#its not like anybody plays pocket anyway so like. no competition. i always get my first choice.

[allthepandasintheworld]

i think the most fun thing about pocket (other than being a pocket main of course) is that im pretty sure i've been training my entire life specifically to draw this little goober. like im pretty sure they were entirely made specifically to my tastes and i love with video games do that for me thank you valve thank you deadlock

[isnt-it-pretty]

A The Queen’s Gambit inspired Sylvix fic I’ve had sitting in my drafts forever. Figured I may as well post the WIP!

TW for substance abuse, and generally everything terrible from both FE3H and from The Queen’s Gambit.

The room is silent. Hundreds of people wait with baited breath as two of the world's leading chess players fight across a wooden board. The pieces are lacquered - hand carved. Only the best for the players in Enbarr.

Sylvain studies the board, picking out his response to his opponents play several steps ahead. It's already the second day - five long hours the night previous left them both exhausted. Sylvain barely remembered to eat before crashing for 13 hours.

His opponent lifts a piece, his rook, and moves it forward. It's a clever strategy, but it won't be enough. The man across from him knows it too - he's twice Sylvain's age, but desperately trying to keep up.

They see it at the same time. A single move, and it'll be finished. There won't be a way for his opponent to come back from it. If he moves his bishop, it'll all be over. His opponent will resign, and Sylvain will be the youngest world champion at 22 years old.

It's his turn, he stares at the piece, his brain ticking into overdrive. It would be so easy, just to move to pieces. But then what? What else does Sylvain have but chess? He has no friends, has a family only in name. The media hates him, a stark contrast to being the Darling of the chess world at seven years old.

One move. And he'll win. He'll prove Miklan wrong, prove the media — his former friends, wrong.

He should have drank more before coming.

His hand is reaching for his king before he even realizes it - the words leaving his lip of their own accord. It feels right.

"I resign."

He knocks over his king, the hall is silent in shock.

Sylvain gets up, doesn't even bother shaking his opponents hand, and walks out.

...

He stops by his room with a single mindedness. His phone is going crazy, but Sylvain hasn't checked to see who is trying to reach him.

Everybody, probably.

His mother must be having an aneurysm, the media must be going insane.

He opens the door to his room and tosses the phone on the bed. His wallet too, but not before emptying out his cash as a tip for hotel staff. $500 total.

It's barely anything compared to his sizable room service charges - which is probably the cost of his room twice over. It's all paid for, he never leaves debt at a hotel.

There's an untouched bottle of whiskey on top of his mini bar. Expensive in beautiful glass. He hasn't touched it, preferring cheap straight liquor. Just because he can afford expensive drinks doesn't mean he bothers with it. He stops noticing the taste soon enough anyway.

He doesn't bother getting changed as he grabs the whiskey and heads out of the room. Somebody will come bother him if he stays there, and he doesn't want to be disturbed. Doesn't want to think.

Sylvain just threw the biggest match of his life, yet he can't bring himself to care.

The roof access is unlocked, which really should be a case for concern. Anybody with a key card could enter the stairwell and climb to the roof of the hotel - 5 stars and twelve floors. He can see all of Enbarr from up here. The twinkling of its lights remain unperturbed despite his actions. 

There's a railing about a foot from the edge. Sylvain ducks under it easily, and sits with his legs dangling downward. Nobody will be able to see him from the ground. Just a spec in the darkness looming above their heads.

He uncorks the glass crystal stopper and drinks.

...

Glenn loved chess. He was pretty good at it, too. It was something he and their father used to do together. Felix would sit on his dad’s lap and try to reach for the pieces. By the time he was six, most of the set had baby sized teeth marks engorged into them

Felix never had the patience for it, personally. He never wanted to study moves or games, never wanted to sit quietly and practice it. He preferred to run around, rolling in the dirt and mud with his friends.

It didn’t stop Felix from being enthralled every time he watched his other brother play.

There was a finesse to it. A certain wisdom that Felix could never quite grasp as Glenn carefully moved the pieces. He was better than their father by ten, and was competing in chess competitions by eleven.

Felix went to every one of his games.

Even now, so many years later, Felix can remember the magic of that first game. He was seven, following behind his dad like a little duckling, his hand grasped tightly in Glenn’s. There were plastic tables with chess sets on them lining the hall of the old community centre, but Glenn didn’t care. He was ecstatic to be there. The joy didn’t fade, even after Glenn lost the second to last game.

A year later they were watching TV. There was a chess special on.

That was the first time he saw Sylvain Gautier. 

Ten years old, the boy was already the darling of the chess world. His smiling was dazzling. The interviewer was asking generic questions, what was it like competing against adults, does he see chess in his future, etc etc. The answers came so naturally Felix thought the boy may have been magic.

After that interview, Glenn found every source he could about the boy. He replayed all of Sylvain’s games, tried to puzzle through the choices that were made, and why. Tried to figure out if there was a specific style to his play, something that could be used to trip him up.

In the end, there was nothing.

Two years later, Felix accompanied Glenn to a small competition in Fhirdiahd. Dimitri and Ingrid went along, if only to provide support. Both Ingrid and Dimitri were shaping up to be pretty good chess players themselves, but even working together they still couldn’t hold a candle to Glenn.

The competition was held in a high school gym. Rodrigue dropped them off and said he’d pick them up after.

It was a shock to everybody when Sylvain Gautier showed up to play.

Felix remembered seeing him walk up to the people running check in. Remembered seeing two college age students choke. Sylvain didn’t even smile at them. Didn’t even remove his sunglasses. 

He just said his name like everybody in the building didn’t know who he was, picked up a sheet to track his moves, and went into the gym. 

Even years later, it was probably the most surreal experience of Felix’s life.

Glenn won every game, ascended through the ranks just like Felix knew he would, until he was sitting across from a celebrity of the chess world. 

Sylvain was twelve at the time, but even that seemed so much older to Felix, who was small even for a ten year old.

Glenn smiled and held out his hand. Sylvain shook it, and they played.

As expected, Glenn lost. Dramatically, in fact, but Glenn didn’t mind. He was fifteen, was planning on what to do when he graduated high school in a few years. He enjoyed chess, but he simply didn’t have to love or dedication to play professionally, or the natural born talent. Their dad always said that the best chess players had a mix of both.

Sylvain flashed Glenn a smile, a little different from the one Felix had seen on TV interviews and magazine covers. Suddenly, it hit him. Sylvain had seemed bored in every game he played, but not Glenn’s.

"You're pretty good," he told Glenn when it was all over. 21 moves total - it was savage. “Did you study Loog’s games?” 

Glenn lit up. “I did! I, um, studied your games a lot too. I figured it may be a good counter to your strategy.” He looked over the board, over his dramatic loss. “Guess that didn’t pan out.”

Sylvain just shrugged. “You’re not the first to try it, don’t worry about it.” He checked his phone, typed something, and slipped it back into a pocket with a sigh. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. Good to meet you Glenn...”

“Fraldarius,” Glenn answered, a little flustered. Felix knew he’d never hear the end of this day.

“Fraldarius,” Sylvain said. He shot Felix a smile too, before heading out of the building.

In the end, Glenn got the prize money - apparently Sylvain insisted. Said Glenn likely would have won, if he hadn't shown up.

Felix was only ten, but he found himself following everything Sylvain did after that.

...

The first time Sylvain played chess, he was five years old. Small and prone to illness, he wasn’t allowed to go outside like other kids his age. Instead Sylvain was kept indoors, where it was safe and controlled. He spent several days a month ill in bed, wrapped in soft blankets as nannies brought him juice and borth. His childhood was marked by books and quiet toys, things he could do without bothering people, or over exerting himself.

One day his tutor, an older gentleman named Mr. Hanneman, took out the chess board in some lesson or another. He said it would be a good way to pass the time. It was quiet, thought provoking, and could be played from a sickbed, as Sylvain so often found himself.

Miklan, seven years older and already pissed at the world, barely paid attention to the rules, but Sylvain was enthralled. The chess pieces were beautiful, they all had rules about how they could move and act - just like him. 

He took up the game with a single minded focus, wanting to know everything about it. He got Mr. Hanneman to bring him books and help him read them. Days which before had passed in a boring feverish haze were instead spent reading chess books, or replaying famous games.

By the time he was six, Sylvain was playing eleven board simultaneous games and winning all of them. He started competing soon afterward.

His parents were thrilled. It was the only time they'd ever bothered paying attention to him. Whenever he won, they’d make time to go out for dinner, or watch a movie with him. His mother read him stories at night. It felt good. So he kept playing, kept hoping they would keep gracing him with small smiles at his wins. Kept chasing the feeling of affection.

Other people, he came to find out, were just like chess pieces too.

In chess, one can estimate an outcome to a specific move. Can anticipate a reaction, and have a response already prepared. People are much the same.

He learned to read situations and people, how to act a specific way to get the outcome he thought would be most desirable. It didn’t always go his way, but like chess, it often did. He learned to smile; dazzle crowds and interviewers. His poor health was a well kept secret.

By eight years old, Sylvain Jose Gautier was a renowned name within the chess world. A prodigy. A future Grandmaster. He was on the cover of almost every chess magazine at least once, and was invited for photo ops with professionals. 

Miklan hated it of course. He tried to play chess, desperately wanting what Sylvain had, but he was never very good. He got even more angry, and when angry, he lashed out. Sylvain was an easy target. 

Sylvain never told his parents, but he knew that they were already aware. There was simply nothing that could be done without impacting the family. So he dealt with it, learned how to sleep to not aggravate bruises, learned to make himself silent, a shadow in his home.

It wasn’t hard, his parents did always like a puppet for a child.

[dat-town]

CODE Z3RO | CODE 03

characters: BTS & Red Velvet genre: thriller, futuristic au warning: none summary: The twelve most ambitious and promising university students are welcomed in Choego, the world’s first entirely artificial intelligence-driven city, to compete for five job contracts that could change their life. But what if something goes wrong? What if they get trapped? What if the city suddenly turns against them? Can they find a way out before the countdown reaches zero? words: 5K tagged: @philosopher-of-fandoms​

➼ Chapter Index

At the peak of dawn, merely a sliver of burgundy illuminating the glass and metal giant, Choego indeed resembled a ghost town. There were no people around, not a single proof of living creatures without the buzzing of a city with cars and pedestrians. Even the flickering electricity disappeared from few sections of the town.

Park Jimin, older son of the Park Genetic Industries’ CEO, was so used to the nightlife of the capital city, he found the calm quietness way too eerie. It was surreal and unnatural and yet, he felt a pang of pride to be one of the first ones to explore its labyrinth. However, he found it rather embarrassing to compete with people who complained about having to wake up without enough of their beauty sleep. That said, he agreed with Jungkook on the missing girl’s case. It wasn’t the younger boy’s fault that Little Miss Perfect took too long to get ready. They were better off without her anyway. It was a competition after all and despite the importance of their team work, it wouldn’t have hurt to get rid off the weakest links. Born into a wealthy and prestigious family, Jimin had always known what he was expected to do: to reach for the stars and achieve more. So it was the perfect opportunity for him to show that he was worthy to be the heir of the company.

“Can someone explain in detail what the hell happened and why we had to leave the dorms?” Hoseok, one of his supposed-to-be roommates groaned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The group of eleven stood in the middle of the street packed with luggages, staring ahead of the road with dim artificial lights while the other end of the road disappeared into darkness. It was a good question because even though it was quite obvious to anybody that something happened, not everybody could figure out what exactly was wrong. What was the researchers’ plan with all this? Setting the beginning of the simulation in the middle of the night when they were supposed to be sleeping? What would have happened if nobody had woken up? Where were those damned cameras watching each of their moves? And what were they supposed to do without instructions?

“The electricity got cut off in the buildings next to ours and the following ones were those near our dorm building. I guess the simulation tries to imitate an evacuation,” the eldest boy, Seokjin, said and if he was any good in what he was majoring in, they could trust him.

“So we should get out of the city? That doesn’t make sense,” the lilac haired, quite temperamental Taehyung spoke up posing the question that had been on everybody’s mind. But if not out, then what were they supposed to do?

“Do you have any better idea?”

“Okay what about we all calm down and I call dr. Han?” Jimin suggested already fishing out his phone from his back pocket. He didn’t like to stay in the dark for too long. He needed answers and normally he had his own methods to get them. Money and power weren't nice things to take advantage of, yet why wouldn't he use his privilege when he could? 

While Namjoon murmured something like that they should be figuring it out by themselves, Jimin had already pressed call on the lady's contact and waited… fruitlessly as even the annoying beep sound remained silent. He double-checked the signal on his phone and let out a frustrated sigh at the sight of the saturated bars of the icon. “What the hell.”

His disappointed reaction didn't went unnoticed and Hoseok, who stood next to him, raised an eyebrow at him curiously. “What?”

“There’s no signal and no internet either in the area like we were totally cut off the outer world,” the boy answered, his fingers twitching to check his emails and social media despite knowing that without internet he wouldn't access anything for now. Even his mobile data was somehow disabled on this land which was ridiculous. What kind of test was it? Lexical knowledge was so outdated and old fashioned. Isn't their analytic thinking and resourcefulness should have been rewarded? However, not everybody agreed with him on this matter. Seokjin for example took the news with a short nod as if it was a known fact. He wasn't the only one.

“Well it’s only fair. They don’t want certain people asking for help from the outside,” Taehyung mumbled under his nose barely audible but certainly loud enough for Jimin to hear it.

“What are you trying to say?” the chaebol guy straightened his back trying to look intimidating as he strolled to the mocking boy of his age. It wasn't the first time he was judged because of his family's influence but this was one of the times the accusation left a nasty taste in his mouth like swallowing a bitter pill. Of course, he knew these people were often just envious of his background, so usually he didn't care about them but under the careful watching eyes of the miniature cameras and the surveillance of researchers reevaluating their every move, he wasn't willing to be ridiculed by somebody who had the manners of a caveman. No wonder why the guy had the strong dialect of Gyeongsang Province.

“Oh nothing. I’m just saying that it might be better this way. Equal chances for everyone,” Taehyung shrugged with a challenging look in his eyes.

Jimin's hands itched to punch him straight on the nose, wipe off that shit-eating grin off his face but he couldn't let himself lose his cool over the stupidity of a rival. As a marketing major, being an expert in manipulating people, maybe it was Taehyung’s ultimate goal from the beginning: to rile up and provoke everybody he could. He was nothing more than a kid with a big mouth from the countryside. Only bark, no bite, Jimin was sure and he was smarter than to play this game.

The corner of his mouth twitched as he stared down at the tanned guy - which was quite bold on his part being the shorter one. Then as arrogant as he could, he took a step back with a huff and turned his back on Taehyung. The others stared at their intermezzo expecting it to blow up and most of them seemed relieved, relaxing their tensed shoulders as they saw nothing extraordinary was going to happen under the dim lights of street lamps so early in the morning.

"Let's not argue, guys, we need to work together," Seokjin said in a parental voice which earned a few eyerolls on the youngers’ part. Even if according to the conservative Korean age system, it was polite and a must-do thing to respect their elders no matter what, Jimin didn't plan on playing the role of the perfect dongsaeng.

"But if we cannot leave the city, then what should we do during an evacuation simulation?" one of the girls with baby face spoke up and Jimin recognized her as the Psychology student from the introduction they did on their way to the dorms.

For a while, her question fell on deaf ears but her patience was rewarded with an answer after a whole minute of utter silence.

“We need to keep moving,” a dark haired figure said quietly but still bringing all the attention to himself. Min Yoongi, the mysterious postgrad student, majoring in some fancy named IT stuff, had a cold demeanor and he certainly didn't get on the good side of anyone present after boosting his own ego at the meeting. But if he was so smart, how could he not have any better idea than ‘to move’?

To be honest, Jimin eyed him quite suspiciously because unlike everybody else the guy barely had anything on him. He only threw a small backpack on one shoulder but nothing else which was stupid, wasn’t it? They didn’t knew how long they were going to be gone or what they would need, so his confidence was either recklessness or arrogance.

“Why?” Hoseok whined trying and failing to suppress a long whine. “Can’t we just stay here and rest a little? Not even the Sun is up.”

“Sure. If you came for having fun, be my guest. I won’t shed a tear when you won’t be one of the chosen candidates at the end of the test,” Taehyung said in a mocking tone and to his own dislike, even if he didn’t voice out his opinion, Jimin had to agree with him. They all came here with a purpose and if the researchers woke them up in the middle of the night, they must have had a good reason behind it.

“Oh you have a big mouth on you, don’t you? Then tell me what the fuck is happening because I’m quite sure you’re just as clueless as the rest of us, Mr. Know It All,” Hoseok had enough of being the clown everybody made fun of and told the younger guy off easily. He was right, kind of. They could only guess the cause, some better than others though.

“The technology behind it is pretty simple,” Jeon Jungkook spoke up in a low voice, almost shy but confident in his knowledge. Of course, he knew. Among all of them there had been three other engineers apart from Jimin whose bioengineering knowledge couldn’t help much in this case. However, this was the time for the others to shine. The chaebol boy hated it, the feeling of being useless and depending on others but he was also keen on cooperating if Jungkook had anything useful to say.

“And will you tell us, Golden Boy?” Taehyung crooked an eyebrow at him, voice sounding harsh and impatient.

“Normally complex security systems similar to this have a timer and every certain minute, it goes off in different sections of the place, so if we assume that the city has districts or any kind of separated areas with different electricity panels, they will turn off one by one. The dorm’s was the last one to go, so maybe where we are right now is the next one. Whoever is controlling this, they can easily guide us anywhere they want to unless we find a city map with the sections and their order to know it beforehand.”

After Jungkook’s explanation, Jimin hummed, considering. The whole situation reminded him of those old escape games he used to play on his father’s computer when he was little.

“What happens to the sections that got turned off?” he prompted.

It was time for Namjoon, majoring in mechanical engineering, to have his part of the conversation:

“Those sections are cut off electricity that’s for sure and since basically everything runs with electricity here, that can be pretty dangerous if you’re in a closed area like a building.”

“But they wouldn’t do anything that could possibly hurt us, right? The researchers don’t mean harm to us,” Joohyun’s lips quivered and she looked cold even in her light blazer pulled over the pretty blouse she wore. She seemed worried about Sooyoung being left behind but even the hypothesis was ridiculous. Who would dare to hurt them? Even if the simulation was discreetly kept as a secret from the country’s common netizens, the whole committee that chose them for these roles, knew about them. And their family - including Jimin’s influential father - were aware of their whereabouts and would never let anything like that happen. “It’s just a psychological test, right?” 

“I guess,” Seokjin nodded with a lazy shrug as his gaze wandered to his little sister. “They test our reactions, skills and boundaries. They want the five best, so they need to push us a little over the edge.”

“This isn’t the kind of test I signed up for to be honest,” Hoseok admitted while scratching his nape. He looked tired already and the day hadn’t even started yet.

“Well, it’s apparently too late to turn back and give up. Or maybe you can just chill out here and wait to see for yourself what happens when this section is switched off,” Taehyung snorted which was nothing new and Jimin realized fairly quickly that the marketing student cannot be trusted. He was obviously here to win, ready to step over anybody in his way.

They kept snickering in hushed voices but the chaebol guy had rather looked around than to pay attention to them. Maybe it was the early time or just the personality of the group’s other members but they were all uncharastically quiet. Wendy almost dozed off on his boyfriend's shoulder a bit, Joohyun and Seulgi stared ahead of them into the distance at the hundreds of glass buildings reflecting the amplitude of light. And there was the journalist girl, too young to even be there in Jimin’s humble opinion, walked around as if she was on a vacation in a museum and even took photos. She was lucky that her brother was with her or otherwise she would have been in quite a trouble without a chaperon. Too young and too naive to think nobody would notice her secretly snapping photos of the youngest engineering student.

Love has no place in a competition, they said and a part of Wendy agreed, sadly. If you were as ambitious as her, you were bound to lose something even if you won. Sure, she loved Namjoon, they had been dating for more than two years now after that fateful frat party at SNU, but she treasured her dreams more. Being here was a huge step towards becoming what she had always wanted to be: somebody in charge of big chances, helping people, being more than a cog in the system. She couldn’t let herself get distracted but at times like this, nerves tense and breathing shallow, she leaned onto her boyfriend.

Namjoon was a kind soul, a big softie who liked to think of everything in black and white. He could talk about the stars for hours and sometimes he lost track of his own train of thought. He built small robots in his free time and once when Wendy’s car broke down in the middle of nowhere, he drove all the way there and spent an hour single-handedly fixing the gears. But in spite of his huge love for physics and the theory of relativity, he loved Wendy more and they both knew it.

That was the root of all their problems. Wendy thought they were too young to settle down, they had time, a whole life ahead of them and she would have been willing to sacrifice a relationship for her career. On the other hand, Namjoon was a hopeless romantic claiming that she was the one for him and he would have given up everything for her.

This competition was a challenge for both of them. They were majoring in so different fields that their application didn’t endangered the other’s and heck, who would have thought that they both make it there? There was such a slight chance and yet, here they were, fighting for one of those five contracts. One for both of them which seemed even more impossible.

“You up?” a calloused hand nudged her shoulder gently and snapped her out of the crazy theories. Namjoon’s voice had always soothed the girl, so she was able to sigh content despite the circumstances.

“Yeah, just needed a breather. I wouldn’t have thought it’d be so hectic already.”

And it wasn’t even that bad. They have done nothing but wake up and leave the building as soon as it was possible. The most difficult part was to cooperate with others. A system’s weakest point was always the human variable.

Namjoon hummed, agreeing and for a few precious moments they could enjoy this soft bubble around them. It was a fragile little thing, bursting out with the first question thrown into the pit.

“What are we going to do now?”

It felt like the million dollar question in a game show and nobody knew the right answer, the one that they should have figured out, earning points by the researchers.

“I’d pay a visit to the main lab. They have lots of stuff there and maybe we will meet somebody there who can help,” Jimin suggested, fingers adjusting the hem of his Gucci shirt. Wendy had to stop herself from snorting. As if the researchers wanted them to seek help. She firmly believed that they were on their own because that would have made it the perfect trial. Trial of what? That was the good question actually.

“Good idea,” another guy supported the cause but the med student also had a reasonable suggestion:

“We need to find food and water, too. We never know when we need those,” she claimed and as the only medical assistance in the team, Wendy felt like she had to think of everybody’s wellbeing.

Maybe if she weren’t so stubborn and earnest, they would have all gone to the center in that instant, but she couldn’t bypass Joohyun’s nervous behaviour. The eldest girl had been pacing up and down like a lot of others not knowing what to do with themselves. However, unlike the others, she was looking around quite panicked, glancing backwards at the dark dorms on the other end of the street. It was enough for Wendy to take actions and pry herself out of Namjoon’s loving arms to rush to the other girl.

“Hey... what’s wrong?” she asked gently, a soft hand on the shoulder, massaging it with reassuring circles. Joohyun’s breathing became irregular and hasty as the panic settled deep in her bones.

“Insulin. I forgot to bring my insulin,” she replied and incoherently mumbled something about putting it into the common kitchen’s fridge the previous day. They still had hours until breakfast time when Joohyun would have to take the insulin shot before eating, but the thought of not having the medicine on her seemed enough to freak her out which made it worse.

“Oh no, why haven’t you told us before?” Wendy sucked in a breath with a little shake of her head. Of course, nobody would go around announcing to have diabetes since none of them had any idea something like this would happen. With one of her hands still rubbing on the shoulder blades of the other, Wendy raised the volume of her voice to call out to the whole team.“Guys, we need to go to the hospital. Joohyun needs medicine.”

“Fuck it, she can just go alone,” Taehyung growled unimpressed without even sparing a glance at the pale girl resembling an eerie ghost under the moonlight.

“Actually we should go. The hospital must have food in the canteen and if I remember correctly it’s not far from the researchers’ headquarters,” Seokjin stepped in to soothe the uptight nerves.

“It’s right next to it,” a soft, quiet voice supplied and a few heads snapped towards the girl with heart-shaped face and almond eyes. Kang Seulgi, as far as Wendy knew, had majored in architecture and was currently continuing her studies in environmentally-friendly architectural engineering. So at least nobody doubt her word.

“Okay, so you wanna split up? Or do we need to vote?” Seokjin who seemed to be good at managing the team work and handling conflicts looked around. Wendy admired him for his collected, calm words and the way he dealt with even the roughest reactions. He was great in damage control and without him they would have been struggling still to get out of a shutdown area. “Great so who doesn’t agree on going to the hospital for food and then checking out the lab?”

Not a single soul protested, not a single hand flew into the air.

In the end, without much commotion, all eleven of them started walking towards the general direction of downtown. Yet, without a map or GPS signal, it took them almost an hour  from the dorms in the residential area to collectively get to the canal dividing the island into two. From the shore at least they could already see the U-shaped building of the hospital and directly on its left, the prestigious building of the researchers.

“We’re here,” Namjoon breathed and pointed at the stocky, glass-walled building with the universal red positive sign of hospitals. Wendy who walked beside Joohyun to keep a careful eye on her looked up relieved.

“Thank god, I really need to pee,” Hoseok let out a sigh and despite the weight of his backpack and suitcase, he jogged ahead to search for a toilette in the building. The two-winged glass door opened as soon as he touched the control panel with his bracelet.

“Nobody wanted to know,” the med student murmured with an eye roll.

Each of them followed Hoseok without precaution into the hospital which was the first open building they found at the break of dawn. Even illuminated by the orange hues of the rising Sun, the city was still so lonely like an empty shell. They all wondered: where were the researchers? Have they gone home into their commonplace houses on the mainland? Or were they in a very different dorm, safe from the turned off electrical circuits? There was nothing like this in their schedule that was placed on their bunk beds. According to that, they had nothing to do until the meeting at nine o’clock.

Inside of the building, they split into smaller groups in search for the canteen, toilettes or just so they can drop off their heavy bags.

“Come on, let’s find insulin for you. Then we can eat,” Wendy nudged the older girl in the side and a slight discomfort settled in her throat as her boyfriend followed them.

“You don’t have to come with us,” she said sulkily like a child angry at their parents for sending a guardian even though they were old enough to be by themselves. That was exactly what she feared when both her and Namjoon’s application was accepted. She needed her own space, the alone time while the boy like physical closeness. He wasn’t touchy but he liked to be there with her even if it didn’t meant for her.

“I know, still I’d like to. But I won’t if you would prefer me not to,” Namjoon’s steps halted and Wendy immediately felt guilty as she looked at the sincerity on his handsome face and heard his genuine voice. She knew Namjoon would always agree to her terms if she voiced them out, but that became a burden after some time. Shouldn’t he have learnt that by now?

“Whatever,” she shrugged and didn’t turn around to watch her boyfriend’s smile fade as she walked towards the pharmacy of the hospital with Joohyun by her side.

Of course, it was closed, like everything normally at 5am, but they didn’t have time to wait for the opening time. Wendy’s empathy was greater than her sense of justice anyway, so she didn’t waste time to climb over the counter.

“What are you doing?” Joohyun questioned furrowing her neat eyebrows.

“Getting you insulin. I won’t wait and sit around. They want us to prove our resourcefulness. Here it is,” the girl flicked her red hair behind her shoulder.

On the shelves there were regular vitamins and medicines, nothing that needed prescription which was understandable. It wouldn’t have been wise to let those be out in the open for everyone to take. The med student’s eyes scanned through the names of the boxes but quickly realized she won’t find the insulin here. Gosh, how could she be so stupid?

“Don’t you see a fridge or freezer?” she asked Joohyun who eventually followed her suite. They were both looking at every corner they could until the psychology major squealed.

“Here.” She squatted down to the small refrigerator hidden under the counter. “It won’t open.”

And she was right. No matter how much they tried to move the metal door it didn’t nudge for god’s sake until…

“Wait!” Joohyun stopped suddenly, looking down at her wrist and the glimmering silver bracelet on it. Lightly she touched it to the small screen next to the fridge and waited. A few moments later the panel displayed Authorification accepted and the door opened with a beep.

Luckily, inside there was the desired insulin to both of their relief and they found syringe right on the next shelf. Injecting the serum was a piece of cake after all this.

“Thank you. Really,” Joohyun whispered, words a bit broken as she looked up at the dishevelled haired girl. Wendy, taken aback by the gesture amidst the supposed to be fierce competition, blinked dumbfounded at first.

“You’re welcome,” she nodded and hoped she wouldn’t have to regret helping her later.

Jimin grimaced at the pre-wrapped food in the hospital canteen. They had found a storage behind the empty stools that opened under the touch of their identifying bracelets but its content couldn’t satisfy the chaebol’s taste. Sure, he knew he wouldn’t get caviar or any other fancy food but sandwiches? Dry waffles and bottled banana milk? What was he, a freaking child?

He forced down a few bites of a ham sandwich just to fill his grumbling stomach with something but deep down he hoped that the evacuation test either ends soon or people start to fill the city with daylight and they can have a normal meal like they did yesterday evening. He had already finished when he saw the cyber tech guy stand up from one of the tables where he had eaten alone and wander down the hallways. It was suspicious enough for him to get up and follow him.

It took a few turns until he managed to catch up and since he wasn’t even trying to be subtle, he was certain Yoongi knew that he was being followed. Yet, the older guy didn’t question him nor he seemed surprised when Jimin spoke up.

“Where are you going?”

Yoongi looked at him from under his dark lashes. 

“The main nurse desk or the offices. Somewhere in here there must be something about the evacuation plan. They also have to have extra generators and torches,” he said and it seemed so logical. Why hadn’t anyone else thought of that before? And why he didn’t tell anyone about his little plan? Did he intend on getting all the good points for himself?

“I can help,” Jimin offered not wanting to be left out and Yoongi gave him a stern glance. He looked a bit wary but sighed, giving in.

“Okay.”

The two guys followed the maps on the corners of the walls to find the main reception of nurses but looking through the closets, they couldn’t find anything useful. Only when they arrived to the camera control room on the sixth floor, did their pursuit turn out to be fruitful.

“Ah huh,” Jimin remarked as he pulled out a set of torches, batteries from one of the drawers. They also found a huge but not too detailed city map on the wall of which Yoongi took a photo of before he sat down in front of the computer. As soon as it booted up, a nice robotic female voice greeted them.

“Good morning, Min Yoongi and Park Jimin. How may I help you today?”

“How the-” the chaebol wanted to curse as he jumped back in surprise.

“Artificial intelligence, dumbass, we used the bracelets to get in, remember?” Yoongi groaned under his breath and then cleared his throat raising his eyes to the six black computer screens on the wall. “Uh... hello. Can you tell us the purpose of this simulation?”

“Keyword: simulation, purpose. Searching… One search result found within 0.563 seconds.” The computer decoded his question and a few moments later a video footage appeared on each monitor. It played a recording of them from yesterday when they talked to Miss Raina.

“Don’t forget, even though we evaluate you individually, you have to work together in teams to succeed the simulation. Any questions?”

“What is the simulation about exactly?”

“I can’t tell you, sorry. It would change your natural reactions and the results of our research would be false.”

Yoongi sighed.

“We already know that but...”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you. There’s nothing more in the database that you can have access to,” the computer interrupted his protest in a calm, soothing voice but it couldn’t ease neither of them. Jimin’s jaw clenched as he watched the whole situation unfold, the still picture of the video of them on the screens.

“Great.”

“Can I help you with anything else?” the strangely real voice asked nicely and the IT guy didn’t even have to think about the next question.

“What’s happening in the city?”

“The main computer is shutting down the sectors one by one. But you have already known this, didn’t you, Min Yoongi? You graduated Computer Science on the top of your class a year ahead-”

“Enough,” said boy hissed and Jimin had to admit: it was scary, that this computer knew so much about them. It must have been in their files for the application but still… What else did it know? Did it have access to their social media, too? Because fuck, then he was screwed.

“Shutting down… Have a lovely day in Choego, Min Yoongi and Park Jimin!” the computer said goodbye because it interpreted Yoongi’s earlier harsh word as an order and just as he wanted to make it more clear (Hey, wait…!), the monitors’ screens changed to live video footage of different parts of the hospital. Currently it showed the others heading towards the eastern wing of the experimental labs in the basement.

“Shit.”

“What? What’s happening?” Jimin leaned closer confused because he didn’t see anything wrong. Yoongi typed on the computer so fast he could barely follow with his eyes.

“The lab room, they are going towards for god knows why, is specially guarded. It has some messed up defence system if they don’t have the right authorization,” Yoongi whispered and the chaebol couldn’t decide what was the scarier: the flashing red exclamation mark on a certain part of the screen or the tremble in the usually collected older guy’s voice. “We need to warn them.”

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m going (6)

5 o’clock somewhere

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some suggestive, otherwise PG!

Word count: 2,490

Notes: This starts with Drake’s POV, the morning after the derby. I’m starting to drop huge hints about Amara’s backstory, because I can’t help myself...

*****

Drake had set his alarm for 6 am, just in case. He gently pushes Amara’s head back onto the pillow, looks at her as she winces a bit.

‘Go back to sleep, Suarez,’ he whispers, planting a small kiss on her forehead. He couldn’t help but smile.

Before heading out, he finds a little piece of paper on her desk and quickly scribbles his number. Underneath, he writes: ‘Text whenever. Good luck today.’

Back in his room, he starts getting ready, a smile still plastered on his face. He’d have to knock it off real quick, at least before his breakfast with Liam. He’d have to take a shower, too. He still smelled like her, after a whole night of holding her in his arms.

Damn, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

*****

‘Good morning, Lady Amara.’

She was already awake, and thank God, because she was able to find Drake’s note with his phone number before anyone else could.

Especially since it was Bertrand waking her up for once.

‘Good morning, Duke Ramsford.’

She found it ridiculous that he insisted on her using the proper title whenever possible, but she complied. She was familiar with authority and hierarchies. She didn’t love it, but she saw its value. She always had, especially because of her old job. Plus, it made Bertrand happy, and when he was happy, he stayed off her case.

‘Good, you’re awake,’ he says. ‘You need to get ready. You have a tea party with the other suitors, and later, you will all be taken to the croquet game with the Queen. Any questions?’

‘No, Your Grace.’

Bertrand flashes an excited smile. ‘Great. Now hurry. You need to swing by the boutique before brunch.’

He leaves promptly. Amara rolls her eyes. What a weird guy, she thought. She couldn’t believe that he and Max were brothers. They didn’t seem to have anything in common, which had never been her experience with siblings.

She steps out of bed, thinks for a second, and grabs her phone. Too eager? No. It would just be so he had her number, too. She sends her message and starts getting ready.

*****

Drake puts his phone back in his pocket, still smiling. He’d reply later, he didn’t want to appear too eager. Liam waves at him from the balcony. Drake shouts ‘Sorry, I’m late! I’ll be right up.’

He climbs up the stairs faster than ever. It was obvious that he had a spring in his step.

‘Drake, come take a seat!’ Liam says. ‘I’m surprised to see you in such a good mood, you sounded quite drunk on the phone last night. Did you get a good night’s sleep?’

Drake realizes he should be a slightly better actor and says ‘Oh, I slept pretty well I guess. I wasn’t drunk last night, just...tired.’

Liam nods, but Drake can tell he doesn’t quite believe him. After a long pause, Liam asks him the question that he was dreading: ‘Did you happen to see Amara last night? I never heard back from you.’

‘Yeah,’ Drake says, trying to sound as cool as possible. ‘I went over to check on her, she was fine. She had just finished skyping with her roommate. See, she didn’t lie to you.’

‘I’m glad,’ Liam continues, without breaking eye contact. ‘Still, there was something weird about her demeanor last night. I thought about it, and it really seemed as if she didn’t expect me to be there. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I see only one reason.’

Drake audibly gulps. So that’s it, huh. He’s busted.

‘She must have thought someone else wrote her the note,’ Liam adds. ‘One of the other suitors, to mess with her.’

Drake had to fight his urge to roll his eyes. What? Was Liam that self-absorbed that THIS was the only reason he could see to Amara not expecting him? Damn. He had never noticed how cocky Liam was. He chooses to nod silently.

‘See,’ Liam pursues, ‘I knew Olivia could be tough, so can Kiara, and I should have been more careful about Amara being left by herself among these ladies who are pissed about a commoner entering the competition.’

‘Honestly, Liam, I think you’re reading too much into this. I saw Amara and Olivia interact the other day and they seem to get along just fine. I’m sure Amara was just tired and she was surprised that you summoned her.’

‘Summoned? Come on, it wasn’t like that. I asked her out! And she came, but stayed like five minutes.’

‘Asked? I don’t recall seeing any questions on that note.’ He stops in his tracks. Fuck. He wasn’t supposed to read the note. Liam raises his eyebrows, visibly shocked.

‘Oh, you read it?’

‘I mean, I placed it on her desk, so I glanced at it.’

Liam takes a sip of his coffee, without a word.

‘You give me a menial task and then you complain when I’m not a perfect little servant?’ Drake can feel himself getting angry. He needs to calm down. It wasn’t Liam’s fault that he was conflicted. But still, he feels like a lackey, when he’s supposed to feel like a friend.

‘It’s ok, Drake,’ Liam says softly. ‘I can admit that my note was a tad direct, and that I wasn’t really asking. But she was free not to show up.’

Thank God, Drake thought. ‘Yeah. Well, maybe she felt like it was a bit intrusive of you to send someone to her bedroom to drop off a note. But then again, we could sit here all day speculating about how she felt. I can tell you that I saw her last night and--’ ...and she’s a really good kisser. ‘And she was fine.’

‘Ok. Thank you. Did she mention anything about our rendezvous?’

Drake couldn’t believe what his friend was asking. What was he, fifteen? ‘No. Sorry, Li. She didn’t. But to be fair, I didn’t stay long. I checked on her and left her be.’

‘Alright. Thank you. And I’m sorry you felt like I was giving you a menial task.’ Oh. What a heartfelt apology. ‘You’re the only one I can trust and I really like this woman. I’m just eager to see her, that’s all.’

Eager, or pushy? Drake smiles, hoping Liam changes the subject.

‘So Drake, anything new in your love life?’

Oh fuck. Here we go. ‘Nah. I’m not looking for anything right now anyway.’

*****

‘What did you say your last name was, Lady Amara?’

They had just finished playing croquet and had started the picnic with the Queen, along with the new, surprise suitor, an icy blonde named Madeleine. Some of the other women seemed to know her, and Amara would have to ask Maxwell or Olivia about her later. Why did the bitch need to know her last name?

‘Suarez.’

‘Oh, how exotic,’ Madeleine replies, still squinting at her, sipping her tea.

Exotic? What the fuck did that mean? Amara shared a knowing look with Hana, whom she was half-expecting Madeleine to call ‘Oriental’, next. What was up with this colonialist shit?

But Amara merely smiled, not wanting to lose her composure. She was doing so well with Queen Regina, she didn’t want to screw up, especially for Maxwell and Bertrand’s sake. It sounded silly, but she really didn’t want them to regret choosing her to represent House Beaumont, even though she had no interest in Liam at all.

‘So, Lady Amara,’ Madeleine continues, ‘where did you go to school?’

‘I went to NYU, Lady Madeleine.’

‘Oh, how American.’ Amara almost laughed at this one. Yeah, NYU is American, because it’s in America. No shit, Sherlock. Madeleine continues: ‘And what did you study?’

Amara hesitated. With her last name, her alma mater and her major, Madeleine could find out a little too much, but she also didn’t want to lie and claim a major that she did not have. So, she told the truth.

‘Criminal Justice.’

Everyone went silent, but Amara noticed Olivia’s smirk. Of course she would enjoy that.

Thankfully, they changed the subject and started talking about politics, Queen Regina obviously testing the ladies. Amara felt like she was doing well, and Hana’s approving, proud looks reassured her. She really lucked out when she met her, she thought.

After the event, Amara spotted Maxwell waiting for her. She was happy, but at the same time, it strangely felt like her dad was picking her up from preschool, and that was a tad infantilizing. But it was always good to see Maxwell, and it always brought a smile to her lips.

‘Amara! How about some coffee? You too, Hana, if you wish.’

Olivia passes by and, without making eye contact with anybody, just says: ‘Coffee is for weaklings. Let’s get drunk.’ She grabs Amara by the elbow and guides her.

‘It’s 2pm!’ Hana protests.

‘It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!’ Maxwell says, excitedly.

*****

‘Another, Suarez?’

Amara nods, and Olivia heads to the bar to order another round. Hana, a true lightweight, is already giggling, while Maxwell is about to hop on the table.

‘Amara,’ whispers Maxwell, ‘since when are you BFFs with Olivia? I hate to say this, but I feel really cool.’

‘I wouldn’t say we’re BFFs, but we had a couple of moments, y’know. She’s not that bad.’

‘Growing up, she scared me a little, but now, I have to say, she scares me a lot. I’m glad you managed to tame her a bit. But I’m just wondering, why didn’t she offer ME another round?’

‘She didn’t offer me one either,’Hana squeals, thus proving that she really doesn’t need another at all.

‘Hana, honey,’ Amara says, squeezing her friend’s arm, ‘how about some water, huh?’

Olivia comes back with the drinks and looks at Maxwell. He seems to shudder. ‘So, Beaumont, did you know about Madeleine?’

‘What about her?’

‘She joined the competition today. She was at the croquet game bullshit, with Queen Regina, who obviously favors her. Isn’t that fucked up?’

Maxwell’s jaw drops. ‘Seriously? Is that even allowed?’

‘Who cares? Whatever Queen Regina wants, Queen Regina gets. Same goes for fucking Madeleine.’

‘Um, are you guys gonna tell us who Madeleine is? I can’t take the suspense anymore,’ Amara interrupts.

Olivia takes a sip from her cocktail and starts talking. ‘Madeleine was in the previous competition. She was engaged to Liam’s brother, Leo. But he didn’t want to be with her, or to be King, apparently, so he abdicated, broke the engagement, and ran away with some bitch on a cruise ship. That’s why Liam, who’s not the first child, is set to be King after Constantine. Madeleine comes from a powerful family, she is Countess of Fydelia, and also Queen Regina’s niece.’

Hana makes a horrified face. Olivia quickly adds: ‘It’s not a Game of Thrones situation. Regina is not Leo and Liam’s biological mother.’

‘Right, I knew that,’ Hana says hastily. ‘I just forgot for a second and it really...grossed me out.’

‘Well,’ Olivia continues, ‘it’s not unheard of in Cordonia, or in Europe for that matter. That’s kinda how monarchy works. In any case, now you know. She was pissed when the engagement broke, not so much because she wanted Leo, but more so because she really wants the crown.’ She downs the rest of her cocktail and, in the same movement, gets back up to get another.

‘Jeez, this woman is a machine,’ Maxwell whispers.

Hana nods furiously.

‘I’ll be right back, guys,’ Amara says.

She joins Olivia at the bar, sits next to her, and asks ‘Are you ok?’

‘Yep.’

‘Come on, Olivia. I know it’s not a coincidence that you took everyone here for drinks on the very day Madeleine makes her debut.’

Olivia sighs. ‘Fine. It pisses me off. She just waltzes in and everyone is ok with it.’

‘Not everyone. I didn’t care for her little pointed comments, and I know Hana didn’t either.’

Olivia scoffs. ‘I didn’t mean you. I meant the Royal family. It’s totally rigged, now it’s obvious Liam is gonna choose her.’

‘No! I can’t see Liam liking someone like that.’

‘Sweet summer child. You think it’s up to Liam now? Before the bitch showed up, I would have agreed with you. The very fact that you’re here proves that Liam had some sort of agency. But the Queen brought her niece back to the competition, and that means she’s about to take control. Game over.’ She gives Amara a long, pointed look. ‘Not that you care.’

Amara raises her eyebrows. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘For starters, your Walker boner is showing.’

Amara chuckles. There’s nothing she can say to that.

‘Alright, let’s go back to your two kids over there. Lee is about to pass out.’ Olivia shakes her head. ‘After two measly cocktails. Shame.’

*****

Amara plops onto her bed, her head slightly spinning. She’s getting really concerned that she might end up with an alcohol problem.

She looks inside the bag of groceries she just bought. Thank God for Maxwell who was still sober enough to take her to the store. She needed normal and comfort food, not just courtly finger sandwiches. She realizes she’s actually complaining about free food, but oh well.

A few bags of candy, some instant mac and cheese, granola bars, grapes, apples, potato chips. Perfect for a depressed teen, with a hint of fruit.

She looks further into the bag, to the item she carefully hid from Maxwell at checkout. She hadn’t felt ashamed of buying condoms since she was, what, seventeen? She quickly puts the box in her nightstand. There, she thinks, now she can relax and she won’t have to think about it until she...does.

Alright. She sits back in her bed, and fires up her computer to look for some music to play. For the first time today, she feels truly relaxed. Madeleine’s presence was irritating, sure, but at least it would help keep Liam at arm’s length, since his stepmother would make him give Madeleine some attention.

She grabs her phone, looks at her missed calls, but she won’t call back, not tonight. No, that’s not what she’s looking for in her phone.

The text from Drake, the one he sent her while she was at the bar, is what she goes back to.

Hope croquet wasn’t too tedious. Let me know if you get bored.

She smiles. When was the last time she re-read a text ten times? She would feel pathetic, except that she felt so fucking light.

*****

Drake is in his bed, reading Annie Proulx’s Accordion Crimes for the millionth time. If anybody asks, he’ll say it’s a coincidence.

His phone buzzes. Funny how his phone now mattered to him, when he didn’t give a shit about it, just yesterday.

He grabs it a little too fast, a little too eagerly. His heart beats faster upon reading the message, and a giant smile appears on his face.

Wanna come over?

*****

Taglist:

@andy-loves-corgis , @drakewalkerwhipped , @drakxwalker , @drakewalkerrosenberg , @drakeswalkers , @drakelover78 , @silviasutton1989 , @jovialyouthmusic , @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria , @mariahschoices , @drakesensworld , @thequeenofcronuts , @notoriouscs , @drakewalkerisreal

Thank you for your encouragements, everyone! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :)

[blogusediphones]

Ten Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Buy an iPhone

This has been the week from hell as far as iPhone hype goes. Over and over and over, we’ve all been subjected to more and more iPhone blather. Enough already! It’s time to cut this stupid phone down to size, once and for all! And mark my words, that’s all it is…a stupid phone! It is not a cure for cancer, it will not bring peace to the world, it will not feed the hungry or provide homes to the homeless. It’s a freaking phone and it’s high time somebody drew a line in the sand and said: Thus far and no farther with the iBlather! So here are ten reasons why you should NOT buy an iPhone. No doubt the Apple Cultists will flame me for saying it like it is but it’s about time somebody did. So here is why you should avoid this vile piece of over-hyped crap:

10. Too Expensive

Is Apple kidding us? $599 for a freaking phone? Wow…just wow. No phone is worth that much money even if it has a few “gee whiz” and “it’s neat” type features. Apple has gone way, way off the deep end this time with the price of this behemoth phone. Why would anybody be foolish enough to pay that much for a cell phone? Are people that addicted to blabbing on the phone that they must pay $600 to do so? Sheesh, get a life people. Do you really want to waste your money lining the pockets of Steve Jobs and his minions at Apple? Take the $599 and do something productive with it instead of wasting it on yet another over-hyped, over-priced Apple product.

9. Tiny Storage

Well just as with the iPod, we can always count on Apple screwing us over with tiny amounts of storage space. The $499 iPhone has 4GB and the $599 has 8GB. What on earth does Apple expect people to do with that tiny bit of storage space? Think about it. The vaunted iPhone is supposed to be able to play movies as well as play songs. Well how many movies are you going to be able to store with just 4GB of storage space? And how many songs can you carry? To say nothing of your other data that you might need to tote around with you. Apple appears to have rushed headlong into the release of the iPhone with no thought whatsoever about how starved for storage space iPhone users will soon be. And what does Jobs think is going to happen? That people will carry around a terabyte external hard disk with them to desperately try to carry their needed data? Come off it, Steve. The minimum data storage for the $499 iPhone should have been 500GB at the very least with the top of the line model having at least 800GB or preferably 1 terabyte.

8. Stylish and Stupid

There’s no doubt about it that the iPhone look “stylish” when you first see it. But isn’t that really the problem with all of Apple’s products? They look pretty but provide very low value for the price? Do you really want to be a loser that overpays for the iPhone just to look cool for a little while? Don’t forget that no matter how “stylish” you look, sooner or later other people will have an iPhone and then you’ll just look stupid. Is that what you’re really after? To look stupid trying to be cooler than everybody else? Hey, you can do that without spending $600. In fact, you may have already achieved that goal just by reading this column but I’ll leave that to each reader to decide for themselves.

7. Stuck With AT&T

One of the worst things that Apple ever did was to sign a five year exclusive agreement with AT&T to be the wireless provider for the iPhone. Five years! So if you use Verizon, Tmobile, or some other provider, you can’t get an iPhone unless you switch to AT&T. To date AT&T doesn’t seem to have all that great of a reputation as a mobile service provider. I can’t speak from experience because I’ve never used them but isn’t it odd how a fossil from telephone service days gone by (AT&T) ended up in bed with Apple, a company that likes to pride itself on being “cutting edge.” It’s the telecom marriage made in hell! What exactly was Apple thinking here? Did it deliberately decide to screw over customers on other services? We’ll never know what on earth was going through Steve Jobs’ head when he made this wacky decision (was his turtleneck too tight and it cut off the blood supply to his head?) but anybody on a different wireless carrier will have to live with it unless they want to switch to AT&T.

6. Edge and Not 3G

Apple’s decision to go with AT&T is also costly for another reason. The iPhone apparently will be using AT&T’s super-slow and crappy Edge data service instead of 3G. Wow. Another major screw-up by Apple. Are you willing to pay for a slow data connection on your “cool” iPhone? Stop and think about that for a minute. You’re going to be paying for a data service that might take a few minutes to load this web page, depending on how it performs that day you use it. Given that the iPhone is supposed to be “cutting edge”, I can’t imagine what Apple was thinking to release it on a service that doesn’t offer 3G data transfer speeds. It’s like Apple released a corvette that can only go up to 35mph. What the heck is the point?

5. No Flash or Java Support

Flash and Java are both pretty basic parts of the web experience. And yet Steve Jobs and his lackeys have arbitrarily decided to exclude them from the iPhone web experience. So much for “the internet in your pocket” blather that Jobs was spewing earlier on. It’s more like the “crippled, crappy, lame version of the Internet in your pocket” instead. No doubt though that Apple’s marketing department will probably put their usual spin on this and start touting the iPhone as being “Flash-free” or “Java-free” as though both things were positives instead of negatives. And you know what? The Apple Faithful will eat it up! They’ll storm out onto the Web and begin filling discussion forums and newsgroups with inane comments about how the iPhone “protects” users from evil things like Flash and Java. I guess when you’re the head of a cult, you can make people believe anything.

4. Two Year Contract and $175 Termination Fee

When you buy an iPhone you better get ready to pay out even more! You’ll have to agree to a 2 year contract, whether you like it or not. And what happens if you decide to switch to another wireless provider? Get ready because you’ll have to cough up another $175 to regain your freedom from the tyranny of AT&T and Apple. Talk about a ripoff!

3. No Keyboard

I’m sorry but I’m not buying the “multitouch is great” line of thinking. I don’t want to be dependent on a stupid touch screen, I want a keyboard! Who knows how accurate the iPhone’s touch screen keyboard will be? Early rumors suggest that it might be a disaster in the making. Do you really want to pay $599 or even $499 to find out that it’s a total pain in the rear end just to text somebody and that you have no option whatsoever for a built-in keyboard? What was Apple thinking here? No hardware keyboard and a dubious, iffy software based keyboard that could be completely unusable for most people? No thanks! Put a hardware-based keyboard in the next version, Apple, and maybe it will be worth considering.

2. Crapfari Instead of Firefox​

One of the most disappointing and shocking things about the iPhone is that it ships with the second (or is it third or fourth rate?) browser known as Safari. I prefer to call it Crapfari as there are just far too many sites that don’t work properly with it for me to consider it a real browser. Instead of shipping with a real browser like Firefox, Apple chooses its bastard step-child of a browser. And then it has the temerity, the impudence to release the same bug-ridden piece of junk on Windows right before the launch! Could Apple be more arrogant? How many people are aware of just how bad the Crapfari browser really is and that they will have no alternative on the iPhone? I bet there will be a lot of shocked and angry iPhone users once they start trying to use the web and find that the Crapfari browser won’t display their favorite sites properly. Well what did they expect from a fourth rate browser anyway?And here’s the number one reason why you shouldn’t even consider buying an iPhone:1. I’ll Get to the Apple Store Ahead of YouIf you’ve read this far then you’ve finally discovered the *real* reason I wrote this column.You see, I’m out to dissuade as many people as possible from buying an iPhone so that I have less competition on Friday when I go to get mine. Yep, this entire column is nothing more than a self-serving ruse at giving myself the best chance possible to snag an iPhone on opening day.The fewer people that are interested in the iPhone, the better my chances at getting one! So in this column I’ve just regurgitated all the usual FUD about the iPhone, Apple, and AT&T in a blatant attempt to discourage you from being remotely interested in buying one.And I want one…make no mistake about it…I want an iPhone…bad! It’s all I’ve been able to think about for the last few days…I’ve been dreaming of ditching my crappy Verizon phone and holding the sleek, sexy iPhone in the palm of my hand.Yes…I must have one…and I will have one! No matter who or what gets in my way! So don’t even bother to leave your house on launch day to get an iPhone. If you do, you’ll find that I got there ahead of you and bought the last one. Muhuhahahahha! Suckers!Did my ruse work? Have you been dissuaded from buying an iPhone? Tell me in the forum.

[glitched-reflections-blog]

Harpy Matsu AU

Okay. Tabimatsu staff, you got me. Bird/Parrot Matsus? Let me expand on that and make them harpies. I love Oso-san AUs with a passion, but I've never really made my own. I have no idea if anybody's thought of a Harpy AU or not - in which case, I'm incredibly sorry if there already has been one in the past. I wish I could draw these out... Anyway, have at it.

General

- Like traditional harpies, they have the talons of a bird on both their feet and hands, feathers growing along their arms right up to their wrists, and long tails for balance and aerial maneuvering. When crossing their arms, their wings resemble a feathery shawl. Peeking closely at their hair reveals tiny feathers that are scattered throughout, and their chests have soft tufts of fluffy down feathers.

- The sextuplets have large wingspans that complement their human-like size. They can remain aloft for a good hour until they become exhausted from physical exertion due to tiresome flapping. Evolution has made them more land locked than their ancestors. Gliding between trees is their favored method of travel. Their talons are powerful enough to propel themselves off the ground and grasp onto surfaces securely.

- Living near a human village has made the brothers partially reliant on them for their needs: tools, clothes, books, and advanced contraptions are prime examples of what separates them from others of their kind. Harpyfolk and humans live together peacefully but some choose to avoid harpies as a show of respect, believing that they are heavenly envoys of the goddess they worship.

- The Matsuno family live in a small, self sustained network of branching tree cabins that connect through tightly woven vine bridges. Its location is near the base of a calming waterfall, their source of clean drinking water and bountiful food. Matsuyo and Matsuzo share a cabin, while their sons each have one to call their own.

Osomatsu (Scarlet Macaw)

- Among his brothers, Osomatsu’s colors radiate splendidly through the thick vegetation of the woods. He preens himself regularly when alone and doesn’t seem to mind losing his feathers while doing boisterous activities. He is the absolute worst when pin feathers grow back in their place, the itchiness causing him to complain until a much needed bath soothes him.

- His favorite fruit to eat are pomegranates. He stockpiles them in his hut and cuts them open to place its seeds in his trusted, handmade leaf satchel that his mother made for him. Oso enjoys lazing about by the grass carpeted rock cliffs in the village, snacking on pomegranate while watching the clouds drift by in tranquility.

- Oso loves showing off his aerial acrobatics and challenges his younger brothers to friendly competitions. He has a lot of endurance, yet his eagerness stifles his ability to think ahead and leaves his navigational skills disarranged.

- A particular hobby of his is searching for old relics relating to his species that are scattered about in the lands his family reside in. Anything he doesn’t deem interesting, he sells them to the village for quick money. His treasured possession is an old compass that perpetually points to the sky. Choromatsu believes that it could lead them to another harpy civilization – one whose roots have survived the sands of time, living within the far reaches of the stratosphere.

Karamatsu (Black-throated Magpie-Jay)

- No one matches his expertise on preening. Much of his free time is spent making his wings perfect beyond reason, and his hair well groomed. He sports an impressive black crest on his head that flares up when he is surprised or when he attempts to provoke awe and adoration from humans.

- Karamatsu is enthralled by stringed musical instruments and has taught himself how to play them as a young hatchling. He has a natural singing voice that he revels in sharing with anyone who is willing to listen. He often allows Jyushimatsu to tag along with him to sing duets to generous villagers with heavy wallets and they have become marginally famous for their performances.

- The best at the culinary arts in his family next to his mother, he has a collection of recipe books written by both harpies and humans that he can skim through when he’s chosen as the designated cook for the evening.

- His silhouette when soaring is said to be breathtaking, his long tail trailing behind him like fluttering silk ribbons and his wings as delicate as an ornamental paper kite. Karamatsu takes advantage of these free flight sessions to gain unending inspiration for his songs.

Choromatsu (Indian Ringneck)

- Choromatsu’s behavior is described as the most “human” of the sextuplets. He prefers traversing on terra firma rather than taking to the skies. An accident involving a massive rockslide has left him terrified of potential falls when flying, where he was severely injured for weeks. This fear has caused him to never rely on his wings. His brothers collectively strive to coax him into using them once again, but Choro is stubbornly set in his ways.

- Writes a personal encyclopedia that laboriously analyzes the fauna, flora, environment, and weather patterns of the region. He’s studious in his research and often arranges expeditions with Osomatsu as his own spirited lookout.

- His eyes are a subject of discussion among his brothers. Like an Indian Ringneck, his pupils pine when he speaks animatedly about his various interests. It unnerves Todomatsu considerably and the others will try to set him up into getting Choro excited just to entertain themselves with the youngest’s overreactions.

- He volunteers at the library to peruse the countless aisles of books that seem to call his name. When no one is looking, he flips through their pages for any insightful information and jots down the titles for future reference. He’s been caught slacking off with his nose pressed to a page of a juicy erotic novel that he couldn’t put down.

Ichimatsu (Violet-backed Starling)

- Ichimatsu’s feathers have an iridescent sheen that is uncommon in harpies and desired by humans for their natural elegance suitable for those of high class standing. Unfortunately, his lack of care leaves them frayed at the ends, giving him a more gloomy appearance that contrasts with his stunning hues. He is understandably shy around humans and will avoid contact unless someone has gained his hard earned trust.

- He patrols the forest in search of sick or injured animals, a task that he has designated for himself. Ichi carries medical supplies and bottled water at all times for such occasions. The black footed cats that make their rounds around the Matsuno's residence were all cared for by Ichimatsu and have remained fiercely loyal to him.

- Ichi was the last to learn how to fly but with Osomatsu's patience and guidance, he can take flight relatively well, but with some minor issues. He tires instantly and requires frequent breaks in between trips to and fro from the village and his home.

- Files down his claws so as to not hurt others. He's also worried about them accidentally getting lodged into branches or floorboards. They grow at an exponentially quick rate that is hard for him to keep up with.

Jyushimatsu (Lutino Cockatiel)

- Mimicry is his talent as a harpy, achieving perfect pitch and replicating different sounds from simply hearing them. He whistles short calls that serve as vital communication signals, from which he has shared and taught to his brothers.

- Jyushi adores taking vitalizing baths in the waterfall basin every morning to help stimulate his joints and muscles before engaging in his daily strenuous exercise regimens. He drags Ichimatsu outside of his cozy nest and will set him down onto the water, splashing considerable amounts of it on top of him while Ichi idles by groggily, uncaring and soaked from head to toe.

- The village children admire Jyushimatsu immensely and will not hesitate to flock to him the moment he is in sight. He will indulge in their favorite games and give them rides around the village's perimeter if given permission from their watchful parents.

- His upper body strength is rather impressive for someone of his kind. Because of this, he's capable of carrying heavy items while flying for extended periods of time. He lends a talon to anyone who might need help in deliveries, and always receives rewards for his efforts.  Money, food, and homemade gifts are just some of the many offerings he brings home.

Todomatsu (Galah Cockatoo)

- Totty has an abnormal fascination with humans and wishes he could be one, downplaying his bird charateristics unless it serves a distinct purpose. Loathes being considered a "superior species" on account of the distance it creates between himself and those he recognizes as plausible friends. He is extremely fond of lavishing, positive compliments on his fluffy, cotton soft feathers from which he pretends are simply fancy accessories rather than a part of what he is.

- A giant Magnolia tree stretches its deep roots right outside the village, overlooking the gargantuan mountains in the boundary surrounding the steep cliffsides. Its caretaker is Todomatsu, who tends to the soil and pours fresh water on a day to day basis. There is a wooden bench built with Karamatsu's help that Todomatsu requested to improve his scenic getaway spot.

- He's afraid of wandering through the forest by his lonesome and always calls on his older brothers for assurance. Outright refuses to leave his cabin at nighttime unless it's an important or urgent matter.

- The galah cockatoo harpy loves perusing the village's clothing stores and periodically suggests designs to the local couturiers that he commissions handsomely out of his own pockets. Boasts the biggest wardrobe and proudly displays his custom fashion to his acquaintances - he's single handedly made businesses skyrocket in earnings.

[letsimportanttreecollection-blog]

What happens if I want Homeowners and Car insurance with the same company?

"What happens if I want Homeowners and Car insurance with the same company?

Say my car insurance is with Company C and expires October 31 and my homeowners insurance is with Company H and expires January 31.   I saw somewhere that if I have both insurances with the same Company then I save money.   How do I line up the two insurance renewal dates so that I do not waste the money I paid for homeowners insurance between October 31 and January 31?

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://salecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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I am 17 and getting my license in november and I want to buy sports car (ex:mustang) that won't jack up my insurance, and won't break down all the time, my budget is about 12,000. Any recommendations?""

Do i need insurance to get a title transferred into my name?

I just bought my first car, and i have never had insurance. i live in pennsylvania, so can i go the the title transfer place and get it done without insurance? ill get insurance the next day, but insurance companies will not accept me until the title is transferred?""

How much would car insurance cost for a 17 year old from allstate in california?

does it also matter what kind of a car it is? I have a 1999 chevy malibu

Why is my car insurance so high?

I bought a 2007 nissan sentra in 2011 and unfortunately didn't look into the insurance factor when I made my decision. I do have a lien on the car, but I'm in my 30's, no tickets, no accidents, okay credit, and I'm still paying over $200 a month in insurance! I pay more for the insurance then I do the car payment! Is the insurance high because it is a foreign car or what?""

How much should a person pay for car insurance in uk?

How much should a person pay for car insurance in uk?

Car insurance quotes online?

Where can i find good companies info on quotes in online

How do I find the best auto insurance company?

My rates for auto insurance rates keep on going up even when past citations drop off. Is there a way to lower my car insurance premiums? How do I find the best auto insurance company? Thanks for your help!

Is Progressive a good insurance company?

My mom seems to think it's not based on what she heard almost 10 years ago. We currently have Allstate which is costing us $265/mo whereas Progressive could cost us $171/mo. IDK why she won't even try it

Cheap insurance sites?

Cheap insurance sites?

Wondering how much is car insurance?

i am wondering how much is car insurance a month for a small car if you know an estimate please write it down

How much will my car insurance cost? (Teenager)?

I am 16 years of age, and will be in 11th grade as of the next school year. I had B Honor Roll the last two years of school. I will be most likely driving my mother's Nissan Quest (2013) or my father's Nissan Titan (I do not remember the year). I am currently enrolled in Driver's Ed, and will get my permit once I finished. I live in Jacksonville, Florida, if that is helpful. I need to know for a Driver's Ed assignment. I was supposed to ask my parents, but they don't know, and I know they will forget soon.""

Interest rates for a rental property?

I've been told that I can expect a higher interest rate when I buy a house to use as a rental property than I would if it were a primary residence. What sort of a difference are we talking? 1%? more? less? Also ditto that for insurance. I can only assume that it would be more, but how MUCH more is the question.""

How do traffic tickets affect insurance premiums?

So if you get a traffic ticket you generally get: a fine, driving school and it makes your insurance premium worse. Is this always true when it comes to the insurance? Is this a rule defined by the insurance or can something be done to avoid that insurance thing? The state is CA btw.. if that matters..""

Insurance for modified car advice !!?

i want to buy a car that has full interior and exterior body work done to it, will this effecct the insurance ?? also the engine has had a 'ecu chip' and air filter added/changed so will this effect insurance in any way ?? and can i get replys from someone who knows what there on about no some random answer thanks""

Car insurance?.............?

if im 17 and i want to pay car insurance, would it be cheaper if i put my grandpa whos been driving for yeara on the insurance?""

Car Insurance Question?

Can a 16 year old girl drive her parent's car alone without her name being on the insurance?

""What type of motorcycles should I get, to have some what cheap insurance and price of bike?""

Im 23 years old live in southern Ontario. Looking into getting my first bike, I currently have my M2 with a safety course. What type of bike should i look at to have the cheapest insurance rates/ price of the bike? Thanks. Appreciate any comments!""

What happens if I want Homeowners and Car insurance with the same company?

Say my car insurance is with Company C and expires October 31 and my homeowners insurance is with Company H and expires January 31.   I saw somewhere that if I have both insurances with the same Company then I save money.   How do I line up the two insurance renewal dates so that I do not waste the money I paid for homeowners insurance between October 31 and January 31?

Misrepresentation of information for auto insurance in the state of florida?

What is the penalty for misrepresentation of information for auto insurance? Does the insured get sued by the car insurance company? Would that stop the insured form getting car insurance later on? Can that result in insurance fraud and if so...What happens then? this is serious so if you do not know the answer, doe not answer. no time for jokes.""

How much does it cost to add a teen driver to an insurance?

I have completed driver ed privately and also have a 4.8 gpa. My parents are with allstate insurance company, I plan on getting my own car and being the primary driver. I was just looking about around how much it would be yearly. I'm not sure if it makes a difference but the car is either going to be jeep or an suv.""

""Have a question for all those knowledgeable about cars, insurance, etc.? Is this true?""

Is it true that two door vehicles are more costly, insurance wise, than four door vehicles? I ask because I am considering purchasing a certain vehicle; however, i'd rather have the coupe than the sedan. Someone told me that any vehicle with two doors is considered a sports car, and therefore, more costly to insure, than a sedan would be. Is this true? Or does it just depend on the car?""

Texas Insurance Question.?

My parents always freak out when I have to drive their car because mine is in the shop. We have different insurances and I am not on theirs. If a cop stops me will he take their car because my name is not on their insurance. This is my parents worry and I am also not really sure. This is in Texas of course.

How much does storage unit insurance cost?

I'm sure there are a billion variables but I'm just trying to get a loose ballpark figure. I'm renting a 5x5 climate controlled unit in one state but I live in another. I'm storing ~$5000 worth of stuff--black forest clocks my parents brought back from Germany in the late 40s/early 50s; figurines, etc., most more sentimental than material value. The unit itself is a name-brand secure facility in a decent neighborhood with gated access. I figure I'll have the unit about 6 months. Like I said, I'm just trying to get a rough idea, not an etched in stone quote. Any ideas are greatly appreciated. sbf""

Crotch rockets and payments?

i was wanting to get a crotch rocket.. are the payments and insurance pretty cheap? im 18 years old so i dont know if that would make a difference

Pregnant with no insurance?

I recently moved and I no longer have health insurance. I am 33 weeks pregnant. I do not qualify for Medicaid. are there any other inexpensive options? I am currently working part time but I won't be working for much longer.

Can my apartment management include premiums of renters insurance on my rent ?

The complex I live in requires that each tenant have renters insurance because the management suffered losses from damages as a result of the tenants' negligence. I want to have the freedom to choose the company that I buy it from -- but they want to increase my rent in order to cover for the premiums. The management company in turn buys a policy for each unit. Can they do that ? I live in California.

In california can i report an accident but pay for it in cash ? or when i report it auto contact my insurance?

like if i was in an accident and i reported to the dmv i can still pay it in cash right and the insurance doesn't have to raise the money ? state ur source please

What are the typical insurance rates for small retail businesses?

I'm planning on opening a small book store in East King County, WA in the next year or two. The store will be about 1,100 - 1,200 square feet. Does anyone have an idea of what the premium would be for general liability insurance? I can't get a quote because the store doesn't exist yet, but I need the info for my business plan. Help!""

Does installing a new stereo into your car affect your insurance?

A lot of car insurance companies ask whether any modifications have been made to the car and I was just wondering on whether this included stereos.

""Cheap dental work without insurance in Oregon, Gresham?""

Cheap dental work without insurance in Oregon, Gresham?""

Car insurance rate question?

If I use my dads insurance on my car and get into an accident what will happen? Who would get in trouble me or me father?

Geico car insurance late?

my geico car insurance will be due in 3 days but it will be ten days after that do i get paid do you have a grace period or i time frame after the due date with geico

Will changing my Irish driving licence over to the UK greatly decrease my car insurance quotes?

I graduated from university last June and have since began working in England. I'm looking to get a car now but I'm finding that insurance quotes are quite high. I'm 26, male and have had my licence for 5 years, yet I'm being quoted in the range of 1,300-1,800 (for a Ford Mondeo 1.8 or a Peugeot 206 1.1). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.""

Cheap car insurance with DUI?

I'm really struggling to pay rent along with everything else, and now I have to pay car insurance or else my registration will be suspended. I can barely afford to buy food with my part time job and school. Is there a really cheap car insurance company that accept DUIs? I don't have bad credit and have ALWAYS paid my bills, I just need something relatively cheap or else I have no idea how I am going to stay under a roof with food. I live in northern California if that matters.""

DO I QUALIFY FOR DISABILITY INSURANCE ?

I HAVE PAID INTO MY DISABILITY INSUURANE FOR MANY YEARS. I RECENTLY LOST MY JOB BUT GOT ANOTHER ONE WORKING ON A AS NEEDED BASIS, NO INSURANCE, NO RETIREMENT. THEY CALL ME IN MAYBE ONCE A WEEK TO COVER. THIS JOB IS HARD MANUAL LABOR AND BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR A WHILE MY BACK HAS BEEN DAMAGED. I HAVE CONSTANT PAIN THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY. MY QUESTION IS COULD I GO OUT ON DISABILITY FROM THIS JOB EVEN THOUGH I AM AN ONCALL EMPLOYEE? THANKS""

If you drive with no license or insurance are you automatically at fault?

A friend of my got into a car accident, his car was totaled and at the time he had a suspended licenese and no car insurance. Although the police report shows that he was not at fault the insurance company of the other party is now persuing him for $14,000 in damages. Unfortunatly he is having economic hardships and cannot make the payment they are requesting. They are clearly making threats to suspend his license if he doesnt pay $250 a month. Because he had no insurance or license is he automatically at fault? Is there anything he can do? Does anyone have any info on a good lawyer? Any Information would be helpful. Thank you :-)""

How much is AAA a month?

I have Roadside Assistance with AT&T and I pay only $2.99 a month for 4 calls every calendar year but they only cover from about 2 to 10 miles if I need a tow. I'm thinking about switching to AAA but I really don't know anything about AAA. Can anyone give me some insight on AAA? PLEASE :-)

SR-22 insurance in Massachusetts?

I have a friend whose license was suspended in Rhode Island 6 years ago for failure to pay tickets. He went and paid them all and RI is requesting he purchases SR-22 insurance. He currently lives in MA and we don't have SR-22 insurance in MA. Any help on where to go from here?

Insurance comparison websites. Why can't I ask about a theoretical car?

They need the registration number. Why also do they need to know my phone number? All I want to know is- can I afford the insurance? A lot of people tell new drivers to go on comparison sites to get prices, but in reality you can't use them.""

Whats a good/affordable motorcyle insurance company?

I want to buy a Yamaha R6 but the premiums for a bike are ridiculous.. cheapest ive found was through progressive for 900$/month... thats more than my leased car payment and car insurance a month... anyone? thanks.

Why is car insurance mandatory but not health insurance?

Say you have mandatory car insurance but not health insurance and you get in a car accident and get injured; your mandatory car insurance covers your car but what about you?

What is the cheapest but best health insurance that is in Texas?

Under $100 a month. I need to know asap. I am a 20 year old full time employee and i need to see a doctor asap.

Insurance question for my car?

when i turn 16, if my mom calls and just puts my car under her as driving it, and dont mention that i will be driving, if something happens would i be covered under her policy or would i not be covered since i wasnt one of the names insured. it is alot cheaper to just go under her, but if i got pulled over, or anything happened would i be covered under insurance.""

What happens if I want Homeowners and Car insurance with the same company?

Say my car insurance is with Company C and expires October 31 and my homeowners insurance is with Company H and expires January 31.   I saw somewhere that if I have both insurances with the same Company then I save money.   How do I line up the two insurance renewal dates so that I do not waste the money I paid for homeowners insurance between October 31 and January 31?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/minneapolis-minnesota-cheap-car-insurance-quotes-zip-55444-chapman/"

[worldofsurvivortibet-blog]

EPISODE 1 (Part 2) - “I'll be sharpening my knife just in case” - Eddie

SEB

I'll be happy if I never have to see another fucking Robot Unicorn for the rest of my life...

NICHOLAS

Hey guys! So I am going to send it here so it's easier, but I already LOVE my tribe! Everyone is so sweet and easy to talk to (something that isn't always the case in these games). I am really trying to be super active and friendly and supportive towards people so that they feel like they should keep me around,,,, and i think it's working well since I got added to that fun alliance! I'm working hard for this reward challenge so I can prove my worth to all of these people on my tribe! That's about it for now! xoxoxoxo Nicholas

AMANDA

OK i have found that i hate this unicorn game. Like HATE IT.  I am so over it. everyone seems cool so far. there is some people that i am already kind of nervous  about because they just seem like they are already trying to play games and stuff. IDK but they just have me on edge but oh well. I think i am going to try to become close with them but idk i don't really want to be close with hem bc i don't trust them.

JARED

Honestly I am PISSED I was not put with Daniella or Trysten, and I’m stuck with the damn furry! But this will not bring me down, I am here to WIN and I will do whatever it takes to do that. Right now my goal is to just be social and try my best to talk to everyone, because god knows I do not want to be the first one voted out!

CHRISSA

we won that reward which is cool there's a reason i like that game, I hope we win immunity too so nervous still. I am hoping i am safe if we don't win either though. Voting if we had to, would be so hard.

ELENA

I am so happy that we won reward! I am a little bit confused about what exactly they are able to do at "the summit" but hopefully Dani and Darian will share with us when they get back! So far as tribe relations go, I haven't had a chance to speak with everyone yet, but I have made a couple of friends it seems in Seb and Darian. I hope to speak with everyone at least once before Immunity challenge is over.

DANI

I WANTED THAT GODDAMN IDOL CLUE! ME! I did! But my freaking Papa Jabari or whatever that dish was called didn't have jack SHIT! Grrrr.... I Didnt even eat that shit it tasted like acc trash! So I'm starving and now I'm stuck on a fucking mountain peak with a furry, someone who plays the victim all the time, a photographer piece of shit who I'm targeting, and a few other assclowns I haven't had the privilege of conversing with. GET ME OUT OF HERE NOW!

MATT

My lord Seamus got angry over something I called toast. I need to do that more *eyes emoji*

CHRISSA

flag challenges are ugly but I am here for it and the summit twist is cool that's all

JARED

Honestly, I’m mad.  I wanted to go to the summit because I wanted to talk to Daniella… *starts sobbing* I just feel so ALONE! It’s not fair….

TRYSTEN

I'm not going to lie. I feel defeated a little. I just feel like the weakest link, and I'm not going to be surprised if they vote me out.

KENDALL

Okay I just found out newlyf's name, it's Ally. I was right the first time, which is weird because I am usually never right at all. So chances are we are in the Matrix, sorry to shatter your fragile reality :/. Now on to more substantial things: 1. The Reward Challenge Yeah fuck that challenge man. I'm not going to lie, for the first ten minutes it was sort of fun. I like addicting things and the music was pretty good but everything went down hill and it went down hill fast. I still have the bloody song stuck in my head. :( 2. Summit Interesting concept and I like the idea of having an excuse for not being as social. Unfortunately I couldn't jump at the opportunity because that would be stupid. It would put a target on my back if I did, as the possibility of me having an idol would increase. Plus the odds of someone from my group going was very high considering we make up 4/7. And low and behold I was right. Two of the people I trust the most went to the Summit and I got to keep my hands clean. I guess this also means that the idol thing was fake which leads me to say, really guys, really? I stressed out about this.  3. The Immunity Challenge Flag making challenge, I volunteered because nobody else knew how to use photoshop and I am really good at drawing. I'm no Picasso (early Picasso, not late Picasso, I could do that shit) but I think it will work. Not to mention I hate relying on other people because people are gross and that I need to prove myself of some use. If I'm not careful, they'll catch on that I am virtually worthless in most scenarios. Like I wouldn't even be good bait for the wild animals, I taste too much like arsenic.  Anyway that's all folks, I'll be back with more scheming, paranoid ramblings and zombies. Well, maybe not those first two.   

DARIAN

SHIT HIT THE FAN kinda. I got an idol on my first try today. But it wasn't for my tribe... I know..Im sooooo lucky that I find someone else idol. So I was than told that I had 45 min to decide who I was going to give it to. Instantly I had two ideas in my head Keyonjay or Ally. Keyonjay- He clearly is decent in challenges and would be a string partner to attempt to align myself with. He has also agreed that if he finds my idol that he will give it to me. So theres a win win there for me.. maybe Ally- She did really bad in the first challenge and that honestly puts a huge target on her back because she is the easy vote. The team stays strong and no one gets butt hurt. But if she has the idol she can make a move and take out a big player EARLY... Like Keyonjay hahaha. After talking it out with keyonjay and getting his opinions and than a little self reflection I decided to give Keyonjay the idol in hopes that he could be the one to find my idol and maybe even become a strong alliance member!! Ahhhh so stressed!!!!

KEYONJAY

Okay so a couple things. I got the best score on the first challenge out of pure luck. Like just somehow I literally got to like 55k on level two when the previous times i played i couldn't get over 10k on all three levels. Unfortunately we still didn't win which fucking sucks because I didn't wanna go to the goddamn summit at all, but the other tribe chose me because i got the best score apparently. Didn't really wanna be away from my tribe for anything to change with my alliances, and really didn't wanna be put in a position that complicates my game. Ofc immediately that changes because Darian just gave me an idol. like dsfsdsf wtf. I just met the kid. It's really nice though and obviously from my last game I see that you can't abuse people's kindness like that so I'm not gonna use it against him or anything or brag and call him dumb (I'm sorry Mitchy D:) but this definitely complicates things because if I had an idol, I'd rather be the only person that knows about it and now I have to contend with the fact that this idol is basically mine AND Darian's and I have to use it in a way that benefits both of us or risk a pissed off juror. God. DONT GIVE ME IDOLS! I DONT WANT THEM! THEY COMPLICATE THINGS! He wants me to use it on Ally if my tribe loses the first immunity, but hopefully I can protect her and make that not happen regardless, or we can win, which I doubt since it's a flag challenge and I fucking suck at these.

ACE

Alright we got 2nd on the challenge which is decent. And then the next chall is a flag making competition and considering Kendall and Jared know of my abilities hopefully they can leave it up to me. I'm gonna make a wicked gif. Anyways the Summit twist is kinda cool, I got food that gave me an idol clue but it at least told me where NOT to look. I'm probably gonna stick to mountainside since random.org told me to. The Summit is Me and Keyonjay, Matt, Darian, Dani, and Johnny. I already know Dani and Matt, Darian talked with me a bit and they seem alright. They use phone emojis a lot and Im not use to seein those on my computer so its weird a bittttt! Johnny isn't online yet so idk about them just yet. Before I left Jared wanted me to talk to Keyonjay about making an alliance with them. When I heard keyonjay would be at Summit I decided to volunteer myself so I could get the question in. Keyonjay said they were ok with Jared and wanted him to join the alliance with Kendall and Nicholas... uhh no I think we just meant something between us 3 we don't need that big of an alliance even though our tribe is amazing and we'll probably barely lose anybody =') Also Kendall and I sorta already settled Jared as our possible first tribe boot so that'd just make things a bit harder maybe? WHo's even left? Ally and Amanda... that's it rofl also I don't think Ally is Mega anymore lol delete it

JOHNNY

Since joining the game, I’ve found it really difficult to legitimately communicate with people. I can’t help but think a lot of these people are dweebs, who just sit behind the computer all day blogging on tumblr and obsessing over Survivor games online I’m sure, and there’s no way I can compete with no lifes who do nothing but scratch their ballsacks all day. Any who, I do kinda know Dani, who is in the Summit with me right now, and i recognize Jared from a few other games I’ve played, but I’ve yet to approach him yet about the game, but I’m glad I have that in my back pocket. I’ve really gotta start forming some bonds with people, because the conversations I’m having with most of these people are not strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised if these try hard motherfuckers already have a majority alliance, but all I can do is contribute in challenges and hope for the best since my social game isn’t going to be too strong this early on. I’ve made a bond with Crimson on my team because we have a mutual friend, so hopefully that can take me a long way for now. My plan is to just bond with Matt since he’s the only one from my tribe I can talk to, maybe strike a deal, let him think he can do anything with me in this game, when tbh I’ll probably slit his neck soon enough anyways

tbh I get the very scary feeling that a lot of people know each other in this game, and I honestly don’t have anyone in this game that I can truly rely on like some do, and I’m never going to know who is friends with who. Now I know what it feels like to kinda be a newb in the games I play when I just target the people I don’t know… Guess I’m getting a taste of my own medicine here

DANI

Darian is getting on my nerves so badly. Like ugh, shut up for like two seconds nobody cares if you're a photographer. 

So Darian's dumbass comes up to me saying Carson/Julia have an idol in the game. Do I believe him? Yeah. Do I not wanna believe him? Yeah... But that's just how the game works. Oh how I wish I had that idol... *licks lips* Oh the things I would do to it... Grrr....

CARSON

Ok so I'm pretty sure Darian just exposed that he has the idol by trying to give me a fake clue. On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > I got a clue to an idol On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > It wasn't much but it's something On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Carson (albania host) wrote: > omg On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > Don't search the Forrest On 1/4/17, at 7:23 PM, Darian Goggin wrote: > Or the mountainside On 1/4/17, at 7:27 PM, Carson (albania host) wrote: > I guess that can be kind of helpful lol So apparently you get clues to the idol at the Summit. Hell, there could even be an idol at the Summit. But regardless he got a clue... but he should have quoted it if it was real. Plus I went to the mountainside already and got THIS: On 1/3/17, at 9:24 PM, carson (tibet host) wrote: > You come to the spot where an idol looks to have been hidden, but there's nothing here! https://media.tenor.co/images/fb3f2d1e814190100a4ae401b1660d5b/tenor.gif He told me not to go to the mountainside because he already went there and got it and he didn't want me to find out its gone! And I guess its safe to say he's working with Dani now, who I also wanted to work with. I would go to her about it, but idk if she'd leak to Darian that I'm onto him. Right now, I'm just going to lay low with this until I need to use it. It sounds to me like Dani, Seb and Elena already know each other, and if Darian goes with them, they'll have majority. I wanted to work with Julia (and by extension Chrissa), but idk if it'll work out. Once again, I don't want to pry at all because no one really has a target yet. There isn't an easy first boot, so one slip up could cost me the game. OK THE PLOT JUST THICKENED Apparently, the Namtso idol is gone... which means all the tribes are searching the same area. So maybe Darian doesn't have it... but he could be protecting someone that does. I mean he's probably in cahoots with the ppl at the summit, And we can find the other tribe's idols. I'm so fucking shook.

JULIA RAE

ok so right now i dont know what im doing bc i dont really play survivor ,,, but i think im doing alright. i talked to everyone and i rly like carson and darian but that just my opinion! also darian told me that he'd be willing to get rid of seb if it came down to it ,,,, which is ok with me idk that dude and he kinda weird ngl! hopefully we win immunity bc if we dont idk what to do!! hehe love survivor!!

TRYSTEN

Holy Shit! I fucking did not expect us to get first, but thank yoouuu Johnny! *blows a kiss to the camera* moi!

CHRISSA

I am so glad we are not going to tribal, fuck the people who said those things lol just kidding it's their opinion honestly we just don't know who will judge and what they will like. it sucks.

DANI

I feel good I feel nice I've never felt so Satisfied I'm in love I'm alive Intoxicated Flying high It feels like a dream When you touch me tenderly I don't know if it's real But I like the way I feel Inside

DARIAN

Yasss we won immunity! No tribal! Which is great because no one really is on the outs rn so no one can really be an easy vote and that's scary! But I don't have to worry about that so yay!

KEYONJAY

So we lost the first immunity challenge and this really sucks, but luckily I'm in the majority alliance and then we kinda have Jared as an extra number even though he's not really IN the alliance or the alliance chat. I still have my idol that nobody knows about so I could make some kind of move if I wanted. Darian wanted me to use it to "take out a power-player" but I'm like, not gonna do that. It's WAY too early to make a big move like that and it would be completely illogical and senseless. It's better to just go with the numbers right now and not rock the boat. Plus I don't really see anyone on our tribe as a power-player necessarily. Kendall is definitely the leader of our alliance but I wanted it that way so I can continue flying UTR and focus on my social game. Now to see who will be the first to go from our tribe. :( Sucks because I really like everybody.

MATT

Well damn. Johnny is actually the MVP for this one. We can literally just relax and pretend like we give a shit about who's leaving only because it's none of us lmao.

ACE

I'm sad we lost, I like everybody on this tribe. I don't feel like bringing Jared down just yet, I brought up that Ally had the lowest score on the Reward challenge so we could possibly just go with her. Everyone in the Mofos alliance said they wanna keep me and Kendall for doing good work in the challenge but we'll see about that. I think I'm good with mostly everybody except for Amanda and Ally. I just spoke to Amanda and she said she'll vote Ally bc they haven't spoken at allll. Amanda doesn't seem to be in any alliance whatsoever. Kendall is a strong leader in the Mofos and I like that she's more leading than I am even tho I'm the one who suggested Ally. Hopefully that'll keep the target more on her than me later on in the game. Kendall just told me Keyonjay gave her an idol clue and it's the same one I got. So that didn't help any. I guess I gotta continue filling up that mountainside grid.

ELENA

I am so happy that we aren't going to Tribal Council because I really like everyone on our tribe right now! It will be sad if we lose any time soon because they are all just very nice and interesting people. I am so greatful for Carson for doing the most of the work on the flag, I do wish he had somehow incorporated the Yaks since I did the research on Tibet, it felt like my idea was ignored a little bit. But what matters the most is that it was a very good outcome! I can't wait for the next challenge!!

KENDALL

Welp, I might have fucked myself. Why did I volunteer? Why did I think that combining two mediums is a good idea? Dear lord, what have I done? Well anyway, here's a quick recap: Ace and Keyonjay went to the summit and when they came back Keyonjay told me he had an idol clue. He gave it to me because he really didn't want an idol, apparently they are more trouble than there worth. Ace didn't tell me anything about the summit and only talked about making the flag. She only brought it up when I revealed my idol clue. This proves to me that my loyalties should lie more with Keyonjay than Ace. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Anyway after we lost the challenge I typed in the alliance chat "well at least we know it's either me or Ace". I meant it as a joke but they freaked out and thought I was pulling a Zane. I managed to clear up the misconception but I am still not sure if they still doubt me. In order to repair some sort of relationship with her, I showed Ace the idol clue which was the same clue she got. And now I'm nervous maybe she will show receipts of the conversation to Keyonjay and shift the target on to me. It wouldn't be too difficult, I'm a bit of an unusual person to talk to and I mostly hogged the challenge that we failed. Though chances are I'm being irrational so I'm not going to risk it. If I do start panicking and try to get my alliance mates out, I'll end up putting the target on my back that I've been trying to avoid. God I hate feeling fear, it's very gross. Well, all feelings are gross... it's just this one is inconveniencing me the most currently.