#they all have 0 braincells and so am i after this week

[barghest-land]

my hand is hurting a little from drawing stuff for work, so today's flocking sketches are simple and silly. cretoxyrhina (with a pteranodon), barinasuchus, amplectobelua, clidastes and hypuronector

[levemetal]

I have a million and one svsss AU ideas that idk if I'll ever write cause I have 0 confidence in my untested writing skills. Any of these appeal to you?? Go ahead, use 'em. Know any fanfics like that? Please please PLEASE leave them in the comments. Ideas to add? Anything? Please go ahead I have no friends that are as deep in the svsss brainrot as me to subject this to ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚

Continued under the cut due to excessive rambling

These will be Ghost King/Calamity!SJ cause he has been living rentfree in my brain ever since one braincell at one AM shouted about it so you have been warned.

- Dual Ghost Kings YQY and SJ, Post canon of PIDW. That's it that's the idea. Their extras hurt my cold dead heart way too much and as much as bbygirl SJ is a piece of shit, Yue Qingyuan deserves happiness, and for that he needs his Xiao-Jiu. Basically YQY does not stay dead when Bingge turns him into a pincushion à la White No Face to Xie Lian except with arrows. What happens from here? Idk didn't get that far but I imagine he steals back his (probably dead) Xiao-Jiu, maybe does some other batshit insane shit like we all know that deep down he's capable of, and the duo fucking COMMUNICATES for once in their life and they live happily ever after. Bonus points for hilarious deaths for Bingge.

- If you're a filthy multishipper like me, want a BingJiu version of the above QiJiu? Easy, SJ decides to haunt Bingge's ass for eternity and vice versa when Bingge kicks the bucket and so they spent the rest of eternity trying to make each other miserable in increasingly ridiculous and creative ways. Maybe along the centuries they find a common enemy or sort their shit out and proceed to make their awful existence everyone else's problem. A match made in hell, truly <3

Are you seeing a theme yet. I like a general comedic air to svsss AUs, it just belongs to the svsss experience ya know? Anyway carrying on-

Shen twins, and SQH twins cause why not. If you want Binghe twins too, actually probably funnier with Binghe twins, where one is our beloved maiden Bingmei and the other OG!PIDW Bingge but forced back in time with memories of the PIDW timeline. Transmigrator SQH aka Airplane gets the peak lord + Mobei-Jun plotline while OG!SQH is just chilling as an An Ding Peak Hallmaster or something. Meanwhile, the Shen twins have a funny game of imposter going on. As far as everyone is concerned, there is only one Shen Qingqiu, Shen Yuan. Shen Yuan transmigrated in earlier into the novel, but ended up going to CQM with Yue Qi while SJ got stuck in the Qiu household as in canon. From here the details can change but the main idea is that

A) Shen Yuan knows how to do his peak lord job actually

B) SJ is a calamity ghost, having died either in his disciple years or alternatively never made it out of the Qiu household alive

C) Both SY and SJ have been playing switcheroo when SY needs to head out and do stuff or just wants SJ to do his paperwork for him.

I still need a good reason for the switching and duping, but wouldn't it be funny if the disciples just had to deal with their peak lord behaving WILDLY different at times. Most of the time it's good ol' Shen Yuan smiling at disciples, way too enthusiastic for monsters and plants and keeps forgetting his fans everywhere. Then one random week in the month after he has a resting bitch face, scowls, snarls and bitches at anyone and has 0 patience for teenage attempts at music.

Most shrug it off as just terrible migraine weeks, but some disciples are suspicious, most of all Bingge who is CONVINCED something is WrongTM. Like, he KNOWS SQQ and this SQQ is just so different, something must be different. He doesn't know how right he is yet everyone just thinks he's actually insane.

I know this is probably increasingly insane and dumb, but fast forward to the Abyss opening. SJ was probably there to keep an eye on his clumsy twin, but SY ends up asking the ghost to look over the Luos, as the system still demands that they go to the abyss. So SJ after much grumbling agrees (after all he probably just was unmasked as ghost calamity, and the twins as demons, with a huge amount of cultivators moving their way. It's really the smaller hassle to jump into the Abyss and deal with the horrors there. Besides, the scholar in SJ would be curious about the abyss (and SY too let's be honest) ), kicks both in and goes "Alright we're taking an impromptu field trip" and jumps in after leaving SY to deal with the political mess that comes after.

Anyway, the last AU can be changed in various ways, like make it a PIDW time travel fix it with only the OGs around, or just Shen twins, etc. Feel free to shout at me how dumb this all is.

[sdv-confessions]

Onto a more lighthearted actual confession, I am mentally unable to start a new file in the game. I cannot fathom the idea that I need to begin all the way from 0 in everything so I'm clinging to mine with everything I can and adding mods to maintain it entertaining (and easy, because I play it after a long day/week of working on art and I do not have the braincells to do Work pt. 2 with SDV)

The only way that I will begin anew is multilayer, and even then I will struggle to adapt I'm not gonna lie

-A

.

[noa-ciharu]

That's fine--- it's a typical FuuKam✨✨ Then why don't we spice thing up?😎 FuuKam with kiss46----😎😎😎 (i think... It is suitable to TRC?? Huh??😂😂)

Ah, you sort of gave me idea for this one 😂 it's fluff and humor for once 😌 TRC setting, some time after acid Tokyo. Kamui displays how he's a proud owner of 0 braincells

46 - Kiss out of jealousy/envy

Just what in the world was he doing?

Kamui kept asking himself same question over and over again as he crouched down and hid behind garbage can. Strench was awful, offending really; but Kamui tried to endure it; he had other priorities on hand.

Like spying on his twin talking to his boyfr -

No.

That hunter he spent night with from time to time.

Really, what possessed him to do that, he had no clue. Ever since figuring out three of them were in same world, Fuuma started dropping by their place on regular basis. Every day, not to beat around the bush. Of course it was inevitable Subaru and Fuuma would strike a conversion from time to time. Kamui was a tad bit distrustful initially about Subaru's safety given who precisely Fuuma was related to. But those doubts faded over past few weeks.

Observing them chichating and getting along so well, Kamui returned to mistrust for complete different reasons.

Heaven help you Fuuma if you're doing things behind my back.

Kamui noticed Subaru murmuring something and Fuuma chuckling slightly in response. Damn he was too far away to hear what they were saying; without any deliberation Kamui crawled behind dumpster at closer proximity to objects of his undivided attention. Unfortunately that undivided attention resulted in him bumping head over container's edge. Something hissed, something bolted up. Cat flew from dumpster right above him; some of thrash followed. He slipped onto discarded can and stumbled down.

Universe you don't need to tell me I'm an idiot. I know that myself.

Kamui got up and dusted himself. Really, if something stood as axiom, then it was how head over heels Fuuma was for him. No way that was all pretense, he was absolutely whipped. No way he'd have interest in his more than adorable and docile twin who had no outbursts and not a hint of difficult personality and was basically adored by absolutely everyone and was totally a better choice and -

Sigh.

Great. Now he felt problem child.

What am I? A teenage girl? Damn you to hell Fuuma, this is all your fault!

In heat of a moment Kamui kicked container. Another thrasbag fell out and spilled over his feet. Damn it all to hell. This has to be Fuuma's fault too.

"Good thing you stepped in, that man kept on bothering me for days now...", Subaru murmured and broke Kamui out of whatever sorry state he fell into.

Wait, what man? Briefly Kamui felt miffed that someone was bother Subaru; extra miffed that Subaru apparently kept that from him. Kamui hoped that was only thing Subaru omitted to inform him about.

"Hm, one from bakery beside your apartment?", Fuuma hummed and scratched back of own head. He looked ridiculously attractive in casual attire and carefree like that, Kamui noted. He hoped Subaru didn't note the same.

Subaru didn't appear to be affected, simply hummed affirmatively. Good, no signs of flirting. But that didn't stop Kamui from feeling jea - curious.

Yes, he was just curious. Nothing more.

So it was that shady looking guy who gave him and Subaru funny looks; pieces started falling together, explaining why Subaru was avoiding being alone in past few days. Although, Subaru was as powerful as he was, he couldn't have easily told that guy off or simply showed him claws; dude would have ran away like he saw the devil. Still, Subaru being Subaru, of course he'd rather suffering himself than risk being rude.

If it were Kamui he would have plunged that guy's eyes out long ago.

Or maybe he would have orchestrated a chain of events that would result in Fuuma having to step in.

Momentarily Kamui imagined Fuuma politely telling that guy off. Couldn't help fantasizing how hot he would have looked with stone cold anger if Kamui ended up being one hit on. Would he glare? Oh sure he would, maybe even approach the guy and put size difference to good use. Hmm, would that be hot to watch; not that Kamui would ever admit. Maybe he could put that to test someday, when some other creep started ogling him. Yes, maybe he could dress in bit tighter clothing, walk around town and -

"You could have dealt with it yourself Subaru-san", Fuuma explained and addressed Subaru with gentle smile.

If it was a teenager girl in question, she would have been melting by attractive older guy paying attention to her. To hell, anyone would get even little bit warm and fuzzy inside. Not Subaru however, he didn't seem affected at all; even appeared to be frowning at topic of his three day stalker.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but for first time in my life I'm grateful you're obsessed with that bastard hunter of yours, Subaru.

"True, but I didn't know how to politely tell him to leave me alone. I didn't want Kamui to find out, he would have blown his top"

At mention of his name Kamui become more engrossed in conversation. He frowned once implication settled in. Really, Kamui was aware he had a bit of... outbursts and overreaction issues when their safety was in question, but that didn't mean he was delighted to hear himself being compared to unrestrained animals.

Still, Subaru's lack of response wasn't adequate really. Kamui would have clawed his eyes out! That would have been far more adequate.

"Guy would get his eyes clawed out", Fuuma commented lightly, as if reading his thoughts.

If you're reading my thoughts then step away from Subaru and start looking for me. Or at least talk about me!

Kamui pouted further; kicked thrash can once more. Bystanders gave him funny looks but he didn't give a single damn. Was he really that predictable? That much of an open book? Maybe Fuuma knew him way too well from all the sleepless nights they've spent together.

"Well, you're cute", Fuuma responded matter-of-factly. "Of course potential suitors would flock to you"

But what about me? Kamui felt himself pouting even further, like a child. Never mind that Fuuma showered him in compliments nonstop, nevermind that he's been called way more than simply cute, never mind how many times he saw Fuuma being physically affected by his appearance- suddenly Kamui couldn't recall any of that. All that matters is that his boyfr- enemy with benefits called his clearly adorable twin adorable.

Damn it all to hell. Kamui knew he was behaving irrationally, playing stories in his head that deep down he knew weren't real but couldn't tame tiny corners of mind casting shadows of doubt. For all he knew Fuuma would dump him this evening and the start hanging more and more with his twin and then they'd magically be missing during night all until one time Kamui would unlock the door and see them -

Kamui extended his nails and plunged five holes into metal container; then scraped nails down the surface. No, he wasn't miffed, he wasn't pouting and dreading - no, he didn't care at all! Not a bit. It's just... how did he sink so low to think Subaru would do that to him?

Okay maybe Subaru would, he was too kind and gentle for something like that. But that still left possibility of Fuuma losing interest in him once he saw he can do much better. Really, Kamui knew he was considered attractive by most, but his personality was anything but easy to put up with.

Fuuma put hand under chin and gazed up to sky. Then added in amused tone - "My brother wouldn't be delighted at all to hear other men are looking at you in that way"

Well, neither am I! For the first time (and hopefully last time) in his life, Kamui wished Seishirou was in this universe because he surely would have stepped in long ago. Possessive bastard would surely have thought Fuuma was flirting with Subaru or even if not, surely would have acted as prevention measure; surely wouldn't be spying from afar and playing out disastrous scenarios in head while being passive and dying inside. Kamui flinched once he realized just who he was comparing himself with, god forbid he had anything in common with that bastard hunter.

Kamui hissed once more. There's no other, all of this was Fuuma's fault one way or another! No, not Subaru's, he was polite and empathetic with everyone, even three day stalkers. Then it had to be Seishirou's fault by extension somehow. Yes, something would always be that bastard's fault. Butterfly effect probably.

Alright, maybe there was nothing going on. Maybe he was observing world with envy-green glasses. Maybe -

Subaru shifted gaze to ground, expression sheepish and abashed. Then blush spread across his face. He appeared so endearing even bystanders stared his way. Kamui frowned once more. Again, for the first time in his life Kamui hoped Subaru was blushing because of what Fuuma said about Seishirou, not because of Fuuma himself.

But Fuuma was looking at him too. And Kamui couldn't know what precisely Fuuma thought about Subaru's abashed and docile behavior. Then he opened mouth as to say something and -

Enough was enough.

Without a second though Kamui got out of his hiding spot and strolled right where Subaru and Fuuma stood. Perhaps there was something in the way he moved that ozzed of 'piss me off a tiny bit and it'll be last thing you do in your life' as all bystanders moved out of his way. Good, let world know he's annoyed.

Of course Fuuma and his twin noticed him immediately; both turned his way and took step away from one another. So you're putting distance just because I'm here now? That only strengthened Kamui's resolve to do that he never thought he'd be bold enough to do in public.

Fuuma put hands in pockets and beamed at him. Subaru also gave a meek relieved smile, but none if that dampened down Kamui's apprehension.

"Oh Kamui, I'm happy to see y-"

Kamui silenced Fuuma by pulling him down by jacket lapels into a kiss.

Silence befell. Remotely he discerned Subaru gasping a bit; perhaps wasn't expecting Kamui to act so bold in public. Neither was Kamui expecting that of himself, but he had to make a point. I'm just marking what's mine.

Kiss was more urgent and forceful than romantic; message had to be passed after all. After second or two Fuuma snapped out of utter shock and started kissing back just as ardently; got hands out of pockets and wrapped them around his waist. In that moment reality kicked in, Kamui realized just what exactly alleged jealousy made him do.

He broke the kiss momentary but damage was already done. Fuuma had cheeky grin in his face, like he just won the lottery. Kamui managed to break free of Fuuma's hold and step by his side; right between Subaru and him. Subaru was slightly flushed, probably from witnessing such unexpected display of affection, but his blush was far cry from how hard Kamui himself blushed.

Earth please open up and swallow me whole. Fuuma won't ever let me live with this.

Before either of them could comment, Kamui blunted out first thing that came to mind - "I'm here now. Let's go"

Pointless attempt to distract, he knew it won't work. Subaru simply nodded and agreed; three of them fell into step and headed towards planned location. Nonetheless Fuuma was basically oozing with merriment beside him, like a kid that just opened a candy jar. Cheeky bastard, Kamui couldn't help wondering if Fuuma somehow planned the whole thing knowing Kamui was observing from afar; just to embarrass him.

Second later arm ended up wrapped around his shoulders and frame. Kamui realized he was being pulled towards Fuuma's side. No, he didn't mind a little bit, even allowed himself to nuzzle closer to Fuuma; right in the middle of street; right in front of his twin. Fuuma ruffled his hair and leaned in to kiss cheek. Blush intensified, but Kamui allowed the affections; warm and fuzzy feeling emerged in chest, little to say he was relishing inside.

Pecks ended but Fuuma still didn't pull away; instead leaned closer and whispered into his ear - "That was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life"

For once Kamui didn't shove him away for being handsy on public; he'd be a hypocrite after all. Instead he allowed Fuuma to caress and cuddle him in public; even went as far to wrap arm of his own around Fuuma's waist. Subaru observed them from few meter distance, content smile on his face; clearly glad to see them together. Beside the obvious embarrassment and ego crying from inside, Kamui couldn't help little smirk reaching up his face; he concealed it into Fuuma's shirt.

Goal fulfilled.

[kaleidoscopic-quiddity]

reki headcanons!

bc i need smthn to take my mind off of ep 4 

he’ll do anything on a dare, including eating a cold, half-eaten burger he found on the ground

he’s one of those guys who jumps and slaps the top of door frames 

^ he also went thru a phase of bashing his head off of lockers until he got a concussion one time

reki gets his arm stuck in a vending machine a minimum of at least 3 times a week 

he doesnt swear bc of his lil sisters, if he ever stubs his toe you’ll just hear him grumbling ‘gosh fudging darn it’ 

this is so specific but i just know he’s completed his pokedex in pokemon heargold on his lil red gameboy 

he is the king of adopting introverts into his friend group 

look me in the eye and tell me kyan reki doesn’t listen to modrock 

he probably owns like,, 3 pairs of shoes, and theyre all sneakers 

one time he convinced oka to let him try driving his car, ‘never again’ they both agreed after 15 minuets of reki stalling the engine 

all the old ppl in town love him, they say hes  a sweet boy, not like those other ‘skater punk delinquents’ 

literally every fight hes been in was a result of him sticking up for somebody 

reki unironically says cringey shounen protag crap like ‘dont believe in yourself believe in the me who believes in you’ and miya bullies him for it

he also unironically says shit like ‘your vibes are rancid dude’  

touch is his love language! if your his friend he Can And Will try to hug you 

listen to me, i am a 16yro boy, i am telling you reki takes axe body spray baths 

his favourite ghibli film is kiki’s delivery service, his lil sisters also love it 

hes the kind of guy who snaps awake at 3am and sends ppl incomprehensible texts about whatever dream he was having 

reki was the kind of kid who ate mud and gave his teachers heart attacks by climbing way too high up trees 

langa makes some halfhearted joke about playing chicken with cars on a busy highway and reki’s like ‘:0!!!!’, somebody plz stop this adrenaline junkie 

speaking of langa: they take turns being on the braincell and by proxy the voice of reason

he loves 80′s films, E.T, the goonies, ghostbusters, all the clasics 

my boy can dance!! reki can and will throw down if you put some tunes on

he also does that embarrassing body shimmy thing people do when theyre in a car and a song they like comes on, you know exactly what im talking abt 

reki unabashedly likes magical girl stuff, watching precure with his sisters is a weekly bonding ritual 

i feel like he probably doesnt drink but if he did he’d be a giggly, cuddly drunk who suddenly starts crying out of nowhere bc of how small puppies are or smthn to that effect 

[keepthisholykiss]

May 2021, Kageki, Ayaki Hikari’s “e to bun” translation - or - the one with all the Capulet Information

Okay here it is the Capulet version of Akachan’s e to bun column. Again blah, blah, this is a fun and casual translation (I also did this one like... particularly quickly and on 0 braincells this week so apologies for any typos that hopefully aren’t there!) also please don’t share it taking it as your own translation etc etc. Anyway please enjoy this new information on the Capulets! I’ll be sure to post the third and final edition next month whenever it is available to me. Also, later this month, I will be posting a translation of Hoshigumi’s Romeo and Juliet (2021) backstage talk from this same issue of Kageki! 

  The Situation in Verona, As I Reveal It - Ayaki Hikari

(title credited to: Iroha Reo)

Hello to all the readers of Kageki. It’s Ayaki, playing the role of Count Paris in “Romeo and Juliet” for the A Cast. This month, I would like to introduce everyone in the Capulet family and ask them the following questions:

(1) Name, (2) Family structure, (3) Is there someone they love? (4) Their favorite point.

I hope you enjoy comparing these answers with last month’s issue.

Otoha Minori: (1) Rebecca (and I like the meaning of the name) (2) Soubu Sakiho is my cousin. But he is like a little brother. (3) I love the whole Capulet family. But I really love Tybalt. (4) I live my life as Rebecca of the Capulets and am very particular about everything in my work. I have a different hairstyle for both A and B schedules so I hope you can see them!

Ooki Makoto: (1) Tigre (2) My sister, from another father, is Murasaki Rira (3) I love my sister the most (4) I’m sure you’ll be able to understand my absolute love and loyalty to my family. It’s not Tybalt’s fault, it’s all Romeo’s fault.

Hiroka Yuu: (1) Leonardo (2) From A Cast, Nijou Hana is my younger sister. From B Cast Mizuno Yuri is my sister. (3) My future love?! Montague Otosaki Itsuki (4) Leonardo means “daring lion” in Italian, so I made my hair blonde and stand up! I hope you can see the sadness I am feeling when I fight with Otosaki in front of the stage.

Murasaki Rira: (1) Sirena (from Sirens in Greek mythology) and I’m 19 years old (2) Half-brother is Ooki Makoto (3) Her brother is her love (4) The Sirens seduce people with their singing voices and lead them to their doom, but I want to do that with my dancing. I want to look different in front of Tybalt and the other Capulets during numbers like during the duel. I believe that a Capulet girl should be more feminine than a Montague girl. So I am conscious of my feminine power on a daily basis. 

Toudou Jun: (1) Theo (meaning God’s gift) (3) I have a crush on Miono Saki (4) I am very particular about my hairstyle!

Iroha Reo: (1) Squalo (3) I have a crush on Otoha Minori… (4) My name means “shark,” so I will try to stay sharp every day! Miono Saki: (1) Marta (2) I am an orphan and a childhood friend of Ouri Mao (3) Tybalt (4) I have cut off a lot of my hair for this.

Amaki Homare: (1) Basiglio (nickname Rose) (2) I am the twin of Soubu Sakiho (3) Ouri Mao and I are together and are being targeted by the Montague Minato Rihi (4) Look at my Super Saiyan-like haircut and my high speed turns!

Soubu Sakiho: (1) Mario (2) Otoha Minori is my cousin (3) I like all the girls. My favorite is Murasaki Rira. I’m not aware of my cousin’s love for anyone. (4) You should look for my lift of Hanayuki Rira!

Nanase Miki: (1) Bianca (2) Ouri Mao and I are sisters but I’m older (3) I am always running after Iroha Reo! But, of course, I love all the Capulets! (4) The moment Tybalt is stabbed, I’m trying to make the best scream to keep it realistic.

Ouri Mao: (1) Kiki (2) I am childhood friends with Miono Saki and Nanase Miki is my sister. (3) Amaki Homare (4) What I am interested in is interactions with otokoyaku! I am hoping to produce different results in both A and B patterns.

Akashi Reima (B Cast): (1) Roy (2) Yuuhi Maki is my younger brother, but we aren’t very close. (3) I like Ayazono Hina but she’s too fickle for me. (4) I’m not quick to fight, but I’m overbearing. And I take my hatred out on the Montagues.

Sakuraba Mai (A Cast): (1) Violet (2) I’m a loner with a free spirit (3) I’ll leave that to your imagination (4) I have long black hair and am trying to make my make-up shine.

Nijou Hana (A Cast): (1) Amanda (2) Hiroka Yuu is my brother (3) Sayaka Rin (4) I made my own hair mesh for the first time.

Sayaka Rin (A Cast): (1) Angelo (2) My cousin is Sakishiro Kei, like a younger brother. I am a close blood relative to Tybalt. (3) Sakuraba Mai loves me and thinks she is my girlfriend and Nijou Hana is my fiancee. (4) I love the multifaceted nature of each situation and the hidden true feelings behind everyone’s eyes.

Yuuhi Maki (B Cast): (1) Sol (meaning “sun”) (2) Childhood friends with Ayazono Hina (3) I like Juliet! I’m trying my best to be a man like Tybalt.

Ayazono Hina (B Cast): (1) Hayna (2) Sumika Amane is my sister (3) I am in love with a lot of people including Akashi Reima. I am a childhood friend of Yuuhi Maki and support his love. (4) I have a younger sister, so I’m trying to make her feel important! Sakishiro Kei (A Cast): (1) Thomas (2) Sayaka Rin is my cousin (3) Juliet (4) I have sharp bangs! Miyako Yuuna (A Cast): (1) Kianna (2) I’ve taken the liberty of setting myself as Tybalt’s younger sister. But I let him know already (laughs) (4) I am 15 years old, younger than Juliet! I am a cheerful girl that is full of energy!

Sumika Amane (B Cast): (1) Chiara (to mean “clear”) (2) Ayazono Hina is my sister (3) I like all men except Montague men (4) This is my favorite play.

Mizuno Yuri (B Cast): (1) Sophie (2) Hiroka Yuu’s younger sister (3) Count Paris (4) I am doing my best to be a Capulet woman who is strong, big-hearted, and cute! Please take a look!

There are only a few performances left! So if you can’t make it to the theatre to watch the play, please watch it on video to see how much everyone cares for their roles!

[a-day-in-the-afterlife]

The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips (Oneshot) (Fanfiction)

You can read it here on AO3.  I know that there's no "Hour 4" section. It's because I was too lazy to write it, and I figured the early hours when Nine drove, it was so peaceful that nothing interesting happened!

Title:

The Night Team Is Bad At Road Trips

Summary:

When the 14th Department Annual Retreat rolls around, the Manager, Nyang Lead Manager, and Sei Housemaster decide to turn the eight-hour drive to the retreat location into a road trip competition to encourage all Soul Reapers' attendance. The prize? No cleaning duties for a month.

And there is no way Nine is letting any of the other teams get even a glimpse at a prize that wonderous.

As the Night Team travels to the retreat location, he begins to realize ... maybe he is the only one is his team with a braincell.

Then again, maybe not.

Just some Noctu bonding.

Genre:

Slice of Life, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Fluff and Humor

Rating:

T

Word Count:

6574

-

Hour 0

Our story begins inside the Noctu Team Dorm, in the bedroom of Nine and Day, where the human puppy of the two Soul Reapers ransacked the room in search of the last few belongings that he needed to pack for him and his team’s trip to the Purification Plains for the 14th Department Annual Retreat. 

The 14th Department Annual Retreat was a favorite of Nyang Lead Manager’s, as the destination point—the Purification Plains—was a place where all Soul Reapers could rest and relax and take time to remind themselves of the true meaning of Purifying vengeful spirits (of course, many suspected that the lake brimming with fish was actually the real allure for the fussy feline).  

He, Sei Housemaster, and the Manager had already gone ahead two days earlier to get things set up for the rest of the 14th Department, and, to encourage the Soul Reapers to attend the retreat as soon as possible, had set up the days prior to the actual event as a competition to see which Reaper Team could travel the eight hours to the Purification Plains the fastest.  The winning team was exempt from all Soul Reaper cleaning duties for an entire month. 

And oh, how Nine craved that one month of complete freedom.

Yet, he could feel a muscle in his left eye twitch, as he watched his roommate (who had decided that five minutes before their departure was the most opportune time to pack) scramble around the room for his remaining shirts and pants and hair ties and candy and snacks and pretty rocks and shiny beetles and mini elephant figurines and all manner of fidget toys to play with.  

Noctu was, by some stroke of misfortune, the last team to leave for the day (even Mane—who had Jamie, the supposed slowest Soul Reaper in all of existence—had left before them), and Nine could slowly feel his grip on the prospect of a month free from all cleaning duties slip away.

Day’s side of the room had always been a mess, and Nine loathed the day when Theo would get a glance at it, but he never bothered the lumbering Soul Reaper about it, because firstly, it was too much trouble, and secondly, even in all the chaos, Day seemed to know where everything was. 

Or so it had appeared.

“Nine-Nine, Nine-Nine, I can’t find my favorite jacket!”

“I believe it’s on top of your chair, Mr. Day.”

“Nine-Nine!  My hair ties are all gone!  Tachi-Tachi made them for me!  What am I going to do?”

“Are not the hair ties Aitachi gave you the ones on your wrist, Mr. Day?”

“Wow!  Can I show you the really sparkly flower I found under my bed, Nine-Nine?”

“Mr. Day, I promise I’ll look at it after you finish packing.”

And so it went for another five minutes before Day declared himself “ready for adventure.”  Nine breathed a sigh of relief as he and his roommate grabbed their respective luggage (although Day had offered to carry Nine’s seventeen suitcases for him because he only had one and was “stronger than Nine-Nine!”) and walked into the common space of the Noctu Team Dorm.  He prayed that he would find the tribesmen duo of Aitachi and Kirr, all packed and waiting for them, but unfortunately, that was too much to ask for, as the pair were nowhere in sight.

Before Nine could send Day to go out looking for them, however, out lumbered both Kirr and Aitachi from their bedroom, each with not a single suitcase in sight, but rather, massive messenger bags slung across their shoulders, Kirr’s made of leather, and Aitachi’s, merino.  

Kirr smiled at the two from across the dorm.  “Day, Nine, do not fear: Aitachi and I have packed emergency provisions enough for the both of you.”

“Brother Kirr is right,” replied Aitachi, nodding, and patting his bag.  “We will stave off our mighty foe, ‘Malnutrition,’ with all the food that we have!”

Nine shoved down the need to facepalm at the duo and in a composed voice, asked, “Do you two happen to have any clothes packed with all the emergency rations you have in your bags?”

Aitachi and Kirr exchanged confused glances, before the older of the two asked, “Why would we bring a change of clothes if we plan to wash and dry the ones we’re wearing right now in rivers as we blaze our trail to the Plains of Purification?”

“Kirr-Kirr, Tachi-Tachi, that’s so smart!” exclaimed Day, as he made motions to throw out from his own suitcase all his clothes, too.

Nine held a hand out to stop him and swallowed a sigh.  “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, I think it would be greatly beneficial if you two brought several days change of clothes along with all this, as we won’t be doing trailblazing of any sort to the Purification Plains.”

“Oh, that’s right,” realized Day, sadly.  “Manager said that everyone is taking a ‘road trip’ there, and we’re supposed to be driving the car that the Department left for us.”

Nine wanted to laugh at the we’re supposed to be driving the car remark, because, due to the fact that he wanted to go on living, there was no way that he was going to let any of the other members of the Night Team drive their Department-sanctioned car.

It wasn’t that he liked driving or even particularly wanted to, but he was one hundred percent certain that up in the cold alpine regions that he had grown up in, the only thing that Kirr had ever driven was a pack of sled dogs; Aitachi was only fourteen and up until yesterday, had assumed that the entire party was to travel by way of horseback; and Day, who he treasured greatly, was … Day.  Nine was sure that in the entire time Day had been in the Otherworld, he had yet to pass his driver’s license test and was still patiently nursing his permit. 

But he didn’t have the heart to correct the well-meaning Soul Reaper and nodded.  “Mr. Day is right.  Our trip shouldn’t take us more than eight hours if we take the car, so you don’t have to worry about washing and drying your clothes on the way there, but you will definitely need a change of outfits when we get to the Retreat, unless … you want Mr. Theo and the other Soul Reapers to keep a twenty-mile radius from you.”

(Was it terrible of him to think that that wasn’t so horrible of a prospect?)

Aitachi valiantly declared, “Mr. Theo’s actions will have no effect on me!” but turned around to his room to pack some clothes, anyway, while Kirr slunk off after him, muttering under his breath, “How inconvenient.”

Nine groaned softly as he and Day followed the pair, because frankly, while Aitachi—who liked to sew his own clothes—had something that resembled style, Kirr believed clothes were simply a troublesome necessity; he didn’t even own anything nicely colored or patterned (“In the forest, it is best for a hunter to wear dark, solid colors to blend in with their surroundings”) and had absolutely no fashion sense at all.  And as Nine, who had an appreciation for beauty, refused to let one of his teammates be the bane of anyone with eyes, he felt it his obligation to now ensure that Kirr did not pack everything in the realm of beiges, blacks, and whites for the Retreat.

After several minutes of sorting through Kirr’s clothes and wondering how every item managed to smell so strongly of pine and bramble, Nine deemed the Night Team ready to take on the open road of the Otherworld.  

He herded the group outside of the Department building and toward a clunky black minivan that looked nearly five hundred and thirty-seven SRE years old (he knew the 14th Department was cheap, but really?).  

Nine bit back a laugh when he saw Day carefully arranging his lanky arms and legs into the driver’s seat.

“Mr. Day, I believe it would be best if I did all the driving.”

Day looked surprised.  “Nine-Nine, that’s not fair to you.  We need to take turns!”

“Brother Day is right!  As warriors, we must all learn to share the burden,” said Aitachi.

Kirr nodded gravely.  “It’s not possible for one hunter to take up all the shifts in a single season and succeed.”

Nine didn’t know what to say to that, but as he definitely wasn’t going to let the rest of the team drive, he decided to politely allay their concerns by saying, “In the Otherworld, you need to have a license to drive.”

This seemed to satisfy both Kirr and Aitachi—although he suspected that that was because neither of them was familiar with what driver’s licenses were—but Day surprised him by pulling out a glistening card from his pocket.  “Ta-da!  Look, I have a license, too!  Manager went with me to go get it last week!”

He felt his stomach sink as he slunk toward the front passenger seat and said, “Ah, excellent work, Mr. Day.  Let’s you and I take two-hour shifts, then.”

Nine sighed as Day revved up the engine and cheered, “Yay!  Let’s go, Night Team!”  

He was going to die for a second time, wasn’t he?

Hour 1

“Nine-Nine, Tachi-Tachi, Kirr-Kirr!  Do you guys mind if I play some music?” asked Day, who, although had proven in the past fifteen minutes to be a moderately competent driver (He had only almost crashed three times!  A new low record!), was now completely turned around to address the two of his team members that were seated in the back passenger seats.

Kirr looked mildly concerned because as a hunter, he was used to and greatly appreciated the silence, and had regarded the quietness of the group in the strange vehicle known as “a car” as a kind of comfort.  However, he assented with a stoic “No,” when he noticed the disconcerted expression that Day, who enjoyed silence as much as any exuberant puppy, wore.  

“I have no objection!” assured Aitachi, who was curious as to how Brother Day intended to play a musical instrument when he was busy using both of his hands to operate the “car” machine that they were currently in.

It wasn’t that Nine didn’t appreciate Day’s choice of music—it was just that he knew that all the songs on the tall Soul Reaper’s Otherworldify travel playlist were either super sweet bubblegum pop or some kind of holy music in another language with lots and lots of sitar.  As it turned out, he, like Kirr, was a slave to Day’s melancholy expression and was forced to suffer with a “That’s fine, Mr. Day.” 

Day brightened instantly—it was so gloomy when it was silent—and, taking his eyes off of the road for a few seconds, reached for his cellphone to blast his travel playlist on the car’s speakers.

Nine cringed almost imperceptibly, and Kirr and Aitachi exchanged astonished glances because where was the music coming from (Kirr also privately wondered if the flamboyantly peppy lyrics of the female singer even could be considered music)?!

“It must be the work of spirits,” concluded Aitachi, nodding.  “Brother Day must have employed them to make these noises!”

“Waaaaah, Tachi-Tachi, it’s not noise—it’s music!” said Day, whose eyes had grown to the size of saucers at the comment.  “And hehe, nope, no spirits—the music is coming from these speakers!”  He gestured toward their various locations in the car, leaving exactly zero of his fingers on the steering wheel.

Nine nodded and took this opportunity to lower the volume as he elaborated, “Speakers amplify the sounds that pass through them.”

“What an amazing contraption!” cried Aitachi.  He turned toward his companion on the right.  “Don’t you think so, Brother Kirr?”

Kirr was silent for a few moments before measuredly answering, “It is indeed extraordinary … but will the music not distract you from your task, Day?”

“Don’t worry, Kirr-Kirr!” promised Day, who secretly had to admit that his focus from the road was wavering as he tried to sing along to the songs, but he wasn’t sure if he could stand the silence, again.  “I’ll try to stay alert!”

Nine was struck with an idea.  “Mr. Day, you have been asking to hear my personal compositions for a long time.  Would you like to listen to one now?  The classical music will help fill the long silence ahead of us but will allow you to keep your focus.”

Day beamed at the compromise.  “Yay!  We get to listen to Nine-Nine’s music!”

“Yes, play it, Brother Nine!  It is always good to listen to the music of a fellow warrior!” said Aitachi, as Nine opened his own Otherworldify account and began to play an instrumental soft piano melody.  

The group listened for a few moments before Kirr reached forward to lightly press a hand on Nine’s shoulder.  His eyes gleamed with praise as he said, “You have true talent, Nine.”

“Yeah, Nine-Nine is the best!” agreed Day, as he felt calm overcome him with the music.

“Brother Nine is a prodigy!” Aitachi said.

Nine smiled softly at the encouragement as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat as he, along with the rest of the Night Team, listened to the masterful notes of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Number 14.

While he loved Noctu dearly, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to show his fellow members his own personal compositions.

Yet.

Hour 2

As it turned out, the car that the 14th Department had given them was a gas guzzler, and at the beginning of the final hour of Day’s shift, Nine had the wits to peep at the fuel gauge—as the driver forgot to—and noticed that they were in dire need of gas, ASAP.

“It looks like we’ll need to refuel,” Nine announced.

Kirr immediately reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a short rope of jerky, handing it to him.

Nine shook his head.  “Not that kind of fuel, Mr. Kirr,” he said.  He took out his phone and searched for the nearest gas station.  “I meant fuel for the car.”

“It can share our jerky if it wants!” assured Aitachi, looking confused.  He wished he had remembered to bring carrots or hay, as that was the kind of food he had fed his horse, Tata, in the past, and he assumed this “car” would be more than obliged to consume the same fare, as well.

“I think Nine-Nine means gasoline,” Day said.  “That’s what gives cars their energy.”

Kirr grimaced.  “I’m afraid Aitachi and I failed to bring that kind of food.”  He lowered his head.  “We take full responsibility.”

As Aitachi bowed in tandem, Nine’s eyes widened when they both reached for their weapons.  “Mr. Kirr, Aitachi, it’s not your fault, truly.”  He gestured for them to lower their bows and knives, worrying that it was some kind of custom of both the Cicady and Atiyah tribes to self-mutilate as penance for an offense.  “Don’t hurt yourselves, please.”

“Hurt ourselves?  No, Brother Nine—Brother Kirr and I were only going to go hunt food for the car, as we didn’t think to bring any 'gasoline' for it!” said Aitachi.

Nine couldn’t hold back his laugh at the pair’s earnestness.  “There’s no need.  If Mr. Day will take a left here,” he nodded at the driver, who took an uncoordinated turn as instructed, “we’ll arrive at a station  where we can fill up our car with gas ad libitum, provided we have the money.”

“Which we do!”  Day pat his pockets in satisfaction, but upon remembering that he no longer was a wealthy human being, but rather a penniless Soul Reaper, he turned to Nine and blushed.  “Hehe, or I think Nine-Nine does.”

As the car rolled into the gas station, Nine smiled.  “That I do, Mr. Day.”

Hour 3

“Night Team, will you be with me as I wage war on Mane?” asked Aitachi abruptly as he rummaged through his messenger bag, his face a shade of red that matched the beads in his hair.  

Nine looked at the youngest of the group through the rearview mirror in concern, as Kirr instantly answered, “We will battle your enemies together, Aitachi.”  Nine was driving now, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t the main (read: sole) disciplinarian and voice of reason of his team. “Did something happen?”

“Yes, something did happen, Brother Nine!”  Aitachi pouted.  “It is a most grievous insult!”  He pulled out from his bag an enormous straw sunhat.  Around it was a sky-blue ribbon with the words “Aitachi: Cutest Warrior Ever!” embroidered on it.  

Day turned from his seat in the front to survey the commotion.  “Tachi-Tachi, that’s so cute!”

“That Mr. Licht snuck it into my bag, I’m sure!”  Aitachi shook the large headgear effusively.  “He's the only one who would do such a thing!”

Kirr nodded.  “We must seek the restitution of Aitachi’s honor against the Morning Team for this affront.”  

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea …” mumbled Day, who loathed conflict of any kind.  “Brother Licht will just apologize if you ask him.”

“Mr. Day is right,” said Nine.  “No waging war of any kind, okay?”  He strained his ears to hear the muted mutters of assent from Aitachi and Kirr.  “I said, okay?”  He nodded when the pair agreed louder this time.  “Good.”  

He looked at the clock, wondering how far the other teams were ahead of them.  Surely no one must’ve reached the Purification Plains yet, else the Manager would’ve made a post (or the team itself) on SNS.  He peered in the rearview mirror to see Aitachi unwinding the straw of his new hat in frustration.  “How about in order to avenge Aitachi, we do it by beating all the other teams—including Mane—to the retreat?”

Aitachi brightened at the prospect.  “What a good idea!”  He raised a fist determinedly.  “Death to the Morning Team!  Drive as fast as you can, Brother Nine!”

“Yay!  Let’s win this race, everyone!” cheered Day.  

Kirr bobbed his head.  “To the winners go the spoils.”

Nine grinned as he pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.  It was nice to see the Night Team come together like this, and for once, despite their extremely late start, Nine believed that they had a chance of winning.

Hour 5

First a nervous smile.

And then a frown.

Another nervous smile.

Another frown.

And then … something that resembled a mixture of both?

These were the expressions that consecutively passed on Day’s face in the two minutes that Nine had watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“Is something the matter, Mr. Day?” he finally had to ask.

Day stuttered, “I—um, no!”

“Brother Day, do not feel as if you need to hide your feelings from us!” said Aitachi.  “We are all warriors of equal caliber and can speak freely to one another.”

Kirr echoed the thought by saying, “Aitachi is right.  There are no secrets between us.”

Day’s face absolutely melted at the kind words.  “It’s just that,” he blubbered, “I really have to go to the bathroom and I know we’re on a tight schedule now and I don’t want to be a bother, and, and, and—”

“Mr. Day, there is no shame in needing to relieve yourself.”  Nine looked out the window and saw that a rest stop was coming up.  “We could all use a break, and look over there—there’s a resting place ahead, so we won’t even have to go out of our way.”

“Th—thanks for saying that, Nine-Nine,” sniffled Day, rubbing his watery eyes, as he pulled the car into the shelter that Nine had pointed out.

As soon as the vehicle came to a sudden stop (à la Day’s masterful parking skills), the party mosied out of the confining space of the car and into the open expanse of the rest stop.

Day sprinted to the bathroom shelter upon their arrival and Kirr began to stretch his muscles, much to the excitement of the flock of girls who stared nearby.

Nine followed Aitachi, who had smelled water and had grabbed Licht’s hat with every intention of throwing it into whatever body of water larger than a puddle that appeared.  

The younger boy saw Nine shadowing him and, as he came upon the lake which he had sensed, turned to the older Reaper and said quietly, “Brother Nine, you probably think I am being wasteful by casting such a finely-crafted piece of apparel away.”  He sighed and held the hat over the water.  “But I am a warrior and worked hard to be recognized as one in my tribe—it's disheartening to know that many in the 14th Department don’t see me as one simply because of my appearance.”

Nine shook his head.  “I don’t think that way at all.”  He himself loathed his own beauty and the other Reapers’ constant mention of it.  In that moment, he felt a kind of kinship with Aitachi, for they both hated what they saw in the mirror.  He pulled the younger Soul Reaper closer to the lake until they both could see their reflections in it.  “You are more than your appearance, Aitachi.  Us on the Night Team know that, but if the Reapers on the other teams need a reminder, we will make sure they get one.”

With that, he guided Aitachi’s hands farther above the water and gestured for him to let the hat go.  They both released a cathartic sigh as the ripples in the wake of its tumble down to the depths of the lake marred their reflections in the water.

Hour 6

“Is that the Evening Team?” asked Kirr as Day’s haphazard driving sped them past a field of fruit trees.  He was sure that his keen eyes had spotted Noah, Sian, Kati, and Cyrille lounging under several boughs, each munching lazily on an armful of apples.  

He watched—mildly amused—that upon noticing that the car that blazed past them was indeed of 14th Department and belonged to the Night Team (whose car had a vanity license plate that read “NOCTU”), no less, Hesperide dropped all the fruit they had been eating and looked at the passing faces of Day and Aitachi—who were sitting in the seats by the windows facing them—in shock.  

Nine smiled.  “That is the Evening Team.  And if I’m remembering correctly, they were the first  to leave?”  

“Yep, yep!” said Day.  “I remember because Little One was in a mood and told me to go away because I offered to get a suitcase that was too high for him to reach!  He told me my height wouldn’t matter in the end because Hesperide was going to leave first, and by Brother Cyrille’s calculations, that means they would get there first, too!”

Aitachi clapped his hands eagerly.  “They must have thought that their leaving early meant they could take long breaks.  A true warrior knows never to be so unguarded!”

“It looks like they’re already on our tails, nevertheless,” observed Kirr, who was still peering behind them at the Evening Team.  “They are fast like rabbits.”

“They’re already in their car?” asked Nine wearily.  Hadn’t they just seen them maybe two minutes ago?  Could they already be following them on the road?  He peeked into the rearview mirror in confusion.  There were no cars behind them for several yards—just how good was Kirr’s eyesight?

Kirr squinted, but he could still definitely make out Sian’s pink hair and Kati’s angry fist at least one mile behind them.  “They have not mounted their vehicle, yet.  They’re putting all their apples into some kind of compartment in the rear.”  As a hunter, he could gauge the distance and time it would take for them to catch up to the Night Team car in an instant.  “I have an idea.”

“What is it, Brother Kirr?” Aitachi asked eagerly.

Kirr looked at his companions.  “Let us set a trap for Hesperide to throw them off their course—and any other team that follows this path.”

“That is,” said Nine, “an excellent idea, Mr. Kirr.  Do you have any plans on what to do?”

“Normally I would suggest setting several snares to capture our prey, but as I believe Manager would be angry if the Evening Team was killed, I advise we set up a distraction that the other teams cannot refuse.”  He peered ahead with his sharp eyes and discerned a road marker that read:

Route 14 — Keep Right

Route 24 — Straight Ahead

If he was remembering the extremely long lectures Nine had given the group regarding the many winding roads of the Otherworld and how keeping on Route 14 would lead them straight to the Purification Plains, going on a different route would surely set one astray.  “Perhaps we should change the directions on that sign up ahead.” 

“Waaaaah, Kirr-Kirr, I don’t see any signs!” complained Day as he and the rest of the Night Team failed to see ahead what was so clear to the eagle-eyed hunter.  

“There is one,” he assured them.  “If Day were to move this vehicle with great speed, then we would be able to make it to the sign two minutes before the Evening Team.  In that time, we must rewrite the directions on it.  At present, it reads, ‘Route Fourteen, keep right, and Route Twenty-Four, straight ahead.”

“We will write ‘Route Fourteen, straight ahead, and Route Twenty-Four, keep right’ instead, then!” realized Aitachi.  Out from his messenger bag, he pulled several sticks of colored wax and lumps of coal, which he sometimes used to color pictures with—even though he insisted they were for the purpose of marking trees so one wouldn’t get lost in the woods.  “We can use these to rewrite the sign.”

And so that’s what they did.

Kirr’s estimation in how much time they would have to alter the road sign was correct, and the short time span caused their work to be rather shoddy, even though Nine’s beautiful calligraphy remedied it a little.

As they drove off, Nine bit his lip and said, “They won’t expect sabotage, so I hope they think that the mistakes in the sign were simply due to an error on the signmaker’s part.”

“‘Sabotage’ doesn’t sound very good, Nine-Nine,” said Day, who looked a tad bit queasy at the prospect.

Nine smiled benignly.  “Surely Manager expects a little healthy competitiveness in this contest.”

Hour 7

“Hm-♪-hm-♪, doesn’t everyone else think it’s funny that the only team we’ve seen in the past six hours is Hesperide?” mused Day, tapping absentmindedly at the windowsill.  “If what Little One said about the Evening Team leaving first is true, shouldn’t we have seen all the others in between?”

Aitachi pursed his lips.  “Maybe the other teams also sped past Hesperide when they were grazing, and they didn’t notice and so couldn’t take action?”

“Maybe,” said Nine, whose brow had begun to furrow,  “but I don’t think Noah would be that lax.  Especially since there aren’t that many cars on this road and all of the 14th Department ones have very obvious vanity license plates.”

“Diluculo and Mane up ahead,” announced Kirr, as if on cue.

The other Reapers’ eyebrows shot up.

“Both of the teams?” asked Nine, needing clarification because what were the chances?

Kirr nodded, looking ahead.  “All eight members are outside of their vehicles.”

“I see them, now!” exclaimed Day, whose jaw dropped open at the sight.  “Nine-Nine!  Nine-Nine—slow down!  Let’s see why they’re stopped!”

Nine, who didn’t necessarily want to waste time in oogling at the other teams, obeyed nonetheless and rolled down his window as the Noctu car stopped, with the engine running, in front of the field where the Dawn and Morning Teams were meandering about.

Quincy did not look happy to see them.  “Oh, great—it’s Doggo and his band of Night Team weirdos!”

Ell’s reception was much more welcoming.  “It’s great to see you guys—achoo!”

Day and Aitachi wriggled their way to Nine’s open window and poked their heads outside.

“Hey, everyone!  Why are you all stopped?” asked Day.

Aitachi, who had been surveying the area, pointed to Jamie, who was standing a few feet away with Non-Non, chanting, “Come on, lil’ feller, you can do it!” 

“I think, Brother Day, that Mr. Jamie is trying to get Non-Non to relieve himself!” 

“You brought Non-Non with you?” asked Nine incredulously.

Ell blushed.  “Mr. Jamie wouldn’t leave without him.”

Kirr also peeked out from Nine’s window.  “I too, would not leave without Non-Non if I were him.”  The tone he said this was so menacing that even Non-Non could feel a shiver down his spine.  

“Waaaaah, so that solves Mane, but what about you guys, Diluculo!”  Day looked a yard in front of him where Verine was pacing with some kind of inhaler at his nose.  “Oh no, is Bambi sick?”

“The Whelp is always sick, Doggo,” spat Quincy.  “And if he doesn’t get out of the car every hour for thirty minutes to get his stupid fresh air, then he gets even sicker!”

Youssef cleared his throat apologetically.  “What Quincy is trying to say is that Verine can’t stay cooped up in the car for very long so we’ve had to take a lot of breaks.  It’s only by chance that we met the Morning Team here.”

“If you’ve needed to make so many stops, how come you’re already only an hour away from the Purification Plains?” Nine had to ask.

The eldest Soul Reaper flushed and looked away.  “Mori … may have found that even though Route Fifteen doesn’t lead to the retreat location, it does merge into Route Fourteen quite aways down and in that span, manages to complete the same distance in only half the time.”

“Yeah, but Route Fifteen is shady as hell, so because of him,” Quincy whirled around to point a finger at Mori, who looked unperturbed at the accusation, “we almost got robbed seventeen times when we were taking the Whelp on his walks!”  He kicked the ground.  “And it doesn’t help that the dumb Morning Team decided to stop exactly where we did!”

“Speaking of the Morning Team,” Aitachi said, curling his fists angrily.  “Where are Mr. Licht and Mr. Ghilley?  I have many things I want to say to Mr. Licht for giving me that demeaning hat!”

“They’re both in the car, I think,” admitted Ell.  “And I’m sorry about Mr. Licht—he means well—achoo!”

Nine realized that unlike Diluculo, who had come through a different path, Mane must have stayed on Route Fourteen, and considering that they were ahead of Hesperide, must have found a way to avoid the Evening Team’s detection when they rested in the fruit trees.

“How were you able to get past Hesperide?” asked Nine.  “Surely if you went past them, they would have seen your car and drove ahead.”

Jamie, who was still trying to coax Non-Non into taking a bathroom break, called over, “Aw, Ghilley said that we should cover our license plates to confuse y’all.”

“Waaaaaaaah, isn’t that illegal?” asked Day, who didn’t realize that his team had no right to question Mane’s actions, as they themselves had done some unsavory things in order to win.

Ell’s blush deepened.  “O—oh, is it?  We had no idea—achoo!  Achoo!”

“While it is entertaining to hear of your exploits,” cut in Kirr, though not unkindly, “we of the Night Team must get moving, for we still have an hour yet to travel.”

Aitachi nodded.  “Brother Kirr is right!  We wish Diluculo the best of luck!”  He pointedly left out wishing well to Mane because dishonor!

“Bye-bye!” chirped Day, as Nine bade farewell to the other two teams and rolled the window back up.  

“That means the only team we have yet to meet is Die,” concluded Nine as they continued their drive down Route Fourteen.  

Day gulped.  “And scary King Ethan is on that team!”

“Brother Day, do not be afraid of Mr. Ethan!  We will most certainly beat him and the rest of Die!” assured Aitachi, although, he, along with the rest of the Night Team, could hardly fathom a scenario where the pretentious, but diligent Soul Reaper didn’t demand an absolute victory from his team.

Hour 8

“We’re almost there!” sang Day.  While he was busy playing Pictionary with Aitachi in the fog that formed from his breath on the window, he had still been keeping track of the time that had passed.

“And we’ve still seen no sign of the intrepid Day Team,” Kirr said.

Aitachi looked away from his and Day’s game to nervously offer, “What if they’re already at the Plains?”

“They can’t be,” affirmed Nine, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.  He was not going to give up a month free from cleaning shifts to someone as snobby as Ethan.

Kirr looked calm as he said, “Do not worry, Aitachi.  The members of Team Die are sneaky, but fast and strong, like foxes—and you remember how much fun we had the last time we hunted foxes.”

“Kirr-Kirr and Tachi-Tachi hunted foxes?  That’s so cool!”  Day exclaimed.  “Next time, take me too, please!”  He looked ahead and brightened.  “Hey, hey, that sign says ‘Welcome to the Purification Plains!’”

Suddenly, they heard an engine revving behind them and everyone besides Nine, who was driving, whirled around to see who the new car was.

Aitachi’s jaw dropped.  “Is that the Day Team?”  

The license plate on the front of the car proved it plainly, for it indeed, had “DIE” written on it, and the words were becoming clearer and clearer as the vehicle whizzed toward them at speeds that none of the decrepit 14th Department cars could even dream of moving at.  

Nine made the connection when he saw the plume of smoke and flames that the Day Team car left in its wake.  “Mr. June’s using his fireballs and blowing through all their fuel at once to move the car as fast as possible!”

“They were tailing us—” realized Kirr, running a hand through his hair in desperation, “waiting for the right moment in which to launch their true speed!  How could I have been so foolish as to not see this coming?  Ethan is a crafty foe, indeed.”

Aitachi tried to keep the panic out of his voice to console his friend by saying, “Do not think it your fault, Brother Kirr.  I’m sure Mr. Ethan purposely kept his car far enough that you couldn’t see what he was doing, but so that he could see us.”

“He probably saw us switch the signs on Hesperide, too,” recognized Nine.  However, he couldn’t dwell on that now, as the Day Team’s car was now right up next to them and was speeding past.  

Suddenly, Day was struck with an idea as he watched the golden smoke that depicted June’s handiwork from the tailpipe of Die's car.  “I have an idea!”

“Say it, Brother Day!  We’ll take anything!” exclaimed Aitachi, watching Die race closer and closer to the entrance to the Purification Plains.  

Day nodded.  “Let’s all draw our weapons and throw them at the car’s wheels on my count!”

Aitachi and Kirr bobbed their heads in agreement, but Nine stared at Day carefully.  “Are you sure about this, Mr. Day?  This is rather underhanded for you.”

“I’ll do anything to protect Tachi-Tachi’s honor,” assured Day, with not even a slight waver in his voice.  He drew his weapon and signaled for the others to do the same.  “On my mark, ready … set … go!”  He exclaimed the last syllable when he saw that the Day Team was fifteen feet in front of the entrance.

All of Noctu rolled down their windows and released their weapons at the word and every one of them hit true on the mark of one of the other car’s wheels.  As the Day Team’s tires blew out, the Night Team’s car sped past Ethan’s enraged face, but they had gotten no more than five feet before one of their own tires popped.

“Oh, no, King Ethan retaliated!” cried Day, referring to the lone sword that had pierced their car’s wheels.

However, Ethan’s sword did not have the slowing effect that he had intended, for as soon as Kirr and Aitachi felt the tell-tale loosening of pressure from one of their tires, their instincts and fleetfootedness, honed from years of hunting nimble hares and deer in the forest, took over, and they kicked open the car doors.  Before anyone could blink, the pair raced toward the Purification Plains’ entrance. 

“Come, Mr. Day, let’s follow them,” ushered Nine the instant the two sprinted out, offering his hand to the tall Soul Reaper.    

Day took it and grinned.  “Aye-aye, Nine!”

Ethan, along with the rest of Die, arrived at the entrance just as the last two members of Noctu did.  

“We did it!” cheered Day, huddling all the members of the Night Team into a group hug.  “We won!”  

“You didn’t win,” began Ethan, his eye twitching in irritation.  “You can’t win if your vehicle didn’t cross the entry point.”  He grit his teeth.  “Now since neither of ours can make it across, the winners will either be Mane, Hesperide, or Diluculo.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” said the Manager, who seemed to materialize from out of nowhere.  She beamed at the two teams.  “The rules were that whichever team arrives at the Purification Plains first would win.  And since Kirr and Aitachi are both of the Night Team, Noctu wins!”

Ethan’s frown—which had momentarily disappeared at the sight of the Manager—deepened.  “But ma’am—they played unfairly.”

The Manager bit her lips.  “Technically, Sei Housemaster, Nyang Lead Manager, and I never said that there were parameters on what you could and couldn’t do to win, so while I don’t condone their actions—and yours, too, Ethan, I saw you throw your sword at their tire, as well—I think in terms of this competition, it’s okay.”  She turned to look sternly at the members of the Night Team.  “But I expect you four to pay for the damages you caused to the Day Team’s car.”  She cleared her throat.  “And to the sign.”

Day’s eyes widened.  “You know about that, Manager?”

The Manager only laughed and took out from her pocket four pink slips of paper and handed them to the members of Noctu.  “I award these coupons, which serve as passes from cleaning shifts for one month, to the Night Team!”

The group of four held their tickets up to the sky and cheered, and Nine had to admit, although his motivation for this road trip initially had been for these passes alone, he now considered them just a sweet, sweet bonus for the time he had spent bonding with his teammates.  

And on their drive home after the 14th Department Annual Retreat, he scrounged up his courage and poised a finger on the “play” button on the car speaker to share with the rest of Noctu his most prized, secret music composition.

He had hesitated before to show this part of himself.

But after this trip, he was finally ready.

[babysgarage]

i’m gonna type out a long rant i said i’d save for after the last episode airs now it helps me declutter my brain 

okay i legit didn’t want to ship reki and langa from the start, partly bc they didn’t really fit my favorite tropes, partly because i really adored their relationship from the start and i didn’t wanna set myself up for a disappointment by expecting more but here we are 

i mean already by episode 2 they were shown to share a single braincell and were idiots together but i also raved about how caring and sweet they were to each other and how it made me notice that all other relationships between between to main characters/best friends in shonen and sports anime i’ve seen until now always had them as bickering rivals who viewed each other as goal posts they wanted to surpass, while also caring a lot about each other obviously 

but with these two it was never about that, they showed them bonding over stupid shit like watching videos on their phones and passing ketchup between them on a skateboard and reki helping langa with his job search and bandaging up each other’s wounds and becoming more comfortable with physical affection etc, and even when the difference in their skills caused their big fight, the main reason reki was upset was bc he thought he wouldn’t be able to skate next to langa, it never was about /beating him/ (the only time they even mentioned langa and reki racing against each other was in episode 11, and that was just encourangement for reki to win against adam and another way of emphasizing they wanted to skate together)

so i enjoyed the show for its animation and visuals and humor and the very sweet platonic friendship between the two main characters and i would’ve ridden it like that to the end but- you could see them growing closer in each ep and it gave me the same feeling as a certain other skating anime, and then came the conversation between langa and his mom where she asked him ‘do you like this person?’ and he yelps, blushes, looks away and stutters a ‘well.. yeah’ and hold the fuck up, am i seeing this right? are they legit doing this? or are we all just misinterpreting it? bc if it was what we thought it was, then it was a big deal, but no one from the japanese speaking side of the fandom that i follow seemed to be freaking out like the rest of us did so idk. the scene did have a comedic end so maybe we were supposed to take the entire thing as a joke, which, okay, i wouldn’t like it but i’d accept it. except they also gave us 4 episodes of langa looking like a kicked puppy because reki wasn’t there. and then there was a wholeass 3 episode arc where he figures out that his heart beats faster not because the skating itself, but specifically because reki is there to watch him/cheer him on/skate with him when he does. and then we have them making up in ep10 where langa showers him with compliments and they both blush and talk about skating together forever (’infinitely’) and they make an infinity sign a part of their fistbump routine and at this point i gotta ask myself ‘are yall trying to use this skating thing as a metaphor or smth?’ 1) because that’s a common thing in sports anime 2) because joe literally says ‘skaters are idiots. making friends, fighting, making up, you do everything trought skating’ uhhhh does that count for confessing to your crush too? so they finally make up and they go back to being happy (FINALLY) again after 4 weeks of being miserable without each other and langa even says "I always realize how much something meant to me after I lose it, like I did w/ you Reki" just... why go through all this fuckery of strengthening their relationship when it was strong from the get-go if you’re not really planning on going anywhere with it

and you absolutely have the opportunity to go somewhere with it because the literal theme of the main antagonist is about how wrong and fucked up his view on love is and he’s going up against langa in the last episode, who could make a case for, yknow, a healthy and good version of love that he himself learned of during the show (and of course that version of love could be platonic but that’d make me write another wholeass rant about some very problematic aspects of the show and also, like, i know this is utsumi’s ‘passion project’, i know she also worked on free! and bfish so i thought maybe she’d like to do something more lets say unquestionably romantic&gay if she were given the opportunity) idk why but my hopes are back at 0 where they were when the show began but we’ll see i guess. maybe yoi just really spoiled me and gave me too much confidence in my instincts 

[awellboiledicicle]

sometimes i think about Homer Tanner and get very hype because i made a wonderful little bastard man that is continually thwarted by someone having a better sense of weight distribution and general spite.

Also just like, bc the notpeople all share a single braincell that’s long ago dried out so they kinda do their best. 

Y’all have no idea how hype i am to reach the point where Anatomy Class happens in Eldritch Bingo because the milisecond April finds out that the stranger figured out how to make their notpeople moist, they’re going to flip their collective shit. They will be in the nap/panic room wrapped in blankets and screaming now and then. Tim is with them but he’s also about 59% calmer about it because he read their file like the week before and has been chewing on that info for a few days.  Sasha is calmly sipping tea and dropping personally tailored cat memes onto both of their computers, because she’s good like that. Michael used his 1 rebellion impulse for the week to fuck off and get snacks because he can only process so much without a lot of whipped cream in his system. Is it coping? Is it a habit? Is it how his hair maintains its volume? No one knows but he does bring everyone snacks and frappechinos. Eric deadpans about overpriced coffee and drinks his pink drink regardless. 

I get very excited for when i get to current times in the fic bc yall. the group dynamic is gonna slap. 

Also Jon trying to impose decorum onto a 60 some year old goth, a 40 year old anti-eldritch pro-ghost prep, and the resident american thats literally 3 years older than him... while trying desperately to seem like he has LITERALLY any authority to him. Martin spends a good few days after Sasha snoops through employment records and finds out April has literally 0 qualifications, just processing that he lied to get there and they just... apparently popped into the archive on Elias’s word.

I love EB so much. 

[uwuprime]

TFA Liveblog - 1x08 Nanosec

I don't see how this could possibly live up to last ep tbh

Is this a fourth of july ep?

Ope no nvm

Detroit really is always gonna be Detroit huh

Who is this rat boy and why is he orange

HEYYYY THATS MY SON. HI HONEY

Aww yes a speedy boy doing his thing.

What are the fireworks for????

"Who died and made you Big Boy?" Me. You killed me. Just now in fact asdfhjkl

Aaaaaand there they go. Welp.

I regret tk inform you that the Good Boy Squad has now gone 0 days since last Incident

Did they just drown rat boy??

Oh no wait there he is

Oop and there he goes

Hey OP!!!!!

Ah, back to the domain of Sumdac and The Brain...

"You can't make shit dawg." I agree with Megs here. I haven't seen Sumdac m a k e anything for himself yet.

Whaaaaat is desdronium????

God he's so dumb

Isaac they talk about the war all the damn time please wake the fuck up

Oooooo OP is learning to use his disappointed dad tone. "Have fun sneaking out you two? Have a nice swim? You're grounded, you know."

Use your head not your a s s

Sari!!!!!!

Oh god not another Isaac Bullshit "Invention"

Oh jesus christ

Bee confirmed for helm up aft 2020

Thank god Ratchet's a sensible mech.

"My dad's equipment is perfectly safe!!!!!" Sari. Sweetheart. You're smarter than this.

I'm sorry did this man make a fucking gravitron????

So. A ripoff of the TENS-Steroid implants by Goop Goopman.

Who is he testing on? His scientists???? I don't like this.

Oooookay. Here we go. This is what I've been saying for like a week. The "bio" in bioengineering has to come from somewhere, and if the "engineering" portion is coming from shady sources already, this is definitely not the first time that Isaac has essentially bought himself a test subject.

Neeno Sexton?? THATS RATBOYS FUCKING NAME HUH ASDFHJKL

So he's going to have Sexton STEAL the sample? How does he do things like this? Does he also have a contract/payoff stacked on Detroit PD?

Holoforms?????? Canon freaking holoforms?????????????

Bee honey no

So lemme get this straight. Isaac gave rat-boy/Neeno Sexton the suit. But no instructions? Is he just taking what he wants for now?

Here comes the WeeWoo Crew

And thus begins the tale of Nanosec, snarky speedy rat boy.

Him running into Bee is fucking hilarious.

"It makes you look ten years older" wtf?

Oh god he isn't also about to become Goo is he???

I remeber learning about muscles and electricity and movement and shit. If you use past a certain amount of your total strength you can like... liquify yourself. Oh god. This show already pulls no punches please god no.

Prowl!!!!! The boy is here!!!

Mans got his foot stomped on and let go?????

Bee has to fucking s t o p omfg

Bulkhead being a Big Strong Boy! Look at him go I'm so proud!!

MEGATRON KENOBI HAS JOINED THE CHAT.

"I'm nobody's errand boy.... unless?"

Okay so I'm not surprised that the MegIsaac brain trust at Sumdac Systems is wiring a felony money from isaac's personal finance account(s) after everything I've been shown thus far. I am, however, surprised that Megatron is taking the lead on giving it to him? What???

Thats.... a lot of money.

Bee boy running laps!!!! :0

Awww he just wants to go fast ;_;

"Upgrade me" "I'd rather die, thanks."

So Nanosec is really doing this huh

Oooo I was wondering where the key was these last few eps.

Oil slick???? The fuck? OP did you just-

Ohmygod it's the Orange Slippy Gel from Portal 2

Prime noooooo

Wait didn't he lose his grapplers to Lockdown?

These two being buddies is so fucking wholesome I stg

"Where'd you get the duit" yes tell himmmmmm

BEE NO. COME OOON MAN

Welp, here lies Sari and Bumblebee. We hardly knew ye.

OP saving the day!!!!

U n o R e v e r s e C a r d

Ayyyy Ratchet back at it again with the telekinesis.

The suit is aging him. I was right goddamnit here comes the Goo-

Desdronium is highly radioactive if that small an amount can do that there Big Bang. They hired him to steal what is now, essentially, a fission bomb.

"Didn't you use to be a redhead?" my boy paying attention!!!

Ratchet out here putting the braincell to work!

I've realized that in this series Bee kind of has like... himbo energy? He doesn't necessarily fit the Himbo Formula but he is Big Friendly and Mad Brainless and I love him

No time to get rid of the boosters. Big oof. OP is p i s s e d

Bumblebee got his Braincell privileges back!!!

GET DUNKED ON RATBOY

Oh ok wow Nanosec really does not age well.

Oh god the nuke!!!!

Oh no. I'm getting Avengers 1 Vibes. Please dont kill my sons??

Remember, kids: say YEET to nuclear explosives!!

Oh he dead

Ope nope there he is!!! ...aaand now hes on fire nvm.

Look at my bots working together!!!

He's DEAD

Oh thank god no hes okay.

"How did Nanosec get the Turbo Suit?" ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW

HE DIDN'T NOTICE???? HE DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS MISSING???? THIS WAS ALL FUCKING MEGATRON????

OR THE MONEY? HE NEVER LOOKED AT HIS ACCOUT AND WENT

"HUH WIERD THERES A MILLION FUCKING DOLLARS MISSING AND ALSO BAIL PAID TO/FOR THIS GUY??"

I'M SO FUCKING MAD. HE CANNOT BE THIS DUMB. HE DOESN'T SUSPECT MEGATRON AT A L L

I would like everyone to know I typed "Kegatron" right now i accident and laughed so hard u bad an asthma attack.

Look at bb boy walking.

Okay. Less mad now. Dear god. What the fuck my good dudes.

[imagines-mha]

heya dude, could i get a matchup for haikyuu, n bnah? OK SO, i need a man who‘s into lolis bc even after way too many years i still look like a goddamn 12 yr old, so he has to be okay with the fbi busting through the door everytime he gets close to me 😔✊😔✊((JKJK but not really //CRIES)). i‘m super clingy and kinda possessive, the scorpio in me is SCREAMING- also i should prbly mention that according to my birthchart i‘m the biggest scorpio you‘ll ever meet?? (1/3)

please don‘t ask IT‘S BAD. yeah, if i like u and i decide that ur good enough to keep me from doing dumb stuff and getting into accidents (bc my situational awareness is = 0), i will pretty much follow u around like a smol duckling. i kind of get babied alot, but if im being honest, i actually enjoy it 8) LOL. i‘m a BIG SLUT for affection like,,, c,an we h,,h,,,hold hands?? cuddle?? kiss?? BUT im also a pretty cool noodle OK? my talent is to counter anything with a super smootj line ;). [2/3)

BIG INTROVERT RIGHT HERE, so loud parties with big crowds are a big nono here 8(. i‘m a sucker for cute cafés tho and just spending some good quality time together 8). i‘m also hecka short and even though it gets kinda annoying, it‘s perfect to hug other ppl bc everyone‘s automatically ur personal teddy huehue. me having 0 braincells makes me zone out alot and i‘m generally a big stupid beat. thank u for ur time and have a good day!! stay sexy n cool 8). xoxo gossip girl ;^) (3/3)

Dude. Imma be real for a moment i relate to u as a person sm i think we might be twins 😳😳 Also i look like a fuckin 12 year old too i feel u dude i hope u enjoy ur awesome love u 💫💕💕💫

HAIKYUU!!

I ship YOU with: BOKUTO

🖤 Listen my man. My bro. I was tempted to base this shit off star signs because i am one SLUT for astrology but damn naw i see you both making it work sorry stars xx. You both just seem SO alike!! It’s actually a MIRACLE

🖤 This man has no problemo with the fact you look like you’re 12 and you’re hella short. He LOVES to be your personal teddy and will 100000% baby you dude. Picking you up? Yes. Yeeting you playfully into the couch? YES. Y’all would make such a chaotically adorable relationship you would send the entire team into mom mode™️ to take care of you both. You both share a braincell and it can get you into danger sometimes but it’s all about the memories my dude 😎

🖤 He LOVES to go out with you. He has a secret soft spot, and you’d be able to make him weak to the knees with your smoothness/ even if it’s a joke. Also he’d just love goin to little cafes with you and having a little chat about life y’all would look like SO CUTE. He’s a party boi but if he saw a crowd that you didn’t like he would immediately just pick u up jetpack style and zoom u out of there. It’s not a party if his angel isn’t there.

MHA

i ugh u give me mad kaminari energy so i’m not gonna ship u with him just to spice it up a bit 😎

Listen ok i ship you with: SERO (damn ur a lucky gal cus u have to be GREAT for me to match my man up w u)

🧡 He’s the ‘mature’ one of the Bakusquad- or at least as mature as they get. I feel like he’d really like your appearance idk he loves the fact you’re so smol cus he’s a long boy u know he needs that little princess he can pick up and smooch and u could be that gal

🧡 Once he meets you he will devote ALL his love to you. He has so much of it to give and the boy will literally bring you flowers every day of the week what the actual fuck he’s perfect. If u don’t like flowers that’s ok cus he’ll substitute it w ur favourite food or something he’s amazing. Always has those inspiring and reassuring words to cheer u up

🧡 He’ll actually take such good care of you like he’s the 1 braincell you need. He’s so damn cuddly and affectionate and your company >> anyone else’s. He’d prefer to sit in with you and have big deep talks™️ than go out with the crazy ass bakusquad any day. He’s a softie too he LOVES a good café and you guys would just chill together there in your own lil world

[cawfully]

hi im coeurl

or craig, or whatever you might have known me by before. i’ve been in isola/c*tta as davesprite a handful of times

24, he/him, 0 braincells remain after xiv destroys them all

it has been a very long time since i’ve even touched homestuck (when the comic proper ended is the last time i really looked at it, i’ve never looked at any epilogue stuff) so pls be patient with me as i fall face first back into my homestuck phase

i just think davesprite is neat

my twitter is eIdfjall, ask for discord. always open 2 dms

i am incredibly busy with school, but i’ll try to make at least 2-3 posts a week if i can?

oh and if my theme is too bright and obnoxious for you, lmk and i can change it. its nbd

[ts-2020-olympics]

Episode 13 - “Put On My Villain Attire” - Sammy

This week was a lot, I made a mistake socially that hurt someone, and i couldnt be more disgusted or hurt with myself tonight. I feel awful for what i said about nicole, after tribal i cryed like a kid on call with sammy and Caeleb. Reaching out to nicole was hard because i dont want her to think im coming to say sorry as a game move. I respect nicole as a person, as a player, and I made a mistake, and it was time for me to own up to making a personal comment in context that should not have been personal. Now getting that out of the way, this week was crazy, the vote was Tommy, then Jacob, Then nicole, cut to tribal Nicole is excused from tribal, which im thankful for because i actually got to reach out to nicole after to say sorry for my comment.  Getting a response was the last thing I expected from her. And it made me happy to get one, especially such an understanding one that came from her realizing that was not my intentions. Game wise going forward, im aware theres cracks in this alliance and im not 100% safe. But im gonna ride it till i cant no more. I don't want to think game tonight but obviously i need to keep thinking about the game. Immunity wise, i dont think its necessity that I need to win, Even after I had a blow up and such i still feel like those in the game understand how hard it was for me tonight and my truth of how i didnt mean to hurt nicole. I still feel the most close to Sammy and Caeleb, they where there for me tonight after tribal while a cried, so was Kevin and Emma, idealy these people are the people I want there with me at the end of the game. In other news, Darcy has exposed himself as someone who has voted out sammy, meaning the list of people who need to go before I need to start backstabbing gets longer Stoner, Tommy, Nicole and Darcy are IDEALLY the next 4 boots, but u never know what will happen in this game! I could be working with Nicole next round for all I know. ANYWAYS TLDR: Im sorry, me and nicole are fine, im in a good place in this game. Thank u for coming to this LONG ASS confessional. 

im dying, so its been fun toodaloo 

Actually feeling very frustrated atm. I wanted this immunity so bad. The way Nicole plays this game is very frustrating and I’d love to see the way she actually plays the real game. Is she just gonna sit under the hut and ignore everyone that approaches her. She just lies about everyone and the minute someone does something against her she cries in her host chat. I’m usually not a mean person but she deserves to be the villain of this season. I literally have always looked up to Nicole as a player bc I have seen how genuine and kind she can be. But this game has really tossed out how i viewed her as a player. As a person sure she’s great but there’s a way to play this game by having good character. I would hate to see me leave before Nicole but if it happens and she makes it to the finals that’s okay but she won’t have my vote poor management. Anyways don’t wanna make my whole confessional about Nicole since she’s made the whole game revolve around her actions already. I’d like to personally shoutout Jordan caeleb and Eve in this confessional. Truly are the rays of sunshine in this game. I have my doubts about Kevin, Emma, and Darcy because I think that they have connections to Nicole. Someone is playing everyone and it’s so frustrating. I was so close to winning this immunity. I need to survive. Also I am very annoyed that caeleb has not had to stress a single round since merge. Yeah he’s my closest ally but like it’s annoying i want someone else like me to be immune and i know it’s selfish but it’s just annoying. I need to figure this out. I might have to put on my villain attire for this round. 

IMMUNITY? IMMUNITY? I HAVE THAT? Oh my god I think this may be like the first immunity I've actually one in the history of my Tumblr Survivor career (although checking the records there was one time I was just like individually immune for no reason during Seychelles premerge and I do not remember why) I needed this SO BAD, and even better is everyone is PISSED at me for winning, nobody can figure out where I figured out all the colors and it's SOOOOOOOOO FUNNY god bless, long live the underdog bayyyyyyybeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

Okay, so here goes.   To start off my confessional for this round, that past tribal really was a mess.  Nicole played a tribal skip, so she survived, which was a good play on her part, but it led to some messy scrambles, and ended up losing probably my closest friend in this game (Love you Jacob <3,)  I ended up voting in minority with Jacob to keep my word, even though I knew majority was on Jacob.   In this game though, you got to take risks, and if the risk of keeping my word to my good friend outside this game ends up being my downfall, then so be it.   However, one isn't going to win by playing it safe every round and voting with majority all the time, you got to vote in minority at times too and try to at least make some bold moves, to get out the threats, otherwise, you might as well just give them the money, as those players would all make finals, and one of them would win.  Then where would the sheep be?   They would be at the jury, alongside those who they voted out.   Now, terms of this round, Nicole and I are trying to come together to split up the power trio of Eve, Caeleb and Sammy.   Plan is to try getting out Eve, as Eve has everyone basically wrapped around their finger, which I do not like, and I think Eve has the best chance of winning this game if they make it to the end, so yea Eve has to go.   I've also been hearing though, and sounds of things, Emma is wanting me out, and her reason I think is pretty well just because I haven't been voting with her.  It's like, I have only been to 3 tribals so far with Emma (4 if you count this one,)  and I voted with her the one tribal against Karen, then other tribal was just because I wanted to be loyal to my friend, and keep my word.   The first time though, was because I found the other person more threatening to my game.   Anyways, I am fighting my all right now to stay, and not going to back down, but if I end up going, so be it, I know I played a great game, and am glad with everything about it.   Pitching to people though that I'm not threatening at all, I literally have 0 moves on my resume at the moment, and how I just want to try beating 7th, because as of currently, 7th is my best placement.   Here goes nothing, and hopefully cards fall right, and Eve gets slain.

I’m kind of feeling hopeless after this round. Nobody actually wants to make the moves that need to be made, nobody wants to do anything actually smart. People are just being so short-sighted and playing for jury. Eve has an ego and will use it to make you believe that it’s her way or the highway. I feel like any cast with more than three braincells amongst them could really do something but, they won’t. Caeleb will win immunity yet again next round. I’ll go, then one by one they’ll go. I really just like, have no energy to guide these dummies to anywhere anymore. I’m tired. Even with immunity people are just ridiculously fake and annoying. 

I think Emma is the plan for tonight. She's playing a double agent type of game which is super dangerous and people are starting to see through it plus me and her don't have the best past so I'm fine with Emma going. It gets me to the Final 10 and gets me one step closer to the Final Tribal Council. I also think once Emma goes I'll be nobodies #1 target and that'll put me in a good position for next vote as long as Nicole doesn't win immunity again. Although who knows things switch around in this game so fast and it could be me going home because if Emma gets wind of her name being out there I see her coming for me just because of our past and I do think there is viable reason for people to flip their votes onto Me, if Emma campaigns for me to go. I'm hoping my name doesn't get dragged into the conversation and it just stays between Emma, Eve, and Darcy so I have no chance of going home tonight. I'm just gonna lay low after this bit of strategy talk but be around if the wind starts to shift onto me.

Fuck I’m not home and don’t want a stike this will be a quick confessional, Sammy I’m so fucking sorry about this but you have such a good social game and I need you gone to free up the field. Formed an alliance with Darcy today that was random but now I actually trust him which is wierd. Still fucking people over with Nicole it’s crazy how that’s working. Next round is final 10 o need to make it past it or I might cry, once I pass that hurdle I’ve never heard passed I’m good. 9th- 1st no bitter Jordan pines, don’t get me wrong though, 1st is still most preferred and it’s seeming achievable

Bye bye Sammy 

Ahh I have to turn my phone off and can't find confessional but my confessional is that I hate myself for voting Sammy 

I ate dinner, We're doing Sammy. Maybe these people have four brain cells instead of three. I however, still just have the one bumping around in my ear canal saying I might have a chance to win the game which is in fact, the stupidest thought I've had this whole round.

well well well....this round is a BIG OLE MESS, so i went into it last night thinking the vote was gonna be emma because she was leaking to nicole, but then i woke up and i guess the vote is on darcy, but Nicole tried to pull a vote on eve but because emma was involved and very loose lipped I would not have felt comfortable hiding that for almost 5 hours, so i told eve LOL.... but that built my trust up with eve and I thought it would make eve doubt emma even more but instead it seems to have made her want to keep her? which maybe means emma leaked the vote already?? which would be a good thing for me because then i didnt try to hide info that eve already knew, but so then that landed the vote primarily on darcy but honestly if darcy goes home this game is likely in the bag for eve, so I had to come up with something quick ! I have no idea if this is gonna go through but i put all my energy into selling this sarah vote like it was the end all be all move for us to make, when i dont think it is but if sarah can go home then the 5some that im viewing as Sammy/Caeleb/Eve/Jordan/Sarah would be down to 4 meaning theres wiggle room at the final 10 to potentially make a power move on a big player, without them being able to stay 5 solid and threaten rocks. They all seemed kinda hesitant but came around so im nervous, eve also asked for a back up plan which I said could be stoner, but the fact that she asked makes me nervous that shes gonna try to pull a fast one and be like "I think sarah has an idol we need to flip it !!!!!" which would be annoying but i wouldn't put it past eve. This also keeps all my potential numbers in those being nicole and then tommy/darcy emma and stoner, again IF this goes through, i could've lost darcy but then i just a 5v5 or if emma gets bold then a 6v4 and im powerless again. I think this was where i need to make a move and i hope it goes through but if it doesn't at least i tried !!!

I think tonight the night ladies, TONIGHT THE NIGHT I AM RELEASED, i mean if not sarah goes home and its whatever. I love love sarah and feel bad for blindsiding her like this. But I have confidence in Kevins decision here, hes trusted me, I have to trust him now.