#i hope all the OG admins come back and have a better time

[which-qsmp-egg-would]

CHAYANNE AND LLULAH ARE BACK

AND NONE OF YOU TOLD ME????

[lusi-raul]

It’s so funny how Chayanne the egg is cursed with the 4th wall breaking no matter which admin plays him AHAHAHAHA. From being terrorized by Phil for being Cucurucho and Challulah, being feared by citizens prone to commiting illegal acts, being bothered by other members for cucurucho related stuff, being called “boss” by his egg siblings and now Etoiles teasing him because he beat him as the Code. Our little egg has so many part time jobs my gosh. He now also took on the role of babysitter for Tubbo lol. Anything to support his other poor foolish skull headed father. Give our poor little egg a break, justice for Chayanne.

I think all three admins who mainly play chayanne, QNPC01, 02, and 06 should all be considered main admins at this point. They all suffer the same fate of the non existent 4th wall, they are literally just the same egg lol. I have a headcannon that the difference in personality (def not admins wink wink), are just a result of the change in Chayanne’s environment.

When he is played by QNPC02 aka Challulah, he becomes much more mellow and less active mostly because those are moments when he is not with Tallulah. He doesn’t need to be as alert and vigilant since he doesn’t need to protect her. He doesn’t jump and run around because without Tallulah, Phil can speedrun his tasks better and doesn’t get bored as much. He also talks more because between both of them, He says he’s not good with words so Tallulah is the one who does most of the talking. When Tallulah is not around he has to carry the conversation more.

QNPC01 or Nussa is the og Chayanne admin and he is very much the little warrior we all know and love. He loves to cook and does the checkerboard potato crate pattern on the ground when he’s bored. QNPC06 is mostly the same but he just forgot how to speak Spanish anymore since he rarely had the chance to use it since Missa left. But Missa is back now and for sure he will teach his child Spanish again.

I think 06 has started to become Chayanne’s main admin and I am not complaining. He is doing such a good job specially because sometimes I forget that he’s not 01 until I see his username on the minimap ahaha. Even so, I’ll be lying if I say I don’t miss Nussa as Chayanne. I hope he comes back some time when he’s available. As much as I look forward to the new, refreshing, and angst loaded dynamic between Missa and 06, I wanted 01 to interact with Missa again so bad since Nussa was the one who Missa was with in the beginning and has all the memories of their time together.

[abbysfrenchbraid]

Because of personal experiences, can I get some headcanons or a scenario of Abby with a gf that gets tired really easily? Also I just wanna get this out there, I am really glad your blog exists

Thank you so much for your kind words, they really mean a lot. I hope this is similar to what you imagined 💌 (I hope you like poetry!)

about 2k words of fluff and a little angst at the beginning. content warnings for language, ableism.

“This is it, Y/N. I’ve let this behavior slide too many times.”

Your heart dropped and your breath caught in your throat. Trying to fight back tears, you forced yourself to answer.

“I’m so sorry James, I can’t help it. My body just can’t work for hours without break, I’ve tried everything.”

You threw a soapy towel back into the washtub and took a step towards your supervisor.

“Please don’t throw me out, I don’t know where else I could do my part!”

“Well, you certainly aren’t doing your part here.”

He was speaking the truth; he had caught you way too often, crouching in the corner with your head between your knees or sitting on the floor against the wall half asleep. You couldn’t help it; this was your third job at the stadium and every time you had managed to get yourself fired. It had nothing to do with the laziness your previous bosses had accused you of or with simply not wanting to work. Your body just seemed to work against you.

After more than an hour of standing, there was no way for you to stay standing up and working at the washing station now, the hard bodily labor was just too much for you. You constantly felt like you were going to faint, no matter how much you ate, drank and slept. As soon as you were unsupervised, you’d have to sit down or take a break because you couldn’t hold yourself upright anymore. It was becoming harder and harder to find acceptance from others and a place where you could work and contribute to the WLF while also taking care of yourself.

James rubbed the back of his shaved head and sighed.

“I’m sorry, I seriously don’t see how this is doing any of us any good. You should report in with task management tomorrow and see if they can give you a less physically straining job. I’m not sure how I feel about your little dizzy spells or whatever, but if you’re actually not fit enough for work, you should find something else.”

The rage that started boiling in your stomach sent hot tears down your cheeks. This wasn’t fair. You loosened the ties on your apron and tossed it on a table, then you left without another word.

The only person who didn’t constantly batter and scold you was Abby. She had met you in a stairway, sitting on the steps and leaning your head against the cold railing to stay conscious. The blonde had practically sprinted up the stairs toward you and asked if everything was okay; after you had explained, she had nodded and offered you her arm on your way back to your room. From that day on, she had checked in almost every day, bringing you snacks at work or dinner from the cafeteria when you were too exhausted to go yourself. She had believed you without hesitation and made it her purpose to help you out wherever she could.

Ignoring the surprised faces of the people you walked past, you stormed to your room. You were lucky to live alone, even though it was just a shoebox of a room. You had a bed, a locker, and a tiny window that you ripped open before throwing yourself on your bed.

You hated having to rely on others for support and you had spent the last year mostly on your own, hiding your condition and isolating yourself from others so they wouldn’t notice and judge you, even though the story of you falling asleep and taking too many unauthorized breaks at work had already made its rounds.

With Abby it was different. You knew she never wanted anything in return, she just liked to spend time with you and knew what it was like to be the odd one out, the one everyone had already heard about. In return, you liked to give her little drawings of her and her friends, short comic strips and poems you wrote when you had some time to yourself. She loved sitting on your couch and listening to you talk about poetry; although she was a big reader she had never really gotten into that genre.

She had gained your trust in no time and was the first person you really told everything that went on in your head. Well, almost. You hadn’t dared to tell her about how her presence made you feel like you were flying, how your heart sometimes started racing when she looked at you and how all you wanted sometimes was to fall asleep in her arms after a long day.

Your pillow was wet with tears and your head was pounding from crying for too long. Great. You reached under your bed and felt around for the water bottle you had accidentally kicked under there earlier. As you gulped down the lukewarm water, you finally felt the knot in your throat release its grasp from your airways.

Exhausted, you turned over your pillow and pulled your blanket up. This day was fucked anyway, you might as well declare it complete and hope to wake up in a better mood tomorrow.

It was dark when you awoke, disturbed by a quiet squeaking noise and the beam of light shining through a crack in the door. A big figure was squeezing through the gap and softly closing the door again. The light from under the door was just enough to see Abby tiptoeing toward you.

You couldn’t help but smile and pushed yourself up onto your elbows. She immediately froze in her tracks.

“Fuck, did I wake you? I just wanted to check on you and bring you some dinner.”

You switched on the lamp next to your bed and soft light illuminated the room. Abby had a burrito in one hand and an apple in the other. She looked genuinely sorry.

“It’s okay, I’ve been sleeping for hours. I just had a terrible day, that’s all.”

She immediately sat down next to you, putting the food down on the bedside table and brushing a strand of hair out of your face with a worried smile.

“What happened? Are you hurt?”

Her sweet concern brought back those stupid tears and you were too distraught to fight them. You shook your head and cleared your throat.

“No, I just got kicked out of work. Again. I honestly don’t know what to do. Maybe admin will just throw me out completely tomorrow.”

Abby squeezed your hand.

“Bullshit. I’ll talk to them. Why are they making you work these stupid hard labor jobs anyway? They could put you somewhere you can use your head instead, you’re the smartest person I know!”

She gently brushed her calloused thumb over your cheek.

“These assholes are not worth a single one of your tears, Y/N. James can honestly go fuck himself.”

You snorted and Abby beamed at you, happy to have gotten through to you.

“Hey, how much have you eaten today?”

You thought for a second, then you answered: “Some oatmeal for breakfast? I left work before lunch and came straight here.”

The wolf sighed and shook her head. “You’re terrible at taking care of yourself, you know that?” She handed you the burrito. “Here, it’s still warm.”

The first bite was delightful and you let out a moan without thinking. Blood shot into your face immediately as both of you stared at each other for a second, then Abby broke out in laughter.

“See? You’re practically starved. I should have gotten you two of those.”

She suddenly straightened up.

“Oh, I completely forgot!” She pulled out a small paperback from her back pocket. “Manny gave me this. Some fling of his gave it to him and he doesn’t know shit about poetry and never will. He remembered you liked poems so he said to give this to you.”

“You told him about me?” you asked in astonishment.

“Of course I did, we’ve been hanging out every day for the past few weeks! Do you have any idea how amazing you are? How much you’ve taught me?”

With your mouth full, all you could do was smack her shoulder and give her a doubtful look.

She looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers into each other.

“I mean it, Y/N. I know you don’t think of yourself as very interesting or fun to be around, but you’ve made my life so much better just by spending time with me. Even if you’re always falling asleep on me,” she added and grinned.

You didn’t bother trying to be witty and grabbed the book instead. The title surprised you.

“Selected Poems by Sappho. Why the hell would that woman give this to Manny?”

Abby shot you a questioning look. “Why not?”

“Abby, Sappho is the OG lesbian. All her poems are just about yearning for the touch of a lady lover.”

“Oh.” Now it was the wolf’s turn to blush. “I had no idea.”

Sitting up, you turned so you could lean your back against the wall. You tapped on the bed right next to you.

“Come on, Abs. Let me tell you about Sappho, then.”

Hesitating only for a brief moment, Abby took off her boots and scooted closer to you.

You spent the next hour reading her poems and telling her stories about women and romance in Ancient Greece. The blonde listened attentively, asking a few questions here and there. After a while, you felt your eyelids growing heavier and your concentration dwindling, as much as you tried to keep it together.

Abby gently laid a hand on your knee.

“You tired, babe?”

Your head flew around and you stared at her; had you heard that right? Abby gave you a shy smile.

“I can try to read some of these to you until you fall asleep. Only if you want me to, of course.” She shook her head as if trying to get rid of a thought. “I should just go. You need to get some rest.”

Before she could get up, you had already placed your hand on her underarm.

“I’d like that. I’m sorry for just drifting off like that all the time, it’s got nothing to do with you.”

She cocked her head. “Don’t apologize for that. No one can just change the way they feel.”

You slid underneath the blanket and, following an impulse, rested your head on Abby’s thigh. You could feel the heat underneath the fabric and her muscles twitched involuntarily as the wolf took a deep breath and opened up the book again.

deathless aphrodite of the many colored throne,

daughter of zeus, weaver of spells, I entreat you.

do not with grief and anguish

tame my heart.

Drifting away into that wonderful state between waking and dreaming, you let the words of Sappho, spoken by the soft voice of your most trusted friend, the woman who took care of you and listened to you, the wolf that was tame only for you, sink in.

Do not with grief and anguish / tame my heart.

There were so many things in this world that made life harder and turned people bitter. You would not be one of them. You would not tame your heart. You would let it speak freely, you would let it burn for the woman cradling your head and protecting you from anything the world could throw at you. Tomorrow you would tell her. Tomorrow.

stars around the beautiful moon

hide back their luminous form

whenever all full she shines

on the earth

silvery

All your life, you had felt connected to the moon. Its unwavering beauty, its consistent waning away and returning in full shine, it had always assured you that no matter how bad things got, they would turn around for the better. It would be okay. You would be okay, more than okay with Abby by your side.

-

let me know what you thought (especially if you requested this!)

[lgchunji]

   MERRY CHRISTMAS, LGC MEMBERS!

     merry christmas, lgc members! oops! this time you didn’t just send something to they mods, they also wanted to send something to YOU!! every single mod, below the cut, has something wonderful for you all to hear! (no, this is not the christmas present side event lol)      our mods deserve all the love in the world, but the members all deserve a little extra love too!      happy holidays and everyone have a good new years!

     admin l, writer of @lgcxjun, @lgcmiso, and @lgcnami says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      making the members happy. when we put out a new event or implement something new in the rp and members are super excited about it, that's what i like the most.      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?      hmm.. i think it's when we officially opened the rp for reservations and they came flooding. we weren't expecting this. we thought it would take weeks before we get enough reservations to open and were pleasantly surprised when in 48h we had the 10 minimum. we never expected to have over 50 members, either. so this whole experience has been amazing for us      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!)      seeing the characters grow right before our eyes, that's the part i love the most. seeing the progression of each and everyone of you all always make us happy. the admods are your biggest supports, i swear to god. i also love how our members aren't scared of giving ideas and participate in the growth and events of the rp! we always love incorporating our mun's ideas      4) anything else you would like to mention?      thank you for being here with us <3

     admin *, writer of @lgcdanbi​, @lgcnathan​, and @lgctaesung​ says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      oh gosh… i can’t pick just one! honestly, it’s just being able to plan and create stuff for our members with such a fun and dedicated team like the one we have here! we have so much in store for everyone, and we just hope y’all are as excited as we are for the big things to come!      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?: for me specifically, it had to be my *first* trimester change as the head of graphics. i literally SLAVED lmfao over our Q4 2020 graphics, and it was so nice to see how much everyone enjoyed the roleplay’s makeover. plus, now that we’re getting closer and closer to Q1 2021, i’m both excited yet SUPER nervous about the aesthetics i want to put out for lgc in the new year!      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!): character-wise, i can tell everyone is genuinely invested in their muses’ development and careers here. even though idol krps aren’t anything new, it’s such a breath of fresh air to be a part of a group where people want to see success with their muses from the very start to finish. mun-wise, it’s gotta be activity check sunday’s! seeing people’s live reactions to the queue is DEFINITELY the highlight of my week.      4) anything else you would like to mention?: we’re a small team here (but i swear it feels so much bigger!), and we dedicate a lot of our time in running lgc behind the scenes than in writing for our own characters. it can be a bit of a bummer and can definitely take a lot of muse and motivation out of you, but we’re always so appreciative of how considerate and thoughtful our members are of us. we’re not perfect—no one is!—but despite our flaws, it’s so inspiring to see a place (a home?) like lgc last for over a year and still be going on strong. and we can only thank you guys for all of that! so! thank you!

     admin g, writer of @lgchanbyul, @lgcjaesun, and @lgcyumi says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      i have a strange love for lists and stats, and so i actually really enjoy the administration part of being an admin. honestly, i would be the type of person to start a roleplay just to do the logistics lol. i enjoy helping to keep things neat and orderly, though admin a. has been doing a really great job of making my processes even better. my strong suits are not events or graphics, so i leave those tasks to the rest of the team. i think because of that, we make a really great team, and i just enjoy getting to see the fruits of our labor week after week and seeing people excited over them as well!      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?      there are many memorable moments, of course, and this might sound silly … but probably when we received our first application that was not from one of our og staff members. frankly, when we started this group, we were fairly certain no one would want to join, especially with so many other great roleplays around, so to have watched it grow over these last 16 months has been pretty incredible!      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!)      i wish i could give a special shoutout to each person, but that will quite literally take me a year so i apologize that i’m taking the easy road out. i think the best part about our members is just their willingness to help, whether it be helping others understand the points process, what is needed for an event, or just any of the other logistics that might lead to confusion. it puts a smile on my face to see that teamwork and selflessness exhibited by so many of you. when we mention that we’re stressed, there is never a shortage of eager hands being raised to offer help, and we always appreciate that. i think it’s not easy being a big group, and it can be easy to feel left out, so i just continue to applaud those who really help to make people feel at home!      4) anything else you would like to mention?      2020 has certainly been a wild roller coaster ride, but it’s certainly been made better by getting to write and interact with all of our members. i hope that those i haven’t had a chance to write with yet that i will get to do so soon! thank you all for your continued support and i hope everyone has a happy holidays and a happy new year! may 2021 be a better year for all of us!      thank you also to leaf for organizing this! you’re truly a trooper for putting together this special treat for our members ( and months ago for doing it for the admin staff as well )! always appreciate your thoughtfulness in spending the time to think of others. ❤️

     admin a, writer of @lgcaeri, @lgceunhye, and @lgcsanghyun says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      my favorite part is seeing people’s reactions to everything we do in lgc and using some of those elements to help build their character or celebrate their accomplishments. a good example of this are the events that have been revealed in the past and reading the reactions and feedbacks encourages us to think more about what kind of events we can make or improve on!      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?      i’ve only been here for a short period so i can’t quite name a lot, but the one that i can think of on top of my head is during the end of the trimester. it’s usually the busiest time for us for several reasons, but it feels the most rewarding to me personally because behind the scenes, we really try to make sure that everything goes smoothly. add that everyone is so patient during those times and we really appreciate it! i personally want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the positive messages and support you have sent to us! it really means a lot to us! ❤️      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!)      i mentioned this previously in the one year anniversary post, but i would say it’s the community that has been created and developed over time. it’s gone through a lot and the fact that we’re still active now still shocks me sometimes! aside from that, i would also say reading through the solos and posts that we see on the dash (and yes, we see what is going on 👀). while there is so much that i don’t know about everyone’s muses, sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and see what everyone has been up to lately.

     admin c, writer of @lgcxking​ and @lgcjin​ says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      for me it’s seeing members get excited about events that we put out, and creating new canons based off them. i don’t think i would be able to keep being an admin if i didn’t feel this sense of wonder and excitement coming from everyone!      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?      i’ve probably mentioned it way too often by now, but when we created lgc we expected it to die off after a couple weeks/months. we never expected to last so long and it wasn’t easy in the beginning, but after a while, i’d say around october/november, we started welcoming a lot of new muns that have become such an integral part of the rp. the fact that we’d have enough members to form a lot more than one group for each gender is amazing in itself. and the 2020 family concert really had me realize just how far we’ve come! to see all of those muns and muses experiencing it for the first time even though they’ve been in the rp for so long and achieved so much.      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!)      i don’t want to name anyone in particular because i’d want to talk about everyone and that’s impossible, but like i mentioned above, it amazes me whenever i see everything that the muses have achieved in a year. i think i realize now just how many events we put out LMAO. some muses are fairly new but are already on future dreams or lgc girls japan, others have begun acting, producing, hosting, etc. i always love to see the very detailed plan everyone has for their characters and even though it might take a while to happen ic, it’s important to set goals! some that might not even happen in a near lgc future, but it gives such life to muses. i also love seeing friendships form, relationships grow, suddenly being on dash and realizing that a muse FINALLY confessed to another, or sometimes just discovering important information through someone else because we can’t possibly read every single thread on dash (i’d love to, though, trust me). there’s a ton of people i haven’t interacted with yet on my muses, and i would sooo love to do it but with the amount of work that goes behind the scenes… let’s just say though that we love every single muse and i’m probably a bigger fan of them than you are!!!!!      4) anything else you would like to mention?      small mention to you, leaf, for doing this! thank you for the love and care you put into these types of projects it’s very cute ;; we really liked getting messages from members last time too. also, to anyone reading this, just know that we’re glad you’ve decided to join us on this legacy journey!!!! why do i feel like i’m ending this too dryly but I LOVE YOU GUYS and thank you for all the support, patience, understanding and time investment <333

     admin y, writer of @lgcjaehwa says:      1) what is your favorite part about being a mod?      i'd say seeing members dropping random appreciation posts and messages would be my favorite part! there were times where i tend to overthink and become a mess. although it may just look like a simple ask, random messages like these really makes my day.      2) what is the most memorable moment from being a mod in lgc thus far?      my first 'project'! its something i planned all by myself and to receive positive feedbacks makes me feel proud of it! i'm usually pessimistic when it comes to myself so this is really a big deal for me. this project is not out yet but will definitely be revealed in the future ;)      3) what is the best part about lgc members/writers (characters or muns!)     the best part is of course the community!! i never expect myself to stick to a rp for this long. there is this saying, 'the muns keep the rp running'. without you guys, lgc will not be where we are today!      4) anything else you would like to mention?      i just want to say that although i'm not close with everyone, i do hope i can get to know more lovely people here! and i thank you guys for staying with us throughout this journey. i'm sure lgc will still continue to stand strongly for the months or even years to come <3

[fundielicious-simblr]

💕 Love Day Love Story Series 💕

(AN: These two have my entire heart 🥺 I also deviated from the original question format for this one because it was necessary for storytelling purposes - also, this one is LONGGGGG cause there was a helluva lot of information to tell, hence the deviation from the OG question format.) 

Reece & Stacie

How did you meet?

[Reece] “I was really young when I realised my love of programming after volunteering to help with the A/V team one year at Family Bible Camp, when we got back I enrolled in a programming course through my home church. After certification I was able to take on jobs and help around more at camp, I even became the official family technician with my main job being installing and maintaining different censorship software onto our computers at home. At camp I was also made an official member of the A/V team, and helped out at the different, smaller conferences that my parents travelled to. I first met Stacie at a conference in Windenburg that my parents were speaking at, she was volunteering with both the admin team and the children’s program at the time. For me it definitely was an immediate crush, but I had to focus on my work at the conference meaning that we didn’t get much time to talk during the program itself, but I did snag a chance to meet her parents and introduce myself as they were talking to mine. I think my mother saw right through me, cause on the way home she was ‘informing me’ about the Shelton family; she’d heard that different members of their (very small) home-church and others in the area were praying for the father to get a job so that they wouldn’t be in so much financial distress, for her father to be guided so that he can lead their family back into harmony. Basically, the deal was that the family was struggling quite a bit, but I didn’t want to judge Stacie on her father’s actions since what I saw was all very good, so I convinced my parents to let me ask her dad to court her and they agreed - but if they felt the Lord was leading us elsewhere then they had the power to end it, we were both teenagers at the time so it made sense.”

[Stacie] “So, to be brutally honest, life at home growing up wasn’t so fun. Dad had a horrible gambling problem and so we struggled basically all the time, he wouldn’t allow my mother to get a job so she had to be creative with ways to make money by baking goods to sell, selling things she grew in our garden and other things so that bills (and various loan sharks) could be paid - all while homeschooling us because dad said so. We went to church every sunday where dad would put on this show that made it seem that everything was alright, when in reality he did everything that the pulpit preached against - he drank and smoked in addition to his gambling, and when he wasn’t at the bar he was at home yelling and just being plain mean. My sister and I would always volunteer at church events just so that we could be out of the house, and so when we heard about a conference being hosted by a local church we volunteered right away. I put my name in for the children’s program, but then I heard that the admin team needed help too so I volunteered there too, and that’s where I first met Reece. Whilst it’s probably every girl's dream to get married, if my father was to be the one picking my husband (the way he said he would) then I think I would’ve preferred to remain single, and my father was very big on us and “not besmirching his good name”, so my sister and I had little to no interactions with guys. Reece was so nice, and it definitely was an instant crush for me too, but everyone in the local area already knew about our family so I knew that the Collinses eventually be told, meaning that by the end of the conference Reece would want to have nothing to do with me.”

How did you end up courting?

[Reece] “The hard part was getting my parents to agree, the easy part was asking Stacie’s dad if I could get to know her more. He was all for it, but like my parents, he said that if he didn’t feel right about it then he had the power to veto. On the last day of the conference I got the chance to ask her dad if I could spend more time with her, and he agreed on the condition that there was no physical contact between us - I didn’t mind it, because at least he agreed. Since Windenburg is so far away, we had to really plan out trips to see each other, but we did start emailing each other and writing each other letters right away (which were read by both our parents, and we cc’d them in on the emails) When we did get to see one another (my parents had me pay for half of their airplane tickets), her sister always came as a chaperone meaning I didn’t need to bring my own [laughs]. Since Maggie started courting a bit before I did, we’d double date whenever Shane and Stacie were in town at the same time, which was fun as it gave Stacie a chance to get to know more people.”

[Stacie] “When Reece asked my dad if he could get to know me, my dad was ecstatic - the Collinses are so well known by everyone that he was over the moon to have a chance at being linked with their family. But he’s the kind of person that always needs to feel like he’s in control of the situation, so for the entirety of our courtship we couldn’t have any physical contact. I didn’t mind that though, the fact that Reece was such a nice person and actually wanted to get to know me meant that I’d agree to whatever my dad said (as if I had the option to disagree but anyway) 

Ever since I was young I’ve loved being on the computer, our mother would take us to the library for our homeschool lessons that needed a computer, and every time I was allowed a turn on the computer it was so much fun. Volunteering at the admin office for the conference gave me a chance to use the computer too because we don’t have one at home, Reece telling me about his love of programming was like an answered prayer because then I could pick his brain for information about tech since I had no real way to access it. And what’s even better, is that he wasn’t even annoyed by it! Reece gladly told me everything I wanted to know, but we did have to wait for conversations in person since my dad didn’t think that a girl should be learning “useless things that won’t help you get a husband” - looking back at it, the irony in that statement is not lost on me.”

What was it like when you got engaged?

[R] “Eventually (not that long in reality) I realised that I loved Stacie, and that if we wanted the relationship to progress then the only was was marriage - not that I minded. One day when I was in Windenburg with my sister Zoe as chaperone, I sat down with Mr. Shelton and asked him if I could propose to Stacie, that’s when he told me that in their family, engagement was essentially a ceremony where you asked the girls father in front of everybody and he gave you the go ahead to put the ring on her finger, so we planned for it to happen at a dinner at my house with both of our families there. I had been hoping to propose while in Windenburg, so I had to rethink my plans, but i did manage to make it special for us. Whilst my parents raised me to be obedient to my elders, I realised a few weeks into our courtship that Stacie’s dad didn’t always have what was best for her in mind, she’d mentioned her parents relationship to me and told me that she’d always dreamed of having a proposal rather than the engagement ceremony - so that she could be the one to say yes herself rather than her father. 

So, this next part of the story has a teeny tiny bit of deceit in it. 

Since I was already there, I said bye to Mr Shelton to make him think I’d left and was on my way home, and by this time I already knew his evening schedule, meaning that he’d be heading out to the (what I now know to be) the bar and wouldn’t be back until late. I had Nina come out and light a lamp in their garden to let me know when it was clear to come back inside the house, so I went in and surprised Stacie when she was on the couch reading a book - I was able to propose to her in the way she had always dreamed of, and it was actually a surprise to her which I loved being able to do too. I couldn’t leave her with the ring because that would be a dead giveaway, but we did get to hold hands whilst I did the proposing which is something that we kept as ‘our secret’. Her mother then came in and said that I had to go because Mr Shelton sometimes had his ‘friends’ from the bar watch the house, and she didn’t want anything to jeopardise our relationship. I went home after, but I told my parents about the ‘engagement dinner’ and they were alright with it, so we went ahead and planned it. The dinner turned out okay, her dad gave us a one-off to hold hands in the moment which was great, but we knew we had the ‘real’ proposal to cherish in our hearts. Planning the wedding was done by my mother and sisters in collaboration with Stacie, her mother, and her sister. They did a great job I have to say, but you’ll forgive me if I was focused on something else [laughs]

[S] “Well, I’d explained to Reece the whole ‘engagement ceremony’ and how I wasn’t keen on it - the whole thing started with how my parents met and got married. My dad approached my grandfather (my mother’s father) about courting and then marrying my mother, and my grandpa accepted on her behalf. Whilst I recognised that I was under my father’s authority, I did want to at least be able to say yes to a proposal, which is something I communicated to Reece. What I didn’t know is that he’d actually manage to make it happen. He was in Windenburg for a visit and I thought he’d left to head home after saying his goodbyes to all of us at the house. My usual routine in the evenings when dad is out depends on what work I’m doing at the time, and on this specific night I was sitting on the couch reading a library book as I was trying to finish my schoolwork for winter break, when Reece walked in. I was surprised cause we’d already said bye and everything, so in my head I’m trying to draft the next email I would send him when he walks in and music starts playing in the background, he then sits next to me, and asks me:

“Remember how you said you wanted a proper proposal?”

And in my head I’m still trying to comprehend the fact that he was still here, so it took me a while to answer; he then grabs by hands (queue internal shrieking for joy), repeats it again and he says:

“Stacie, I asked your dad if I could marry you earlier today, but I wanted to ask you now before we meet at my house for dinner. So, Stacie Shelton, will you marry me?”

I turned to look around trying to confirm if I was seeing things, but when my mother and sister started mouthing at me to say yes is when I came back down to earth and said yes! I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I was speechless for a bit after; he put the ring on my finger to let me see how it looked (and whether it fit) but he obviously had to take it back with him so he could ‘officially’ give it to me later on. I couldn’t tell you what happened between that night and the engagement dinner, but I was riding an emotional high that nothing could phase me - I couldn’t show all my emotion though because I didn’t want to give away our secret to my dad. After the dinner we dove headfirst into getting me all done with school and wedding planning, and boy was it stressful. Even though went to a home-church, and have churches in our area that we could have used, my father saw this as his chance at the spotlight, so he insisted on us having the ceremony at this massive church in the (what I call) ‘rich people neighbourhood’. Reece’s dad knew people on the board for the church, so we were graciously allowed to use it, my dad was annoyingly determined to be involved with the wedding planning to add his own demands that it took everything in me not to melt into a puddle - but if it got me to the end of the aisle with a ring on my finger, I tried not to dwell on it too much. Our wedding was a magical day, even though a blizzard happened to rip through the city meaning that we couldn’t take any pictures outside, everything was a dream from beginning to end.”

How’s married life?

[Reece] “Well, it’s pretty different for the both of us. I work as a freelance programmer, so we moved to the city to be closer to job opportunities. It's great for us as we get to go to the same church as my aunt Harley and her husband, as well as Shane and Maggie, so we aren't lonely. When we were still courting, the subject of children came up, and we said that we’d be open to any that the Lord felt necessary to bless us with, but when we didn’t have children for the first year or so we decided to not wait around and be productive with our time. Stacie had mentioned always wanting to properly learn how to program, so she enrolled in a course and loved it. We were married for a while before Stacie got pregnant with Liam, so we got some time to ourselves before we expanded our family. It was when she got pregnant that we learnt that she needed injections twice a day, for every day of her pregnancy - it was definitely a steep learning curve as I learnt how to give her the shots she needed. Since the pregnancy was high risk I also evolved to become her nursemaid, I didn’t mind it though, gave us even more bonding time before the baby came and changed everything. I definitely didn’t think that this was going to be my future, but now all I can do is thank the Lord for his goodness and for my determination. I don’t even mind the bumps in the road, I’d do it all over again if it meant that I could marry Stacie at the end.”

[Stacie] “Everyday I wake up and thank the Lord for everything he’s done in my life, growing up we didn’t have much money to travel but now I live in the city and have seen more of the world, and I realise that I would never have this if Reece hadn’t thought to take a chance on me against all oddswhen I wasn’t even willing to give myself a chance. A while after we got married, I guess my father kept doing his thing - the drinking, smoking, gambling - and he wasn’t careful one night when walking home and fell into a frozen lake windenburg one night, and was unable to save himself. Whilst it’s sad that he’s gone, I won’t pretend that the lives of my mother and sister haven’t changed. Now that my mother doesn’t have to homeschool the both of us, she has so much more time for baking, and since we own our house she only needs to pay the mortgage and utilities, which is easier for her now that she doesn’t have several loans of my fathers’ to pay back. In the first few years of our marriage, Reece was gracious enough to pay for me to do a programming course, so I was able to do projects and send that money home to help them out. My sister Nina was able to save up and go to college, so she’s now working as a teacher at a local preschool after getting her degree in education. Getting pregnant with Liam revealed the need for daily injections, which were painful but I appreciated because they kept him safe and healthy whilst he was in my belly. The pregnancy also made me fall in love with Reece all over again, he was so eager to learn how to give me my shots, and basically banned me from doing any work that required me lifting more than a plate [laughs] He’d talk to me belly sometimes early in the morning when he didn’t think I was awake, and he was the one to bug me when it came time to decorate the nursery [giggles] He carved time out of his day to make sure I got the recommended amount of exercise every other day, and seeing him as a father shows me everyday that I am so blessed. I can’t wait to see what the rest of my life brings, as long as I’m with my boys I don’t think I’ll mind too much.”

[squarecarousel]

Interview with Caitlin Alexander

Well folks, we're nearly at the end of our Square Carousel journey, and there are just two interviews left – both with two of our longest-standing members! Today, we reconnect with Caitlin Alexander, who has been with the Square Carousel Collective from its very beginning almost 10 years ago. Although we've featured an interview with her here in the past, it's been so long that we are due for an update! When she's not freelancing or performing her duties as an SC admin extraordinaire, Caitlin works tirelessly on her craft, creating prints, products, hand lettered posters, and artwork that embrace the earthy beauty of nature. With a strong focus on environmentalism and a sense of community, her artwork exudes a warmth and complexity that draws the viewer in and invites them to stay a while. Read on for her gems of wisdom!

Make Earth Cool Again

Q: Comparing your early work from your first few years after college to your most recent pieces, you've kept a lot of the textural, playful essence of your style while refining certain elements. Has your process changed much since those early days, and if so, what do you now do differently? 

 A: Such a great question straight out of the gate! My process has changed quite a bit since I graduated in 2011 (almost a decade ago... yikes!). In college, part of my crafted identity as a brand-new illustrator was my traditional use of gouache paint. I actually, in all honestly, was kind of a snob about it, because so many people in our department worked solely digitally. I felt that digital painting was a crutch, which I suppose can be true in some cases, and possibly even more-so when you're applying that to college students, but I certainly had no ground to stand on. In reality, my snobbery kept me from learning critical tools, as I never took Photoshop or Illustrator classes, aside from the one that was required for graduation. This hindered my work a great deal outside of college, given that illustration is so often paired with graphic design, and editing work for clients was so much more difficult traditionally. In 2013, I got a job designing t-shirts, and lied to the company, saying I knew how to use Illustrator. Luckily it was remote, so I was able to teach myself without anyone hovering over me, but that was so foolish, looking back, given the expensive education I got at SCAD should have been my opportunity to learn those things. I introduced digital work more and more over the years, and by 2016 or so, I was primarily a digital artist. Gouache will always have a place in my heart, and I will still break out the tubes occasionally, but working digitally has allowed me to grow so much more as an illustrator, with the ability to edit, paint with more detail, and having more control over color and layering. 

Q: Of all the projects you've done in your professional career, which would you say is closest to your heart? 

 A: Probably the picture book I worked on a couple of years ago, titled "Cool For You." I had a lot of creative freedom for that project, and the subject matter of climate change is personally very important to me. Working with the author, Marianna, was really wonderful, as well. 

Cool For You book cover

Q: The Southwest influence on your work is pretty significant, and I think it's safe to assume you appreciate the majesty of the landscape in your region of the country. However, if you had to live in another state, which would you choose and why? 

 A: Funny you ask that, because I've actually considered moving from Texas to Colorado lately! The culture there is still very western, but I appreciate the liberal point of view (Texas has been grating on me lately, even living in Austin), and the landscape is even more stunning out there! I'd be close to so many inspiring National Parks. Plus, summers wouldn't be 8 months of the year and over 100 degrees for half of it! 

Travel West postcard (1 of 6)

Q: TV shows or movies? 

 A: Lately, Jordan and I have been watching New Girl on repeat. I'm not usually one to watch a show or movie over and over again, but I think we really just needed something light and fun, since life has been so very stressful over the last year.

Q: What's your favorite subject to draw? 

 A: This one is hard! I'm torn between people and landscapes. People are more fun and comfortable for me, and I could knock out a bunch of them quickly. Landscapes are always intimidating, and I'm nervous the whole time, feeling like I can't remember how I did it the time before. It's so strange, because it always ends up fine! But since I feel that way, the payoff is so much greater when I feel satisfied with the final result. 

Q: What would a perfect day look like for you? A: I probably would have answered this totally differently pre-COVID, but in this current world we live in, I would absolutely love to have what used to be a normal, uneventful weekend day for me: Jordan and I would sleep in a little, see an early afternoon movie at the Alamo Drafthouse where we'd eat lunch, then spend the rest of the afternoon browsing used book stores and estate sales, and then meet our friends at the neighborhood coffeehouse for dinner and Trivia Night. I will be so happy to have that again. 

Cover art for East Side Magazine

Book Lover Ladies series- The Book Clubbers

Q: What have you learned from your years at Square Carousel, whether organizing behind the scenes or as a contributor? 

 A: Oooof!! So SO many things! Wow... well, I'll go with the most obvious first: as a member, I learned how to continue to make portfolio-worthy work, even without jobs coming in. That was definitely the most valuable thing about Square Carousel, in my opinion, and hopefully what everyone else got out of it, as well. It can be so hard for fresh graduates to keep up that momentum, and the group saved many of us from becoming stagnant. In terms of running the group... it's been rewarding, but honestly very difficult throughout the years. There have been many ups and downs, and finding the right balance between structure and patience can be extremely challenging. I'm super proud of Elizabeth and myself (OG members!) for keeping it running through the messes-- we've been through some shit together! My major takeaway is the importance of diligence. Projects, businesses, organizations-- they all need at least a couple of people who just keep chugging along, always maintaining the structure (schedule and accountability) and balance (rules and lighthearted encouragement). 

Moth magnets

Q: As the readers are aware, Square Carousel drawing to a close soon. Do you have any plans for what you'll do with the extra time you'll have after our tri-weekly challenges end? 

 A: You know, I actually haven't thought about this too much yet. It's probably because I'll just fill it with more self-imposed projects and deadlines, since I was able to bring that skill I learned in Square Carousel into the rest of my career a while ago. (Or more real jobs! That would be ideal!) I'll miss the community though, and hope to find a way to keep that aspect of freelance life alive. Instagram friends, anyone? 

Q: What's your quirkiest habit? 

 A: Jordan told me recently that he found it weird and endearing that I joke-sing to my cats in the kitchen about really stupid stuff... so probably that! Official Cat Lady© status achieved.

Caitlin and Buster Keaton the Kitten

Q: What advice would you give to a newbie illustrator just starting out today? 

 A: I'd give them the hard advice that our professors didn't really give us in school: there is no way this is going to work out for you if you're not incredibly committed to pursuing it. Now, don't get me wrong-- I'm not telling anyone to have an unhealthy work/life balance because I think that's a toxic sentiment. But you have to keep illustrating and illustrating and illustrating, and arguably more importantly, keep networking and networking and networking. You're going to be rejected or ghosted more often than not, but if you really want it to work out, you're going to keep doing it anyway. And taking critiques if industry folks offer them, to grow and become better. Don't become stagnant in those critical building years.

Caitlin’s studio

Q: Anything else you would like the readers to know? 

A: Yes – thank you so much for supporting Square Carousel through our amazing ten years of challenges! We really appreciate everyone who has kept up with us, checking out the illustrations for each prompt and reading our posts and interviews. Y'all are wonderful, and we hope you'll continue to find us, wherever each of us fly from here! And on that sweet note, we say goodbye for now! Check out Caitlin’s website for more, and follow her on Instagram for new art when it drops.

Join us next time for our final interview!

[ofaurcra]

hello all, admin c with you again to introduce you to my first and foremost og muse here at daegu and my sweet but equally spicy dork yoo aurora, better known as rory, your local florist and aspiring business owner hbic !! below the cut you can find out a few basics about her and her background, just hit the like on this and i will eventually i promise get round to messaging you for plotting as well !! let’s get it chief :  

PAST:

aurora comes from a very well off and established family, her father is the owner of a big business trading company in japan and america, as well as some other locations overseas. her mother on the other hand, had dreams of becoming an architect that were assured to crumble after falling for aurora’s father, she was forced to throw those away in order to be his chairwoman and do her bit in further heightening his career. 

the family history is tormented for sure but rory was always taught to believe that it’s just the typical rich people chaos and way of life so she shouldn’t complain or behave in a hard done by manner. 

when she turned seventeen, the big family secret came out that her father had an affair with one of her fellow students who she considered a close friend, the girl was around twenty four. but her mother and father decided to keep the secret buried in the agreement that it would be best for and protect the family, or more so their reputation, the most. 

they stayed married despite the scandal, in a bid mostly to keep the news from going big in the media and ruining everything rory’s father had built for himself and established. 

aurora was taught to be quiet and obedient, she was not meant to have big dreams of her own and was expected to wait patiently to have a part in the family business after her brother ( @hirofm​ ) became successor given training from her father. romance was off the table and so was being a reckless teenager, she would consider potential suitors only that her father introduced her to from big name families with lots of money and investment in his company. 

this didn’t sit well with her, especially since she felt she was being forced to mirror her mothers misfortunes. the family dynamic became tense, aurora not being able to simply move on and forgive her father like her mother had done and give in to his every demand or instruction. she moved out rather young and began to live alone, making the journey from their life of luxury in america to a life on the streets in korea. 

her father was enraged and cut off her access to the family fortune, her mother offered no help to rory after her depature as it soon was followed by suffering the loss of her late mother whom she had felt was the only one who could keep her surviving rory’s fathers cold and calculated world. 

it didn’t help that hiro eventually followed in her footsteps not wanting to inherit his father’s lifestyle and fleeing. finding a love for art instead and being inspired by his sisters bold move, he set out to look for her and pursue his goals elsewhere, undisturbed by his fathers control. 

PRESENT: 

aurora works three jobs, her main one being in a flower shop that she set up herself with help from two close friends, though she often is working there herself and accomplishing every task,  her position is manager. she also works the night shift at a bistro and when she can will man the information desk at the local art museum. she also works in her spare time for a little extra income when the opportunity arises in the local library, which she considers her safe haven. 

the main reason aurora is such a workaholic is due to her fierce independence and need to show she is a capable woman but also because since being disowned from her family, she struggles to get by day by day on a good income to keep herself living comfortably. after experiencing poverty on the streets for a good portion of her teenage life she is still in the mindset of never resting to ensure she has a comfortable living. much of her nature is still a survival of the fittest in a man eat man world mindset. 

she’s opening up her own fashion boutique soon as her next big project as owner and manager once again, after studying hard online and in the occasional night class for a few years to get a degree in fashion design. something she’s always been very interested in. now hiro has located her, she’s also hoping to buy out a nice space for him to have as a studio which he can use for leisure but also make profit out of. 

she’s become very business savvy, it’s always been instinctual to her and in her blood, think fallon carrington in dynasty ( the cw reboot ) as a major source of her inspiration as a character and lucy liu’s character in the film set it up. 

some people believe her to be vain and materialistic because rory can appear quite the bitch due to the fact she’s so stubborn minded and arrogant about the independence she fought hard to establish. despite her harsh circumstances she never let it stop her from appearing to be the boss bitch she is on the inside or the outside either and so a lot of her habits from her old and more well off lifestyle lingered in terms of self confidence and appearing quite the babydoll aesthete. 

she really isn’t a bitch in the slightest, she does have a firm and strict outlook and a get shit done attitude and approach to most things in life but if you get close to her then she will consider you found family and savagely go to no ends to protect you and offer you the best she can do.

despite her busy lifestyle aurora is a nurturing friend who often makes time to socialize and be there in times of need. her favorite hangout spots for some downtime tend to be fancy cafes, botanical gardens and art exhibitions. she’s also one for chilling at home with wine and a cheeseboard, literally her kryptonite. this girl is also loyal to a fault, like she will stand by you no matter what, even if she got pissed and distanced herself a little. she’d still come running any time you called her in a crisis. 

SOME HEADCANONS: 

if you can’t find her, chances are she’s in the local library or a music studio room somewhere practicing piano to calm herself, these particular places she’s especially prone to when she has high anxiety. she’s a very talented pianist as well, it was something, one thing, her dad actually longed for her to pursue a career in part time. 

has a roommate in her apartment since she thought it important especially due to the fact she gets less social time due to all her working, this is a potential plot connection so do feel free to snatch it up. she’s rather close with them and quite the mom friend over them. 

she owns a tonkinese cat and a singapura kitten named kimura and romi respectively and they are the lights of her life, she’s a very loving cat mom and the two animals are adopted from a shelter, having been nursed back to interactive and excitable cats from less fortunate and painful upbringings so she is a rather proud cat lady indeed. 

since growing steadily but surely with her stakes in the business world and owning more of her own companies, she hopes to buy out her father and take over from him someday to watch his oh so precious material world burn down around him and leave him with nothing, the same way he did to her and hiro. but she also hopes to do this so that when she takes over she can run the company better and treat the employees with the respect they deserve after her fathers cruel treatment. 

[b1ipblip]

In Too Deep

Chapter 4:

Mafia! AU

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 2.7k

A/N: WOOOO BOY. This school year as not been kind! I’m sorry for such sporadic updating, I hope and pray to get on a more regular schedule. Fell free to leave comments and asks ~Admin OG <3

Next ->

From the conversation you had with RM, you have concluded three things.

1. Your parents weren’t who they said they were.

2. They’re also dead.

3. You aren’t going back to your former life anytime soon.

4. You have a massive headache.

You were wondering why they didn’t contact you when they left. Guess the whole being dead thing will do it. Your parents weren’t a large part of your life as much as you hate to admit it. You felt as though you weren’t sad enough. However, after all the lies and secrets that they withheld from you for “your safety” came to light, you realized you didn’t know your parents at all. Is that mean? But apparently, they trust RM with your life. If you weren’t so exhausted, you would have pressed him for more answers. Sleep sounded like a more desirable state.

You drift off to sleep and when you wake, he wasn’t there. Not really a shocker. You’re quite boring when you’re asleep. The bed next to you was currently empty and an eerie silence filled the air. Then it strikes you.

You really need to use the restroom.

Your legs weren’t in too much pain, so you yank back the blanket and set your bandaged feet on the reflective tile. That was a lie, you were just telling yourself it didn’t hurt. You pull the IV out of your hand, as one does, before beginning to walk. Blood bubbles in the crook of your arm. Your legs were unsteady but you could hold yourself up with the aid of the wall under your palm. Your small feet pad along the perimeter of the clinic until your hand reaches the doorknob. 

You were wearing an unfamiliar t-shirt but the same sweat shorts that you left the dorm with. You wonder how long it’s been since you left the dorm. You poke your head out of the door to find someone who knew where the hell the bathroom would be. A tall figure slumped onto the couch in the same living room you saw down the hall last time you were here. His head leans back and faces the ceiling.

“RM?” You hold the door frame with your feet turned inwards as you inch your way into the hallway. His head pokes up.

“Wah, You’re not supposed to be walking around,” he scrambles off the couch and starts towards you. “Jin! She’s up now!” he calls out over his shoulder.

“Where’s the bathroom?” he stops midway and sighs. “What?” you say defensively.

“Second door right of the clinic,” he pinches the bridge of his nose and turns back around. You smirk at his reaction.

As soon as you open the door to exit the bathroom, Jin blocks your way out with a glare. “You’re supposed to be in bed,” You sigh loudly, making it known that you were annoyed.

“Sorry but I’d rather not piss myself just because I have a couple bruises,” you state bluntly.

“And did you rip out your IV?!” he pulls you by the wrist to take a better look at your exit wound.  His eyes bore into yours before he falters his gaze and huffs. “Let’s get you back to bed,” he supports you as you walk to the infirmary. The harsh white lighting greets you once again. Despite this only being the second time you woke up in here, you were already tired of it. So sterile and cold. You missed the homey feel of the crowded dorm room you shared with Jennie.

“Since I’m here might as well check the swelling and bruising,” You hold your torso up with your hand pressed to the bed. He bends your knee and lifts your leg from the mattress. You watch him as he gently unwraps the gauze and reveals red and purple skin covering from your knee down. “The swelling around your ankles seemed to have gone down,”

You hum in response, but your thoughts were elsewhere. RM said earlier that now you are on the underground radar as a person of interest. If anyone finds who your parents are, you’ll become a target. So it’s in your best interest to stick close to people you can trust. Or at least your late parents could trust.

They always went on ‘business trips’ and left unannounced. They’d skip town for upwards of a year and then one day greet you when you came home from school. You didn’t even know they died until this morning. It wasn’t the best family situation but it wasn’t the worst. You learned how to be independent pretty quickly. “Hey, are you listening?” a voice brings you out of thought.

“Hm?” you ask.

“I said if you need to move around, you’ll need to do so on crutches,”

You flop your head backward and sigh. “Oh don’t give me that. Your three-week recovery will only be longer if you don’t use them,” he shoots back.

“Jin Hyung,” V walks through the open doorway and rests his arm on Jin’s shoulder.

“What do you need. I’m trying to bandage her up again?” He grabs a roll of bandage and began wrapping it tightly around your ankle.

“Namjoon hyung got dinner,” Jin hums in response.

“I’ll be there in a second,” he looks up from his work and at you. “Want anything?” you shake your head, rejecting his offer. You wanted to be alone so you could think. “Fair enough, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything,” he secures the bandage and follows V out of the cold room, closing the door on his way out.

You pull your sore legs to your chest and rest your chin on your knees. Would it be worth it to try to run away? They are a form of protection and with your recent abduction, it seems like you need it. You weren’t sure how large the gang that kidnapped you was. But the fact that they found you in your safe place, on campus, makes your stomach feel sick. You know what those people will do to you if they caught you again. Then again, RM and his gang could be after the fortune your parents have accumulated. They probably have it stored in some off shore account.

Your head keeps spinning with thoughts until it finally shuts down and leaves you staring at the wall with a blank stare. You zone out somewhere between the spectral plane and reality, quite a popular tourist attraction.

~~~~~~~~

A gentle knock disturbed your peaceful disassociating. When the door opens in reveals Jungkook with a Styrofoam takeout box. “Figured you’d be hungry,” he sets the box in your lap. Inside was barbecued meat, kimchi, and japchae with chopsticks wrapped in paper. Your mouth twists up into a small smile at the delightful sight and smell. You pull your legs in and pat the bed right in front of you.

He simpers before taking a seat cross-legged on the bed as you urged. The two of you don’t talk much at first. You quietly enjoy the company as to munch on dinner or lunch, you weren’t sure what time of day it was. Jungkook can’t seem to take his eyes off the kimchi residing in your meal and you can’t help but smirk. “You keep staring at the kimchi like it’s going to run away,”

His thoughts are broken up by your sudden remark. You pick up a wad with your chopsticks and hold it out. “Take some, I won’t be able to eat all of it,” almost immediately he bites into it and drags it off the chopsticks. He covers his mouth with his hand as his eyes turn to crescents in delight. You snicker at his animated reaction.

“You can have the rest of it. I get sick if I eat too much kimchi,” you offer.

“Thank you~” he says. mouth still full. He runs out of the open door momentarily. 

You overhear him talking to someone. “She’s letting me have her kimchi!” he exclaims to whomever. When he comes back, he is clicking a pair of chopsticks together. He hops back on the bed and crosses his legs. He looks hungrily at your plate.

“Pork belly is off limits though. I can eat it all day,” you warn before taking another bite. You hear someone else pad into the doorway and skid into the room.

“I heard there was extra kimchi!” V scrambles over in his socks.

“Ah- mine,” Jungkook duels V’s chopsticks away with his. V wines in disappointment and continues to dodge Jungkook in attempt to get some of the red gold.

“Share,” you rebuke. V looks down at Jungkook with a victorious smirk.

“See even (y/n) said to,” he turns to you. Jungkook grumbles but ultimately follows the order. “Thank you Jungkookie,” V smiles innocently. You contently eat your food with Jungkook sitting on your bed and V in a chair beside it.

You all eat relatively quietly a few words being exchanged every once in awhile. School comes us somehow and Jungkook asks you about the grade you got on the chemistry test. “I got a 96, what about you?” 

He looked down with a pout, “A 70,” V smirks and leans forward in his chair.

“Looks like our college boy has some catching up to do.” he wiggles his eyebrows.

He scoffs in response and stuffs more food in his mouth. “Not like I need to for computer science,” V covers his mouth and snickers. “By the way, what’s your major?” he asks.

“Chemical engineering”

Their eyes widen, “That must mean you’re smart right?” V asks. You shrug. 

“Maybe, I always thought I was just slightly above average,” you offer in return. You had this habit of brushing off any positive remarks.

“Speaking of college, what am I gonna do about it now that I’m here?”

“RM hyung’ll probably move you out of the dorms. You’ll still go to classes but you’ll live here,” V reasons. That’s not too bad you think to yourself. But you’ll have to say goodbye to your room mate. Your heart skips a beat when you remember a key detail about your life.

You shove the takeout box out of your lap and scramble for your phone that was charging on top of the counter of medical supplies on the right wall. “Crap! I haven’t texted my boss for two days!” You lunge for your phone and scramble back before your legs can even think about giving out on you. You begin typing a long-winded apology text.

“Where do you work?” Jungkook inquires, setting the takeout box back on your lap.

“At The Rusty Nail,”

“Really? That’s quite the hole in the wall bar,” V pipes up. Jungkook’s lips formed a line, clearly not pleased by whatever you just said.

“I’m just glad that my boss loves me. He’s the big brother I never had,”

“Shownu?” You nod in response to Jungkook. “The right hand man to one of the most ruthless mob boss in Korea?” His voice was harsh. V looked at him in alarm.

“No way,” You drop your phone on the bed.

“You can’t go back there. At least for now. The X’s are allies but who knows what they’ll do when they find out you’re on the radar.” You shake your head.

“There’s no way. Even if there was, he would have no way to find out unless one of us told him,” you reason. You’ve been working there for almost five months now. You look to Jungkook to see if there is any shred of doubt in his eyes. There wasn’t, of course.

“Trust me. You don’t know him like we do. He treated you like he does now because he just thinks you’re not tied to anything related to the underground. And if it is the job you’re worried about, RM owns a few bars that you can work at that are much closer to our offices and base,” You prop your head up with your fist and looked blankly at the takeout tray. 

~~~~~~~~~~

In the following days, RM submitted your withdraw from student housing. He refused to let you do anything physical so you had to hand your key over to Jungkook so he could pack up your things and move them over to their base which is further out of Seoul from where you originally were. You told Jennie that your parents wanted you to move in with your uncle who lives in Seoul.

Surprisingly the place you have been cooped up in was not where they lived. Rm said that despite running a mob, they are still businessmen. He said that the ‘professional’ front was handled in the offices, while more personal matters were handled at their home. For instance, Jin runs a clinic in the office building, which is where you have stayed.

After Jin deemed you well enough to move around more freely after a daily checkup, you are led to a sleek black car and ushered inside. Jin follows closely behind in an identical car. You were left in the presence of the silent chauffeur.

The lavish mansion sat outside of Seoul in a grove of trees. Your eyes sparkle with curiosity as you exit from the back seat. Carved Roman columns line guard the grand entrance that stood atop a flight of marble steps. The pristine black and white exterior gave the home an aura of harshness and prestige. 

At the top of the steps where you stood, you looked up at the massive door. It reminded you of something you’d see right before you entered a boss fight in a video game. From behind, Jin reaches past you and pushes the door open.

The interior begins with a marble foyer and a chandelier hangs overhead. However, the deeper into the new home you go, the more lived in it feels. It still holds that sophisticated feel but you no longer feel the need to watch every step you take in fear of breaking something.

The living room floor is covered in a gray shag rug and populated with darker gray couches that looked like they could swallow you whole when you sat down.”Your stuff should be in your room if I’m not mistaken. Third floor, fourth room on the right,” Jin breaks your thoughts.

You nod slowly, taking in everything you could as you ascend the black marble stairs. Very minimalist, very chic. You follow Jin’s words and walk silently to the fourth room on the right, at the very end of the hall.

What greeted you inside was a room fit for royalty. Your jaw drops as you flit over to the giant bed. Dark red velvet tops equally red silk sheets on a canopy bed. Cherry wood furniture was so dark it could be mistaken as black decorates the room.

And just as Jin had said, your suitcases sat in the center of the room. You unpack your minimal amount of personal items and clothes. You keep yourself occupied well into the night judging by the light diminishing from your tall window. You do finish up some homework and organize your things until you got bored. Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was around eleven at night.

You decide that a shower sounded good so you gather your necessities and open the door to the en suite. The monochromatic color trend continued with the white counters, shower, and tub. As you look around, you failed to realize until now that there was a second sink and a door on the other side of the bathroom. So who’re you sharing it with? You shrug it off and set your things on the counter before making sure the other door is locked. 

                                                           //

When you shower, the delicate floral scent of soap fills the room. On the other side of the locked door, Yoongi lounges on his bed with his headphones on and phone in his lap. He catches a whiff on the foreign smell, breaking his concentration he held on the repetitive bass booming in his ears. He takes off his headphones and goes to investigate the source.

He follows it to the bathroom. He tries the handle, but it is locked. When he presses his ear to the door, the hears running water and finally connects the dots. That girl’s room must be next to mine, he thinks. Namjoon didn’t tell him much except for the fact that her parents entrusted her to them, and she’s going to be staying here for awhile at least. How long awhile was beat him. He didn’t have a problem with her as long as she knows her place and stays out of the way.

But he had a feeling that wasn’t going to be the case.

[surviveatitlan]

Episode 3 - I’m Literally Googling How to Protect Myself From Hexes - Francie

Francie

I'm literally googling how to protect myself from hexes

Yep!! Two tribes of 9!! I know a ton of ppl on this tribe so that should help but like, I still gotta be careful lmao. I'm gonna try not to work too closely with Emily because I don't want to hear any bs about "premades" like the last game we played together

i am literally hosting/was hosting (in tim's case) half this tribe + emily is my cohost rn wtfffff omg

Tim

So everything was going goood in my old tribe and all of a sudden we SWAP? I was not readyyyy. Like we were gonna rule the game as a tribe of 5. Tolimàn was robbed by one point yall.

Francie

the original acatenango peeps (the aca tacos) are trying to get tim and autumn to work with us rn so lets hope we can get this group together and have it be solid. autumn has no og tribemates left so that might help us. people to be wary of: heather and emily, both individually and as a duo bc I know that they adore each other so I can totally see them being a duo I gotta downplay my attachment to the aca tacos, esp my ride or die olivia

Allan

I'm really glad this swap happened. I really didn't feel accepted by my first tribe and I know if we went to Tribal, I'd most likely be out. Now I have the chance to make new allies. My strategy is to tell them that I didn't bond with my old tribe at all and hope that they see me as an opportunity for an alliance.

Tim

Me after seeing this challenge: https://confsnavarino.tumblr.com/post/171111635506 ITS ACTUALLY FUNNY GO CHECK IT OUT LOL

Francie

yep. tim/autumn/sammy/olivia/me alliance is a thing now. fingers crossed

Tim

Fill me up will alllll your propaganda. This is my second chance and I'm ready to get to the end.

Jay Bee

Honestly I think this swap has put me in a good position. I know enough people well enough to have options, but not well enough that I think I'll be targeted because of it. I have no idea who the fuck I'm going to align with though. The idea of Rebecka/Madison is scary, and Timmy says Rebecka/Dan is also a thing. I trust Timmy for some reason (I'm a meninist #exposed). OKAY so here's a swap assessment night 1: Timmy - Like I said, idk why but I Trust Ha. Hopefully he's not secretly a rat Bryan - A grade a Good Boy. Would definitely like to align with him. We just called for like half an hour so I'm hoping to nail down a relationship there. Brian - Um? I guess he's pretty new, which I think is good. I think he's really the only person on this tribe with no preconceived notions of me or other people Rebecka - Love her to death but SCARED of her relationship with Madison Madison - Same Dan - Seems okay, but I know he's friends with Rebecka so we love a core trio AnnMarie - please work with me Nick - Nobody seems to like him. I think he'll go if we lose, which is at least convenient if not good. Debating if I want to work with him just so that I'm not on the bottom. Rebecka proposed a me/Rebecka/Madison/Timmy/Bryan alliance but honeslee? I think in that formation I'm on the bottom, unless I can get Timmy and Bryan to want to work together with me. Anyway as usual I'm screaming.

Autumn

Me coming home to a bunch of strangers in my tribe https://media.giphy.com/media/nLhdSinRtaL2E/giphy.gif Y'all snatched my whole family and I should be pissed but like I'm really here for this new group so I won't turn up (maybe). Tim is my son, I love Francie, Olivia, and and Sammy already, Heather and Allan seem cool, and then Emily and I are on good terms again lmao. No comment on Jacob. So I come into tribe with all these new people, I'm juggling 7 conversations, and then Francie was like hitting me up for an alliance. I say yeah I really trust you and less than a minute later I'm in an alliance w/ Francie, Tim, Olivia, AND Sammy aka everyone I love? Nut the admins did me a favor https://media1.giphy.com/media/OTbo92zetdsha/giphy.gif

Timmy

This tribe swap is the best thing to ever happen. I actually know where I stand with Rebecka which is great. I know she will always have Dan's interests over mine so that is something I need to think about long-term, but for now it is okay because we are working together. Right now my number 1 is still Jay, I just have a really good feeling about Jay. Bryan worries me because he is an amazing player and I did vote him out in Alaska so who knows if he is bitter about that but we're talking right now so that is good. The second I saw Madison on the cast reveal I knew that I wanted to work with her because we did not get to in Himalayas and I knew ever since then that I wanted to work with her. She is messy and consistently messy but that could be good for me. Might as well have her on my side because if she isn't then I could go fast. But this tribe is amazing, best tribe swap ever!

Jay Bee

I honestly have no idea where the balance between cracked and inactive is!!!! Do you just.,.,.,..,not talk to people? I don't understand. I'm screaming. Help.

Francie

we're towards the end of this challenge i swear to god if jacob doesnt come online in time and fucking costs us this challenge.......

Jay Bee

We're doing the challenge right now and I'm SO DAMN STRESSED. I have a very hard time trying to let other people handle things and trusting others in general, so this is a special kind of hell. I can't believe this season supports underage binge drinking AND I can't believe I wish I were actually drunk. Send help.

Autumn

Candle king walking into Atitlan tonight? Sounds A-lit-lan https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-01/7/16/enhanced/webdr08/anigif_enhanced-20692-1420664628-12.gif https://em.wattpad.com/f6983ef619f199370692a5d6aa61048004415cc4/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5a6e503033794868705a68795a673d3d2d3437393237303538382e313465626162373863366266356435353733373138343330393837362e676966?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280

Tim

So I FORGOT TO CONFESS HAHAHAH But this tribe swap puts me in a seemingly good spot my tribe seems strong and capable! An alliance was formed by Olivia that consists of her, me, Francie, Sammy and Autumn.  I doubt that it will last simply due to the fact that it was based on absolutely nothing game wise. Im looking forward to working with Autumn closely as well as Emily so theres that! The 99 bottles challenge was intersecting as Jay would say. IT FUCKNG STRESSED ME THE FUCK OUT. It felt like I was micromanaging a little Ceasers or something. Making the lists AND posting at the same time?? Allan messed up but it was no big deal at all. JAKE DISAPPEARED ON US which sucks heavilyyyyyyy. Hes prob going if we lose again. Hopefully. ANYWAYS THAT reward challenge is giving me multiple strokes and gastreoarthritis or some shit like that lmao. I lieterally fel like Cirie in that one episode where she kept falling of of that balance beam. Im such a comp flop I mean the only comp I can win is Mastermind and thats if im lucky.

Nick

ABOUT TRIBE SWAP so we get into our new times and ONCE AGAIN all the people im close with exception for madison and timmy IS ON THE OTHER TRIBE AHH. Dan and Rebeckka hate me for the drama we had a month ago or so. Timmy is good friends with Dan and Beckka from what I know so like im probably screwed if we dont win the challenge. SO yeahhh this will be interesting I want my old tribe back LOLOL

Tim

So I forgot to mention that Em and I were sharing letters and so that at least lets me know that she is interested in working with meee. Also im gonna lie and say I didnt get a letter because I didnt attempt fhjksk s (Reward challenge that is)

Nick

CHALLENGE so we lost the semi live challenge .. kind of embarassing like too We had this whole plan set up and it got ruined Now i am going to tribal and welll if im voted out then i wont be surprised. Hopefully I have been proving myself helpful in challenges so hopefully im kept around longer #prayfornick

Jay Bee

This tribal is gonna be batshit!! Literally twenty minutes ago everyone was like "let's just go nick" but now I'm really Thinking About It and. That would be stupid. If you look at Madison/Dan/Rebecka as a trio (with Rebecka/Madison as a core duo OR Rebecka/Dan as a core duo) and with Bryan as kind of a gentle soul sucking their teet (love u bryan), then that's a solid group of 4. If Timmy and I (I guess I'm a meninst now bc we're f2 or some shit) go with that group, leaving out Brian and AnnMarie, to vote out Nick, that puts the two of us on the bottom of a 6-person alliance. The next tribal could be 4 vs. 4. If we save Nick, however, and vote off Rebecka - therefore voiding both the madison/rebecka duo and the dan/rebecka duo, thus destroying the trio - the next tribal could be 5 vs. 3 and we won't have one of the biggest social threats still in the game with two of her closest allies up with her. I think that would put me in a much better position long-term because I really need a core group of people who aren't ingrained with Emily/Francie/Heather/Olivia come a merge situation where it's my kids vs. me. Timmy, Brian, AnnMarie, and (unfortunately) Nick could be an integral part of that. Especially Brian, since he's new. I can use new. I need to keep around players who don't know me that well.

Timmy

Jay is cracked and I love her for it. We are playing so messy and are in alliances with literally the entire tribe. Love being a swing vote. Splitting up Rebecka and Dan is going to be a great move, it will suck personally and Dan will give me a lot of shit for it (and Rebecka might too) but it is just a game so have to have fun and being a mess is fun to me. Might as well be toward the top of a group than knowing I'm at the bottom of the group of 4 (Dan/Rebecka/Madison/me). I'm really just hoping this doesn't hurt me having a relationship with Madison at some point because I still want to work with her. The only worry in the plan is Brian because who knows what goes on in his head but I know he isn't controlled by Rebecka who is just telling everyone her plan and adding people to alliances without asking. Like I never said I was okay with her/dan/madison (I was happy to have a group, but a better one came along). All in all though, Jay is my number one so whatever benefits us both is what I am here for.

Brian

Its still eh. Some people are fake and there is so much pre-season relationships that i'm so oof. BUT i dont wanna be in the minority and if joining a make shift alliance helps, i'm down for it. 

Bryan

Woo ok so we lost. That sucks. But I’m in an alliance with rebecka, dan, jay, Madison, and Timmy. And our goal is to vote out nick. I’m fine with that operative. He already talked about wanting to go against me rebecka and dan so like oops. I also love Annemarie. I need at least one person outside that alliance and that is her. 

Allan

THANK GOD WE WON THAT CAUSE I FUCKED UP. But like seriously, I was so scared that we were gonna lose and I was gonna be at fault for it. Tbh I'm a little annoyed cause it really feels like Tim and I did all the work and when we asked other people to take over, no one offered. It really makes a bit dubious about trusting my tribe.

Olivia

Woohoo! We won immunity! I am just so happy about that. I have a nice sweet little alliance going with the three aca tacos and another one with us three and tim and autumn. Autumn is all alone and idk Tim's relationship with Allan. Tim Allan. Ahahahahhhaha. Anyways. Jacob's ass was GONE if we hadn't won. He is still my target should we lose the next one. I also did Pancreas and got a 29 minute score which I am assuming is terrible but who knows. I love Emily and Heather but I know for a fact, without confirmation, those two are working together. Emily has fawned over Heather since isle of skye and I just know they're a pair. I love both SO MUCH  but i can't fully trust either. I thought for sure that being on a tribe with heather and tim, two close friends of mine, we'd immediately bond and become our new ride or dies. lol. but i think i can still work with both maybe but i like the 5 i already have so i guess we will see. how is it i have two idols, an extra vote, and i won immunity in another org but this one i got THIRTY MINUTES at Pancreas. oh well.

Heather

I have not confessed about my new tribe yet. I am now on the Atitlan tribe which is fun, and I have Emily who is a queen. Plus now I have some of my Isle of Skye people. I've missed playing with Olivia so  much, ughh love of my life. And Tim is such an iconic king. Also Jacob from my other tribe, who has been inactive recently. Gotta do other impressions too Francie: I love them with all my hort. What a perfect bean. Allan: Seems super chill but immediately went into game talk Autumn: A sweetheart ughh my love. Saved our ass in the challenge like 5 times. Sammy: He likes musical theatre so I love him. nuff said AND WE WON OUR FIRST CHALLENGE TOGETHER WHICH IS FUN SO YEET

Dan

So this is a damn mess, I really want to trust that Nick doesn't have a secret majority alliance against me and Beckka because I don't know why literally everyone would just lie, ya know? But I wouldn't be surprised if it happens honestly. I think Beckka would go over me???? But like that's the ugliest thing ever. I don't know why Jay would make an alliance with most of the people in the game if it wasn't a solid thing, but like I'm still paranoid af. IT'S SO EARLY TO FLIP. 

AnnMarie

I am so glad we didn't have to complete the full challenge because that was something I did not want to do at all (sorry Cameron). The only.nad part is that we have to go to tribal. Nick's name has been flying from all directions, and it's the obvious easy vote, but Nick is saying that Dan and rebecka are a powerful team. Jay has said that as well, so I don't really know what may go down at tribal. What I do know is that Nick will probably be the person voted out, as long as nothing super dramatic happens in the tribe. I'm super close to Jay and she's just amazing, Dan's super nice, and I LOVE BRYAN OK HE IS SO NICE AND I HOPE HE DOESNT END UP BEING A JERK in the long run. I'm so happy that I get to play with these people, and I can't wait to start a good alliance in this game with them.

Jay Bee

Loyalty? Who's she?

I told Nick EXPLICITLY last night not to tell Madison about our plan or alliance because she would tell Dan and Rebecka. Today, I wake up to the intel (from Dan) that Nick told Madison about everything. And guess the fuck what!! She told Rebecka and Madison. I'M NOT DUMB, NICK! Thankfully they all thought Nick was trying to make a power play and they don't believe I'm with Nick. NICK DO YOU NOT REALIZE HOW CLOSE I AM TO SLITTING YOUR THROAT!!! If you're gonna be loose-lipped I'm going to have to vote you out! Ugh. This is such a prickly position. I would much rather work with Brian/AnnMarie/Timmy just because they don't know me as well as Rebecka and Madison (and to an extent Bryan through Emily) do. I'm trying to figure out who the most disenfranchised people on the tribe are and use them because if I can be their only source of trust, they're always going to be loyal to me. The problem is that I don't want the next tribal to be 4 vs. 4. That gets messy really fast. If I do vote for Nick in the big group of Madison/Rebecka/Bryan/Dan/Timmy, that puts me in an alliance with all the power players and leaves out AnnMarie and Brian, who would be much smarter to have on my side in a merge situation, unless I want to go meat shield tactic in this game. I don't know Ugh. Timmy, please come online so I can talk through all of this.

Rebecka and Dan

https://youtu.be/AUDFxIjAuZM

Amanda (Guest)

Hello! So I know I'm not playing this game, and Cameron probably won't post this, but I was SUPPOSED to play this game so I'm leaving a confessional anyway. Just here to say that Rebecka and Emily are the true icons of the season for having me in their host chats and that's all. Also Cam. I love Cam.

Sammy

I’m so glad that our team won woooooo

Emily

Omg I'm such a FLOP! I didn't realize I hadn't confessed so hey I'm in public speaking pretending to do my work! Anyways, super happy about our tribe winning the challenge. I really was thinking we were going to lose because of FUCKING JACOB! He like. Was not here. At all. Total flop. Major flop. I haven't even heard from him in like two days. WHY PLAY A SKYPE BASED GAME IF YOU DONT CHECK SKYPE REGULARLY??? Anyways, I recorded a cast assessment but it's a mess because I'm really sad in it and you can tell im a mess so im gonna type it bc you can't tell im upset when im typing!!!!!!!!!!! ALLAN: Really helpful in the challenge so I'm a stan! Hard to talk to I think but I'm really vibin him. I think he's gonna be a good asset to our tribe! Yay! I don't really have much to say about him right now AUTUMN: I'm going to PRAY that she's not bitter from All Stars. That was like a month ago and honestly get the fuck over it. You made a stupid move and it backfired on you! That's it. Don't make a stupid move against me this game and I'll work with you! I really like Autumn and I like how she plays but reading her Navarino confessions I can tell she's just someone that holds onto grudges for far too long and it's annoying. All Stars is not a good representation of my game. WORK WITH ME PLEASE FRANCIE: love of my life.... I said in the beginning I didn't want to work with them but I realized that if I want to work with Tim.... Francie is probably also gonna have to be my ally. Francie and I were also talking about how, if we lose, Jacob would be an easy vote because he's inactive! I know that a lot of people would be fine with that. Also, he hasn't competed in Pancho so I don't think he has any letters? Like he didn't even get the one from the rules? So no idol for Jacob. Easy vote. Bye bye. HEATHER: I'll sell my soul for Heather. My queen. I love her. Honestly I can't wait for her to snake me. Fucking queen. I just love her. If anyone targets her I'M COMING FOR THEIR ASS. STAY OFF HEATHER BYE BYE! JACOB: Inactive. Bye OLIVIA: I REALLY want to work with Olivia. I plan on making her my number one in this game. I just get such a good vibe from her. She seems intelligent, stealthy, and fun... that's what I want in an ally. She also has some good connections with other people and she's got a good social game. Definitely someone I want to work with and go far with. But, not too far because she'll win the game, but... I'm also trying to be loyal this game. Loyal to a fault makes people upset. So. I'm gonna have to decide. SAMMY: I played with him and Indonesia and led the charge to vote him out right before merge so like he could hate me? But he also voted for me to win the game. SO. I don't think he's bitter, but he knows I think he plays messy. He's super sweet though and I'm a stan. I gotta be careful what I leak to him, but I like him and can see myself working with him in the future. TIM: MY KING! I love Tim and want to work with Tim high key. He's such a sweetheart and I'm really hoping we can go far. I'd be so down for a little group of he, Olivia, and I. Is that proper grammar? I don't care. Anyways, I love how he plays and he's very well thought out and stuff so I'm really hoping we can go far together. I'm a Tim stan. A major Tim stan. It's still too early for me to for sure tell you who I'm working with (I usually go from round to round, but I don't want to do that this game. No flip-flopping this time unless it genuinely will be better for me AND others.) I'm really trying to refine how I play. I'm trying to be more honest. More social. More logical and strategic, but at the same time, not as PURELY strategic? I need to make sure my social game is phenomenal before I start going off and being a strategic mastermind. People won't listen to people they don't like, and they won't vote for them either. Whew. Okay I hope this super long confession makes up for my lack of confessing. Goodbye!

Jacob

I was asked to make a confession so here it is. I'm glad we won or I'd be screwed for falling asleep after inventory bleh.

Timmy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OolhMHA3F0o&feature=youtu.be

Emily

Finding out all these people's zodiac signs is very inch resting... I y'all I really do. Capricorns? Gotta go next. I don't stan. Bye bye.

Madison

WHOO okay last minute confessionals lemme hear you say WAYYYY HO!!!! Nick is the vote which like awk bc now we’re in another game together so sucks I guess. Also he came to me trying to vote puts rebecka though so like wtf bye bye. 

Rebecka

Me if I get voted out tonigt: Thank you dan and jay for being loyal. Thank you also the the people who voted me out now so I don't have to go through a bunch of other rounds of drama and lose xoxo 

[survivenovascotia]

Episode 5 - they finally swapped us - Austin

I’m taking more of a leadership role on this tribe, trying to make more calls with the challenge. On a smaller tribe it is less risky to do that, and also more risky to go to tribal if people find a reason to target you its easy to get numbers. Dylan especially is a worry for me, in the past he has turned on me for absolutely no reason, so idk how much I can trust him. Dan seems ok, he gave us good intel about the other tribe. Still makes sense to vote him out if we go to tribal though lets not make enemies out of the og tribe just to save one guy.

Tribe swap. Honestly I’m not freakin out abt it bc I’ve got Stephen & Austin who’ve both been pretty good in challenges so. Hopefully I can Michelle my way to the merge Even seems chill he’s just got a russel hantz profile picture which is a lil susp Although I’ll admit I’m a lil sad this is a cooperative challenge bc I really don’t work well cooperatively. Especially when these people are choosing words like CAT and WASHINGTON DC have y’all never played scattergories the object is to get the most random ass answers. We can’t put Unagi that’s way too common, we gotta put UNI, which means sea urchin & is a delicacy. If someone else puts uni I would literally cry I’d be such a clown Xiomara? BITXH have y’all seen Jane the Virgin? Hell no!! We putting Serena spelled with an X. She’s a character in a short story I wrote it’s a real name look it up. Sorry to rant I just can’t believe one of these boys chose Cat. Cat. R u joking

So after 4 straight wins from my tribe they finally swapped us. Dylan, me, eric,and stephen from my og tribe long with dan from the other tribe. I like it and think we are gonna do well together.  Dan told me sunshine said I was trustworthy which I appreciated.  I dont wanna lose any challenges but if we do I feel maybe i should try and save dan? Idk i wanna be a lil more risky then i usually play in other games. Just gotta see what happens but idc to flip for my own game to do better.  

LOCK & MANCALA. LOCK & MANCALA mancala is like the most famous board game WHY did we choose that I said to go with Master Trainer: Pokémon why was that not CHOSEN I hope we lose so I can get voted out & be remembered as this seasons biggest bitch

My tummy is saying Fuck rn. I don't know how this tie breaker is gonna go

So what I am thinking it is going to be like is between Keegan and Coco but like Coco is my number 1 out here rn. Glo says she will protect me and Im trying to see what chips is feeling but I feel even when he says things Im like is this legit? Keegan wants to try working with me. I have to weigh my options but if I vote people from OG Musquodoboit tribe I upset everyone else there, if I vote Keegan, Who knows where on the totem pole I can be with the OG tribe.

It has been brought to my attention that the person I’ve been referring to as ‘even’ is actually dan. ukmmmmmmmmmmm okcay also MICHELLE let’s keep this Queen energy to the merge 😈😈

I think I’m cursed. This will be the fifth tribal council in a row I’m attending. Like how does this even happen? And of course I had to be dumb enough to step up and do the tie breaker which sent us to tribal. At first glance this could very well be the end of my game. Getting swap fucked is becoming a personality trait of mine at this point. However, Heather and I have been messaging and she said she’s going to talk to Chips and see about making a move to keep me in the game. I’m not sure who we’d vote out between Coco and Gloria but honestly I don’t care as long as I stay in the game.

Hosts, Admins and VL. I made a chart that went like 6 layers deep in before it would deadend and I’m like “oh okay it must be at the 6 layer mark”. Nope I got down to 8 layers (T1 was the first) and I feel like it’s either claimed or it’s down that path. In other news, my two biggest obstacles is the OG other tribe -_- me forgetting the other tribe’s name. The second obstacle is Kyle. Kyle thinks he runs the joint and I just play a “Sheeple” game when in reality I’m trying to make small moves to further myself in the game. Kyle and Livingston are close and Kyle, myself and Darcy are tight. Sunshine is the odd one out and a easy boot.

Update since recording, I think Chips is leaning more towards keeping Keegan oof im a swing vote then oof

Maybe I’m just getting massively played right now but I currently have an alliance chat with Heather and Chips and we’re deciding on voting Coco or Glo. And I have Coco asking me if I’d vote for Glo. Maybe I’m being bamboozled but this is actually looking a little bit promising for me staying in the game right now. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much. The last time that did I got annihilated.

Did I just suggest a Chips blindside? I- don't know. I am AHHHH. I am in a bad position next round that's FOR SURE

So unfortunately we are going to tribal. At first I thought Keegan would be an easy vote BUT Chips started playing dirty. He made a chat with Heather&Keegan and tried to form "majority" with them. They were discussing whether to eliminate me or Glo. I'm not having it. Heather and I came up with the plan to blindside Chips because he probably wouldn't see it coming. I kept telling Chips I was SO worried,SO nervous because none is talking to me but it's just all an act. Hopefully we can get rid of either Chips or Keegan tonight and even flush an idol if they use it on Keegan.

So ummm, Operation Chips Gone is under way. I am HELLA nervous! Idk if this is gonna work but I feel HELLA bad.

ok Chips has turned on me saying I am weak link on tribe and wants me voted out with Keegan staying safe, Heather and CoCO are in alliance with me and tipped me off. So our vote is CHIPS. but we all three fear the idol situation. So I may not survive but calling me weak link who beat Chips ass in Scavenger hunt and came from behind to do so lol yeppers Glo beat Chips. Anyways it might be good bye GLO GLO tonight and if so I did my best. That would be end for me I guess. <3 GLO <3

I think if we were on larger tribes and the challenge was different I might have thrown it. Bit as it is tribal only presents three options: a) vote out dan, which is not a big move or anything and is not going to change much. b) save dan, and vote out someone from my og tribe, which would piss off 8 other people I had ground work with, and c) Dan pulls something out of his ass and survives, voting one of us out. So yeah, no good scenarios for my long term game at tribal. However without it I can keep my relationships while also building new bridges with Dan that could help come merge and further.

If Glo is truly the vote tonight, I’m probably going to cry. Not even going to sugar coat it. I’ll be crying. She’s just so pure and so nice and just this incredible person. I’m trying to not let it sway my judgement too much. I’m tearing up just thinking about her leaving. But if Heather and Chips are being honest with me and not conspiring against me they’ve both said they’d vote for Glo. And all I need to do right now is stay in the game. Against all odds, I might just manage to stay in the game in a disasterous 4v1 swap. The biggest downside after this is getting Evan(?) back from Oak Island. I’m praying he’s not close with Heather and Chips or I might not survive another tribal.

So we got swapped onto a tribe of 5... and lost the first immunity challenge on that tribe. Keegan is the obvious vote since he got swapped onto our tribe. I'd rather not. Spent all day lying to Glo telling her I was going to vote him. If for some reason that's not the case and Glo doesn't go, cool. I got gamed. Also, I'm in an alliance chat with Heather and Keegan and lowkey I love it. I want to see this be a final 3 but I'm not going to get ahead of myself.

Conspiracy theory: coco, glo & Keegan voted out chips, heather on the outs. No fucking clue why but it’s the only thing that makes sense. This whole game is so scary I’m like watching blindsides & murdering happening & im just chillin on the sidelines

KEEGAN SURVIVED! I’m so happy for him! That’s all I wanted. Hopefully Keegan and Dan can make merge. I wanna throw the F14 immunity to send home Sunshine but that’s just a thought. I always said my two biggest obstacles were the OG other tribe and Kyle. That’s still true but maybe there’s hope for the first obstacle!

Oh damn, I didn’t see that coming. There are two possible situations here: 1) That Keegan managed to pull two votes in with promises and shit, and 2) That there was a pre-existing alliance against Chips (and others) that I wasn’t aware of. This is worrying, not only did I just lose someone I wanted to work with but it shows I’m not that aware of what’s going on. Not good.

I watched the tribal council. Keegan wasn’t even on the chopping block which is great. Glo seems like a lovely lady and seems easy to bond and manipulate. Great for me 🐍. Our alliance including Dan, with Keegan and his allies can make a strong group and potential majority. I feel like at merge I can play my cards right and secret pull strings.

Chips was voted out which is honestly a big surprise to me but at least I’m still here! Who survived a 4v1 Swap Fucking? This guy!

[wobblyfet]

The Definitive Ranking of Villainous Pokémon Teams

With USUM just coming out and Team Rainbow Rocket being a thing, I thought I’d dig up a ranking I started a while ago!

7. Team Flare

Look, those outfits are snazzy. There’s no denying that. But… who the hell are these people? What’s their goal as a team of villains?

I mean, Lysandre talks about creating a more beautiful world because he thinks humanity is dumb. The qualifiers for what a more beautiful world exactly are is never made particularly clear, just that this involves the purging of everyone not in Team Flare. He gets a bit of backstory about having a genuine savior complex turned into radical disillusionment, but it doesn’t really cover how murky his goals are here. Like, what exactly is he objecting to about the ugliness of the world? Does he want to wipe out much of the world’s ecosystem with the laser beam of doom in their headquarters or just people? How does that work? And what is Team Flare?

I’m not sure at all what the organization of the rest of this team is. The grunt dialogue suggests getting in is quite expensive, and some of them seem pretty caught up in this whole beautiful world business. There’s suggestion Flare membership is kind of an issue of status. Much of both Lysandre’s and general dialogue about it do sort of resemble the dialogue from real world radical organizations, but the problem here is that radical ideologies tend to have a deeper surface rationale than what Team Flare’s deal is. They care about class elitism while also wanting to destroy what makes the world economy, and I don’t really know why these people would be more invested in genocide than, say, aggressively running a fashion line or a country club.

The problem for me probably boils down to how little depth this team is given. The grunts are just sort of there, admins are indistinguishable, and nobody has really any characterization except Lysandre and Malva, and even that’s pretty murky. Because of that, they fall flat as antagonists.

One thing I did like about them as villains: how Lysandre uses the Holo-Caster to spread his message. Having him pop up between videochatting your friends to monologue about purity and cleansing was genuinely disquieting. In this day and age, abruptly revealing that this world’s equivalent of a smartphone is actually a vehicle for ideological evil is intimidating and relevant.

Though, I gotta say, a Pokémon game is really not the place for Holocaust puns. Boo on that.

 6. Team Aqua

These guys are the only ones to seriously rival Team Flare’s stupidity. To begin with, looking at the original games, the whole hook of “More water! Yay environments for Water Pokémon!” is really bizarre in the context of a villainous team on Hoenn. Hoenn is a goddamn island, and at that one that is already thoroughly integrated with the sea. Why there would be enough radical water lovers in this area to warrant any a whole group obsessed with expansionism is kind of beyond me.

I do like that how the remakes broadened both Aqua and Magma’s motives, but… remixed Team Aqua is still incredibly dumb. They’re a radical group in defense of wronged Pokémon, which is cool, but the answer is to destroy the world and restore it to another primordial state? What? I’m no expert in environmental science but I’m pretty sure something like that would, like, definitely wipe out most Pokémon, including the ones that live in the sea. A questionable goal for a group purportedly all about saving wronged Pokémon.

And what’s the long-term plan here for the rest of the group? Is this destruction of the world like a death pact for the members or what?

Archie is entertaining, but let’s be real, he’s also pretty lame. Going so far as to recruit a potentially suicidal eco-terrorist cult only to chicken out when a big whale starts to make it rain is kind of pathetic.

Things that win Team Aqua villain points: fleshed out and entertaining characters in Archie, Shelly, and Matt. Also, pirates are cool.

 5. Team Galactic

I feel like Team Galactic started the trend in Pokémon games of there being apocalyptic stakes with the villains. A good Pokémon villainous team doesn’t really need to be world-destroying to work well as bad guys, as I’ll elaborate on below. That said, I would still put a big gap between Galactic and the bottom two teams, and I do generally like these guys.

Cyrus wants to create a new universe without pesky things like spirit or feelings. This makes enough sense for a villainous team in the context of Sinnoh, where a person can capture deities of space and time in Pokéballs. And I also quite like how the game contextualizes Cyrus as a villain of emotional abuse in his childhood- not to say this excuses him, but it adds a nice bit of depth.

Like the last two villainous teams, I have some questions about how exactly Cyrus’s goals translate to an ideology for an entire team of mooks, or, more importantly, how such a wet blanket of a leader convinced a legion of followers to run around Sinnoh in those embarrassing spacesuits. It’s never made super clear what the rest of Team Galactic is hoping to get out of the deal, but unlike Team Flare or Team Aqua, it’s easier to headcanon a large group of people being enticed by holding positions of power in a new world where, without any spirit, people and Pokémon might easily function as slaves.

Another thing I like: Cyrus’s eventual fate in the distortion world. No redemption, no dramatic downfall scene, just him eerily ranting about his ambitions as he wanders off into the netherworld. It’s creepy and sad, and fitting ending to his saga.

Overall, I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other about Team Galactic. It’s satisfactorily developed but comparatively not as interesting as other bad guys in this franchise.

Those team spacesuits, though. There’s no explanation for that.

 4. Team Magma

Look, this team suffers from a lot of the issues that their counterparts do. Namely, the way Maxie and his team just kind of fuck off very quickly after awakening Groudon. It’s sort of ridiculous to go so far to advance your villainous team only to give up so quickly. But, other than that, Team Magma is so much better.

To be fair, in the original Gen III games, their motives are pretty thin. However, for the same reasons Team Aqua doesn’t make much sense, Team Magma does. Hoenn is a tropical island in the middle of the sea that demands travelling through the sea and jungle to get anywhere. Hell, I spend enough time facing Wingulls and Tentacools on water routes and I’m ready to sign up. Or take a Team Magma pamphlet, at least.

I kid, but that’s mostly why I like Magma’s expanded motives in the remakes so much. In a world that’s obsessed with accommodating Pokémon and keeping balance with the environment, a reactionary group obsessed with human expansionism makes for realistic bad guys. And expanding land for development at the cost of the ecosystem is exactly what a group like that in Hoenn would focus on. To be clear, none of this is to say that Team Magma is condonable, or that Pokémon’s pro-environmentalist message is somehow a bad thing- it’s just that in this context, Team Magma would be one of the most plausible villainous organizations to come up.

I also quite like Team Magma’s characters. Maxie is a cool customer and exactly the type of smug asshole you’d expect to present an environmentally-unfriendly development plan at the corporate meeting, and Tabitha and Courtney are quite amusing. Updated Courtney in particular is weirdly charming, and I kind of hope we see more of her. And even though I just whined about how easily Maxie turns around and changes his mind, I don’t really think a redemptive ending for them is necessarily a bad thing. Isn’t an ending like that what most of us are trying to get from the Maxies of the real world driving our planet to ruin?

Anyways, if Magma started looking into building eco-friendly bridges across those damn water routes, I’d totally take a pamphlet. Just saying.

 3. Team Rocket/Neo Team Rocket

Team Rocket! The OG villainous team! And easily still the most iconic, over twenty years later now. They invented the Pokémon villainous team, and they surely deserve some props for that. That’s the whole reason Giovanni’s coming back as the leader of the super-villains, right? (I have some qualms about this, but more on that later)

Nostalgic factors aside, I think Team Rocket works quite well as an antagonistic force. I just praised Team Magma for being possibly the most realistic villainous team in the Pokémon world, but I really think that dubious honor should go to Rocket. These guys don’t want to end the world or build a new universe or anything like that; they see simple profit in Pokémon and are totally willing to go after that, whatever the cost. And with that, they’re able to function on a large scale and do terrible things.

Even without threatening the Pokémon world with apocalyptic aims, for my money they’re still demonstrably scarier than any other evil team in the series. Yes, Team Rocket will actually murder that Cubone’s mother, and they will mutilate those Slowpokes for profit, and they will mess up Magikarps with freaky radio wave experiments. For that reason, Rocket plots are more memorable than like anything else in the series.

And, like any evil organization worth its butter, they won’t fucking die. They’ll be reorganizing and spreading their tendrils to the underbelly of Johto and the Sevii Islands and now Alola. It’s totally plausible to me that a mafia with an eye for exploitative profit would have more lasting power than any of those other cults and become the villains of the Pokémon world.

They’re only at #3, though, and that’s because of one thing: Giovanni makes very little sense as a big bad boss.

I mean, he’s the shadowy kingpin of Kanto’s criminal underworld, and a gym leader? Isn’t a gym leader’s entire job to be a public official/stepping stone for up and coming trainers in the league? I’ve seen the meme of the one dude in Viridian City musing on the mystery of the gym leader while standing right next a sign that says “GYM LEADER: GIOVANNI”, but really, that’s actually, that’s a really strange problem for the team.

Because really, why would Giovanni think it’s a good idea to run a criminal syndicate from inside an establishment that literally asks for kids to come in and beat him, and then when it happens, be all like “Welp, that’s it for my criminal empire. Time to fuck off to the mountains.” It’s easily the most inexplicable downfall in the series.

I’m not sure why Neo Team Rocket in Johto wanted this guy back so desperately. And I know he’s leading Team Rainbow Rocket because he’s the most iconic legacy villain and all, but let’s be real, all those leaders probably could’ve picked someone more competent to be the evil superboss.

 2. Team Plasma/Neo Team Plasma

If I were in the Pokémon world and didn’t have the luxury of a video game screen’s distance, I would probably have some serious moral qualms about the whole catching, training, and battling system. I mean, like, PETA’s response to the Pokémon franchise is over the top and unintentionally funny, but the ethics of how you train Pokémon the only way the games let you is a fair thing to consider. Would the Pokémon world be better off without gyms and Pokéballs, really?

That’s the main reason I like Team Plasma. Their premise is more ideologically compelling than any of the other teams. Because, really, in the first four generations there’s a lot talked up about bonding between Pokémon and trainers and how the two built up the world through cooperation, but there’s really not much to indicate that this exchange is demonstrably preferable to Pokémon whose best interests might not, you know, involve forcible abductions and battling until passing out. Having a villainous team like Team Plasma let the franchise address this question in a thoughtful way, and I dig it.

It also let the Team Plasma grunts be some of the most gloriously awful hypocrites in the franchise. I still remember how absolutely infuriating it was to have all these twerps show up and obstruct me with Pokémon battles while getting all self-righteous about how battling this way was wrong, and how much I hated them all even though they had a valid point. I dig that too. A mix like that can be an ideal recipe for a good antagonist.

What really sells me on Team Plasma, though, is the family drama backing it all. N is great every time he shows up, with all his cryptic dialogue and struggles to do right by the creatures he loves. Pokémon never really had an anti-villain before and he was perfect for games as much about moral ambiguity and balance as Black and White were. Having someone intimately connected to Pokémon and their needs (I remember the chills I got when you first go in his room and see all the scratched-up toys) makes him ideal to communicate the message that good trainer-Pokémon relationships are a healthy reciprocal exchange where a trainer ideally pays attention to the needs of their Pokémon. It’s a nice message.

N adding moral ambiguity to the game is great, but the drop of Ghetsis as the true mastermind is a good one too. The extent of Ghetsis’s manipulation of N was damn chilling, and silly robe or not, adding the personal touch cements him as one of the most solidly awful main bad guys in the series. Child abuse is sort of a running theme in this franchise, and I oddly appreciate much of the way it’s featured- I mean, I don’t like it, but it’s a literary appreciation. In the case of Black and White, framing an ethical struggle of how to do right by your Pokémon against someone brutally exploiting that struggle for the sake of a power grab was effective.

(as an aside, I didn’t much care for the reveal that N wasn’t Ghetsis’s biological son. I feel like the game sort of treated the reveal as a “Guess what? Ghetsis wasn’t your legitimate father all along!” which isn’t great, since whether or not a child has blood relationship to their caretaker doesn’t actually have any bearing on said caretaker’s impact and moral responsibility as a guardian, and pretending otherwise reinforces a harmful message that adoptive parents aren’t somehow “real” parents. Not super important but it’s just a little thing that bothers me)

Team Plasma’s second appearance is honestly less memorable to me than the first, but I dig the whole team evolution and split between Ghetsis’s power grabby followers and N’s good-hearted followers. It gives the saga of Team Plasma a legacy development we’ve really only seen otherwise with Neo Team Rocket in Johto, albeit with a more epic bent.

The big unanswered questions- how the hell did Team Plasma end up a weird religious monarchy? (And who the hell are Anthea and Concordia?) I feel like demanding more practical details of the running of all these evil organizations than a game for children is realistically going to give us is a running theme in this ranking, but I care about these things, dammit.

 1. Team Skull/Aether Foundation

When I first made this ranking about a year ago, I gave first place to the Sun and Moon antagonists then too, but I wondered if it was recency bias speaking. But after a year of being less wrapped up in Gen VII than I was then, I can look back and say that these guys are the definitive #1 villainous Pokémon team. I make this announcement seriously and with perfect objectivity on the matter. No questioning or dissenting opinions will be tolerated in this house, silly nit.

I kid, of course. This is just an opinion-based list I wrote for my own amusement. But that said, I do think the antagonists this game gave us are easily a cut above everyone else on this list, just with what speaks to me.

Team Skull, to begin with, is everything. Everything from their designs to their dialogue to the way Alola treats them like a giant joke really feels like these guys were crafted with a lot of affection for them. They’re perfect for the Gen VII games because, like much else, it’s goofy and self-aware and just plain fun. I’ve seen footage of the grunt reacting in horror over you getting to say you don’t remember who they are several times now and it’s still hilarious.

But also like much of Gen VII in general, it swings back around with a surprising amount of depth. The more time you spend talking with grunts, you get more and more of the sense of a lost and displaced group of people turning with their comrades on a society that doesn’t have a place for them. A lot of this is framed around the failure in the Island Challenge, but really, it’s not hard to read more into all the possible reasons the Skull kids could have turned to crime than that, right? (and even if you just leave it at that, I do sort of wonder sometimes about how much value the Pokémon world puts on someone’s strength as a trainer. It seems like it might be a somewhat limiting way to run things, to say the least, but that’s a discussion for another day)

Anyways, Team Skull resonates with me for the same reasons that Magma and Rocket do- it’s a not inaccurate depiction of what kind of evil organizations would appear in a world that resembles our own. What many of the Skullsters describe reflects real life gang psychology remarkably well. The world doesn’t want you, because the normal standards (the Island Challenge) are too high, perhaps on top of not having food or money or being shut out socially for any number of bullshit reasons. But the gang has your back, and it’s gonna provide AND stand with you against the world. Hence the perpetuation of crime culture even when “better” life choices are there, and the emphasis on belonging and group loyalty. The way the story frames Team Skull along those lines gives you another totally plausible villainous group, but unlike Rocket or Magma, it does it in a way that frequently plays on your empathy.

Don’t get me wrong here, I definitely do not mean to paint Team Skull as a bunch of poor lil’ woobies who turned to crime because they had no agency to be better people. They’re still the villains here, after all. We see plenty in game of all the ways they’re earnestly terrible to Alolans, from generally being obnoxious punkasses who get in your way to vandalizing to stealing children’s pets to taking over Po Town. As funny as it is, I’m not totally sure why the denizens of Alola are as unconcerned with Team Skull as they are; taking over an entire goddamn town is nothing to sneeze at.

It’s just… surprisingly nuanced, is all. Team Skull can be a bunch of weenies, genuinely threatening, and have a kind of a tragic reality underneath it all at the same time. Walking through the barricaded ruins of Po Town, across all the belligerent patrollers or members just sitting in the rain, is eerie for more reasons than one.

Boss Guzma encapsulates all of it pretty well. He’ll gloriously ham things up every time he’s on screen, and he’ll bully anyone in his way, but the game also gives him some backstory and, eventually, room to express his standards and prove that he’s really not beyond redemption here. Because getting caught up in Lusamine’s sinister plots really always came down to wanting personal validation and what’s best for his Skull kids, more than a core desire to watch the world burn from Ultra Space. (I might just be a sucker for the Even Evil Has Standards trope, but even so)

I also love the moment where Plumeria decides to help you. It’s not a moment of redemption in the sense that she’s seen the light and decided to stop being a punk. Her MO doesn’t ever change at all; she fights you because she wants to protect her kids, and she comes to your side because she wants to protect her kids.

I love everything about Team Skull, but they’re only half the equation. Sun and Moon also gave us the Aether Foundation. Hoo boy.

Lusamine is my favorite main antagonist in the series. For my money, she’s easily the scariest. And not just because she fucking froze her favorite Pokémon in ice to admire them at her leisure forever. I mean holy fuck what was that and was anyone expecting a scene that horrifying in a game like this. But anyways… (shudders)

Lusamine is intimidating first because of the way she wraps herself in a veneer of civility and benevolence. I mean, it’s true that she gives off creepy vibes from the introduction, just like Lysandre, but the difference lies in just how much the Aether Foundation embodies the qualities of Pokémon Good Guys we know so well at this point. They want to protect the ecosystem and, for Lusamine, it comes from a place of love. But it takes a while to figure out just how messed up that understanding of love is.

Lusamine’s love bubble is about what she can control, and when what she loves deviates from her expectations, she reacts with physical and emotional violence. Because underneath it all, she’s an astonishingly selfish person who puts her loved ones in danger by association. She treats her love for vulnerable parties as a tactic to mold them into whatever she wants, even to horrifying ends (permafreezing Pokémon who probably loved and trusted their trainer), and treats love as a commodity that can be withheld as a punishment and an excuse for doing whatever she wants in retribution. She can take advantage of Team Skull, and more horrifically, Nebby and her children, and eventually end up at critical self-indulgence in Ultra Space because all the world has failed to meet her impossible standards for love and therefore deserves to be razed by her deadly interdimensional pet jellyfish.

I mentioned in the last entry how child abuse is something of a running theme in the Pokémon franchise, and Lusamine brings the most intimate and thoughtful depiction of it yet. It winds up with Gladion lost and caught up with criminals he doesn’t even like associating with and turns cold. Lillie ends up working very hard, by way of new positive social bonds, to overcome the complexes association with her mother forced into her. In the end, both get to symbolically save themselves and stand up to Lusamine’s abuse. It touched me in a place I would have never expected a series like Pokémon to reach.

Lusamine is the fucking worst, but… I appreciated how the games even gave her backstory and space for empathy, too. The lady had a hard deal herself, and after losing your partner that way, it’s understandable that someone would end up obsessed with control and selective about love. She’s still terrible, mind you, but it’s worth seeing where something like that is coming from. And also, I really appreciated that even when her kids are breaking free and standing up, how they still sort of love each other. I loved Lillie’s monologue on Exeggutor Island about how her mother wasn’t all bad all the time, and they have good memories. It’s a realistic outcome for abuse victims to think that way, really. Lusamine’s concept of love is horrifying and unconstructive, and the fact Lillie loves her isn’t going to stop her from resisting her mother’s mind games, and the mere existence of familial love between them isn’t going to come close to fixing just how much in the wrong Lusamine is, but it’s there. It’s more unexpected thoughtfulness it would have been easy not to include, and I’m very glad it’s there.

I also love how Lusamine, like N, addresses in a meta sense some of the moral quandaries the format of Pokémon lends itself to. Because yeah, realistically, the average player is going to be kind of similar to Lusamine- we see Pokémon as ideally under our control and as decorative collectibles to be frozen in the game file indefinitely when we don’t need them anymore. And just like Lusamine, our reaction to seeing a brand new interdimensional jellyfish of doom (or the like) is going to be “I’ve got to get that.” The value of an antagonist like Lusamine is to show how this way of playing Pokémon absolutely cannot be extended to your living, real life relationships.

If I have one criticism of the Skull/Aether coalition as bad guys, it’s probably that the rest of the Aether Foundation is rather opaque. One minute they’ll be serving the wholesome environmentalist mission, and the next they’ll be attacking you with evil grins under Lusamine’s orders. Exactly how much the members knew about and were chill with Lusamine’s secret agendas or how this was dealt with after her downfall was never something that was really addressed.

(Also, screw Wicke. That woman was clearly aware of both how Lusamine was abusing her kids and the shady things the foundation was up to, and why it was wrong, but she still supported it all by working as an Aether executive. I would have hoped you’d get to kick her oily butt like you do with Faba to teach her a lesson about passive complacency in evil activities, or at least see her get a verbal slap on the wrist, but apparently not)

Overall, though, I have a hard time nitpicking when the good parts are so thoughtful and meaningful to me. It’s with this that I’m proud to declare these the top baddies! Woo!

Anyways, that’s it for the definitive ranking! I had fun with this. Will Rainbow Rocket be more or less the sum of its parts? I can’t wait to find out!

[itkmoonknight]

ITK Newsletter, no. LVIII: Amazing Spider-Man #353-358

LOONY LISTENERS!

Hope your week has been well - things at Grant Mansion have been going swimmingly, with a healthy listenership (we are on track to top our last month's listens, which incidentally is currently the highest month of listens for the show!) and a steady increase in Loony members for the ITK Facebook Group...Khonshu really has blessed us!

I also want to formally welcome into the fold two OG Loonies who have contributed so much to both the ITK community and the podcast over the past year.

Tommy 'The Man on the Street' Kawel and Chad 'The Poser of Chad' Jernigan are now official admins to the ITK group and think of them as our US contingent. It'll be so valuable to have eyes on the ground for the US die of things, and with our ever growing group, it's in no more capable hands than Tommy and Chad, to ensure the ITK community expands and evolves - thank you so much, and welcome again guys! 

As for what's coming in store for our podcast episode this week, I'm very pleased to say that due to popular demand (and of course the phase of the Moon)...yes, you guessed it...we'll be covering a discussion on the indelible 90's arc 'Round Robin - A Sidekick's Revenge!' from the pages of the Amazing Spider-Man!

PHASE OF THE MOON: WAXING GIBBOUS

OVER THE MOON ARC REVIEW:

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, VOL. 1 , ISSUES #353-358 - 'ROUND ROBIN - A SIDEKICK'S REVENGE!'

The Waxing Gibbous foretells that we should do a trade/arc review, and what better one to choose than the super team up of Moon Knight with the likes of Spidey, the Punisher, Night Thrasher, Darkhawk and Nova!

Don't think Moon Knight gets lost in the mix, because he most certainly does not! In fact, the villains of the arc are built around one of the characters form Moon Knight's past - that of Jeff Wilde, aka Midnight!

The fun doesn't stop there, as we have a guest Loony again on the show - this time, it's ISLA RA alumni, Rick 'The Rickball Special' Gentusa dusting off the mic and joining in on the discussion. Rick is a massive 90's fan, so this episode is one you do not want to miss!!

We'll also have a second guest on the show too, if one wasn't enough! Backing up from his awesome episode where he and friend Chris hosted a review on the 'Round Robin Prelude' of sorts, Josh 'Geronimo' Johnson will also join us for this epic discussion!! Should be HEAPS of fun!

I'll post up a Discussion Thread as usual in the Facebook Page and Group, so please be sure to get your thoughts and feedback into the show. If you aren't on Facebook, don't let that stop you! Check out below for other ways to get into contact with us - we'd love to hear from you!

Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com

Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com

Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast

Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base

Twitter: @ITKmoonknight

Luckily too, the issues up for this review are easily accessible, thanks to digital and it being collected in a collection trade.

You should be able to find the 'Round Robin..' arc on -

Marvel Unlimited,

Comixology,

the Marvel Comics digital app,

in floppy (single comic book issue) format as well as

the Epic Collection Vol.22 of Amazing Spider-Man, 'Round Robin'

 That's it from me! Hope to catch you around our group.! Big Moony thank-yous all around!!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective

  Check out this episode!