#but then i think there were like a few freebies seasons where i got a huge lot of characters at once

[icharchivist]

Out of curiosity, how many FEs do you have to read? I currently have 45

I really need to set aside some time for that, that's so many potential crystals

ahah i actually answered an ask similar to that earlier today!

but the long story short is that there's 390 FE unread in my FE tab (which are almost all skill FEs, bc i skipped all of the crystal ones. There's a few misc FE like cross-FE or the eternal stuff on the list though).

and there's plenty of FE i skipped, for crystals' sake, or for skills sake. I haven't really made the count but in terms of skipped FEs i need to come back to, i have a few hundreds to read as well.

My "to read" list is a little less big in the sense that there's characters i really want to read so they're high in my priority list, but, yeah.

This is the reason i procrastinate those so badly, i just have. Too many of them. One day i'll manage to sort through it all but. yeah. OTL.

Good luck on your read list though!! you can do it!!! cheering for you!

[lyzsaphrodite]

༊*·˚ Home is Where the Heart is ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Dior Goodjohn x fem!reader

synopsis: You and Dior are long distanced and she decides to surprise you by coming to visit you for your birthday.

warnings: fluff, fluff, and fluff

a/n: this is not my best writing ever i just wanted to get this out while i work on the Summer fic

You and Dior have been in a long-distance relationship for about a year and a half now. You met on the set of Percy Jackson and instantly clicked; she ended up asking you out two months into filming. After season one wrapped, she went back home to LA, and you returned to your hometown. You haven't seen each other in person since filming wrapped six months ago, because you're still in school. You guys text multiple times a day and FaceTime at least once a day, but it's still hard for both of you. Especially for you since your love language is physical touch, and you just like to have physical connections with people. Your birthday was coming up, so Dior thought it would be an amazing idea if she came and surprised you. She planned it all out with your family; she would fly in on your actual birthday and stay for a month.

Today was finally your birthday. You woke up to look at your phone and found a bunch of birthday wishes from friends, family, and even fans. But none from the person that mattered most to you. You didn't think she would ever forget your birthday. Maybe she just wasn't awake yet, even though it was currently noon, which means it was 9 in LA, and she's always up before 9. But you just decided not to worry about it. You still had the whole day. You were really bummed that she wouldn't be able to come for your birthday, but you understand that she's busy with her music and everything. You got out of bed, took a shower, and got ready for the day. You and your best friend decided to go shopping for your birthday. You visited all your favorite stores, getting all of your birthday freebies. By the time you and your best friend headed home, it was around 4 o’clock, and you've yet to get a message from Dior, which made you visibly disappointed. Your best friend kept seeing you checking your messages every few minutes and finally decided to say something.

“I’m sure she didn't forget; you know her, she's always busy with something.”

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone but her has wished me a happy birthday though. Like even at the mall, those fans who came up to us to say happy birthday, I didn't even know them. And I thought she would be one of the first to say it.”

You finally arrived home and went straight upstairs to put your bags down and take off your shoes. You were home for around 30 minutes when you finally heard the doorbell ring.

“Y/N, someone's here for you,” your mom yelled. You had no clue who it could be; you weren't expecting anyone.

“Coming!” you yelled back to your mom. You hurried down the stairs to the front door, and standing there was Dior with her bags and a gift. She looks just as beautiful as she always does.

“Hey, baby,” she said, smiling.

You had absolutely no idea how to react; you were definitely not expecting this at all. You ran to her and jumped to hug her. As she held and hugged you, you started to tear up.

“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.”

“What are you doing here? I thought you weren't able to come.”

“I wanted to surprise you, sweet girl.”

“How long are you staying?”

“For a month.”

“Oh my gosh, no way!”

“Way!”

“OMG, and Mom, you knew about this?”

Your mom just smiled and nodded.

“Yep, and so did your best friend.”

“OMG!! I cannot believe this; I thought you forgot my birthday!”

“I could never forget your birthday, mamas.”

You and Dior share a passionate kiss, the weight of her surprise visit lifting a heavy burden off your shoulders. In that moment, all the worries and doubts melted away, replaced by the warmth of her presence. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The month that followed was a whirlwind of joy and reconnection. Every day felt like a treasure, filled with laughter, adventures, and stolen moments of affection. Whether it was exploring your hometown together, cooking meals side by side, or simply cuddling on the couch watching movies, every second was cherished. On the day of her departure, you stood at the airport, hand in hand, hearts heavy with the weight of impending separation.

"I wish we lived closer," you managed to say, your voice breaking slightly as you fought back tears, the airport's din muffling your words.

Dior's eyes softened, mirroring the sorrow in your own as she squeezed your hand gently. "I know, darling. It's hard saying goodbye every time," she murmured, her voice tinged with empathy.

You leaned into her embrace, seeking solace in the warmth of her presence amidst the impersonal hustle of the airport. "I hate it when you leave," you stated simply, your voice carrying a mix of longing and frustration, the airport's commotion providing a stark backdrop to your heartfelt confession.

Dior's arms wrapped around you, holding you close as if trying to shield you from the pain of separation. "I feel it too, love. It never gets any easier," she whispered, her breath warm against your ear.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you buried your face in her shoulder, the weight of longing settling heavily in your chest. "I just wish we could be together more often," you confessed, your voice barely audible above the noise of the crowd.

Dior's fingers brushed through your hair soothingly, her touch a silent reassurance. "Me too, sweetheart. But no matter the distance, you'll always have my heart," she vowed, her words a promise of enduring love.

And as you stood together in the midst of the bustling airport terminal, surrounded by the chaos of departure, you found solace in the simple act of being together, knowing that no matter where life may take you, your love would always be a constant, guiding light in the darkness.

this is unusually short because I didn't know how to end it

taglist: @asvterias

[medea10]

My Review of My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Humor me. Who else thought this was going to be a sequel to Ore Monogatari (My Love Story) where Takeo and Yamada go all the way? I can’t be the only one with that sick thought. Okay completely unrelated anime, let’s see what you got.

Akane Kinoshita is out with her boyfriend Takuma…and she gets dumped. Yep, not even 30 seconds into the first episode and she gets dumped. He’s leaving Akane for a girl he met in an online game that he and Akane were playing together. After the breakup, Akane went on the game she got into because of her ex and went on a killing-spree of monsters. Just then, she meets another player named Yamada who looks like Saitama if he had a weird afro on. It takes him two minutes just for a simple reply. Akane gets annoyed and basically tells him off. After some time from the breakup, Akane decides to go to this on-site event for the game she was playing. Never mind getting freebies for the game, she’s going merely for the fact her ex might be there and wants to flaunt the goods to make him regret leaving her.

Things did not go according to plan. Akane trips and falls down on her way to stalk her ex. The person she bumped into is a handsome young man of few words. Akane realized that this mysterious boy is that Yamada she met in her game prior to this event. Well, Akane is face-to-face with her ex. What does she do? Lies and says Yamada is her boyfriend and even bribes him to keep up the farce. Yamada is quite aloof and can be blunt with the things he says…if he says anything. But what Akane doesn’t know is that Yamada is a pro-gamer.

While the boyfriend lie is merely for whenever Akane’s ex is around, Akane has a nice friendship with not only Yamada, but his inner circle as well.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Even though this was a Crunchyroll exclusive (in association with Aniplex of America), this didn’t see a dub until a good six months after the series had started. Normally, I’d be concerned. But this did happen during the actor’s strike, so I’ll think no more on the matter. And that’s all I’ve got here. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Akane is played by Inori Minase (known for Rem on Re:Zero, Prushka on Made in Abyss, Makinohara on Bunny Girl Senpai, Ruruka on Danganronpa 3, and Hidomi on FLCL: Progressive)

*Yamada is played by Kouki Uchiyama (known for Soul on Soul Eater, Yurio on Yuri on Ice, Rui on Demon Slayer, Shigaraki on My Hero Academia, Ikuya on Free!, Ichijou on Nisekoi, and Yuuki on Shiki)

ENGLISH CAST: *Akane is played by Abby Trott (known for Nezuko on Demon Slayer, Shizuka on Zom 100, Machi on Hunter x Hunter, Veronica on Seven Deadly Sins, Inui on Aggretsuko, and Fou on Fate/Grand Order)

*Yamada is played by Stephen Fu (known for Weather Report on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Naofumi on Shield Hero [season 2+], Douma on Demon Slayer, Henry on Black Clover, Kaname on Darwin’s Game, and Pax on Mushoku Tensei)

DISLIKED CHARACTER: No, it’s not Runa. As much as I love to dunk on those little girls who latch onto the hot character and glare at the obvious main attraction, I actually hate jerky ex-boyfriends who quickly dump their girlfriends over trivial shit more. Yeah, Akane’s ex can kick rocks for all I care. While we only see him two times in the whole show, his breakup with Akane really messed her up.

SHIPPING: Yamada is oblivious when it comes to females. He didn’t even know a girl was confessing to him in the second episode. There’s no way in hell he’s going to fall for Akane. Never mind, dragging her drunk ass to his home in the first episode. As it turns out, Akane and Yamada had quite the cute friendship for the greater majority of this season. And as the series progressed, several of their friends were all for them getting together (even if the two characters aren’t going to do so). But we have to remember that Yamada is going to do what Yamada does. He can be blunt and slow to respond. Yet he somehow acts differently when it comes to Akane. The blunt and slow responses are still there, but he almost acts on a weird impulse at times with her.

Elsewhere, Yamada is quite the favorite around school and elsewhere. There are so many girls at his school that think he’s cute. And then there’s Runa! A lot of insecurities to unpack with this little one. But the fact that she at first wanted to keep Yamada all to herself and push Akane on some rando guy really speaks volumes. That action of Runa’s almost landed her on my dislike category. But I left her off because I grew to like her throughout the rest of the series. She even became a Akane x Yamada shipper. I thought it was adorable when she tried to have Akane bump into Yamada while eating a piece of toast.

But what about Yamada’s silent classmate, Yukari? And what of the girl from Yamada’s past that liked him? The girl from Yamada’s past is someone we’ll never see again. Yukari on the other hand…well, that’s a topic for the ending.

ENDING: Does Akane like Yamada for real? That’s a pretty big question for her as she kinda sees him in a new light after Yamada took care of her when she was sick. There is one big thing that seems to be holding her down and that’s the way things were left off between Akane and her ex. As most people do when they’re dumped, they go through a myriad of thoughts to narrow down what they did wrong. However, she still wants to tell Yamada how she feels. It’s just that the timing never seemed right with the two of them.

Meanwhile, let’s move onto Yamada’s silent classmate, Yukari. We see her a few episodes towards the end of the season. She’s on speaking terms with Yamada in class. And she recently joined the FOS guild that Akane, Eita, and Yamada are in. Her reasons for joining the video game guild were to of course get closer to Yamada. And in the second to last episode, Yukari let it slip out to Yamada that she likes him. Oooooh, right before Akane got the chance to. I sure hope the hint Eita dropped about Yamada about to get confessed to will make a dent. I think it did!

Yamada meets up with Yukari after the confession. Yukari spills everything out and admits how long she’s liked him and every reason in the world she likes him. And Yamada still rejects her! It wasn’t like those airhead replies he gave to the other girls that used to confess to him. This was genuine as he even says that there’s another. Yukari knows it’s Akane and he confirms. Called it!

The guild met up for a dinner with special food and drinks. Eita thought it’d be perfect for Akane and Yamada to have some alone time during the dinner. Things didn’t go according to plan. Yamada was late to arrive. And by the time he showed up, Akane was drunk. Déjà vu from the first episode. Yamada drags her to her home and that’s when Akane asks if he likes her. Yamada says yes. And to make sure that this is real, he promises to remind her when she sobers up that this is true.

Yamada x Akane is official!

This was a cute story despite how things started. It’s not like we haven’t seen similar things happen in other animes. Akane wasn’t even trying to become Yamada’s girlfriend after that time in front of her ex. It was just a sweet friendship that eventually blossomed into a relationship in the end. I always respect a story like that. One has to wonder if the anime will continue with a second season or if it will stay as is with the happy ending given in the 12th episode. By the looks of things, the manga is still on-going with at least 100+ chapters at the moment. I honestly think that the anime will stay with just this season. Well, if you’re looking for a cute slice of life, romcom, maybe check this out. It’s a short series.

Crunchyroll has every episode for streaming.

[lindsaystravelblogs5]

From Scotland into England

Day 38.  Thursday.   England - Egad!

Warning! For any Anglophiles who may be reading this, it might be safer for you to stop at this point. I hated almost everything about the country. I didn't have high expectations but it still disappointed me intensely and I am sure this will show as we go along. The wreck of a campervan we had didn't help, and the roads were so impossibly bad, that I can't understand how anyone could enjoy travelling in England.

Something about the camper first. It was a Peugeot, pronounced somethng like Perjz-zhow. I think 'perjz' might derive from pre-Cambrian 'perz' for 'fragment' and the 'zhow' may be a recent corruption of 'to shit'. Anyway, it certainly was a piece of it. It was way underpowered for its weight and had the turning circle of a twelve-horse dray. It had lots of other problems with things that didn't work, and/or were very badly designed, but for me, the worst feature was the transmission. I think is must have been developed by a pre-schooler between sessions, using his Meccano set with quite a few pieces missing, including first and second gear most of the time. More as we go along but back to the story......

First up, I got online and paid for our flights for our next trip - to India in February.   We always need to have a trip or two planned, and we needed to lock this one in.  And we have two more locked in for next year too. I hope we can use 2026 for some domestic travel and let international challenges lay dormant for a while.

We headed south today, crossing from Scotland (where I have been before) into England, that I have previously eschewed - no special reason apart from it being 'the old country' and all that that entails.  We went via the big Tesco where we shopped yesterday and bought quite a few more things to keep the wolf from the door over the next few days.  We noted that quite a few items are marked with significant discounts for Tesco ClubCard members, so we asked about joining.  It turns out that members have to be UK residents so we couldn’t join but the assistant we asked said to ask the person in front or behind to scan their card at the register, so they get the points, but we get the discounts.  She even asked the guy behind us if he would do it for us and he was more than happy, and we saved a pound or two.  The lass said she is not supposed to tell people, but it is apparently fairly common practice and we did it wherever we went for the rest of the trip. 

We wound our way down via back roads but eventually came out at the coast at Maryport where we sat by the harbour to eat our lunch.  We were in a carpark with lots of signs saying to pay for parking, but we couldn’t find how to pay, so we got a freebie.  (We subsequently discovered that paid parking is the norm at even the least inviting tourist spot – 2.5 Pounds, or about $5 in our money, for the first 30 minutes was the first place I saw but it was usually about two pounds for an hour)

We headed back inland to the Lakes District - the idyllic area of literature and romance that everyone raves about.   It was truly awful!  It is currently the off season, but it was still insanely crowded, and the traffic was frightful.  People wandered all over the tiny roads in the towns and cars roared furiously along the tinier lanes out of town.  There was nowhere to stop so the best we saw was from the window as we went along, driving all the Sunday (Thursday) drivers nuts because we didn’t was to drive twenty miles an hour above the speed limit.  Throughout the trip, Heather was our photographer (so most of the photos from here on are credited to her) and she Air-dropped them to me each evening, so I could see what we saw during the day. I dared not take my eyes of the road for a second so I saw almost nothing during our drives.

It is quaint to see the road signs here.  Everything is in miles of course, and the signs indicate the next town is 4¾ miles ahead or the school is 2 2/3 miles (can't do a proper two-thirds on my PC) to the left, or a crossing 207 yards ahead, and so on.  Maybe the metric system is not so bad after all.   I find myself continually converting the speed limits - 30 is about 40, 40 is 60, 50 is 80, 60 is 100 (my limit), 70 is much too fast for this camper.  Most of the roads are narrow, and many are as narrow as the worst of those in the Faroes, but with at least a hundred times the traffic.  The hedges and miles of drystone walls are also just about as dangerous at even half the speed limit as the perilous goat-tracks we became accustomed to in the past couple of weeks. 

We saw our first bit of wildlife as we drove south.  A cute little grey squirrel ran across the road in front of us.  And there have been hundreds of birds today, all flying fairly high, mainly gulls and ravens/crows.   There are certainly a lot more birds here, but I can’t watch for birds when driving.

We wanted to find a caravan park - there were lots listed, but of very poor standard, so we drove in and straight out of a few but WikiCamps sent us to a fancy one - that doesn’t have caravans and has no camping.   All they have is high-priced lodges and the woman there was a bit offended that we wanted to come in.  She reckons we should just park in laybys or roadside carparks like everyone else - with no water or power or toilets or showers.   What does she think legitimate travellers should put up with?

We did find one at the end of the earth, at the very tip of Walney Island, and it is absolutely fine.  It is near a wildlife reserve that we will probably explore tomorrow.  It is based around a very civilised Club and is probably as nice as the one we enjoyed the last two nights. 

Day 39.   Friday

What a fantastic day it was.  Exhausting but wonderful.  It was a cold but sunny day, with a bit of wind in the afternoon, but very pleasant.  We squared things away after breakfast and set off for a walk.  

There is a Nature Reserve at the tip of the island and the manager here said it was only a six-hundred-yard walk to the visitors’ centre, so off we went.  Fifteen hundred (plus) metres later, we reached the centre and were welcomed by a volunteer who was extra helpful.  She explained that there was a one-mile walk, a two-mile walk and three-mile walk, and gave us a map showing them all.   We set off on the (surprisingly) one-mile walk but only got to the first bird hide after maybe four hundred metres before we saw that the path was closed.  (It turned out that it was only a side track that was closed, and we could have gone on, but didn’t realise that until later.)  We retraced our steps and embarked on the two-mile walk - but Heather couldn’t find her phone, so back we went to collect it from the bird hide.  We continued to another hide overlooking the beach and thence to a long walk that turned out to be the two (and a bit) mile walk that seemed to go on for a very long way.  It followed the beach for a long way (with numerous signs saying not to access the beach) and then cut across the island to a series of lakes and ponds with quite a few birds.   We watched and photographed them from a few hides before trudging back to the visitors’ centre.  My back was aching and Heather was struggling with her sore toes, but we sat on a couple of benches along the way and eventually returned to our camper.   My phone app said I had done thirteen thousand steps for 8.3 kilometres and my body agreed with it.  We had a very late lunch and I recorded all the new birds I had seen in the last week or so and we wrote up a few notes over a coffee that somehow evolved into a few wines.  We decided to go to the Club here to socialise with some of the locals but there was almost nobody there so we drank another bottle of wine and went back to our camper for a truly excellent spaghetti bolognaise - I am so glad I have a Michelin star chef with me. We eat so well on the most basic of comestibles.  I was a bit sloshed, but the meal was excellent by any measure.  Interestingly, we went back to the Club to use the toilets before bed and the place was crowded.  It was Bingo night and the place was bursting at the seams.   I have no idea how Bingo is played but it is certainly popular here.  Apparently, they have Bingo seven days a week, at different times each day, and it is very popular with many of the permanent residents of the park.

We rolled into bed exhausted about 10pm but both agreed it was a fantastic day - one of our best.  The Nature Reserve was a little light on with nature, but more than enough to keep us entertained, and the achievement of walking such a long way in our dotage, whilst both carrying injuries (and backpacks) was very rewarding.  

Day 40   Saturday

What a day!   It started out a bit wet and windy and simply got wilder by the hour.  If there were any waterfalls here, they would be flowing uphill too.  

A couple of kilometres across the bay from here is a castle-type ruin and we thought we would try to visit it.  It is called Piel Castle on Piel Island and has had numerous owners and uses over the centuries but is now a tourist relic of sorts owned by the local council.  Despite it being easily seen from the caravan park, it is about twenty kilometres away by car.  We set off to find it in wintry sunshine and arrived at its closest point on Roa Island.   There is a ferry that takes people the last kilometre to Piel Island, but if is not running at present.  At low tide, it is possible to walk, or even drive, to it but not on a day like today.  We took a quick photo and ran back to the car just as the heavy rain swept in.  I was a bit concerned about getting out of the narrow dead-end street, but another car left at just the right time, and I was able to use its space to turn the car around - very lucky - otherwise, I would have had to reverse a few hundred yards in a very narrow lane and hope that no cars came while I was doing it.  We sat in the car and had an excellent lunch, cosy despite the downpour, and decided to drive up the coast a few kilometres.   Famous last words!   With a gale blowing and the rain lashing the car from time to time, we fought the traffic, roadworks, absurdly narrow lanes, and multiple closed roads for twenty miles or so, before giving up trying to get to anything approaching the coast.  In utter frustration, I found a place to turn around and we just came back to the campground.  England is certainly not a place to ‘go for a drive’.  There is nowhere to stop to look at anything other than the very expensive, grossly crowded, tourist traps, and it takes every bit of concentration not to crash the car.  It is just too stressful to enjoy things much.  We had only driven 61 miles but it felt like a thousand.  I am not enjoying England much.

The weather forecasts here are really interesting.  On the app, they are constantly being updated, but the text is always something like ‘heavy rain is expected in Barrow in six minutes and should last eleven minutes before starting again seven minutes later’.   There is a whole lot more information too, but the precision of the forecasts is quite fascinating.  Even more fascinating is that they are spot-on correct.

Back at the caravan park, we did some writing and a bit of business emailing and went to the Club for dinner.  We had to dodge the rain and hail and could barely walk against the wind, but we got there and back without getting too wet.  We are now in bed with heaps of clothing piled on us to keep warm, but we really need seatbelts too. The camper is rocking and rolling in the wild, wild wind, reminding us of other times we felt we needed to be tied down to avoid being blown away.  

[luxekook]

chapter one.

⇥ pairing: jungkook x reader; eventual bts/ot7 x reader

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, kissing, hickies, drinking, tatted jungkook, nipple piercings

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter One

Fall of Junior Year – 8:57am

I curse every single decision that has brought me to this very moment as I power-walk across campus, sweating under the already blistering sun. Campus in August could easily be compared to a swamp given the amount of unearthly humidity, and I'm pretty sure I currently qualified as the local swamp thing.

The only positive feature in my morning has been the table of free coffee and doughnuts staffed by Student Government. The first day of the fall semester always seems to be accompanied by frantically wide-eyed freshmen and celebratory freebies. However, air conditioning is the only thing I would be celebrating today as I finally reach Tyson Hall – the destination of my 9:00am class.

As I rush to my classroom with one minute to spare, I slump into a seat in the far corner – my preferred location for people-watching out of the large windows and for getting away with doing homework for other classes.

Familiar faces surround me, an unsurprising observation given that this is our mandatory research seminar as psychology majors. I notice my friend Jenni sitting in the opposite corner, eyes glued to her phone screen.

Opening my laptop, I shoot her a text to come sit with me. Her head whips up, black braids moving every which way as she immediately piles up her things and hustles over, “(y/n), I forgot you were in this seminar! I just switched over from quantitative research because I couldn’t take any more statistics – or Dr. Harding.”

Dr. Harding is the dean of the psychology department and has been teaching here for ages. Feared by most psychology students for his tough grading and intimidating persona, he’s actually a huge softie – something I discovered by going to his office hours and seeing all 85 pictures of his grandchildren hanging throughout the room.

“He’s not that bad, Jen.”

She scoffs, “You would say that because you got an A in statistics like some sort of wizard. Besides, Dr. Newman is so much nicer.”

Jenni has an excellent point. Dr. Newman is the main reason I chose this seminar. As one of the most respected researchers at our university, she’s known for her qualitative studies on gender across cultures. I consider Dr. Newman to be a real badass woman and I lowkey stan her.

I turn to reply, but Dr. Newman begins taking attendance and class begins.

Fifty minutes later, Jenni practically drags me out of the classroom, “I cannot believe she kept us the whole 50 minutes. Is she aware that it’s syllabus week? It’s practically law to just read over the syllabus and then dismiss class. This is outrageous– (y/n), are you even listening?”

“Hmm?” I totally had tuned her out, focusing on the number of students flooding the quad. I had missed this – the rush of students heading to class, the yells of people greeting each other from entirely too far away, the buzz of excitement over potential parties…

“Unbelievable. How did I forget you have this whole weird-ass feminist crush on her?” Jenni forges forth, “It doesn’t matter. What are you doing tonight? You’re going out with us, right? Luna and I want to go to Hannigan’s.”

Since the three of us had all turned 21 over the summer, we finally could legally go to the bars in town. Hannigan’s currently holds the top spot on the list of bars that most of the upperclassman frequent. It’s a popular Irish pub downtown known for its cheap beer and mixed drinks.

It’s also BTS’s unofficial hangout – a fact that makes me slightly uneasy. After learning who the higher-ups are in BTS, I have taken to avoiding them like the plague. It was a relatively easy thing to do since the spring semester tended to be less focused on rushing and recruiting for fraternities and sororities.

But now it’s rush season, and I’m pretty much fucked. There will be no avoiding seeing BTS’s president Kim Namjoon out recruiting with his vice president Min Yoongi and his social chair Jung Hoseok. There will also be no avoiding pledge master Taehyung leading around new BTS pledges like a mother duckling. And don’t even get me started on how Kim Seokjin, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook will be popping up everywhere to advertise the latest BTS bash.

Sighing, I figure that the chances of actually bumping into them at the bar will be slim, given that it will most likely be super crowded and I can easily blend in.

I turn to Jenni as we keep walking towards our next classes, “Yeah, I’ll go to Hannigan’s. Are you going to come over to get ready at our place?”

Luna and I had moved into a cute little off-campus apartment over the summer. As it turned out, it’s cheaper to live off-campus than on-campus if you look hard enough. We also had it pretty good location-wise being just a few short blocks from both campus and downtown.

“Yes!” Jenni replies, slowing to a stop out front of the science building, “I’ll be over around 8 with tequila. I’ll text you later. I’ve got to go to neuro-psych lab now,” she rolls her eyes, “Hopefully we won’t be kept the whole time.”

Waving, we part ways, and I shake my head.

Tequila never leads to anything good.

Hannigan’s – 10:54pm

Fate seems to be on my side for once in my life. As soon as Luna, Jenni and I walk into Hannigan’s, my eyes are drawn to the back table where the BTS usually sits. It’s empty.

It’s practically an unspoken rule that no one else can sit there, and even though the bar is packed with all other tables accounted for, that one remains vacant – and for good reason.

Greek life essentially has a cult following around here. The Greeks provide status for those who are into that whole exclusivity thing. They also provide the best parties because of the size of their houses and because the university will never complain about one of their best sources of revenue.

I didn’t to rush a sorority way back in freshman year because I couldn’t feasibly afford it. The dues were way out of my price range, considering I was already paying for my education on my own. Luna, on the other hand, is in Epsilon Xi Delta (EXID) and consistently makes me and Jenni tag along to different Greek parties with her.

"Come on, bitches! Let's get some drinks," Jenni drags me and Luna through the packed room towards the bar that is already encircled by a crowd of thirsty students.

Tonight’s plan is simple – stick together, have fun, scope out cute seniors. Having already taken some shots before we left (saving that coin), we’re definitely feeling ourselves, flaunting our outfits like we didn’t spend a good hour picking them out earlier.

I had settled on a black t-shirt dress with a checkered flannel tied around the waist and some black Doc Martens. Luna and Jenni had tried to convince me to wear heels with them, but I knew syllabus week was a marathon – not a sprint. My feet would thank me later, and theirs would be crying.

As the bartender slides us our beers, the opening beats of Cocky AF by our badass queen Megan Thee Stallion blast through the speakers dispersed throughout the bar. Turning immediately to each other, we clink our beers together, take a sip, and head to the makeshift dance floor.

We squeeze and push our way through the masses until we reach a spot towards the back where the crowd has thinned out a little more. Within seconds, we’re in motion, hips swaying in time to Megan saying ‘bitch, I look good and you know that’.

Shaking out my hair, I get in the zone and lose count of how many songs we dance to. Eventually, our beers empty and Luna turns to me, “Another?" She accompanies her shouted question with an unnecessary charade of shot-gunning a beer in case I couldn’t hear her. I roll my eyes, laughing while I nod in response.

“Save our spot!” Jenni yells and disappears into the crowd of dancers with Luna towards the bar.

I continue dancing on my own. Swaying my hips, I decide to put my hair up to try to cool off a little in the sweltering bar. The music shifts into a new song, this one slower, more seductive, a favorite of mine – Lost in the Fire featuring The Weeknd.

As Abel’s angelic voice flows over me, a pair of hands slide over my hips from behind me. I start to pull away, but then I notice – the hands are tattooed. And for some reason, that hot little fact makes me relax into the large body behind me.

Those tattooed hands tug me back even more, bringing me flush against him as he falls into time with my movements. God, this guy can dance – a rarity these days.

His body is all hard muscle and heated skin. His mouth is hot against my neck, alternating between kissing, sucking, and biting. My skin buzzes. Fuck, I haven’t felt this way since–

Turning my head slightly, I can make out the vague outline him and it confirms my sinking suspicion... He’s a BTS boy.

"Hey, noona," he murmurs in my ear, his lips brushing over it as he speaks.

Fuck my life, I think as I shiver involuntarily in response. Spinning to face one of Satan’s henchmen, I toss my ponytail over my shoulder and jut a hip out in both defiance and defense. But really nothing could have prepared me for the sight of Jeon fucking Jungkook, the golden boy of BTS.

He somehow looks like he’s gotten even bigger since the last I saw him playing pong against Taehyung at that party – information that I cannot even comprehend. His left arm is completely tattooed, along with a few smaller ones dotting his hands. I glare at them, blaming those hands for throwing me off.

“Like them?” Jungkook waves his fingers in front of my narrowed eyes, “I got them this summer.” Smirking lazily, Jungkook makes his own perusal of me – taking extra time along the way.

His jaw flexes as his eyes turn molten, “You’re killing me, noona. Tae didn’t mention…” He trails off, swallowing hard.

I follow his gaze. Oh fuck. I had forgotten I decided to forego a regular bra tonight because I wanted to show off my piercings. Just having a thin bralette under my dress, my pierced nipples are definitely noticeable under Jungkook’s heavy stare.

Refusing to give into him, I square my shoulders, “Yeah, I got them this summer, too. But, I don’t see how that’s either your or Taehyung’s business.”

At my words, Jungkook rips his eyes away from my tits to finally meet my own eyes again, “Oh, but it really is our business. Tae said we’d like you and I agree.”

His voice is low and rough, and I swear I can feel it washing over my body, making all of my synapses fire in response.

“We?” I choked out. In full panic mode, I spin and try to leave, but I barely make it a foot away before getting stopped by a now-familiar tattooed hand wrapped around my wrist.

Luckily, a crashing sound echoes from the back table where the other BTS boys must be, and Jungkook lets out a string of curses, “Fucking hell, listen I have to go make sure no one’s hurt, or Joon will kill me. Stay here, okay? I’m not done with you, (y/n).”

His hand rushes up to the nape of my neck, pulling me into him. Our lips fuse together in a brutally hot kiss, his tongue slipping against my bottom lip for a fraction of a second.

And then he’s gone – disappearing rapidly through the fray to manage whatever trouble his frat has gotten into.

I stand there, shaking fingers on my lips wondering what the actual fuck just happened.

“Hey, sorry we took so long! This bitch cut in front of us and I swear she ordered for the entire fucking population of North America—”

Luna smacks Jenni’s arm, cutting her off, “You okay, (y/n)?” Luna peers closer at me, “Holy shit, is that a hickey?  We were only gone for 10 minutes!”

My hand flies to my neck as both Jenni and Luna grab me, dragging me to the slightly quieter back alley of the bar. As they conduct the second Spanish Inquisition, I spill the details on what happened.

After a moment of silence following my explanation, they both start talking at once:

→ Jenni: “Hell yes, girl, go off! Jeon Jungkook is fine as fuck…” → Luna: “(y/f/n) (y/m/n) (y/l/n), have you lost your damn mind…”

→ Jenni: “…I’d hit that in a heartbeat. I’m so proud!” → Luna: “…Do you not remember last semester? Are you high? Oh my GOD, did he drug you?!”

“Stop!” I slap a hand over each of their mouths, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you guys are impossible. I am not ‘hitting’ anything, and, no, he did not fucking drug me.”

Sighing, I continue, “It was a lapse in judgement, okay? I remember last semester more than anyone, but he’s just so powerful and I don’t seem to have any common sense around BTS.”

I take my hands away from their mouths and immediately Jenni asks, “Wait, what happened last semester?”

Luna slings an arm around my shoulder, “Come on, let’s go get pizza and a six-pack from Ralph’s. We can go out another night this week.”

“Take-out from Ralph’s?” Jenni’s eyes widen comically, “This must be major tea. Let’s go.”

Instinctively, we clink our beers together for the second time that night and chug the remainder of our bottles in true broke bitch fashion (never leave paid-for beer behind).

With that, we trek back through the door and out of the bar. We finish our night filling in Jenni with our less than savory experience with the infamous BTS fraternity last semester.

But, as I lay in bed for the night, I can’t help but wonder if Jungkook had looked for me that night after I left… Or if he told Taehyung...

taglist (message me to be added):

@catsandstrawberries​ @h5naaa​

[nancypullen]

Ode to Willie

In 2008, I looked out my kitchen window and thought, “Is that a cat sleeping on top of the chicken coop?”  It was. It was the best cat ever. 

 He was a stray, but a fairly healthy one, and of course I fed him.  He showed up the next day and I fed him again.  That’s how our romance started. 

 He enjoyed our prime hunting grounds and would bring me lizards, voles, and the occasional baby rabbit.  That last one made me sad.  He was an extraordinary hunter and always a gentleman. We named him Willie...Willie show up? Willie be hungry?  It was also a nod to famous hobo, Boxcar Willie.  Pretty soon I was letting him in if the weather was bad, then I would “forget” to put him out at all and he got really comfy sleeping the day away on our sofa. I assumed that someone must be missing him, so one afternoon Matt and I drove through the neighborhood putting out flyers with his picture and our phone number.  I eventually heard from a woman who said he was a stray that she’d semi-adopted.  She’d found him eating from her trash can, taken him in, gotten his shots and had him neutered, and he was living the good life - until she brought home two kittens to foster. He was out of there in a flash. That’s when he showed up at our place.  I told her that we’d just keep him and she was thrilled he’d found a home.  She told me that she worked for a large veterinary clinic in Mt. Juliet and that any time he needed shots or healthcare to just bring him in and there’d be no charge. He remained listed under her name for freebie vet work.  So we became his family and life was good.  Willie was the ideal cat. He was tidy, he was sweet and cuddly,  he was independent,and he was charming. I know that sounds crazy to say about a cat, but Willie absolutely charmed everyone he met.  Which might explain why we weren’t his only family.  He had two other houses where he dined and received cuddles.  He was our timeshare cat.  Willie charmed other cats too, he rarely met another cat who didn’t become his buddy.  He loved Molly.

But he didn’t like kittens.  He never hurt them or even hissed, he’d just get up and leave.  He loved human children, but not the feline variety.  That’s why he came to us, and that’s why he chose to move two houses down in 2018 when we brought crazy Phoebe home.  Willie moved in with his BFF, Jack.  Jack’s owners were already in love with Willie and threw out the welcome mat.  It wasn’t long before he fell into a routine.  He’d get up at the crack of dawn with his new Mrs. and have breakfast.  After that he’d mosey across their yard and straight up to our front door for his second breakfast and some rest.

Around 6:30 Jack’s mom would call for him from her front porch.  He’d get up, stretch, say his goodbyes, and trot off for dinner.  Depending on the season, he might roam a bit after dinner, sometimes ending up at our door again to spend the night, sometimes at theirs.   He knew that neither of us locked up without knowing he was in, at one point there was actually a flag system.  If the red flag was up on their porch it meant Willie was in residence.  Our cul-de-sac went to great lengths to keep him safe and well.  He was living every cat’s dream - the freedom to do exactly as he pleased with plenty of warm, safe places to go.  He hunted, he sunbathed, he explored, and he always made his way back to one of his sister wives. He even tolerated Phoebe once she grew up.

You can probably see where this is going.  Over the last year Willie started to lose a bit of weight (probably not a bad thing) and wasn’t quite as energetic.  It all made sense since he was no spring chicken, he was full grown when I met him in 2008.  He still had the best of both worlds and even after a vet visit was deemed healthy for a cat his age.  Over the last few months though, we noticed that even though he kept to his scheduled visits, he was slower and his breathing seemed more labored.  Willie had congestive heart failure and it was progressing.  We kept him loved up and happy.  This past week he seemed to go downhill fast.  He went back to the vet on Tuesday morning and they chose to keep him for observation.  They tried diuretics to reduce the fluid in his lungs, and put him on oxygen.  Willie’s original Mrs. was caring for him while he was there and ultimately contacted the rest of us to say that he was suffering and would not get better.  A difficult decision was made and she held him and cuddled him right to the end.  I’ve cried buckets over him since yesterday afternoon. Some pets are just so special, and Willie was definitely the finest cat of all.  He’s now buried under the tree where I first saw him.  I think tomorrow I’ll paint a paver and place it over his little mound.  It will say:

    William Abraham DeLacey Guiseppe Casey Thomas O’Malley Cat At the risk of sounding like a complete lunatic, that song describes our Willie so perfectly.

I'm like a chee-chee-chee-chee-rony like they make at home Or a healthy fish with a big backbone I'm Abraham DeLacy Guiseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley O'Malley the alley cat I've got that wanderlust Gotta walk the scene Gotta kick up highway dust Feel the grass that's green Gotta strut them city streets Showin' off my eclat, yeah Tellin' my friends of the social elite Or some cute cat I happen to meet That I'm Abraham De Lacy Guiseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley O'Malley the alley cat Well of course, I'm the only cat of my kind I'm king of the highway Prince of the boulevard Duke of the avant-garde The world is my backyard So if you're goin' my way That's the road you wanna seek Calcutta to Rome or home, sweet home In Paris, magnifique, you all! I only got myself And this big old world But I sip that cup of life With my fingers curled I don't worry what road to take I don't have to think of that Whatever I take is the road I make It's the road of life make no mistake For me, yeah, Abraham De Lacy Guiseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley O'Malley the alley cat That's right And I'm very proud of that, YEAH!

Sweet dreams, Willie Boy. You were the best.

[fijiangecko]

When the Sun Rises in the West

Prologue

A/N: AHHH IT'S HERE!! I'm so excited to finally share this! I'm planning on posting chapters every couple days so I make you all wait for it 😉 this whole series was entirely based off of this playlist, and every chapter will have a theme. This one isn't super edited but I actually love this series. Heavily based off of GoT (locations and dergons) but no spoilers. This story doesn't use the same plot or same characters.

C/N = City Name

Word Count: 1,700+

The barren wasteland of Essos was home to many people for the past several centuries. From dry deserts to scattered mountain ranges, the people couldn't have been happier to be alive and not in Westeros, dealing with the war of the iron throne. Blood shed, tears, agony and resentment are what wars left behind, not the virtues of peace and prosperity they promised. You, for one, would never want to experience anything like it. As heiress to a city newfound within the last century, your heart is only filled with love for your people. Never in your life would you wish to put a sword in a child's hand and tell them to fight for your honor, and not their own.

There's a reason your people haven't had to fight yet. Both the natural defenses that C/N holds and the ferociousness of native animals. C/N lies in a valley between several mountains. It is deep enough to have its own water supply, and no sane ruler would have his army climb over such steep mountain tops. Plus, they've only heard rumors about you, but no one would dare see if they were true.

The people of C/N love your family and care for you deeply, wishing you good health and even better prosperity. Children walk with you through the streets as you treat them to exotic fruits and pleasantries. The adults are thankful to all gods that they have found this Oasis, this sanctuary of peace and happiness. After trekking across the Red Waste and the Dothraki Sea they found a home for both themselves and their families. They smile as you walk by, greeting you and presenting you with their wares. Oftentimes, they will want you to take it for free - a gift, but you refuse every time. You live with the head family, there's no need for you to get freebies. Everyone lives in simple splendor with their everyday lives; content at the opportunity to have an easy life until they die.

"Y/N!" You snap out of a memory where you're dancing around a great pyre to an ancient song with the town elders. It was the celebration of your fifteenth birthday, an important day in a young person's life as they graduate from childhood to adulthood. "You know you have to leave soon, right?" Your mother walks around the grand table to you, and tests her hand on top of yours. She smiles sweetly as she waits for a response.

"I know, I just don't want too." Your eyes travel downwards at the new memory. Your birthday was in two months, and the 22nd birthday through your family lineage meant marriage. Although you wouldn't be taking over C/N anytime soon due to Fathers good health, there's still a need to have good trade relationships with other cities across the nation. You know that they wouldn't force you into a relationship, as their parents didn't, but let something grow naturally with one of the children of other head families. Out of so many there was bound to be one that caught your favor… or so they hoped. 

"It'll be okay pumpkin, we didn't want to send you away for so many months, but Masaru's son is the only person in the world that is like you. There has to be a bond there we don't know about." In the past few months, head families have traveled to meet you and hope that they can tie the knot with you. They were all turned away, due to a couple big factors. 1) they were too young, 2) they had a stick up their ass, 3) they didn't give a shit about what happened to the citizens of their towns and would profit off of their tragedy and 4) there were allegations of slave trade among them. True or not, you would not stand to put a price on human life. If there were allegations, then that means someone connected to them was either in or around the trades themselves. It was sickening to think about. As far as you know, the Bakugou bloodline doesn't have any affiliations with slave traders, their son is your age, if not a little older and cared about his people in an odd way. 

"Why am I going for so long? I'm going to miss my 22nd celebration…"

"Well, the Bakugou's haven't been sending us a lot of materials lately, so you're not only there for personal interest but diplomatically. We need these materials for more homes. Those children you live are becoming adults, but we don't have the means to help them." She squeezes your hand. "You can help them. Missing your celebration will suck, I know, but we'll have it as soon as you get back. Plus we'll need to talk about who's going to marry who."

Anxiety bubbles in your chest, but you pop it with a calming smile. "I know. I don't like any of the other candidates, but if the rumors about the younger Bakugou are true than I shouldn't have to worry. If we are the only two in the world that are this way, isn't that a sign from gods old and new?"

"That's the spirit Y/N. We'll finish packing your stuff. Go finish saying your goodbyes." Your mother smiles sweetly and give you a tight hug before letting you go. The rest of the night you reminisce with old friends. You all talk about old shenanigans and pranks you used it pull on older people, but now you're the older people having pranks pulled on them. It is a great night of food and friends with a light dusting of sadness topped off with tears. You were gonna miss everyone, but you must do what they need you to do. They weren't crying because they were acted for you, more like they didn't want you to leave. 

At first you misinterpreted their tears, "Guys, I'm gonna be okay! I'll have Rhaegal and Viserion with me."

"No Y/N, we don't want you to go!" Mina cries from across the tavern table. The tears were appreciated, and broke your heart.

"I'll be back before you know it. Maybe I'll even have some eye candy at my side." Everyone laughs and you take the rest of the night to enjoy their company. You wouldn't have been able to sleep anyways, so this was a pleasant alternative.

The morning sun is bright when your eyes crack open. They hurt for a couple seconds, but it passes as your body adjusts to new circumstances. The sun itself is only cresting over the mountain tops, creating a golden glow around everything the light touches. That's when it hits you - this is last sunrise you'll be seeing for who knows how long. If all goes well diplomatically, then you'll be able to return home within a month, but if conflicts arise… you try not to put much thought into it and just watch the hues of peach and orange dance across the sky.

Softly, someone places a hand on your shoulder breaking your stream of thoughtlessness. "It's time to go." Your mother spoke quietly, as though cooing a newborn. Her velvet voice helps calm you even further. It'll only be for a little while. I don't even have to focus on Masaru's son if I don't want too. "C'mon, let's go grab Rhaegal and Viserion."

Walking towards the edge of town, a cart with all of your things lies ahead on the path, waiting to be pulled by 2 horses and their carriage master, Kota. He smiles at you, and you back to him. You can't help but wonder how such a sweet stable boy would want in Mereen, but maybe he just wanted to take Clyde and Grumm out for a walk after being cooped up for so long. You and your mother walk around the base of one of the surrounding mountains to a cave entrance. It's too dark to see inside, but you know the two are there; waiting to be set free since the last incident.

"Ñuhyz zaldrīzesse." Screeching bounced off of the cavern walls, the cacophony animalistic gurgles and grunts echo both out and further into the tunnels. An orange flame lights up the room suddenly, and the scale from the beasts glisten in the fire light. Large cuffs are wrapped around their necks that have chains bolted into the mountain walls. "Ñuha riñar, Rhaegal se Viserion. Iksan vaoreznuni." You walk over to the chains and unlatch them. Their large bodies tower over your own, but you can feel that they mean no harm. Rhaegal nuzzles his chin on the top of your head, as if saying "I know". His green scales shine Viserion bellows out another flame. Altogether, you exit the cave.

"They don't seem agitated." Your mother stands back quite a ways; she knows that they would never harm her but they are very large creatures.

"No, they learned their lesson." You run a hand over Viserion's cream colored scales, looking into his golden eyes. "Daēz." Upon the last sound leaving your lips, the spread their massive wings and take off, spurring dust clouds at their feet.

"Hopefully the Bakugou boy is as caring as you are." She laughs as you both walk to the wagon. Kota stares at the beasts in the sky, marvelling at them as they sore and howl.

"If he's the only other person in this world who has one, then he better be taking care of it as if it were his child."

"There is a reason they call you Muña Zaldrīzoti, my dear." You both laugh for a second and you look up at her.

"I'm going to miss you." You take her hands in your own, and squeeze them. She reciprocates it by releasing your hands and going for a hug.

"You'll do great. I know it and so does your father." She squeezes her arms before releasing. "Now go off and do amazing things." Tears prick the corners of you eyes, but you hold them back as best you can. With one last glance at your smiling mother, you hop on the carriage next to Koda and start on your journey to Mereen.

~

Ñuhyz zaldrīzesse - My dragons

Ñuha riñar - My children

Iksan vaoreznuni - I'm sorry

Daēz - Be Free

Muña Zaldrīzoti - Mother of Dragons

[hamlets-ghost-zaddy]

queen of peace

Part 5/10

Shifty Powers x Reader

“Mother, are you absolutely sure you don’t want to come? Margaret said I had to convince—” you call, taking the stairs two at a time, if only to hear the green chiffon of your skirt fluttering at your ankles. Yet, when your Mary-Janes plunk onto the thin carpet at the bottom, girlish delight is forgotten in favor of your eyes bulging, air stoppering in your throat, and stuttering out: “M-Mother, is that—? Is that the—?”

She perches on her armchair in the sitting room—the tapestry upholstery faded; it’s been in the cottage since Mother’s gran lived here as a little girl—her beaming smile shifting from the tea kettle in her hands to you. It’s the tea kettle; the robin-blue heavy ceramic one that’s been shown in the cookware shop’s place of pride since July. “Look, dear, I decided to spring for it,” she says, her voice floating with lightness, as if reveling in an indulgence long overdue. “Isn’t it the loveliest thing? And, you did mention you wanted something practical for your birthday in a few weeks, so I thought this could be for Christmas and your birthday.”

Yet, the justification doesn’t reach your ears; you’re deaf to the chattering praise of the kettle as Mother holds it to the weak electric light of the overhead chandelier, inviting you to admire it from all angles. Your imagination conjures the scene of Mother creeping to the stronghold box secreted in the workshop, illustrating how she took out your carefully stacked pound notes—freshly and hard-earned from the nurses’ orders—halving it and scurrying off to the cookware shop. Is this your fault for not confiding in her how desperately the money’s needed? She surely knows some it, but you’re so careful to hide the letters from the bank, the reminders on the loans and interest, and she had been so thinly pale and grayly sick in the years since London; you couldn’t risk a relapse. Where would you be, who would you have, if something happened to her?

The thought sobers you, allows you to plaster a smile on, and you offer: “It’s really quite lovely, Mother. It’s just the right dash of color our little house needs.” Admittedly, the old cottage with its threadbare carpets and worn upholstery would take much more ‘dashing’ than a blue tea kettle could offer, but your seeming-approval cheers Mother noticeably. “Are you coming to the Christmas Eve party? Margaret asked me that I positively badger you about it.”

Her smile shrinks marginally. “Oh, I don’t know, darling. Why don’t you go ahead, and I may catch you up in an hour or so?” Carefully, you keep a frown from pulling at your lips at Mother’s blatant lie. She hurries on: “Don’t forget your Christmas packages; I put the tin of cakes on top.” She gestures to a modest pile of boxes on the ottoman, an old tin stuffed with almond-butter cakes, dusted with real powdered sugar, crowning it. That white sugar, an absolute necessity in your family’s sacred holiday almond cake recipe, had cost you dearly. Smilingly, you allow her to load your arms up with packages, sacks, and tins, and shoo you out the door and into the early chill of nightfall. She sends you trudging through the flurries of snow and toward the bright bauble of Margaret’s house.

You try not to brood as you walk, your surly thoughts keeping the nip of the air at bay, but your thoughts revolve continuously back to the neat stack of bank letters folded into your jewelry box and how you’d politely word a begging request to extend the payment deadline—again.

…

Margaret shepherds you into the party with wide-flung arms, a bright grin that stretches her immaculately painted cherry-red lips, and any of her stress or harried anxiety from two days prior—during decorating—has entirely evaporated. She coos over your Christmas dress (the same one as last year, and the year before that, though she’s kind enough not to notice) as she carves a path through the seemingly uninterrupted mass of humanity cluttering her home. American sergeants laugh at the vicar’s jokes—he’s putting in a brief appearance before scampering off to other party invitations—Mrs. Pinchent, your dowdy widow-neighbor, giggles and flirts with a taciturn American colonel; Evie Lowell holds captive a slew of local and soldier boys alike; Mr. Jamison, the busybody bartender at one of Aldbourne’s two feuding pubs, hoots uproariously with a cluster of American captains. Couples attempt to dance in a narrow patch of carpet provided, youngsters dart between legs, and the elderly have claimed chairs to keep an amused eye on it all.

Whatever darkness heavying your mood, you leave behind, outside in the cold of the garden.

“We’re not doing any kind of formal gift-exchange,” Margaret informs. “The idea is you put your packages under the tree, and then you’re supposed to check every once and a while if someone has left something for you. It stretches out the fun and anticipation of the gift-giving!”

“Oh,” you mutter, glancing down at your packages, eyes catching on the card attached to the one at the very top: in your neatest cursive, you wrote, ‘To my dear friend, Shifty.’ Disappointment trickles into your chest; you’d never admit it, but you wanted to watch him open it. You’re not sure why it’s important to you all of a sudden.

After Margaret helps deposit your packages under the tree, merrily ripping into hers and exclaiming over the cape you knitted for her—a lovely, pure white lamb’s wool that you matched to her white muff—she whisks the almond-butter cakes away to put on the serving table. You watch her dissolve into the crowd, fidgeting with your velveteen sleeves as your eyes flick over the profiles and backs of the party-attendants nearest you. You don’t particularly want to mingle with Mrs. Pinchent or Mr. Jamison, but they seem to be your only options at the—

“Look!” exclaims George Luz—you instantly recognize that brash American accent of his, constantly pitched as if auditioning to announce for the Royal Ascot—and you find a delicately carved wooden squirrel under your nose. “He did carve me a squirrel!”

“Huh,” is all you can remark, gently plucking the figurine from George’s hands, inspecting its deep, chestnut color, honeyed and rich. The little squirrel even clutches a nut, its head cocked in inquiry at the viewer and fluffed tail held in trepidation. You manage: “It’s lovely, George.”

Accepting the squirrel back, George glances over it, too, trying mightily not to seem too pleased. “It’s alright; Shift’s talented, that’s for sure. The kid’s got, I don’t know, depth or something.”

As innocuously as possible, you ask, “Did Shifty give it to you just now?”

“Nah,” George replies, pocketing the squirrel. “He gave out all his gifts back at the barracks; said he didn’t want to deal with carrying anything here.” The drop of disappointment through your chest from before builds into a free-fall. “I swear, he’s got some imagination, too; he gave Skip an otter but the funny things, I kind of see why Skip’s an otter, you know?”

Before you can think of a response, before you can sort the slowly dawning horror creeping over you that you gave Shifty a gift, and he most assuredly didn’t give you one, Skip appears at your elbow. He shouts to be heard over the party’s rabble: “You’re here! Good, I’ve had to use every stalling tactic I can think of to get the guys to hold off on charades! Come on, you’re on our team; our secret weapon.”

Your eyebrows jump. He remembered; he was being genuine about the team, you think, befuddled.

Skip’s hand wraps around your elbow and he’s towing you—George Luz trails, snorting over the paper crown balanced precariously on Skip’s head, most likely from the Christmas poppers Margaret adores so. You’re helpless to being dragged away from the tree, and any hope you have of swiping up your gift to Shifty before he can see it; before he can open it and face the unmistakable truth that you’re horribly enamored with him. Before your friendship turns brittle and crumbles because of your own self-sabotaging.

First the kiss, now this. It’s like you don’t want to be happy.

(This, in tandem with the damnable kettle, you decide, might be warrant enough to label this the Worst Christmas Yet.)

…

You had your doubts, given that Skip seems someone inclined to comedic dramatics, but he hadn’t been hyperbolic when he proclaimed he, Penkala, and Malarkey were truly pitiable at charades. “What on Earth are you doing?” Malarkey bursts, exasperated, as Penkala skips around the cleared charades floor, flapping his arms and occasionally squawking. All the charades were—allegedly—Christmas themed, though you pulled a Clark Gable card your last round, and you’re fairly sure Clark Gable has nothing to do with the reason for the season.

“Chicken?” Skip guesses, Penkala shaking his head and squawking again, as if this time, it’d trigger the correct answer.

“A deranged goose?” you offer, Malarkey and Skip snorting, but Penkala waves his hands emphatically, pointing at you. “Oh, a goose?” you guess, when Penkala twiddles his fingers, meaning its part of the phrase. “Um, Christmas goose? Roasted goose? Goose and—”

“Time!” Margaret trumpets, popping to her feet and nearly upsetting the holly and garland crown she wears. Allen Vest had made a whole show of crowning her after the first round of charades ended in her team winning, declaring ‘peace unto the queen of Christmas.’ “How many points did they get, George?”

George had made scorekeeper when it became obvious he couldn’t keep his great trap shut, guessing for teams other than his own and giving out freebie points. “Uh, seven! Wow, Penkala, way to go! You didn’t embarrass yourself!”

Penkala takes a bow as all teams—four teams of four, all composed of Easy Company men, the company all your American friends (because you do suppose they’re your friends) belong to—clap and cheer, Malarkey and Skip whooping. As Penkala flops onto the couch next to you, Skip leans over to whisper in your ear: “Looks like you’re not the star player anymore.” He winks, curling grin mirroring yours, and you shake your head back. Without you, the team would have negative points, if any: you earned eleven points when it was your turn, and had guessed nearly all of the words when the boys were acting.

“Good,” you shoot back. “I was getting tired of carrying this team.”

Skip’s eyebrows quirk and he tilts his chin back to roar his laughter to the ceiling.

Basking in the glow of your joke, you swing your eyes away and around the room, your smile growing stale and then shriveling. In the crowd amassed as spectators to the game, you pick him out easily—looking older, more tired somehow, in his dress browns, despite the cheerful blue and white scarf wrapped, once, twice, four times around his neck, the scarf you knitted him—the sensible gray cap, your other gift, peeking from his trouser pocket. Yet, after the initial yank in your stomach, a yank that makes you feel you’ve been thrown into open space, you forget the gifts for his expression. An expression you don’t comprehend, can’t ascribe any logical reason to, because he’s envious? There’s melancholy written in his frown, confusion in the pinch of his brows as if baffled by his own reaction, but yet, despite himself, he looks envious.

His eyes find yours, across the lounge of jostling elbows and knocking knees, and your chest aches, your lips part, words building in your throat until you’re rendered completely mute. What is it about Shifty, about how he’s looking at you now, that fills you until you’re sure you’ll burst? that drains you until you’ll pop out of existence? that makes you burn and chilled, made significant and trivial—feeling every new contradiction on each inhale and exhale?

“C’mon, girlie, get on up there,” Skip says, close to your ear, nudging your shoulder, urging you from the coach—Shifty had made you forget where you were, what you were doing, and you blink at Skip to chase away the haze in your head—and to the cleared performance patch of the lounge’s carpet. “We’re five points away from winning! You’ve got to go bag this one for us!”

Malarkey, having taken Margaret’s invitation to ‘help yourself!’ to an extreme when it came to the ale keg, leans around Penkaka to plant a good-luck kiss on your cheek. “We’re counting on you, sweetheart; you can do it!”

When you collect yourself, when you dare to steal another glance into the crowd, Shifty has moved, is moving through the archway and out of the lounge, You crane to keep him in your sights. But, there are too many bodies, too many voices clogging the air and rooting you on. He melts into the party as Margaret calls: “Two minutes starts now—go!”

…

Bing Crosby’s new Christmas record, and the drunken rhapsodizing accompanying it, floats out of the kitchen when you slip into the back garden. Easing the door shut behind you and clutching your wool coat tightly to your body, your eyes sweep across the snow, winking and reflecting the lights on in the house. Your breath clouds and you plop down on the stoop next to Shifty—it took you nearly twenty minutes to locate him after the charades game devolved into George and Malarkey leading everyone in carols, another five minutes to track down your coat.

He blinks at you, the redness in his nose and cheeks—luminescent in the light reflected off the snow, a wash of the lamp’s yellow and the winking green and red of the fairy lights—softening him, easing that earlier maturity and tiredness you noticed in the lounge. “Oh, hey,” he offers, adjusting his scarf self-consciously and angling to square his shoulders toward you. “I like your, huh, crown.”

“Oh, thank you,” gusts from your lips as you touch your fingertips the holly and garland crown you wear, bestowed upon you by Margaret after your team won the final round of charades. “I was proclaimed the queen of peace, or something like that.”

Shifty nods, eyes skating over your cheekbones, along your nose, to your lips, and back to the crown. The intensity, the thoughts darkening his expression, remind you of looking into a fishing hole, falsely shallow, secreting hidden pockets inside its murky depth; it makes you fidget with contradictions again, makes your chest expand until it aches and your shoulders hunch, as if collapsing on yourself. You reach to pull the crown off, but he leans forward, hands on yours, stopping you. “No, please; keep it on. It…it suits you.”

Biting your lip and lowering your eyes as your fingers drop to twist in your lap—it suddenly seems far too much to look at him—you manage: “Oh, well, okay.” Pause, and you fuss at the bare fur still on your threadbare coat’s cuffs, trying to marshal your senses and recall why you wanted to come out here, what you had formulated saying. “Um, I was going to, um, make sure you’re all right. I noticed you slipped out and I wanted to make sure …”

You allow your words to trail off.

Shifty hums after a moment, leaning closer to you. You’re not sure if its conscious or not. “That’s kind of you to be worried; you’re a good friend,” he offers, his accent coaxing the words from him. “I…” he pauses and you can feel him choosing his next words: “It’s great seeing everyone so happy and enjoying themselves, but I keep thinking about my family playing charades and other games at home right now. It’s made me sad, I suppose. But…but, it’s more than that…I can’t help but think …”

You’re not sure when you thread his fingers with yours, but you offer a gentle squeeze when he stutters to a stop. You tilt your face so you can monitor his expression through your eyelashes and still hide just how desperately you want him to know you’re there for him; how much you desperately wish you could articulate how you care.

He tries again: “I can’t help thinking about what’s to come. The…the war. Who will get hurt, or, or not come back … who’s celebrating their last Christmas right now.” At your backs, a wave of laughter floats from inside, muffled by the brick walls and door, but you feel its weight slamming into your ears, pressing on your shoulders. You know Shifty does, too: you track how he winces. “I know I ought to enjoy the happiness while I can, but what if…what if it’s my—?”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Darrell Powers,” falls from your mouth before you’re aware you spoke, gripping his hands urgently and entirely forgetting your carefully designed cover. You hold his eyes, hoping he sees the ferocity of your firm resolve, hoping he understands how greatly you feel and believe every syllable you say. “Don’t you dare talk or think like that. You’re going to come back, you have to—” because I’d be lost without your eyes in my life; your eyes looking at me like that, you think, but bite back. You can’t say it; you won’t. You can’t watch his face pale and widen in horror. Not again.

Yet his worry remains unchanged and you frown, placing a gentle hand on his cheek, trying again: “Shifty, I know you’re staring down the unknown and you’re scared, but it’s okay to be scared. I’d be worried if you weren’t scared honestly.” That earns you a faintly-cracked grin. “But this is one Christmas of many, many more to come, and whenever you want me to tell you that, let me know. I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face, okay?”

His grin turns wobbly, his eyes glassy as you speak, and his nod is uncertain.

Huffing, you tease, “I’m going to need something more than a nod, Shift.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” he manages thickly. He sniffles, takes a choppy breath, and tries to smile. And, God, you want to kiss him; you want to fold yourself into him and be safe from the war, fate, and all that’s to come; you want to cry and laugh and feel multitudes with him. You want, you want, you want—but when has it ever mattered what I wanted?

Instead, you content yourself to wrapping your arm tightly around him, letting him tuck you under his chin, letting his scent of bonfires, boot polish, and summer rain wash over you, letting his arms brace firmly across your back. This is the most you can have from him, you know; this is the most you’d ever ask from him, because what does it matter what you want if you can at least be there for him. Hold him and whisper a thousand assurances, allowing yourself to pretend for a fleeting instant that he really is yours.

tag list: @gottapenny, @wexhappyxfew, @maiden-of-gondor, @mayhem24-7forever, @medievalfangirl

[icharchivist]

I started Granblue around the time that a roulette was going on and I got pretty lucky with it, so the fact that they're apparently rigging the roulette so it's the same amount of draws for everyone did hurt my hype for it this time around. Especially since it means that they can make sure people won't have too many free draws during the galas. It's all a little worrying, but I'm trying to be hopeful about it.

oh man!! glad you could at least have experienced a real roulette before that!

yeah i've been playing for two years so really, i really find that the freebies we got this year have been significantly nerfed compared to previous years.

I think especially the summer lottery was the worst case of that, where they nerfed the usual summer rewards so hard that it ended up being extremely visible for everyone involved and there was a major uproar against it.

I've seen people wonder if perhaps the "everyone has the same roulette" from this winter fest is not also slightly related, considering people got really upset at the massive gaps between rewards and so the game decided to give a ticket for a free grand, and everyone still bitched because if everyone gets the same consolation prize, even the people who already got free grands are just getting a new one and all. It was a mess lol but the backlash was real, and the fact that the roulette that follows ends up being a "everyone has the exact same thing fuck you" feel like a continuation of this fiasco.

It is really frustrating and such a shame considering for years this was a non-issue. The roulette you experienced when you joined is closer to the type of roulette we had had at all time before, and it's really a shame they're nerfing it.

As i mentioned though we know it's because the devs were lectured by the production to knock it off on the freebies as to not put too much pressure on others gacha. Which i sort of see why, considering the amount of times i've heard gacha fuck up say, their anniversary announcement (not vaguing anyone), leading to people spam about how granblue was doing better (which also led to a backlash against granblue anyway. Geez you mean people would get mad if you constantly tell them the thing they like sucks and you should try what you like instead? color me shocked /s).

As it is, Granblue remains a lot more generous than a lot of others gacha, and for people who joined this year, like just before the summer festival, if they know others gacha enough, i'm sure they are delighted and/or overwhelmed by the amount of freebies.

but for old fans, we clearly see the downgrade, and we feel it even more considering how well. The longer you've been here and the more characters you have, the less possibility you have to farm for a spark and the more likely you are to end up getting gold moons with your pulls rather than new units. So the nerfing of freebies end up making things a little less... yeah. Like personally my last few roulettes (or this current freebies season so far) has been abyssal in the absence of new units. Gold moons as far as the eyes can see so much so that i have a Sieroticket saved ready to use.

And as you mention the fact they can decide to nerf the freebies during gala add a bit insult to the injury.

bleh, we'll see i guess, it's still nice we get free stuff, but what a downgrade :/

[aoibaratraveler]

A Look Back At My Time in Japan! Chapter 2

Welllllll it looks like it’s been a while since I last posted again...but I have an excuse! I was preparing for a pretty big interview and getting ready to make a trip back to Canada. Maybe you’ve heard of the JET programme and maybe you haven’t but I had an interview for that earlier this month and so it took up a lot of my headspace, I’ll be posting more about it once I hear my results in a month or so but I hope to not have too much of a gap anymore in between posts! Also, a mutual friend of both mine and the bf is coming to stay this weekend from Germany so I’m very excited about that and will hopefully have chapter 3 up afterward.

I said before that this will probably be a 4 part blog but you know I really just have so much to say on my experience and can hopefully provide some insight to any people looking to go on exchange to Japan in the future! Or go on exchange in general since my UK exchange story will be coming after this one! So much happened though that this may just end up being a 6 parter xD, ahh it really would have been great if I wrote what happened at the time. Well, I hope you enjoy reading about Japan through my eyes! I’ve also decided to go with naming these chapters since unlike my UK road trip blog, I’m writing this 4 years after the fact so it feels more like I’m telling a story than giving a week by week account on what I experienced. Anyway, last change to my blog! Promise!

Without further ado!

First Month on Exchange: April

I forgot to mention! At the end of chapter 1 was when I arrived in Nagasaki for the first time and earlier in the day before my homestay mother arrived to pick me up, all of the exchange students were made to sit a placement exam to determine their level of Japanese and which class they were to be placed into. Since I had barely slept the night prior and wasn’t really reviewing my textbooks until the last minute, I was only placed in Japanese 3 (they work up from 1) which was good enough for the level that I was at, at the time but if I had reviewed like I had wanted to instead of being lazy then I might have made it to Japanese level 4...but well, we’ll never know and I’m really just giving myself a hard time since I take learning languages, especially Japanese, and being a linguist super seriously. I’m a major procrastinator so of course, I put off reviewing until the last moment but I should be proud of myself for getting there and I made some really good friends that I’m still in touch with from being placed in Japanese 3. 

The day after arriving was a whirlwind! I felt like I could tackle anything and was so full of energy! I took my homestay mother up on her offer to drive me to the opening ceremony that was the day after I arrived in Nagasaki which was meant to welcome all the new exchange students and the first-year Japanese students. It was a rainy day but I was full of anticipation. I wore my best outfit that I had brought along with me and had high hopes. It was a really interesting experience as we never do opening ceremonies or anything of the sort for new university students in Canada. There are normally just fairs and maybe freebies up for grabs. My homestay mother only stayed for a small part of it and then left but it was short enough anyway so I didn’t mind. We were then shipped off to the university campus as the ceremony wasn’t actually at the school and then made to attend a sort of self-introduction and general information class where we each said a little something about ourselves and were able to ask any questions about what our life was going to be like for the next four months. I quickly seemed to grab the attention of a small Vietnamese-American who we’ll call TC. She was very bright and friendly and immediately asked if we could be friends because I said that I love to travel in my self-introduction and I seemed interesting whereas no one else did (probably should have taken this as a slight red flag but I felt flattered so whatever). We pretty quickly buddied up and spent a lot of time together thereafter. 

The next day was a Saturday and from the looks of my Google timeline, I mostly just walked around and explored my new neighbourhood the whole time and got to know my homestay family. Although Saturday morning was special because my homestay family took me up to Tateyama to go have a picnic next to the cherry blossoms since they were still in season. Tateyama has a “mountain” in the name but it’s really just a hill that was situated behind my homestay family’s apartment and it took about 30 minutes to walk up. I tried some kakigori (shaved ice) and played with the coolest little Shiba Inu. It was a lovely little morning and I got to experience the happy atmosphere of my neighborhood while we all took in the cherry blossoms. 

I was lucky enough to be placed in the centre of Nagasaki city while most other homestays were in the countryside, closer to the school. I wouldn’t have minded that since I adore the countryside of Japan and being placed in the city meant that I was an hour away from the university. My first official week in Nagasaki was jam-packed even though I hadn’t actually started my classes yet! Even though we had already attended our opening ceremony for the semester and the school year the previous Friday, classes, for the exchange students at least, weren’t scheduled to start until the second week of April and our first week was just for us to mostly do whatever we wanted! TC and I decided to spend our Monday making a day trip to the next prefecture which was Saga. We didn’t really have any idea what we wanted to do there exactly but I had recently purchased a JR Youth 18 ticket which is somewhat similar to a JR pass and anyone can buy it, not just tourists, and you can only go on local JR trains, so no bullet trains or high-speed trains. It costs about the equivalent of $120 and is good for any 5 non-consecutive days with unlimited trips on those days. We had looked up a bunch of cool things that were in Saga prefecture but would take a really long time to get to and weren’t anywhere near the actual city so we decided just to spend a day in Saga city...although we didn’t really have any choice. You see, I’m speaking to you in hindsight knowing full well how a lot of things work now...especially the JR Youth 18 ticket. I only briefly had an idea of it when I purchased it because L’s sister told me about it when I was living in Tokyo. So when TC and I embarked on our journey to explore Saga, we boarded a bullet train from Nagasaki station. We were about an hour into our trip when a conductor came by to check our ticket and notified us that we were very mistaken but he was super kind and understood that we didn’t know we had done something wrong and let us know what our next step should be. We told him where we wanted to go so he wrote out a detailed guide with all the stations we’d need to get on and get off at (after getting off the bullet train at the next stop) with all of the times. It was really helpful and I really appreciated it but what was supposed to be only an hour-long trip to the next prefecture turned into 4 and a half hours...I felt really bad because TC had left it to me since she couldn’t speak Japanese and voiced her displeasure at it all. It wasn’t a great start to the week but I think if I were on my own and the same thing was to happen then I honestly wouldn’t have minded. When we got off the bullet train we were in a really small town in the middle of nowhere that was super quiet with nothing around, it was actually really cool. We explored that area for about an hour while we waited for the next local train. There was a big river flowing through the city, an old shrine on top of a hill, and a bunch of little, colourful wind turbines lined up one after the other leading from the station to the river.  It was lovely. That stop had the longest wait for a train, the next few stops had trains coming one after the other, but we had just missed one by being on the bullet train. After a long journey, we finally made it to Saga city but it was super quiet and no one was around, maybe because it was a Monday? It was really nice though, there was something really serene about being in a city with one main street and no one around except for a few elderly people walking about. We didn’t end up staying for long but I knew from living in Tokyo for a month that government buildings of any Japanese city are usually free for people to go up to, to the top floor and get a view of the entire city so that’s what we did and it was really nice because again, no one else was there and it was just us. Afterward, we took some photos with the cherry blossoms and headed back to Nagasaki.

The next day I decided to use my JR Youth 18 ticket again to go to Sasebo which is in Nagasaki prefecture so it wouldn’t be that long of a trip but TC didn’t want to have any more long train rides for a while so I went on my own. Sasebo is well known in the prefecture by people and is a recommended spot from locals because it’s where the American naval base is and has a different vibe to it compared to other prefectures. It is also famous for the “Sasebo burger” which is essentially just a normal-sized burger to us Westerners but was designed for the surge in marines that were living in Sasebo after World War II and became a hit to all visitors thereafter. I really just spent an afternoon walking around and admiring the area because, yes, it didn’t quite feel like the rest of Japan, but not exactly like America either. You’d have to see for yourself. I mostly wanted to visit Sasebo because there was meant to be an abandoned theme park nearby and I love that sort of stuff but unfortunately I would have needed a car to get there. The train ride in and out is what made it really special. It was absolutely gorgeous because the trip went along the coast and it was such a beautiful day, I honestly wish I had videotaped it. 

The following couple of days I visited my university and more thoroughly explored the inner and outer parts of Nagasaki city, especially the biggest shrine in the area and what made that part of the city so popular, Suwajinja/ Suwa Shrine. “It is located in the northern part of the city, on the slopes of Mount Tamazono-san, and features a 277-step stone staircase leading up the mountain to the various buildings that comprise the shrine. Suwa shrine was established as a way of stopping and reversing the conversion to Christianity that was taking place in Nagasaki. In modern times it remains an important and successful center of the community.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suwa_Shrine_(Nagasaki)

I also got a job! It was the funniest thing actually. A day or so prior, I was walking with my homestay mother through town to help her go grocery shopping and I saw a little building that had an English school in it and was intrigued. Later, that night I looked the school up and decided to send them an email expressing my interest in working there part-time and if they had any open spots. I immediately got a response from the owner and he said I could come by the next day for a chat. I did just that and apparently, as I arrived, little did I know, a guy that the owner had just spent two weeks training and getting ready for the after spring break rush of students decided to quit at the last minute and do a runner. So to sum it up, after a pleasant but short conversation, I was hired on the spot. I was told to come by the next day for some quick training prep, as I had never taught English before, so that I could start the following week. He clearly needed someone after the other guy had bailed out though.

Finally, on Friday and the end of my first week in Nagasaki, all of the exchange students were taken for an overnight trip to the mountain and hot springs town of Unzen! It took us about 7 and a half hours to get there but we left early in the morning and arrived mid-afternoon so there was still plenty of time for us to do stuff. We were to stay in a traditional hotel next to a natural hot springs and several geysers. It was such a cool and mysterious area to explore with my exchange mates and TC, especially at night after soaking in the hot springs (which let me tell you was awkward considering it was my first time being naked in front of other people, other girls, but still). The air was misty because of the sulfur, smelled like rotten eggs, but that didn’t stop us from walking around in our hotel yukatas. We stayed up for a large portion of the night, took in the atmosphere and just basically partied. The next day we hiked Mount Unzen and it was awesome, the view was glorious. It was also just a really nice bonding experience and a better way for us all to get to know each other. After our hike, we were taken to the small town of Obama which wasn’t named after the former U.S. president but did have a statue of him. It was also a seaside town and was popular for its free public hot spring foot baths which we indulged in after having a delicious nabe lunch. It was an unforgettable overnight trip and did its job of helping all the exchange students get to know each other better (more detail here and below).

The following week consisted of more city exploration, settling in, my first shifts at the English school, some administrative university stuff like signing up for classes the old school way with pen and paper - gotta love Japan - and actually attending classes. It may seem a bit mundane but I enjoyed every minute of it. Oh I forgot to mention, another reason why Nagasaki is so cool to explore and why I never get tired of it is there is a big Portuguese and Dutch influence mixed in with the Japanese aesthetic because those were the first countries that Japan opened up trade to on the port of Nagasaki between the 16th and 19th centuries. To add to that, there are also several hidden Christian sites that are also UNESCO World Heritage sites around the area because when Christianity first appeared with the Dutch and the Portuguese, it was outlawed and forbidden.

In the next couple of weeks, I went strawberry picking with my homestay family which was spectacular! They had a family friend who owned a strawberry farm and we were allowed to pick an unlimited number of delicious, fresh strawberries. I’m telling you we picked enough strawberries to last us for the next few weeks and I got a strawberry coma from the amount that I ate. It was great. After strawberry picking, my homestay family took me to a restaurant nearby the farm where all the ingredients were locally sourced. A few days after that, I spent the day with a few of my new friends as well as TC and we went to the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium and, boy, was that cool. We saw so many species of Penguin with all sorts of personalities. There was something that put a bit of a hamper in our day and that had to do with a guy who my friend so eloquently nicknamed as “kimoi” (Japanese for gross). I suppose it all started a  day or so before my friends and I decided to meet up for the aquarium. I was sitting in the lounge at uni waiting for some people when a Japanese guy approached me and wanted to chat and obviously that was no problem so I obliged because I’m always down to make new friends. He  seemed nice and friendly enough but we slowly moved from small talk to him mentioning a girl that I am now friends with but at the time didn’t know so well even though we were in the same class. He began talking shit about her and how mean she was to him and….how he wanted to kill her...I was like whoa ok no need for that, I’m sure it was a misunderstanding and I tried to cheer him up and his mood did end up getting better and then he just started complimenting me and saying how nice I was and I honestly didn’t know how to take what was happening. I honestly should have taken it more seriously but it was really just a passing conversation that I had with him since we were the only ones in the lounge and he seemed to be friends with a few other people that I had befriended. It was very strange though especially since Japanese people aren’t known to speak ill of others. Anyway, someone from the group of people I met had invited him to hang out with us at the aquarium and I was ok with it at first but...it turns out that he took our small talk that happened by chance as a sign that I liked him??? And wanted to date him?? He assumed that this whole day at the aquarium was our date and I somehow turned into his girlfriend and the other people that were there were just...third, fourth, fifth, and sixth wheels….It was bizarre and I was thoroughly creeped out. He was clearly unstable. The whole time at the aquarium he was trying to find a chance to be alone with me and get the other guys to leave but I kept making sure we were always with everyone and finally one of my guy friends took one for the team and said he’ll distract him by insisting he wants to hang out with him somewhere else while the rest of us headed back to the city. We ended the day by having a much needed calming visit to the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture and spent a couple of hours learning about our new home. 

Then, on the 27th of April, my birthday, I was pleasantly surprised by a home celebration planned by my homestay mother. She got me a little Sailor Moon figure since I mentioned how much I love the character Sailor Moon, ordered chiraishi bowls for all of us which is essentially sashimi over rice, and some cake. I was absolutely delighted. It was a fantastic day if I do say so myself especially since earlier in the day when I was in class my new friends had all bought me snacks and wished me happy birthday. I was further spoiled after work the next day by my boss taking me and my coworkers out for an izakaya dinner, obviously I don’t drink but the food at izakayas are always sooooo good. It was definitely one of my more favourite birthdays, I was 22 and having the time of my life.

I decided to end off April and spend Golden Week, which is a week at the end of April and beginning of May filled with national holidays and is thus called “Golden Week” by making a trip to Busan, South Korea with TC. She found a deal for us to take a 3-hour ferry from Fukuoka to Busan and stay in a Couchsurfing place (which was to be my first of many). I soon learned from this trip that even though TC claimed to be travel savvy, she doesn’t really do her research very well. But I’ll get to that in a bit. We embarked on our journey from Nagasaki station by highway bus (which was the cheapest option) to Fukuoka to take our ferry. When we arrived, we quickly got lost. South Korea, well Busan, isn’t quite as easy to figure out as Japan but that’s mostly because neither of us spoke Korean. We spent a while trying to find wifi and our host’s place. We were excited to be able to explore the city of Busan at any rate and spoke to a few locals along our way who could speak a little English. When we finally found and arrived at our host’s place. We found out that our host didn’t have a bed or a blanket or anything for us to sleep on, just literally the hardwood floor of his kitchen in a small one-bedroom apartment. I mean I was grateful to have shelter, I was, but damn. TC complained that the couple of other times that she used Couchsurfing she always had her own room and bed and didn’t know why this happened but being that I now have lots of experience in Couchsurfing, I can tell you that TC was either lying or that she must have had luck of the draw with her previous Couchsurfing trips and just requested to stay with the first person that popped up in Busan. Normally, when you look on Couchsurfing you can tell what the host is offering, where you get your own room or a shared room, how much privacy you get and pictures of the place but this guy must have had nothing up on his profile otherwise I don’t see how TC would have requested to stay with him...actually I still don’t see why she requested to stay with him. I never stay with someone if they have no references, pictures, or if it’s a shared space. It was such an uncomfortable 6 days because I really was not prepared to be sleeping on a hardwood floor with no cover but the clothes from my bag. The host was really nice though and he could speak English well so that was a plus. I mostly blame TC for most likely not actually reading his profile because then I could have prepared myself.

We spent our first full day in Busan and the last day of April at the Gamcheon Culture Village which is considered the “Asian Santorini” for its colourful landscape. TC had arranged for us to meet up with another couchsurfing host and his guest. One of whom was a Vietnamese ex-pat and an American from Connecticut that had been spending the past few months traveling around Asia. He was really cool and open-minded, we both connected with the two guys really quickly and had a blast exploring the village, trying street food and heading to downtown Busan. The American guy, Z, reminded me that travel shouldn’t be about seeing as much as possible but just absorbing where you are and taking in everything as opposed to getting so much done but never actually experiencing it. We walked for ages and thoroughly investigated every nook and cranny of this intriguing village. We also hiked up to the top and took an amazing view of all of the colourful buildings and artwork. I ate a loooot of street food that day and honestly each thing was under a dollar, it was great! Two things stood out to me from my street food adventure and that was Beondegi which is silkworm pupae; bitter but not overly gross and hotteok; my absolute favourite thing that I tried even though I’m not really much of a sweet tooth. It was a deliciously sweet, caramelly thick pancake with peanuts. One of the reasons why I love Busan so much is that the food is so cheap and delicious so I really did eat a lot of it….Since we hit it off with these two other couch surfers, we decided to meet up with them a few more times before leaving Busan. Later that night when we got back to our host’s apartment, we were invited to have fried chicken with him and his friend--an absolute must-have if you’re ever in Korea.

[theday]

mx in sg: the experience

FHJGDGHSHGFGGHD as usual starting off with the keyboard smash anyway! ill be talking about my experience seeing mx live yesterday (3/3) second part is abt when mx were on stage but its quite dry bc i dont remember much

ill be going in chronological order so [jooheon voice] lets get it

i was gonna meet my friend (karissa) at 3:30 because we were going to meet the person selling us our tickets at 4pm but that got delayed until like 5pm which was fine though

anyway i met her and we started queueing because although official queuing was supposed to start at 6pm they pushed it forward to 3pm (which was unfortunate for those who were busy and couldnt come until much later - the organizer never released an official statement saying the queuing started earlier) 

so as soon as karissa and i arrived at like. the place (near the venue) we got lost for about a whole 5 minutes lmao so i texted james asking him where the hell . they were and we made it and joined the queue immediately (we were the last few people of the second batch) 

we just sat there and. collected freebies and our banners (for the fan events) while we waited for the seller to come give us our tickets 

when they came i was like . fucking screaming because one of the seller was someone i knew from primary school (4 years ago) and i was likeudghdgghdhsh??????? that was the highlight of the daydhfhs

after we bought the tickets and shit we were slightly concerned they wouldnt work lmao but they did god bless

while we waited for the doors to open and stuff a group of people did dance covers of mx songs and later other groups too everyone was cheering for them which was nice fgfghdgh

the hype died down and we just waited quietly until it hit 6pm and i started listening to the day6 stream LMAO but after 4 songs i had to stop because suddenly everyone was standing up?? 

for nothing though because we sat down like 30 minutes later at around 7? 7:30? everyone stood up again and this time people were given wrist tag things u kno.. ya there were three (?) kinds i think gold for those who held a superfan ticket, pink for general admission and some other colour for those who got tickets for free and could sit on chairs dhdghs 

it was a free standing event in an outdoor space so superfan ticket holders got to stand closer to the stage? and those with general admission had to stand behind us and it was separated by a barricade 

we entered at like 8pm because we were the second batch (there was a third batch behind us) and it was already filled?? not exactly but from where we were standing we couldn’t really see the stage 

in the end we were in the middle which wasnt exactly the best but its definitely better than those standing all the way at the back rip 

i think at like 7:45 they started playing the music videos and everyone was shouting the lyrics it was cute i loved it but my throat told me to die after i yelled for like all of their mvsjhdgdghd 

also when all in played u bet my ass i jumped up and downdhg

also water wasnt allowed inside which i think is normal so i chugged mine down as fast as i could before entering (i had a little left and the lady let me in with it thanks queen) (i drank it all before they even came on stage)

the hype was real though and it was great 

when it hit 8:30pm the introduction video started and suddenly i was getting pushed forward and wow . dont go if ur not a fan of people invading your personal bubble. i wish fans had more sense to Not push around and stuff but what can we do rip 

other than that when they came out oh gOD when they came out i was likebfhgddgs??!?!??!?! i had to stand on my tip toes to see them

they started with beautiful and i was liek. dissociating i jsut sang along and shit it was amazing?????? 

the first person i saw was kihyun and then minhyuk?? i dont remember who else i saw but iw ss losing my fucking mind over how good everyone looked

anyway after that was um.............. fuck. .... i dont know..........

IFMFHGHSGF IM CRYING MY BRAIN TOLD ME TO DIE

white love maybe? i think they did like an introduction of themselves ??

anyway ill figure the songs out later they started playing games i think or was that another time im bad at this clearly 

ask james for the details of the songs i dont remember shit from that i just remember singing along to the songs badly and moving my arm back and forthhfgsgh 

also team work makes the dream work because karissa was recording and i helped her to zoom in and ensure they looked human with the brightness and stuff fhjdgsgh 

but !! everyone did the fanchants really well it was so heartworming 

also during white love they made us do that one part u know the one and it was awesome!!!!! during white sugar they threw m&m’s and i got to get a good look at their faces without having to look at the screen!! 

honestly was good too god im so happie 

hm. they did a mon-story time and showed us pics from previous eras (trespass > i dnt remmeber fuck > beautiful world tour > mxray > first win) ?? might be wrong dghdgs and they talked about stuff that happened i blanked out though so i dont know what they said 

also when they flashed the first win part they started throwing hands @ each other usual mx shit dhjgsgd

we chanted monsta x and they chanted monbebe back at us :-( i love them

i think changkyun said he doesnt wnat to do another season of mxray LMAODHFGHHGS fucking loser 

the translator made me laugh he was super monotone fhgdghfsh

then they played mon-ccaso dghghfsh and drew what they wanted to eat with singaporean mbb!!

there was a bug in front of wonho and he got !!!! fhdgh cute .

shownu: ????? what was it ?? a drink it looked like a cocktail and kihyun was like “non alcoholic” dghffsgs

wonho: ice cream!!! hes so cute his drawing was so cute also he wrote monbebe before they announced the game his handwriting is so pretty tf

minhyuk: ramyeon lmao (in his words: traditional korean noodles) 

kihyun: uh oH HE DREW A CRABFGHGSHS and said chili and pepper crab!!!

hyungwon: he drew a shrimpfhggdgs fucking . it was so cute

jooheon: mandu!! or dumplings :D

changkyun: water. JHDHGDGSG KING HONESTLY IW AS LIKE JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN EXCITEMENT!! love me a water stan 

anyway they talked about what they drew and when it came to minhyuk’s turn he was like guess and everyone just shit on him DHJDHSHG 

some examples: “hair” Gghdhg and some fans (including me) screamed cucumberhjfghgs let this man live 

minhyuk also tried to make fun of jooheons drawing but it failed bc none of us understood his joke

so they made us vote by screaming and they each stood up while holding their sketchbooks and we’d scream

winner was changkyun (i yelled my heart out and jumped bitch)

FHGSGG W INNER HAD TO DO AEGYO THOUGHDG played urself

they did oppaya and i think there are fancams somewhere

then they made wonho do it hhdggs best 1 minute of my life

after that was uhh??????? brain machine broke i dont know im not even going in order anymore

they either did from zero first or the fan videos were shown first

if so the fan videos were of fans talking about how much they love/appreciate mx and it was sweet after that we raised our banners for the fan vid

and then the CAKE came for wonho and we sang happy birthday to wonho (kihyun asked us to sing once too at the start hjdghgsg we did that in english this time it was in korean) 

also funny hfgdhgs thing... they talked in korean and a lot of people replied in korean so they got shockedhfgh FUCJ DAY6 ok safe im listening now

i think they (minhyuk?) asked who thought/if he was handsome and got rly happie when we said yea

after him someone asked too LOLJHDGSG

back 2 whatever fdsh um oh yeah the cake was done to look like ramyeon in a pot :D ill add a link

wonho cut himself with the knife D-: babie 

he kept wanting to eat it though so hopefully he liked it 

maybe after that they did from zero???? ufhffghsgghdg idk

after that was hero!!!!!!! god we were all so pumped 

shine forever next 

and then they stopped to take a break i thinkfhgshgd 

at some point they asked fans (a jooheon stan and a wonho one) what songs they liked :-D the jooheon one said beautiful and the other said ill be there if im not wrong

they also made the rappers sing bits from some songs hfgsg i dont remember which songs tho hdhs

changkyun tried his besthjdg

they did their ending ment and went to dramarama!! 

after that it was silent for like 5 minutes max as we chanted mx and for encore

they came out and did ill be there (?) (first verse to chorus) and talked again before doing 5:14! 

they were dressed in casual tshirts which was a relief hjghgdh because it was reallly fuckng hot hdh changkyun mentioned the weather too sorry dude thats life

they waved at fans and played amongst themselves kihyun dumped water on jooheon LMAO i got a clear view of that

stay hydrated !

they just kept dumping water on each other i love a family :-D

and then they said bye and left

jooheon kept going byEE though dhgdhs hes so cute :-( 

ok heres what i thought abt the monstas themselves

kihyun looked especially good with that tie by the way 

jesus i got to see wonho with dark hair i truly. died

ALSO SHOWNU LOOKS SO HANDSOME IRL!!!! MY WIG WAS SNATCHED!!!!!!!!!!!

hyungwon was rly cute too when he interacted with the fans :-(

there was one time wonho smiled and it was caught on the screen i . felt my heart burst in that moment

alsowwhen minhyuk took center position for their choreos he has this ?? charisma ??? its amazong like the one smirk/grin he does u know that? yeah i saw it in beautoful and died

joohoen and changkyun also did their best hyping mbbs up by yelling to sing along and stuff ihdjgf i love them

this is just mx loving hours 

also kihyun did the DHDHHSH EYE SMILE!!! HE DID IT SO MANY TIMES HE WAS SO HAPPIE I LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!

i didnt get to see jooheon much but he was so playful with minhyuk it was so cute!!!!!!! 

they all look so good and sound even better live!!! kihyuns adlibs god help me. 

i love them so much. i really do fhhdghghs im happy i went no more regrets and no more telling myself i didnt have a blast because i!!!! i loved every second of it even when i got someones hair stuck to my arm LMAO 

after it ended we immediately left for the exit andggdghs WOW standing up i was fine but moving?? moving was HELL my legs hurt so bad

ok so we got home and thats that but like.... heres where my self reflection comes in

so you dont have to read this part

i think. the reason i dont remember much is because.. i dont want to? like. at some point i got a clear view of wonho in the Flesh and i was thinkng about how i was really seeing them? for real????? and i got. really sad i think?? 

so to prevent myself from getting sad i probably tried to forget? everything?? theres also my bad memory of course but i cant even remember their faces i feel like its because im trying to forget or some deep shit 

anyway i think im also makig myself not be happy??? this is phrased v bad but its like im trying to kill the fun and only think abt the negatives of the whole event

which wasnt even much so its like. my minds blankfhjfhd

talking about it here helps though like i get to. share and actually talk about what happened so yeah i can say that i had fun even though i couldnt see them i had a blast singing along it was awesome

the only bad part was how i didnt like watching from the screens because it felt like i wasnt seeing them live?? ooMGHDDS DAY6 ARE DOING BETTTER BTTER

tldr; im not that upset over it now thank god and i can proudly say i had fun and although i cant remember much it was a great experience

thank you for coming to my tedtalk if you did <3

[fan-of-mulligan]

GILLINGHAM SUPPORTERS REPORT 2019 / 2020 SEASON - PART TWO

At the start of the season, I asked Gillingham Supporters for there thoughts and opinions on Gillingham’s Transfer Activity, Which Young Players Can You See Breaking Into Gillingham’s First Team, Where Do You Think Gillingham Will Finish In League One This Season, And Questions About Gillingham’s Home Form, If you want to check out that blog in full, then here is a link to that blog - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/186739483142/fom-blog-gillingham-supporters-season-preview-for - And here is a link to The Second Gillingham Supporters Blog Of The 2019 / 2020 Season - https://fan-of-mulligan.tumblr.com/post/188819804207/gillingham-supporters-report-2019-2020-season

This blog is a follow up blog where every Gillingham Supporter who participated in this blog before the start of the season, [and that was the first blog of a four part feature], the second blog looks at how Gillingham have performed after Fifteen League Games, The Third Part will be after Thirty League Games, and the final part will be A End Of Season Review Blog - However, Because Gillingham’s Thirtieth League Game Of The Season Is Blackpool Away On Tuesday Night - and Gillingham also have to travel to Southend United On The Eighteenth Of February - Which is also A Tuesday Night Away Game - I thought it would be a good idea to have The Gillingham Supporters Blog Now, while there is no Gillingham Game The Previous Weekend, and there was no mid-week match that Gillingham were participating in on Tuesday The 4th Of February.

Answering these questions are the following Gillingham Supporters,,,,, Colin, Steve, Luke, Stocky, Matthew, Ben, Smithy, Diane, Loonpotter, Mark, Lewis, Richard, Gills Anorak, Mac, Dave, The Rainham End, Gills Debate, Shane, BQGillsFan, Lisa, Rob, Gills In The Blood, Robert, and Graham.

I want to thank everyone who has participated in the latest Gillingham Supporters Blog, as well as thank those who participated in The Previous Gillingham Supporters Blogs throughout The 2018 / 2019 Season and for the first two blogs of The 2019 / 2020 Season, It is because the involvement of everyone who has participated in the previous supporters blogs which have made these blogs so successful, so once again, thank you, Now on to the questions and answers……….

1. THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSED ON FRIDAY, AND GILLINGHAM WERE ABLE TO SIGN JORDAN ROBERTS, JOHN AKINDE, AND JORDAN GRAHAM, AND GILLINGHAM WERE ALSO ABLE TO EXTEND THE LOAN DEALS OF TOM O’CONNOR AND OLLY LEE UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASON, HOW WOULD YOU SUM UP GILLINGHAM’S INCOMING TRANSFER’S IN THIS TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Colin - I am happy to see some fresh blood coming in. We desperately needed a target man and now we have Akinde. Roberts looks a real asset. Clearly Evans wanted a utility defender and nearly got one till the deal fell through. I expect an out of contract defender or two to be signed.

Steve - Good. There are encouraging signs for the future and going forward in order to push ourselves up the league.

Luke - Yep happy with all incomings. Think the newbies are all an improvement on what we had. Don't know much about Jordan Graham but if he offers us more creativity moving forwards then happy days.

Stocky - I think the window has been a great one; keeping hold of key loan players and adding quality to the side also. Think we are still 1 or 2 short but we will be looking to address that via the free agent market.

Matthew - Very good and to especially get the loan lads signed for the reminder of the season. To get Akinde as well is super and the goals should now hopefully not be a problem.

Ben - Personally, I think overall the business that we did in January was great as we as fans mostly identified the area we needed recruitment in was up front! And we got Akinde in, and some wide attacking options in too.

Smithy - It's been a very good transfer window. I would rather have quality over quantity and I think we've hit that this time.

Diane - Happy with the signings on paper, will see if it helps our lack of goals over next few games.

Loonpotter - Looking at the new look forwards, probably the most exciting window in recent times and the types of players previous managers wouldn't have got over the line.

Mark -  We have strengthened and that’s all you can ask for. Hopefully the three who were brought in will give us more firepower and score the goals we have been desperate for.

Lewis - I would’ve liked more, especially in defensive areas, but I’m happy with what we did bring in. Extended Oliver Lee’s contract in particular was pretty big. We may have replaced him, but there’s no point if we have a talent on our hands, and Lee is that. O’Connor is key, too, for no reason more so than that he is versatile, so the loan extensions were a success.The two Jordans are great additions because they can play wide and we’ve missed a bit of width. Mark Marshall wasn’t a success and, although we don’t always play with wide players, we need them around. They’re talents and we’ve already seen what Roberts can do first hand – I look forward to seeing Graham in action.

The main coup is Akinde. I was actually asleep when the deal was confirmed, and when I woke up I was buzzing. Every EFL fan knows who Akinde is and what he brings – he’s strong, fast, and an aerial threat. We’ve already seen – particularly against Shrewsbury – what he can bring, and he is our missing piece. Our crosses feel more threatening when he’s in the box, and I’m confident he will bring goals, too. As I said, I would have liked more defenders in, but we may yet get that in regards to free agents coming in.

Richard - Overall we have to be pleased with the new additions. Jordan Robert's is already showing what a good addition he is. I'm sure Jordan Graham will be another useful acquisition. As for John Akinde everyone knew we needed a recognised front man and now we have one in the true Gillingham mould. He was decent against Shrewsbury and I'm sure he'll contribute his quota of goals. Both Tom O'Connor and Olly Lee have done well so keeping them is a real bonus..On the whole I'm pleased.

Gills Anorak - Very good window. Strengthened the squad overall.

Mac - Decent window.

Dave - I feel it was a very successful transfer window. Extending Lee and O’Connor who had been key to our good form will vital down the stretch. Jordan Graham and Akinde both have experience at this level and will add that extra quality we needed going forward.

The Rainham End - I'm very happy with the signings we've made and we are a team that I feel many will fear when we face them. Very happy with the signing of Akinde especially having paid for him and not just counting on frees and loans. Roberts looks fast and technically gifted going forward and down the wings.

Gills Debate - I was pleased with the players that we did bring in; I think they addressed areas of the squad that needed to be addressed. One criticism of our performances in the 1st half of the season was that we didn’t score as many goals, or take as many chances, as we probably should have done, so bringing in Akinde and Roberts looked like good decisions. With Marshall’s departure I also felt that we needed to bring another winger in, as whilst the diamond doesn’t have natural positions for wingers in it, I think it is good to have that alternative option, and Graham ticks that box. I was also pleased to see that we extended the loans of O’Connor and Lee, as both have had a big part to play in our season so far. My only concern is about the size of the squad that we have left over, as I think that we are 1/2 short in terms of numbers, but it sounds like Evans is looking at the free agent market so hopefully that will be addressed shortly.

Shane - I think Gillingham have done some great business during the January transfer window. I feel the loan extensions of those players is equally important because of how those individuals have performed in the first part of the season.

BQGillsFan - I think the incoming signings for Gills are positive. We wanted a goal scorer and Scally actually spent money to bring in Akinde. Roberts has also looked promising since joining and I'm excited to see what Graham can bring. Extending the loans of O'Connor and especially Lee could be huge for a play-off push. Overall a positive window for incomings at Priestfield.

Lisa - I felt it was a good transfer window in regards to quality signings however feel we have a small team and short in some positions but understand we are hopefully going to sign two out of contract players.

Rob - It's been a good transfer window for us. Extending the two loans was ideal and Roberts looks an improvement on Ndjoli. John Akinde has already shown his talent and will prove to be a fantastic signing. I don't know much about Graham, but he comes highly rated.

Gills In The Blood - I think the incomings were very positives in an area that clearly needed addressing. My only concern is the current lack of numbers, but hopefully a couple of half decent freebies will rectify that.

Robert - I feel the Incomings have been of a better standard than the past couple of windows, much more targeted to what we need in terms of attacking output.  

Graham -  I would say a reasonable transfer window. Roberts and Akinde look good. A bit worried 3 more have left than have come in tho.

2. GILLINGHAM HAVE ALSO SEEN THE LIKES OF MIKAEL NDJOLI, LEE HODSON, OUSSEYNOU CISSE, MARK MARSHALL, ROMAN CAMPBELL, BRADLEY GARMSTON AND ALEX JAKUBIAK LEAVE GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB IN THE JANUARY TRANSFER WINDOW, WHAT HAVE YOU MADE OF THE PLAYER DEPARTURES ??? AND IS THERE ANYONE LISTED HERE, WHO YOU ARE SURPRISED ABOUT WHO HAVE LEFT GILLINGHAM FOOTBALL CLUB IN THIS TRANSFER WINDOW ???

Colin - Those that left apart from Jakubiak weren't featuring. With Akinde and Roberts coming in Jak's opportunities would have been limited so it was no surprise that Watford recalled him.

Steve - I was a bit surprised about Garmston. Not because he’s vital but because I like him. But they weren’t getting minutes so it’s fair.

Luke - All the departures made sense with perhaps the exception of Lee Hodson. Whilst I'm not his biggest fan, we're now incredibly light defensively if we suffer with any injuries. Was partly surprised by Jakubiak as he's our top scorer this season. Saddest one for me is Garmston. Personally thought he would kick on under Evans but sadly not given the opportunity to do so. Think he's been a good servant to Gills and I hope he does well at Grimsby.

Stocky - I'm surprised Jakubiak went but maybe that was due to his parent club being unhappy with a lack of game time. Also surprised Hodson was allowed to leave as there is no back-up for Fuller currently. Tucker can play there but it's a bit square peg in round hole. Garmston has been a fantastic servant for the club but it was best all round that he found himself a new club and pleased that is at league level.

Matthew -  The one for me was Marshall going as he was a fantastic player but we have so many good players that this is why so many have gone or on loan.

Ben - I was only really quite surprised that we let Hodson go, I mean I know he's been kept out of the team during large parts of the season by Fuller. But it would have been nice to have some cover during the later stage of the season.

Smithy -  I'm not surprised that Ndjoli left, the boy needs game time. I'm not too bothered about Cisse going out on loan, I think we may have seen the last of him though. I've got a feeling Leyton Orient may try and take him off our hands in the summer. Marshall I'm on the fence with but I was surprised. Garmston it was coming wasn't it, just a matter of time. Hodson is a strange one for me due to lack of cover. The biggest one for me was Jakubiak leaving. He's a decent player but he's got to be out there playing too.

Diane - Most surprised about Mark Marshall and Alex Jakubiak as always impressed when they played.

Loonpotter - I probably expected Hodson to do a little better and I feel disappointed at how the Cisse situation turned out as I was looking forward to seeing more of him.. but, the boss knows best.

Mark -  They weren’t in the starting XI so no surprise to see them go.

Lewis - I don’t question the personnel that left, but I do question why some of them left. We are seriously short on numbers, especially defensively, and it’s risky. I get Evans wants to talk to free agents but what’s the need in letting a number of players go just to get more in anyway, if they’re going to be playing the same role? The one that shocks me most, actually, is Roman Campbell. The lad has talent and is still very young – it seems a bit premature to let him go. The mystery of being unable to nurture our own forwards goes on.

Richard - Some had to move on. In reality they are all decent but if I could of kept a couple it would have been Ndjoli and Jakubiak as I feel they offer more than the others. Garmston is a tough one but since his injury it's just not been the same. If he can keep his fitness don't be surprised if we hear more of him. What it does show is how much the club has moved on to allow players of this quality to leave.

Gills Anorak - Good decisions to get them all off the wage bill. Don’t think any will be missed.

Mac - I think fair enough to most of them, maybe would’ve kept Hodson because if fuller gets injured then we would be a bit light in that area, but I understand why Hodson would wanna go, also liked AJ whilst he was here.

Dave - As always it’s a shame when it doesn’t work out for some players when they join a club and I wish them well at their loan clubs and new clubs going forward.

The Rainham End - Following the departures It was obvious that they were not part of Evans plans but we are fairly vulnerable if we suffer an injury especially at the back.

Gills Debate - I don’t think any of the departures were particularly surprising, I think that generally they are players that hadn’t been involved as much as they, or in the case of the loanees, their parent clubs, would have wanted them to have been. There were a couple that I’d have perhaps liked to have seen stay for the rest of the season. One of those was Jakubiak, as whilst he hadn’t been starting many games recently, he is our top goalscorer this season and was making some good impacts off the bench. I also think he was possibly the most natural finisher among the strikers that we had at the club at the start of January. However, it’s understandable why Watford may have wanted to send him to St Mirren as he wasn’t starting games regularly, and we would also have had to have left one of our loanees out of the squad every game, if he had have stayed, due to the limits on the number of loan players that can be involved. I would have also kept Hodson here so that we had a natural cover for Fuller in the RB role, but if Evans can sign a versatile defender which he has spoken about, then that will hopefully be addressed.

Shane - There were a few more departures than I had expected and I feel we may be light in the event of injuries or suspensions. The departure of Ndjoli and Hodson didn't surprise me because of the lack of action they have seen. I think Watford were probably unhappy Alex Jakubiak wasn't playing that often.  Ousseynou Cisse has started well for Leyton Orient. Hopefully it works out and he can return to Gillingham and push for a place in the team.

I was surprised to see Roman Campbell released because he has often been described as an up and coming prospect, but you never know what goes on behind the scenes. We have been awaiting the departure of Bradley Garmston all season and therefore was no surprise. I hope he stays injury free and it works out for him with Grimsby. And finally, I didn't realise Mark Marshall was out of contract in January…..

BQGillsFan - I was definitely surprised to see Marshall and Jakubiak go. They seemed to be Evans go to players off the bench and I thought Jakubiak was a very good player whenever he got minutes. Otherwise, I can honestly say that I'm surprised with any of the outgoings.

Lisa - I was surprised with some of the player departures however can appreciate that we need to balance the books. Alex Jakubiak was my biggest surprise but understand he wants to be playing regular football.

Rob - I'm not overly surprised. Ndjoli and Jakubiak needed to leave to allow us two loan replacements. Hodson and Cisse didn't feature much and Marshall was apparently on high wages. Garmston never looked like playing for us again, unfortunately.

Gills In The Blood - The only glaring one at the moment is Lee Hodson based on the fact we didn’t get any cover in to replace him. The others you can understand the logic behind.

Robert - I was surprised by Mark Marshall leaving as I thought he offered something off the bench at least. The others weren’t getting enough minutes so makes sense for them to leave.  

3. AND AS WELL AS INCOMINGS AND OUTGOINGS, GILLINGHAM HAVE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO KEEP HOLD OF JACK TUCKER, CONNOR OGILVIE AND JOE WALSH, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR GILLINGHAM TO HANG ON TO THESE THREE PLAYERS ???

Colin - Gillingham can only balance the books by selling a player for £1m every season. Extending the contracts of saleable assets was critical and good business.

Steve - Very important to keep hold of Tucker and Ogilvie in particular. Walsh as well because he’s a good back up.

Luke - Ogilvie and Tucker have both been incredibly important in our positive results this season. Defensively both look great and have both come on leaps and bounds since their Gillingham debuts. Haven't seen Walsh play so can't comment on him really.

Stocky - Vitally important. The first 2 are key players for us and why we have been so much better defensively this year. Tucker gets better with each game and Ogilvie has totally transformed the views of Gills fans.

Matthew - The best two players we have kept are young Jack Tucker and Conor Ogilvie they bring so much to the team.

Ben - I think it's pivotal to have hung onto those players! As Tuckers best place at the moment is in our starting 11! Ogilvie has also come on leaps and bounds the last 6 months or so!

Smithy - I think it's extremely important to keep hold if Tucker and Ogilvie. The defence is as good as it can be right now, absolute key players for us.

Diane - Very important especially Jack Tucker and Connor Ogilvie, as both are very good players in our team.

Loonpotter -  Very important... Tucker has been a revelation and Ogilvie under Evans has been my most improved player.

Mark - Very, not just for this season but they are the players who we can develop and sell for valuable income. I hope to here extended contracts being announced for Ogilvie, Hanlan etc.

Lewis - It was important in the sense that, apart from Walsh, they’re important players for our season. Ogilvie and Tucker have become key parts of our excellent defence, and it would be a shame to lose them now. The reason it’s not as big as it seems is because I’d be very surprised if we managed to keep hold of any of the three come the summer. All of them are destined to play higher – at least we will get a bit of money for them!

Richard - It is essential that these players did not leave. Just look at our defensive record with them. Connor has been superb and often my man of the match. Scores a few as well. I said on a previous blog that I rated Jack Tucker before he was given this chance in the first team and we should enjoy him while we can until he moves on as inevitably he will. Great he's under contract for now as he reminds me a lot of John Egan. Destined for higher things if he stays away from injury. Pleased Joe Walsh has stayed as well he is also rated very highly.

Gills Anorak - Very important in terms of this campaign. Long term it will be good to sell them on for substantial fees.

Mac - It’s very good we’ve held on to them because it means we can keep our momentum going and shows we can keep our best players.

Dave - Connor Ogilvie was a massive one as he has been arguably been our best player this season. Broke into the starting 11 and kept his place since and has finely adjusted to left back. Tucker has burst onto the scene and been great also, awesome to keep him long-term. Joe Walsh evidently has loads of potential and hopefully he continues to grow with Gills.

The Rainham End - It's important we was able to keep the likes of Tucker and Ogilvie. Tucker is young and one of very few who makes it up from the youth. He keeps his form up he'll be worth a fair bit in the future but right now we need him. Ogilvie has been my player of the season so far. Walsh will just keep getting better and better definitely one I'd like to see in the future to see if he makes it big.

Gills Debate - Keeping Tucker and Ogilvie was vitally important in my opinion. Ogilvie has been a revelation at left-back this season, and Tucker has slotted into the defence superbly, and plays like a player that has a lot more experience than he does. Ultimately, both have been big parts of a defence that has conceded the joint 2nd fewest goals in League 1 this season. We’ve obviously not seen much of Walsh this season, but I think he’s meant to be very highly rated and a very good prospect, so it’s also good to see that we’ve kept hold of him for the time being.

Shane -  I think keeping Ogilvie and Tucker Is a good sign of ambition by the club. Both players have been ever present and continue to perform well. I don't think enough is known about Joe Walsh to comment.

BQGillsFan - One of our own and the ginger Maldini. Keeping Tucker and Ogilvie was huge for our season, they've been arguably our two best players this season. Walsh I'm not overly fussed about either way, but keeping him means one less position to have to worry about signing another player to cover his departure.

Lisa - Really important that we hang on to these players as it gives us a basis for a settled team as more players become our own rather than different loan players coming and going. Also maybe a financial benefit when they eventually are sold.

Rob - Hugely important. Tucker and Ogilvie have been fantastic in defence this season and Joe Walsh is definitely one for the future.

Gills In The Blood - Very, purely because not only are they good players with hopefully their best days still ahead of them, but also because our squad is extremely small.

Robert - For me, jack tucker is the most important of those three. Coming through the youth academy I hope it offers hope to a few of the other youngsters who in the future might be close to breaking into the first team.

Graham -  The likes of Tucker, Walsh and Ogilvie are the future. Massive to keep hold of them.

4. AT PRIESTFIELD STADIUM, GILLINGHAM HAVE WON EIGHT, DRAWN THREE AND LOST FOUR OF OUR FIFTEEN HOME MATCHES THIS SEASON, WITH GILLINGHAM SCORING TWENTY FOUR AND CONCEDING FOURTEEN, HOW WOULD YOU RATE GILLINGHAM’S HOME FORM SO FAR THIS SEASON ???

Colin - I go to most games both home and away. The form has been reversed which suits most fans who only attend home games. Personally I like to see us turn over opponents on their turf. We haven't had much of that but we have secured a couple of creditable draws particularly at Sunderland in the FA Cup and at Ipswich and Portsmouth in the league.

Steve - Better than the away form! Better than last season as well.

Luke - Vastly improved from Steve Lovell's era and frankly that was an area Evans would have to work on to get fans on side which he has now down. Hopefully the more positive results at home will see bigger attendances soon too.

Stocky - I think its been excellent and is turning into a fortress again. That's been our downfall for years and why we have been struggling at the wrong end of the table. One of Evan's biggest challenges was to transform the home form and he has certainly done that.

Matthew - The home form for me has been the best I have Sean in a long time and if I was to rate it out of 10 I would give it a solid 8.

Ben - Personally I think our home form has been surprisingly better this season! We're harder to beat and creating more chances & don't concede as many. 6/10 so far this season. If we continue scoring that amount and clean up the goals conceded we'll pick up more good results.

Smithy - The home form is much improved this season without doubt. A settled defence with a good keeper has proved a huge difference to previous campaigns.

Diane - Not as good as I hoped and needs to be improved and hoping new players improve winning games at home.

Loonpotter - Home form has been exactly what we've been crying out for.. it's been fantastic, no one will look forward to coming here... it's been exciting.

Mark - Massive improvement on last few seasons and with the new signings I expect to see more goals and wins in the next few months. Its good to go to games again.

Lewis - It’s excellent, really. I enjoy going to Priestifield again and it’s already been so much more successful than last season. We actually look like we could beat any team there, and I believe that. Even the games we lost – such as Ipswich and Peterborough – we looked like we could’ve won. We’ve also done the job on teams worse than us, too, rather than slipping up. The likes of Rochdale and MK Dons. I feel like we can win every week and that’s great.

Richard - Home form has been transformed this season under Steve Evan's. Priestfield is now a tough place to come at last. There's been some decent football played and its lovely to see the loyal fan base getting some enjoyment for a change.

Gills Anorak - Very good indeed. More importantly as the season has progressed the form has improved as our team have gelled.

Mac - Our home form has been class, especially compared to the last couple years! Apart from the start of the season we lost a few at home, we have been quality.

Dave - I feel our home form has dramatically improved and Evans and Raynor deserve credit. It was one thing that they promised when coming in and they’ve made true of that promise.

The Rainham End - Home form has been the best i’ve seen for a while. Just a shame about our crowds.

Gills Debate - It’s been good at Priestfield so far this season, we’ve already won more home matches in the league than we did in the whole of last season (and there’s still 7 games to go), and I feel like I’ve enjoyed the games at Priestfield more than I did last season. I also think that last season we’d perhaps pick up results at home where we’d feel like it was a slightly fortunate win/draw, whereas this season I think we’ve put in more convincing performances.

Shane - Gillingham have improved massively compared to the last few seasons at home. I have actually started to look forward to watching a home games again now.

BQGillsFan - We've made Priestfield a horrible place for visiting teams this season and I fancy us to take the fight to anyone at home, something we haven't been able to say about previous years. A lot of high performing teams have come to Priestfield and been made to look ordinary. It's so enjoyable to go to watch the Gills at home every other week at the moment.

Lisa - Gillingham’s home form really good, a lot more exciting than previous seasons even if we don’t win.

Rob - Home form has been pretty good, we've won more games than we've drawn and lost combined. The team is definitely on the up and that can only be a good thing.

Gills In The Blood - Very good on the whole. We knew it had to improve, and both Steve Evans and Paul Raynor knew it had to improve, and on the whole it’s been very good. Aside from Rotherham, even the games we’ve lost have been tight and could easily have gone the other way.

Robert - Home form is much improved and is enjoyable for once. Hoping the atmosphere continues to grow and helps us in the final few games which could be important.      

5. AWAY FROM HOME, GILLINGHAM HAVE WON ONE, DRAWN NINE AND LOST THREE OF OUR THIRTEEN AWAY MATCHES THIS SEASON, AND THE GILLS HAVE SCORED NINE AND CONCEDED THIRTEEN IN OUR THIRTEEN AWAY MATCHES, AND GILLINGHAM HAVE GOT FOUR AWAY MATCHES COMING UP IN FEBRUARY, WITH AWAY TRIPS TO BURTON ALBION, BLACKPOOL, SOUTHEND UNITED AND LINCOLN CITY, WHAT DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM NEED TO DO TO START TURNING AWAY DRAWS INTO AWAY VICTORIES ???

Colin - Under Lovell we were a good counter attacking side and that fed through to getting wins on the road. Under Evans we play further up the park and have more possession. The lack of quality up top has meant that the few chances we get away from home aren't converted into goals. With Akinde, Roberts and Graham on board we might see an improvement.

Steve - Apart from the obvious, we should score more goals. That should be hopefully achievable with the new signing of Akinde.

Luke - Probably the exact opposite to my previous response in that we've got worse away than under Lovell. Far too many draws and these desperately need to be turned into wins if we're serious about pushing up the table.

Stocky - I think just that little bit of quality in the final 3rd. There have been a few games where we should have picked up 3 points instead of one but were let down by not taking our chances, Ipswich away being one of those games. I think with the new signings especially the proven league scorer that is Akinde, we will start seeing a few more away wins.

Matthew - Need to defend a lot better as we are still conceding too many goals and that could help us massively.

Ben - Fairly satisfactory away from home! Again we're not losing many away from home, but you could make a case that we draw too many.  Scoring more and keeping clean sheets, and going for the kill in games.

Smithy - Just keep going, the wins will come. We've been unlucky in some away fixtures.

Diane - Our lack of goals is the problem this season, as we should have won a few games we lost or drew.  We need to score and take chances, so again hope the new players can do so.

Loonpotter - Many of these draws could easily have been wins so just the slightest tweaks necessary... performances are fine.

Mark - Score goals and they are the signings Evans has made. I think we will start to win more on the road now.

Lewis - The only answer, really, is to score more goals! That really has been our problem and with Akinde I’ve no doubt we’ll do it. It’s typical that the first time we’d scored more than one goal in Lord knows how long was the first time we’d conceded more than one in Lord knows how long. We have games against the likes of Southend and Lincoln coming up and they’re pretty poor sides, so wins there could give us a boost.

Richard - Too many draws let's face it. But its better than losing I guess. No getting away from it only 1 win is poor but I think with the new signings it now gives us other attacking options we haven't had previously and this may well change. We've needed more quality up front which Steve Evan's has addressed. I would be targeting a minimum of 8 points away in February so let's wait and see.

Gills Anorak - Have better options in attack to score goals. Evans has addressed this in January so now we’ll see if the draws become wins or not.

Mac - We just needed a decent striker who could score goals, and we’ve got that now I think so I can see us improving away results.

Dave - We aren’t losing away from home which is a positive, however, we need to turn draws into wins. Being more defensively solid when in leads is something we need to do.

The Rainham End - I will always take a point on the road but with nine draws that really could have been wins if we had a proven striker. With the likes of Akinde and Roberts through the door I believe that's our answer on turning those draws into wins. I feel we draw against Blackpool and Burton and win against Southend and Lincoln.

Gills Debate - To put it simply I think we need to score more goals! Defensively we’re very sound with only Doncaster having conceded less goals on the road than we have, but only Bolton and Wycombe have scored less away from home. Hopefully Akinde, Roberts and Graham will help in that respect, but I think it’s also obviously important that we get the balance right between trying to score more goals, but without losing the defensive solidarity that we’ve had - It’s a shame that when we managed to score 2 up at Rochdale, we then ended up letting 2 in at the other end!

Shane - Gillingham are not playing that badly away from home. I think with some of the strengthening during January they may push on a get a few more victories on the road. All four of those games are winnable. But that might be wishful thinking….

BQGillsFan - A lot of Gillingham's draws away from home have been an inability to take our chances, with Hanlan being especially guilty of this on the road. Hopefully the additions of Akinde and Roberts can help to remedy this because if we don't improve on that, the playoffs will not happen.

Lisa - All along I’ve said we need a decent finisher to turn the draws into wins. Hopefully with our recent signings this will happen.

Rob - As you say, we've had too many away draws. I personally think we've been unlucky and shown that we're tough to break down. I think we play it safe and try to take a point towards the end of a game rather than pushing for the win.

Gills In The Blood - Be more clinical in front of goal. Look at the Ipswich and Peterborough games, we probably deserve to win them based on chances created, so let’s hope the new arrivals help us start turning one point into three.

Robert - Be more clinical. I think it’s as simple as that (and I hope). Give the new players a chance and I think we’ll pick up a few more points.

Graham - Hopefully now we have Akinde and Roberts we can now start turning draws into victories and climb the table.

6. GILLINGHAM WON 2-0 AGAINST SHREWSBURY TOWN ON THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRIOR TO GILLINGHAM NOT PLAYING ON FEBRUARY THE 1ST, (BECAUSE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE DAY THAT GILLINGHAM WOULD HAVE PLAYED AGAINST BURY AT HOME), HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT WAS FOR GILLINGHAM TO GO INTO THE BREAK OFF THE BACK OF AN IMPORTANT HOME WIN ??? AND ALSO, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK THIS BREAK IS GOING TO BE FOR GILLINGHAM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON ???

Colin - Shrewsbury were on a terrible run of results and we were only getting draws. That game was a must win. Burton away is always tough so the rest could help us give it a real go, or it could make us rusty and off the pace. You never know in football.

Steve - Important to go on a break with a win because spirits are high with three points in the bag.

Luke - Definitely came at the right time for us I think. Some players like Fuller & Hanlan have looked like they need a bit of a rest and these few extra days off could be the key to us having better fitness going into the back end of the season.

Stocky - I thought it was vital as the gap before kick off to the playoffs were 8 points so I considered it a must win. Hopefully the break has come at the right time for us as we've got a small squad and am optimistic we can start closing that gap to the playoffs.

Matthew - It was a massive win against the cup hero’s’ Shrewsbury and the break would of help the teams fitness.

Ben - It could be a good thing! As I feel our players needed a rest after the festive period & the months fixtures in January, going into the four away games in Feb! It was a massive result! Off the back of 4 consecutive draws, we needed three points. It could be an important break for a rest and recuperate!

Smithy - Massively important to hit the week off with a win as it'll only breed confidence and the boys will most likely be better focused rather than having a defeat prior to this week off.

Diane - The win was a much needed one, after not playing again. It's hard to say how the break will reflect on the players, we definitely need a reserve league to give players playing time on a regular basis.

Loonpotter -  It's important that we got such a good win, especially as Shrewsbury have proven to be no pushovers this season... we have strengthened since and I'm confident the 2nd half of the season will be quite exciting.

Mark - It was good to win (not least as I drove down from Lincoln to make the game). The break will do us no harm (although I missed going to a game) in terms of recovery and the chance to work with the new players in training.

Lewis - It's probably more important for the fans than anything because we are still in the hunt for the play-offs. Fans are happy/sad about a result up until when the next game is played, so, now, fans will be happy for roughly two weeks. It is, of course, important for the team, too. Morale will, naturally, be high. The break will be important because we have a small squad. Of course we are on a good run, so there’s always the risk that momentum will be haunted, but we should be refreshed and ready to go again come Burton.

Richard - With Akinde coming in the win on Wednesday was a real confidence booster. As for the break it gives more time to deal with knocks. Other than that I'm not sure how critical it will be. Do these well paid professionals need breaks?

Gills Anorak - Important for morale, but critical? No. Also not sure the enforced break will make too much difference.

Mac - It was a massive win because if we didn’t win any slim chance of play offs would’ve been gone, and the break could be good but might not be because it could slow down our momentum.

Dave - To win was huge, especially off the back of 3 or 4 successive draws. Now going into that break we can continue that confidence of ten unbeaten and get everyone fully fit.

The Rainham End - Glad we won it was a must win game however I'm not a fan of the break. I want to keep the run of good form going and hopefully we continue that at Burton away.

Gills Debate - I think the break came at a good time for us, not too long after the busy Christmas period, and ahead of a busy February where we’ve got 6 games, 4 of them away from home, including 2 in midweek  I’m also pleased that we headed into the break following a win, I think most players will generally say that if they’ve lost a game, they want to play another one ASAP, and therefore with no game the following weekend, I think it was important to get the 3 points.

Shane - It was an important win against a team who would have been on a high from their draw against Liverpool. I think the break may be a good opportunity for the new faces to bed in and for the players to recharge their batteries.

BQGillsFan - It's a nice win for Gillingham. With Shrewsbury coming off the high of their FA Cup draw with Liverpool, we shut them down with relative ease and that has to be a great morale boost for our players. The timing of the break also works pretty well for us, giving the new signings some extra time to train and bond with the squad whilst also allowing the player that have been playing pretty much non-stop since August to get a well deserved rest period. Hopefully we can take advantage of the break going into the second half of the season.

Lisa - Very important to continue our home form with a win for confidence. Break will be good as small squad could benefit from a rest.

Rob - Very important. I thought we looked tired against Shrewsbury in patches and players like Barry Fuller looked in need of a rest. A winter break has been good for us and allowed extra time for the new signings to get used to the training regime and their teammates.

Gills In The Blood - The win was important in terms of both keeping momentum and the unbeaten run going, and i am sure the break was beneficial in the sense it gives everyone chance to rest any knocks and come back refreshed for the final push starting at Burton.

Robert - I think Evans has been correct in saying that winning before the break is important. Gives the players time to rest with high morale, eager to play in the next game.

7. GILLINGHAM LOST 2-0 AGAINST WEST HAM UNITED IN THE FA CUP THIRD ROUND, WITH  10,913 SUPPORTERS PACKING PRIESTFIELD STADIUM FOR A MAGNIFICENT FA CUP TIE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MATCH ITSELF ??? AND HOW EARLY DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE GROUND ??? - BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE I KNOW PLANNED TO ARRIVE AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE OUTSIDE PRIESTFIELD STADIUM FOR THE WEST HAM UNITED MATCH ???

Colin - The TV cameras came to see an underdog turn over a struggling Premier League side. That didn't happen but we didn't embarrass ourselves.

Steve - Only because you got there at three o’clock, Lee! I think we got there at about half five because we got dropped off. In terms of the game, we played well first half and had a couple of good opportunities to go ahead but second half West Ham turned it on a bit and put it to bed. We tried our best.

Luke - Was a good game and shame we didn't really capitalise on our pressure in the first half really. Going into second half was always going to be difficult considering the quality difference to Premier League. In terms of time arriving at the ground I think I walked down from the cricketers about 45 mins before kick off to get myself a programme. Didn't have any issues getting into the Rainham End though so was surprised at how long it was taking people to get into the Gordon Road.

Stocky - I felt we equipped ourselves well but needed to score in the first half really. West Ham were a different side in the 2nd half and their quality showed. For effort we more than matched them and came off the pitch with our heads held high. Think we was in the ground about an hour before kick off.

Matthew - I thought overall we played very well first half and should have taken a 2-0 into half time but we did not and West Ham made us pay and won the game 2-0. I got to the ground about 4:30 so I could have a beer and get in the ground. A small gathering out on Gordon Road a little more then usual but got in 15 minutes before kick off.

Ben - I felt that it was a fantastic game! And an enthralling cup tie, end to end for the majority of the tie. I got there about mid afternoon. I also felt that if we had got a goal when we were on top during the first quarter of the first half we could have at least got a replay!

Smithy - The West Ham game was fantastic. We shouldn't have lost 0-2, however we didn't disgrace ourselves. I thought we done really well. I arrived in time to see David Gold miss the car park entrance and drive round the block!!

Diane - I felt we played as well as we can and the players did themselves proud. I was there 2 and half hours before game.

Loonpotter - Gillingham played very well for large periods but unfortunately the premier league quality came through in the end.

Mark - First half was better than expected and the second half a bit disappointing in comparison. Good to see the ground full. I arrived about an hour before. No that different to home games to be honest.

Lewis - The match was good. The first-half we were the better side and we were solid in the second, too. It was a case, as it has been so often this season, of not having someone to put the ball in the net, which is crazy when you think about the teams we have said that against.

I enjoyed the occasion for sure, and fancied us for a replay at points. We were in it until the last second and gave 100% - that’s all you can really ask for. I actually only arrived about half an hour before kick-off. It might sound silly, but I can’t really deal with the so called ‘plastics’, so tried to stay away for as long as I could!

Richard - First half we did well and were equal in most areas but the second half the difference is class showed through. I was unable to attend due to other commitments but did watch the game later.

Gills Anorak - Thought we played well, particularly first half. Unlucky to lose by 2.  Arrive only a few minutes earlier than usual.

Mac - I got there like 30 mins before kick off, and it was quality to have Priestfield sold out!

Dave - I thought we played brilliantly and fought till the end which is all we can ask for. We went toe-to-toe with a full strength Prem team. I got into the ground 45 minutes Prior to kick off, shame others in the Gordon Road didn’t do the same!

The Rainham End - I thought we played great against a first team West Ham. We could have gone up a goal in that first half but Fabianski denied Hanlan in that first half. Bonham on another day would have saved those West Ham gold I felt. I'm not disappointed as we gave a 100% effort and that's all I asked for. A win would have been the icing on the cake. I arrived about 30 minutes prior kick off and the atmosphere was insane and shame we can't get more through the gates in our league ties.

Gills Debate - I was very pleased with the performance against West Ham, I think we were the better side in the 1st half and if we had been able to take the lead then I think there may well have been a different outcome to the match. As it was, I think West Ham stepped up their performance a gear or two in the 2nd half, and started to control the game more, but ultimately I think the players deserve great credit for their performance as we were in with a chance of earning a replay right up until the very last minute. I think I got to Priestfield about 25-30 minutes before kick-off, not really too dissimilar to when I get there for a league match.

Shane - I arrived about an hour prior to kick off to soak in the atmosphere. It isn't often you get to see the stadium full. I thought the Gills could hold their heads high with the performance.

BQGillsFan - I unfortunately only arrived at the ground about 10 minutes before kick off due to work, but what a game it was. I thought Gillingham were genuinely the better side in the first half, unfortunately the quality of that West Ham team shone through after the break and they ultimately did deserve the win. But I will take this opportunity to once again say that Sebastian Haller (a £45 million club record signing) is comfortably the worst striker I've seen at Priestfield this season. He was all kinds of awful and Tucker had him on toast all game.

Lisa - Match was very good and felt up until the second half we could have got a replay. Having a better finisher we may well of done. I got there at about 6.30pm.

Rob - I arrived a bit later than usual due to difficulties parking. The game was good, I thought we played well but were undone but a few moments of quality. I felt we missed Mandron in the game and it would have been a different story had we signed Akinde by then!

Gills In The Blood - I thought we more then held our own for the majority of the game. Their extra class eventually got them over the line, but I think we certainly came out of it with our heads held high. And we got there earlier yes to sample the atmosphere, which didn’t disappoint.

Robert - We got to the West Ham game roughly two before kick off. The Factory was packed and I haven’t been that excited for a game in ages. Shame it wasn’t a win but it definitely didn’t feel like we were two leagues below them. Again, more clinical and we could have clinched a relay perhaps.

8. THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF TALK FROM MEDIA OUTLETS, AND MANAGER’S JURGEN KLOPP, AND PEP GUARDIOLA REGARDING SCRAPPING FA CUP REPLAY’S, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS DEBATE AND WOULD YOU SCRAP FA CUP REPLAY’S, OR, DO YOU THINK FA CUP REPLAY’S SHOULD BE HERE TO STAY ???

Colin - The Premiership split away from the 92 in order to keep more of the money. Many of them wanted to withdraw from the League Cup leaving it as a completion for EFL clubs only. Dropping FA Cup, replays is part of the same mindset. Klopp wants what's best for Liverpool and doesn't want to subsidise Gillingham. Some of my best memories are if FA Cup replays with Everton as the standout experience. Replays are massive for smaller clubs in terms of generating funds and interest. Sadly the FA are toothless and more worried about Premiership clubs releasing players for the National team.

Steve - I know it benefits lower league clubs a lot but I think it should, in theory, just go to penalties. I like the idea of it, without going deep.

Luke - FA Cup replays should stay. Pep wasn't moaning when Man City won the F.A Cup under him. Replays can be the lifeline of lower League clubs financially and whilst I don't agree with them perhaps relying on them to get them out of trouble, it certainly can make the difference in terms of getting a couple more quality signings in January or in the summer for a club to push on. In terms of Jürgen Klopp, he's just shown himself up to be bit of a petulant child frankly and the fact he doesn't have the ambition to push his club for the "treble" more shows that they don't have the bottle to do it in my opinion. *Inserts Liverpool fans abuse towards me here*

Stocky - Replays should definitely stay as they are much needed for lower league teams. The premier league don't really care about the cup. It's not feasible but if 2 premier league sides get drawn against each other, there shouldn't be a replay if it's a draw; let's face it, neither club wants a replay however the FA probably wouldn't allow it.

Matthew - I think for the lower league clubs can get some enjoyment out of the cup replays and gives them the funds to help them in there league campaigns.

Ben - I can see both sides of the argument! I dislike the fact that some Premier League managers do 'disrespect' the cup, and they could nullify this if they fielded stronger sides, won the tie and took their best players off! I think Fa Cup replays should certainly stay, maybe not beyond when all of the lower league sides get knocked out.

Smithy - I would not scrap FA Cup replays. It would only benefit the so-called elite. Us smaller clubs benefit greatly from revenue generated against Premier League opposition. Plus how great would a day out at the London Stadium have been for little ol Gillingham!

Diane - That's a very hard decision to make and I can see where the big clubs are coming from and scrapping fa cup replays, and can also see why small clubs like us relish the replays, for money and a chance to go to a big ground. If had to say would like to keep replays and big clubs have an option to pull out if the have a lot of big games to play.

Loonpotter - FA cup replays should definitely stay... scrapping them is the opinion of the elite who don’t need to worry about paying Bill's, wages etc etc .. the FA cup is a great source of income as we found out with our little run this year.

Mark - This is so easy to fix. Let the two teams decide. If one wants a replay (for the money) then a replay it is. If both decide to settle it in one game then that’s how it will be. How easy is that solution?

Lewis - I think I’d keep replays, but, being honest, I don’t really mind. I get it helps smaller clubs loads and that’s why they’re important, but I wouldn’t be outraged if they were ditched. I was speaking to Chris Hughton the other day, actually, about this, and he suggested ditching replays when it gets to the quarter-finals, because then there are only big clubs left and they’re the ones that don’t want the replays. The cup definitely needs looking after, whatever happens.

Richard - The bigger clubs are likely to want to avoid FA Cup replays but it's a vital income source for lower league clubs. It's also traditional and if theres a chance for lower league clubs to play at a premiership ground they are more motivated to get a decent result. I'd keep them.

Gills Anorak - Scrap replays No. Scrap extra time Yes. Allow Premier vs Premier games to agree to scrap replays Yes.

Mac - We should 100% keep the replays, massive for smaller teams.

Dave - Replays should stay, plain and simple.

The Rainham End -  Yes fa cup replays should stand as they are it's what makes it so exciting for smaller clubs and as a manager at any level you should aim to win every game. Klopp’s attitude is awful especially Fielding the u21s against Shrewsbury. If your the best in the world you should be aiming to win everything.

Gills Debate - I think FA Cup replays can be very good for lower league sides if they are playing a Premier League team, both in terms of the occasion itself, and in terms of the income that it can generate. If we’d have got a draw against West Ham then I’d have certainly been looking forward to a game at the London Stadium in the replay. However, personally I’d go with a suggestion that I saw quite recently, in that the default position should be that all FA Cup games that currently go to a replay will continue to do so, but if both sides agree that they’d rather get the result sorted, without going to a replay, then they should have the discretion to be able to agree to do that.

Shane - I think the FA Cup replay should stay. It is part of the magic when a lower league side holds a so called big side and get an opportunity to play at their stadium. In some cases the potential windfall is game changing for some clubs.

BQGillsFan - You scrap FA Cup replays you kill the competition. I'm not even going to talk about the financial aspect of it because that is obvious to everyone. Just think about the experiences it offers to the players and the fans. The chance to welcome a Liverpool or a Chelsea or an Arsenal to your ground and then to get a replay and get to visit some of the most elite stadiums in the world. Or the other way round depending on how the draw goes. I'm soooo sorry that Klopp and Pep feel that their billionaire squads who play LESS league games than the rest of the country and have backup players worth more than entire league 1 and league 2 clubs can't cope with one extra game. If you care so much about avoiding replays, play your best 11 in the first game. Don't disrespect your opponents by playing a weaker team then have the audacity to moan when it backfires and you have to go to a replay.

Lisa - Definitely not scrap FA cup replays this is a chance old or the lower leagues to earn more money.

Rob - I'm torn on the matter. As much as replays are traditional, I think removing them from the Quarter Finals onwards has been a good idea.

Gills In The Blood - Should stay, simple as. They can provide financial stability for a long time to clubs like ourselves. Plus they’re part of the fabric of the competition.

Robert - FA Cup replays are a reward for lower teams and can generate desperately needed funds for clubs in the EFL. We have a packed fixture list too, I’m not sure what they have to moan about really.

9. AND WITH ALL THIS MEDIA TALK ABOUT SCRAPPING FA CUP REPLAYS AND HOW THE FA CUP HAS LOST SOME OF IT’S MAGIC, DO YOU THINK THAT THE FA CUP WINNERS SHOULD QUALIFY FOR THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, RATHER THEN FOURTH IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE, IN AN ATTEMPT FOR CLUBS TO TAKE THE FA CUP MORE SERIOUSLY ???

Colin - Big clubs disrespect the FA Cup by not fielding a senior side. A Champions League place for the winners would provide an inducement not to put out weakened sides but I don't think UEFA would agree to it.

Steve - Just keep it as the top four I think. It wouldn’t seem right if it was a poorer team that won it, such as a Championship team.

Luke - Yes. More incentive for the bigger teams to go for it. It's also meant to be the Champions League, hardly see how finishing fourth really falls under that category.

Stocky - Yes I think so. Finishing 4th is not an achievement. It would hopefully give the premier league mid-table/relegation candidates more incentive too rather than making wholesale changes.

Matthew - No I don’t think the winners should get champions league football. Yes they still get European footy which is still good.

Ben - It would give an extra incentive for the Prem teams to not disregard the cup as pointless, I just feel that there aren't as many shocks as their used to be.

Smithy - I think there does need to be more incentive for some teams to take the FA Cup more seriously, I'm just not sure what that should be.

Diane - I don't think the top 6 especially in premier league will change their views on the fa cup, as no money in it for them if they are in Europe. Maybe an idea for fa cup winners to play in europa league, and maybe teams finishing up to 6th should all be in Europe.

Loonpotter - Yes definitely... give it a prestige injection, it's the greatest domestic cup in the world by a million miles.

Mark - I think that would work but to be honest I don’t really care that much about the FA cup once we are out.

Lewis - Maybe. There are a number of potential solutions and I’m sure that’s one, although I certainly think something needs to be done, because, although the lower league teams respect the cup, bigger clubs certainly don’t.

Richard - Well it sounds reasonable to me. Why not? If it gets the bigger clubs to put more focus on the competition then fair enough.

Gills Anorak - No.

Mac - It’s a decent idea tbf but not sure on that.

Dave - It’s a hard thing to look at, but the incentive to do well in the Competition is there for majority of the clubs. Just because a handful of clubs don’t like it, we shouldn’t change it.

The Rainham End - I like the idea of the winners of the fa cup qualifying for the champions league. Will persuade bigger teams to try harder in the cup.

Gills Debate - That makes sense to me, it puts more of an incentive back on the FA Cup, and would give greater encouragement to Premier League sides to put out (more) full strength sides. I also think that another step that could be taken would be to stop the semi-finals being played at Wembley.

Shane - I agree that would add an incentive to win the FA Cup. But, still feel some managers would complain about fixture congestion.

BQGillsFan - No I think the current format of qualification to the Europa League is enough incentive. The likes of Liverpool and Man City are already going to get Champion's League through the league qualification anyway so it won't change their approach at all. Europa League is enough for teams like Newcastle or Southampton or Aston Villa to strive for.

Lisa - Yes would be a good idea.

Rob - No. I think the League Cup should be scrapped instead. The FA Cup will become more important for the top sides, while Championship clubs have enough games with both a 24 team league and international breaks. Replaces the EFL Trophy with a proper knockout and no B teams, and that might take some more prestige and revenue for the rest of the Football League.

Gills In The Blood - I’m not sure what is best for it to be honest, but having grown up in the late 80s and early 90s it’s always been a huge part of the football calendar for me. Before subscription television, being able to watch the build up and game and reaction for the whole day felt like a treat. That feeling has sadly waned now with the kick off time changing.

Robert - Champions league or more prize money. But the money in the premier league now is crazy so will be difficult to offer so much more that they take it seriously.

10. WHICH MATCH DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN GILLINGHAM’S BEST GAME OF THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON ???

Colin - I am not sure we have had a great result yet but beating the then leaders Wycombe was a surprise.

Steve - I’d either say Southend at home because we thrashed them, but they were crap. Maybe the Shrewsbury game at home because we played really well considering we can beat them and Liverpool can’t!

Luke - Beating Wycombe was a very good result considering their league position this season. The league win and FA Cup wins against Sunderland was also incredibly pleasing.

Stocky - The league win against Sunderland.

Matthew - I think the best game was the Ipswich game away we came away sad that we did not win the game at all as we dominated the whole game from start to finish.

Ben - Personally my highlight of the season or best performance would be either Ipswich away or Accrington Stanley away! The goal was well taken at Stanley and we deserved all three points.

Smithy - Sunderland at home obviously stands out as a good home game, the disallowed goal and flare will live long in the memory!

Diane - Ipswich away  I would say, we played so well and unlucky not to win.

Loonpotter - Tough one !!! Shrewsbury because my son in law is a Shrewsbury fan and it's always nice when you have a reason to do the Nescafe shake across to the away end.

Mark - Not sure, we have been solid rather than prolific in terms of goals. I am going to pass.

Lewis - It was probably one of the games I missed; Doncaster at home in the cup or Shrewsbury at home last week – although I did watch that one on iFollow. I simply can’t say an away game because we’ve won once away all season and that’s not good enough. I can’t select Accrington away because it wasn’t great. I’ll go Sunderland at home in the league. It was only 1-0, but we controlled the game and Evans dominated tactically. It was a well deserved win and a really enjoyable game.

Richard - I enjoyed the 1- 0 home win against Sunderland with Connor Ogilvie grabbing the last minute winner.. Special moment that.

Gills Anorak - v Shrewsbury at home.

Mac - I’d say our best game has been Ipswich away when we battered them but only drew 0-0 because we couldn’t finish.

Dave - I feel either Sunderland at home, or the Shrewsbury game. We controlled the entirety of the game against Shrewsbury and I feel it was our most complete performance.

The Rainham End - Best game for me has got to be beating Doncaster 3-0 in the FA Cup.

Gills Debate - I think the game that I probably enjoyed the most was the 1-0 win in the FA Cup replay against Sunderland, it felt like a just reward for our performance and all of our hard work across the 210+ minutes over the course of the two games.

Shane - Gills 1 Sunderland 0. May have left it late but it was a good performance.

BQGillsFan - I'd go with our 1-0 win over Sunderland in the league on December 7th. Honestly we could have won that game by 3 or 4, a testament to not only how far Sunderland have fallen, but how far Evans has bought us this season.

Lisa - Best game Gills v Shrewsbury apart from the referee.

Rob - Bolton. I've never seen us dominate a team as much as that - it was like watching Brazil. Shame it was against a bunch of schoolboys though.

Gills In The Blood - Would have to go for the dismantling of Doncaster in the cup closely followed by the two home victories over Sunderland.

Robert - I thought our best game was against Rochdale. Controversial but it’s nice to see a team really push for a late winner and to pull it off I think says a lot about some of the characters we have this year.

11. AND WHICH MATCH DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN GILLINGHAM’S WORST PERFORMANCE / WORST RESULT OF THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON ???

Colin - The worst result is a choice between the 0-3 at home to Rotherham and the 3-0 away at Oxford. We didn't turn up for either game. That hasn't happened too often under Evans.

Steve - Oxford away. The only game I’ve actually wanted to leave early.

Luke - Personally haven't been to as many games as I would like this season but I know the Oxford away game was a bad one. I thought we were terrible in the defeat at home to Burton at the start of the season and it's definitely the worst performance I've seen in 2019/20.

Stocky - Oxford away, an absolute shocking day.

Matthew - The AFC Wimbledon game away as we dominated the first half and played very badly in the second half to lose 1-0. The ref was the worst I have seen all season.

Ben - Bristol Rovers is the stand out bad performance for me, we didn't look like scoring until we eventually did late on, wasn't a great game at all.

Smithy - I couldn't think of a specific match.

Diane - Very hard to say.

Loonpotter - Oxford.

Mark - I didn’t go but I am sure the popular vote will be Oxford away.

Lewis - The two that stick out for me are Rotherham at home (0-3) and Oxford away (3-0).  I had high hopes for the Rotherham game and we gave absolutely nothing. It’s even worse that I have a good friend who is a Miller and he certainly didn’t let it go. Oxford was terrible and every time I’ve been to the Kassam we’ve lost. It looked like the score could’ve been anything that day and we looked absolutely clueless going forward. I want to forget both games as soon as possible.

Richard - Has to be Oxford United away. The game was all over after about 25 mins… We were well and truly beaten.

Gills Anorak - v Oxford away.

Mac - Worst performance would either be oxford away or burton at home.

Dave - N/A

The Rainham End - Worst performance is a tough one but Oxford at home in a 1-1 draw. Felt we played better than that in occasions where we've lost.

Gills Debate - The 3-0 defeat against Oxford back in September for me - A game that was over by half-time after a dreadful first half performance where Oxford looked streets ahead of us, and our only shot on target was in the 93rd minute. Hopefully if we are playing them again next season, I can improve on my record of seeing 1 draw, 4 defeats and 0 Gills goals scored at their ground!

Shane - Gills 0 Rotherham 3. This wasn't a good game and it was topped off with that comical defensive error.

BQGillsFan - Probably our 3-0 away loss to Oxford United. We never looked to have turned up and deservedly got rolled over by the better team.

Lisa - Ipswich.

Rob - Not sure, we've had a couple of poor results early on.

Gills In The Blood - Oxford away and Rotherham at home, comfortably.

Robert - For me the worst game by far was oxford away. Literally nothing good to say about that performance, dreadful on all fronts.

12. AS WELL AS SUPPORTING GILLINGHAM, DO ANY OF YOU SUPPORT ANOTHER FOOTBALL CLUB, OR, MAYBE YOU CHECK OUT THE RESULTS OF ANOTHER FOOTBALL TEAM TO SEE HOW WELL THEY ARE DOING ???

Colin - Gillingham are my only team. I went to watch Phoenix against Whitehawk on the day we should have played Bury purely because a friend suggested that one. The football was terrible but the natives were friendly.

Steve - I check out all the scores. My son likes Liverpool so I always keep up on them and Spurs because of a few people I used to work with. But I just support Gillingham.

Luke - Gillingham are the only team I support. I keep an eye out for some of the local non-league sides as being a proud Man Of Kent (or Kentish Man can't remember which side of the river I was).

Stocky - Don't support another team. Keep an eye out on the results of Birmingham as my grandad supports them so I want them to do well.

Matthew - I support Arsenal as well I am a red member so I got to some of their home games. I think they are having an up and down season but under Arteta they are doing so much better. The draw against Burnley last time out was not great. Now we have a winter break and we go again against Newcastle at home which I will be at the Emirates for.

Ben - Gillingham are the only football team that I support. However, I check teams of players that I was fond of during their time here, so Blackburn - Dack & Micky Flynn at Newport! Purely for footballing reasons that they've both played for our club! And Rochdale because I have family members that are Rochdale supporters.

Smithy - I don't support any other club, I'm all Gills. I always check all of League 1 naturally, however I do always keep an eye on Hull City and see how the big man Eavesy has done.

Diane - Liverpool, Rangers, and like to look at Chatham Town and Gillingham Town scores.

Loonpotter -  I have soft spots for teams .. it usually relates to teams that were doing well when you were a child and thought football was a TV thing.. I didn’t know you could actually attend live games... so for me in the 80s it was Liverpool.. so going back to my Shrewsbury fan son in law... that's 2 nescafe shakes in 1 week. Lol.

Mark - I don’t support another team but I do like going to big stadiums. My first game this season was Hamburg SV in the Bundesliga 2. Volksparkstadion is well worth a visit. I am slowly ticking off a long list of European grounds that I have visited.

Lewis - I don’t support any other club but I have preferences, if that makes sense. I like Liverpool, Dortmund, Barca and Napoli, but I wouldn’t say I support any. I also keep an eye on the scores of all the Kent teams, especially Dover, who I have a soft spot for.

Richard -  It always frustrates me when people ask who I support only for the response to be. Oh good you support your local team but who else? There is no one else.. The only other results I check out are Whitstable Town my former club.

Gills Anorak - No.

Mac - Not really.

Dave - No.

The Rainham End - I do not support any other team. I look at how well teams in Kent are doing and also look at Havant and Waterlooville because I like to see how Danny Kedwell is getting on.

Gills Debate - I wouldn't say that I 'support' another team, but I do keep an eye on the results of my local village side. (Bearsted FC)

Shane - I grew up as a Man Utd fan. But, went to a Gills game and never looked back. I often check out the local non league results.

BQGillsFan - I grew up moving a lot so didn't have a "local" team I could latch to. So I was very much an Arsenal fan given I had family and friends who supported them. It's only really since 2011 that I was able to settle in Medway and slowly start going to Gillingham games. I'm now a season ticket holder at Priestfield and do consider myself more of a Gillingham fan than an Arsenal one, but I'll never fully shake my affection for Arsenal as well as I did support them for over a decade, going to the Emirates and Wembley with The Gunners. So whilst I am first and foremost a Gillingham fan, I will always have an attachment to Arsenal as well.

Lisa - No other for me , West Ham for Dennis and Ebbsfleet for my dad.

Rob - I always keep an eye on the results of VVV Venlo, who always seem to be struggling near the foot of the Eredivisie. I've been to their ground twice, although never to watch a game, and the hospitality of staff was incredible. First time they opened the shop especially and the second time, while waiting for a shirt to print, gave me a guided tour of the stadium and to sit in the dugout for a U18 training session.

Gills In The Blood - My dad has been a Spurs fan all his life, so I always check their results. However it was away end for me when the two clubs were drawn against each other in the League Cup in 2016.

Robert - Gills through and through but I love to try and keep up to date with the top 4 leagues.

13. WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE GILLINGHAM’S TOP GOAL-SCORER AT THE END OF THE SEASON ???

Colin - With Jak gone the golden boot is up for grabs. I can't see anyone getting too many but Roberts if selected looks the man most likely to maybe hit double digits.

Steve - I think Roberts. A stab in the dark.

Luke - Now Jakubiak has gone Hanlan is next best with 6 in all comps and I can see him getting a couple more between now and end of the season so still Brandon Hanlan for me.

Stocky - I'm going to go with an outsider... Olly Lee.

Matthew - I think Hanlan will be the Gills top scorer this season.

Ben - I think John Akinde could get top scorer, all be it he'll have to get one under his belt first! But 7 is the number to beat & he is capable of that for sure.

Smithy - I think potentially Jordan Roberts could put a few away, I'm hoping Akinde goes on a run as well.

Diane - Hard to say without many goals scored and NEW players coming in.

Loonpotter - It could be any of the new boys.

Mark - I actually think it could be John Akinde.

Lewis - It’s tough because no one stands out. I think Hanlan and Lee are tied on six, at the moment, along with Alex Jakubiak, but he’s obviously gone. I just don’t see Hanlan as a natural goal scorer. He misses lots of chances and Evans may have lost his patience with him. He works hard, sure, and he may compliment Akinde well, but goals don’t come naturally to him. I’m going to go with Oliver Lee. He isn’t afraid to shoot and he takes our penalties now, too, as well as free-kicks. He plays forward and I think he might reach double figures, I would be inclined to say Akinde, but it’s tough for him coming in half way through the season.

Richard - With about 15 games to go I'll plump for Big John Akinde. Got catching up to do but I fancy him to do it. Would not surprise me if Jordan Robert's is there somewhere.

Gills Anorak - Hanlan.

Mac - Akinde.

Dave - I think it is a toss up between Brandon Hanlan and Jordan Roberts. Both will be fighting to be Akinde’s striker partner and hopefully it will push them on.

The Rainham End - This is a hard one and I can't say at this time. None of our Strikers in first half stepped up but hopefully now we will see more goals from Roberts and Akinde.

Gills Debate - Going for the top goalscorer across all competitions, and not just in the league, I'm going to pick a perhaps slightly left field choice in Olly Lee. He's on 6 for the season so far, he now seems to have taken over penalty duties, as well as being one of the main contenders to take free-kick's, and I also think he's likely to start the majority of games between now and the end of the season. I think he could score 3/4 more goals before the season's over, and I think that could be enough to put him top of our goalscoring charts (that's not including any goals scored by Roberts/Akinde at Ipswich/Lincoln).

Shane - A hard one to call. Akinde if he is the striker all of us fans were calling for. Although, Roberts has made an impression.

BQGillsFan - I reckon Hanlan will remain our top scorer come May. Akinde and Roberts have the potential to push him and Lee may so be a dark horse for it given he'll be a guaranteed starter each week taking penalties, but I think Hanlan will be better with Akinde by his side and should notch a few more to build on his first half of the campaign.

Lisa - Akinde.

Rob - Akinde.

Gills In The Blood - That’s an interesting one considering our current top scorer Alex Jakubiak has now departed. I said Brandon Hanlan at the start of the campaign so I will stick with that, but only just as I’m hoping both John Akinde and Jordan Roberts can get half a dozen each or so each.

Robert - At the moment it could be anyone as the goal tallies have been so small. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Akinde even with just half the season with us.

Graham -  I think Mandron will be leading scorer with Akinde and Roberts pushing him close. I don't think anyone will reach double figures for us this season.

14. WHERE DO YOU THINK GILLINGHAM WILL FINISH IN LEAGUE ONE AT THE END OF THE 2019 / 2020 SEASON ???

Colin - If the new players gel then I hope for a few less draws and a few more wins than might have otherwise occurred. I am going for 10th which given the awful budget, possibly 23rd out of 23, would be a fantastic effort.

Steve - Maybe 8th. Just outside the play offs. I don’t think they’ll make it but I think we’re just too far off. Would be good though.

Luke - Traditionally I always answer this as "somewhere in the top 24" however Bury being expelled changes that somewhat. I shall therefore predict we finish somewhere in the Top 23 lol.

Stocky - My heart says 6th however I still think we might feel slightly short so my head says 10th.

Matthew - I think now we have the players but not the class for the playoffs just outside them In 7th place.

Ben - I personally think we'll finish in mid-table, somewhere around 12th, depending on results this month! Win on Saturday and my answer could well change! We need to be picking up points fast!

Smithy - If we keep going then I think we'll finish around 9th/10th and to be honest I'd be happy with that.

Diane - Around mid table or one or 2 positions above.

Loonpotter - 8th.

Mark - Just outside the playoffs but I do think we are going to give it a real go could surprise a few people.

Lewis - I do really think we’re in with a shout of the play-offs, but we might be too far away. There are so many team in between us and sixth that it’s impossible to call – it’s so close! We’re not going to go backwards, I’m sure of that. Maybe somewhere like eighth or ninth – maybe even seventh. I’m praying for top six, though!

Richard - I'll plump for 10th. I think we've left it too late for the playoffs bearing In  mind some clubs have games in hand.. If my reverse psychology works well probably end up in the playoffs. Fingers crossed ah.

Gills Anorak - 10th.

Mac - 13th.

Dave - I believe the Gills will be in and around the playoff hunt. Between 6th and 10th.

The Rainham End - I think we will finish 8th.

Gills Debate - At the start of the season I said 9th/10th and I’m going to stick with that. I don’t think getting a play-off spot is out of the question, but it would require a very big effort between now and the end of the season, and I feel like we may fall just a little bit short of the top 6 in the end. I would be delighted if we could finish inside the top 6, but I think that a 9th/10th placed finish would still represent a decent improvement on last season, and would give us a good base to push on from next year.

Shane - Heart says: 5th/6th. Head says 8th-13th.

BQGillsFan - I want to say play-offs so badly but deep down I know that's unlikely. So I'll say top-half of the table, missing out on the top 6 by a few points.

Lisa -  Playoffs.

Rob - 10th.

Gills In The Blood - As much as I’d love us to gatecrash the top six I will stick to my pre season prediction of 9th, which for me would represent an excellent campaign. Come through February with a decent points haul though and who knows.

Robert -  It’s nice to have fans talking about the play offs, but personally I think we are a long way from being a team that can compete towards the top, despite the good work that Evans has done. I think we will finish 11th.

Graham - I think we will finish 10th. A solid season that we can build on.

15. AND FINALLY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WISH TO ADD (EXAMPLE: IS THERE SOMETHING I HAVE NOT COVERED IN THE FOURTEEN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOVE YOU WANT TO EXPAND UPON) ???

Colin - No specific issues for me other than will Scally ever deliver on his promises.

Steve - Nothing to add. Thanks for letting me contribute. COYG!

Luke - Will keep repeating this point until it's sorted out. The paella in the Rainham End has really gone downhill and this needs immediate attention to be rectified. @TheGillsFC should be treating this as a priority.

Stocky - Nothing To Add.

Matthew - No thank as always Lee for the questions.

Ben - Nothing To Add.

Smithy -  Nothing To Add.

Diane - I hope Steve Evans and Paul Raynor stay with us for a season or two and build on the team we have, and not leave with job undone with us.

Loonpotter - Nothing To Report.

Mark - Lets just take a moment to thank Steve Evans and his backroom staff for giving us a team to be proud of again, we are so much more professional than the last few seasons.

Lewis - Nothing to add, really. Thanks to Lee for asking me to contribute, and up the Gills!

Richard - Nothing to add other than thank you for asking for my opinions and how enjoyable it is to see our super club playing good football and bringing happiness to supporters for once. Heres to a crack at the championship. Up the Gills.

Gills Anorak - Nothing To Add.

Mac - Nothing To Add.

Dave - Nothing To Add.

The Rainham End - Nothing To Add.

Gills Debate - Nothing To Add.

Shane - It was good to see Pringle start a game. He looked a player of good quality and will hopefully give Evans some selection problems. It was also good to see Byrne's recover is progressing well.

BQGillsFan - Nothing else to add.

Lisa -  Nothing To Add.

Rob - Not especially, thanks for organising this once again, Lee. Up the Gills!

Gills In The Blood - Thanks for the invite to get involved again, up the Gills!

Robert - I just hope our player turn over in the summer isn’t too high. It’ll be hard because of the number of loan players we have and how small the squad is, but I feel like it may hinder our progress significantly if we need another new squad to gel each season.

Once again, thank you to everyone for participating in this blog, and if anyone who is reading this wishes to participate in The Next Gillingham Supporters Blog, then feel free to send me a message, and your more than welcome to participate in The Gillingham Supporters Blog, The next blog will review The 2019 / 2020 Season, and we have to wait and see on what Gillingham can achieve between now and the end of the season - COME ON THE GILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evwuniverse]

What Noobs, Newbies, New Players Fear the Most...

The other day I went to some of the starting areas which is why I haven’t posted in a few days. I wanted to compile enough information before getting into a new post as you can tell my investigative roles are used quite often on my blog. I try to do everything that I post about to give an accurate review or understanding of something. One important thing I wanted to discuss on this blog is what new players fear the most when starting in a virtual world setting or a video game in general. I’ve compiled it all into one word…acceptance. New players long to be accepted in the environment they’re in not cast away. We all start somewhere this includes reality when trying to enter a new job, going from one school to another, or moving to a whole new area and not knowing anyone. It’s the concept of fear that blocks our intelligence to continue forward knowing that things will get better. Noobs as they’re referred to on most platforms, they want to be accepted just like all of us try to be. In the end, we might seem as if we don’t care about the word acceptance but in all actuality at one point or another we do.

As a new player myself many times in various situations it was hard for me to be accepted it wasn’t anything to do with my personality, but it had more to do with the fact I didn’t fit into the concept of a “seasoned” player. Why? Normally it had to do with the look of my avatar noobs can be identified through their avatar appearance which sucks because it’s like being one gigantic sign that says, “I’m new here!” as much as I would’ve hoped individuals would be accepting of noobs they tend to cast them away to the side until you hit around you’re one month level of being in that specific world environment. For me things came with time, when I realized how hard it was to be accepted, I took matters into my own hands and I became the first one to start the conversations. I went from introvert to extrovert quicker than a snap of my fingers. Believe it or not, even “seasoned” players want friends, they want acceptance just as much as noobs do and this got me thinking… why am I so afraid to talk to the “seasoned” players when I will be one in the future? They’re just people, right? This mindset got me out of the noob category and into the “seasoned” of course this all takes time, talking, and communicating with other players. But even noobs can be accepted. When I got myself out of that noob funk, I was the one helping them out. At the time at the beginning when I started playing (using Second Life as a reference for this experience) I went to new player sims and when things were transferable (which nowadays with mesh things are not unless their freebies) I would send them over to the players I’d start talking to and get them started so their appearance didn’t come off as new so they could be accepted by others. There’s no reason for noobs to be cast to the side if you can help or even just be their first friend, they’re just like anyone else and with time they will get to a point where you are now. At the end of the day we’re all just looking for a friend, someone to talk to, and overall acceptance from the community we place ourselves in. Everyone is different. 

For those unaware of how people can identify you as a noob here are a male and female example. These are the default Second Life avatars that are available when you first start. Trust me they’re a huge step up from their last ones which were still the year 2000 models. They looked a lot worse but they were popular for the time. They recently upgraded to these mesh ones, they’re super nice and I enjoy them but if I wear them people assume I’m going to troll them or I’m new and it’s like bug repellent. However, don’t let this scare you from staying in a virtual world or video game. This is just a starting point you will look better in time avatar wise it just takes time learning your environment and the people who surround you.

For those of you who are new and reading this post don’t quit because you feel you’re not being accepted. As I’ve already said we all start somewhere, and it takes time to create a following for yourself. Friends and chatting with others will come with time but what I suggest for the first month is get a feel for the environment that you’re in. Explore areas, learn controls, save up a little bit of money to redo your avatar. You know to get yourself settled. I promise you if you do the things you want and just have fun and don’t consistently think that you’re not liked or cast away everything else will come with. Your gaming and online experiences are supposed to be fun and, in some sense, relaxing for certain individuals don’t let it stress you out. If it stresses you out a lot, you’re doing something wrong and I’d suggest changing your mindset and viewing situations from another angle.

This week I went to some of these starter sims and talked to some of the newer members trying to use the Second Life platform and the one thing they told me was they wanted people to like them. The thing is if people don’t talk to you how will they know if they like you or not? And that is something I wish many individuals would be more open-minded about is talking to newer players because sometimes these are the players that will become your closest friends because you were the first person to accept them into your circle. Now in some cases, this could go south quickly but, in those situations, there is a reason why there is a block and delete button. Also, I’m friends with a lot of these newer members now and sometimes noobs are just looking for a mentor to help them get started and show them some places. They’re all people just like you and me just because were hidden behind a computer screen doesn’t mean that we’re not human.

Overall, acceptance in the keyword when it comes to what noobs fear the most when starting in a new environment. As I’ve explained above these newer players just want someone to talk to or a mentor to help them on their journey just to learn what to do so they can live their own virtual lives. We all start somewhere, and I know I sound like a broken record but it’s so true we all start from the bottom in most situations and work our way off. Be that one person who makes a difference don’t just cast someone to the side if they’re new there was a point in time when you were in the same situation don’t create the same experience for them if you were cast away instead change their fate. Be their start to living their virtual world or experiencing their game to the fullest.

[jenniferfaye34]

#Giveaway ~ Her #Christmas Pregnancy Surprise by Jennifer Faye... #books #reading #amreading #ContemporaryRomance #romance #rescuedog #SweetRomance

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops you'll find snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch - Note from the Author

. . . I hope you’ll join Pepper, Simon and Daisy this Christmas as they make peace with the past, embrace the miracles of the present and are filled with hope for the future. Happy reading, — Jennifer

For Him and My Family - Review

"Love the abandoned puppy in the story. The author has a distinctive flair to her writing that makes it a pleasure to read. . . . If you love a good romance this book is for you. . . . This is strictly a light-hearted romance that you will enjoy reading curled up in a blanket with a cup of hot tea on a snowy day."

Thoughts of a Blonde - Excerpt

Was this really happening? An invitation to one of the most exclusive parties in New York City. It didn’t get much better than this. Okay, it wasn’t quite an invitation. Still, she was here among the crème de la crème of New York society—actresses, models, politicians, and the list went on. How she got here shouldn’t matter, right? And, okay, she just happened to be one of the waitstaff. Not an actual guest. But still, this wasn’t just any party. This was Simon Ross’s party at the top of the tower. She stifled a squeal of delight as she considered pinching herself just to make sure this was real.

underneath the covers - Spotlight

Locks, Hooks and Books - Review

"I am giving Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy a light romance. It is definitely worth a read."

Becky on Books - Spotlight

FaithLaneAuthor - Excerpt

With Simon standing so close to her, she had to tilt her chin upward for their gazes to meet. As she stared into his dark eyes, she felt as though she could get lost in them. She couldn’t think of anything she’d rather do than spend the evening with him. “I’d like to go to dinner with you.” His voice lowered even more. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to ask you out.” “Really?” He nodded. “You intrigue me.”

Rockin' Book Reviews - Review

"This was a, mostly, predictable tale, but was so effectively written, I could not put it down. It captured my complete interest."

Liberty's Literary Loves - Excerpt

“Can I ask you a question?” He shrugged. “Sure.” “If you like animals enough to start up a chain of pet stores, why don’t you own one?” Simon didn’t want to think about the past and how he’d wanted a puppy so badly. Yet the door to the past had been cracked open and now the memories slithered through, filling his mind.

Andi's Book Reviews - Review

"I'm a sucker for holiday stories. . . . It took me a while to fall for them as a couple, because there was such a slow burn and that awkwardness between the two of them. But I did still root for them along the way. And as in all good romances, things start falling into place in the best of ways. I read through it in one evening."

Baroness' Book Trove - Review

"Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise by Jennifer Faye is another laugh-out-loud book. I loved this book; it feels like, with every story, her books get better. Simon and Pepper are the definitive definitions of opposite’s do attract. There are a lot of things to love about this book, but you should read it for yourself. This book deserves the five stars I’m giving it and recommending it to everyone that loves a romance."

Melissa McClone - Excerpt

The new bakery was pulling out all the stops with big ads, radio spots and every other promotion they could think of. The bakery was part of a national chain that could afford to undercut their prices to drive the competition out of business. Then once the competitors were out of business, they’d jack up their prices. The nerve of some people. But Pepper refused to let them drive her out of business—not without a big fight. She’d sunk everything she had into making this bakery a success. It was a dream of hers—a dream that she refused to let die, even if it meant doing things that she wouldn’t otherwise have done, like working round the clock if she had to. The chain couldn’t keep up their deep discounts forever. At least, she hoped not.

Peaceful Pastime - Review

"Overall, I found this heartwarming story a fast and end entertaining read. I normally find novels about billionaires a little unbelievable but that wasn't the case in this book."

janicesbookreviews - Review

"I loved the dog in the story named Daisy. Pepper falls in love with Daisy. . . . I love the author’s books. I think this one of my favorites. It was such an enjoyable story with the dog."

Jorie Loves A Story - Review

"Faye tucks you into the plausible way in which two contemporary career-driven individuals can find each other quite randomly (or was it?) in their ordinary lives and find a strength of connection . . . . Faye charms you with the quirky way in which she allowed Daisy, Simon and Pepper [to] develop into a family - giving you pause for thought about the intricate ways in which our lives can be affected by each other whilst renewing your joy of a romance set during the Christmas season where anything is truly possible when it comes to love, romance and the hopefulness of second chances!"

Wishful Endings - Excerpt

He nodded. “Elaine Haskins is my assistant and the party is at my country home.” Pepper’s face creased with lines of frustration. She didn’t say a word as she digested the information. “I’m sorry,” he said. “This is my fault. Everyone was so impressed with you at the office party that Elaine added you to our catering list. After what happened between us, I forgot to say anything to her. I totally understand you wanting to cancel—” “Cancel?” Her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin slightly. “I’m not canceling.”

Splashes of Joy - Review

"This is quite the Christmas story, with a little surprise thrown in to make it a bit of a surprise. I enjoyed Pepper’s character. . . . This is a nice sweet read, it only took a few hours to read."

Hallie Reads - Review

"Get in the Christmas spirit with Jennifer Faye’s Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise! It’s a fun story full of delicious treats, complicated romance, and an adorable rescued puppy."

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of this post...

Her Christmas Pregnancy Surprise

By Jennifer Faye

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 256 Pages

November 1st 2019 by Harlequin Romance A festive reunion… …with an unexpected gift! When Pepper Kane’s home and bakery are burned down in the weeks before Christmas, billionaire CEO Simon Ross—the man she spent one unforgettable night with—comes to the rescue! Pepper knows this playboy doesn’t do relationships, but staying with him in his penthouse and caring for an abandoned puppy, their spark is rekindled… And then comes a festive surprise that shocks them both: she’s carrying his baby!

(Affiliate links included.)

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Harlequin | iBooks | Kobo | Book Depository

Freebie

Go to Jennifer's Contact Page HERE and order your bookmark(s)!

About the Author

Award-winning author, Jennifer Faye pens fun, heartwarming contemporary romances with rugged cowboys, sexy billionaires and enchanting royalty. Internationally published with books translated into nine languages. She is a two-time winner of the RT Book Reviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Award, named a TOP PICK author, and been nominated for numerous other awards.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube | BookBub | Newsletter

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive (US only):

The Pioneer Woman – Utensil Crock and spoon holder

$25 Amazon Gift Card

Wilton cookie cutters & more…

Plus autographed copy of HER CHRISTMAS PREGNANCY SURPRISE

Ends November 13, 2019

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[angeliquemd]

The Post-Graduate Internship Experience

What is a post-graduate intern (PGI) you ask? In some countries such as ours, after doing 4 years of undergraduate college studies, then another 4 years of med school proper, and then finally FINALLY graduating, we are expected to do a year of hospital work before we can take our licensure exam. These are essentially physicians in training - already having a medical degree but cannot practice without the supervision of a senior, and cannot take the board exams just yet. At this time, we once again do rotations in different specialties/subspecialties for further exposure, and well, I guess we need as much exposure as we can get for us to really learn the art of saving lives. I had my internship at Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, and it isn't by far something I regret. When I was still in school doing my clinicals, we had guest PGI's from different hospitals give talk to us on how life as an intern is. Mostly, their goal was to get us to apply in their hospital after graduation :P Chinese Gen was always dubbed as a "toxic" hospital - having 1 intern per building at duty hours (which I didn't believe at first but later on found out to be true). I still decided to push through and go in this hospital because 1) it is near the university area, and 2) although I am proud to be a Thomasian healthcare provider, I thought it would be great to learn about the culture of other hospitals - non school-based hospitals with a variety of doctors coming from different institutions. I'd also probably add to my reasons the stipend they offer all interns, as well as the free meals (yep, breakfast, lunch, dinner, as well as our midnight snacks are free). It's the perfect set-up for busy bodies especially those who live alone in dorms/condos and do not have the time to fix meals. My first rotation was Internal Medicine, and you can read about my write up here Let me do my impressions to the specialties I’ve been in, otherwise this post would be a novel haha. Surgery: What is this “rest” you speak of? It was in Surgery where I experienced the most tiring day of my life (from non-stop OR’s in the morning and ward calls at night, then after the 30 hour shift we have to stay for dance practice. YES! It was Christmas season that time and Chinese Gen is big on Christmas parties so yeah). We had to stay for 40 hours straight then were expected to be present by 6:30am the next day, no excuses. Oooh I also did a 5-day straight duty here so I can avail a 5-day straight off. That was during the Christmas/New Years’ season. I took the straight Christmas duty so I can be free on New Years’ Eve. That time it was me basically bringing my whole house to the hospital. Haha. During the non-holiday months, the OR schedules still looked like ward censuses where we reach 20++ OR’s per day, so by no means should one think that surgery is a sitting down rotation. We also had our Anesthesiology, ENT/Ophtha, as well as Psychiatry mini rotations during surgery, all of them were a-okay. OB-GYN: Where do all these babies come from? They said OB-GYN was benign - I don’t know why I fell for that. I must have examined a hundred of cervixes (LOL) during OPD as well as Charity sessions, and the cesarean sections I have scrubbed in to was close to that number. I experienced a duty wherein I was in the OR from 3pm to 11pm at night. Good thing my residents were super cool and chill. They’re the perfect balance between a cool mom *yay Mean Girls reference* and a prudent friend. Community: Pedia patient 1: Cough and colds. Pedia patient 2: Cough and colds. Pedia patient 10: surprise!..oh wait, it’s still cough and colds. All interns do community work, and it depends on your hospital what kind of community you'll be at. Thankfully, the community we got assigned to was just a few minutes away from hospital base. The outreach center caters to both adult and pediatric patients, where we mostly do check-ups. For me, this was a great breather. We were already 3/4 done with internship by this time so I guess everyone from my team was already so burnt out that anything which involved outside rotations was welcome. Community was light. We get off early and don’t need to come in till 8am. We do however come back to base every 3 days to do ER work from 4pm to 6am, then we’re off to go to be at the center by 8am. Our co-interns are super nice to those who did ER work the night before, thank heavens. They do most of the work and let those who did ER duties sleep. Community was a good time to meet new people as well since our center catered to interns from different hospitals so yeah. Everyone was chill and awesome :) Pediatrics: Where your patient is the child AND the parent. My last rotation. To be quite frank, I didn’t expect I’d have fun in Pedia. I was the only one in my team to have a partner dutymate, so all my work was reduced by half ;) We had so much cases that reviewing for the board exam was me basically thinking of the patients I handled! From Kawasaki disease to dextrocardiacs to tracheoesophageal fistulas -- we sure had a great variety. My favorite though was exposure to the neonates. It was here that I learned the skill of extracting blood from day old babies :)) The downside of pedia thought is that parents can be sooo overprotective at times that it hinders you from doing your job. I mean, I understand why parents can act a bit extra at times but also please understand that what we do is for your child as well. Okay? :) Overall, my stay in ChiGen is an 8/10. Aside from the stipend and free food, I forgot to mention that interns are also involved in conventions c/o the hospital. We get the lectures as well as the freebies!!! We take home so much stuff in the end, I swear. I ended up giving away the physician's sample meds to those who needed them more than I did. Also, in the hospital, we were treated as doctors and the staff was very kind and courteous to us. It was always a "kilig" moment when we get called "Doc" in this early phase of our career. I would recommend it to clinical clerks still wondering where to do their internship. That's it for my post, sorry if it got a bit lengthy! :P

[livinthediamondlife]

170608 - M Countdown

(UPDATE: read part 2 here)

First things first: THE LINEUP FOR THIS DAY WAS AMAZING

Not only did I get to see SEVENTEEN, there were lots of big names including both of my friend’s bias groups which are VIXX and Highlight. And if you didn’t know from my previous posts, I’m also following Produce 101 Season 2. To think that we booked our flight tickets at the start of the year before comebacks were even announced, we were so lucky to have gone on this particular day.

(note: I’ll make a separate post about PD 101 trainees and the other groups in this lineup on my other blog because I’m limiting this side blog to only seventeen content) 

So we booked SMTOWN Travel’s M Cultour which guaranteed us entry and priority entrance. We got freebies (official SM merch and stuff from CJ E&M) and a short tour around Digital Media City where most broadcasting stations are located. After this short tour, representatives from the tour groups played rock-paper-scissors to decide the order when entering the studio. The representative of the English speaking group won the game and we ended up first!

Before entering, we had to line up for some time in front of the studio entrance. We waited for about an hour and while there, some idols passed in front of us (A.C.E., WJSN, a few members of VIXX) but we weren’t allowed to take photos. Earlier, Jeonghan and Seungkwan also passed by us in the lobby but I didn’t get good pictures.

Eventually, the doors opened and they let us in. Note that we weren’t the first ones to go in as there was another group who went before us. Nevertheless, we found good spots in the audience.

I read in a post somewhere that you should go to the left side of the studio because that’s where the artists will be waiting for their turn to go on stage. THIS IS TRUE AND IT MADE MY M COUNTDOWN EXPERIENCE SO MUCH BETTER. 

Upon entering we rushed to the leftmost side of the studio. I went with two other people and we ended up right in front of the stage. Not only were we in the front row, the best part was that we were right next to the waiting area where the idols were. It was so sudden when I looked to my left and they were right there!!! Rehearsals were ongoing and VIXX was waiting for their turn to perform, with SVT standing just behind them. For reference, this was how they looked like on that day.

I was literally 4 feet away from the nearest member from where I was standing (iirc it was Boo). I had my fanmeet lightstick with me so I brought it out right away. I forgot how bright it was but it worked and I got noticed by Mingyu who then made a finger heart (pretty sure that was for me since I was the only one holding an svt lightstick in my area hahahaha)

One of the friends I went with, who is not familiar with SVT, had a funny story to tell. He accidentally made eye contact with Boo Seungkwan (whose name he didn’t know) and not knowing what to do, quickly looked away. I can’t imagine how awkward it must have been for both of them lol

For real though I was so happy and it beats my hi touch experience from last year when I didn’t even get to look at their faces. This time I made sure to look at every single one of them (all the time still in disbelief and making sure I was not dreaming up the whole thing). DK waved at my friend, and Woozi looked in our direction when someone called his name. He looked so cute with his (faded?) green hair. Jeonghan looked beautiful as always, especially up close with that blonde hair. Vernon still looked unreal like a mannequin and Joshua was still as good looking as I remembered. Hoshi was so cute and smiley both onstage and offstage. And can I just say, I really like S Coups’ styling for this era. Now that I’ve seen them all I can say that in my opinion, Wen Junhui is the true visual of Seventeen. He has perfect features and is so handsome in person.

I’m so thankful to have seen SVT for the second time and this time they’re complete! I feel so proud to have been part of the crowd during their live performance. The atmosphere during the music show was very different from the fanmeet and I’m glad I got to experience cheering them on and doing fanchants alongside k-carats and international fans.

I hope I can still go to Diamond Edge in Manila so I can see them again and experience a real concert this time. Otherwise, I feel content with my M Countdown experience. It’s definitely something I would do again given the chance.