search relevant Twitter accounts for pictures from around the dates they had their tours (which you can find listed at Love Live! Wikia here).

Back to group shots. I believe that the earliest Aqours seiyuu picture is the cast announcement that was released in the June 2015 issue of Dengeki G’s magazine, which was around April/May of that year:

This is so early that it’s more accurate to call this a picture of the LLS seiyuu, since the name “Aqours” wasn’t adopted until June 2015. Unfortunately, as you can see these are individuals pics rather than a group shot. At the very least, this tells us that any group pics must have been taken sometime after the above profile images were taken.

In terms of the earliest group shot possible, devoted fans will recall that the girls had a “training camp” in Summer 2015 that was four days and three nights long. That was pretty much the first time that the girls met up as a group. They cooked, stretched, jogged, sang, danced, and set off fireworks together. Shukashuu still had long black hair! King hadn’t dyed her hair brown yet! Furirin was just starting to make “ganbaruby” a popular catchphrase! NanaAinya didn’t exist (yet)! Anchan took her first steps as a leader! …I repeat:

SHUKASHUU

STILL

HAD

LONG

BLACK

HAIR!!!

_:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_ hnnngh brb dying

I’m pretty sure they took a group picture during the training camp, but I don’t recall them ever posting one for the public eye. Thus, any group pictures they took during this time would’ve likely been their first, but they wouldn’t be official since the girls would’ve been in casual clothes rather than LLS outfits.

In fact, the earliest “official” group pic I’ve seen is from the Lantis Spring 2016 Catalogue, which I believe was released sometime around April/May of 2016:

I’m pretty sure that they took this picture sometime in January 2016 though, since these hairstyles are exactly the same as their hairstyles during 0th Live. Plus, Shukashuu actually had brown hair by April 2016, haha. I feel like there’s a better version of this pic out there, but I can’t remember where it’d be from…

The reason why I have such trouble remembering whether there was a group picture from before 2016 is because:

Aqours didn’t get a chance to be the main star of the Love Live spotlight until µ’s officially bowed out, which wasn’t until April 1, 2016 (Final Live Day 2). Even then, µ’s was still pretty big for several months afterwards so it took Aqours a while to pick up steam.

While there were plenty of magazine spreads for the characters, the seiyuu didn’t really get featured until the latter half of 2016. They started to get popular with their niconamas throughout the first half of 2016, and then they finally got to shine when the anime debuted in July 2016.

As stated before, Aqours didn’t have a full 9-member event until January 2016 due to all their fan meetings and activities prior to that done by year trios (i.e. first years, second years, third years). You can find plenty of trio images from Fall 2015 if you trawl through Twitter, but AFAIK there weren’t any full group shots published prior to 0th Live.

Not related to the franchise, but…my external hard drive containing my seiyuu-related files died on me earlier this year, so I lost pretty much all of my seiyuu pics. ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇωஇﾟ)ﾟ｡ Otherwise, I probably would’ve been able to just pick something out from my (now non-existent) stash.

Apologies for the inexact answer, but that’s the best I’ve got. If anyone out there happens to actually know what the earliest group picture of the Aqours seiyuu is, feel free to chime in!

[survivormontenegro]

Prejury Rites of Passage

Ali - The undisputed Subway Queen. Somehow, other than maybe JJ, you have ended up as maybe the most talked about player this season, your legacy lives on. Your tribe PSAs about your feelings on the vote were legendary, and I genuinely really enjoyed talking to you. If you are still looking for closure, from my perspective, the reason you left the game was because while we had greater conversations, I’m not sure how much you had talked to the others, and you targeted who was someone who was already well-connected in Mitch, and who was also someone I didn’t want to see go. With that said, you remain a legend, the original robbed goddess of the season, and in Tumblr Survivor: Sandwich Royalty, I can’t wait to watch you snatch first place.

Benj - You were really nice but just didn’t talk much! Queen of subway, queen of stacking sandwiches, queen of telling us you scored over 50 but actually scored 0. We still talk about that iconic moment.

Caeleb - I’m sorry I never got to meet you. The way people talk about you is iconic, so I can only imagine that you are actually are. 

Ali - You will without question not remember this, but you played in my first ever season! You were inactive, and basically didn’t message anyone, but you wrote a confessional that I still remember about me being annoying and wanting me to shut my mouth. It seems you knew the truth of my annoying ways before the rest of the cast, so perhaps you are the wokest one of all.

Caeleb - I messaged you about corn. And then we never talked again, and that’s why I think I got your vote. But you seemed really fun, I just wish I got to know you more. 

Tom - Hi pal it’s me Tom uhm it was nice to meet someone that i would have never met in my real life as you are into drag so it was nice talking to you for the small portion you were in the game

Ali - Jared, you are the OG crackhead of the season, and I honestly miss you for it. You were such a king, and a pleasure to talk to, but I think from jump you were playing super hard, and spreading stuff back and forth which I think got a lot of early attention on you? So I think when info spread about the Budva idol being found, and about the Mitch vote, people found that frustrating and wanted you out, which played onto my own fears of you playing hard, so I got on board. With that said, I was genuinely very sorry on a personal level to see you go, as I know you had a lot more game in you, and I look forward to seeing you play another game, because you defo DEFO should.

Benj - You were one of my favs from the start and was hoping to go further with you but unfortunately you got a bit too messy! Hope u can do well in future games tho!

Caeleb - The only thing I know about you is that Mitch said, “that’s what you get for targeting me” at your tribal. At least I think it was. 

Ali - I LOVE YOU. I doubt you remember me also, but I remember talking to you during Tumblr Survivor: Solomon Islands, both your first season and one of the first seasons which I followed in this community. It was very full circle seeing you play this season, and I was super disappointed to see you go so early, but obviously OG Durmitor saw how iconic you were and didn’t want to compete!

Benj - WILLOW MY QUEEEEEEN. Literally the only person I was friends with before this season and it sucks that once again we never got to play with each other :(( After you left I knew I had to make it far for you I hope youre proud u were robbed!!

Caeleb - I am sad, I really liked Willow. She was undeniably sweet, and she really wanted to do better than her last time in Kuwait. I really wanted to help her out with that and when JJ told me to vote Willow and Willow wasn’t around to make a countermove I knew it was too late. BUT I miss Willow and her super sweet heart, and Benj and I talk about how we had to do well for her honor. 

Tom - Robbed honestly kinda sad that u left but unfortunately that’s where majority went 😢

Ali - Okay this season has had many upsetting moments. However, I believe maybe the most upsetting was you sending the picture of the blue wig you wanted to wear in a lip sync challenge to the OG Budva tribe chat. Seeing you wear it the following round, and be sent home right after, was so upsetting, that wig was truly CURSED. You were also kinda cracked apparently, but we were gonna be fellow bad bitches of the tribe which I loved (I may have also voted for you one round but… let's forget about all that NNNN)

Benj - You were iconic in the music vid challenge but we just didn’t have as good of a connection that I found with the new Durmitors on the tribe which is why I ended up siding with them ://

Caeleb - Noah was some guy. He has a vibrant personality and had an interesting mentality towards survivor. It seemed like he was willing to make big moves, and to my favor that didn’t end up working out for him. Regardless, his strategy was unique and his energy was intense and colorful. 

Ali - Okay… JJ, hnnngh let’s buckle in. First off, can I just say, apparently you showed your mum my intro, and she said I was a mess… so your mum gets me as a person. Otherwise… you were actually crazy, some highlights being when you wanted to call me when I was coming back from a night out with friends and with them in McDonalds at 5am, or when you wanted to call me 0.5 seconds after I left my prom. In general, while I found you super frustrating lowkey and didn’t particularly appreciate the pseudo-threats you made to my game, I know you genuinely mean well, and hearing stories about your activities in a car park aside, are a good soul really. Just… no more constant calls.

Caeleb - JJ was some kid. When he wanted to call every day in Durmitor I told my friends that I was going to be really upset if he beat me in this game, because I didn’t like that we were calling for hours on end every single day. However, he did include me in talks and was always kind to me, and it actually took me by surprise when I found out that everyone felt that same unease about him. I think that attests to his strength if he were to make it post-merge. Early on that creates a big target, but this could’ve come in as a strength long-term.

Tom - eek cracked legend, as much as you drove me up the wall with all your plans it was cool to reconnect since tengaged uhm say gday to your mum for me and just a tip for next time it’s a marathon not a sprint ❤️

Ali - You were the Siri to my Alexa. While I initially assumed you would potentially be first boot, you became… such a legend, and the way you would message me about votes, while terrifying was also iconic. I also heard you were recruited by Dennis, who is also a king, so if Dennis stans, we do too. Apparently you kind of disappeared/gave up, which is a shame, since I think Siri could’ve fought on and been amazing.

Benj - Challenge beast!! You always put in the best effort that I have seen in chals and sad u vanished at the end hope ur ok!

Caeleb - We had some really fun discussions about his gaming career and the different gaming communities he’s apart of. I honestly thought our connection was pretty friendly and enjoyable, I kinda wish we had kept up our communication after the Noah vote. 

Ali - Evan, you were a really sweet guy and on a personal level, I loved talking to you. I think your fate was somewhat sealed by you telling JJ he was going to go home the first swap round, in that it kinda eroded trust in you, and alienated you from the other six members of the tribe. With that said, I do want to apologise to you, for not being around during the second day of the challenge where we had to unscramble the names of the survivor players, and for not helping out enough; it was clear that challenge would determine your fate, and I wish I had done more.

Caeleb - This boy was an icon. I do think he was kinda robbed. Sure, he was paranoid, but TS is just a cluster-f of emotions so like who can blame him. He made crazy connections and always told people that they were his number one. Honestly, I believed him when we were on the same tribe. Either he was goofing me just as he was everyone else, or he actually did trust me. I hope it was the latter!

Tom - oh Evan you really uhm got unlucky with this vote off, I feel like you were so good in the game just unfortunately  loyalty kicked your ass :( it was lovely meeting you and hearing about you and your gf cute ass relationship 

Ali - Okay, as you said to me, I definitely, definitely have some explaining to do. I genuinely loved our personal conversations throughout this game, but I also have felt since round two of this game, that you were a threat of astronomical proportions and needed to go sooner rather than later. Your win in the lists immunity challenge solidified this, and I consistently considered you a major threat through both the tail end of pre-swap and during the swap. When the merge vote happened, and an opportunity opened up to both remove you and separate you and Jason as a duo, it was an opportunity I had to capitalise on. I genuinely am so sorry for how dirty you were done, and I also hate that you weren’t even on jury, but I hope you can at least take something out of how well you played, while you were in the game.

Benj - Omg Ian I think that you think I voted you/knew about your vote off when really I had no idea you were one of my favs from the start to talk to and it sucks you left so soon before we got to truly play together :((

Caeleb - I got to chat with him for like 3 days, but he seemed like such a sweetheart. We couldn’t talk game because we were both being told that we were on the opposite side of the votes, and it seemed smart to stick with our respective groups. Regardless, our chats were pleasant, fun, and kind, and I honestly could have seen myself working with him throughout the season and going far with him if things were just different. We were pitted against each other, and sadly that’s the way it is 

Tom - ahh bromigo honestly by far the most robbed of this season I’m so sad you couldn’t be apart of jury because you deserved it, I’m sure we’ll keep talking after this game and I just want to say thank you for being such an amazing ally and friend probably the person I enjoyed speaking too the most