#('pictures that automatically make me think of Solar Flare')

[skitskatdacat63]

I don't think I can ever emotionally recover from these

[thebiasrekkers]

Stay With Me -KSJ [Part 2]

For the @btswriterscorner​ - Amor Fabula Launch Project in celebration of the month of Valentine’s Day!

Plot: Kim Seokjin is a Therapist for the converted but what happens when he finally understands what his clients go through.

Rating: PG-13 // SFW

Genre: dystopian!au/dystopian themes | angst | romance/fluff

Pairing: Kim Seokjin x Female OC (Leliana)

Warnings: Strong language, mentions of conversion, death and sickness

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin L’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 1,742

AN: This is the second half to Shouldn’t Be. Please read that one first before reading this one or you might be a bit confused! As always:comments, reviews and requests are always welcome!

© thebiasrekkers (Admin L). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

Seokjin sat there with Leliana at the Doctor’s office, hand trying not to squeeze hers too much out of anxiety. Ever since he found out about her illness, he had made it a point to go with her to every visit to see if there was a slim hope that she would get better. It had been a couple of weeks since he found out about the Syndrome but they had insisted on her coming in for more testing. She gave his hand a squeeze, pulling him out of his thoughts and towards her--his eyes landing on her and she gave him a smile. 

It was strange to him, how she didn’t appear to be sick but on the inside? They both knew what the result would be should the next tests turn out to be positive. The Syndrome or more known as Solar Sickness in acute forms. It usually formed in lower Castes because the colony that some would live in didn’t have the proper functionality as the others did. A problem that was being fixed with some of the new reforms of the System but the lasting effects could span generations. 

In generations, it turned into a Syndrome that could sneak past the detailed scans of people’s genetic profile. There wasn’t much information on it since it had started to become a problem as of late because of all the upgrades the Colonies were receiving to prevent it from happening as best as they could. However, it was still a problem that they were facing since they established the Colonies because of the troubles Humanity faced with near extinction. He wasn’t a Doctor or Scientist so the details to him were a bit confusing but when the Doctor finally came out, he knew that he would be getting the answers by the grim look on his face. 

He explained that Leliana indeed had Solar Sickness but there was no way that they could find that she had the Syndrome that it would form into. It formed with her constant exposure in her Castes’ colony ecosystem and gotten worse since they made the upgrades to their own. Solar Sickness was a form of radiation sickness caused by the intense solar storms and flares that kept beating down on the Earth since it no longer had an Ozone Layer due to Humanity’s past. The sickness was eating her up on the inside, almost like a cancer that had spread to her bones. Had she noticed it earlier, they might have been able to prevent the genetic damage and possibly have a treatment for her. 

The news hit Seokjin hard while Leliana gave a long sigh. The both of them headed back to the house, not even bothering to pick something up to eat like they had discussed on the way there. For a normal, jovial type of person like himself--the ride was unnervingly quiet as he tried to process everything that he had been told. Even his own tricks that he would use on his clients were not working for him that day, the numbness that overtook him since hearing the words of “I’m sorry…”

The papers he held in his hand were nearly crumpled by the time they got back, the transport had dropped them off and leaving with a rush. He just couldn’t stop looking at Leliana as she walked up to the door, the cute little umbrella that he had gotten her to shield herself from the intense sun. She balanced it in her hand as she reached for the lock, papers of her own in her arms. He wanted to reach out and touch her, his hand almost there but missed due to the fact that she got the door open. His hand closed over nothing as she entered but then she popped her head back out with an embarrassed smile, holding the door open for him. She had almost closed the door on him but luckily she backtracked for him. 

“Seokjin? You need to come inside soon… My arm is hurting from holding the door open.”

He didn’t realize that he had paused for some time as he looked up at her. Her face, round and still healthy looking, stared at him with a slight frown on her face. Seokjin noticed that she had used the lip stain that he had gotten her for her birthday on that day, the twinkling ring that was on her finger as she stood there. If he could, he realized, then he would have put that same twinkling and color into her hair. Finally he stepped in, smiling at her in apology. He took the papers from her and set them down on the table, visions of them having a meal there not too long ago. She picked up the phone and asked him what he would like from the local Chinese restaurant, her words like a breath of wind on his cheek that he could feel at their distance. 

Why did he not notice these things before? Like the Inkblot test, the more you look at it--the more things that you can pick out from the picture. He didn’t even know what he had ordered but his focus was still on her as she busied herself with the house. There was a dimple on the back of her arm, near her shoulder that would appear when she bent down to take something off the floor. Even the way she tied her hair back when the food arrived, huffing a bit at the weight of the food she had gotten for the both of them. Her cheeks poked out even more when she did so, the hair that was around her face was now blown away by the huff. She set the things on the table, near the papers. The damnable papers that sentenced her to a slow death, not even a chance to do anything else anymore. 

He felt something at his lips, something warm and crispy to which he automatically opened his mouth. Leliana had offered him a dumpling, made to the way that he liked it best. She was holding it precariously as he had been teaching her to use the chopsticks better. The chewing and the flavor of the food drew him out of his gaze, focusing on not choking on the food that was fed to him. She smiled and tugged at his arm, wanting him to sit down for the rest of the food. 

“Jin..? Are you ok?” She had asked but he couldn’t bring himself to answer her. He just grabbed more of the food, the hunger starting to overtake him. “Do I need to call someone?”

He slammed his hand with the chopsticks in it on the table, making her jump. Anger grew in his chest at her for being so damn calm. How come she was the only one calm about her fate? Did she give up on her life? Did she want to die? She seemed to guess what it was that he was thinking as she reached out for his hand that was on the table. Up close, he could actually see the tears forming in her eyes. The redness that she had around the whites, proof that she had been holding everything in. A tear fell from his left eye, unwilling and seeming to put cracks in the dam that held everything back inside of himself. Leliana reached up for his face, wiping it away as her own fell. 

And for the first time, they kissed. 

Food was long forgotten when they touched in such an intimate way. His lips trailing every soft part that he could attach them to like he was memorizing the way she was then. Her feather lite touches on his chest, almost scared to touch him because what they were doing was illegal. It was very illegal, the act of consummating their relationship. Seokjin couldn’t stop himself, every step that he took brought him closer to the very emotions that he had purged from his body. Every soft sigh that escaped their lips as they connected in a way that they hadn’t experienced together before. There was a memory deep down in Leliana’s mind but she wanted to focus on what she had there before her. 

Seokjin wanted to cry but he also wanted to bury himself so deep within her, that they’ll never be apart again. The way that he was so close to her, the heat from their bodies causing their pulses to rise as they discovered what it was like to love. He held her so gently, rocked into her so slowly that he wanted to savor everything about what they were doing for the rest of his days. The slight creak of the bed that normally irritated him was like a song as they found each other over and over again. 

He’d never heard such a sweeter sound, other than the sound of her voice, than the ones that were coming out of her mouth then. The slow burn, delicious yearning that he had for her as he got closer to what he was seeking. She gripped at him, holding onto his broad shoulders for dear life as she cried out for him. Her nails ended up marking on his olive skin, causing him to hold her closer. When they had finished, the food was cold and both of them were spent like they had been working out for hours. Sweat and other smells filled the room that they had retired to--a soft and close feeling between the both of them as they stared at each other. 

Seokjin relished that feeling, the quiet and sleepy feeling after their arduous exercise. He wouldn’t pretend to know how she was feeling but his own feelings had been drug out of places that he didn’t know existed. Places that he had only seen in his clients, how they expressed themselves before he sent them off. This was that feeling that others had felt, he realized. He buried his head in the crook of her shoulder and cried, sobbing about what all he had done. The thick tears that fell on her delicate skin at the unfairness of the situation and everything that he had repressed from the very beginning. 

She held him there for hours until they both fell asleep, deciding on how to proceed from there once they both were well rested. 

[saiyoyuutsume]

My RWBY OC

Hello All!

A while ago I posted a picture of the RWBY OC I’ve been working on and since then I’ve been trying to pull together all of my thoughts on who she is as a person (especially because I intend to write a fanfiction based on her and her team). Below I’ve included a lot of what I have so far (apologies for length), but I hope to potentially include her in RP at some point heheh ^^; - please let me know what you think!!

Name: Guinevere Starling

Name Meaning: Guinevere = Blessed; Fair; White / Starling = A type of bird

Nickname(s): Eve, Gwen, Ginny (parents & Childhood friends only)

Gender: Female

Age: 21

Height: 5’3���

Weight: 100 lbs

Race: Faunus – Bird type (Violet Fischer’s Lovebird) - Her faunus trait is her wings which were mostly shades of purple when she was young, but once she discovered her semblance they paled out and took on an iridescent shine.

Date of Birth: 9/22

Place of Birth: Mistral

Orientation: Interested in Men

Personality: Generally, Eve is a sweet, soft-spoken girl who is somewhat shy, but she tries to be as friendly as possible to everyone she meets. Once she becomes comfortable with a person or place, she can be quite the comedian and perhaps even a bit boisterous and impulsive. She can sometimes have a bit of a temper, but you always know that if Eve is mad, there is a good reason for it! She is also fiercely protective of the people she loves, which is one of the biggest reasons she decided to attend the huntsman academies.

Likes: Flying, Fashion, Music / Dislikes: Fighting (ironically), Loud Noises, Cooked Okra

Facial Features: Eve is fair-skinned, but tans easily due to her semblance (see below). She has large, expressive eyes and petite features with a heart shaped facial structure.

Aura Color: Lavender / Eye Color: Lavender

Hair Color: White that fades into a purple towards the ends

Hair Style: Generally, Eve wears her hair in neat, mid-back length beach waves with side-swept bangs. It is usually half tied back in a large hair bow. The color of her hair bow often represents what her feelings/mood is that day, but you would have to get to know her well in order to figure that out.

Voice Pitch/Accent: Soft-spoken and somewhat melodic, without being too high-pitched

Body Build: Very petite, but toned by her years of training.

Appearance (Battle – Signal Days): A white Greek style, knee-length toga dress with brown leather wrapped waist belt and leather sandals. Archery arm warmers and gloves, plus a small, brown-leather messenger bag. She has her swallowtail butterfly emblem emblazoned on her messenger bag’s front flap and a large, 4-panel, heart-shaped locket with pictures of the people she cherishes most is clipped to it.

Appearance (Battle – Beacon Days): A lavender colored cardigan with loose, cold shoulder, elbow-length sleeves over the top of a long, white, button-up blouse with black, archery style arm warmers and gloves, a pair of black shorts, and heeled, combat ankle-boots. Over the top of her cardigan, she wears a utility belt with various type of arrowheads and dust cartridges – her Locket is clipped at the belt buckle and her swallowtail butterfly emblem is embroidered at both bottom corner hems of her cardigan.

Appearance (Battle - Post Beacon): Thigh-high, black stockings with her Swallowtail Butterfly emblem on them, heeled combat boots with purple ribbons that have bows on the ankles, Black shorts with gold studs, a crème colored high-low, strapless shirt-dress and a black, tailed, tuxedo-esque, high-necked, backless jacket with gold accessories. Her locket is clipped to the under-bust of her jacket.

Appearance (Special): Eve is quite the fashionista and has several formal dresses to choose from depending on her given mood for a special event.

Appearance (Casual): She prefers lacey dresses that range from girly to gothic with the appropriate accompanying accessories, but you will almost never see her without her locket and hair bow. She also finds comfort in jeans and loose-fitting tops, which she often has to cut the back out of to make room for her wings.

Appearance (Sleepwear): A backless, oversized t-shirt or sweater with cotton pajama pants or shorts

Weapon(s): Solar Flare

Weapon Appearance: An elegant bow in lavender colored metal and dark wood with gold filigree. Her quiver includes a dust cartridge at the bottom with varying types of dust-pods that an arrow will be dipped into based on a set of buttons she presses on a wrist-watch style device she wears.

Weapon Forms: Her weapon can separate and transform into two tonfa with small caliber, semi-automatic, dust-powered guns at the touch of a button. With a great deal more manual transformation effort, it can also become a violin.

Weapon Abilities: Dust specific charges for both gun and arrow features

Semblance: Light Manipulation

Semblance Explanation: Eve’s semblance involves various ways of manipulating light, from bending light waves around herself and other objects to make things “invisible” to the concentration or light waves to create flashes, etc. She can use the superficial light around her for basic bending skills or she can absorb light for larger attacks and low-light conditions. Her wings often act as solar panels to collect, store and concentrate light or to power her aura for longer stints of invisibility. One can tell her semblance is in use by the color of her wings - the more light she takes in or uses, the more of a golden hue they take on.

Cool-down: Once her aura is depleted/broken, recovery to use her semblance again is dependent on the intensity of light around her that she can absorb to recharge her aura, but even intense sunlight can take up to 30 minutes depending on the amount of damage done.

Downfalls: The larger the object, the more difficult it is to hold invisibility. The same is said for objects she is not in physical contact with. If she must hide a large object she is not touching, her aura depletes extremely quickly. Also, her ability to absorb light does not make her semblance infinite. Between her natural rate of recharge and her ability to absorb light, her aura still drains more quickly than she can recharge when her semblance is in use at the same time. (Also, being invisible does not mean she is silent).

Aura Usage: In battle, she uses her semblance mostly for parlor tricks – misdirection with hidden objects/weapons and flashes of light for distraction. She is best when given the opportunity for stealth attacks, but she can only maintain invisibility for so long and time limitations are often set by the amount of light available.

Skills & Hobbies: Figure skating, Playing the Violin, In process of learning the Harp. She often plays the violin and writes music based on her feelings or events in her life – she keeps a “Musical Diary” of songs she writes based on her life and the people in it.

History (Back Story): Eve was born in Mistral to a family that was well off, but who lived in a lower income neighborhood in order to afford better things for their children. She was started young in figure skating – around 3 years old – and began elementary school in a private school that her parents worked hard to afford for her and her siblings. Life was good to her beyond the usual turmoil that Faunus faced - bullying and persecution throughout the city. At about 8 years old, the bullying at school spilled over into her life outside school and she was attacked by a group of students who pulled her feathers out of her wings. She discovered her semblance while she ran from them, wishing that she could be invisible and hide. After the incident, her parents decided to move the family back to Menagerie to be near their Grandparents and to avoid further persecution. Eve was no longer able to figure skate, so her parents enrolled her in Violin lessons instead. She became very timid after the incident and buried herself in her violin lessons and school as her feathers slowly grew back. While in Menagerie, life was easier, but she wanted more for herself. She no longer wanted to be timid and weak, she wanted to be strong enough to protect the people she loved from facing the pain she saw in the world, so she enrolled herself at Signal Academy despite her family’s protests. She chose Signal because it was not near Mistral, and it was neither hot like Vacuo nor cold like Atlas among other reasons. Through Signal, she learned to fight and created her own weapon, incorporating the violin feature as an homage to the very thing that helped her through her most difficult childhood memories. After graduating from Signal, she applied to Beacon. She was accepted and her team was formed. Her school life was full of shenanigans as well as the hardships of learning who you are. In her 4th year, she joined the Senior Mentor program to assist 1st year students. She was present as a 4th Year at the Fall of Beacon. (I plan to write a fanfiction based on her time at Beacon and beyond that – yes it does conflict with the canon and ultimately is a canon re-write – I had issues, but that’s a long story lol)

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Wrote a thing. A short(ish), fluffy thing, featuring Clark, Kara, and Alex, inspired by this. (As always, hoping that I’m not stepping on anybody’s toes or anything.)

...

“She blew out her powers,” Clark explains. His voice cracks, and Jeremiah isn't sure if it's from worry or simply due to the boy's age. “I didn't even know we could do that.”

“Tell him—tell him what you named it,” Kara wheezes, forcing a smile to her face. It's strained.

Clark doesn't say anything right away, looking at his cousin with wide, concerned eyes. He's never seen her look weak. Or tired. Or hurt.

“I don't think you'll ever be able to top 'freeze breath,'” Jeremiah declares, following Kara's lead. No sense in getting the kid worked up any further—especially when they don't really know what they're dealing with. Not yet.

He pulls the front door open wider, and automatically reaches out to help, only to remember that Clark can undoubtedly handle Kara's dead weight better than any human can.

“Solar flare,” Clark finally says. Jeremiah whistles.

“Well. I stand corrected.”

It's dark in the house. Jeremiah has to turn on the light in the kitchen as they attempt to make their way quietly down the hall. Clark tries to remain focused on Kara, but he's never been to the Danvers' house before; they always visit the couple at the lab.

It's...less cluttered than he expected.

He finds his attention drawn to the fridge—not that it's anything special. It looks just like the fridge at home: white, scuffed, void of frills—but it's covered in magnets and...what looks like math worksheets. School assignments, he realizes. Addition. Subtraction. Handwriting. Most, if not all, feature some sort of smiley face in the upper corner, along with a 'Good job!' and 'Super student!'

Jeremiah tells Clark to get Kara situated in one of the chairs at the table, pulling his focus away from the collection of papers tacked on the fridge door. Kara's...mostly cooperative. Well. She tries to be. Her legs don't want to seem to get with the program. Her feet catch on the table legs, and it's not like Clark is the picture of poise, or anything.

By some sort of miracle, they don't break anything.

“I'll be back,” Jeremiah promises. “...make sure she doesn't fall out of the chair.”

Clark nods, and Kara slumps across the table.

(Still...technically...in the chair.)

And then Clark doesn't know what to do with himself. He's not sure if he should sit or continue to stand.

“Sit, Clark,” Kara tells him, sensing his silent struggle. (Only because she's totally been there, totally done that.)

He sits next to her and hovers anxiously. (Not literally, though he’s so worked up that he just might, if he’s not careful.) She's looking really pale and just generally...not right. He hopes Jeremiah will have something here. Clark worries that he won't. It's not like they've got some sort of...secret underground workshop or anything.

Right?

He's startled when the hall light suddenly clicks on, and a sleepy Eliza Danvers pads in, clad in flannel pajamas and a robe.

And padding dutifully alongside her is a child Clark's never seen before.

“Kara!” the kid cries, and Eliza tries to shush her, but the girl is already hurrying over to his cousin, who has somehow found the strength to sit up and smile in greeting.

“Alex!” It takes every ounce of reserve power to get that exclamation point on the end. “Oh my gosh, you're getting so big!”

Once more, Eliza tries to corral her daughter and shush her, but Alex won't be deterred. She looks like she could be...five? At most? And she doesn't even balk at the scrapes and bruises on Kara's exposed arms, just pulls out one of the other chairs, climbs up on it, and examines his cousin closely.

“You missed my birthday,” Alex says in a manner far too mature for any five year old. In Clark's opinion, anyway. Maybe she's older? And she's just really small for her age? “My birthday and the science fair.”

“Sorry,” Kara tells her, letting Alex poke and prod, turn her face this way and that. She winces a little, but otherwise doesn't complain.

Eliza just shakes her head, mouthing an apology that Kara waves off. Tries to wave off. Her arms feel like lead weights.

“Kara's been busy in Metropolis, remember?” Eliza asks, coming closer to keep any eye both on the precocious kindergartner and the injured alien currently sitting at her kitchen table. Clark moves himself to one side, not wanting to get in the way. His foot snags on one of the chairs. “She said so in the card she sent.”

“What's wrong?” Alex ignores the reminder, clearly not too upset about it. She wants to know what's going on now.

Kara looks to Eliza for help in explaining.

“Remember how daddy and I told you Kara and Clark work like batteries?”

“Mmm. Kinda.”

“Well, Kara's all out of juice,” Eliza says, practically pulling Alex away from the Kryptonian. Alex giggles at the comparison, and seems content to settle down with her mother, now that she's conducted her Kara Exam. No longer focused on Kara, she finally notices the tall, gangly stranger in the room. “...Hi.”

“Hi,” Clark waves. “...I'm Clark.”

“I'm Alex,” Alex tells him. And that seems to be the extent of their conversation, because Alex turns back to Kara and starts talking about a science project involving worms (larvae, Eliza gently corrects) and beetles.

Clark watches them with just the slightest hint of jealousy. He doesn't know the Danvers as well as Kara does—she met them a long time ago, after she moved away from Smallville and out to Metropolis. Clark was still at the Kents, and would only accompany Kara on rare occasions to visit the scientists. Not a yearly check up—neither of them really required that sort of thing.

But clearly Kara had visited them more often than those scant, sporadic check-ins. It's like...Kara has a whole family that Clark doesn't get to be a part of.

At that point, Jeremiah comes back in, clanking loudly thanks to some equipment he has slung over his shoulder. He seems surprised to see his wife at the table, and raises an eyebrow when he spots Alex.

“It's way past your bedtime, kiddo,” he says, shooting a questioning glace at Eliza.

“She heard everyone get up,” Eliza says, simultaneously shrugging and yawning. “You can try getting her back to bed if you'd like.”

“Mmmm.” When Jeremiah doesn't immediately rise to the occasion, Eliza rolls her eyes knowingly.

Clark smiles.

“Okay, Kara, let's see if this'll help at all,” Jeremiah clambers over, dragging the collection of equipment with him. “Hmm. You know—maybe this...hmm. Couch might be better?”

“Couch sounds great,” Kara says emphatically.

So Clark finds himself relocating his cousin, moving her from the kitchen to the living room, where Jeremiah sets up...a bunch of lamps.

“Your basic sun lamps,” he explains, grunting slightly as he tears off a piece of duct tape. “With a few...modifications, here and there.”

“Cool,” Clark says, watching him work. “Need any help?”

“I think I've got it, but thanks,” Jeremiah says. Clark nods. “You can help yourself to whatever's leftover in the fridge, if you want. I know you guys walk around perpetually hungry.”

This is true, but Clark is still a little too...riled up from the whole affair. He declines the offer of food, but he does accept the stack of blankets and pillows Eliza brings in. He holds some out to Kara, but Jeremiah reminds him that it's best not to obstruct the lamps with something like a blanket.

She does take a pillow, though.

And soon enough she's taking deep, even breaths. She's not quite asleep, but she's looking relaxed and comfortable, at least. Clark finally feels his anxiety dissipate. (He reminds himself to be careful with the relieved sigh...wouldn't want exhale too hard and knock over an end table. Or the armchair.)

“You sure you don't want to stay in the spare bedroom?” Eliza asks him.

“I'm okay here, thank you,” he says, pointing to the armchair.

At that point, Alex wanders in, dragging a sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, and some sort of stuffed...moose?

“Oh no you don't,” Jeremiah intercepts the small, determined Danvers. She fusses and fidgets. “You leave Kara be. She needs rest.”

Kara cracks an eye open. “She's not bothering me, Jeremiah. Really.”

“Promise I won't!” Alex tells her dad. “Pinky swear, even.”

Eliza doesn't look convinced. She faces the prone Kryptonian. “You really won't mind?”

“She's fine.”

So Alex ends up perched on the other armchair, small face scrunched in concentration as she keeps an eye on Kara.

Clark has never seen such a serious five year old.

He maybe mentions it, following Jeremiah and Eliza out of the living room, intent on getting a glass of water from the kitchen. He regrets it immediately, realizing it must sound like some sort of insult, or judgment.

But instead of taking offense, Jeremiah and Eliza just look...amused and resigned.

“She's always been like that,” Jeremiah says. “I've never had to put her in ‘time out.’ The kid does it herself.”

“When she met your cousin,” Eliza interjects, “she just up and decided she needed looking after.”

Clark fills the glass provided by Jeremiah, and takes a thoughtful sip. “...Well, she's not wrong.”

“Don't be surprised if she decides to adopt you too,” Eliza warns him. Then, much to his surprise, she gives him a tight hug. “Goodnight, Clark. Let us know if you need anything else.”

“...Thanks,” he says, returning the hug carefully. Jeremiah claps him on the back.

“Your cousin's gonna be just fine. Thanks to your help.”

“Aw, I didn't do much.”

“Not true.”

The Danvers retire for the evening, and Clark wanders back into the living room, having finished his glass of water. He's both surprised, and yet not, to see that Alex has abandoned the armchair and is now pressed against Kara's side on the couch, listening as Kara softly tells her a story about Krypton.

“Have I told you about the Fire Falls before?”

“Nu-uh.”

“Well, there was this one time...I was with my friend, Thara...” Kara tilts her head and smiles at Clark. “...Clark knows this one. Right Clark?”

“Yeah,” he says, moving the arm chair a bit closer to the couch. “I've heard it like, a thousand times.”

“Then you'll have no problem telling Alex,” Kara challenges with a smirk.

“Yeah,” Alex grins, siding with Kara.

“With! Sound effects,” Kara throws in.

And Clark groans, but of course he acquiesces. How could he not, with two pleading faces peering at him in the soft yellow glow of the sun lamps?

“Alright, fine...” he says. “So, Kara was out late breaking the rules—”

“Hey, hey, let's stick to the facts.”

“...Like I was saying, Kara was breaking the rules...”

(Clark and Kara visit more often, after that. Together. Because Alex Danvers will have it no other way.)  

[preciousmetals0]

Jobs Data Vapor Lock; Shopify Shocks; Gamers Game Amok

Jobs Data Vapor Lock; Shopify Shocks; Gamers Game Amok:

The Market Gods Are Crazy

Any Great Stuff readers home-schooling kids right now? It’s quite the experience, let me tell you.

New math? Pshaw … I’ve done things with fractions and limits in the past week that would turn you white.

Yes, Mr. Great Stuff, we get it. Math is hard. But what about the market? Also, aren’t you an analyst?

Hold your horses, we’ll get to the market. And yes, I am an analyst, which is why I handled the fractions and limits … and not someone else who lives in this house who shall not be named.

Anyway, I had an “Aha!” moment when reviewing science with my 14-year-old daughter on Monday. We were discussing solar flares. There was a picture of a flare that said 100 Earths could fit inside that flare. My daughter’s eyes glazed over. “Cool?” she muttered.

After talking about it for a bit, it became clear that the sheer size of the flare gave her vapor lock. 100 Earths? One Earth is hard enough to deal with, but 100? How big is that really?

In the end, she had no real way to process it other than to say “cool” and move on.

That is how I envision Wall Street right now: Vapor locked.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. just reported that 20.2 million jobs were lost in April.

That’s 20.2 million Americans out of work. That’s nearly the entire population of Florida. It’s New York State. It’s the entire population of Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico combined. All of them, unemployed.

Economically, we’re in a “How many Earths?” situation right now. Investors, traders and economists alike have never seen anything like this before. It’s beyond everyone’s scope of reasoning.

Sure, they can predict. They can speculate. They can go on Bloomberg or MarketWatch and discuss their mathematical models about how this will all play out. But in the end, nobody really knows.

Part of the problem is that we have the same “How many Earths?” situation on the stimulus side of the equation. The U.S. government has doled out trillions to save the economy, while the Fed promised “unlimited stimulus.”

Trillions, unlimited stimulus and 20.2 million unemployed … these are all unprecedented figures. And they’re all sloshing around at once. It’s no wonder a vapor locked Wall Street initially rallied on bad news once again.

It doesn’t know what else to do.

The Takeaway:

Let’s put this another way.

Has a situation ever gotten so out of hand that you couldn’t help but laugh?

Not that the market is laughing, per se, at the enormity of the economic disaster unfolding right now. The recent market rally was hope that things will be much better when the pandemic clears and “What else can we do, really?”

If that sounds crazy, it is. I think Jimmy Buffet put it best when he sang: “If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.”

And that’s the real rub here. We’re never going to survive, unless we get a little crazy.  (Thank you, Seal.)

Here’s where things get interesting for opportunistic investors. A heavy degree of volatility has accompanied the market’s rally off the March “bottom.” (I’m not willing to officially call it a bottom yet.)

Volatility is the market’s way of dealing with the unknown. And with Wall Street vapor locked, there’s more than a little unknown floating around right now.

Now, for buy-and-hold investors, volatility is a real pain in the butt.

But for options traders, this market is a smorgasbord of opportunity!

Remember: It’s possible to know that the market gods are crazy but still make money amid the insanity.

That’s where Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly comes in. Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

Good: It’s a Small World After All

Reading The Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) quarterly report today was like being stuck on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World. It’s the happiest nightmare you will ever experience, trust me. It’s been 10 years and I still have flashbacks…

Earnings plunged 63% to $0.60 per share, missing Wall Street’s expectations. Meanwhile, revenue jumped 20.6% to a stronger-than-expected $18 billion. Sales were bolstered by Disney’s strong media performance on the quarter, including 54.4 million Disney+ subscribers. That’s up by 4.5 million in less than a month!

The kicker for many investors, however, was Disney’s dividend suspension. The company plans to save $1.6 billion by axing its semiannual dividend, alongside plans to cut capital spending by $900 million for fiscal 2020.

As a sign of hope, however, Disney said it will reopen Disney World Shanghai on May 11. The company lost $1 billion due to the Shanghai, China, closure alone. Combine Shanghai’s reopening with the amazing Disney+ subscriber growth, and investors have little to complain about following this morning’s report.

So, while the pandemic created a whole new world for Disney, investors need to let it go and realize that DIS stock remains a real beauty here in this beast of a market.

Better: Blizzard of Oz

Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have received quite a bit of attention as solid investments in this lockdown market. But don’t forget that there’s another crucial form of at-home entertainment: video games!

Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) bluntly reminded everyone of that today with its first-quarter earnings report. Earnings came in at $0.76 per share, doubling the consensus estimate. Revenue dipped to $1.79 billion, while bookings rose to $1.52 billion. Both figures trounced Wall Street’s expectations.

What’s more, Activision actually provided full-year guidance — something only a handful of companies have done amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Projecting delivery of “a robust slate of content over the remainder of the year,” Activision expects earnings of $2.22 per share on $6.8 billion in revenue.

It’s almost like the video game market was perfectly designed for this exact moment. I mean, what other industry centers solely on customers who never leave the house?

Also, I wonder how much of those $1,200 stimulus checks went to video games…

Best: Another Great Stuff Win!

With Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) delaying or limiting nonessential orders amid the lockdown, many brick-and-mortar stores turned to alternative means of reaching consumers.

That shift played right into Shopify Inc.’s (NYSE: SHOP) waiting arms … and into Great Stuff readers’ portfolios!

This morning, Shopify reported a 210% surge in earnings and a 47% spike in revenue. In fact, the company recorded a profit of $0.19 per share, versus Wall Street’s expectations for a loss of $0.18 per share. Even gross merchandise volume (a key sales metric for the online-sales enabler) beat expectations, rising to $17.4 billion.

What’s more, in a bid to directly take on Amazon, Shopify said it plans to spend $1 billion in the next year to build out its distribution network to store and ship products for its customers.

SHOP shares rallied more than 4.5% on the news, which is music to Great Stuff readers’ portfolios.

Why? Because Great Stuff recommended buying SHOP back in our September 4 edition. Since then, SHOP has surged more than 89%!

If you hold Shopify, keep doing so. There are more gains to be had from here.

Congratulations on your win! This is truly Great Stuff!

In last week’s Great Stuff Poll, we asked for your take on the U.S. economy’s reopening. Too soon? Too late? Too dazed by the passage of time to care?

By the majority, Great Stuff readers are on the “It’s not opening soon enough!” side of things. Just over 54% of you must’ve been eagerly awaiting by the front door, ready to pounce on that brave reopened world.

This week, well, we’re still talking about the “Great Reopening.” (These things take time, don’t you know?)

When it comes to U.S. states deciding whether or not to ease quarantine tensions, it didn’t take long at all for the public health emergency to turn into a political flip storm. Ah, bipartisan outrage — it’s what we do best!

Today, Great Stuff wants to hear from you — no matter if you’re a never-voter, an armchair campaigner or even one of those “dark basement” freaks glued 24/7 to conspiracy channels. (The Lizard People aren’t hiding the COVID-19 vaccine from us in Area 51, stop that. Unless, that’s what they want us to think…)

So, do you approve of how the government is reopening the economy? Or are we watching the greatest botched job since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl?

I don’t care which side of the political Thunderdome you’re speaking from here … nor whatever label you plan to throw at me in our inbox. So, click on the envelope below to answer our poll!

If you’ve got more to say, by all means, speak! We implore you. Feel free to reach out to the Great Stuff team (that’s me!) by sending an email to GreatStuffToday@BanyanHill.com. You have one day left to make it into this week’s edition of Reader Feedback.

That’s all for today, but remember that you can always catch up on the latest Great Stuff on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[goldira01]

The Market Gods Are Crazy

Any Great Stuff readers home-schooling kids right now? It’s quite the experience, let me tell you.

New math? Pshaw … I’ve done things with fractions and limits in the past week that would turn you white.

Yes, Mr. Great Stuff, we get it. Math is hard. But what about the market? Also, aren’t you an analyst?

Hold your horses, we’ll get to the market. And yes, I am an analyst, which is why I handled the fractions and limits … and not someone else who lives in this house who shall not be named.

Anyway, I had an “Aha!” moment when reviewing science with my 14-year-old daughter on Monday. We were discussing solar flares. There was a picture of a flare that said 100 Earths could fit inside that flare. My daughter’s eyes glazed over. “Cool?” she muttered.

After talking about it for a bit, it became clear that the sheer size of the flare gave her vapor lock. 100 Earths? One Earth is hard enough to deal with, but 100? How big is that really?

In the end, she had no real way to process it other than to say “cool” and move on.

That is how I envision Wall Street right now: Vapor locked.

Automatic Data Processing Inc. just reported that 20.2 million jobs were lost in April.

That’s 20.2 million Americans out of work. That’s nearly the entire population of Florida. It’s New York State. It’s the entire population of Iowa, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico combined. All of them, unemployed.

Economically, we’re in a “How many Earths?” situation right now. Investors, traders and economists alike have never seen anything like this before. It’s beyond everyone’s scope of reasoning.

Sure, they can predict. They can speculate. They can go on Bloomberg or MarketWatch and discuss their mathematical models about how this will all play out. But in the end, nobody really knows.

Part of the problem is that we have the same “How many Earths?” situation on the stimulus side of the equation. The U.S. government has doled out trillions to save the economy, while the Fed promised “unlimited stimulus.”

Trillions, unlimited stimulus and 20.2 million unemployed … these are all unprecedented figures. And they’re all sloshing around at once. It’s no wonder a vapor locked Wall Street initially rallied on bad news once again.

It doesn’t know what else to do.

The Takeaway:

Let’s put this another way.

Has a situation ever gotten so out of hand that you couldn’t help but laugh?

Not that the market is laughing, per se, at the enormity of the economic disaster unfolding right now. The recent market rally was hope that things will be much better when the pandemic clears and “What else can we do, really?”

If that sounds crazy, it is. I think Jimmy Buffet put it best when he sang: “If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.”

And that’s the real rub here. We’re never going to survive, unless we get a little crazy.  (Thank you, Seal.)

Here’s where things get interesting for opportunistic investors. A heavy degree of volatility has accompanied the market’s rally off the March “bottom.” (I’m not willing to officially call it a bottom yet.)

Volatility is the market’s way of dealing with the unknown. And with Wall Street vapor locked, there’s more than a little unknown floating around right now.

Now, for buy-and-hold investors, volatility is a real pain in the butt.

But for options traders, this market is a smorgasbord of opportunity!

Remember: It’s possible to know that the market gods are crazy but still make money amid the insanity.

That’s where Banyan Hill’s own Paul Mampilly comes in. Paul has a “rebound” method to spot opportunities when markets are irrational to the gills.

So, why not let Paul Mampilly and his team do the heavy lifting and find opportunities for you?

Click here to learn more!

Good: It’s a Small World After All

Reading The Walt Disney Co.’s (NYSE: DIS) quarterly report today was like being stuck on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World. It’s the happiest nightmare you will ever experience, trust me. It’s been 10 years and I still have flashbacks…

Earnings plunged 63% to $0.60 per share, missing Wall Street’s expectations. Meanwhile, revenue jumped 20.6% to a stronger-than-expected $18 billion. Sales were bolstered by Disney’s strong media performance on the quarter, including 54.4 million Disney+ subscribers. That’s up by 4.5 million in less than a month!

The kicker for many investors, however, was Disney’s dividend suspension. The company plans to save $1.6 billion by axing its semiannual dividend, alongside plans to cut capital spending by $900 million for fiscal 2020.

As a sign of hope, however, Disney said it will reopen Disney World Shanghai on May 11. The company lost $1 billion due to the Shanghai, China, closure alone. Combine Shanghai’s reopening with the amazing Disney+ subscriber growth, and investors have little to complain about following this morning’s report.

So, while the pandemic created a whole new world for Disney, investors need to let it go and realize that DIS stock remains a real beauty here in this beast of a market.

Better: Blizzard of Oz

Streaming services like Disney+ and Netflix have received quite a bit of attention as solid investments in this lockdown market. But don’t forget that there’s another crucial form of at-home entertainment: video games!

Activision Blizzard Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) bluntly reminded everyone of that today with its first-quarter earnings report. Earnings came in at $0.76 per share, doubling the consensus estimate. Revenue dipped to $1.79 billion, while bookings rose to $1.52 billion. Both figures trounced Wall Street’s expectations.

What’s more, Activision actually provided full-year guidance — something only a handful of companies have done amid the COVID-19 lockdowns. Projecting delivery of “a robust slate of content over the remainder of the year,” Activision expects earnings of $2.22 per share on $6.8 billion in revenue.

It’s almost like the video game market was perfectly designed for this exact moment. I mean, what other industry centers solely on customers who never leave the house?

Also, I wonder how much of those $1,200 stimulus checks went to video games…

Best: Another Great Stuff Win!

With Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) delaying or limiting nonessential orders amid the lockdown, many brick-and-mortar stores turned to alternative means of reaching consumers.

That shift played right into Shopify Inc.’s (NYSE: SHOP) waiting arms … and into Great Stuff readers’ portfolios!

This morning, Shopify reported a 210% surge in earnings and a 47% spike in revenue. In fact, the company recorded a profit of $0.19 per share, versus Wall Street’s expectations for a loss of $0.18 per share. Even gross merchandise volume (a key sales metric for the online-sales enabler) beat expectations, rising to $17.4 billion.

What’s more, in a bid to directly take on Amazon, Shopify said it plans to spend $1 billion in the next year to build out its distribution network to store and ship products for its customers.

SHOP shares rallied more than 4.5% on the news, which is music to Great Stuff readers’ portfolios.

Why? Because Great Stuff recommended buying SHOP back in our September 4 edition. Since then, SHOP has surged more than 89%!

If you hold Shopify, keep doing so. There are more gains to be had from here.

Congratulations on your win! This is truly Great Stuff!

In last week’s Great Stuff Poll, we asked for your take on the U.S. economy’s reopening. Too soon? Too late? Too dazed by the passage of time to care?

By the majority, Great Stuff readers are on the “It’s not opening soon enough!” side of things. Just over 54% of you must’ve been eagerly awaiting by the front door, ready to pounce on that brave reopened world.

This week, well, we’re still talking about the “Great Reopening.” (These things take time, don’t you know?)

When it comes to U.S. states deciding whether or not to ease quarantine tensions, it didn’t take long at all for the public health emergency to turn into a political flip storm. Ah, bipartisan outrage — it’s what we do best!

Today, Great Stuff wants to hear from you — no matter if you’re a never-voter, an armchair campaigner or even one of those “dark basement” freaks glued 24/7 to conspiracy channels. (The Lizard People aren’t hiding the COVID-19 vaccine from us in Area 51, stop that. Unless, that’s what they want us to think…)

So, do you approve of how the government is reopening the economy? Or are we watching the greatest botched job since the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl?

I don’t care which side of the political Thunderdome you’re speaking from here … nor whatever label you plan to throw at me in our inbox. So, click on the envelope below to answer our poll!

If you’ve got more to say, by all means, speak! We implore you. Feel free to reach out to the Great Stuff team (that’s me!) by sending an email to GreatStuffToday@BanyanHill.com. You have one day left to make it into this week’s edition of Reader Feedback.

That’s all for today, but remember that you can always catch up on the latest Great Stuff on social media: Facebook and Twitter.

Until next time, be Great!

Joseph Hargett

Editor, Great Stuff

[cr2brooklyn]

Out of this World Wearable Connections: An Interview with the women of Wearable Media

Clever Tech Digest sat down with the power house female trio of creative technologists and designers that make up Wearable Media!

Wearable Media  strives to combine technology and fashion to help connect consumers to greater global concepts, or even celestial influences. Increasing environmental and social awareness through high fashion inspires the team's creations to push past the wearable tech market, and into Wearable Media.

 Wearable Media is based at the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator,  and showcased their tangible social media garments at SXSW this year.

For our readers just learning about Wearable Media, please describe your team's background, what Wearable Media is, and its original inspiration.

We are an international and bilingual(in both English and Chinese) dynamic team of three women who are passionate about integrating technology with textiles. Each of us came from a different division of design and share a common understanding of technology. Our collaborative spirit enables us to bring all of our skills in e-textile, smart clothing prototyping, smart clothing design, user experience design, branding, visual design, IoT development, and web development together for consumers and the wearable tech community.

You recently exhibited Wearable Media garments at SXSW, what new tech trends inspired you the most?

The power of using data for simple and widely distributed technology really impressed Wearable Media. While we were at SXSW, we were lucky enough to meet Rebecca Minkoff. She showcased her new line of handbags with QR code sewed into the bag. You might say this isn’t the newest technology. However, this simple technology gave Rebecca’s customers instant access to loyalty programs.

What guiding principles help your team develop desirable and meaningful Coded Couture instead of just another wearable gadget?

Compassion and curiosity. We know our audience and we understand their imaginative nature. Because our focus is design and storytelling, our creations automatically steer away from being “the next gadget.”

 Wearable Media is working with Cyborg Futures to explore human senses and expand them into new territories. How do you plan to create new realms for expression and understanding through this collaboration?

Our collaboration with Cyborg Futures was a fascinating exploration in the field of Artificial Senses. The ideation process was to develop a method in which our senses can be artificially enhanced. Our team specifically focused on the high concept of light and the cosmos, and explored ways in how we can turn that idea into a working prototype. We looked at the translucency of skin, and what happens when light permeates the skin. We also researched data of solar flares from the Sun, and worked with NASA’s API to develop the project.

 In many ways this project echoed our wearable garment, Ceres, where we were exploring the idea of turning the human form into celestial sensing bodies. With our collaboration, we delved deeper into materiality, and instead of focusing on interactions that happen on clothing and textiles, we were discovering how our bodies and skin can literally become reactive media.

What do you think it will take to push Coded Couture into the mainstream market?

Understanding the psychology behind why we would like to wear a certain data on our body will help Coded Couture become more relatable to the general public. The, designers could create successful garments infused with data. Setting up a production facility that could meet the demand of customizing garments with unique data is another challenge the industry must face to resonate with the mainstream market.

 Paint me two pictures:

1. Your ideal vision for fusing the body with technology.

Technology that amplifies personal creativity is the dream. A sixteen-year-old girl is going to her high school prom. She is interested in creating something unique that reflects her creativity. She chooses to sew her own dress and embeds e-textiles into her garment. She walks into the prom and with her body movement, her dress lights up. Her friends cheer and scream and dance around her. At the end of night, when she is in her bed savoring her own creation with the help of technology, she thinks about her next interactive project - her own lab coat to protect herself in her science class experiments.

2. Your fears for a mechanically and digitally integrated human existence.

My biggest fear would be anxiety or depression caused by the digitally integrated human experience. With the usage of cell phones, we have become more connected and also separated from each other. We don’t have to feel like we are bonded to a physical place because we can access the world through our digital devices, devices that soon will be integrated into wearables like virtual reality. This could create disappointment in our physical reality when we cannot use our augmented digital abilities.  

[estchange]

Tromsø

29/3 Day 1:

The flight was almost two hours long and we flew above really nice scenery. The plane was pretty empty so I was next to the window and with no one next to me. 

Tromso is in the arctic circle so it was to be expected but there was so much snow - everything was covered in snow. It was like our first day in Oslo when it was -15 degrees, except Tromso had way more snow. 

The airport is tiny and because it was a domestic flight, we got out in pretty much a few seconds. Tromso wasted no time at all in flaunting its beauty - from the windows of the airport we could already tell that this place was going to be beautiful. But first, the car problem.

Renting the car turned out to be more expensive than we thought because of the insurance, and we also had to go in and out thrice because the first car was not automatic, and then we couldn’t find the other car because nothing matched the description given. The guy was probably irritated at us but all was well in the end. 

We grabbed a few groceries and then headed towards our cabin - it was a tiny room with two bunk beds, a table, a few chairs, and a little tabletop. 

The view from the cabin was pretty good and the weather was awesome - time to head out to drive around Tromso! I’m terrible with names and more so when they’re in a foreign language so I cannot remember where we went, but we drove around for hours and stopped at various scenic spots, much to the anger of the very patient Norwegians (understandably, but there was ample of space for them to drive around us and there was really no need to be rude about it but we weren’t really bothered). 

The region is pretty mountainous and, when combined with the fjords and lovely blue skies, were scenes straight out of movies and postcards. The tiny colourful houses that dotted the landscape added splashes of life and vibrancy into the otherwise blue and white world of the north. 

We also spotted a small pack of reindeers while driving and all of us screamed in excitement - the reindeers probably heard us but they carried on running along the road. I imagine our screams sounded like war horns to them, especially given the quietness of the area, so I can understand why they ignored our offers of carrots and ran away as quickly as they could from the screaming humans and their metallic machine of death. 

We were also beginning to learn that the weather here was extremely temperamental - the skies could be blue with the sun shining through brightly one moment, and the next it would be foggy with close to zero visibility, snow pelting down relentlessly. The fog and gloomy skies did make for a nice apocalyptic atmosphere though.

Before long, it was already dark so that meant that we had to begin our Northern Lights Hunt soon. After asking around, the area close to the Finnish border seemed like it would be a good spot so we filled our bellies and returned to the road once more. 

The weather decided that it would be an absolute ass and started to take its contempt for the Earth-destroying species out on us. It was so foggy that we couldn’t see past 10 metres, and the darkness of the sky necessitated the use of headlights except that only made the snow more visible and the road much harder to see. Then whenever cars and trucks and buses passed us, a huge gust of fog and snow would cover our field of vision so it was really a terrible time for driving and we were not going to risk our lives so we headed back. 

30/3 Day 2:

After breakfast, we headed to the city centre to explore a bit. Tromso is really tiny so there wasn’t much to do - we went into the art museum and walked a bit around the city, then we decided to drive out. The weather was still gloomy but it was nowhere as terrible as the previous night’s - we found out that there had been an avalanche in Sommaroy the previous night as well, so we were lucky we avoided death. 

The forecast for the northern lights seemed to be good - apparently they showed up the previous night as well, and there was a solar flare (what?), and there would be intervals of partly-clear skies in the region so we were all set for the Northern Lights Hunt again. 

We drove out to the Finnish border once more, and stopped by a restaurant for dinner and some rest. I tried reindeer for the first time - it was tougher than the usual meat choices but it was pretty decent. They also had a lingonberry jam-like thingy on almost all of our meals - it was nice but way too sweet, and I had no idea what to do with it. 

After dinner, we drove around to find a spot where we could just park the car and wait. There was this area near a petrol station (which was good because toilet) that was dark and quiet enough so we decided to camp out there. It was probably about 9pm at that time, so the sky wasn’t very dark yet and we didn’t think the lights would appear until much later...except they did.

We pretty much screamed and then ran out of the car to see the lights. The lights weren’t very bright and/or visible, but they were definitely there. And to my surprise, my camera could pick up the faint green in the sky. The show lasted about 5 minutes and we had to hop back into the car again because it was way too cold. After that, a truck with glaring bright headlights decided to stop right in front of us (and that was when we realised the space was probably a rest stop for trucks), potentially dashing our chances of seeing/photographing the lights.

Luckily, the second time the lights appeared, it was way stronger and much more active. There was a ring of green in the sky, and you could make out bits of purple as well. The truck also turned out to be a blessing because it helped to illuminate us, so we got the chance to take a picture of ourselves with the lights behind (albeit a very grainy, blurry shot because we ain’t got no DSLRs). 

(Photoshopped, by the way, because the glare from the truck’s headlights turned us into ghosts and illuminated the snow on the ground way too much.)

We then decided to venture out a bit and try a different spot. We found this space in the middle of nowhere (though it did say “Northern Lights route”) so we camped out once more, but to no avail because the lights didn’t want to show themselves again. When we tried to get out though, the car wouldn’t move because of the deep snow and incline on the ground. We tried to push the car up, but it didn’t work, and then my friend and I dug around to clear the snow a bit when my other friend managed to stop someone for help.

Turns out the someone is from the Norwegian army and turns out that there were two other trucks from the Norwegian army following behind. Their trucks were carrying these heavy tank-like machines and the men were really tall (like I was probably half their height, no joke). The guy initially didn’t want to help us, but I guess we looked too pitiful to be ignored and left to die so he got out, and the rest of the men got out too. They basically helped to push the car out of the snow - without them we probably would have had to clear the snow with our limbs and suffered from frostbite at the minimum, so really they saved our limbs (and possible lives). 

It was, by then, already 11pm and we were about two hours away from the city so we decided to head back. It was great that we were lucky enough to see the northern lights (though I would say our very intense mathematical calculations of wind direction, wind speed, and our analysis of the weather forecast played a part too), and the rescue story only added to how surreal the entire experience was. 

31/3 Day 3:

Our final day! The sky was clear and beautiful, with the sun shining through. We made breakfast and then headed to the city centre to explore the rest of it. 

We went up the cable car and got a really nice view of the entire city centre, with the mountains as a glorious backdrop. There was a viewing point a short distance away, but to get there you had to walk through slippery snow, on a slanted (and not very clear cut) path, and with only a rope for you to hold on to if anything goes wrong - given my track record of slipping and falling on the snow and ice, I decided that venturing out past the sturdy metallic railings would be a death wish so I just stayed close by. I don’t think I missed out on much though, given that the view was already this amazing:

^ The short but very treacherous walk to the other viewpoint. Doesn’t look very slippery but trust me, I tried, and no I did not want to be rolling down the mountain into the deathly pits of hell. 

After that we went to this really pretty beach (well it is more beach-like than a proper beach) and braved the crazy wind for some pictures. 

We then walked around the city centre. We went to take a look at Skansen, the oldest house in Tromso, and then the Arctic Cathedral. At Skansen, we made friends with these three doggos that were running about, playing with the snow, and posing for us.  

There was really nothing else to do anymore, so we headed to the airport and prepared to leave this little city. 

No idea why, but I was thoroughly exhausted so I slept through the entire flight back to Oslo. I’m sad that we left such a stunning city but I’m also glad to be back in Oslo where the weather is kinder. 

Seeing the northern lights was phenomenal and I can understand how people get the drive to continuously chase them. There’s really a lot of effort that goes into it (especially for the drivers!) and the lights are definitely nowhere as luminous and bright and vibrant as in photographs but they are, nonetheless, very beautiful reminders of how much the world has to offer us.