Hello! Welcome or welcome back to Capy's Survivor! This season we are headed to Pompeii! We are once again playing the game of outwitting, outplaying, and outlasting your fellow castaways, whether that be by flirtatious behavior, backstabbing your opponents, or making plenty of allies. This is Capy's Survivor: Saints vs Sinners! I will not be doing write-ups with the posts because I don't have time. I will instead work on them while I can, and post a post with some of them once I'm done.
Meet the castaways:
Sanctus Tribe:

• Percy Cowles, 27, Police Officer (made by u/asiansurvivorfan)
  • Raised by a single mother alongside his older brother Nolan, Percy learned to be a lone wolf at a really young age. He always wanted to be a professional athlete and was set up to be a successful baseball player, until during one of his practices, he got the call that his brother had been killed in a tragic accident. He took it really hard due to how close they were and spent a lot of time away from baseball to think if this was the right path for him. He eventually decided to go back to studying law since its what he studied prior to baseball. That then led him to start his police training. He now works as an undercover cop and doesn’t plan on telling anybody his true profession.
• Blair Davis, 36, Air Force Officer (made by u/GeminiB)
  • Blair had an interesting childhood. Her mother was native American but died when she was only two, leaving her in the care of her father. She suffered minor bullying when she was in elementary school starting at grade 4. She was mocked for being quiet and not having a mother. It got so bad that she switched schools going into grade 6. She continued her education and was always studious. When she graduated high school, she decided to join the air force. She was a quick learner and became one of the best pilots in her force, quickly earning her the title of Officer. She was rarely on the front lines during her time and spent most of her time providing supplies for soldiers, but that didn’t stop her from learning about the atrocities of war. She had a yearlong relationship with a fellow pilot named Julie, but her romantic interest unfortunately died a little after a year of them meeting. That death really shook her to her core, and from then on, she tried to keep herself from growing close to anyone in the military with her, for risk of losing them. She finished her military service less than a year ago and currently works in a gardening center. She still has nightmares about all the friends she’s lost. Her past trauma makes it still challenging for her to open up and bond with others. She’s going on survivor to prove both to the world and herself that your trauma doesn’t define who you are. She knows she’s physically strong, but she wants to prove that she’s both mentally, and socially capable too.
• Anna-Ray 'Ray' Abbotson, 22, Lifeguard (made by u/swoldow)
  • Ray's life is a tragic one, but she has done nothing but give back to her community despite those hardships. When she was 13, and on a family vacation, she witnessed her father drowning at a beach, and got heavily diagnosed with depression when developing into the adult she is today. She got counseling to cope with it, and her counselor eventually told her to turn the bad thing that happened to her into a good thing for others, and that is exactly what Ray did. She now works as a lifeguard, and is among the best of the best, saving people so they don't end up like her dad. She is a very moral girl, but is naïve, and fairly easily manipulated by men drawn to her by her looks, but she knows that as long as there's a beach with her on it, she's in her element.
• Douglas Chance, 29, ER Nurse (made by u/TDSwaggyBoy)
  • Backstory: Ever since he was born, Douglas' family taught him how to be a ''gentleman''. Be the kind of person that people are proud to call their friend. Always help others when they need your help, always be there for people. He decided to become a nurse, wanting to help in the medical field as he always had a knack for it. Douglas has dedicated his life to helping others, and hopes to come on SURVIVOR and use this platform in order to shine a light on big and important matters. He doesn't necessarily care about winning, but he'll give it his all. Douglas has overcome a lot of challenges in his life, and he's ready to face this one head on.
• Randy 'The Randster' Collins, 38, Firefighter (made by u/UltDragon)
  • A firefighter for almost a decade, Randy as been in some tough situations before and will probably be in a couple more before he retires. Randy even has a burn scar on his right arm, however, you know what they say, "If you cannot handle the heat, get out of the station!" Randy plans on donating the money to help burn victims in both treatment and therapy.
• Evangelina 'Eva' Montes, 26, Children's Nurse (made by u/NahuelFire39)
  • Eva was born in Merida, Mexico City, but at that time she and her family were poor. When she was 8 years old, she had to help them in farming jobs to earn money that in the end they obtained the necessary money for their life and that of their parents and older brother. Eva's parents were not bad at all, but they did not try to have a closer bond between their daughter, causing her not to have a good childhood with zero friends due to her low capacity to socialize with new people; her brother only bothered her often for simply being older than her and doing more work than her parents. When she reached adolescence, Eva made money as a high school student thanks to her parents' money and at first she did poorly, being "the freak of the bunch" by her peers. But she met a girl from her school and told her about God and her religion. Eva became interested in religion and the history of God, becoming a believer. Years later, Eva decided to take the job of Children's Nurse, because she want them to have a healthier life than she had before.
• George Dilton, 55, FarmeAir Force Veteran (made by u/SilverOwl24)
  • George grew up in the country side on a farm, so he knew how to work hard at such a young age. However, instead of staying on the farm after graduating high school, he decided to enlist in the Air Force and make his country proud just as much as his family was of him. He flew planes and even took a bullet or two for some of his fellow soldiers. After being honorably discharged, he came back home and took over his family's farm where he raised his own family. He's a former soldier, a farmer, a father and grandfather. And now, he wants to add Sole Survivor to that list.
• Dolores 'Dolly' McNamara, 36, Broadway Star (made by u/Ilovedogs1100)
  • Ever since Dolly was a little girl, she has dreamed of being on the big stage. Her parents were very supportive of this and decided to help her follow her dreams. Dolly was the main character in every single high school musical and she felt like musical theatre is where she belonged. When she was 21 she got pregnant with her first child. After she gave birth to this child, she decided to audition for Wicked the musical and she only got Ensemble, but she was still happy about that. Dolly afterwards has had 4 more children and has had many roles in different musicals. She is now one of the most famous broadway stars and is extremely happy with her life. Dolly isn’t playing Survivor for the money, she just wants to try something new. PS - While she is gone she has no idea who is going to look after her kids because she has trust issue rip. And she is a single mother so... yeah :) Maybe her parents will look after them but idk :/
• Flora Sanchez, 23, Kindergarten Teacher (made by u/Pray_The_Gay_To_Come)
  • She comes from a loving family. She has a long lost sister who she saved from drowning. She has a kind fiancé who loves her very much. She has a love for plants and wants to study botany. (Definitely not Flora from Winx Club)
• Carson Brooke, 21, Pro Gamer (made by u/LordYeet777)
  • Carson's Mom died during childbirth, and his father went into depression, and eventually died in a drunk driving accident. Carson spent his 13 and up in foster care, and just escaped his everyday life by getting into roleplaying and stuff. He Hope's that with Survivor he can come out of his shell a little bit.

Pecalum Tribe:

• Jonathan 'King' Kingsly, 23, Rave Organizer (made by u/Ripecornball60)
  • King was the popular kid in high school. His awards include Prom King, Valedictorian, and Class President. After high school, King went to Harvard and swiftly left, wanting to pursue a career as an event coordinator. Along with his sister Mina, they created M&K Party Planning Co. After 2 years of planning events for offices, birthdays holidays Ect. King decides that it was time to explore an untouched section of his community. The rave business. Without Mina's knowledge, King bought an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town and created his community's first-ever rave park. Mina was furious and gave King an ultimatum. Get a million dollars to pay off what he stole from her, or lose the business. After this, King became more paranoid, also becoming slightly psychotic. paying gangs to beat up anyone who opposes him, and without his rock Mina, his party animal persona is nothing more than just a facade.
• Vito Luco, 49, Used Car Salesman (made by u/swoldow)
  • Vito is the last person you'd want to trust with anything. A true con-artist at heart, he now has a job selling used cars, but his past jobs would make you run away from him in fear. When he was younger, he was a part of a major drug-trafficking operation run by the mafia, and he later got a job selling illegal fireworks, both of which got him to do jail time for a decade. Newly released, he seems to be back to his old ways, as he scams people out of their money daily with his faulty cars. He was born constantly overshadowed by his perfect younger brother, who is a popular politician, while he just swindles from people. As a result, he hates people who play loyally, and wants to prove that evil is the best way to play. He isn't afraid to play hard, as that's what he did all his life, and he'll either win, or go out swinging.
• Chelsea "Sass" Virge, 21, Model (made by u/Rylandoesreddit)
  • Sass was the 3rd of 6 children, though you would never see her. She was always neglected compared to her extremely smart and athletic siblings. This all changed though when her father died in a car crash, and later her mother died of an overdose. After failing to be adopted, Sass walked out on her orphanage, becoming homeless. Later, she found her Aunt Jenny who is also a talent agent. Together, they have been using her looks to get jobs modeling for adult clothing. Now she sees that a lot of people having a great time in life, and sometimes she likes to take her anger out on those people. Whether she gets her agents to beat someone up or cheats on a relationship.
• Kim 'Juri' Juri, 35, Poker Dealer (made by u/Gemini_B)
  • Kim Juri grew up with a fairly poor family and at a young age secretly turned to gambling to support her family. She got very good and became a poker dealer at a casino. She wants to destroy this game because she knows how to lie, cheat and play dirty. She's here to win, and nothing will stop her.
• Bart Bartson, 25, Comic Book Store Worker (made by u/asiansurvivorfan)
  • A true nerd, Bart spends most of his time either reading comics or watching Marvel movies. He can go on for hours about how amazing Marvel is or how certain situations take place. He wants to use his knowledge of Marvel to win Capy’s Survivor. He’s always wanted to be a villain and sees this as the perfect opportunity to be a supervillain.
• Karen Manager, 50, Self-proclaimed Activist (made by u/Rylandoesreddit)
  • Karen literally got on this show by berating the executive producers until they cried. She has an entitlement to practically everything, the reasoning being she has kids, and if she doesn't get what she wants exactly when and how she wants it, she will call your manager, get you fired, and ruin your life.
• Randall Martin, 49, Real Estate Agent (made by u/TDSwaggyBoy)
  • Being a self proclaimed sleazeball, which is a very weird thing to be proud of, Randall's life was never too good. He didn't grow up with a lot of close friends. Sure, people liked him at first, but when they really got to know him they didn't appreciate him nor his antics very much. Randall had to make a name for himself. He quickly found a career in the world of real estate. Not even his co-workers enjoyed his company, but they appreciated his skills. Being a fast and smooth talker really pays off in his industry. And now, Randall wants to put his skills to use in SURVIVOR. How well will that pan out?
• Adrian Blair, 28, Casino Chain Owner (made by u/UltDragon)
  • Owning a business is never easy and to make it in this world you have to stab a few backs. This is what Adrian was told about owning a business growing up. Adrian will use every advantage to win and should not be trusted. Adrian has already gain a small fortune from his cutthroat business strategies, he is entering survivor purely for the competition.
• Kenzie Cortez, 48, Journalist (made by u/NahuelFire39)
  • Kenzie was born in Chicago, leading a wealthy money life with family, husband and friends. When she got her job as a reporter, Kenzie was eager for the opportunity to do Fake News, which the news accepted and contributed. This news was not minor, but major news about famous people or stories that never happened. As incredible as it sounds, people believed her, dropping the weight on the people Kenzie defamed and that people who didn't believe her later denounced her. But if that wasn't the last straw, Kenzie was paying the police and judges to clear her own name. She continues to work as a reporter and on the famous news show,
• Tracy Wilkins, 25, Social Media Influencer (made by u/SurvivorFan5890)
  • Early on, both of her parents were constantly fighting and cheating on each other. Since, she grew up with both of her parents liking so many people, she learned to do the same. Starting in Middle School, she would lead guys on every chance she had, She found hurting their hearts entertaining so she continued to do it until her Senior year in High School. She was called out by one guys so she ended up breaking his nose and four fingers. She was expelled. Because of this, she realized the reason she could lead guys on so easily was because of her looks and ability to lie. So she took that advantage and put it on social media. Now plenty of men try to talk to her and she has fun having them like dogs on a leash. Tracy wants to win so she can gain more fame and see if she can convince another Social Media Influencer to date her.

Season: https://brantsteele.net/survivocaramoan/r.php?c=58TIKzh1
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20th: Tracy was just too far on the outside for this vote. With both alliances in the tribe gunning for her, there was no way she could escape this 7-3 vote. Eliminated: Tracy
19th: I think this vote was purely the wrong place at the wrong time. There are two main alliances in the Pecalum tribe, King, Jury, and Vito; and Adrian, Bart, and Randall. I believe the flips wanted to side more with the alliance voting out the other alliance rather than a fellow flip vote. Eliminated: Bart
18th: I think Vito was scared that Karen, Kenzie, and Sass (a.k.a the flip votes) were going to flip back to Randall and Adrain's side and vote out Juri, as her name was thrown around. But alas, that did not happen, and their intended target of Randall went out after only Kenzie voted with Randall and Adrian, Sass throwing her vote to Karen, and Karen siding with Juri, Vito, and now-flip vote King. Eliminated: Randall
17th: The Sanctus tribe, much like their rival tribe, was divided by 2 alliances of 3. Carson-Randster-Flora and Blair-Dolly-Percy. But being the heroes that they are at heart, that didn't matter much, as Eva's fight with George from Episode 2 caught up with her and made her the boot 9-1. Eliminated: Eva
16th: Sanctus loses their second immunity in a row. I think the alliances are trying to rid of the flip votes early, as they could be dangerous come to the merge. Carson-Flora-Randster manages to pull in Ray for their Douglas vote, but that is solely because Blair-Dolly-Percy managed to get all the other flip votes to vote Ray, booting her 5-4. Eliminated: Ray
15th: After a huge fight at camp, and them both being in the middle, George and Douglas have made themselves the main targets of this week. Carson-Flora-Randster decides to stick to their target of Douglas, while Blair-Dolly-Percy decides to tie hoping for someone to flip, so they vote George. Instead of this, Blair ultimately decides to flip on her alliance, voting Douglas out 4-4; 4-2. Eliminated: Douglas
14th: A swap occurs at the Final 14, sending Sass, Dolly, Flora, King, Karen, Kenzie, and Percy to Sanctus. And sending Adrian, Blair, Carson, George, Juri, Randster, and Vito to Pecalum. All old alliances stand strong, while new alliances of former tribemates form. Sanctus loses the immunity challenge. The Sinners decide that Flora is their main target. But, Dolly and Percy approach Sass and offer her to flip, because of Dolly's reasons that her fellow Sinners are untrustworthy. Sass says in her confessional that she is the most untrustworthy of the bunch. In a stupid move, Dolly decides not to play her idol. Flora knows her fate, and decides to vote Sass as a last "F**k you". Eliminated: Flora
13th: Pecalum are the ones heading to Tribal Council tonight. Randster and Carson end up fighting after Flora goes home, as they know they are probably doomed. Randster recognizes that Carson is a huge threat to the game, and he decides he doesn't need him sticking around, the Sinners also take advantage of this crack in the Saints, as they are down in numbers, and need to form some trust. Carson goes in a 6-1. Eliminated: Carson
12th: The merge occurs, with everyone shocked that it's so early, with 12 people still remaining. Because of Carson's elimination, the original Saints are down in number 7-5. Karen manages to win immunity. Being the villains they are, the Sinners immediately turn on each other, and the biggest targets at the end of it all are King and Sass, who are mistakenly thought of as running the game, even though Juri and Vito know their alliance has most of the votes, they don't speak up. Sass manages to gain Blair and George's trust enough to get them on her side and attempt to convince the other former Saints. But King-Vito-Juri gets every other vote off of King, as he is an ally. Eliminated: Sass
11th: The Randster wins immunity. The Sinners continue to turn on each other, with King once again being a target along with Kenzie for constantly flipping back and forth between votes. The Randster, knowing he is safe, decides to vote with Blair and George (and Kenzie) to vote out King, as he sees King is a threat. They attempt to convince Dolly-Percy, but when Blair was flipped on the other tribe, they grew close. They decide to stay on the Sinner's good side and vote for Kenzie. Kenzie goes home on a 7-4. Eliminated: Kenzie.
10th: Vito wins immunity. Even in their last ditch efforts to flip Dolly-Percy to their side, Blair-George-Randster could not get people to flip and vote out King, even though he was one of the people obviously running the vote, and they are beginning to get picked off. George leaves in a 7-3 vote. Eliminated: George.
9th: Adrian win immunity. Blair and Randster still attempt to flip Dolly-Percy, and even the last Volcaneous flip left, Adrian. They try to reason that they are not top priority to get to Final Tribal Council, and they need to hurt the alliance of Juri-Vito-King, but Dolly-Percy and Adrian want to stick on their good side, even if it means they only last one more vote. They decide Blair is easily a bigger threat than Randster, and send her packing on a 7-2. Eliminated: Blair.
8th: Vito wins another immunity, and Randster is crushed as he was also close to winning. Randster is shocked when Dolly-Percy, Adrian, and Karen approach him and say that they are giving King the boot. Randster asks why they didn't do it earlier, and they confess it's because they wanted to be on the top of one side, and with the other 3 person alliance they couldn't do that, and that they needed to gain trust with King-Juri-Vito. Juri knows about this vote, but she decides to save her idols for when SHE needs them. Eliminated: King
7th: Adrian wins immunity. They decide the vote is Vito, as they are more uncomfortable with him than Juri. But, Adrian decides that flipping back to the Juri-Vito side would be his best bet right now. He decides not to tell Karen, as his plan is to bring Randster and her to the end as goats and boot Juri and Vito at the Final 5. He knows that Randster is open to flipping though, so he baits him in, but is unsuccessful. Juri knows about these attempts, and she shows Randster one of her idols and says she will keep him safe because he can't keep himself safe in the middle. By a vote of 4-3 Percy goes home. Eliminated: Percy
6th: The Randster wins immunity. Adrian finally decides to tell Karen about the flipping. But then regrets it as soon as he realizes he might be the target, as Dolly might be a goat for them. Him and Randster flip back to Dolly's side, with Adrian trying to save his goats. But he was too messy, and couldn't get Karen to flip back. It's a 3-3 tie, with Juri-Vito-Karen voting Dolly, and Adrian-Randster-Dolly voting Karen, trying to cause a rock draw with Adrian, Juri, and Vito. But, knowing she doesn't want a rock draw, and that she could bring anyone with her and potentially win, Juri decides to shockingly flip to a Karen vote, sending her packing. Eliminated: Karen
5th: Juri wins the immunity challenge. She knows they are going to vote for Vito, but she also knows that they know there is nothing they can do because she has an idol. So they all decide to stick with Vito, as they think she might boot him for being a jury vote threat. Their prediction turns out to be right, but she still votes against them to try to attempt some Juri Management (sorry for the bad pun). Eliminated: Vito
4th: The Randster secures his stop in the Final 3, by winning immunity. Juri uses her talking skill in attempts to flip Adrian because she knows that she is doomed if she doesn't try, and she tells him he should be sitting next to a Sinner at FTC and that she might not even win the Fire-Making, he does the math and decides that a potentially bitter jury is better than sitting next to the social player, Dolly, at FTC. Dolly and Juri are sent to a Fire-Making Challenge, where Juri wins. Eliminated: Dolly
Final Tribal Council:>! By a jury vote of 4-3-1.... congratulations Kim Juri! You are the winner of Capy's Survivor: Saint vs Sinners!!<
Tell me what you guys think. Also tell me who you would like to see the return of for future seasons, and who you liked the most!

Down below a fishing boat are 16 Americans who are about to be marooned in the middle of the Marquesas, part of Tahiti’s mystical islands. Thousands of miles from the nearest continent this will be their home for the next 39 days. But this time the game is different, these survivors will be given no food, absolutely no rations. Each tribe will leave this ship with only the barest of essentials, two machetes, two cooking pots, two empty water containers, one frying pan, one filet knife, and one magnifying glass. They’ll be left to fend for themselves using the resources of the land and their own survival skills. It is the ultimate challenge! 16 strangers forced to work together to create a new society while battling the elements and each other. They must learn to adapt of they’ll be voted out of the tribe. In the end only one will remain to claim the million dollar prize. 39 days, 16 people, one survivor! This is Marooned: Marquesas.
INTRO
The Cast
Maraamu Tribe:

• Robert “R2” Reyes, 25, Medical Student
  • was raised by Chinese immigrants. They always had the highest expectations for him, and encouraged him to enter the medical field. His life is very stressful though, as he always worries about not being good enough for his parents dreams. In the recent years, his parents have been struggling financially, but refuse to use any money reserved for R2's education. Winning Marooned will allow him to continue his schooling and take care of his aging parents.
• Lela Walker, 36, School Psychologist
  • When Lela was 11, she had to deal with a very stressful and traumatic decision, and when her parent's fighting turned physical, she called the police on her own father. Since then, her and her mother had to be strong together, without him. That's when she knew she wanted to help people. When she first told her mom she wanted to be a school psychologist, she didn't really like it, but eventually she decided to follow her dreams and major in psychology. After having a successful career in psychology, Lela's mom still wasn't convinced she was making enough money... so she went on Marooned to prove it!
• Kelsey Harris, 28, Bartender
  • Kelsey grew up in a wealthy and strict family, her parents wanted her to become a lawyer or doctor and to uphold her family’s reputation, but she always knew she was a rebel, so against her family’s wishes, she moved away, got tattoos, and worked as a bartender. She wants to prove to her family that she can pave her own path in life and winning Survivor can prove that.
• Vito Luco, 49, Used Car Salesman
  • Vito Luco is the last person to trust with anything. He has lived life a scam artist, doing it all from pushing drugs, selling illegal fireworks, and going to prison over tax fraud. He now sells used cars for ridiculously high prices, and takes pride in it. Everyone around him is oblivious to his criminal record due to fake identifications, and he also allegedly has three different identities. Despite his mysteriousness, however, Vito knows how to pander to people, and is willing to do anything to win, as he is in debt to the mafia for 500,000 dollars.
• Savannah “Savvy” Guerrero, 20, Aspiring Model
  • She loves making others happy, but coming in survivor she will hide her hero side and will completely play as a villain, she will backstab and. manipulate anyone that come in her way
• Shawn Phillip, 24, Pro Wrestler
  • Shawn is an upcoming young pro wrestler who wrestles in lower promotions he plans do use his strength to win challenges he also not the brightest bulb of the bunch if he wins the money he gonna use to jumpstart his career into full gear
• Jodi “Jay” Beckett, 25, Street Artist
  • Jay was always the quiet type, being the cool kid never interested her. She was always every teacher’s favorite though, as she was kind and did her work on time. She studied at her local college in Wisconsin and pursued a career in Art. After receiving top marks in her class, Jay acquired a job in the government to give abandoned buildings a makeover with art. She found her girlfriend Rita while working on her newest project. She hopes that her quiet personality will help her go far in the game.
• Lukasz “Luk” Zabolcki, 50, Professional Triathlete
  • Lukasz is a Polish man who came to the United States in the 1980s looking for a better life for his newly created family. With a wife and a newborn baby, he finds happiness in the adrenaline of the sport. A great triathlete, he gained notoriety about 5 years ago, when he competed in the Ironman Triathlon. Soon after, he opened a gym where he trained young people for marathons in all sports. Even at the age of 50, Lukasz has the strength and determination of a young man and sees Survivor as another challenge that he will do with all his strength.

Rotu Tribe:

• Zina Allrhed, 42, Casino Manager
  • Zina grew up in a rich household, but her parents suddenly lost her money when her dad was arrested for fraud. His crime? Gambling, and making deals, and never paying up. She became a poker player to try to pay her dad’s debts and his bail and get him out of jail. She eventually did, and after dad decided to open her own casino with the remainder of her winning. A fun fact about her is that she won the 2009 Poker World Open Tournament. She wants to win the money to expand her business and open a second casino.
• Donatello “Don” Gray, 18, Unemployed
  • Don grew up in an area of massive crime and poverty. He’s had to support his family through much of his life since his father left and his mom was diagnosed with cancer so Don decided to join a gang at a young age where he eventually climbed up in the rankings and has become respected among the members. He will do anything to win to leave his gang and have financial independence. He hopes to win to calm his mother's nerves and make her happy.
• Ida Cohen, 38, Flight Attendant/Air Force Veteran
  • Ida served in Iraq as a combat systems officer for the Air Force. She was honorably discharged after a bad injury. She now has 2 wonderful kids. Her strategy is to apply military like tactics, but not let anyone know she's a veteran.
• Gregory Hess, 30, Comic Book Store Owner
  • Labeled since a young age as a nerd, Gregory is very proud of who he is. Books, TV Shows, Video Games - he loves those stuff! And he's not trying to hide it! Being a rather responsible kid who was considered to be a teacher's pet, Gregory wasn't always exactly a "popular kid". Kids picked on him, both due to his behavior, his physique (Gregory is a bit overweight) and his interests. But he continued to move forward with a bright smile, not letting it phase him.At age 25, Gregory fell in love with a beautiful woman named Jess, and the two got married just last year. They had a kid, and Gregory plans on winning the money for the both of them. He's gonna win, take his wife and their child on a nice vacation, and do it flawlessly. Better watch out, you guys, because Gregory's coming!
• Antoine “Moz” Moss, 42, Trumpet Player
  • He is Good-Natured, Honest, Helpful, and Friendly.
• James Terry, 20, College Student
  • James has been into video games all his life. He grew up with his mother, his brother and both his dogs. He never had many friends in school and was a victim of bullying. He has a scar on his face after he got beaten up. Despite his rough life, James tries to remain positive and uses his skills from gaming to help him in his real life. He is open, honest and does his best to make sure no one feels left out. He joins Marooned in hopes of winning, making friends and finding out who he truly is. He plans to be as adaptable as he can to certain situations to get him further in the game while in the process, understanding others personalities.
• Imaan Campbell, 21, Barista
  • Growing up Imaan was the queen bee of her school she could do whatever she wanted to all of her peers because they were all scared of her,it got even worse when she graduated she started working two jobs that could help her in her daily life one as a barista and one as a babysitter one day when Imaan was off from her job as a babysitter she didn’t notice that the customer she was cursing out was one of the parents of the kids that she was taking care of. This led to her losing the job and struggling a lot with money but it gave her the idea to audition for a Reality Tv show. Originally She got accepted for the hit show “Bad Girls Club” but when she found out she got onto the cast of the new Season of “Marooned” she couldn’t back down from it.
• Juliette Emery, 48, Therapist
  • Juliette has been a hard-worker from a very early age. Always intelligent and promising, Juliette was always the smartest kid in school. The class president and the one voted most likely to rule the world one day. Juliette's life has been rather charmed, but she's always been ambitious and eager to succeed. Now, getting older, Juliette is in a comfortable place. She's happily married to a wonderful man, has kids (a son and a daughter), and has a very successful job. But she still wants to do something new and interesting and Survivor is just the thing to be that for her. Juliette believes her intelligence will serve her well in the game and that her skills as a therapist will help her even more when it comes to relationships. With a big mind for strategy, she'll do whatever she has to in order to advance herself. If she needs to be loyal to get far, she will, but she'll just as easily break those bonds if it means getting to the end.

THE SEASON
Episode 1: After the marooning the two tribes arrive at their beaches and instantly the game starts being played. At the Maraamu tribe Savvy wants nothing more than for there to be an all girls alliance that dominates the game so she approaches Jay, Kelsey, and Lela and asks them if they would like to form an all girls alliance. Every single one of them is fully on board with an all girls alliance and so it is officially formed. Meanwhile on the Rotu tribe Juliette wants to make an alliance. She is a therapist and knows how to get along with all different types of people so she decides to make an alliance with a group very different people. This alliance ends up being made up of her, Don, Ida, James, and Moz. They all agree to stick together until the end. At the immunity challenge Maraamu blows Rotu out of the water and wins immunity sending Rotu to the first tribal council of the season. Back at camp a majority of the people in Juliette’s alliance want to vote out Zina because they don’t think that she’s a particularly valuable member of the tribe but Juliette has formed a bond with Zina and doesn’t want her to go so she convinces her alliance to vote for Gregory instead and at tribal council in a 5-3 vote Gregory becomes the first person voted out of Marooned: Marquesas.
Episode 2: After the last tribal council Rotu starts becoming a bit concerned about how much control Juliette has over the tribe. At the immunity challenge Maraamu once again wins, sending Rotu back to tribal council. After the challenge Don is hungry and so he decides to climb up a coconut tree to get some coconuts. Right when he’s about to reach the top of the tree he slips and falls all the way down. He lands in a terrible position breaking both of his legs. The instant that the medics get there they know that there’s no way Don is going to be able to continue in the game so they put him in a stretcher and put that on a boat and take him away. Don has officially been medically evacuated.
Episode 3:>! After the medical evacuation everyone on the Rotu tribe is sad. Don was a great presence around camp and was always willing to put in work. Everyone is devastated to see him leave the game the way he did. At the immunity challenge Rotu is finally able to claim victory, sending Maraamu to their first tribal council. Back at camp everyone is annoyed by Savvy. She spends most of the day laying in the shelter and complaining about the elements and has hardly lifted a finger the entire time that she’s been here. For the guys on the Maraamu tribe the decision is easy, Savvy needs to go but for the girls on the Maraamu tribe the decision isn’t nearly that simple. They all want to vote out Savvy but if they vote out Savvy the girls on the tribe will be down in numbers ruining their shot at having an all girls alliance run the game. In the end the girls decide to go with the guys and vote out Savvy so at tribal council Savvy is blindsided in a 7-1 vote.!<
Episode 4: On day 10 everyone is shocked when they are told to drop their buffs because there’s a tribe swap. At the first immunity challenge as new tribes the new Maraamu tribe manages to win immunity. Back at the Rotu tribe there is an equal number of both original Rotu people and original Maraamu people but Imaan does not like Juliette at all and after having to take orders from her for the first 9 days on the original Rotu tribe where Juliette was in power Imaan is fed up with her so she decides to flip and work with the original Maraamu people to blindside Juliette but Lela is still wanting there to be an all girls alliance and knows that if Juliette gets voted out then there will be an equal number of guys and girls in the game and the guys will most likely be able to take control. In order to avoid that happening she decides to flip and just minutes before tribal council she whispers in Juliette and James’s ears telling them to vote for Shawn. At tribal council this causes a 3-3 tie between Juliette and Shawn. On the revote nobody changes their vote causing a rock draw. Luk ends up drawing the purple rock and is out of the game.
Episode 5: At the start of episode 5 we get a confessional from Juliette where she talks about how she doesn’t like the fact that she had to be saved by Lela in the last episode. She is worried that Lela is going to start telling people that Juliette is only in the game because of her and if that happens then it could hurt Juliette’s odds of getting jury votes. Because of this Juliette wants to take out Lela as soon as possible. At the immunity challenge Maraamu wins immunity. Back at camp Julliette decides to attempt to reunite the 3 original Rotu people on the tribe by pulling Imaan back into the alliance. Imaan ends up agreeing to stick with original Rotu giving Juliette the numbers once again. Lela realizes that Juliette no longer has any interest in working with her so she goes back to Shawn and the two of them decide to vote for James. Meanwhile the original Rotu people struggle to decide who to vote out. Juliette wants to vote out Lela for reasons mentioned at the start of the episode but Imann wants to vote out Shawn because she knows that they are about to merge and thinks that he will be more threatening after the merge. They are never able to reach an agreement and at tribal council this causes a 2-2-1 vote with Shawn getting one vote and James and Lela both getting 2. On the revote Imaan gives in and votes for Lela causing Lela to be voted out in a 2-1 vote.
Episode 6: At the immunity challenge Maraamu wins for the third time in a row. Back at camp it seems clear that the 3 original Rotu people are going to stick together and vote out Shawn but Shawn doesn’t give up and works to form a bond with Imaan. This causes Imaan to consider voting with Shawn and forcing a tie but at the end of the day Imaan is too scared of drawing rocks again to force a tie and at tribal council Shawn is voted out in a 3-1 vote.
Episode 7: After 19 days of competing against each other the two tribes come together and merge. After the merge all 6 of the original Rotu tribe members decide to stick together and pick off the original Maraamu tribe members. At the very first individual immunity challenge Imaan wins individual immunity. After the challenge the 6 original Rotu tribe members decide to vote out Vito because they think that he is sneaky and could be very difficult to vote out down the road if he manages to get a grip on the tribe. Kelsey and Jay see the writing on the wall and in an attempt to get in with the Rotu people they too write down VIto’s name at tribal council causing Vito to be voted out in a 8-2 vote.
Episode 8: After the last tribal council Kelsey knows that she will most likely be one of the next 3 to be voted out and starts brainstorming ideas for how she can stay in the game. At the immunity challenge Jay wins immunity. Back at camp Kelsey decides that her best shot at staying in the game is starting a rumor so she begins telling people that Imaan has been talking about flipping on the Rotu people. This causes Ida to get angry so she confronts Imaan. This confrontation quickly escalates into a fight and soon the two have decided to target each other. Ida is quickly able to get all the Rotu people (Aside from Imaan) on her side and they all agree to vote for Imaan. Imaan on the other hand knows that she won’t be able to convince anyone to vote for Ida because Ida has strong relationships with everyone on the tribe so she instead decides to target James at this pivotal tribal council and hopefully take out Ida at the next tribal council. She is easily able to convince all of the original Maraamu people to vote for James but needs to convince at least one more person to vote for James in order to stay in the game. She views Zina as the person most likely to flip on the Rotu people and tries to convince her to vote for James but at tribal council Zina decides to stick with Ida and the Rotu people causing Imaan to be voted out in a 5-4 vote.
Episode 9: After the last tribal council people once again start viewing Juliette as a big threat. R2 realizes that this is something he might be able to use to his advantage in order to save himself and the other Maraamu people. At the immunity challenge Kelsey wins immunity. After the immunity challenge the 6 people from the new Maraamu tribe (Ida, Jay, Kelsey, Moz, R2, and Zina) come together and decide to form a new alliance and take out Juliette and James but the plan is very messy and most people aren’t sure whether they are voting for Juliette or James which allows Juliette to step in and save herself by telling Kelsey, James, Jay, and Ida to vote for Moz about 20 minutes before tribal council. Because Kelsey, Jay, and Ida are still not sure if the new Maraamu people are voting for Juliette or James they decide that this is the safer plan to go with and at tribal council Moz is blindsided in a 5-2-1 vote.
Episode 10: After the last tribal council R2 realizes that if he really wants the new Maraamu people to work together he’s going to have to step into more of a leadership role and reveal more of his cards otherwise they will never be able to put together a coherent plan and work together. At the immunity challenge Ida wins immunity. Back at camp R2 meets will all of the new Maraamu people and tells them to vote for James at tonight’s tribal council. Every single one of the new Maraamu people are fully on board with this plan and at tribal council James is voted out.
Episode 11: After the last tribal council Juliette is clearly on the outs and her only shot at staying in the game seems to be winning immunity but at the immunity challenge Ida wins immunity again. The odds seem completely stacked against Juliette but she doesn’t want to give up so she has a talk with Kelsey during which she explains how she feels like R2 is running the game and will probably get to the end and win. The fact that people think that R2 is running the game doesn’t sit right with Kelsey because she thinks that she is running the game so she decides she wants to blindside R2. About half an hour before tribal council she goes to Ida and Jay and tells them to vote for R2 but neither Ida or Jay want to vote out R2 so they warn him. When R2 hears that he’s being targeted by Kelsey he decides that the best option for him is to blindside her so he gets Jay, Ida, and Zina on board with this plan and at tribal council Kelsey is blindsided in a 4-2 vote.
Episode 12: Another tribal council comes and goes and Juliette is still on the bottom but now she knows that there are ways for her to break the alliance so she is more confident that she will be able to survive than she was in the last episode. At the immunity challenge Zina wins immunity. Back at camp the clear target is Juliette. Juliette tries to warn the girls that R2 is a big threat to win the game but this time the girls don’t fall for it and at tribal council Juliette is unanimously voted out.
Finale Part 1: After listening to Juliette talk about what a big threat R2 is, the girls realize that he really is the biggest threat in the game and they all decide to work together to vote him out next. At the immunity challenge Ida wins her third individual immunity sealing R2’s fate and at tribal council R2 is voted out in a 3-1 vote.
Final Part 2: At the final immunity challenge Jay wins immunity securing herself a spot in the final 2. At tribal council Jay votes out Ida because Ida is a major threat to win the game.
Final Tribal council:>! At the final tribal council Jay reveals that her strategy the entire game was to fly under the radar so that she wasn’t a target. This strategy worked flawlessly and is the reason that she received 0 votes against her the entire game. The jury really respects this so in a 6-1 vote Jay becomes the winner of Marooned: Marquesas.!<
My Thoughts: I thought this was a good season. The cast was mostly good with the female side of the cast being especially fun to watch. There were a few good blindsides with the best one probably being the Kelsey blindside at the final 6. My favorite part of the season was when Lela risked her life in the game to save Juliette and Juliette turned right around and voted Lela out on the very next episode. Juliette is truly the ice queen of Marooned. Jay was not the most exciting winner of all time but she played a good game and came just one jury vote short of playing a perfect game. Ultimately I don’t think that this was the best season of Marooned so far but it was still a lot of fun to watch.
Potential All Stars:>! Juliette, R2, Kelsey, Jay, Moz, Vito!<
Potential Second Chancers: Savvy, Lela, Don, Ida, Imaan, Luk
Previous Seasons:
Borneo
The Australian Outback
Africa
Stay tuned for our next season Marooned: Thailand
I’d love to hear what you guys thought about the season in the comments

Hi all :) In these posts I’ll be sharing some of the fun bits of dialogues from the Swimsuit Swordsmasters summer event. They are mostly short and fun exchanges between the characters that you can enjoy reading along with the summaries of the chapters that you can find down here.
Here are the summaries of the Las Vegas summer event from last year, done by various good souls. With the exception of the translations by pplovesk and shinyklefkey , most of these were summarized by Itqan Madani on their Facebook. They used to be posted on reddit by kakarot12310 but since the posts have been removed for some reason I'll link directly to Itqan Madani instead.
Main chapter summary part 1
Main chapter summary part 2
Main chapter summary part 3
Main chapter summary part 4
Main chapter summary part 5
Main chapter summary part 6
Main chapter summary part 7
Main chapter summary part 8
Main chapter summary part 9, and part 10. Alternative summary with additional tidbits by pplovesk.
Main chapter summary part 11 alternative summary with additional translation of the final boss’ dialogues and fun tidbits by pplovesk.
Extra: Drive in Las Vegas
Extra: Fun Jet Tennen Rishin-ryū
Extra: Losers’ Lullaby
Extra: Gambling Saint
Extra: Playing With The Weather (featuring QSH and Iskandar) by shinyklefkey.

Part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

Cirque du Requin

The cute little play that goes in the beginning of Cirque du Requin:
Mephi: In Patchwork London, what unfolds before us is the story of three happy little girls. Now then, I wonder I wonder. What clutches of evil await these little ones? What is this that they deeply wish for? We hope you’d enjoy yourself until the very end!
Mephi: Oh yeah I forgot. This goes without saying but no recording allowed okay? (he then screams “there are no dreams” but I don’t really get what the hell that’s about)

Rhyme: Let’s step, let’s kick, and dance away! (errr, kick-step dance?) No matter how you do it, you’ll end up in the pot all the same!
Lily: Mister Dolphin, oh Mister Dolphin, what did you see that made you bounce? What did you see that made you howl? I don’t understand a word you’re saying!
Reese: (queck queck!)
Rhyme: Does everyone bring chocolate with you? Mine and yours and Mister Dolphin’s, we have in total 3 pieces! Now let’s go on a picnic, all the way to the moon!

Uncle Napnap: Wow wow, hold up there you two. No matter how you think about it, walking from here all the way to the moon is no easy journey! If you give me a piece of choc, I’ll take you to the end of the moon, so how about it?
The girls: Please take us, pretty please! Please take us to the moon right away!
Uncle Napnap: Then off you two go, quick, get inside my cannon! It’ll be a hell of a show, kaboom!, just like that! Now, let’s go! ARC DE TRIOMPHE DE L’ETOILE! (fwoosh~!)

Rhyme: Huh? I wonder if this is really the moon? Aren’t there supposed to be rabbits on the moon! There are no rabbits here, as the matter of fact there is not a single chicken feather to be found!
Ishtar: Myyyy, my my my. What a shame, what a shame! Because this is actually Venus. Looks like you girls got your cannon trajectory all wrong! I get a lot of stray kids like you around here, so I give you my dearest welcome! Of course, I welcome you, as an addition to my labor force!
Lily: No way!
Ishtar: Hehehe, you’re not going to the moon or anywhere else. You’re going to slave away here forever!
Automata: Labor, labor, labor is fun, and labor is happiness. You’ll find your happiness in absolutely nothing but labor.

Rhyme: This is bad, this is really bad! We have been doing nothing but harsh labor all this time! But we have no cannons here, and dumb dumb Napnap is not with us anymore! Have we no ways left to go to the moon?
Ibachin: Wut wut, wut’s all the fuzz. You want to me to take you to the moon to play there, is that it? If you gimme a piece of choc, I’ll send you flying to the moon with double the fanfare!
Lily: Then I’ll give you my chocolate! Please take us to the moon safe and sound!
Ibachin: Worry not, worry not. Om nom nom. (TRANSFORM!) So yummy! Now get ready, for the great firework of Mount Ooe shall blast you off to the moon! Let’s go! ENCOMIUM MORIAE! (boom!)

Rhyme: We made it! My my, I wonder if this is the moon?
Artemis: Yep yep. You got that right. An oh-so-much-fun dreamy lunar world is waiting for you up ahead! But do you bring chocolate with you? If you have only one piece, I cannot allow more than a single person to enter the lunar world, you know?
Rhyme: My, I can’t believe this! I have no choco left!
Lily: Then it cannot be helped. Please let Rhyme in. I will stay here. Nursery, enjoy the lunar world okay?
Rhyme: My my, how could I do such a thing! If Jeanne won’t go then I’ll stay with her too. We’ll return to the pot together!
Reese: …
Lily: Mister Dolphin? Why are you holding up the chocolate?
Reese: (bites!)
The girls: Ah! The piece is broken up!
Orion: Hmm hmm hmph! Not bad, Dolphin! Now the chocolate has been broken up into two pieces. Now there is no problem right, Artemis?
Artemis: Yep yep, things are peachy now. Let’s take them to the lunar world.
Rhyme: Thank you, thank you so much Mister Dolphin!
Reese: (happy noises)

Rhyme: This picnic is so much fun! But I wonder if there is something missing?
Lily: You too Nursery? I also think we’re missing somebody!
Rhyme: That’s right, it’s that girl! This won’t do, we must return to the pot at once!
Lily: You’re right. If we want to play in the lunar world, we can always bring chocolate with us and return tomorrow!
Rhyme: Let’s bring a whole lot! For dumb dumb Napnap, for meanie Ishtar, for chomp chomp Ibachin, and of course for Mister Dolphin too! Let’s have a picnic with everybody!

Jack: Daddy, daddy! Please listen to our request!
Sanson: Oh dear, what could it be my little angels?
The girls: We want to be taken to the moon! So give us lots and lots of chocolate, pretty please!

Sieg: Let’s register first. Oh, you there, got a moment?
Marie: Welcome to Cirque du requin! Oh my, oh my oh my. You guys are here to have a Swimsuit Swordsmaster duel right?
Gudao: yep.
Hokusai replies with her usual MUST BECOME BEST MIZUGI KENGOU stuff.
Marie: Actually, you need the Challenge Letter first... but well, a mock fight is fine too! Since there haven’t been a lot of challengers lately, Jeanne has been lonely. But please wait a lil bit. If the little guy is hungry, it could get messy!
Everybody at the same time: The little guy? Gudao: Who??
Marie: well, since Jeanne has been strict on him, I think it’ll be fine!
(In Jeanne’s room)
Jeanne: giggles there there, good boy. Looks like another challenger has come. Let’s do our best!
(Outside) Marie: Jeanne! Is now a good time?
Jeanne: Coming Marie! What’s the matter?
Marie: You got a challenger, I brought em to your room! How’s his tummy?
Jeanne: He ate a whole lot earlier so I think he’s peppy!
Hoku: I dunno what they’re on about but I’m getting strange chills, maybe this is a bad idea. N-No, if I get cold feet here how can I ever call myself an Edokko! Hereeee I Co-
(Door opens) Jeanne: Morning!
An actual, floating shark: Playtime.
Hoku: -mee.......
(Everybody freezes for 5 seconds)
Gudao: RETREEAAAAAT!!!
Jeanne: Welcome to Cirque du Requ- hu-huh?
Marie: Jeanne, everybody ran.
Jeanne: No way... why do all my challengers run back as soon as they arrive here!
Marie: Maybe it’s the little guy, no...?
Jeanne: Whatchu mean, he’s cute as a button no? My Reese XP.
Reese XP (an actual, floating shark): Playtime.
Marie: Yeah, I think he’s super cute too! (Srsly Marie??) You agree Deon?
Deon: I stand by my right to give no comments, Your Highness!
Jeanne & Marie: Eeeeh~
Deon: Why are you two tilting your heads at me!
Oh, so Jeanne continues to hypnotize people into her slav- siblings it seems. And still with her fists.
Jeanne: Jeez. What’s with the sour face. You’ll make your sister sad okay? ...that’s right. I’m not a holy woman here.
Melt: My. Then what could you be?
Jeanne: Yep, I’m Gudao-kun’s... BIG SIS!
Melt: I see, big sis. ...biggu sissu? Errr... what are you talking about. You’re a Heroic Spirit right? A Servant right? Not someone from Japan right?
Sieg: What’s wrong Master. Your face is pale...
Gudao: I HAVE A FEELING THAT PERSON WAS MY BIG SIS! (Yep it’s a continuation of that Summer 3 node where Jeanne hypnotized Jalter and Lily into her slav- siblings. WITH HER FISTS)
Musashi: Huh, big sis. Hoku: Uh huh, big sis.
Everybody: BUT WHY DOU
Jeanne: Jeez, you sis is sadface desu. I never thought my brother’d be my opponent! But unfortunately, there is no way out of this. You will learn that lil brothers can never win against big sisters, with that body of yours errrrrrrr I mean with my gentle teachings!
Okkie: I think I just heard her true intention in full open just now! We’re in deep shit, she’s the same type as MechaEli-chan! 😭
Convo with Orion:

Artemis: Oh, you plan to challenge Jeanne, right?

Orion: Be careful. With Jeanne, and also with that shark. (sobs) Even though that chick looks to be perfectly within my strike zone… it’s like, my head keeps flashing warnings like “no touchy, that chick is totally bad news”… Just like the first time I met Artemis! Just like the first time I met Artemis! No shit, my brain actually repeated twice like that, purely for emphasis.

Sieg: I see now. However, mind if I have a question, Lord Orion?

Orion: wut?

Sieg: Why did that warning let Lord Artemis pass the radar?

Artemis: D A R-L I N G ?

Orion: EEKKK! Man it’s been a while since the last time we had this kinda conversation!

Artemis: Yeah we haven’t been doing our comedy routine in a while. THEN HOW ABOUT I LET YOU HAVE A TASTE OF MY “LUNATIC BEAM” RIGHT NOW?

Orion: That’s your biggest gun ain’t it! E M P L E H!!! (he’s then promptly squeezed into silence)

Also, in the end of the node when Gudao is about to snap back into his ANE trance, Melt whips him out of it with a move called “Comfy Mystic Sword Gisele.” Aww, even when she’s being sadistic she still goes gentle on us, what a sweetie.

You are about to ask Kintoki to help level-upping Public Decency Raikou’s motherhood when a monster suddenly shows up on the street; looks like Tamamo’s glamor has leaked out too much, so somehow a magical beast has turned into an enemy.

Kinbro: No way around this, we’ll just have to talk after I’m done teaching this guy how to behave! Hmm? Waita minute. Isn’t this pattern where we’re supposed to do “that?” This is our chance to say that line, ain’t it!

Gudao: Excuse me!

Kinbro: Hey, don’t you bastards dare start fighting before we do this, okay!

Monsters: (actually play along and nod)

Kinbro: Alright! Here we goooooo!

Gudao: But we were just in the middle of talking!

EVERYBODY ELSE: SUDDENLY, IT’S WYVERNS! HECK YEAH!

Hoku: …what black magic is this?

Musashi: I have absolutely no clue either, but it’s like some kinda token word that feels good when you say it!

(then you fight a Hawaiian chicken that is named “Wyvern?”)

Kintoki’s reaction to our plan with Raikou:
Kinbro: That’s a dangerous gamble you’re making, Master. Right now general Raikou’s power is that of a Public Decency Chairwoman. If you up her motherhood attribute, she might just go back to being a Zerk. But as a Berserker, she’ll definitely say things like “it’s absurd to let my son (read: Master) do something like fighting a shark!” and turn this summer break into a mountain of homework.
Tamamo: What, are you still in elementary school or something? >_>
How Tamamo goes about pushing Raikou’s button:

Raikou: …I see. You’re telling me you want to defeat the Swimsuit Swordsmaster Servants.

Kinbro: Exactly, General Raikou.

Raikou: I do wish to assist you very much… but to begin with, the fact that this Swimsuit Swordsmaster tournament exists, itself is indecent. All of you, be good children and stay where you are. As one who upholds public decency, I shall put an end to everything by myself.

Kinbro: Nah nah nah. Then it would be pointless. It won’t mean a damn if Master himself doesn’t participate properly in the tourney, you see?

Raikou: But… (poor woman, worrying about her son gawking at swimsuits 😭)
Tamamo: Now now. Master, won’t you just let Raikou-san handle everything for us?

Raikou: Whu- Ah, you’re… Tamamo no Mae! Among the list of indecent Servants, you’re the biggest offender…!

Tamamo: You got that right. With that said, we’ll leave eeeeeeeverything to you okay, Raikou-san? Meanwhile, me and Master will enjoy our vacation to our hearts’ content! Hurry hurry Master. First, let’s us take a dip in the pool. After swimming, we’ll rub sun oil for each other, massage each other, clean ears for each other… (no shit I would clean Tamamo’s ears, those fluffs look too damn soft!)

Raikou: HOLD IT RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!! D-Do you think I would allow such things! Banned! Each and every one of them is banned!

Tamamo: Huh~ But you see~ If Raikou-san can allow yourself to get so worked up, why can’t you cut Master some slack too?
Raikou: That’s…! But, uh, I mean… umm… (sobs ༼ಢ_ಢ༽)
Gudao: (Kinbro...! / Should we really be bullying her like this…!?)

Kinbro: (This might be mean-spirited, but at times like this, you must bring out your inner oni, Master!)

Tamamo: C’mon c’mon. Won’t you spend your summer days indulging in oozing sweetness with this onee-san? <3

Kinbro: (You’re something, Fox… no matter how you look at this, it’s a deadly honeytrap, but deep within your eyes there ain’t a speck of a smile… Is this the real nature of a courtesan?... no wait, Fox did claim that she had nothing to do with courtesan stuff…) (yes this is a reference to Daji)

Then after the plan has succeeded…

Hoku: Yep. I’m still an amateur but I have faced some real deals. I’m getting better at this swordsman business.

Raikou: That’s wonderful. However… from examining the battle just now, there is still redundancy in your swordplay. On the way to the hotel, I’ll teach you a couple of tricks on how to deal with onis and ogres.
Tamamo: Wow there I’m catching bad vibes so this is where Tamamo-chan will be showing herself out! (whispers closely) If you do need a breather, you can come to my room at any time <3 Well, see ya!

Mashu: Senpai senpai… just what kind of things did Tamamo-san just say to you? Ah, you turned your face away! Senpaaai, senpaaaaaaai!

Since Mephis thinks it’s a waste to just let a ridiculous duel like us trying to fight back brainwashing big sis, he comes up with an equally wacky storyline for us to act as a play while actually dueling. So this is it.

Mephi: Tonight, our story is a tall tale of swindlers. It’s about the amusing life of a man who proclaims to have severed the Italian peninsula and attached it to Greece… Now then, please enjoy!

Roma: …Oh? I see.
Gudao: Though it may sound very painful, this is totally the will of God.
Roma: Very well. No matter the place, no matter if it’s in Greece, Roma is Roma. I too am Roma. Severing the peninsula too, is Roma.

Hector: Wut, the Italian peninsula is coming over to play? I mean, whatever floats your boat, man. Ah, but what will we do about the taxes? They’ll probably make us pay won’t they.

Citizen A: Hey folks have you heard! Looks like they’re gonna chopped off our entire peninsula and attach it to Greece!
B: Now ain’t that something! If we become Italian, we’ll get to climb Mount Olympus!
A: Kudos! Kudos! Kudos to the folks who are chopping off our peninsula!

Hoku: Yep we’re totally doing it! The king has given us a go. Now all we have to do is to lop this peninsula’s head clean off! I can’t wait, I just can’t wait. This is exactly why I love scams and swindles!
Jeanne: Wow there, I won’t let you have you way, my lil brother! If you cut off this peninsula, there will be a giant boot floating over the Mediterranean Sea. I won’t allow you to make a boot island appear out of nowhere! As your big sis I must put a stop to your scheme no matter what, as a your big sis I repeat! Hey, don’t you two agree!?
Lily: Yeah! Only bad people do scams and swindles. Even Bunyan knows that if you lie, your nose will grow!
Jalter: tbh I’d rather be on that side. Welp, at the moment I’m here tho. So be a good boy and obey your sisters!
Gudao: (I knew it, these two are brainwashed too…!)
Actually, there are a couple of funny parallels between the “Family Flag” node in Summer 3 and this part of Summer 4. FYI the thing with Jeanne brainwashing people into her slaves siblings has been going on since Summer 3, with Jeanne trying to claim Gudao as the newest member of the “Jeanne siblings” while Jalter and Lily tried to stop her delusion from going out of hands (spoiler: they failed).

Summer 3:

Jalter: Listen here, “Master-chan.” When it has come to this, you must toughen your heart and firmly reject her rambling. If you don’t you’re just allowing her to come up with some crazier delusions!
Lily: Oh no, even the me who should be clean and proper has gone kooky under Luluhawa heat… I knew it, winter! Winter has got to be the best! Please come early, winter!
Jeanne: What should I do, my lil brother. I didn’t think they would catch on so slowly. There is no helping it, I guess I’ll just have to resort to persuasion (read: my fist).

Jeanne: MODE CHANGE!
(she changes into her dolphin coach swimsuit and Reese also appropriately appears. It still floats in the air, of course.)
Lily: Yay, it’s Mister Dolphin! How do you do, Mister Dolphin!
Reese: (shows a jaw full of teeth)
Lily: It’s scary when the mouth opens!
Jalter: What are you doing there Lily! This whackjob is planning to brainwash us with her fist! Fight her now or else Master will become our little brother!
(after the fight)
Jalter: (dejected) You’re my brother.
Lily: Yay! Even though I’m the youngest child I got a little brother now!
(...and the morning after)
Jalter: Wait, now I remember! You’re not my little brother, right!?
Lily: Yeah, Master is my older brother!
Gudao: (The brainwashing effect still hasn’t cleared…)

Summer 4:

Jeanne: Grrr…! It’s not over yet! Go, Reese XP!
Reese XP: ME – WANT – PLAY.
Lily: To be honest, even if it’s my ally I’m still scared…
Jalter: I’m more scared of a crazy big sister tho.
(...and after the fight)
Jeanne: What a… humiliating defeat…! I am... not… your big sister…!
Gudao: Of course you’re not my big sister!
Jalter: Ah… now that you remind me! This woman is not my big sister!
Lily: I knew it… the summer heat is making us hallucinating…!
Jeanne: Ugh… I can’t believe that… that you’re not my blood-related little brother…!
Gudao: She’s still not giving up!
And that's all I wanna do for this event. There is a bit during Casino Camelot where Fergus is so horny but the girls ignore him to sail their yuri ship so he’s like “a Medjed is fine too” but it’s not as ridiculous as the previous casinos so I’ll pass on translating any more.
Anniversary and Summer 2020 are coming and I have no quartz left, truly the worst roastbelt _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

We've whittled it down from 77 to 16 songs everyone, well done.
ROUND OF 32 RECAP
There weren't really tons in ways of surprises this round, with the favorites getting through mostly unscathed. The big "upset" was Hear You Me beating Pol Roger, showing again how much love there is for the original classics. That, along with Through losing to For Me This Is Heaven and Invented narrowly beating You With Me removed Integrity Blues songs from the bracket.
Also, as I thought it might, Big Casino beat The Middle. The Middle is great, but I think we're all just a bit tired of it.
The songs remaining seem reasonably split by album:

• Bleed American (4)
• Futures (4)
• Clarity (3)
• Chase This Light (2)
• Surviving (1)
• Invented (1)
• Stay on my Side Tonight (1)

CHALLONGE BRACKET: Bracket
VOTE FOR THE SWEET 16: Sweet 16 Google Form
So for this round I listened to each song before voting. We've reached the cream of the crop and wanted to give them each their due. Here's a quick write-up of each matchup after listening to them:

• 23 vs. Disintegration: Two of the longest songs in their portfolio, I'm sad that Disintegration has to go up against the powerhouse that is 23. Both songs are really emotional to me; 23 has such real longing while you almost feel like Jim's given up in Disintegration. Both make me.... feel things. Obviously 23 is the #1 seed for a reason. I smile every time the opening guitar line starts, I love how slow the allow the song to build. "This poison comes instruction free" is one of my favorite lines written by the band though, and I LOVE when Jim screams "Lie lie better next time, stay on my side tonight" in his higher register. Two absolutely awesome songs.
• For Me This is Heaven vs. Hear You Me: If I don't let myself be happy now then when?If not now when? Yowza. How often those lyrics hit me, how living in the moment needs to be more prevalent in my life. The cool thing about FMTIH is that it means so much to so many. It has lots going on lyrically, and the music is really beautiful. I think Hear You Me might be their saddest song, really potent lyrics about death. It's a much simpler song lyrically than others in the bracket, but the sound is so good, and it also really fit the "emo" brand they had at the time extremely well.
• Just Watch the Fireworks vs. Big Casino: I don't think I've ever had a song on a single repeat longer than Big Casino. Futures was my favorite album ever made, I listened to it for 3 straight years. All. The. Time. And then finally the next album was announced and they just released the single. I loved it. It was a fun, upbeat song that was extremely easy to jam to. Well there's lots of smart ideas in books I've never read. When the girls come talk to me I wish to hell I had. Wonderful melody, fun lyrics. I personally don't love JWtF as much as others. There's a cool note on Reddit about it, u/Futures2004 that says " To me it perfectly captures the youthful naivety they had when they recorded it." I think that's an apt description.
• Sweetness vs. Goodbye Sky Harbor: I remember that The Middle was on TRL for weeks back when it was released. But I was really waiting for a Sweetness video to be released. When it did, I thought it was super cool, and I e-mailed MTV every day. It never made it onto TRL, sad day. SCREW YOU LIMP BIZKIT AND *NSYNC!!! Anyway, what can be said about this song. I don't even care that I know very little about what the lyrics mean. If you love Jimmy Eat World, you likely love Jim's voice. It SHINES with this song. I will gladly listen to it every day the rest of my life. Goodbye Sky Harbor.... u/Kevmo77 in the Song of the Week thread said "The verse of crunchy off meter groove contrasted between the slow melodic melodramatic 4/4 chorus is pure 90s emo mastery." Just a fun song, fun loops, fun production.
• A Praise Chorus vs. Invented: The bridge in Invented is one of my favorites minute of JEW awesomeness. The song is just wonderful storytelling, and when they get to "There's a cinematic end, I picture it just right,...." it just grips you and then I also love how they go back down to the quiet melody to end the song. Oh, and "Any dick can roll up in a suit, but only I would know what really moves you" is freaking awesome. When it comes to A Praise Chorus, there's not really a better jam out there. Seeing them play this in concert is a must, just SO SO GOOD.
• Dizzy vs. Delivery: OOOOOf this one is hard. Dizzy is likely the most personal of their songs for me. I had a tough break-up where she flaunted that she was interested in another dude right in front of me. She was selfish, hurt me. And SO MUCH of Dizzy resonated. "If everything I meant to you, you can lick and seal then fold in two, then I've been so blind." DAMN. And then the anger in the bridge about her saying she never has regrets. Holy crap I'm getting fired up talking about it. BUT... Delivery is just so so so so good too. u/Pebbleswift summed it up nicely when it won Survivor for Surviving by saying "I think Delivery is their best short ballad-esque track to date." It has the angst of 23, sounds some like Dizzy actually, and I think it's actually one of their most spiritual songs (but that's just my take on the song).
• Kill vs. Work: This matchup isn't fair either. Love them both, but I must disclaim that Kill is my #1 JEW song so I will be voting that way. "I loved you and I should've said it, but tell me just what has it ever meant?" is SO Jimmy Eat World encapsulated in one line. There's no chorus to the song, it just builds with some anger, some confusion, some regret ("Oh God, please don't tell me this has been in vain"). When they did their acoustic tour in 2008 (?) they always opened with the song with just Jim and his guitar. When Zach and the rest came out Zach simply said "I freaking love that song." I do too Zach. Now, Work is freaking incredible too, it has one of my favorite choruses just because Jim really goes for it. I love when they play it live and everyone is singing "All I can say" together. I don't think the lyrics are particularly deep but it's a seriously easy song to get pumped up and belt when it comes on.
• Polaris vs. Bleed American: I think of Polaris as Jimmy Eat World's most "cinematic" song. I can just see the train that they are singing about, I can feel the closeness when he sings "Whisper what I need". It's a personal song that gets big and seems to have lots of inner turmoil going on. Man, Futures is just so freaking good. I can see why it's the subreddit's favorite album (mine too!). Bleed American is badass. I like that they get political from time to time, and back in 2000 it fit in really well with the punk and emo genres going on at the time. This was the first song I ever heard by them. A friend insisted I get the album, popped it in for the first time and was like "DAMN". Jim can kind of scream, this song is proof!

Have fun and seriously take the time to listen to these songs by the best band out there. You won't regret it.

Not all of the questions were posted at the same time, but I believe they still provide a good idea of who we are! Here we go!

Gender

82.2% are Male (37 of us)
17.8% are Female (8)

Where are you from?

66.6% are from the U.S. (48)
13.9% are from the UK. (10)
8.3% are from Europe (6)
6.9% are Upside Down (Australia) (5)
1 is from South America
1 is from Russia
1 is from South Africa

From the good ol USA...

6 are from California
5 are from Florida
3 are from Illinois
3 are from Maryland
3 are from New Jersey
3 are from Ohio
2 are from Michigan
2 are from Virginia
2 are from New York
1 is from Alabama
1 is from Arizona (Zach is that you..?)
1 is from Georgia
1 is from Idaho (that is me!)
1 is from Iowa
1 is from Kansas
1 is from Massachusetts
1 is from North Carolina
1 is from Oregon
1 is from Tennessee
1 is from Texas
1 is from Missouri
1 of you wrote a goddamn emoji for your location.

You are... in your late 20s on average... (27.83 years)

11.1% are 15-17 y/o (8)
12.5% are 18-21 y/o (9)
27.8% are 21-25 y/o (20)
23.6% are 25-33 y/o (17)
25% are 33-50 y/o (18)

Instrumentalists???

40.8% are not. (29)
59.2% play an instrument (42)

How long have you been listening to Jimmy Eat World?

1 has been listening >a year (welcome!)
11.1% have been listening 1-2 years (8)
16.7% have been listening 3-5 years (12)
15.3% have been listening 6-10 years (11)
40.3% have been listening 10-18 years (29)
15.3% have been listening 18+ years (11)

How does Jimmy Eat World fit into your favorite bands?

52.8% said J.E.W. is your favorite band (38)
6.9% tied for favorite (5)
15.3% put JEW in their Top 3 (11)
9.7% put JEW in their Top 5 (7)
13.9% put JEW in their Top 10 (10)
1 of you said JEW is somewhere in your Top 50... I commend the honesty and listening, but who are you, and what are you doing with your life? ^{jk we all have opinions}

How many times have you seen JEW live?

38.7% Once (24)
9.7% Twice (6)
11.3% Thrice (7)
8.1% 4-5 times (5)
14.5% 5-9 times (9)
17.7% 10+ times (11)

Your Favorite Album/EP...

1 person knows Static Prevails
30.6% have Clarity (22)
11.1% Bleed American (8)
38.9% love Futures (28)
4.2% Stay On My Side Tonight (3)
6.9% Chase This Light (5)
1 person Invented
2.8% are Damaged (2)
2.8% have Integrity Blues (2)

Your Favorite Songs are... (Only doing the top few...)

18.5% said 23 (12)
7.6% said For Me This Is Heaven (5)
7.6% said Disintegration (5)
6.1% said If You Don't, Don't (4)
6.1% said Just Watch The Fireworks (4)
6.1% said Sweetness (4)
^{On an interesting note... 1 of you voted for: Roller Queen, The Middle, No Sensitivity}
1 of you said "OH GOD I CAN'T PICK"

Your favorite Album covers are...

4.2% said Static Prevails (3)
7% said Clarity (5)
15.5% said Bleed American (11)
38% said Futures (27)
9.9% said Stay On My Side Tonight (7)
11.3% said Chase This Light (8)
4.2% said Invented (3)
4.2% said Damage (3)
5.6% said Integrity Blues (4)

What was the first album you listened to?

11.1% said Clarity (8)
77.8% said Bleed American (56)
9.7% said Futures (7)
1 said Chase This Light

Do we prefer Openers or Closers?

65.3% said Closers
34.7% said Openers

Your favorite Opener

2.8% said Thinking, That's All (2)
18.1% said Table for Glasses (13)
23.6% said Bleed American (17)
20.8% said Futures (15)
13.9% said Big Casino (10)
8.3% said Heart Is Hard to Find (6)
4.2% said Appreciation (3)
8.3% said You With Me (6)

I wonder what your favorite Closer was...

1 said Anderson Mesa
15.3% said Goodbye Sky Harbor (11)
2 said My Sundown
55.6% said 23 (40)
13.9% said Dizzy (10)
2 said You Were Good
8.3% said Pol Roger (6)
R.I.P. Mixtape...
^{I was half tempted to include "Closer" as a joke for the homograph}

Your favorite Title Track or Mention of the album title...

2 said World is Static (we both know things never change, we both know STATIC PREVAILS)
15.3% said Clarity (11)
12.5% said Bleed American (9)
18.1% said Futures* (13)
12.5% said Chase This Light* (9)
20.8% said Disintegration (15) (bye bye, better next time. stay on my side tonight woaaaaah)
13.9% said Invented* (10)
1 said Damage**
2 said Integrity Blues
^"\" = Contains an album title mention as well as being the title track. "**" = Damage says "Damaging" which is the present tense of Damage, so that kinda counts as both?)

Your favorite part of Jimmy Eat World...

23.6% said Lyrics (17)
66.6% said Music in general (48)
9.7% said Live Shows (7)

Your favorite singles are... (Only doing the top few...)

22.5% said Sweetness (16)
12.7% said A Praise Chorus (9)
9.9% said Blister (7)
7% said Lucky Denver Mint (5)
7% said Big Casino (5)
7% said Work (5)

Your favorite B-side (Only doing the top few...)

9.1% said Anais (5)
16.4% said Be Sensible (9)
16.4% said No Sensitivity (9)
7.3% said Roller Queen (4)
5.5% said some form of "I Don't Know" (3)
^{On a interesting note, non-b-sides that were voted for here include "A Sunday", "Bleed American", "Closer", "Disintegration", and "half heart". Also included was "Sweetener (Clarity}", which is technically a b-side but amusing nonetheless.)

Your least favorite song... (Only doing the top few...)

7% said Coffee and Cigarettes (4)
7% said Integrity Blues (4)
10.5% said The Middle (6)
7% said some form of "I Don't Know" (4)
^{The only interesting response here was "All of Integrity Blues......." whoever you are, I am coming for you.}

Other Bands you voted similar to J.E.W.

The only band that had more than 2 votes was Weezer. (3)
The other most voted "category" would be "Nobody/pass/etc..." with 13 votes
I think there a lot of bands with moments that sound like Jimmy Eat World, but our boys have a very unique sound and style.

Other Bands you like!

14 said Green Day
13 said Blink-182
10 said Weezer
7 said Death Cab for Cutie
4 said; Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Brand New, Mineral, Third Eye Blind, The Gaslight Anthem
3 said; Muse, Fall Out Boy, The Beatles, Paramore, Coldplay, Frank Turner, Taking Back Sunday, Bruce Springsteen
^{Shout-out to the one guy who said "The Strokes" aside of me, and the two people who said "Chevelle"!}
​
I think there is a lot to be gathered here, like how even though "JWTF" beat out "FMTIH" in the Clarity survivor, "FMTIH" has more votes as a favorite song here. The most-commonly disliked song is The Middle, how about that?
There's just a lot of cool things that could be gathered from this. I wish you all could see the individual responses.
Alas, this took me about 4 hours to put together; there is no need to thank me, you already did so by participating in the poll.

The police car’s siren was the first thing that woke me up. Living in a small town, I was not used to hearing it in the dead of the night. I grumbled something not very pleasant towards our peacekeeping force, then tried to put myself back to sleep.
I was having a very vivid nightmare, so in a way it was a good thing that this patrol car took me out of it. Now I could try to dream about something pleasant. That’s when I heard the siren a second time. This was unusual, something was definitely happening in town. I thought I’d just hear about it in high school in the morning.
A third car came down my street, but this time, someone was talking in a large speaker. Hearing the tone of the man made me realize it was for sure not an advertising for an upcoming circus performance. I forced myself to wake up, took my head out of the pillow and instinctively looked at my phone to check the time.
It was 2:30AM, but that is not what caught my attention. I received a text from a two-digit number -98-, probably something official:
FOLLOW MILITARY INSTRUCTIONS // THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE // IF YOU HAVE FIREARMS TAKE THEM // TAKE ONE FLASHLIGHT PER PERSON MINIMUM // LEAVE YOUR HOUSE NOW // STAY CLOSE TO LIGHT SOURCES
What the hell did that mean? Was that some kind of joke? I’ve heard about some official alert message-guy making a mistake in Hawaii, maybe that was it. Some prank.
I heard helicopters flying above our town. Now that woke me up. This never happens. Our little valley town of about 23 000 inhabitants was not a place of trouble. We gave all the attention and problems to the city of Missoula, way south, beyond the Indian reserve of Flatheads. I opened the window of my bedroom and saw that there was about a dozen helicopters in the air, some pointing flashlights around the city as if looking for something, some landing in the parking around the town’s casino.
There was some noise outside my room. My parents were awake, and I saw the light of the corridor flowing under my door. They were a little bit on the paranoid side, wanting nothing else than a quiet life, and so were already packing. I let go of a long yawn, watched a large military transport plane land in the small airport south of our house, and started to get dressed.
Twenty minutes later we were in the streets. The night was still very dark, despite all those helicopters in the air. All the neighborhood was up and walking, following the police officers that were directing us to the mall. My dad tried to ask a couple of questions to the officer, but he was as confused as us. Apparently, the police station got a call not long before us, and had to hurry to get in gear and to take the people to a staging area from which we would be brought to the southern mall. There, we would be “safe”. Safe from what?
“Jonathan!”
I turned around, looking for the person calling my name. It was Sophie, a classmate that was also a neighbor. Apparently waking up was much harder for her than it had been for me, looking at her face. I made a joke about it that did not get the result I expected. She just yawned to my face, threw a casual insult, and went on with the conversation.
“Do you know what is happening?”
I shrugged and shook my head.
“Nothing more than that weird text saying to stay in the light,” I admitted, “maybe something happened at the Canadian border? Maybe a terrorist attack? Maybe ther-“
I was interrupted when four military jets flew in low altitude right above us, going north at full speed. The sound was deafening, and I saw my mom along with many others protecting their ears with their hands. I tried to follow the lights of the planes with my eyes, but they disappeared not long later. Our city is in a valley going North/South, so if they were following it, it was easy to guess where they were going. Few smaller towns, then the Canadian border.
I felt my heart stop for a second when I heard detonations, way up north. This was not an exercise, just as they said. These planes just bombed something. I looked at my parents with shocked, open eyes.
“Are the Canadians invading?” I asked, not believing what was happening.
Nobody could tell us anything. We just kept following the police officers. Military trucks were going north up our suburban streets, and every time they came, we stepped on the side of the road to let them go. It was weird enough, but when combat transport vehicles started to go alongside regular tracks, people started to whisper. “Are we at war?” whispered a mid-aged lady, visibly frightened.
My eyes caught Sophie, who was distraught. She was stepping away from her parents and seemed very nervous, with tears forming in her eyes.
“What’s up?” I asked her, trying to sound as casual and reassuring as possible in this crazy situation.
“It’s Margaret. She was spending the night at the casino with some friends.”
Margaret was Sophie’s older sister. I did not really like her, she was too much of a wild party girl. Not that I want to sound like a boring suburban high schooler.
“So? She can join us directly at the mall, right?”
Sophie tried to make something with her mouth than sort of looked like a smile. A tear went down her cheek.
“I don’t know. We tried to call her, it goes directly to voicemail. I heard someone saying the military were using the casino as headquarters. Maybe she didn’t go out in time. Maybe… I don’t know. Oh my god…”
She started to cry, and I hugged her. I tried to say a few good things to make her feel better, but I’ve never been good for this kind of thing. Even my hug was not that great, since we needed to keep walking while hugging.
“Listen, let’s go there real quick, pick her up, and direct her to the mall. Deal?”
She looked up at me with teary eyes. I could see the judgement in her eye.
“Are you stupid? There are so many soldiers there.”
“So what?” I gave her a real smile just as a couple of Apache attack helicopters broke formation west from us and went north at great speed. “They are on our side. Plus, if there are so many soldiers, we’ll be safe there, too.”
It was not a great plan, but I really thought it would be fine. In the worst case they would catch us and send us on the way to the mall. We were kids, right? It would not take a lot of time.
I asked a neighbor friend to tell my parents that I’d go with Sophie quickly pick up her sister, and that we’d all meet at the mall. If I told them directly my dad would just catch me and carry me on his back to make sure I’d stay with them.
The large group of neighbors arrived at a military checkpoint. Soldiers were there, taking command from the police officers. Everyone was given a distress flare and military-grade flashlights by soldiers, and then got inside a truck. Headed directly to the southern mall, I guessed.
One thing caught my attention: One of the soldiers at the checkpoint was not in regular army camouflage. He had a black-and-red uniform that seemed more high-tech to my unexperienced eye. I mean, I kinda like to know the name of military hardwares, but I don’t know much about uniforms. The man was there, standing on an Humvee, giving orders around, making sure that everyone got a flare and embarked in the trucks.
The crowd started to mass in front of the checkpoint. That was our chance.
“Let’s cut through the Robinson’s garden to get around the army.” Sophie looked at me as I was saying my stupid plan. “From there we can go straight for the casino.”
And that’s exactly what we did. Away from the group, we plunged into the dark of the suburban gardens. To the distant north more explosions came. I looked into the skies and saw nothing except the very pale moon and some black clouds. The skies were pitch-black. Some funky lights were coming from the valley up north. Was that the result of the bombing? Or some weird thunder?
“Don’t you feel it is cold?” asked Sophie. I did not pay attention until now because of the adrenaline but yes, it was freezing. Much more than what was usual for such a summer night.
“Yeah I feel it, plus that damn wind won’t start blowing. It’s not even going in th-“
I stopped instantly. I realized something that froze the blood in my veins. In our town the airport was a big source of jobs, and I wanted to be an air controller. Lots of useless trivia I knew about our airport. One of them: It was built to follow the wind, in order to help pilots to take off with the wind on their back. And that wind was always coming from the north, going south. Not tonight.
“The wind is blowing north…It just won’t stop blowing…”
Sophie stared a me with round eyes. I could read the incomprehension on her face.
“It never happened.” I whispered while shrugging.
“If you try to scare me, Jonathan… Let’s just turn on the lights.”
Sophie was taking her flashlight out of her pocket put I quickly pushed it away.
“No! The soldiers will see us. We need to not make any noise.”
A huge rumble came up from our left, on Main Street. We both crouched and tried to see from behind the fence we were hiding behind. A column of Abrams battle tanks were going North at great speed, towards the casino. The whole goddamn Army was deploying in our town.
I was about to offer to, maybe, go to the mall, when Sophie started moving again.
“Okay, let’s hurry. I don’t want to stay here a minute more than what is necessary”
We walked ten more minutes. Fighter jets kept going north to bomb god-knows-what. More and more troops arrived, be it by helicopters, transport planes, or coming up from Route 93. I was acting tough in front of Sophie but in truth, it was terrifying. I swear I saw the shadows of a couple kids while we were crossing the gardens. They were going straight to the east, probably also looking for a way inside the casino. Maybe Margaret’s friends? They did not see us, moving fast away from us. I would have called them out if I were not so frightened to be heard by the patrolling soldiers around us.
Our terror switched to stupefaction once we arrived at the casino. The entire casino area had been turned into a fortress. Defensive positions had been erected, snipers were on the roofs, tanks were on the parking lot. Everyone was looking north. On the roof of the casinos huge light projectors were being installed. I don’t know the exact name of these things, but you know the thing that is used for the Bat Signal? That sort of thing.
Hiding in a backyard, we tried to look for a way in. We failed. Soldiers were patrolling everywhere. With the helicopters not high above, it was difficult to hear what any of them were saying. Most of them seemed confused, scared even. I guessed that they did not know either what to expect, or at least not completely. Most of them looked very nervous, and I did not want to risk them reflex-shooting us because we were trying to sneak in their backs.
A squad of four black-and-red soldiers came not far from us. Same advanced uniform as the one coordinating the evacuation effort. They also seemed stressed but were staying away from the bulk of the troops. I made a sign to Sophie to stay silent, and then tried to focus to hear what they were saying.
“Any refugees coming from the north?” asked a first soldiers to their squad leader. To my surprise, he had a strong foreign accent that I sort of recognized as East-European.
“None. They couldn’t run away in time.” Said the man leading the unit in a cold, harsh tone, before pointing to the roof of the house to our right. “Put Karl, Mikhail and Frédéric up there. If HQ falls they’ll cover the retreat. Any news from Tomohiro’s unit?”
The whole group stopped, not five feet from our position. We were standing in a bush, behind a fence, still as a shadow, holding our breaths.
“Defenses at the Wallmart are up,” said a man carrying a large computer-looking device on his back, connected to his helmet through wires. “He will try to delay them, but that won’t make us gain much time.”
Silence fell for a few seconds before the fourth soldier, a woman with a Texas accent, asked: “Why are we setting up here? It’s not a great defensive position.”
“First, we don’t question orders, you know this,” answered immediately the squad leader, “and second, this is the last town before the valley opens up. The last bottleneck before these things can get out of the valley and spread to the flatlands. We have to hold the line until the other Households have regrouped and counter-attacked.”
More seconds of heavy silence. I couldn’t hold my breath anymore and started breathing as discreetly as I could. The squad of black-and-red soldiers started to move away.
“We just have to hold the night? They’ll be weaker in the daylight, right?” asked the man that was previously worried about refugees.
“If they can close the Rift. Otherwise dawn will never rise again on this region.”
They kept talking while walking the outskirts of the casino-fortress. Series of powerful explosions rang from the north, this time much closer to our city. It jump-scared me like thunder. Gunfight erupted in what I knew was the direction of the Walmart, north of the city. It sounded like a huge firefight… or it was just a lot of soldiers were shooting at something.
The helicopters above us broke formation, taking altitude while launching volleys of rocket towards an unknown enemy. The fighter jets were now dropping bombs not twenty kilometers away from us. Even though we were not that close, we felt the aftershock and the heat waves, something unlike anything I felt before.
“Let’s go through the sewers,” I offered, “we’ll be safe there, and we can reach the casino that way.”
“I’m NOT going in the sewers,” shouted back Sophie, “No way. Absolutely no way.”
A rain of huge rockets flew above our heads from way south, headed straight to the valley in the north. Way on my left I saw the shape of a huge twin-rotored helicopter getting away from the combat zone. He was spiraling out of control. I did not see what was causing that but after ten seconds of spiraling fast he just plummeted to the ground. Screams started to rise from beyond the casino, as firefights erupted everywhere.
“This whole place is turning into a warzone,” I said to Sophie, “I’m all up for not going into this fortress, but at least let’s take the sewers to get away. It’ll be way faster. I’ve seen it in movies.”
Sophie was utterly terrified. She did know what to do. I could guess she still wanted to save her sister, or join her parents, or mine, or anything. I just wanted to get the hell away from whatever was coming. Out of town.
“Let’s wait a few minutes, she offered, maybe it’ll calm down. Maybe they’ll win.”
We waited for about ten minutes. The battle was now in full swing. I did not know what was going on. We went a few streets south from the casino, hidden in another backyard, not far from where we could access the sewer. It was like being in the middle of a huge firework show, except the fireworks where a thousand times louder. However, it was not bright at all, and if not for the sound and shockwaves, we could have thought the town was peaceful.
I took the opportunity of having a bit of time to write everything on my social media. More helicopters crashed all over town as more convoys of troops and vehicles arrived, deploying their infantry in the streets around us before heading to the fighting in combat formation. We were staying hidden as all of this happened.
The winds started to grow ever stronger, and the light of the moon was getting paler and paler, until we could barely see anything apart from the explosions. The light was going away, somehow. Even the screen from my phone seemed dimmed, as if critically out of battery.
“Incoming! Take positions!” I heard one of the soldiers not far from us shout to his men. Then it hit us. Cold grasped my body as all the lights of the streets went out. In an instant I could not see anything more than ten meters away, except the dimmed flashes of the soldiers weapons firing. Sophie looked at me, utter terror in her eyes.
I took out the flashlight from my pocket and turned it on. It barely helped, but it was something. I saw something moving not far to my right, and pointed the lights towards it. It was nothing, just shadows dancing with shadows. Far to my left the soldiers were screaming, screams of horror and pain. Whatever was happening, they were losing.
I kept praying that somehow our army would turn this battle around. That this, whatever it was, was not the end of the world. That we would survive this. What I did not know at this moment was that the mission to stop this nightmare had already happened. That is was led by an elite force beyond my imagination. And that they had already failed.
“Okay,” said Sophie, crying, “let’s try the sewers”.
We waited two additional minutes that the firefight around us got less intense before going for it. Then we heard an inhuman howl, something almost insectoid and rocky. It sounded as if it came from the other side of an auditorium, echoing beyond us and then back.
“Let’s go,” I shouted to Sophie, taking her hands as we were running towards the sewer entrance, ready to enter the darkness below.

Welcome to the Toronto Daily Thread.

This thread serves two purposes:
1) To collect and make visible new posts in smaller Toronto based subreddits.
Feel free to visit, comment and be generally helpful in posts indexed below. Please also remember to stay on your best behaviour when travelling outside of /toronto.
2) To act as a general off-topic conversation hub for the day.
To that end, use this thread to talk about whatever is on your mind, regardless of whether or not it's related to Toronto.
No matter where you're posting, please remember to be excellent to each other.

/AskTO

Post Title	Author	Comments
Where to stream a Toronto New Years countdown?	newscotian1	2
What is the best Casino in the GTA?	Scarr64	7
Any bars showing the PDC Darts Championship Final tomorrow?	mostmodest-	1
So now the #TTC is free until 7am tomorrow...	iammiroslavglavic	11
New Years Eve Delivery in North York	mmmkkkjjj8595	5
Does the 3-hour parking limit rule apply tonight?	palm___tree	5
Where are all the fireworks?	meltea	6
Is Nathan Philips Square worth it?	jorddzz	11
are there any male pelvic physiotherapists?	Best_Golf	4
Should I be worried about a reddish line stain that's coming from the urine in the toilet wall after defecating? Sorry to post about this here, but I'm too worried about it.	techgeek010	11
Anyone find Tokyo Smoke weed to be shit?	patdeeznutz	28
Bars that might be empty tonight for NYE	CheapBeerDrinker	18
Mel Lastman Square	rainbow-bridge	2
Would it be a good idea to take a senior with me at the Nathan Philips Square to see the fireworks go off at 12AM 2020? He can wait 2hrs not more than that before needing to use the washroom. Could we fit in to see the fireworks if we go there at 10:30PM or 11:30PM or should we go there earlier?	charliereadz	10
Landlord asking for income information	paladinab	25
Alone in New Years. What can I do in Toronto.	Gracchus12	2
Feeling uncomfortable with a neighbour looking at our apartment	ominous-light	10
Dundas Square at New Year's, is there a countdown?	BuckfutterB	11
Why are there so many down votes in this sub??	jaimonee	3
Are you able to get a good view of the fire works for NYE from Riverdale Hill?	guppyfrogxoxo	4
Regent Park Commute to DT Core	tejehama	24
Sunrise viewing spot recommendation?	QigongMaster	5
Mattress for sleeping on the floor. Maybe Japanese futon?	42huh42	5
NPS Live Stream?	RealCanadianDragon	6
What are some good business ideas for GTA region?	GjamesBond	23

/TorontoJobs

Post Title	Author	Comments
Looking for full-time/part-time job	502-BadGateway	0

/TorontoEvents

Post Title	Author	Comments
4 tickets to Gladstone 2020 NYE event for sale	_heathervv	0
Just moved to Toronto, don't know people here - anyone have some cool last-minute NYE ideas?	MrScarySkeltal	19

/GTAMarketPlace

Post Title	Author	Comments
4 tickets to Gladstone 2020 NYE event for sale	_heathervv	0
[BUYING] Dyson Soft Roller Head V7/V8/V10	asquaredi	1

I am a bot, and this post was generated automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

The police car’s siren was the first thing that woke me up. Living in a small town, I was not used to hearing it in the dead of the night. I grumbled something not very pleasant towards our peacekeeping force, then tried to put myself back to sleep.
I was having a very vivid nightmare, so in a way it was a good thing that this patrol car took me out of it. Now I could try to dream about something pleasant. That’s when I heard the siren a second time. This was unusual, something was definitely happening in town. I thought I’d just hear about it in high school in the morning.
A third car came down my street, but this time, someone was talking in a large speaker. Hearing the tone of the man made me realize it was for sure not an advertising for an upcoming circus performance. I forced myself to wake up, took my head out of the pillow and instinctively looked at my phone to check the time.
It was 2:30AM, but that is not what caught my attention. I received a text from a two-digit number -98-, probably something official:
FOLLOW MILITARY INSTRUCTIONS // THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE // IF YOU HAVE FIREARMS TAKE THEM // TAKE ONE FLASHLIGHT PER PERSON MINIMUM // LEAVE YOUR HOUSE NOW // STAY CLOSE TO LIGHT SOURCES
What the hell did that mean? Was that some kind of joke? I’ve heard about some official alert message-guy making a mistake in Hawaii, maybe that was it. Some prank.
I heard helicopters flying above our town. Now that woke me up. This never happens. Our little valley town of about 23 000 inhabitants was not a place of trouble. We gave all the attention and problems to the city of Missoula, way south, beyond the Indian reserve of Flatheads. I opened the window of my bedroom and saw that there was about a dozen helicopters in the air, some pointing flashlights around the city as if looking for something, some landing in the parking around the town’s casino.
There was some noise outside my room. My parents were awake, and I saw the light of the corridor flowing under my door. They were a little bit on the paranoid side, wanting nothing else than a quiet life, and so were already packing. I let go of a long yawn, watched a large military transport plane land in the small airport south of our house, and started to get dressed.
Twenty minutes later we were in the streets. The night was still very dark, despite all those helicopters in the air. All the neighborhood was up and walking, following the police officers that were directing us to the mall. My dad tried to ask a couple of questions to the officer, but he was as confused as us. Apparently, the police station got a call not long before us, and had to hurry to get in gear and to take the people to a staging area from which we would be brought to the southern mall. There, we would be “safe”. Safe from what?
“Jonathan!”
I turned around, looking for the person calling my name. It was Sophie, a classmate that was also a neighbor. Apparently waking up was much harder for her than it had been for me, looking at her face. I made a joke about it that did not get the result I expected. She just yawned to my face, threw a casual insult, and went on with the conversation.
“Do you know what is happening?”
I shrugged and shook my head.
“Nothing more than that weird text saying to stay in the light,” I admitted, “maybe something happened at the Canadian border? Maybe a terrorist attack? Maybe ther-“
I was interrupted when four military jets flew in low altitude right above us, going north at full speed. The sound was deafening, and I saw my mom along with many others protecting their ears with their hands. I tried to follow the lights of the planes with my eyes, but they disappeared not long later. Our city is in a valley going North/South, so if they were following it, it was easy to guess where they were going. Few smaller towns, then the Canadian border.
I felt my heart stop for a second when I heard detonations, way up north. This was not an exercise, just as they said. These planes just bombed something. I looked at my parents with shocked, open eyes.
“Are the Canadians invading?” I asked, not believing what was happening.
Nobody could tell us anything. We just kept following the police officers. Military trucks were going north up our suburban streets, and every time they came, we stepped on the side of the road to let them go. It was weird enough, but when combat transport vehicles started to go alongside regular tracks, people started to whisper. “Are we at war?” whispered a mid-aged lady, visibly frightened.
My eyes caught Sophie, who was distraught. She was stepping away from her parents and seemed very nervous, with tears forming in her eyes.
“What’s up?” I asked her, trying to sound as casual and reassuring as possible in this crazy situation.
“It’s Margaret. She was spending the night at the casino with some friends.”
Margaret was Sophie’s older sister. I did not really like her, she was too much of a wild party girl. Not that I want to sound like a boring suburban high schooler.
“So? She can join us directly at the mall, right?”
Sophie tried to make something with her mouth than sort of looked like a smile. A tear went down her cheek.
“I don’t know. We tried to call her, it goes directly to voicemail. I heard someone saying the military were using the casino as headquarters. Maybe she didn’t go out in time. Maybe… I don’t know. Oh my god…”
She started to cry, and I hugged her. I tried to say a few good things to make her feel better, but I’ve never been good for this kind of thing. Even my hug was not that great, since we needed to keep walking while hugging.
“Listen, let’s go there real quick, pick her up, and direct her to the mall. Deal?”
She looked up at me with teary eyes. I could see the judgement in her eye.
“Are you stupid? There are so many soldiers there.”
“So what?” I gave her a real smile just as a couple of Apache attack helicopters broke formation west from us and went north at great speed. “They are on our side. Plus, if there are so many soldiers, we’ll be safe there, too.”
It was not a great plan, but I really thought it would be fine. In the worst case they would catch us and send us on the way to the mall. We were kids, right? It would not take a lot of time.
I asked a neighbor friend to tell my parents that I’d go with Sophie quickly pick up her sister, and that we’d all meet at the mall. If I told them directly my dad would just catch me and carry me on his back to make sure I’d stay with them.
The large group of neighbors arrived at a military checkpoint. Soldiers were there, taking command from the police officers. Everyone was given a distress flare and military-grade flashlights by soldiers, and then got inside a truck. Headed directly to the southern mall, I guessed.
One thing caught my attention: One of the soldiers at the checkpoint was not in regular army camouflage. He had a black-and-red uniform that seemed more high-tech to my unexperienced eye. I mean, I kinda like to know the name of military hardwares, but I don’t know much about uniforms. The man was there, standing on an Humvee, giving orders around, making sure that everyone got a flare and embarked in the trucks.
The crowd started to mass in front of the checkpoint. That was our chance.
“Let’s cut through the Robinson’s garden to get around the army.” Sophie looked at me as I was saying my stupid plan. “From there we can go straight for the casino.”
And that’s exactly what we did. Away from the group, we plunged into the dark of the suburban gardens. To the distant north more explosions came. I looked into the skies and saw nothing except the very pale moon and some black clouds. The skies were pitch-black. Some funky lights were coming from the valley up north. Was that the result of the bombing? Or some weird thunder?
“Don’t you feel it is cold?” asked Sophie. I did not pay attention until now because of the adrenaline but yes, it was freezing. Much more than what was usual for such a summer night.
“Yeah I feel it, plus that damn wind won’t start blowing. It’s not even going in th-“
I stopped instantly. I realized something that froze the blood in my veins. In our town the airport was a big source of jobs, and I wanted to be an air controller. Lots of useless trivia I knew about our airport. One of them: It was built to follow the wind, in order to help pilots to take off with the wind on their back. And that wind was always coming from the north, going south. Not tonight.
“The wind is blowing north…It just won’t stop blowing…”
Sophie stared a me with round eyes. I could read the incomprehension on her face.
“It never happened.” I whispered while shrugging.
“If you try to scare me, Jonathan… Let’s just turn on the lights.”
Sophie was taking her flashlight out of her pocket put I quickly pushed it away.
“No! The soldiers will see us. We need to not make any noise.”
A huge rumble came up from our left, on Main Street. We both crouched and tried to see from behind the fence we were hiding behind. A column of Abrams battle tanks were going North at great speed, towards the casino. The whole goddamn Army was deploying in our town.
I was about to offer to, maybe, go to the mall, when Sophie started moving again.
“Okay, let’s hurry. I don’t want to stay here a minute more than what is necessary”
We walked ten more minutes. Fighter jets kept going north to bomb god-knows-what. More and more troops arrived, be it by helicopters, transport planes, or coming up from Route 93. I was acting tough in front of Sophie but in truth, it was terrifying. I swear I saw the shadows of a couple kids while we were crossing the gardens. They were going straight to the east, probably also looking for a way inside the casino. Maybe Margaret’s friends? They did not see us, moving fast away from us. I would have called them out if I were not so frightened to be heard by the patrolling soldiers around us.
Our terror switched to stupefaction once we arrived at the casino. The entire casino area had been turned into a fortress. Defensive positions had been erected, snipers were on the roofs, tanks were on the parking lot. Everyone was looking north. On the roof of the casinos huge light projectors were being installed. I don’t know the exact name of these things, but you know the thing that is used for the Bat Signal? That sort of thing.
Hiding in a backyard, we tried to look for a way in. We failed. Soldiers were patrolling everywhere. With the helicopters not high above, it was difficult to hear what any of them were saying. Most of them seemed confused, scared even. I guessed that they did not know either what to expect, or at least not completely. Most of them looked very nervous, and I did not want to risk them reflex-shooting us because we were trying to sneak in their backs.
A squad of four black-and-red soldiers came not far from us. Same advanced uniform as the one coordinating the evacuation effort. They also seemed stressed but were staying away from the bulk of the troops. I made a sign to Sophie to stay silent, and then tried to focus to hear what they were saying.
“Any refugees coming from the north?” asked a first soldiers to their squad leader. To my surprise, he had a strong foreign accent that I sort of recognized as East-European.
“None. They couldn’t run away in time.” Said the man leading the unit in a cold, harsh tone, before pointing to the roof of the house to our right. “Put Karl, Mikhail and Frédéric up there. If HQ falls they’ll cover the retreat. Any news from Tomohiro’s unit?”
The whole group stopped, not five feet from our position. We were standing in a bush, behind a fence, still as a shadow, holding our breaths.
“Defenses at the Wallmart are up,” said a man carrying a large computer-looking device on his back, connected to his helmet through wires. “He will try to delay them, but that won’t make us gain much time.”
Silence fell for a few seconds before the fourth soldier, a woman with a Texas accent, asked: “Why are we setting up here? It’s not a great defensive position.”
“First, we don’t question orders, you know this,” answered immediately the squad leader, “and second, this is the last town before the valley opens up. The last bottleneck before these things can get out of the valley and spread to the flatlands. We have to hold the line until the other Households have regrouped and counter-attacked.”
More seconds of heavy silence. I couldn’t hold my breath anymore and started breathing as discreetly as I could. The squad of black-and-red soldiers started to move away.
“We just have to hold the night? They’ll be weaker in the daylight, right?” asked the man that was previously worried about refugees.
“If they can close the Rift. Otherwise dawn will never rise again on this region.”
They kept talking while walking the outskirts of the casino-fortress. Series of powerful explosions rang from the north, this time much closer to our city. It jump-scared me like thunder. Gunfight erupted in what I knew was the direction of the Walmart, north of the city. It sounded like a huge firefight… or it was just a lot of soldiers were shooting at something.
The helicopters above us broke formation, taking altitude while launching volleys of rocket towards an unknown enemy. The fighter jets were now dropping bombs not twenty kilometers away from us. Even though we were not that close, we felt the aftershock and the heat waves, something unlike anything I felt before.
“Let’s go through the sewers,” I offered, “we’ll be safe there, and we can reach the casino that way.”
“I’m NOT going in the sewers,” shouted back Sophie, “No way. Absolutely no way.”
A rain of huge rockets flew above our heads from way south, headed straight to the valley in the north. Way on my left I saw the shape of a huge twin-rotored helicopter getting away from the combat zone. He was spiraling out of control. I did not see what was causing that but after ten seconds of spiraling fast he just plummeted to the ground. Screams started to rise from beyond the casino, as firefights erupted everywhere.
“This whole place is turning into a warzone,” I said to Sophie, “I’m all up for not going into this fortress, but at least let’s take the sewers to get away. It’ll be way faster. I’ve seen it in movies.”
Sophie was utterly terrified. She did know what to do. I could guess she still wanted to save her sister, or join her parents, or mine, or anything. I just wanted to get the hell away from whatever was coming. Out of town.
“Let’s wait a few minutes, she offered, maybe it’ll calm down. Maybe they’ll win.”
We waited for about ten minutes. The battle was now in full swing. I did not know what was going on. We went a few streets south from the casino, hidden in another backyard, not far from where we could access the sewer. It was like being in the middle of a huge firework show, except the fireworks where a thousand times louder. However, it was not bright at all, and if not for the sound and shockwaves, we could have thought the town was peaceful.
I took the opportunity of having a bit of time to write everything on my social media. More helicopters crashed all over town as more convoys of troops and vehicles arrived, deploying their infantry in the streets around us before heading to the fighting in combat formation. We were staying hidden as all of this happened.
The winds started to grow ever stronger, and the light of the moon was getting paler and paler, until we could barely see anything apart from the explosions. The light was going away, somehow. Even the screen from my phone seemed dimmed, as if critically out of battery.
“Incoming! Take positions!” I heard one of the soldiers not far from us shout to his men. Then it hit us. Cold grasped my body as all the lights of the streets went out. In an instant I could not see anything more than ten meters away, except the dimmed flashes of the soldiers weapons firing. Sophie looked at me, utter terror in her eyes.
I took out the flashlight from my pocket and turned it on. It barely helped, but it was something. I saw something moving not far to my right, and pointed the lights towards it. It was nothing, just shadows dancing with shadows. Far to my left the soldiers were screaming, screams of horror and pain. Whatever was happening, they were losing.
I kept praying that somehow our army would turn this battle around. That this, whatever it was, was not the end of the world. That we would survive this. What I did not know at this moment was that the mission to stop this nightmare had already happened. That is was led by an elite force beyond my imagination. And that they had already failed.
“Okay,” said Sophie, crying, “let’s try the sewers”.
We waited two additional minutes that the firefight around us got less intense before going for it. Then we heard an inhuman howl, something almost insectoid and rocky. It sounded as if it came from the other side of an auditorium, echoing beyond us and then back.
“Let’s go,” I shouted to Sophie, taking her hands as we were running towards the sewer entrance, ready to enter the darkness below.

Questions and answers (and follow up questions and answers) below! I will be updating this until it's a full record of the Q&A, as well as any that Pasquale feels like answering later tonight.
AMA Link here

• Q: Will you be walking around during edc orlando interacting with fans? Link
  • A: It's something that I love to do and always find time for. Hope we cross paths at EDC Orlando!
• Q: What are your plans for fixing the insane wait times (4-8hrs) and under-utilization of speedway roadways for campEDC check-in? also on the topic of campEDC, is there a plan sell RV pumpout/fresh water passes ONLINE alongside the RV camping pass purchase? (the wait at the general store was brutal.....). Maybe have 2 general stores if online purchase isn't an option? Link
  • A: Last year's wait times were unacceptable. Fixing that and other processes is one of our main focuses for Camp EDC. We've had many planning meetings just about this. We will have a revised entrance plan that includes more lanes with more people working, check-in staff will be more experienced, and we'll have better processes all around without sacrificing the safety of you, the Headliner. We're also extending check-in hours to spread out the traffic ingress.
• Q: Can we have a Pasquale DJ Set at EDC or any insomniac events? Link
  • A: No plans this year but I'd like to dust off my crates as soon as I get time.
• Q: What ever happened to the giant electric Daisy 🌼 and will it ever return???? Link
  • A: I loved that daisy, the artists did an amazing job! I have imagined bringing it back many times. Thank you for the motivation to work on it. No guarantees though as it was a collaboration between Insomniac and the artist troop that we commissioned the piece with. I will definitely reach out to them and work on it!
• Q: Is a hot dog a sandwich? Link
  • A: For me, no, but for someone else, maybe yes.
• Q: What is the theme of this years EDC? Link
  • A: I'm very excited about this years theme. Big announcement coming soon! I was just looking at the new kinetic stage design and WOW I can't wait for you guys to see it.
• Q: Do you ever plan on bringing back the megastructure? Link
  • A: No plan for right now. If we did bring it back it would not be for circuitGROUNDS, as that area is too large. But it could work for another stage and has been considered.
• Q: Hey Pasquale! Do you have a favourite non-Insomniac festival? Link
  • A: Yes, Burning Man.
• Q: Boobs or butt? Link
  • A: Energy.
• Q: Out of all your festivals, what has been your favorite stage design? Link
  • A: The kineticFIELD Cathedral but that might change after next years EDC.
• Q: What is your ultimate favorite EDM genre? Also, your ultimate favorite artist (that you never get sick of)? Link
  • A: I bounce around a lot and can’t listen to only one genre of dance music, but I do gravitate towards drum and bass, house, techno, and I’m also really loving a lot of the bass house that’s coming out right now. I would say CamelPhat, Redlight, Dombresky and Fisher are the guys are the guys that I’ve been playing in my car for the last couple days.
• Q: Can you give a clue as to who is headlining DOTD? Link
  • A: It's ZEFINITELY gonna be fun.
  • AP2: Oh, and we're dropping the lineup today at 4:30. Keep an eye out!
• Q: Would you ever consider making a second part, that included some more stories and more experiences? If so, how would one get cast? Also bring back EDC Colorado Link
  • A: I think one day we will do it again. No plans on how we would cast it and no plans for an EDC in Denver although we do love it there.
• Q: What change are you most excited about for EDC 2019? Link
  • A: There is not any one change that gets me excited, improving all aspects of the event is the most exciting goal. I'm always looking to improve and make things better. Camp EDC is a focus, new stages, new lineup, new art, creative aspects we've been working on that finally come to fruition, better processes, better logistics, and just an overall better experience. It's all equally important to me.
• Q: What happened with Sacred Valley festival? Link
  • A: We weren't going to be able to produce and event that measured up to our standards when it comes to experience and safety. If anyone has a unique situation where they've been effected beyond just having to get a ticket refund, I'd like to know more about it personally. Please have them email [email protected] and in the subject line write Sacred Valley/Reddit AMA. Myself or another Insomniac will get back to them. I can't guarantee that we can satisfy everyone, but we will do our best.
• Q: Are there any plans to bring EDC back to Europe? Link
  • A: Yes, I'm excited to say I'm in the middle of planning that now
• Q: What is your rave name? Link
  • A: Squaley Love
• Q: I found out that my mother in law used to be close to the Insomniac family. She was mamá Irene's hairdresser and claims she taught her how to DANCE🕺 She said she used to be best friends with your sister Nicole. Do you remember Dimpna? Link
  • A: My mom was very social, loved to get her hair did, and she was always trying to learn new dance moves. She did have some of her own as well. I don’t recall meeting Dimpna, but that doesn’t mean much because my mom would introduce me to fifty new people every time I was with her.
• Q: Serious question, are all the stage names and/or designs all related to Physics? For example, Kinetic field- kinetic energy is the energy of motion (people dancing). Circuit grounds, the stage had large screens all around with bars connecting each screen(like a circuit). Quantum valley, a bunch of box shaped screens on stage and the quani’s movement was first discovered in a box. Am I crazy or am I catching on to something? Link
  • A: You're catching on to something and maybe you should work here!
• Q: How are experiences going to differ from GA+ and VIP this year? Link
  • A: We wanted to introduce a midway point between GA and VIP. GA+ elevates your festival experience with expedited, dedicated GA+ entry and special access to premium, air-conditioned restrooms. We're always pushing to enhance the VIP experience every year and VIP amenities can be found at edclasvegas.com/VIP.
• Q: Hi Pasquale have you considered doing an EDC Passport for all the EDC’s in a year? Link
  • A: We're planning something super unique that we’ve never done before, and I’m very excited to announce it before the end of the year. It includes what you’re describing and much, much more.
  • Q: Would one be able to refund their EDC ticket or pay the remaining balance between their EDC ticket and said potential 'Passport'?
  • A: The program is still being developed so I don't want to dive too deep into details, but anything we do will not apply to EDC Las Vegas 2019.
• Q: Will shuttle stops be same as last year? Link
  • A: They will be evenly spread out along the strip and downtown. Most will be the same as last year, with the exception of Tropicana, but we are working on a replacement for the south strip as well as adding more locations.
• Q: I have been taking my 60 year old mother to EDC the past two years now, this upcoming EDC will be her third! She absolutely loves it! Besides ADA accessibility do you have plans to help accommodate older ravers? Example: she had a hard time walking to the shuttles/parking lots and we did not want to spend $40 for someone to bike us out to our shuttle/car. I would love to see insomniac help older ravers during those times. Link
  • A: First of all, I love you for bringing your Mom to the festival! I want to see more generations enjoying this beautiful culture and community. I welcome all ideas on how we can encourage and support all the seasoned ravers who want to continue attending our events. If you have ideas hit us up at [email protected].
• Q: Is there anything you wish you could offer or provide your event attendees that isn't possible currently? Link
  • A: The ability to help them with real life problems, but I'm working on it!
• Q: How far in advance is EDC planned? Like does Insomniac already have a theme set for say the next 5 EDCs or do you all just kind of go with the flow? Link
  • A: There is a flow to what we do but we definitely plan in advance. We started planning EDC Vegas 2019 before 2018 even happened.
• Q: Do you already have big surprises planned for EDC 2019? If so, can you give even the slightest hint of what we're in store for? Link
  • A: Yes, there are many surprises! Right now, just because I was working on it earlier this morning, I have to say the kineticFIELD stage might be the most epic stage we’ll have in the history of EDC.
• Q: Middelands 2? Link
  • A: I want Middlelands back but we can't bring it back unless we have the right venue. I'm never gonna give up, I'm not giving up on that. We're going to find a venue we just haven't found it yet.
• Q: What’s your favorite part about edc even after so many years? Link
  • A: How much value it brings to people's lives
• Q: How many total fireworks do you set off over the 3 days? Link
  • A: Over the course of three nights, around 15,000 fireworks are shot off.
• Q: During security check at festivals, a lot of the security guards have been groping and using unethical forms of search. How can we protect ourselves from this? Link
  • A: We take this issue very, very seriously, and we ask that anyone who experiences something like this immediately take note of the guard's jacket number and reach out to a supervisor or an Insomniac staff member to make us aware. You can also reach out to me on my personal socials and our Insomniac socials. We're always listening.
• Q: Any chance to get the DJs from my hay day such as Richard Vision, DJ Irene, Bad Boy Bill, just to name a few? Link
  • A: If you want to check out DJ Irene, she's actually playing the Freshjive event going on at Bodega this Saturday which we're involved with and supporting!
• Q: What is one thing at EDC that you think most attendees miss out on during the 3 days there? Or what is something every attendee should do while at EDC? Link
  • A: I think one of the things people are missing out on is Camp EDC. Aside from the entrance experience that is going to be fixed, the energy and vibe there was so unique and I was really excited about it. At EDC itself, I would say checking out the nooks and crannies like the saloon and the live band in there. Of course, seeing an amazing DJ at the big stages is cool but I really think looking out for artists you've never heard of or up-and-coming DJs is something everyone should do.
• Q: I've been to Nocturnal 3 times, and it definitely is my favorite festival, the camping experience makes everything better. That being said, I've never been to Camp OG till this year. It blew my mind! It felt like a 90s rave (from what I've seen in videos of old raves) and some jungle, dnb and breakbeats after the rave feels sooooo freaken good. Why isn't Camp OG promoted a little more? Link
  • A: Thanks for sharing your experience. I also love those guys. They're the first group of people that supported Insomniac and have been loyal supporters since 1993. It very much does have that old-school vibe. We don't promote it because it's renegade and underground. Stumbling on it is part of the fun, and there's no guarantee that anything will be going on at any given time.
• Q: Are there any plans to update EDC's streaming coverage? It is pretty unsatisfying to see 15-30 minutes of a set and feel that limiting it to two or three stages permanently would be far better viewer experience than getting chopped up sets. If you do go that route, Neon Garden has to be one of them! Link
  • A: We are planning to do multiple channels which will allow multiple stages and full sets to be streamed
• Q: What are your thoughts on having drug test kits available at your events? Link
  • A: I’ve actually had DanceSafe at our events a while back, but when the venue, the local authorities, and the insurers are opposed to it, you won’t have that city or location as an option. It’s already hard enough to find venues where I can organize events. Unfortunately some people view partnering with DanceSafe or other harm reduction groups as endorsing drug use rather than keeping people safe, and that can prevent producers from getting locations and organizing events.
• Q: What type of team does it take to put together an event on this scale? Who designs your amazing stages year after year? Link
  • A: There are about 100 Insomniacs here in the office working on the festival year-round, but we actually subcontract out thousands of staff during the festival. I personally work on all of the stages with the creative department here at Insomniac HQ and we also collaborate with outside artists, which changes from year to year depending on the stage and event.
• Q: My group and I will be first time EDC attendees in 2019, do you have any tips for us? Link
  • A: Wear comfy shoes, stay hydrated, plan a meeting spot with your crew, and dress up to contribute to the atmosphere (that's always appreciated). When you walk through the gates imagine walking through a portal that allows you to leave all judgement behind and open your heart, be your best self, and put out the best energy you have.
• Q: Is it a possibility artists can use their own visuals on Kinetic this year? Link
  • A: It's always possible. We've done that before and it's better when its a collaboration so it's not a bunch of flashing logos and instead it is art that ties into the stage and theme.
• Q: How would I go about trying to get my foot in the door with Insomniac? Link
  • A: I appreciate you having interest in working at Insomniac. When there are job openings, they become available on Insomniac.com. In addition, there are also opportunities with on-site teams including Ground Control, Customer Experience, and our Merchandise department. Keep an eye out for more information!
• Q: Can you consider having more places to sit and relax at EDC? There seemed to be only one local area with picnic tables and fake grass but it was pretty filthy and limited in seating. Link
  • A: I agree with you about the cleanliness of Carnival Square. We're demanding that the clean-up company we used last year perform better. If you're looking to chill, the art areas on either side of cosmicMEADOW are awesome. And one of the best views in the house is on the grandstands where there are lots of seats.
• Q: I am devastated to hear about you and Holly. You two were the “goals” couple hands down. What is the best relationship advice would you give? Link
  • A: Thank you for the nice note. I hope that Holly and I can still inspire people to have amazing relationships even when they change. She is one of my best friends and you’ll still be seeing us roaming the grounds at EDC Las Vegas. Honesty, communication, and a strong connection are all things that support healthy relationships.
• Q: What do you do now for fun that you did as a child? Link
  • A: Surf, rave, sleep, and eat.
  • Q: What is a food/drink you HAVE to have at least once a week?
  • A: Mint chip ice cream.
  • Q: When are you gonna headline the mainstage at EDCLV?
  • A: That's super flattering but I don't ever see myself headlining MainStage .Maybe on an art car one year.
  • Q: What do you think your kids will listen to when they get older?
  • A: I feel like my kids will listen to a little bit of everything because they're exposed to so many different kinds of music that they wont limit themselves.
  • Q: What would you do if they liked country?
  • A: I would take them to Stagecoach and on the way we'd continue to listening to Night Owl Radio.
  • Q: Favorite movie?
  • A: There is so many but off the top of my head I like the original Dogwtown movie, Boogie Nights, The Godfather, The Breakfast Club, Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, Back to the Future, Casino, and so many more
• Q: What/where was your first rave? Link
  • A: My first rave was in 1991 in downtown Los Angeles on Oak Street in a place called La Casa. I didn't know the name of it because I didn't even know where the hell I was going. My friends took me!
• Q: Would you ever consider bringing back a seperate stage for the discovery project like in 2014? Link
  • A: We will do this again, no plans right now. At EDC, we still have an art car that hosts these artists for a night.
• Q: Last year you mentioned some form of Insomniac Production museum filled with stuff from the events. Any update on that? Link
  • A: Still working on it. It's one of many goals and it's going to be a while. I envision the museum being at a permanent festival site and that's not easy to come by, we're always looking for a potential place.
• Q: I loved that you guys added a green laser above rainbow row. It was beautiful. But why not take it up a notch, and have a laser show at the top of the hour? Maybe Lasers from different directions/places in the speedway will overlap the entire venue. This could probably be during fireworks too Link
  • A: Thanks for the creative suggestion! It sounds like something we could really have fun with and we’ll definitely explore this.
• Q: How do you plan on expanding from the success of the shuttles this year? Link
  • A: Thank you for sharing. I'm so glad to hear the experience was better for you. The plan is to continue to push forward and enhance things that have room to be better. If there's something specific you believe we could improve upon, I'd love to hear about it.
• Q: Who are your top 5 favorite artists to book? Link
  • A: I’m grateful for any artist being there who we know will put their heart and soul into their set and rock the stage. Some characters that stand out to me are Fisher, Zomboy, Carl Cox and Tiësto.
• Q: Will we ever see Insomniac return to Texas? Link
  • A: We love Texas! There are no events planned right now, but we'll stop by with something every so often.
• Q: Is there any sort of timeline when we might see a redesign for Wasteland? Link
  • A: Next year will be the last year we use that particular centerpiece where the DJ performs. We will reconfigure the containers and there will be some enhancements, but it's not going to get a new design until 2020.
• Q: How come DNB has been slowly phased out of festivals? It used to get its own stage and now we’re lucky to have 5 artists for a 2 day event. And they’re all on early in the night. Why don’t we get the same range of artists as the other genres? Link
  • A: I am a huge fan of drum and bass and continue to push it at the festivals. The reason why there’s not as many artists as I would like and not always playing at peak times of the festival is because when we’ve done it, the turnout is low. You drum and bass heads should posse up and support and when we see it’s packed for them, we will add more artists and give them even better time slots.
• Q: What do you think will be the next big thing in terms of productions at festivals? The fire, smoke, fireworks, fountains, and lights all tap into our senses and I'm curious what could be used additionally to create a total immersion at events. Link
  • A: Technology is changing but Insomniac is always keeping an eye out for what's next. We've explored VR, AR, and holograms, and we'll continue to feature those technologies in impactful ways. We're always looking for new ideas and new ways to enhance the experience. All I know is, EDC Las Vegas 2030 isn't going to look like EDC Las Vegas 2020!
• Q: What do you guys look for in new artists that are trying to play EDC Las Vegas 2019? Link
  • A: We’re looking for artists who have the skillset to produce amazing tracks on their own as well as a sound that is unique from what other artists are doing. It’s always a bonus if they’ve already put themselves out there and people in the dance music community are excited to see them.
• Q: Is it possible to create a no fly zone for Helicopters over the campground this year? Link
  • A: Thanks for making me aware! That sounds pretty annoying. We'll talk to the FAA and Nellis Air Force Base and see what we can do.
• Q: What would you say was your biggest success last EDCLV? Link
  • A: I was very happy with the improvements to the shuttle operation and my negotiation with Mother Nature definitely paid off. Although there were challenges, I was happy with Camp EDC and the way the Kinetic Love stage turned out. With that said, everything can always be better.
• Q: How do I get #myedcmoments to you? Link
  • A: What's your IG handle? I'll search for you
• Q: I’ve been going to EDC for years now and I absolutely loved the stage designs in 2013. The giant caterpillar at Beyond, the grim reaper at Escape, and the giant owl opening up at EDC with all the flowers and mushrooms around it. Would you ever bring anything like that back? Link
  • A: Those are some of my favorite stages, too. There are certain things that limit what we can do, but we'll surprise you with new stuff all the time.
• Q: Is there any chance of actually doing a live VR experience for headliners at home? I heard this was a possibility a year or two ago, but what ever happened with it? Link
  • A: We’re still closely watching how the technology advances but I don’t feel that it’s there just yet to really have it to be a main focus, but we’ll continue to watch.
• Q: Will the megastucture ever come back? Can Quantum Valley be in the megastructure? Can Neon Garden be a tent again? Will there ever be valet parking again? Can the bars start selling whole bottles of wine? Can beers please not be $15 each? Link
  • A: First off, I love you. Keep spittin' those question! Maybe the megastructure will come back, but not as the circuitGROUNDS. quantumVALLEY has been considered but that's not the plan for right now. We're trying something else. Before considering going back to a tent for neonGARDEN, we're looking at making 2018's experience better. There were a lot of logistical challenges with valet at EDC, so until those are figured out that's not something we'll be offering. I haven't asked the venue if they have the ability to sell boxed or large containers of wine, but that's an interesting idea. We don't set the prices for food and beverage at EDC Las Vegas. I always ask the Speedway to bring the prices down -- and will continue to ask -- but it's difficult because we don't operate that aspect of the festival.
• Q: What exactly are service fees for? Link
  • A: We use third party ticket agencies that charge fees for their services to cover the cost of their expenses which include staff being on hand to support your purchases and making sure the website doesn’t crash. There’s also taxes and handling associated with each order that have to be covered. I hope this answers your question!
• Q: What is your most memorable encounter with a fellow headliner? Link
  • A: I have so many! The most recent would be my phone call to a father and daughter that participated in #myedcmoments. Hearing their stories made me tear up it was so heartwarming. It felt really good to make sure they're going to be able to attend EDC Las Vegas 2019. I'm actually going to be posting that video soon. Look out for it.
• Q: Any chance on having craft beer at any of the San Bernardino events? Link
  • A: The food and drink experience is very different from one venue to another, and some venues need more improvement than others. Whether that's pricing, variety, or quality, I agree it can all be better. The challenge is that venues usually dictate/operate this side of the festival experience. I am constantly pushing them to be better -- and there have been improvements -- but the progression is slow. I will continue pushing because I want you to be able to enjoy a quality brewski...and much more.

Misc questions answered by Insomniac_Events (official Insomniac reddit account)

• Q: Quick question, my dad tried surprising me with my EDC ticket this year by purchasing the early release tickets (which was awesome!) but he didn't really know what he was doing and accidentally purchased GA+ not knowing there was a difference. How do we change that to a regular GA pass so he's not over spending on what I'll be using? Link
  • A: Please reach out to support.frontgatetickets.com to inquire about making a switch!
• Q: Are the CampEDC tickets separate from the regular tickets? If so, do the camp tickets have layaway plan as well? Will last years be the same as this years (I’ve read the CampEDC thread and just want to be sure). Link
  • A: Hello! EDC tickets go on sale Friday, with Camp EDC info, pricing, and tickets coming later. EDC tickets and Camping Packages will be sold separately. We recommend getting your EDC ticket early, and planning for camping to go on sale at a later date. Layaway plans will be available for both tickets and camping.
• Q: Do we get hooked up with tickets for posting our edc moments on reddit? Link
  • A: Share your #MyEDCMoments on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!
• Q: The Camp EDC pool party was epic! Any changes you’re considering or anything you thought could have been better? Camping again without a doubt. Loved it! Link
  • A: Look out for Camp EDC details coming soon!