The Awakened Salad

Have I seen this flower before? Mira wondered, twirling it between her thumb and forefinger. It was odd that she couldn’t bend it. Those cheap plastic ones were always so bendy they snapped. Which meant it probably wasn’t any normal fake flower. But... what to do with it? It seems familiar. Wasn’t it from a book or something? She tried to remember those few books she had read (at the behest of others of course) or the books she’d been told about, wishing for the first time that she actually liked reading. As she thought, she wandered into the bathroom to see if anything in there would help.

Nothing was there. Just a wall. She sighed and scanned the room: the closet and bed stand, her bed with luggage still piled on top, the bathroom entrance, the flower. Her eyes latched onto that spot of colour, and she went over to inspect it.

Mira kicked off her shoes as she shut the door. She went to the painting first. In movies, there was always something hidden behind the painting.

Mira frowned as she listened. Secrets... in her room? Maybe she should have done more research into this inn before applying. Before she could reply, the coffee machine spluttered to life behind her. “No, thank you,” Mira said, taking the small paper takeout cup. She took a sip. “Good coffee,” she said, flicking the barista 5MM. She left the Café and went back to her room.

“Secret? What are you talking about?”

After unpacking her bags, Mira headed back downstairs, humming as her fingers tapped out a beat. She was going to be living her for a while, so why not explore the place? The scent of coffee hung in the air, and... what were those spluttering noises? Regardless, getting something to drink would be a good start. She went into the Café, passing a man who was just leaving, and walked up to the counter. “I’ll take a short black, thanks.” @Negative_Null Mira eyed the man sitting at the booth suspiciously. Something about him seemed decidedly strange. Like he was keeping secrets. She made a mental note to take a seat close to him, so she could observe.

@Frustration make that 13!

“Thanks! So, when do I start? I’m assuming whenever the ballroom is open?”

Mira scanned the list of jobs. Lifeguard... she couldn’t swim. Deskboi... she was not going back to retail. Librarian... and be surrounded by stuffy old books all day? No thanks. “I’ll be a Butler — if my, erm, lack of beard is acceptable.”

Mira entered the inn, marvelling at the size of the place. She’d never seen anything like this before. She wandered over to the receptionist. “I heard this place was hiring? What jobs are available?”

Oh, whoops. Awww, he looks so good!

Okay, I must be incredibly blind but where the storms is Adolin? I can’t see him anywhere. Apart from that, I like the cover. The background’s really dynamic and eye-catching, and I love seeing Shadesmar. I still think the Bulgarian cover is my favourite, though.

It got dropped from the acronym? When?

Have you played Fire Emblem Three Houses by chance? (You definitely should if you haven’t!)

Thank you! I know if Three Houses ever gets an anime it’ll probably follow the game quite closely, but I kind of want it to be a slice of life anime where the students just get to be, well, the kids that they are. I want fun opera adventures, sleepovers, cooking shenanigans, THE BALL, just them going about their student lives and all that. With subtle hints of something darker going on behind the scenes, which slowly move to the forefront as the season progresses. Or even if they were just bonus episodes. I just want them to be happy! I wholeheartedly approve of this Oh how could I forget Hilda in the costume team? I think she’d love to design/make accessories for everyone if she could be bothered, and maybe they could all have matching pins/charms to show that they were part of the opera production. Sylvain seeing Bernie’s enthusiasm and deciding to help out for real is so wholesome. I’m all for a cooking crew/catering service/dinner for the opera (or completely seperate to the opera, if you want). Lorenz is skeptical when Dedue joins, because what would this guy from Duscur know about fine dining, but as soon as he tries Dedue’s cooking he’s on board. Ashe, Annette and Mercedes join, Ingrid hangs around and steals food, and when Sylvain teases her about it she claims it’s because she’s hungry after training, unlike a certain someone who spends all of his time chasing around girls. Lorenz might invite Ferdinand along, because he respects his opinion and wants to hear his thoughts, aaaaaand I’m on a tangent again.

Okay, after years and years of being nagged to watch this by people online and offline, I’ve finally, finally started watching it. I finished episode 13 of season one a few days ago, and I’m enjoying it so far. Some of the episodes I’ve found are a bit formulaic, but for the most part, it’s been great. I’ve heard it really picks up in season two, so I can’t wait for that. And @Truthless of Shinovar you were right, Iroh is amazing. I can’t wait to see more of him.

Jasnah is frequently depicted wearing purple therefore she is ace thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Kadolin is great and I support this

I think if you’re referring to someone who experiences romantic attraction they’re alloro, and allo is for sexual attraction.

I actually just finished a reread of it a few days ago. Hope you like it, it’s one of my favourites.

Wait hold on you’ve read Vicious???

It’s perfectly fine and 100% normal to be confused — I know I was when I was thirteen. Sometimes I still don’t understand my own emotions . Figuring yourself out is a long process, and it can take years, but we’re all here to talk and be supportive if you need us.

Woooo 1000 pages!!!! Party time! *brings out five-tiered celebratory cake*

Beedle (no autocorrect, his name isn’t Needle) is cool! I love how he has different dialogue when you meet him at a different stable for the first time. That guardian encounter sounds terrifying *shivers*. They still manage to sneak up on me sometimes and obliterate me, which is not fun. I can relate to the first games being difficult — I’m not very good at 2D Zelda and am very good at getting hit by those rocks the enemies shoot at you.

You seriously have a talent for creating support chains that I never knew I wanted but am so grateful to read about. I really like the part about Edelgard realising she likes Sylvain because he treats her normally. It would really emphasise how distant she feels from her classmates. This would be such a cool twist on most of her supports, especially since Dedue is one of the more intimidating students. Singing Dimitri is something I now need in my life. I love this! A long ramble about an Officer’s Academy opera production:

Same!! I usually stick to more linear, story-based games, but Breath of the Wild is just... magical. I love the freedom of being able to go wherever, do basically whatever, and just explore every part of the world — and the world itself is gorgeous. What’s your favourite area? Character? Memorable moments? Have you played any other Zelda games? (Sorry for all of the questions, I just get really excited when I hear someone’s played a game I like)