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mellow-em · 3 years ago

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Bittersweet Temptations

CHAPTER 3

[special dts: @bluewingedangel @siennamariia <3]

Your neighbors, Nathan and Elena, have been friends with your parents for years. Whether it’d be family gatherings or vacations, they were around; they were family. But when you return home from your final years of college, what will happen when you find that it isn't just them living in the house next door anymore?

_____________________________________

I wanted to say something.

I knew based on the long expressions plastered across their faces, that they were waiting impatiently for me to say something too.

But I physically couldn’t.

A knot cemented itself at the back of my throat, suffocating me as I tried to swallow. I could feel my mouth suffer through a drought as I did so.

All I could do was look at the three of them, internally wallowing in embarrassment with a load of questions making my head spin.

How could Nate and Elena keep something like that from me? What were they thinking? No. What was I thinking?

Suddenly, the voices of people scattered amongst the yard became too loud. Though, the stares directed towards me were louder.

“Y/n can you say something?”

Without even thinking, I felt my body turn away from them, and I carried myself away.

“Y/n?” I could hear Elena calling after me.

“I’ll just be a minute” I finally croaked back to her, relieved that I could finally get a word out.

I rushed past the deck towards the side of the house.

I knew in the back of my mind that I was being ridiculous. It wasn’t something to run away from; knowing they probably felt just as awkward telling me.

But I had to get away from Sam.

I couldn’t bear standing there while his smug grin could be seen in the corner of my eye.

It was driving me crazy.

Why does he insist on making this hard on me?

I continued to let my feet travel, not even worried about where I would end up. It felt good to step away from the chaos that my parents organized, for a while anyway.

But I soon found myself at the dead end of the street, in front of the wooded patches that lined the edges of the pavement; sectioning off the neighborhood from the forest.

Without any hesitation, I stepped past the barricading trees, and onto the trail that led to a place of sanctuary.

A small body of water sat on the indented ground, with blooming ferns and bushes fencing it. Farther away from the pond, large rocks collected together, forming makeshift seats to take in the atmosphere.

It looked like it belonged in a cheesy disney movie, or a landscape renaissance painting.

I found this place with Nate when I was little, and since then I would escape here when things become too much to handle.

I sat myself down on one of the largest slabs of rock, almost seeing the memories with Nate passing around me in the form of faded visuals; they were almost ghost-like.

I took myself into these moments one by one; succumbing to the laughter, the playfulness, the smiles, the thrill.

Even though I love my parents more than anything, the bundles of memories Nate and I shared, showed me a glimpse of adventure that my parents couldn’t give me.

The overwhelming feeling of contentment pushed a smile onto my face.

But in an instant, it all faded.

Sam.

That one moment with him feasted on my conscious mind like a ravenous vulture. It made my stomach churn in the worst possible way.

I sunk my head into my hands, huffing in frustration.

That is, until I heard a few raucous cracks of leaves and sticks not too far from me.

I fix my posture while whipping my head towards the direction of the noise, only to be met with guilty eyes.

Nathan stood there, leaning his upper body on the stiff trunk of a tree.

Perfect timing, Nate..

My lips flatlined as I scratched at the corner of my forehead, “Hey.”

He steps closer, leisurely but surely.

“Hey,” he gestures to the vacant space next to me, “can I?”

“Yeah.”

Placing both of his hands on his thighs, he plops down next to me, slightly grunting. We sat there in silence; but it wasn’t peaceful, it was impatient.

The both of us were longing to say something to one another, but neither of us preferred confrontation in the slightest. So we sat there, staring at the grove.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here.”

I look over to him, noticing the tinge of nostalgia sketched upon his features.

“uh yeah.. yeah it really has,” I release a breath, reverting my eyes back to the pond, “almost 5 years.”

It was two days before I left for college. Screaming echoed throughout the house, and reverberated through my head, overwhelming my senses.

My parents chalked it up to being stressed over ‘my big move,’ which I can believe. But the words said that day pushed its way through me. I finally had enough of the nonsense and hollered back at them.

Big mistake. ‘you’re an absolute failure’ They said, ‘you’re never gonna go far.’

Long story short, I ran out of the house, and into the forest. I sat on this same rock, with tears planting glistening streams down my face.

Nate apparently heard the commotion, which wasn’t too surprising, and he made his way to me.

He didn’t even say a word before wrapping his arms around me; embracing me with a comforting warmth that slowly eased me back to normal.

‘Sic Parvis Magna,’ He said.

I was more than confused with those few words, until he began to speak once more.

‘Greatness from small beginnings. Now this isn’t exactly small, you know, with you leaving me here to go to college and all. But it is a new beginning- your new beginning. Don’t let anyone stop you from moving forward.’

That was the last day I saw this beautiful spot of ours, and the last time I really had a solid conversation with Nate; it made the final memory bittersweet at best.

“It really hasn’t changed a bit though.”

“Probably because change is dining elsewhere,”I tried to whisper under my breath, but unfortunately, he heard me loud and clear.

I look up at him in the corner of my eye, noticing his presence fall into a sea of guilt again.

He runs his hand through his surprisingly neatened hair, letting out a sigh that releases all of his proper posture.

“Look, y/n, I wanted to tell you. I really did. But it’s just-”

“Nate all I gotta ask is why? Why would you keep something that major from me?”

I had my body fully turned to face him now, while he still remained there; slouched with his head bowed to his fidgety hands.

I could tell he was stalling, swallowing his responses with force.

“Nate. Just tell me. Please.”

His eyes closed as he exhaled, “It’s a very long story.”

“I’ve got plenty of time.”

“Not exactly.” Roars of laughter within the distance cause both of us to look at the trail leading out of the woods, “we’ve still got a party going on, which happens to be for you, if I may add-”

“Seriously Nate, you think I care?” I was growing fretful, mentally pleading for him to just give up on excuses.

His hands raised in defense, “Fine, fine, okay..”

———

It didn’t even occur to us how long we’d been out here until the streams of sunlight disappeared from the ruptures in between the trees. The day was just replaced with the beginning of nightfall.

“So you’re telling me that Sam, your brother...who was presumed dead for 15 years, dragged you out across the globe to find Henry Avery’s treasure in 3 months because a drug lord was gonna kill him if you didn’t?”

Nate stifled a low chuckle, nodding along.

“So I take it you found it and gave the son of a bitch his cut? Well, since he’s alive and all-”

“Hey, language missy.” He attempted a scolding tone, but I could see through his thin facade.

I rolled my eyes, shoving him playfully,“Haha very funny. Now answer the question mister.”

“Well, it turns out the son of a bitch was Sam. He uh- lied about the whole thing.”

My eyes widened, “Wait what? So the drug lord- the sole purpose of the treasure hunt..”

“Yep it was all bullshit.”

I averted my wide-eyed gaze from him to the pond that was now lit with the blaring lights of fireflies,“Wow. I’m surprised no one got the chance to kick him in the face.. or balls.”

“Yeah Rafe- he pretty much took care of that one..”

The both of us laughed, causing a few birds to flutter away from the branches closest to us.

I missed this.

“Figured I’d find you two here.”

As our fit died down, we glanced over to a beaming Elena emerging from the trail with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I told your parents that you were comin’ over with us. I assumed you wanted some space from all the chaos.”

I showed my relief in the form of a warm simper, up until the realization punched me in the face.

Sam is gonna be there.

My body tensed, becoming a stiff statue in place. The lack of saliva in my mouth was back, and I felt my breath hitch silently.

I guessed the two of them noticed my change in demeanor.

“Are you okay y/n? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Elena’s tone was gentle, as her grin faltered slightly.

“No no it’s fine it’s just- it’s nothing don’t worry,”I abruptly stood up, scratching at my forehead again, “lets go, back.”

“You sure?,” I felt Nate’s arm fall over my shoulders, giving me a faint squeeze as the three of us trudged down the path.

I needed to take my mind off of Sam, hopefully I can avoid him.

“Yeah..” my voice trailed off, “as long as I get to play a certain game that I happened to have the highest score of.” walking confidently with my head held high, I could still see Nate rolling his eyes.

“Actually, Elena has since claimed that title for herself.” Nate said frankly.

A dramatic gasp escapes my lips,“Elena, are you kidding me!”

“Hey, don’t get mad at the pregnant lady here,” she looks back at Nate and I as we continue to walk down the trail, “how about this: you two compete to try and beat my high score.”

Nate looks down at me with the same contemplative look I give him.

“And what’s the catch, hun?” Nate asks.

“Loser gets pushed or thrown into the pool.”

Well well well, Elena’s finally getting in on our shenanigans.

I smirked, “This is gonna be light work.”

“Oh really now? I just know you’re secretly afraid that I’m gonna win.”

“Sure, Nate. I’m not gonna lose, you’re all bark and no bite.”

It was his turn to let out a theatrical breath,“How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

While Nate and I went on with our child like banter, Elena laughed hysterically at our foolishness,“You two are absolutely ridiculous.”

Nate glances back at me, only this time his fist patiently waited in front of me for a fist bump, “you ready to get destroyed?”

I scoff, hitting my fist on his, “You’re on.”

#sam drake x reader #samuel drake x reader #uncharted fanfiction #sam drake #uncharted #uncharted 4 #samuel drake #nathan drake #naughty dog #elena fisher #sam drake fanfiction

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yuanfenbd-blog · 7 years ago

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YUANFEN FEST ROUND 1: REVEALS + FINAL NOTES

The Baeksoo party has finally come to an end but don't you worry, the fun is not yet over because there are still lovely fics for you to catch up with and come back to :> That being said, we want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us and participating in this fest, may you be a prompter, writer, or reader! This fest wouldn't have been possible in the first place if not for you. We would give the spotlight now to our writers as we unveil who they are but before anything else, here are some words from our mods:

MOD MOCHI

Somehow, It only feels like yesterday when two of my fellow Baeksooies came into my DMs and told me about the apparent lack of Baeksoo fics in the EXO ficdom. I vividly all the times we complained because we’re craving for more until finally, we decided to simply take a leap of faith and create our own Baeksoo-centric fic ourselves. It was the epitome of a “Fuck, I’ll do it myself” situation because we knew our complaints would reach nothing if we don’t do our part in helping resolve the situation.

A week after, we decided to meet up and discuss this concept further in person. Believe it or not, I actually made a presentation/pitch deck about the fest, featuring a complete list of our objectives, content execution, and promotional strategy. We wanted to treat it as a passion project, as our little baby we would nurture months later on because aside from bringing new Baeksoo fanworks, we wanted to help bring the ‘community’ together.

Fast-forward to six months later and here we are now. It hasn’t been an easy journey for anyone, but it’s what makes this whole thing worth it because despite the difficulties that came along the way, you guys stuck by our side ‘til the end. And for that, we couldn’t be any more thankful.

To our prompters: thank you for your creativity and enthusiasm in participating in this fest. You all gave our writers gems to work with; this fest wouldn’t have been able to move forward if not for your participation.

To our very talented writers: thank you so, so much for sharing your talents with all of us. We know writing fic isn’t that easy especially when you’re bounded by deadlines (+ real life responsibilities) but you guys pulled through and made it! I hope you are all as proud of your works as much as we are. It is very interesting to see Baeksoo and the extension of their dynamics through a different set of eyes in every fic that was submitted to this fest, but the feeling of joy that each one gives is all the same. Thank you for making us fall in love with this pairing a hundred times and more, all over again.

To our beta readers: thank you for your hard work too. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a second set of eyes that could review your work for feedback. Thank you for working closely with our writers and holding their hand; I want you to know that you guys also play a very important role in the creative process of making a fic.

To our readers: may you spend the rest of the year getting good grades, having a fun time at work, and achieving all your personal goals because, at the end of the day, there’s more Baeksoo fics for you to enjoy and drown yourself with! Thank you for supporting us from the beginning ‘til the end, we hope you’d give our writers the love they deserve too by giving them feedback on their fics.

And lastly, to my co-mods: girlies, we did it! No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade — but you guys worked just as hard in making this fest possible! I want you both to know that I’m very proud and thankful for you two. Thank you for being so patient, friendly, and hardworking. I consider this fest as my passion project and it was a pleasure to be able to share this journey with you both.

MOD BREAD

Wow! Until now I am still amazed. We've been thirsty for almost two years for a new wave of Baeksoo-centric fics in our fandom so I am very happy that Yuanfen has been the answer to our pleas to end this drought. And now, we're almost drowning with great gems to read. Haha

To the readers, you know we all living the good life and eating well. I hope you enjoyed all the fics you've read and gave them love. Thank you so much for reading, giving kudos and comments to the fics and recommending them on your SNS. To the writers, the real mvps of this fest, You are fricking fantastic. This will never be a success without you guys who took their precious time making these wonderful fics to life! Istg I want to hug all of you, one by one. Thank you for sharing your talents in making the readers drown in feels. To my forever understanding co-mods (who almost did all the work), I sincerely apologize for not being that active in terms of emailing and other stuff. I am so thankful that because of you guys, this fest has been a success and organized. Thank you so much and congratulations for a job well done! /hugs you both/ And to the banes of this fic fest's existence aka BAEKSOO (joke!), we did this all for you so we have many fics to reread again once you feel like giving us another long term drought. But for now, we're eating good with all the interactions and feels you gave this 2017 .

MOD PEACH

Hi everyone!!! Finally we’re on the last phase of this round and I couldn’t express how grateful I am to all of you (prompters, writers, beta readers, readers) who participated in our fest *sobs*

Okay so, first off, I would like to thank the writers!! You guys are amazing. I remember the moment we received the first ever submitted fic (I’m usually in charge of email-ing you guys so haha) I teared up cos omg it’s happening and also it’s our first time mod-ing a fest so we’re really thrilled about it haha. Thank you so so so much for your dedication and effort in making this fest possible and we hope you guys will continue your passion in writing cos yall are really talented ;;

Next, the readers!! Thank you very much for hyping the fics and giving all the love it deserved and we hope you guys will read them all cos I swear they’re all so good I’ve already read most of them lol

And lastly, to my co-mods!! I’m sorry I keep on bugging you guys about everything I’m just so nervous I might have mistakes (which I already did fml) and thank you very much for all your hard works despite your crazy workloads!!! You guys are the best I hope we can still continue this in the future haha

We would also like to apologize for any confusion that we’ve made e.g., changing of deadlines without prior notice, and others. We have previously addressed this matter on our CC so we hope you guys understand it and we’ll try to meet all your expectations once we’ve decided to push our round 2 *winks*

So, anyway, that’s it!!! Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart to all of you who made this fest successful and we hope you guys will continue loving Baeksoo as much as we love them!!

♥*♡+:｡.｡ 'ㅅ' ♡ ⊙♡⊙ ｡.｡:+♡*♥

STATS

For this round, we garnered a total of 353 prompts (self-prompts excluded) and 44 fics written by 42 writers. Our average word count is 14, 762 words; meanwhile, our total word count is 645,556 words!

We were pleasantly surprised to find out that most of our writers wrote long fics. A special shout-out goes to UNCONQU3R3D and encoru for writing two fics each respectively; and to Bbaegi for submitting 76k worth of fic! Thank you so much!

And now, without further ado, here is our master list!

♥*♡+:｡.｡ 'ㅅ' ♡ ⊙♡⊙ ｡.｡:+♡*♥

♡ DAY 1 ♡

Red Sunset Glow by sehnsvcht

T | 35.7k

If someone had told Kyungsoo that all it takes to shut Baekhyun up—and, maybe, get over his fears—is one simple, one scary kiss, maybe he would have tried it sooner. Maybe.

Hop in, I can take you there (Follow the path to my heart) by kumo_is_kumo

E | 12.2k

Baekhyun, who doesn’t believe in love at the first sight, meets a cute guy called Kyungsoo while visiting his grandmother on the countryside and he thinks that Kyungsoo might be the one. The only obstacle is that Kyungsoo is a cucumber farmer.

Let Me Care, You Deserve So Much Better by Agrippa

M | 8.4k

What Kyungsoo sees in the newly acquainted Baekhyun is someone who deserves a lot more. Baekhyun doesn't see it himself, but Kyungsoo is about to change everything he's ever known.

(Oh!) I Can't Stop by X_yehet_pcy

E | 4.9k

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are roommates, Baekhyun’s had a big secret crush on Kyungsoo since forever, Chanyeol and Jongdae are questionable friends. Well.

♡ DAY 2 ♡

I Could Be The One To Set You Free by vavole

M | 20.8k

(fake dating!au) Actor Do Kyungsoo thinks that he is too good at leaving love, but Idol Byun Baekhyun teaches him otherwise because loving someone can be simple.

a cataclysm of minor proportions by lady-serendipity (jezz)

M | 6.6k

Roommates!AU. Kyungsoo finds a kitty on the streets on his way home and brings it to their apartment to take care of it, but apparently Baekhyun is afraid of cats?

If You Like Me, Say You Like Me by fadetotomorrow

M | 3k

It shouldn't be so difficult for Baekhyun to figure out his Kyungsoo problem, not that he has one.

it don't run in our blood by marcel

M | 14k

When crown prince Kyungsoo learns he's been betrothed to someone since before he was born, he has a hard time trying to adjust to the idea before his fiancé arrives at the palace. It doesn't help that his husband-to-be defies all his expectations - but in the worst or best way?

♡ DAY 3 ♡

Revisions by Daphnean

E | 11.3k

It wasn’t as if liking Kyungsoo was a big secret; like it’d be out of character or weird for him. He was out and Professor Do was a fairly liked, and lusted after, instructor on campus. Still there was something unsettling to Baekhyun about making it concrete, even for a moment.

Limes and Coastlines by Yifanning (bambitae)

M | 28.3k

Answers submerge when you've faced the eye of the storm—thus, Kyungsoo stood on his toes, nearing the ledge, gazing into the dark, deep end. Close to pulling back, closer to falling in.

Love is Forever (Your Forever is All That I Need) by Bbaegi

T | 76.8k

"I’ve never felt forever when I kissed someone. Have you?" Baekhyun heard himself whisper, voice as gentle as the first notes of a lullaby meant to tame a child’s fear and lure them into a gentle slumber filled with nothing but sweet melodies to dance around with instead.

Winter Heat by UNCONQU3R3D

E | 23.5k

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun somehow, conveniently, get trapped together in a snowstorm and are forced to survive. Easier said than done since they can't stand each other.

♡ DAY 4 ♡

Engraved in Your Heart by UNCONQU3R3D

E | 28.2k

Highschool!AU where Baekhyun, high school bad boy and leader of a street gang, falls in love with a social outcast, the blind kid, Kyungsoo.

Be Careful What You Wish For by quebaek

M | 7.3k

Baekhyun didn't expect Yixing to suddenly go out of town and ask him to house sit. He also wasn't expecting to find and break a cool looking crystal orb in his attic. He especially wasn't expecting a man named Do Kyungsoo to appear of it and give him a hard time. That's for sure.

redamancy by anon_nim

M | 4.5k

Oddly, he feels like he’s on a ‘time out’, the kind that children get from their parents when they do something bad and have to reflect about it in the corner. Except, Baekhyun is a grown up man and Kyungsoo is supposed to be his bandmate-cum-boyfriend.

Pen Me Down by dosmilkshake

M | 7.7k

“I would rather kill a panda.” “You’re terrible. They are endangered!” “That should tell you much I hate the idea of kissing him then.”

♡ DAY 5 ♡

Penny for your Socks by crownjules

M | 5.2k

Baekhyun didn't expect his soulmate to be so unfashionable; Kyungsoo knew his was an asshole.

Another Dream Away by foxxlight

T | 15.9k

For years Baekhyun has dreamed of a dragon prince, living out his everyday life within the confines of the dragon realm. What he hadn't realized was that the dragon prince dreamed of him too.

he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives by london9calling

M | 10k

Who would have thought summoning a fifth level demon to win a singing contest could have such interesting consequences? Certainly not Byun Baekhyun.

Simmer, Sizzle, Savour by taegyungie

M | 8.7k

Kyungsoo just doesn't know what to do about his student from hell.

♡ DAY 6 ♡

Sick and Sweet by subduedblue

M | 2.3k

Kyungsoo gets sick on a Sunday and Baekhyun’s there to help him get well.

On top of the world, we are together by sunsethue

Not Rated | 5.9k

Everything is going right in Kyungsoo’s life. He never thought it can get even better, until Byun Baekhyun came along.

My One and Only by endboss

E | 19.8k

Hybrid!Baekhyun just loves his human so much, which is why he tries to be happy for Kyungsoo's relationships, even if they make his poor heart hurt so mysteriously much.

You and Me (Equals World War 3) by Junchenny

G | 14.3k

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are rival singers, until their labels decide to debut them as a duo for a project. Cue pranks, awkward meetings and bickering galore. But in the end, could their shared passion for music and the fact that they may have more in common than they thought, be enough to overcome their rivalry?

♡ DAY 7 ♡

true blue by zannen

E | 25k

With things going sharply downhill at the newspaper, Kyungsoo has two options. One: He could lose his job and say goodbye to his journalistic career entirely. Two: He could do his best to ruin Byun Baekhyun's reputation. The choice, in his opinion, is obvious. Or he thought it was, at least.

Trouble at the Sandbox by SmilingTeresa

G | 23.7k

Kyungsoo didn't plan on going to the park. He also didn't plan on meeting Baekhyun.

The Janitor's Closet by kissmebaek

M | 3.2k

“Hey fat ass, do you really have to block the hall?”

“I’m not sure if that’s my problem when there’s enough to go around.”

“Pfft! Says the guy who can’t even hit a basic falsetto note!”

“That literally has nothing to do with this conversation and at least I can sing!”

Jongdae sighs as he closes his locker. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun throwing argument after argument at each other.

“They have to be fucking.” He says. “There’s no way two people that are always this irritated with each other but always together aren’t fucking.”

Chanyeol let’s out a laugh. “No way.” He looks down at Jongdae who looks up at seriously. His face falls. “No way!”

Soul Ink by jkl-401

M | 26.6k

Baekhyun’s favourite past time is to pretend to work whilst day dreaming about the new tattoo artist.

♡ DAY 8 ♡

The power of a crush by lispkid

M | 2k

Kyungsoo gets crushed.

Stay By My Side by heartshapedlips

Baekhyun didn't want a bodyguard but Kyungsoo showed up to work anyway. Maybe he doesn't mind it as much as he thinks.

hear my story, set me free by wisteries

M | 9.4k

Kyungsoo just wants to get the job done and go home to his dog, but Baekhyun has other plans. Alternatively, where Baekhyun and Kyungsoo pry open each others' hearts and lay their stories out for display.

Drifting Lights by baekdsooshi

M | 10.6k

Librarian Do Kyungsoo and intern Yixing have gotten quite a number of complaints of damaged books. After a bit of detective work, they found one common clue - they’re all missing page 241.

♡ DAY 9 ♡

Breath of the Forest by cabbages

G | 12.3k

Baekhyun wants to explore the forbidden forest on the edge of town. He leaves Kyungsoo and enters the woods by himself, forcing Kyungsoo to run after him before he gets hurt or in trouble. The only problem: Kyungsoo has asthma.

Tug of War by yibaek

E | 30.2k

Baekhyun feeds off of affection... literally. Without affection and love, he will wither away. Enter Kyungsoo, the last man Baekhyun should fall for, the man that drains the life from everyone he touches.

Words of Fate by babychocosoo

G | 3.5k

How is Kyungsoo supposed to find his soulmate when his only clue to lead him to them is the word written on his wrist that no one could understand?

say you won't let go by encoru

E | 3.4k

“What’s the safety word?” Kyungsoo asks. “Dracarys,” Baekhyun replies.

♡ DAY 10 ♡

As Easy as Breathing (In, Out, In, Out, In Out) by reihino

M | 39.9k

Falling in love with Baekhyun was just like breathing - easy, natural. It was everything else that was hard. (A Howl's Moving Castle AU)

Did someone say cute? by mochified

M | 2.4k

Baekhyun is crazy for cute things, and Kyungsoo is super cute. He falls head over heels, low-key obsessed and melting inside whenever Kyungsoo does something especially adorable. Kyungsoo refuses to believe he's cute though.

leave me breathless by encoru

M | 8.4k

If Baekhyun had the chance to call the police on someone so handsome he knocks the air out of his lungs, the perfect time would be now.

kissing the devil by taeyeons

M | 10.1k

A cry rings in his ears and all Baekhyun's struck by is the familiarity.

♡ DAY 11 ♡

Count On Me by ambrosiaplease

M | 8k

Kyungsoo happened to discover not the El Dorado but a key to deepen his connection with Baekhyun through the latter's secret tumblr dashboard.

under the same sky by kynqso

G | 21.9k

It's what Baekhyun liked to call their story: a love that transcended the summer. Includes but is not limited to: lunchboxes, Thursdays, a wall painting, postcards, and sunrises and sunsets.

Kiss Me, Tell Me by cheesenim

T | 9.2k

Kyungsoo never expected to have his ass dragged on a challenge. He had no idea what to do next.

good to love by kozens

E | 24.8k

Between Beijing and Tokyo, Kyungsoo finds a stranger, and perhaps so much more.

♥*♡+:｡.｡ 'ㅅ' ♡ ⊙♡⊙ ｡.｡:+♡*♥

Thank you once again for making this first round successful! We sincerely hope you enjoyed this journey as much as we did. Now go ahead and smother your favorite writers with love, make friends with them, and spazz about favorite fics as much as you please! Don't forget to leave a kudos and comment on their fic! May you all continue supporting our dear writers and love Baeksoo along with them. See you next time!

#baeksoo #baekdo #obaek #baeksoo fics #reveals #exo fics #exo fic fests #yuanfen fest #yuanfenbd #yuanfen

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thechasefiles · 5 years ago

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 22/4/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers! Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday 22nd April, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Midweek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

ABRAHAMS: PEOPLE NOT PAYING THEIR WATER BILLS – The COVID-19 pandemic is causing revenue at the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) to leak by as much as 25 per cent, primarily because more people are not paying their bills. This was revealed yesterday by Minister Water Resources Wilfred Abrahams, who was a guest on Starcom Network’s Down To Brass Tacks programme along with BWA general manager Keithroy Halliday. “Our financial position, as tenuous as it was, has become worse. The reality is that a lot of people are not paying their water bills at this point in time. The take for the Barbados Water Authority on the bill has dropped to, I think, about 25 per cent of what it is supposed to be,” the minister said. Abrahams said they had operated in good faith and assured people their service would not be disconnected amidst the coronavirus crisis, but he wanted Barbadians to use their conscience. (MWN)

PAY YOUR WATER BILL – As Barbados faces its worst drought in decades, Minister of Water Resources Wilfred Abraham revealed the state-owned water authority was battling its own lack of flowing funds. He warned that revenue at the Barbados Water Authority was fast drying up as Barbadians failed to pay their bills. Speaking on Voice of Barbados’ Down to Brass Tacks, Abrahams, addressing complaints about persistent water outages in rural parishes caught in the grip of an ongoing drought, said the state-owned utility has taken a double-digit knock to its already weak finances in recent weeks. “Our financial position as tenuous as it was has become worse,” he said. “The reality is that a lot of people are not paying their water bills at this time. So the take for the Barbados Water Authority on the bills has dropped to I think 25 per cent of what it is supposed to be.” He argued that just as the BWA determined not to disconnect people during the COVID crisis, consumers should not put their bill payments on the back burner. Abrahams told the programme: “I am just going to ask people to use their conscience a little bit. The fact that we are not going to disconnect you for health reasons does not absolve you from paying your water bill because at the end of the day you are not just going to continue racking up arrears against you but in the interim, you are starving the water authority, or the water authority is being starved of money it needs to do basic things to make the system work properly.” He warned that the problem went further than BWA, saying the Government was stretched because no money was “coming into the Government’s coffers”. He declared: “Land tax is not being paid, VAT [Value Added Tax] is not being paid, business has ground to halt in Barbados, so people are not able to pay their statutory obligations in Barbados. So the Ministry of Finance is catching itself to even find money to run the country so it just not a good situation for us to be in.” The Minister responsible for the BWA noted that the authority was almost at the point of getting to the bottom of what he termed “dangerous debt” levels discovered in 2018 but has now suffered a setback and as a result, a number of critical programmes would be on hold. He cited the proposed $14. 8 million Vineyard project that is expected to provide relief to the water-scarce parishes of St John and St Joseph through the redistribution of water from Vineyard, St Philip to the Golden Ridge/Bowmanston system. Abrahams: “We were scheduled to be starting all of these things… when the COVID issues descended upon us. We have the bulk of the pipes for Vineyard project so we had started the process, we have located where we are going to put the reservoir in Stewart Hill, we have specs for everything that needs to be done for it, we were sourcing the financing for it, we were investigating loans, we had people, that we were looking to get the financing from, but the reality now is that with the decreased revenues of the Barbados Water Authority, occasioned by people not paying their water bills we cannot speak to a financier and we cannot prove to them a guaranteed source of income for the next 12 months. Our income now is at its worse for I don’t even know how long.” Abrahams said the BWA would now have to turn back to the Government to find the money to complete the project, noting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Minister of Finance Ryan Straughn have been trying to source funding. (BT)

BRA TO OPEN TWO OFFICES –The Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) will reopen the Weymouth Corporate Centre and Warrens Towers II locations in St Michael to facilitate limited transactions from Wednesday, April 22. A press release said this is to further enable payments in relation to PAYE, VAT and income tax during the period of the curfew. The offices will open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will follow the recommended physical distancing protocols. Payments for licensing transactions remain suspended during the curfew period, according to the statement. (BGIS)

MINISTRY READY FOR E-LEARNING - Online teaching has started at all tertiary institutions and most private schools. A statement from the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT) said this follows consultations last week with substantive Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw and ministry officials, principals of all public and private schools, and unions representing teachers and principals. From April 20 to 24, all public schools will be preparing to roll out online teaching using the Google G Suite for Education platform. The statement said this platform may be accessed from any PC, laptop, tablet or smart mobile device. The ministry emphasised the importance of education during the curfew period and is working with providers and suppliers to ensure every child has Internet access and devices to utilise the new elearning platform. Radio and television will be utilised in the interim to provide educational content to ensure that students are not disadvantaged. Further assistnce can be accessed by calling the ministry’s helpdesk at 535-0798, between 8:15 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Additional information may be found on the ministry’s website www.mes.gov.bb. The ministry advised those schools and teachers who are ready to engage with their students using the Google G Suite Classroom that they may do so, but no new concepts are to be taught. These new measures are being implemented after schools were closed last term to limit spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (BGIS)

NOT YET IN THE CLEAR – It would be unwise of Government to ease the current restrictions despite Barbados not recording a positive test for coronavirus in the past six days, COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter has declared. He is adamant that as long as there are still live cases of the respiratory illness on the island it means we are still under threat. In an interview with Barbados TODAY, Carter said while the string of negative tests was a positive sign he was still very concerned that 45 people were still infected. Carter said: “I will say, however, that six days without cases, while it is encouraging it does not matter really as much as the fact that we currently still have over 40 live cases in Barbados that we are managing. As long as you have live cases in your country you have an epidemic that is going on.… One case is all it takes to spark a spike. “There can be no immediate contemplation or consideration of lifting restrictions right now. We have to continue to be on our guard and it will be far too early to be talking about the relaxation of the restrictions. One live case means that you have to be considering and dealing and trying to get to zero. Essentially that is our goal, to get to zero cases in Barbados. “We don’t know how many or whether there are other cases that have not been diagnosed within the community. We are trying our best through the contact tracing and through the surveillance that we are undertaking to detect and identify whether there are any cases but we can never be 100 per cent sure outside of testing every single person.” Carter stressed that over 2.5 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 worldwide started with one case. But he pointed out that public health officials in Barbados would be the ones responsible for advising Government on whether those restrictions ought to be lifted. “So the public health officials will advise the Government when it is appropriate to lift any restrictions that have been put in place. “In all of this we have been following the advice of the public health officials in Barbados and they have advised the Government in relation to when it is necessary to impose restrictions and they will guide the Government as to when it is appropriate to lift them,” the Czar noted. Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic announced yesterday that having acquired 2,800 swabs and 27,000 testing kits, health authorities are moving to ramp up COVID-19 testing. He also warned that Barbados was not yet out in the clear. “I want to reiterate that although this is indeed very encouraging for all of us it is not a sign that we are out of the woods. We must not drop our guard. We must not drop the level of defense that we are putting up against this enemy,” Lt. Col. Bostic said. (BT)

DOC: CAUTIOUS CHANGES TO COME – Barbados is preparing to launch new protocols should the island continue to record no new COVID-19 infections, says Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George. However, although there have been no new infections for the sixth straight day, he advised caution. “We are not going to be rash, even with small incremental changes or with things like opening up businesses and allowing construction. We have been told to let the science guide us, so that’s what we’re doing. We have agreed two weeks – the full incubation period for this disease – with no new cases, will be the trigger for something new. “As we get more information and if things trend downwards, we will have a systematic approach, but countries should not rush to reverse a lot of the changes. It is going to be incremental. . ” (MWN)

PAHO GIVES MORE KITS FOR COVID FIGHT - The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has boosted Barbados’ COVID-19 testing capabilities with a donation of 11,000 testing kits. Accepting the kits and 782 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) packages from PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Dr Yitades Gebre, Minister of Health and Wellness Col Lt Jeffrey Bostic said the donation is timely for use in the country’s island-wide testing programme scheduled to begin soon. Speaking during the handing over ceremony at PAHO’s Dayrells Road, Christ Church headquarters this afternoon, Bostic revealed that health authorities were now in possession of 38 000 testing kits and noted that that number is expected to be increased soon. “We are on top of it in containing it and we need to really expand our testing. This is exactly what we are going to be doing in a day or two. We are going to be expanding the testing and establishing testing centres so that we can get back to as normal a state as early as possible without compromising public health,” Bostic said. Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic receives the donation of kits and equipment from PAHO/WHO Representative to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Dr Yitades Gebre during a handover at PAHO Headquarters today. (BGIS) Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George who also attended the ceremony, stated that while recovered COVID-19 patients are being released and there has been no evidence of re-infection, the authorities are monitoring this particular aspect of the pandemic closely since it has been happening in other countries. “It is something that we will continue to monitor. As the Minister said we have been given a mandate from the Prime Minister [Mia Amor Mottley] to scale up our testing. Today is day six without any new cases and the Ministry of Health has always had the approach to be extremely transparent. “And we would like to make sure that there is no in-country transmission and the only way we are going to do that with some confidence is if we scale up our testing. “So what we have told general practitioners in Barbados is that persons even without a travel history presenting with respiratory illness we are willing to test. We have placed special emphasis on frontline workers and particularly the elderly,” Dr George said. Minister Bostic thanked PAHO for its assistance in the COVID-19 fight. He said Barbados has been following PAHO and WHO’s guidelines and protocols to contain the spread of the virus. Meanwhile, Dr Gebre praised Barbados’ handling of the pandemic and noted that many countries could benefit from copying the model. He said PAHO is pleased to continue to provide the country with technical and administrative support to ensure that lives are saved and the negative impact on society is kept at a minimum. Dr Gebre said it was encouraging to note that most countries in the region were managing the pandemic well, with there being no signs of community spread and some nations reporting no COVID-19 related deaths. “No country at this point has shown that they are overwhelmed with the number of cases. All of them are doing extremely well in terms of containing. There is no community transmission in the Caribbean,” Dr Gebre said. When asked whether the United States of America’s (USA) threat to halt its funding to the WHO over the organisation’s handling of COVID-19, Dr Gebre said that the US was committed to helping WHO’s work in developing countries in need of the assistance during the pandemic. “During this pandemic the United States government has provided resources to support other countries. In our region, USAID provided $100 000 for Barbados and then for each of those countries in the range of $60 000 to $70 000 for the next three months. So we have received half a million dollars from the United States government in our region to provide technical support. Continuously that kind of support is needed,” Dr Gebre said. (BT)

PAHO DIRECTOR: INCREASED VIRUS TESTING CRITICAL – The director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr Carissa F. Etienne, on April 21 called for accelerated and expanded testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19) in countries of the Americas, including the Caribbean. “We need a clearer view of where the virus is circulating and how many people have been infected in order to guide our actions,” said Etienne during a virtual press briefing. “The pandemic continues to impact our region, and it’s vital for all countries to actively embrace preventive measures, while preparing for more cases, hospitalisations and deaths,” she added. As of April 20, there have been 839 119 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 42 686 people have died in the Region of the Americas. The PAHO director said that countries have been prepared to test and detect cases of COVID-19 since before the pandemic was declared. Since February, PAHO said it had trained and equipped laboratories for PCR testing in more than 30 countries. But, as cases have increased, Etienne said countries have found it increasingly difficult to keep up. She highlighted PAHO’s recommendations for countries to expand their capacity and use all available national laboratories; to prioritise patients with symptoms, tracing contacts and following up with those that may be infected; and to ensure access for all so testing would be free of charge for patients. PAHO said it has provided more than 500 000 PCR tests to 34 countries and territories, “and we have worked with other countries to track and support their capacity”, said Etienne. An additional 1.5 million PCR tests are being dispatched throughout the region this week, “followed by another 3 million next week to strengthen laboratory surveillance networks in our member states”, she highlighted. “To address the market shortage, we are working with leading manufacturers to make these tests available through the PAHO Strategic Fund,” Etienne said. “Twelve countries are now using this mechanism to purchase quality commercial PCR-based tests. “As we negotiate other options, we are considering tests that run on both open and on so-called closed platforms, to maximise each country’s ability to test,” she added. To help ensure countries procure reliable products, Etienne said PAHO is providing guidance to regulatory and health authorities, and is calling on manufacturers “to work closely with us so that we can ensure equitable access to new quality tests, as they reach the market so all our countries can benefit from innovations”. Global access to medicines, vaccines, and medical equipment to respond to COVID 19 “should not be a privilege of certain countries or communities”, she said. “Our collective goal must be to ensure that access to the testing, treatment, vaccines and other technologies is available to all based on needs.” (CMC)

UN URGES ACTION TO AVOID “BIBLICAL FAMINE” – The world is at risk of widespread famines "of biblical proportions" caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the United Nations has warned. David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said urgent action was needed to avoid a catastrophe. A report estimates that the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million. Those most at risk are in ten countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change, the WFP says. The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises highlights Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti. In South Sudan, 61 per cent of the population was affected by food crisis last year, the report says. Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages caused by drought and the worst locust infestations for decades. Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Beasley said the world had to "act wisely and act fast". "We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months," he said. "The truth is we do not have time on our side." In a call to action, he added: "I do believe that with our expertise and our partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programmes necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a human and food crisis catastrophe." (BBC)

T&T STUDENTS AT CAVE HILL PLEAD FOR A RESPONSE FROM AUTHORITIES IN PORT OF SPAIN – More than a dozen Trinidad and Tobago nationals who are studying at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus are today expressing concern that their cries for help from authorities in their homeland are falling on deaf ears. Speaking on the behalf of her peers, final year law student Shantal Seecharan told Barbados TODAY that most of them, ranging from ages of 20 to 25, were “barely getting by” because they have already run out of funds and were now rationing food supplies. She said they missed the deadline for flying home before Trinidad and Tobago closed its borders towards the end of March, and repeated efforts to get help from authorities there have been unsuccessful. “The reason why most of us missed the deadline to go back home is because we didn’t have the funds to just purchase a ticket at that point and leave,” she said. “In terms of the supplies that we have they are currently running out. Some organisations and people in Trinidad are trying to help us but for the past week it has been very hard to get supplies to us so we have been trying to make arrangements so we would be able to get some groceries. Everything is limited right now so we all have to ration,” said Seecharan. She explained: “In terms of rent, I know some other students, right now their rents are paid for April, but they don’t know what will happen after April. We suppose the landlords will not kick them out because of the moratorium but we know that is not law.” Teaching will end this week, but the students still have a number of assignments due, and they are preparing for assessments, which are to take place between May 11 and June 12. However, speaking on behalf of the 13 students, Seecharan said faced with “extreme sadness” because they were unable to be with their loved ones at this time, the situation has been compounded by the stresses of preparing for assessments. She said she was not aware that any of the students wanted to withdraw from their studies or drop out, adding that they were doing their best to “power through” and stay positive. “Some students have told me that their mental health has taken a significant hit, that they are extremely demotivated to continue their studies and to finish their assignments on time. Some of them sleep all day and stay up all night or they are not sleeping and not eating,” she said. However, she added: “We are all supporting each other because some of us have bad days. Sometimes we want to give up, but we are there for each other and we are remaining strong. We plan to continue to power through and remain hopeful that our government will answer our call.” While the majority of them are final year law students, others are studying medicine and social sciences. She said the students were overly concerned about their families back home, adding that several of them had family members who were now out of a job. “Some parents are both essential workers. One student is very concerned that something could happen to one of her parents and she has a younger brother who she would need to be there for if that were to happen,” she said. “Then we have situations where both parents are non-essential workers and unfortunately, they have lost their jobs and have no income. We also have people from single-parent households . . . and they are living from pay cheque to pay cheque,” she said. Seecharan explained that most of the students have already received welfare assistance from the university in the past year. The last time they tried to contact officials in their homeland was on Sunday. “We have been sending in our applications for the special exemption to our minister of national security (Stuart Young). But those emails and calls have gone unanswered. However, on Sunday we decided to ban together and put all our information in one document, and we sent it Sunday,” she said. Seecharan said she was pleading with authorities in Trinidad. “Please, answer our calls, please give us a response and tell us you are beginning the process for us. Tell us what plans, what arrangements are being made for us. “So far we are not hearing anything and we just want some level of response, some level of reassurance. Something more than just being told ‘stay put’. We want our cries for help to be heard,” she cried. She told Barbados TODAY that the group has also been in touch with local authorities, seeking help to start the process for them to go back to Trinidad and Tobago. A part of that would include getting tested for the coronavirus in Bridgetown. She said local officials have been responding to their emails and things were looking positive. Seecharan explained that while the group of students was told by the group of 33 seniors that they could be accommodated on their flight that was scheduled to leave Bridgetown on Tuesday for Port of Spain, they were unable to make it because they did not get clearance from Trinidad officials and they have not yet been tested by local medical officials. Seecharan said the lawyers who acted on behalf of the seniors had agreed to help the students in their quest. (BT)

TRINIDADIAN’S FLYING HOME - THE 33 stranded Trinidadians should be back home today, despite a short delay. After a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) donation of 11 000 testing kits and 782 pieces of personal protection equipment to the Ministry of Health, Minister Jeffrey Bostic spoke about the situation concerning the Trinidadians. The presentation of equipment was made at PAHO's office, Dayrells Road and Navy Gardens, Christ Church. “There are two chartered flights, I believe, which are scheduled to take them back to Trinidad today. We are doing the tests and we will send the results to Trinidad but that is not going to stop them from making the flights this afternoon. They will be tested, they will fly and we will pass the information to the authorities in Trinidad as soon as we have the results,” Bostic said. The Trinidadians were at Grantley Adams International Airport this morning with the first group waiting to board their flight, when they were informed of the delay. Nation News was told that the Trinidad Government had requested medical testing before the group left Barbados. The 33 were taken to Paragon to be tested. The Trinidadians had been quarantined at Sugarcane Club in St Peter and stayed there even after the quarantine period. Bernie Weatherhead, owner of Sugarcane Club, was at the airport to see them off. The Trinidadians had arrived on a flight from England last month after completing a cruise vacation that had started in Dubai. However, they were left here after Trinidad closed its borders as a response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (MWN)

TRUMP TO IMPOSE 60 DAY IMMIGRATION BAN – United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his new US immigration ban would last 60 days and apply to those seeking “green cards” for permanent residency in an effort to protect Americans seeking to regain jobs lost because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Trump plans to institute the ban through an executive order, which he said he was likely to sign on April 22. He said it would not apply to individuals entering the United States on a temporary basis and would be re-evaluated once the 60-day period had passed. Trump said that pausing immigration would put “unemployed Americans first in line for jobs” as the country re-opened. “It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad. We must first take care of the American worker,” he told reporters at the White House. Trump said there would be some exemptions in the order and he could renew it for another 60 days or longer. The president, a Republican, won the White House in 2016 in part on a promise to crack down on immigration. Critics saw his announcement as a move to take advantage of a crisis to implement a long-sought policy goal. The order could spark legal action. A senior administration official said the administration was looking at a separate action to cover others affected by US immigration policy, including those on so-called H-1B visas. Trump confirmed that a secondary order was under consideration. The first order would include exemptions for people involved in responding to the coronavirus outbreak, including farm workers and those helping to secure US food supplies, the official said. As the country begins to open up its economy, immigration flows were expected to increase, and the administration wanted to ensure that employers hire back fired workers rather than giving jobs to immigrants at lower wages. The US Department of State issued roughly 462 000 immigrant visas in fiscal year 2019, which began on October 1, 2018. The visas allow an immigrant to obtain lawful permanent resident status, informally known as a green card. The status allows a person to live and work in the United States and apply for citizenship after a five-year period. Critics viewed Trump’s new policy as an effort to distract from his response to the pandemic. “I think this is a malevolent distraction,” said Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning policy institute in Washington. Giovanni Peri, an economics professor at the University of California, Davis, said researchers generally agree that immigration into the United States has stimulated economic growth, increased the size of the economy, and created jobs. “The idea that immigration threatens American jobs is just not there in any data,” he said. (Reuters)

GUYANA TO RELAX MEASURES FOR CARICOM TEAM – The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) says it has agreed to relax the stringent measures for people entering Guyana so as to allow officials of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) team to participate in the recount of ballots in the March 2 regional and general election. In a statement issued here on Monday night, the NCTF said that it had agreed for the CARICOM officials to undergo the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for coronavirus (COVID-19) instead of being subjected to 14 days of quarantine. The NCTF had earlier decided that people who arrived here during the lockdown period as a result of the country’s efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus would have faced a 14-day quarantine. But the decision came in for criticism from some Commissioners of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and some of the political parties that had contested the disputed elections. But following the intervention of President David Granger, the NCTF said the mandatory quarantine for 14 days will no longer be applicable. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who heads the COVID-19 Task Force, has written to the GECOM chairperson, retired justice Claudette Singh and the CARICOM Secretary-General, Irwin LaRocque informing them of the decisions of the NCTF. Nagamootoo had on Sunday indicated that the Task Force had decided that the recount must be conducted within the COVID-19 curfew hours, and that international observers coming to the country must submit themselves to a 14-day quarantine at a government-run institution. But these decisions were reversed on Monday. LaRocque had earlier written to Granger urging that medical examinations for members of the delegation to be done in their countries of origin before their arrival in Guyana. In the statement, NCTF said “the CARICOM officials identified to participate in the recount of ballots be permitted to undergo WHO-approved reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for COVID-19 in their respective home countries prior to arrival in Guyana, and they will be permitted entry on the basis that such test results are negative”. The Task Force said if any official is unable to have such a test conducted in their home country, that upon their arrival in Guyana, the Ministry of Public Health will facilitate the test here on condition that the official self-quarantines for a maximum of 48 hours while the test results are being ascertained. As such, quarantining of the incoming officials for the mandatory period of 14 days will not be applicable upon compliance with either of the established requirements. “Having been reviewed, and the interest of public health safety being considered, the NCTF accordingly varied the decision taken previously on this issue,” the statement added. (CMC)

INSURER GENERAL ACCIDENTS ENTERS BARBADOS MARKET – A Jamaica-based general insurance company with an operation in Trinidad is set to enter the Barbadian market following regulatory approval here, the firm said. General Accident Insurance Company (Barbados) Limited, a subsidiary of General Accident Insurance Company Jamaica Limited, which hold an 80 per cent stake, has been licensed by the Financial Services Commission to operate as a registered Class 2 insurer. A Barbadian consortium, BCDL Holdings Limited, whose shareholders include current and former executives of Williams Industries and Williams Caribbean Capital, owns the remaining 20 per cent of General Accident Barbados. The company’s Chairman P.B. Scott said: “The decision to enter the Barbados market reflects the long-term confidence we have in the economy and people of Barbados. It is also consistent with our strategy of expanding General Accident’s reach across the English-speaking Caribbean. “With the announcement, General Accident will now be present in Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados. We look forward to combining General Accident’s brand, expertise and financial strength with BCDL’s extensive local relationships in Barbados.” Sharon Donaldson, General Accident’s Managing Director said: “We will be providing more details about our official launch date and reaching out to brokers, policyholders and other stakeholders shortly.”(BT)

MAN SHOT IN PATIO – A St Philip man is in stable condition after being shot on April 21. Police public relations officer Acting Inspector Rodney Inniss said Wayne Harewood, 52, of Duncans, St Philip, was sitting in his patio when four men approached and a number of shots were discharged. He received an injury to the chest and two others to the left side of the head. Harewood was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private car and was reported to be in stable condition after undergoing emergency surgery. Officers from District C Police Station responded to the incident which occurred about 8:15 p.m. Investigations are ongoing. (MWN)

THREE ON SERIOUS BODILY HARM CHARGE – Two tree trimmers and a soldier were today granted $9,000 bail each on a joint criminal charge. They are 48-year-old Rene Orlando Pilgrim and 24-year-old Raheem Akeem Grimes both, of 5th Avenue North Lowlands Drive, Friendship Terrace, St Michael and 25-year-old soldier Kyle Akeem Hutson, of Ruth Road, Ellerton, St George. They are accused of causing serious bodily harm to Ryan Gittens of April 17 with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge when the matter was called before Magistrate Alison Burke this afternoon in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. Grimes is charged separately with wounding Theirry Gittens on the same date. That charge is also indictable and he got an additional $8,000 bail on the charge. There was no objection to bail from Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls and the three accused left the court after their sureties were accepted The tree trimmers – Grimes and Pilgrim are represented by attorney-at-law Dwight Moseley while Hutson, the soldier, has Angella Mitchell-Gittens was his legal counsel. They will next appear in court on September 14. (BT)

ALLEGED ARSONIST REMANDED – An alleged arsonist has been remanded to prison until May 19. Christopher Stephen Licorish, of no fixed place of abode, appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today accused of destroying the home of Eugene Licorish and that of Reginald Seifert by fire on April 14. The accused could not plead to the charges in the magistrates’ court as they are indictable. Magistrate Alison Burke , sitting at the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court explained the concept of indictable cases to Licorish who responded: “I sorry it happened ma’am”. The court then explained again why he could not plead to the offence at this time. Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls objected to bail on the grounds that the accused has no fixed place of abode and it would be difficult for police to locate him if he absconds. The prosecutor also pointed to the seriousness of the offences and the likelihood that the accused could re-offend if granted bail. In his application Licorish asked to be granted bail so he could go to the Psychiatric Hospital “to get some work”. He continued: “I could save and pay the person for the house.” His application was denied. (BT)

THIEF PICKS PRISON STAY – Scaling the walls of another man’s residence twice in a bid to steal limes during the Covid-19 curfew has landed a 45-year-old man in jail for the next six months. Tony Ricardo Harris, of Lower Carters Gap, Enterprise, Christ Church pleaded guilty to loitering on Davison Hunte’s premises on April 19 in a bid to commit theft. He also admitted to being outdoors at No 16 Oleander Drive, Enterprise Christ Church, on the same day around 3:30 p.m. without a reasonable explanation when a national emergency directive had been given to people to remain indoors. According to Station Sergeant Glenda Carter-Nicholls the complainant was at home when he observed Harris who he knew from frequenting the area, in his backyard picking limes. He shouted at him and Harris ran and climbed over the wall. However, he did not stay away for long and returned a second time and he again rushed over the wall when the homeowner saw him. He was chased by neighbours but made his escape into the sea. Police later apprehended him. “I went and pick de man limes,” Harris, who is known to the court, told lawmen when he was detained. He appeared in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today. When Magistrate Alison Burke asked him whether he had anything to say in his defence Harris replied: “No ma’am.” He however admitted that he knew what was taking place in the country. “Yes ma’am Covid-19,” he said. The magistrate queried his reason for being outside if he knew the situation, Harris responded: “I was trying to use two limes.” He then told the magistrate that he lived in an abandoned house. The magistrate sentenced him to six months in prison on each charge which will run concurrently. (BT)

JONES FLOORED BY FUNDING WOES –Long before the coronavirus pandemic brought sports around the world to a halt, elite boxer Ajayi Jones experienced a blow due to lack of funding. The 23-year-old 2015 Caribbean Boxing Championships gold medallist was hoping to attend the Olympic Qualifiers in Buenos Aires, Argentina originally set for March 26 to April 3. “I was preparing for the Olympic [Qualifiers] in Argentina but I was not selected to go because of lack of funding. I had the Olympic dream for about two years and when I heard I wasn’t going it shattered me. It almost made me not want to compete for the rest of the year,” he told MIDWEEK SPORT. (MWN)

MALONEY 2ND IN FIRST ESPORTS RACE – British F4 champion Zane Maloney got the better of a midfield battle and grabbed second place in the opening round of the Kokoro Performance iRacing series last Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona. Starting from grid position four, Maloney found himself in a midfield battle and defended second place in the race in which competitors used iRacing’s Dallara F3 cars with a fixed set-up provided by the organisers, and a reverse grid format for close competition throughout the field. The top four remained a closely knit bunch separated by a little more than a second separating winner Dion Gowda, Maloney, Kai Askey and James Pull as they raced over the finish line. (MWN)

PLAN TO HELP ARTISTES AS NIGHTLIFE VANISHES –The disappearance of the entertainment scene as Barbados fights the COVID-19 pandemic has left artistes singing the blues. With the island in curfew mode for almost a month, the closure of hotels and entertainment spots across the island, and the recent announcement that the 2020 Crop Over festival has been cancelled, the Barbados Association of Calypsonians and Artistes (BACA) is now working on a plan to help its members survive the slump. BACA President Sean Apache Carter said in a statement that the current events have presented the association with both a challenge and an opportunity to step up and show its worth through the proposition of revenue-earning initiatives, should the climate allow in the light of COVID-19 and the expected cancellations. Carter said: “These proposals will not only prove beneficial to our members but to the entire music fraternity. We have had cordial meetings with both the Minister Hon. John King and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Carol Roberts-Reifer, prior to the arrival of this pandemic and our position remains the same.” The BACA president noted that as the plans advance, the association eagerly anticipates working with both entities where possible for the benefit of all. He said BACA also looks forward to the stakeholders’ consultations announced by Cabinet to allow for viable solutions. With Crop Over’s cancellation, many soca and bashment artistes will be more significantly affected than calypsonians as they would normally perform at numerous fetes, limes and band launches, and tours normally scheduled for the summer have been cancelled, Carter said. He indicated that until there is a return to some sense of normalcy, or what may become the “new normal”, all entertainers who may have been anticipating the prospects of the Crop Over Festival being postponed in order to mediate the fallout mentioned above, now find themselves in a dire position. Carter further explained that the Soca Monarch and Pic-O-De-Crop competitions undoubtedly provide the biggest payday relative to an individual performance for many artistes. He said this will also have a severe impact on the many dancers from various dance troops who enhance overall performances and presentations in the competitions. He said he also believes that soca artistes will be significantly impacted by the lack of private events associated with Crop Over as generally, only the top three competitors ever walk away with a profit in any given competition. Carter told Barbados TODAY: “We represent a wide cross-section of artistes so our members are impacted at varying levels. One individual has found himself unemployed for the first time in 35 years and having paid NIS doesn’t help him at this time as there is no unemployment for self-employed persons. “A few others have communicated that they are not sure how they will pay their rent at the end of the month or even be able to buy food when the current stock runs out. These are indeed unprecedented times. The entertainment community has been hard hit by the impact of COVID-19. This is three or four weeks many have not worked and don’t know when or where the next job will be.” Carter noted that members who are part-time entertainers and have not been heavily affected by the pandemic are considering to record and release songs during this period of uncertainty. (BT)

The world is facing the rapid spread of the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic. As we continue to do our part in Barbados please remember to stay home but on the days you have to go out wear your masks, practice social distancing (stand 6-10 feet away from each other), practice good daily hygiene, eat healthy, exercise and keep your mind active. There are 254 days left in the year Shalom! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell #coronavirusinbarbados #nationalresponse #dailynews #thechasefilesblog

0 notes

wumbleberry-fc · 7 years ago

Note

All of them :P

1:Full name

Alexander David Walter, but please call me Pete

2:Age

3:3 Fears

I’ll die early and break my promise to my best fried to not die for “many, many years to come,” getting anything- even water- in my eyes or close to my eyes, my parents finding out about my beliefs and kicking me out

4:3 things I love

My best friend, my best friend, and, um, my best friend

My best friend, cuddling/hugging, and being cold

5:4 turns on

Uhh, I only get “turned on” if I haven’t ‘done the deed’ in a while, but I don’t really have any stimuli that can sexually “turn me on” consistently.

6:4 turns off

Honestly? Nakedness. And also…… gosh, I don’t know. My lack of sexual attraction is not helping me come up with an answer…

7:My best friend

My best friend is Rachel and she is a first violin in the top orchestra at my former high school and we met through a school club and we had lunch every day almost all of my senior year and she is the best and I love her

8:Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation? Asexual, or on the Ace spectrum at least.

9:My best first date

Uh, what in my life classifies as a date? I’m so ??? on everything, but….. I’m going to claim that I haven’t had a true first date with anybody. However, I did go to dinner with someone (who was forced to go with me by her parents 1/10 would not recommend at all) before the homecoming dance in my freshman year and the pasta wasn’t terrible and we did have some moments of sustained conversation…

10:How tall am I

6′ 1″ (186 cm)

11:What do I miss

My best friend, getting to eat lunch with my best friend and another of my closest friends every day at school, the high school clubs and band, marching band, my AP Gov class, playing games with people

12:What time were I born

11:55 am on a Monday

13:Favourite color

Onyx, cerulean/cobalt

14:Do I have a crush

I wouldn’t classify anything I have as a crush right now, neither romantically nor platonically

15:Favourite quote

“You’ve got opinions, manWe’re all entitled to ‘emBut I never asked

So let me thank you for your timeAnd try to not waste any more of mineGet out of here fast”

from the song “King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles

16:Favourite place

Next to my best friend. Otherwise, the city where I grew up.

17:Favourite food

A cheeseburger with an egg on it. A bun, a burger patty, american cheese (or cheddar), bacon, an over-easy egg, and lettuce. Plus, I love biting into the burger and then letting the runny yolk drip onto the fries and if I’m lucky, some cheese will also drip onto the fries over time and so I can have cheesy, egg-y fries and they just taste so good

18:Do I use sarcasm

Yeah, I would say so.

19:What am I listening to right now

The ringing in my ears from my hearing damage

20:First thing I notice in new person

Their faces (more specifically, their lips)

21:Shoe size

Men’s 11-12 Wide

22:Eye color

Blue most of the time

23:Hair color

Dirty Blond

24:Favourite style of clothing

Whatever is clean, or if not, whatever I can slip on in a few seconds. Often a T-shirt and basketball shorts

25:Kiss someone that starts with the letter “R”?

Yeah

27:Meaning behind my URL

I play the tuba and wanted to join the Jesus SquadTM

28:Kiss someone that starts with the letter “M”?

29:Favourite song

“She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles

30:Favourite band

Panic! at the Disco

31:How I feel right now

Unstimulated

32:Someone I love

My best friend

33:My current relationship status

Content

34:My relationship with my parents

I’m not all that open with them and don’t feel that it’s worth it at this point to let them into my personal life

35:Favourite holiday

Christmas, honestly. It’s one of the two times I get to see all of my mom’s family, guaranteed, and it’s much better than Thanksgiving

36:Tattoos and piercing i have

None, and I don’t want any either

37:Tattoos and piercing i want

Oh. Well, what I typed five seconds ago still stands, I don’t want any.

38:The reason I joined Tumblr

Uhh, I’m not going to say… Let’s say the puns, yeah, the puns…

39:Do I and my last ex hate each other?

She should hate me, but I don’t hate her. I just feel incredibly guilty…

40:Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?

My best friend and I try to say good night every night.

41:Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?

42:When did I last hold hands?

Sunday

43:How long does it take me to get ready in the morning?

However long it takes to find clothes and get up

44:Have You shaved your legs in the past three days?

It’s been a good two years or so I think, but I want to do it again

45:Where am I right now?

My living room

46:If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me?

I wouldn’t be drunk, alcohol in no way tastes anywhere close to as good as root beer does

47:Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?

However loud it needs to be for me to clearly hear it, and loud if I’m trying to drown out noises I don’t want to hear (the television about once a week average)

48:Do I live with my Mom and Dad?

For 11 more days and then whenever I’m not at college, and we’ll see after I graduate

49:Am I excited for anything?

I’m going to my best friend’s first cross country meet of the season today and so I get to see my best friend today!!!!!

50:Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?

My best friend

51:How often do I wear a fake smile?

Talking about my life or the future or anything around my parents and church friends

52:When was the last time I hugged someone?

Sunday

53:What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?

I’d be really confused but I’d support and accept it

54:Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?

I only fully 100% trust one person, and I’m fairly sure the people I’ve talked to on here aren’t bad

55:What is something I disliked about today?

I once again didn’t do anything productive towards getting ready for college

56:If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

Barack Obama would be pretty neat to meet

57:What do I think about most?

My best friend

58:What’s my strangest talent?

My buddy, I have no clue. Probably making alright sounding composition things with no knowledge of theory or anything.

59:Do I have any strange phobias?

emailing people, talking on the phone with people

60:Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

I don’t like filming, but I also am not the most comfortable in front of a camera at all times

61:What was the last lie I told?

Probably something related to emailing my professor about renting a tuba for band

62:Do I prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Video chatting online is better than talking on the phone, but both are fifth out of five methods of communicating that I detailed up yesterday for my best friend.

63:Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

No, and probably not. I do think aliens exist, but I don’t believe in aliens? Like, it’s rational to think that given the entire space, aliens have to exist, but also any thoughts we have about aliens don’t strike me as believable??

64:Do I believe in magic?

65:Do I believe in luck?

Yes and no, it depends, it switches back and forth. Kinda like if I believe in a monotheist God.

66:What’s the weather like right now?

Recovering from the ash from the wildfires. Also we’re transitioning from summer drought to our rest of the year “This is why Seattle has the reputation it does” weather, slowly but surely over the course of the next month before it truly kicks in mid-October.

67:What was the last book I’ve read?

The last book that I read start to finish every word was probably Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner”

68:Do I like the smell of gasoline?

Not particularly, no

69:Do I have any nicknames?

(Hot) Pete, and my last name

70:What was the worst injury I’ve ever had?

Split open my head and needed a couple stitches when I was 8

71:Do I spend money or save it?

If I had any self-control or discipline, I’d be that rich teenage white boy you hear a lot in the media

72:Can I touch my nose with a tounge?

No.

73:Is there anything pink in 10 feet from me?

Same as yesterday, the stuffed animal, pillow, and folder are all still here and my hot pink tie is still in my room about 40 feet away

74:Favourite animal?

I feel uneasy around pretty much any non-human sentient being, and then most human sentient beings as well. I just… don’t know how to answer this question honestly

75:What was I doing last night at 12 AM?

I was finishing up answering the rest of the asks last night at around midnight

76:What do I think is Satan’s last name is?

Satan is just a myth to scare people into being “better” people, where “better” is just a specific lifestyle dictated by whoever managed to gain influence in the doctrine and teachings of the religion.

His origins also come from a time where surnames and ‘last names’ were not a thing, so Satan is most likely a stand-alone name, much like Plato and Zeus.

77:What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?

“She Used To Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles

78:How can you win my heart?

I’ll be the judge of that. It just… happens. Rachel, Kyle, Grae, Haley, Katie, Hot Luke, and others just……. existed, and then pretty much somehow they just became a big part of my life and I…. I just love them

79:What would I want to be written on my tombstone?

That I was a beloved friend who made a positive difference in their lives

80:What is my favorite word?

Aaaaahhhh! I know so many words, like, more than 5, and there are so many good ones!!!!!! Right now, I’m feeling music as the best word of the moment.

81:My top 5 blogs on tumblr

No. This is so rude. Why? Why must I single out a few blogs and tell the world that the interaction we’ve had isn’t enough for me and that you’re just not special enough to me? I refuse to do this.

82:If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?

“I love my best friend, gay people are amazing, fund the arts, respect the arts, respect people who work the “undesired” jobs, work to protect the environment, and try to do things that make you happy while not harming other people or sentient beings.”

83:Do I have any relatives in jail?

Not that I know of

84:I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?

I’m firmly in the teleportation camp. I hate being late and I’m not a fan of travelling.

85:What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

Hygiene-related questions… please…. I’m working on it…. let me be…..

86:What is my current desktop picture?

The default background

87:Had sex?

No, ew.

88:Bought condoms?

Never actually seen them accept in memes and once during health class in freshman year

89:Gotten pregnant?

90:Failed a class?

Yeah….. and it was the second semester of APUSH too…

91:Kissed a boy?

On his hand, which I’ll count

92:Kissed a girl?

Yeah

93:Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?

94:Had job?

I became a CYO volleyball referee and reffed two seasons so far.

95:Left the house without my wallet?

Often, and since I’ve been driving, only twice (although one was driving up for a the campus tour at the college I ended up choosing, which was about 5 total hours of driving that day, a week after I got my license). I try to remember it when I go out because I saw a few months ago a post on here saying how valuable it is in case of an accident or something and the person has an ID, and I’ve been watching crime dramas for years and having an ID is always good.

96:Bullied someone on the internet?

Good heavens, no!

97:Had sex in public?

No! Ewwww, God that’s even worse

98:Played on a sports team?

I sooo miss volleyball, and soccer was fun too

99:Smoked weed?

I hope to be able to say no until I die

100:Did drugs?

I occasionally took my prescriptions… for like 2 months… whoops

But no, not for the intention of getting high or anything, I hate drugs, even advil and tylenol

101:Smoked cigarettes?

Fuck cigarettes (and no, I haven’t)

102:Drank alcohol?

A drop of an IPA when I was 13 and a sip of a red wine when I was 16 (with parental supervision that time), and nah, it isn’t my thing.

103:Am I a vegetarian/vegan?

Show me a well-prepared vegetable that has a decent flavor and I might be open to eating them more often

104:Been overweight?

Ever since I was like 2

105:Been underweight?

Never

106:Been to a wedding?

I think I’ve been to 5?

107:Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?

what do you think I do every day?

108:Watched TV for 5 hours straight?

So many wasted hours...

109:Been outside my home country?

Not yet

110:Gotten my heart broken?

Actually? Seriously? Like, more than just butt hurt over an infatuation? No, not really

111:Been to a professional sports game?

A couple baseball games

112:Broken a bone?

My ulna and radius, just above the wrist, on my dad’s 48th birthday back in fifth grade when I tripped over my two feet in the middle of our street and landed poorly. We didn’t go to the hospital for like 3 days

113:Cut myself?

Like, as in self-harming? No.

114:Been to prom?

No, freshman homecoming was off-putting enough for me after the aftermath…

115:Been in airplane?

Yeah! Flying is great!

116:Fly by helicopter?

117:What concerts have I been to?

I apparently went to two The Wiggles concerts when I was a baby, and since then it’s only been school concerts

118:Had a crush on someone of the same sex?

I think the desire was enough to elevate it past a mere infatuation, but it wasn’t like a full-on crush if you know what I’m saying.

119:Learned another language?

Not fully… I’m that kind of white person (minus the complete snobbish elitist attitude)

120:Wore make up?

It isn’t bad, but it’s too close to my eyes for me to be comfortable, and it’s wayyy too much work to do like every day just to look better than my meagerness. I’m already bad enough with basic hygiene, this would be too much (although I guess if I cared that much about it it might help this problem…). I’ll gladly wear it for a show, though.

121:Lost my virginity before I was 18?

The concept of virginity is complete bs to oppress women and “weak” men and is only fun in the ‘sacrificing a virgin into a volcano’ trope but even then I don’t like it (again, sex is gross for me, so no)

122:Had oral sex?

I have kissed and been kissed on my lips, various spots on my face, and my hands, and that’s it.

123:Dyed my hair?

124:Voted in a presidential election?

No, but I registered to vote on my eighteenth birthday this year and I voted in the primary elections back in August and I can’t wait to vote in the November elections because VOTING IS IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY IN NON-PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WHEN ONLY A VERY LOW PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION VOTES!!!!! LIKE, IT’S DISAPPOINTING THAT ONLY ABOUT 50% OF THE POPULATION VOTES IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, BUT THAT NUMBER DROPS TO 30-40% IN MIDTERM ELECTIONS AND ONLY 10-20% IN LOCAL-ONLY ELECTIONS (READ: ELECTIONS IN ODD-NUMBERED YEARS) AND THOSE NUMBERS BREAK MY HEART AND WE NEED TO VOTE MORE BECAUSE VOTING IS THE EASIEST WAY TO HAVE SOME LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AND IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE TO BE HEARD AND IF YOU ONLY VOTE IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OR NEVER AT ALL, THEN THE PEOPLE WHO FAITHFULLY VOTE EVERY YEAR, AKA RICH OLD WHITE CONSERVATIVE MEN, ESSENTIALLY HAVE ALL OF THE VOICE IN THE ELECTIONS AND WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE EVERYTHING ABOUT OUR GOVERNMENT DECIDED BY RICH OLD WHITE CONSERVATIVE MEN IF YOU’VE EVER READ ANY HISTORY TEXTBOOK OR REALLY ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD EASILY BE ABLE TO SEE WHY! PLEASE VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION!!!!!!!!!

125:Rode in an ambulance?

126:Had a surgery?

Do stitches count? Otherwise, no.

127:Met someone famous?

128:Stalked someone on a social network?

Too many times, sadly, and sorry

129:Peed outside?

Yeah

130:Been fishing?

131:Helped with charity?

I’ve volunteered with some non-profits, but I don’t think I’ve done so with a quote “charity” unquote.

132:Been rejected by a crush?

Probably? Most things were minor infatuations that I used to think were crushes, so I’m not sure. You could say that the most recent potential qualifier rejected me, but I would beg to differ given things now

133:Broken a mirror?

I was a reckless child

134:What do I want for birthday?

More time to spend alone with my best friend, more time to be with my best friend, a sudden influx of cash (and/or guaranteed financial stability), root beer and food and people to play games with

135:How many kids do I want and what will be their names?

Zero (0). However, if I do have kids, I’d probably adopt them, and I’d probably let them choose their names. Otherwise, I really like the names Luke, Pete®, James, Haley, Sara, Nicole, Alex (particularly for non-binary or female identifying persons), Rachel (though I probably wouldn’t name my kid that bc it’s too special for me), Hannah, and Emily.

136:Was I named after anyone?

My parents don’t say so.

137:Do I like my handwriting?

I’ve spent a long time crafting this efficient style, so yes. Also I have like three style to choose, my Most EfficientTM style, my All Caps (with the first letter taller than the others) style, and my fancy style with all of the tails at the end of the letters, the a like this font has it, the curls, anything I find to be fancy *jazz hands*

138:What was my favourite toy as a child?

Probably my little cars that I would move around on my city roads carpet along with a motorcycle that made had a brief jingle and then a simple noise that was super cool for 6-8 year old me

139:Favourite Tv Show?

Phineas and Ferb, or How I Met Your Mother

140:Where do I want to live when older?

Ideally, somewhere here in my hometown, I just love it here.

141:Play any musical instrument?

I can make a sound, but is it really playing? *suspenseful music crescendos*

142:One of my scars, how did I get it?

My Aunt re-married when I was 8 and the guy had a son a few months older than me, and we babysat him for a month during their honeymoon. Well, this boy wasn’t a good influence on me at all, but that’s beside the point. I thought he was… you know what, that actually is the point, but…. I though he was cool, and he could do things and did things that I wanted to try.

Well, one day, we laid out flat a futon and covered it with all the cushions and pillows from the couch that was also downstairs. Then, he grabbed an exercise ball, put it on the futon, got on it, rolled across the futon over the pillows, and stood up on the other side of the futon when he was done and I was so impressed, it blew my mind that he laid his midsection on the ball and rolled the ball like 6 feet and didn’t move or fall off of the exercise ball as it rolled.

So I tried it. And at the end, I slid off the ball, but not to land. I didn’t know how he stayed horizontal, and it showed, as I fell forward and slammed the side of me head into the corner of a cabinet right next to the far side of the cabinet. It hurt, and so I didn’t try a second time… until he successfully did it again a few minutes later. So I, desperately wanting to do it right and be “cool” like him, tried to do it again.

And I hit the exact same part of the side of my head on the corner of the cabinet again, almost exactly how my run went the first time. After the second hit, my head really hurt, and so I put my hands to my head, ran halfway up the stairs, and began to cry.

Also know that I was going through a phase where I loved to fake cry. I thought imitating the sounds of crying without the tears was one of the funniest things. And my mom hated it. She was a stay-at-home mom at that point, had been from a few months before I was born until my youngest sister entered elementary school with us. And so she was at home all day, every day (hence the babysitting). So, for the two months of summer by that point, my fake crying obsession was driving her up the wall.

Back to the story. Now, I’m sitting on the staircase, hands on my head because it hurts, tears forming in my eyes and my voice beginning to make all the crying sounds that I made when I was fake crying all summer so I guess my imitations were spot on. But after about a minute, I decided remove my arms from my head, and I looked at them, and there were lines of blood all the way from my fingers to my elbows and drops had fallen from my elbows onto my sock, and I shrieked.

I immediately went back down the stairs to the office where mom was on the computer, and the tears were coming almost as steady as the blood, and I was full-out crying. My mom, who was looking at the screen and thus only heard me crying, lashed out angrily, telling me to stop bothering her with that freaking fake crying. That is, until I got her to look at my arms. She took me upstairs and cleaned me up a little, but, while my bleeding slowed significantly, it didn’t stop.

After about 3 hours, my dad came home from work, and the bleeding still hadn’t stopped, and so we went to the hospital. I ended up getting 5 or 6 stitches, and when my hair is cut short enough, you can see the small white line.

That’s the only scar that I definitely know that I have. I haven’t really done anything physically risky since. That’s also pretty much when I stopped crying all that much…

143:Favourite pizza toping?

Extra cheese. Otherwise, sausage.

144:Am I afraid of the dark?

Only if I’m trying to sneak through somewhere and I can’t see where exactly I’m going

145:Am I afraid of heights?

Yeah, I would say I have a mild fear of heights. Specifically if I have to go down somewhere (like downhill slightly and there is a sharp decline on one side), or if I have to jump more than like 3 feet

146:Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?

I’ve been reprimanded for going out for most of the day and not saying anything, just disappearing for like 6 hours on a Sunday morning

147:Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?

I never try my hardest

148:What I’m really bad at

Emailing people I need to, cleaning, hygiene, contacting people, calling people on the phone/talking to people on the phone, doing what I need to do

149:What my greatest achievements are

I graduated from high school, I won an CYO volleyball championship in sixth grade, I won a math competition in 7th grade (by guessing better than 19 other 7th and 8th graders from two different schools), and I…….. I haven’t really done much yet, nothing truly worthwhile (except maybe hs graduation)

150:The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me

I can’t think of anything, really. Although some acquaintances of mine made anti-Semitic “jokes” in front of me during summer camp this year and it bothered me a lot

151:What I’d do if I won in a lottery

I’d buy a large enough apartment to have space to wander around (picture Castle’s apartment from the show Castle, and pretty much like that but a little less opulent and I don’t need all the ornate luxuries around. Just the space of like 5-7 medium/large open rooms with a comfortable bed and a non-cramped bathroom or two, and a nice big kitchen for all the food I’m going to have.

I’d always have root beer in stock, along with some snacks that I like, and I’d have whatever foods my friends like because my closest friends would have invitations to come at literally any time (like, this is for max 6 people), and I’d like to regularly meet up with my closest friends and I’ll treat them to nice filling dinners at the local diners, Denny’s, wherever they want, even McDonald’s or whatever, and I’ll tip really well, like at least $50 dollars because those people are always so nice, and I’ll splurge so much on my friends.

I’d also donate a bunch to all of those people who really need it that I see come across my dash, and I’ll donate a crapload to my high school band because they meant the world to me, and I’d FUND THE ARTS BECAUSE THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT.

152:What do I like about myself

I like that I love the arts and that I play the tuba and that I am getting into writing music and that I write poetry and that I love my friends especially my best friend and I like that I try to be positive and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and that I actively try to make the world a slightly happier place most of the time

153:My closest Tumblr friend

Katie

154:Something I fantasize about

Getting to spend long periods of time with my best friend, having a bunch of money to spend on my best friend, being happy

155:Any question you’d like?

What is your favorite video game that you own that you’ve never seen elsewhere and is likely not well-known at all?

I love the game Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the Wii, and I can play it for hours upon hours for days and not get bored. It’s a really fun game with a long storyline that is entertaining and original, and I just love playing it and have literally only ever seen it at our house since my mom somehow found it and bought it like 7 years ago.

(yes, I made that question up myself)

Thank you for asking all of these!!!!!

(when I copied and pasted it to a google doc in case the computer shuts down and I lose the whole answer, it said that I had 4825 words and it took up 17 pages. So, yeah, this is 4867 words long!)

(And I was right, the everything disappeared and so I had to post it early so I could go back and edit it, so now it’s 4900 words long in total, after editing.)

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naughtykpopthoughts · 8 years ago

Text

Princess: Minho Smut

Based off this request

Pairing: Minho x Reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Content: Minho finally has some time off, insert the rough sex and soft after care +light spanking, choking, cum denial, pet names(he calls you baby/princess and you call him sir)

Written By: Bambi

Authors Note: I’m the worst when it comes to getting request so I’m sorry but I hope everyone likes this including the original requester! If you do(or don’t) like it please send feedback, it's what keeps me alive and motivated.

“Turn over,” Minho's voice was stern and cold as he commanded you. He stood a few feet away from the bed where you laid, fully clothed but working on undoing his belt.

You, on the other hand, laid on the bed in only your bra and panties. A lacey red pair he had bought you months ago when SHINee was on tour in some European country. Although they had been in your closet for months they were only just making their bedroom debut. You wondered if he noticed them. He hadn’t mentioned them when he saw you.

“I said turn over,” Minho repeated himself, his voice a bit louder this time.

You quickly obliged, kicking yourself for not just doing it the first time. You had been gaping at him as if he wasn’t your own boyfriend. It was just that Minho had been so busy recently, filming a movie, filming a drama, having a comeback, prompting them all and smaller things that you barely even knew about. So for months, sex with Minho was barely there and quick when it did happen. Sex with Minho hadn’t been an event in such a long time you felt as if it was your first time with him all over again.

“Ass up, princess,” Minho was now closer to you, at the edge of bed as he spoke, his voice a bit more gentle. “Give me a good view, ok?”

You quickly followed his instructions, raising your hips until your ass was as high in the air as it could be, your head pushed down the sheets. You cursed yourself for not already being in that position. You knew what to do, what Minho liked, but the drought had ended so suddenly you were still a bit frazzled.

Minho had texted you only a half hour ago, telling you that he would be home soon and he wanted you pretty and waiting for him. Minho hadn’t texted you anything along those lines in months and after a while, you had stopped even being hopeful for his promotions to end.

You were lounging in the living room watching some bad reality show with your hair up wearing old clothes while snacking on some new brand of chips you had picked up from the store when he texted. The text made you jump into action, wondering what he had in store for you as you prepared for his arrival.

"You look so good for me,” Minho's voice was low as he spoke, his hands reaching out to part your thighs more, kneading them a bit before his hands traveled more, over the curve of your ass, down your back, momentarily in your hair before they reached your thighs once more.

Your breath caught in your throat at his touches, hands so close to where you needed him desperately. You hadn’t felt his touch in so long it seemed. Although you two hadn’t stopped having sex completely, when you did it was nothing compared to what Minho usually did in bed, it had felt more like mutual masturbation the past few months.

“Princess, are you already wet for me?” he asked, a smirk in his voice as his index finger traced your slit through your underwear, feeling the arousal through them. “And I’ve barely even touched you,” he practically whispered, before he withdrew his hands from near your heat.

“Minho, pl-,” the cry coming from your mouth stopped your sentence short. The cry came from Minho slapping your raised ass harshly without warning. You bit your lip in the aftermath, his hand gently smoothing over the area he hit mere seconds ago.

“Baby, I know it's been a while but you didn’t possibly forget everything.” His voice was gentle. “I didn’t ask you to speak did I?” he asked.

You shook your head ‘no’ but that only caused him to repeat the action again, this time on the opposite cheek, his hand soothing it as if he wasn’t the reason for it needed to be soothed.

“Speak, princess,” his voice was low.

“No, you didn’t ask me to speak, Sir.” you breathed out, your face still flush in the sheets.

Minho nodded. “That's right,” he spoke quietly as he still ran his hand over your stinging bottom for a moment. “But, baby, I understand. It has been a while hasn’t it?”

You make note that the question was rhetorical, biting your lip to keep your response in even though you wouldn’t mind another smack or two landing on your ass.

“I want you so badly, too,” Minho said before moving away from the bed for a moment.

You sighed as you waited, hoping that his last words before moving meant he would stop teasing when he returned to the bed. You heard his pants hit the floor, then you heard the undoing of the buttons on his dress shirt.

“So badly,” he mumbled, mostly to himself once he began moving to the bed again.

You could feel him behind you, now naked except for his underwear. His hands squeezed your hips lightly before they hooked around the waistband of your panties, he yanked them down quickly, grinning once you were fully exposed to him.

“You’re dripping,” he commented as he ran his index and middle finger through your folds, a smile in his voice. “Princess, is this all for me?” he chuckled. “Speak.”

“Yes, sir.” you quickly replied. “I’ve been wet for you since earlier today.”

“Oh, really,” he smiled. “Do you want me inside of you, princess? Do you want me to make you scream?”

You nodded your head furiously at that, hoping that he’d hurry up and just do it already. A moan escaped your lips when he slapped your ass once more, hard.

“Princess, we’re speaking right now, aren’t we?”

“Yes, sir,” you breathed. “And I do want you inside of me, sir. I want you to make me scream, please,” you were breathless as you spoke, trying your hardest to wiggle your ass back onto his bulge but his hands were holding you in place.

He let out a laugh at your desperateness. “Be patient, princess.” He let two fingers slowly enter you, moving steadily. He grinned at your reaction to his small movements, the way your hands balled into the sheets and your mouth fell open, letting out quiet moans.

“Do you like it?” Minho asked, his voice low as he spoke.

He accepted your quick nod as a response, smiling in satisfaction at it even before he bought his head down to your most sensitive parts. Swiping his tongue across your wetness.

You let out a moan as he hummed in satisfaction, loving the taste of you on his tongue for the first time in a long time.

“You taste so good, princess,” he mumbled against your skin and his own fingers, still moving inside of you, directly next to his plump lips. His lips kissed, and played with your clit will his fingers worked.

His tongue moved like liquid, running all over your most sensitive parts. Licking and nipping at your folds. Quickly moving in an attempt to get you off quick.

His movements began to pay off as your breathing picked up. Your moans becoming quick and higher with every stroke of his tongue. The knot in your stomach only just beginning to unravel.

His hands held your thighs in place as you began to move more and more. Wanting to get away and closer to his tongue all at once. His hands squeezing you only made you closer. Your fingers dug into the sheets, your teeth bit deeply into your bottom lip as your orgasm inched closer and closer.

Then suddenly, he was gone. His mouth, his fingers and even his hand that rested on your thigh before was away from your body.

You whined at that. “Sir,” your breathing was shallow as you began to speak. “Why did you stop?” you pouted into the sheets.

He only chuckled a bit from behind you. “Princess, you didn't think you'd be able to come that easily, did you?” the grin was evident in his voice as he spoke.

He smiled even more widely when you didn't respond, moving from the bed entirely once more.

You closed your eyes as you waited for him, trying your best to calm yourself down and prepare for what you knew was about to happen. You listened to his movements as he opened the bedside dresser and fished inside for a condom. He then lazily pushed it back closed before he climbed back into bed behind you. You listened to him silently open the foil package and slide the rubber onto his member.

He then touched you again. His left hand landing softly on your hip, squeezing slightly.

“Princess, do you want me right now?” Minho asked, his voice low, his fingers only ghosting back over your opening once more, dipping in only slightly.

“Yes, sir.” you replied, nodding your head as you felt increasingly more desperate.

With that sentence Minho was replacing his fingers with his cock and inching inside you, letting you slowly stretch around his length and get used to it.

You let out small moans as he slid himself into you, liking the way he felt inside of you.

“Are you ready for me, princess,” Minho asked after he emitted a low groan, feeling your tightness squeezing his member even through the condom that separated you two.

You nodded quickly. “Please, sir,” you said in a moan.

“As you wish,” the sentence was mumbled and soon forgotten as he began speeding up his thrust. Stroking into you as a fast but steady pace.

The room speedily got louder as he went, the mixture of your moans and his groans filling it quickly like water.

He grabbed your hips for leverage for a moment as he thrust into you, going deep with every stroke. He then placed his right hand on your back, applying slight pressure to deepen your arch to go deeper in you.

You nearly screamed at the new angle and Minho let out a loud groan. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he slowed his thrust, eyes closed and feeling your tightness gripping around his member.

He only kept the position for a few moments before he pulled you up. Gripping your hair until your body was flush against him. His left hand pressed into your hips to steady his thrust while his right snaked down from your hair and found home around the front of your neck, squeezing just the right amount.

Your moans were more of quick breaths as he fucked into you, your eyes lidded as pleasure surged through you.

“Princess, are you close,” his voice deep and gravely in your ear also made you come undone in an instant.

But you held on, nodding at his question, knowing that he’s only accepted nodding as a reply when his hand was around your throat.

“I’m close too, baby,” he breathed, kissing up and down your neck as he spoke. “Can you cum with me, princess?”

You nodded once more. “Yes, sir,” you managed out in a ragged breath, ready to cum whenever he gave the say so.

His grunted low in your ear for a moment as he got closer, his thrusts becoming sloppier with every second. Your moans got higher with every thrust and if it wasn’t for Minho's strong hands you would’ve collapsed from the continuous pleasure at this point.

“Cum, princess,” he whispered gruffly in your ear and you obliged within seconds.

Obscenities and his name came spilling out of your mouth and your legs shook, biting your lip and grasping at someone, anything to steady you as you came undone. He wobbled behind you, a series of grunts falling from his lips as he released into the condom, his hand on your neck tightening slightly and his thrust gradually coming to an end.

“Fuck.”

Everything about Minho was soft when he wasn't inside of you. His voice, touch, and looks were softer than cotton especially when he took care of you after sex.

“Baby,” his voice was low and hoarse, his lips pressed into the back of your neck and his arms around you as you both lay in bed. “Do you want to get in the bath?”

You nodded as if you weren't already dozing off. You still craved his touch and a grin found its way to your face once he got up and walked into the bathroom to begin running bath water. You could hear him pouring in bubble bath and other smell goods into the water as it ran, the sweet drifting into the bedroom.

You rolled onto your back, staring at the ceiling as you listened to the soothing sounds of the bath. Your mind was jumping from what just happened to what would happen next. You could still feel Minho's pleasantly rough hands upon you, groping every part of your body in such a callous way, his thrust deep and fast inside of you, his plump lips kissing you, on the back of your neck, your back, everywhere. You could also perfectly imagine the softness that was yet to come.

Before your thoughts could even be completed, Minho was back to the bed, a smile on his face. “It's all ready, baby,” his voice was low and he moved as he spoke. His arms coming under your body to pick you up bridal style.

“You’re so beautiful,” he mumbled as he carried you the short distance into the bathroom. “Especially in the lingerie, I bought you.” He placed you in the tub first, allowing the warm water to fully elope your body. He made sure you were comfortable before he slid in himself, behind you.

He wrapped his strong arms around you and you two stayed like that for a moment, swaying slightly as he held you, leaving a few lazy kisses on your shoulder.

“I love you so much,” he mumbled into your skin finally breaking the silence.

You smiled at that. “I love you too, Minho.”

He also smiled at your words, moving his arms so he could begin to wash you with the washcloth. “I wasn’t too rough tonight, right?” he asked, his voice small and curious. “I know it's been a while but if it was too much for you or-”

“You weren’t too rough Minho,” you stopped him mid-sentence, chuckling slightly.

“Ok, good,” he smiled once more. “Just remember that you can always tell me to stop or slow down or whatever you need to tell me. And I know I’ve told you all of this before,” he said stopping you before you could even playful act annoyed by being repeatedly being told the same thing. “I just want to always know you can, understand?”

“Yes, sir,” you joked, rolling your eyes.

He let out a satisfied sigh. “That's what I like to hear.”

“Minho,” you groaned all while laughing, playfully smacking his arm. Sir was a term only ever used in the bedroom for you two and to say it outside out it automatically would make the both of you usually laugh.

“Ok, ok,” he laughed along with you. “Just one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

“Just one more!” he smiled at you, pulling you back onto him. “I love you so much I can’t even properly put it into words,” he kissed you quickly. “Understand?”

#minho #choi minho #shinee #minho smut #shinee smut #choi minho smut #bambi #smut #kpop #kpop smut

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felidae-charr · 8 years ago

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Why GW2 Just Can’t Keep Me

A mechanics post - holy cow, we haven’t done one of these in a while!

I haven’t fallen out of love with Guild Wars 2, but once again I find myself in a pit of complete disinterest with the game. Ironic considering that there’s an expansion coming out and there’s all this jazz with the Living World stuff, right? And yet here I am, logging into Final Fantasy XIV every single day, being far more excited about Stormblood than I am about the prospective GW2 expansion.

Why is it that GW2 just isn’t able to ever keep my interest? What does this game do that makes me look at it, and say “Eh. Whatever.” and leaves me playing it like a tide - coming and going and never able to just stay playing it? And I know I’m not the only one that has this problem, too.

Today, we’ll be looking at the endgame content of GW2 and why it, for me personally at least, dramatically fails to actually make me care to keep playing.

MMORPGs, in general, follow a very similar formula for their end-game. They all tend to apply a very standard “content drip” that is designed to keep loyal veteran players logging in, while also potentially capturing new players all at once. Many also make use of the infamous Gear Treadmill™ - easily one of the most controversial aspects to MMO games in general that employ the use of them.

Guild Wars 2 follows a similar set up, and yet for some reason of every game I’ve ever played, it is the least capable at holding my genuine interest. Why is this? Why is a game I love so much just so bad at keeping me playing? When I have 58 characters, when I’ve invested so much time and so much money, why then do I still reach these points where I just don’t care?

Well, part of that is because Guild Wars 2 might have a similar set up in the form of a content drip, ArenaNet have never been consistent until very recently (if we’re honest.) Veteran players will remember that, at one point, the game was suffering from a massive content drought with practically no real updates at all aside from the usual gem store nonsense. And if I’m being honest, I still think Guild Wars 2 suffers from content drought really badly, even after every update. Because, if we’re honest... they just don’t add a lot of content in the first place.

The ultimate reality of Guild Wars 2 is that their content drip, though now semi-regular and designed to consistently update the story of their game, still isn’t enough to prevent players from winding up starved of things to do. Dungeon rewards have been gutted to the point of them not worth the time to run any more, and ArenaNet have failed almost majestically at fixing the core problems as to why nobody ran the likes of Arah often or why Twilight Arbor’s Aetherpath went so criminally under-run. They have always been trash at making their dungeons - which are fundamentally fun and well crafted - worth running. And that’s sort of the problem, isn’t it? The Western gaming culture, and especially in MMORPGs, likes to be efficient.

They like to DPS as fast as possible to skip mechanics just because they can and because it makes it go faster. In the same way, we also like to know that if we’re going to spend half an hour in a dungeon, it’s going to be worth our time. If we could spend that half an hour doing something else and making double or triple the reward (with potentially less effort, too) then we would never run the dungeon. It’s a waste. And thusly, the GW2 dungeon team was scrapped, and we haven’t seen a real dungeon in actual, literal years. Content updates don’t give us new ways to play with other players in party-specific dungeon content.

Of course we have the infamous raids, but to be honest, I don’t like the raids in this game. I find that the classes and builds I enjoy playing don’t fit into the raids, which are slowly but surely trying to shoehorn the Holy Trinity of classes back into a game that’s original design was built around scrapping the Holy Trinity completely. I also find that while raids can be fun with friends, raids in GW2 can also bring out the literal worst in players - with people being kicked for not putting up enough numbers on the parser or being kicked because their class just isn’t optimal. Raids, for me, are not endgame content because frankly I don’t care for them.

The new story sections that our content drip in the form of Living World gives us are completed in, at most, four hours. And that’s if you’re playing kind of slowly and exploring. If you’re burning through the story alone, you’re often done in two hours or less. These solo instances are often fun to run once or twice, too, but they quickly become not-worth-running or outright boring because there’s never any change to them and it isn’t like a dungeon where you’re running with new people every time. Eventually these little story pieces just sort of sit there and the only time you play through them again is if you happen to be, I don’t know, farming experience points for masteries on a level 80 character.

And the new maps that we’ve been getting, while also fun for the first few hours, can just as quickly become boring content. The latest map released, Draconis Mons, I actually hated on pretty much every conceivable level. There was too much going on in that map, the mini-map was atrocious and I couldn’t make my way around it without getting lost somewhere, there was so much bloom and bright burning fire and particle effects that my eyes got about as sick shit of the map as my brain did, and none of the events were actually engaging. Kill this, kill that, oh a group event to kill something else. I out and out thought Draconis Mons was the biggest flop of a map ArenaNet have ever released, and I still do.

So what is there for me to actually do? The reality is: nothing.

The content drip that ArenaNet offers is simply not enough, because the reality is that it doesn’t give us anything new that keeps us playing. Raiders will continue to raid, certainly, but I find raiding to have been implemented very oddly and in a direction that seems to be very opposite from the core of the game itself. Similarly, World versus World is still criminally ignored by most of ArenaNet and I haven’t had fun in that basic zergfest for a long time, and PvP is just as neglected to the point that those funny little “tournaments” ArenaNet tried to hold when they wanted to break into the e-sports scene have been cancelled and most of the veteran PvPers basically abandoned the game to find pastures new, with developers that actually cared.

I could log in to do my dailies, but why would I? Dailies do nothing but give me gold, which I in turn don’t spend on anything, because there is nothing I want or need to spend it on. Most of the achievements are either easy to get or a boring grind and there’s rarely a nice middle. Aside from the couple of new ones in the last few Living Story updates, I’ve done every fun jumping puzzle. I have 20 characters at level 80 and I’ve done the Personal Story too many times to be willing to count.

Guild Wars 2 just doesn’t cater to me. And that’s fine, it is under no obligation to - but it also means that I am constantly going through phases where literally any other game is more fun than GW2 is. Final Fantasy XIV Online, for example, has taken me by absolute storm once again. The expansion looks promising, and while there are often several months between content being released in that game’s content drip, they always come with new dungeons, new boss fights, new story elaboration and quests. I still have plenty of side quests to do if I want to, other classes to level, I’m eagerly awaiting the next set of joking silly Hildibrand quests, I get new little emotes to play with, new furniture for housing, and so on and so on. FFXIV also does a fantastic job - in my eyes at least - at making the gear treadmill fairly fun. I always know the minimum rewards I’m going to get from doing all of my dungeon runs in a day, I can plan what to buy when to buy it, I never feel like the game pressures me into needing that gear as soon as possible, and I always have the option to do raids to see if I can get lucky and have gear drop for me instead. Honestly, while I initially fell in love with GW2 because of it’s no-gear-treadmill policy and the abandonment of the Holy Trinity that had always bothered me as a lover of DPS classes, I’m ironically finding that FFXIV is just flat out a better crafted MMORPG that takes a lot more care and puts a lot more effort into making sure end game players don’t just sit around waiting for poor excuses for content.

And that’s why I’m sitting here, staring at the GW2 icon on my desktop relabelled “Fashion Wars” trying to find the will to even log into the game at all for the sake of something silly like screenshots. Which I can also do better in FFXIV, for the record.

I love Guild Wars 2. I love Guild Wars 2 very, very much and it has an extremely special place in my heart, and it will always be one of my favourite games. But once again I’m stuck in that rut where I love the game, but the game really doesn’t love me that much, and I can’t find a reason to log in to even do something as simple as stare at my own characters.

#long post #Felidae rambles #GW2 #Guild Wars 2 #mechanics post #why is the endgame in GW2 so bad #especially the lack of dungeons #i'm really starting to feel that lack of fun party content #world events don't cut it anet

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