#but i might turn it into my main sketcher

[ok-pop-1]

age, my beloved

yes i gave him the champion's leathers. he deserves them. yes i cut his hair. it just felt right lol

[thewordworrier]

Current WIPs - March 2023

I could’ve just listed these, but I thought a little extract would be fun. I’ve already done a post about how many words I’ve written but haven’t published yet. That’s interesting. Okay, under the cut then!

~#~#~ ~ From The DangerDays Fic - also known as The Sandbox Fic [Er, so this thing has massive numbers behind it, so picking an extract was really hard.]

“Was that actually livin’ though, if you think about it? Really?” Party scoffed, moving closer to her. “You shouldn’t knock our way of life until you’ve tried it.” He moved even closer, watching her eye him warily. “You might even like it.”

~#~#~   ~ From The VampireAU [Well, a lengthier “extract” would be the OTPtober piece I wrote - Insecurity.]

"There’s too much change nowadays,” he mumbled. “It’s difficult to keep up sometimes. And I don’t like it. Or at least...”

Shelly tilted her head as he glanced up at her.

“I don't like most of it."

~#~#~ ~ From The Other Vampire AU - also known as the Reverse!Vampire AU

“That mirror isn’t back from the enchanter yet is it?” Shelly asked, peering into the mirror on her vanity table, even though she couldn't really see anything.

~#~#~ ~ From the Stripper!AU [There’s actually a little more to this one but ehhhh.]

“Well,” he ran his hand through his hair before it went back to rest on his hip. “I normally do a little bit of a routine, and my guest gets the best seat.” He paused and looked her up and down again, slowly. “And all of my focused attention.”

Shelly hummed, going pink.

"I want you to be my antidote," Party Poison purred in her ear. "My special guest for the night."

~#~#~ ~ From my CollegeAU - also known as the PolyCollegeAU

“He could share us. We could share him.” He watched her raise an eyebrow. “If he’s into me too. Or, if not, and he’s willing, we could share you?”

~#~#~ ~ From the Succubus AU

“I don’t understand,” he said quietly. “I… Did I inhale something? Am I dreaming? I didn’t think things -”

“Things? Baby I’m not a thing,” Shelly frowned from her kneeling spot on the floor before shrugging. “I mean, I’m not totally human but I’m not a thing.”

He swallowed. “Then what are you?”

“Oh honey, I think you already know the answer to that,” she brushed her hair back over her shoulders and sat up a little straighter. “You summoned me after all.”

~#~#~ ~ From the NormalAU - the Origins segment* [*I say this, because this is... Massive. Of course it is - I’ve got bits that span their whole career filed under “the Normal AU” tag. In my GoogleDocs, not on here.]

"I’d like to introduce you to the best advantage the London office has to offer… Although, I might be a little biased, because she currently works for me. Gentlemen, this is Ashely Sketcher.”

Shelly swallowed slowly as four sets of eyes turned on her before she managed a small smile.

“Ashely, these are the gentlemen of My Chemical Romance -”

~#~#~ Aside from these - these are my main babies, I’ve got a couple of other less worked on things: scenes from a High School AU, the ending chapters for IACIS, alternate chapters for other things, my first attempt at a Vampire AU. But those don’t get much screentime.

[slaysksmska]

The river and the princess

part two

part three

part four

Word count: 2000+

Fxf, lesbian story

hiiiii! this is my first ever fanfic and it’s a lesbian slowburn about the two main characters, Nyla and Nina. It’s set right now when Nina is in grade 6 and Nyla is in grade 7, so there will be NO sexual or inappropriate activity until they are of age. If you like this chapter, check the rest out, on Wattpad.

Summary: When Nina Smith makes the basketball team, along with her bully and ex best friend, Nyla, will she be able to resist her growing attraction for her?

The river and the princess

Chapter one

NINA’S POV:

As I woke up from my old bed sheets, colour now off-white due to wear and tear, I took a glance at the luminescent light coming from the blasting alarm next to me. I groaned in distaste, suddenly realising that I was going to be late for school. I quickly jolted out of my bed and changed into my school clothes, heading to the bathroom to freshen up. I’m not bothered enough to eat breakfast, something I know that my sister, Aleena, will scold me about. I grabbed a piece of toast just for lunch, not wanting to be late, but also not wanting to be under her wrath any longer. I wasn’t going to pay for the overpriced crap they sell at school. As I grabbed my bag and dashed out the door, I prayed I wouldn't miss my bus and was dreading that all the seats might be full because that meant that I would have to sit near Nyla. She’s the bane of my existence, the absolute evil of the world. If you had told me we would’ve ended up like this when I was younger, I would’ve laughed right at your face. Suddenly, I was snapped back to reality by my sister’s annoyed tone,

“Nina, hurry up! We’ll miss the bus!” She snapped before she slammed the front door out of spite.

I rolled my eyes at her tone and headed towards the front door, almost tripping over the laces of my black and white Sketchers sneakers. Still stumbling, I finally reached the front door and opened it slightly to ensure I didn't wake up my baby sister, something my sister, Aleena, should be more aware of. I was greeted by the familiar and comforting faces of my two best friends, May and Zoe. My other best friend, Niyyah, doesn’t go on the bus, since she lives right next door to the school. For some odd reason, I find myself relieved by this fact. She’s been giving off some strange energy and has been quite distant nowadays, and I find myself wondering if I did anything to upset her. Maybe she's just going through something, I hope that’s all. 

As I walked to the bus stop, I felt something—someone, pull me back. It was Nyla and her friend group, which consisted of my sister, Aleena, and three others named Samara, Maria, and Noreen. Nyla’s the leader of the friend group, but they’re all equally mean. I never understood why my sister said nothing about how they treated me.

“If you’re going to walk that slowly, then get out of the fucking way”, she spat at me, rudely, as she pushed me to the grass on the left of the sidewalk

Thankfully, I had a soft landing on the lush grass, covered in the slight mildew from the morning rain. As they walked away laughing at some stupid joke she made about me, I saw my sister turn around and mouth an apology at me, a look of guilt flashed upon her face. I don’t know why she doesn’t find new friends or stand up to them. She claims that she cares about me, but she lets them make fun of me every day. Of course, I try to stand up for myself, but Nyla always shuts me down. She just knows exactly what to say to annoy me, which makes me do something irrational and immature. I hate how she knows me so well and can read my emotions like a book. I don’t know how it all came to this, we used to be so close but Nyla had to go and ruin it all. 

*FLASHBACK TO KINDERGARTEN* 

Nina played not so gracefully in the sand, not caring if her clothes got dirty, after all, she was just a little girl, at the peak of her innocence. Not a care in the world, she was happy, having the time of her life with her best friend, Nyla. The two played together for what seemed like forever and they were inseparable. You could always find them together, whether it be during class, playing on the seesaw, or making sandcastles in the sandbox, it was guaranteed that where you could find one, you’d find the other. 

As Nina added the final details to the sandcastle, she suddenly saw a giant foot crush through it, hitting the middle which caused it to fall apart. She looked up and saw the new girl, Aliyah, standing over the broken sandcastle with a victorious smirk. She shamelessly flipped her brown hair over her shoulder as she laughed. She was angrily pushed to the ground before she could utter a single word. When Nina glanced over to the culprit, she spotted a fuming Nyla with her fists clenched as she crossed her arms. Aliyah sprung up from the sandpit and jumped on Nyla, hitting her square in the face with a decent punch. Nyla brushed the sand off her face with ease as she sent an equally, if not, stronger punch in Aliyah’s direction while Nina watched in horror. Nina hastily got up to her feet hoping she could do something but unfortunately, she was a second too late as Nyla delivered a powerful blow to Aliyah’s stomach, knocking her down and soon enough, the teacher caught wind of the ongoing fight and rushed, over putting a stop to it all. Nyla was taken away by the teachers back inside and punished accordingly, just like Aliyah, for her actions. 

Nina was worried sick all recess for her best friend Nyla. She was practically biting her nails off as Nyla came in through the door. The class fell silent as Aliyah and Nyla made their way to their seats. Aliyah was bawling her eyes out and Nina took a wild guess on why she was crying as she glanced down at her slightly bloodied knees. Nina quickly rushed over to her best friend's seat by the other Senior Kindergarteners. Nina was on the verge of tears as she was extremely worried for the sake of her best friend.

“Why did you do that, Nyla? Now you’ve gotten in trouble.” Nina yelled at Nyla.

“You don’t get it, she was being mean and had no right to do that! You worked hard on building that.” Nyla responded timidly, trying to hide her anger and distaste for Aliyah.

“Worked hard? It’s just a sandcastle, I could’ve just rebuilt it, now look what you’ve done!” Nina was seeing red and trying her best to be level-headed with the girl.

“It doesn’t matter! She can’t disrespect you like that, I won’t let her! Nobody gets to bully you and if they try to, I’m going to stand up for you, since you’re too shy to do it yourself.” Nyla said, suddenly bursting out with emotion as she stood up and walked away, leaving Nina confused and alone.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

As I became aware of my surroundings, realising that I was still outside with my friends who were beside me in a flash, I wondered how long I was on the ground as Zoe helped me up. I heard May mutter something about how stupid and ignorant they were while Zoe was glaring at them. I thought to myself about how ironic it is that she said she’d always protect me from bullies but now she’s one, while rolling my eyes. 

“You can’t just let them walk all over you like that! You need to stand up for yourself!” May said, clearly agitated. 

Zoe nodded beside her, arms crossed with a stern look. I was quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond. Then I answered her with a shy and unsure response.

“I don’t know, I just can’t! Every time I say something, they always find ways to twist my words and make fun of me even more. It’s better just not to provoke her, you know how popular she is, if she wanted to, she could make my school life a living hell! So, I just stay quiet and hope she becomes bored of me and finds someone new to harass.” I said as I shrugged my shoulder and sighed tiredly

“Well, that needs to change, right now!” Zoe yelled.

My eyes widened in shock, as I looked towards May, who also had the same expression, not expecting Zoe of all people, to burst out like that. We were all quiet, too stunned to speak until May pointed out that we passed the bus stop and had to go back. All of the other kids were already lined up, so we were at the end of the line and would end up with the worst seats. The ones next to the driver. They always make awkward small talk and share brief eye contact with you. 

The giant, yellow bus doors opened abruptly and we started piling up into the bus. About 30 seconds later, we got in. May, Zoe, and I looked for any empty seats but were met with dozens, upon dozens of rows, all full. There was only one empty two-seater towards the middle as well as a one-seater in the back so we all rushed to the two-seater. We were skinny and could easily fit, even though it would be a tight squeeze. As we sat down, the bus driver made eye contact with me and started scolding me for the dangerous behaviour of running in the bus.

“Also, two seats are made for two people! It’s in the name! Girl in the blue sweater and black jeans, move to the back!” The grumpy, middle-aged woman yelled at me.

I’m not sure if it was because I was the one in the aisle and it would be easier for me out of all of us to move there, or if it was because she wanted to spite me. Either way, it annoyed me. I carried my heavy bag to the back and a feeling of dread sat low in my stomach. The older kids always sat at the back of the bus, which meant I’d sit in front of Nyla and her friends. Just as I thought I’d escaped her, she was right back in my face again.

As I went to sit down, although it was not a far walk, one of her friends, Maria, thought it would be funny to put her foot out in the aisle and tripped me. Luckily, I didn’t fall but instead stumbled over my own feet as I regained my balance and sat down. My cheeks were probably a faint red from embarrassment. I noticed giggles behind me while I felt somebody grab my hair and pull it hard before I could even react. The whole backseat erupted in laughter. I felt so humiliated as I stole a glance at May who looked at me with pity. The rest of the bus ride went by so slowly that I kept hearing them ridicule me for my choice of clothes. I was mad. Mad at Nyla, mad at her friends, mad at the bus driver, and more importantly mad at Aleena. Why did she never defend me and always let her friends bully me?!

“Guys, guys, guess what?! Eshaan asked me out, yesterday!” A familiar voice said

“Oh my god, Nyla! You’re so lucky, he’s so fucking hot!” Noreen said.

“Exactly! Like every girl in our school wants him!” Samara added

Ew. I’ve never understood the hype, I thought to myself, still embarrassed. Boys are cute but I never would’ve imagined myself with one. As we entered the front of the school, we all boarded off and headed through the doors. Finally, hell is over. I caught up with my friends and told them all of the gossip I heard from the girls behind me. May and Zoe felt super bad for me, but I’ve gotten used to it. Now we’d have to find Niyyah and meet up with her.

[tack-tick]

Dream SMP Pokémon Take Two!

Basically, a while back I made a list of matching pokemon to SMP members and I decided to redo it! No real lore in this, this is just a list matching pokemon to SMP members and notes on each of them. Nobody shares lives or anything, just ignore the stuff from my previous post. Also no images this time. Also it is very long.

Tommy

Primeape- Chosen because it’s the pokemon that gets so pissed that it dies, which I think fits perfectly. His main pokemon. Nicknamed Clementine. Was imprisoned by Dream from Tommy’s exile until Dream was sent to prison. Has as hot of a temper as it’s trainer.

Miltank- You know, cows. The first Pokemon Tommy got on the SMP. Might be dead but got brought back to life. Didn’t die again because fuck that. Nicknamed Henry.

Linoone- Was hiding out in Techno’s basement when Tommy found it as a Zigzaggon. Was Tommy’s only pokemon for a while because Clementine got taken by Dream when he was exiled. Evolved during the final fight with Dream. Got called Thief by Techno and it responds to that as it’s nickname

Timburr- Saw Tommy building his hotel and wanted to help. His youngest pokemon. Nicknamed Ellie.

They all temporarily stay with Tubbo and Ranboo while Tommy is dead in the prison

Tubbo

Vesiqueen- His main. A strict but reasonable commander to the rest of the team. Raised with Beedrill. Nicknamed Spins

Beedrill- Got caught as a weedle shortly after L’Manberg was founded. Nicknamed Spunz. Tubbo found a mega stone for it and they’re training with Puffy in order to master mega evolution. Serves as co commander along with Spins. More carefree

Alolan Vulpix- Tubbo found it alone in it’s nest shortly after he moved to Snowchester. It didn’t have an family around so Tubbo kept it. Nicknamed Snowball

Koffing- Tubbo found it after he launched his first nuke at the test site. It was eating the radiation and decided to stick with Tubbo in order to get more. Has a tendency to explode at bad times. Nicknamed Nuke.

Ranboo

Chatot- His main Pokémon. Nicknamed Chatterbox. Helps Ranboo remember things by squawking words to him like a parrot. Thought bitch was a common greeting to people at the beginning due to hanging out with Tommy. This resulted in poor Ranboo who was already nervous about meeting Techno and Philza. Then, Chatterbox just flew up, looked them in the eyes, and said “Hello, bitches!” To the embarrassment of Ranboo. Sassy and mouthy, especially to Dream.

Glaceon- Came to Ranboo as an Eevee becasue it noticed that Ranboo had an ice stone in its house it needed to evolve. It got along with Chatterbox so Ranboo took it in. Nicknamed Jonald. One of the calmer pokemon on the server and likes to meditate in the snow

Michael

Torchic- His only pokemon right now. Nicknamed Torchy by Michael. Tubbo and Ranboo’s pokemon are very protective of it. The youngest pokemon to be owned on the server.

Philza

Drampa- Philza’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Gramps. About as old as Philza is but still plenty strong. You don’t mess with Special attack of 135. Acts as a father figure to pokemon it is friends with.

Honchcrow- Nicknamed Kristin. Philza claims it is named after a person he knows. No one knows who that is though. Has bossy tendencies and loves to be praised

Rookidee- Saw Kristin flying and admired it. Followed it home and came into Philza’s house. Philza thought it had a good amount of determination and decided to train it. Not nicknamed yet because it’s new.

A murder of Murkorws- A horde of Murkrows who follow Kristin’s and Philza’s command. Philza calls them Chat. They come and go. They like to bring shiny things to Philza’s house.

Technoblade

Emboar- Nicknamed Floof, in his offense he was like five when came up with that nickname. His main. Raised it from a Tepig. Calls it Emboar during more serious situations. Very close to Gramps. Just as cocky as Techno is but is also one of the strongest pokemon on the server.

Mudsdale- Nicknamed Carl. Got him as a mudbray soon after he came to the SMP. Evolved right before The Red Festival. Would like to retire but is still willing to fight. Loves to take Techno on fast rides on the snowy plains.

Cubchoo- Got it after he left to the snow biome. It just showed up at his door every day. and wouldn’t leave. So, Techno named it Steve and trained it. Steve got taken hostage by The Butcher Army. Is having trouble evolving but still tries to threaten pokemon that are way bigger/stronger than it is.

Wilbur

Braviary- Nicknamed Hamilton. Wilbur’s main and only pokemon. Technically belonged to Phil after Wilbur died but it disappeared until Doomsday. Came back at Doomsday to defend L’Manberg. Stayed with Ghostbur and then Wilbur again when he came back to life

Ghostbur

Mareep- Nicknamed Friend. Ghostbur’s only pokemon. Belongs to Wilbur since Ghostbur is gone.

Dream

Ditto- Nicknamed Spirit. Dream’s only pokemon becasue he didn’t want too many attachments. Dream wasn’t treating it well after he sent Tommy to exile. It ran away after Dream was sent to prison. The poor thing was found in the woods by Puffy and is staying with her.

Eret

Aegislash- Nicknamed Lancelot. Eret’s main. Has the attitude of a knight. If it could talk, would have a French accent

Serperior- Nicknamed Jade. Heard of this king as a servine and wanted to be a royal. Quickly learned that it wasn’t all glamour. Haughty but has a good heart. Evolved right before Doomsday.

Fomantis- A former friend of Jade who wants do evolve. Eret named it Ruby and took it in. Shy and prefers the quiet. Gets easily startled.

Badboyhalo

Houndoom- Nicknamed Rat. Bad’s main Pokémon. A softy and a bit of a scaredy-cat despite its appearance. Is acting more aggressive than normal after getting possessed by The Egg. Doesn’t have the training to mega evolve.

Exeggcute- Bad saw if after getting possessed by The Egg and immediately took it in because eggs. It doesn’t really care what Bad does as long as it is cared for. Nicknamed Sunny. Not possessed but doesn’t give a crap

Yveltal- Might have a vague connection with Bad? If anything’s gonna be in The Egg it’s this thing. It’s inside The Egg and ready to hatch out.

Skeppy

Sableye- Skeppy’s main. Nicknamed Fluffy. Best friends with Bad’s Rat. Used to be energetic and mischievous with a love of pranks. Got possessed and now is much more mellow and apathetic. Doesn’t have the training to mega evolve

Carbink- Skeppy saved it when he found it lost in the mines. Thinks of itself as Skeppy’s butler to some extent. Used to be a voice of reason to Fluffy and Skeppy. Nicknamed Alfred. Has become apathetic like Fluffy and Skeppy after getting possessed.

Karl

Galarian Rapidash- Karl’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Socks. It’s mane sometimes turns white due to traveling with Karl. While Karl has tried to leave it behind before it always comes with him. Has a love of exploring. Optimistic.

Xatu- A Pokémon that came to Karl after he started time traveling. Nicknamed Rutabaga. Generally friendly but acts aloof and strange at times. Seems to not like The In Between that much.

Celebi- Only appears to Karl in the In Between and wherever he time travels to. Serves as a kind of guide to him and helps defend him, such as at The Masquerade. Has never appeared to him in the main SMP.

George

Slaking- George’s main. Nicknamed Beckerson. Could be one of the most powerful Pokémon on the server if it bothered to train. Very protective of Glow and Spirit.

Morelull- Gifted to George by DreamXD. Nicknamed Glow. Sleepy and absent minded.

Sam

Rotom- Sam’s main. Nicknamed Pandora. Has the prison named after it. Loves zipping through red stone wires. Can serves as emergency control of The Prison if needed. Sam fears Pandora will get hurt if he tries this so he hasn’t let Pandora do much with the prison’s red stone. Pandora is very disappointed by this.

Midday Lycanrock- Nicknamed Fran. An old stray that Sam found. Can’t fight very well but is very good with emotional support.

Magearna- Built by Sam to protect Tommy and his Pokémon. Nicknamed Nook by Tommy. Naturally protects and supports Tommy. Helps to build the hotel. Is a strong fighter but would much rather talk things out. Motherly to Tommy’s Pokémon.

Sapnap

Pyroar- Sapnap’s main. Nicknamed Mars. Will intimidate other Pokémon by swallowing Magicarp live and in one gulp in front of them. Still sits in Sapnap’s lap sometimes like it’s a Litleo and crushes him every time.

Pangoro- Gained as a Pancham when Sapnap first came to the SMP. Nicknamed Sketchers. Loves to spar with Sapnap and Mars.

They’re both protective of Spirit after it was abandoned

Niki

Alcremie- Niki’s main Pokémon. Ruby swirl with strawberry sweet. Nicknamed Fungi. A sweetheart but can still fight very well. Especially if you’re a dragon type

Floette- Was gifted to Niki by Puffy as an egg. Nicknamed Niki Jr. Delicate and has a love of growing flowers and edible plants. Provides fruits and vegetables for Niki to cook with. Vaguely remembers Puffy but it misses her

Meowth- Nicknamed Shy. Contrary to the name, it’s very energetic and has a love of gold. Stole a ton of golden apples from Techno one time during a syndicate meeting.

Jack Manifold

Magnezone- Jack’s main Pokémon. Nicknamed Godzilla. Tough and helps Jack try to strike Tommy with lighting. Almost always misses. Temporarily stayed with Ant until Jack came back. Hah rhyming!

Golett- Started hanging around Jack after he was revived and Jack caught it because why not? Nicknamed Robo. A bit creepy.

Wobbuffet- Nicknamed Rocket. Found alongside Niki’s Shy. The two of them are very close. A bit unintelligent but it is loyal to it’s friends.

Quackity

Empolean- Quackity’s main. Nicknamed Ossium. Generally fun loving but can show a serious side. Froze Schaltt’s feet to the ground once and still has no regrets. Holds a grudge against Karl for forgetting Quackity.

Ducklett- Was owned by Quackity before he came to the SMP. Nicknamed Chip. Refuses to evolve. Serves as a mascot of sorts for The Casino. Doesn’t get into many fights but is good for scouting.

Sandile- Saw a poster asking for tough bodyguards for the casino and showed up at Quackity’s house. Quackity hopes to evolve it to an insanely tough Krookodile. Nicknamed it Wild Card. Very tough and always looking for a fight.

Ossium and Chip used to be close with Karl and Sapnap’s pokemon but they’ve drifted apart due to circumstances

None of them helped Quackity torture Dream because Quackity didn’t want them to get involved in case it got dangerous

Fundy

Delfox- Fundy’s main. Nicknamed Sally after his mom. Was given to him as a Fennekin by his mom. Tends to have nightmares like Fundy does. Used to look up to Hamilton before it left. Holds a grudge against Wilbur. Loves to do magic tricks with fire.

Munna- Fundy woke up to it floating beside his bed. After freaking out for a little bit, he realized it liked to eat his dreams because of their flavor. Decided to catch it. Nicknamed Leonard or Leo for short. Likes to sleep and sometimes gets blown by the wind too hard and floats away. Helps Fundy sleep.

Nickit- Got caught stealing from Fundy one too many times. Eventually, Fundy noticed it was sick and took care of it. They got along and Fundy decided to take it in. Nicknamed Apples. Still likes to steal just not from Fundy. Thinks of itself as a master thief.

Foolish

Sharpedo- Foolish’s main. Nicknamed King Toad. Very old but still very strong. One of the few Pokémon on the server capable of fully utilizing Mega Evolution.

Cofagrigus- Been with Foolish for as long as King Toad has been. Nicknamed Cleopatra. Married to King Toad. They’re good at battling together.

Tirtouga- A fossil that Foolish revived. Nicknamed Foolish Jr. Still learning how to battle from King Toad and Cleopatra. Feels guilt for being unable to protect Foolish at The Red Banquet.

Kyogre- Foolish also owns The Blue Orb which allows him to have a partnership of sorts with Kyogre. He can use it to attempt to summon it from the seas. Wether Kyogre decides to come or not is basically random.

Puffy

Audino- Puffy’s main. Nicknamed Cottonball. The closest thing to a therapist this server’s gonna get. Can effectively use Mega Evolution and did it at The Red Banquet.

Swirlix- Gifted to Puffy as an egg by Niki. Nicknamed Bubbles. Loves to eat. Misses Niki’s treats

Dhelmise- A Pokémon that mysteriously showed up at Puffy’s house one day. It led her to her old ship. Appears to know more about Puffy’s past than it lets on. Nicknamed Blitz.

Currently has ownership of Spirit after Dream was put in prison.

[datawyrms]

Part 1 is here for context. Unless you want to be as out of the loop as Val is!

Following Tucker and Sam was much harder than breaking into an unguarded house. Talking with them at school was pointless. She couldn’t go talking about ghosts without blowing her cover. She couldn’t go following them in full ghost hunting gear either, she didn’t usually care to be subtle in it. They had to know something about how Phantom suddenly was all ‘buddy buddy’ with ghost hunters that hated him as much as she did. They helped the ghost, and she was pretty sure Danny knew about it too, but was smart enough to stay away. That worthless bit of protoplasm and her friend’s disappearance had to be connected in some way.

Really, it would be better if they weren’t connected, but the ghost had probably kidnapped him in exchange for help, or something equally nefarious. So she had to put up with lurking creepily at the Nasty Burger, trying to overhear the duo’s chattering.

“I’m just saying, next time there’s a fight I’m ‘accidentally’ missing.” Sam marked her threat with a jab of a carrot stick, which only made Tucker look more alarmed.

“How about we don’t do that. He’d throw a fit if he found out.”

“Who’s gonna tell him? You?” she rolled her eyes, but relaxed more into her seat. “We don’t even know how much time that cost him, that’s worth a little payback.”

“Well yeah,” Tucker hesitated, looking away from his meal. “I’m mad too. But it wouldn’t help anything. If it would I’d shoot first.”

“I hate it when you’re right.”

Nothing useful. She’d never get why they seemed so obsessed with Doomed. Their best friend was missing! Well, they could just be keeping their minds off it. She still had to suppress a groan of frustration. This would be so much easier if Sam and Tucker hadn’t turned out to practically be ninjas when it came to slipping away unnoticed. She had no idea when they’d gotten so good at that, it was one thing to be easy to overlook, but they took it to an entirely more annoying level.

Ignoring a ghost to idle nearby was practically torture. Battlesuit on and ready to go, but she was intentionally staying on the ground and waiting. Because she knew Sam and Tucker had been showing up, or at least nearby when the proximity alarm warned her of one of the dead pests. She’d step in after they showed up, and try confronting them.

She had not expected Tucker to practically charge at two headed green fox-looking thing, firing surprisingly accurate shots for a moving target. The fact that Sam caught it moments later with a thermos only made her realize then that the techo-geek had been leading the ghost to her, not actually charging blindly.

Tucker tucked away the small ecto gun, replacing it with his PDA in seconds. “Yeah dude. We got em. We told you it’d be fine.”

“Remind him we could knock him senseless right now and he should be RESTING.” Sam grumped, shoving the now closed thermos in her backpack.

“He says he’ll rest when he’s dead.” Tucker suppressed a snort at the glare Sam shot the PDA.

“That’s it, I’m going to go kill him now then.”

“You know how he copes- shut up Danny I’m trying to keep you alive here-”

“And you know he doesn’t know how to shut up.”

“Point.”

He was talking to Danny? So he’d been found? Not in good condition judging by the resting comment, but it didn’t fit in quite right. Sam was the strongest of the trio by a considerable margin, she could probably ‘knock him senseless’ any day of the week. Maybe he’d started working out? Not that it helped, he was still doing his best stick figure impression. She’d meant to show herself before now, act as if she’d been tracking the ghost. If Danny was back though...did she need to bother? Of course she did. Back up a bit, get on the board...and they’d have no idea she overhead them.

“Are you two alright?”

Sam scowled up at the ghost hunter above “No thanks to you.”

Of course Sam was hostile, that was just Sam when she decided you were against her. The fact Tucker wasn’t looking all that grateful was more of a surprise. He usually only got angry if she was actively fighting Phantom, since the two just decided that ghost was ‘good’.

“We’re fine. Thanks.” his voice was terse, but not dripping scorn.

“Where’s your ‘friend’?”

Sam looks at Tucker and gasps. “Where did you come from!”

“Your ghost ‘friend’.” Urgh. Even entertaining the idea a ghost could be a friend tasted foul on her tongue. 

“You’d probably know more than us. We don’t have a tracker.” Tucker shrugged, pocketing his PDA even though it seemed to be beeping.

“Not that we’d tell you anyway. Tell the ghost hunter where your friend, who is a ghost is! Sounds like a great idea!”

Maybe expecting help from these two had been a bit optimistic. Moreso if the main reason she’d expected they might turn on the ghost was gone. “You can’t seriously trust the ghost after they bailed on you for this long.”

“You’re the one telling ghosts they don’t belong over here. Make up your mind, hothead.” The goth was already rolling her eyes, throwing an arm around Tucker’s shoulders as if to drag him away.

“They don’t. But for someone who wants to be a hero so much, he’s leaving you two to do a lot. Can’t you see it’s an act?”

“It’s not his fault!” Tucker’s shout was strong, and unexpected.

“Tucker.” Sam hissed.

“I know, I know!” he adjusted his glasses hastily, leaning closer to his friend as he muttered something Val couldn’t catch. They were doing their best to disengage by turning tail and walking away, but she wasn’t in the mood to take the hint.

“So you do know something.”

“Nothing we’re sharing. Bye!” Sam didn’t even look back. 

“I know it’s somehow tricked the Fentons, did you two have something to do with that?” Surely their sympathy to an unfeeling ghost didn’t run that deep, but if she could at least bait them into answering…

“Don’t you have a ghost to threaten or something?”

Tucker remained silent, shoulders tense, back to fiddling with his PDA.

“I can make time for that menace.”

The boy stopped walking, sharing a glance with Sam. Whatever passed between the two she was clearly against, judging by the shaking head, but he apparently wouldn’t be moved.

“Hey. It’s for you.” He lifted the PDA, gesturing for the ghost hunter to get down. Yet when she came down to reach for whatever he wanted her to see, he gave a stern look before letting go. “If you don’t want to talk, don’t say anything. Got it?”

The PDA had a call running, she could tell that much. Still, raising the blocky thing to her helmet did feel somewhat silly.

“You want to talk now, huh?” The chill causing echo was only worse over the little speaker, and it took an effort to not try and crush the little device in her hand. “He thinks I’m nuts, but hey. Who isn’t in this town.” Phantom sounded off. The bravado was there, but it sounded more forced than usual,

“Are you actually going to answer?” She could always waste him after talking.

“Better question is if you’ll listen. Anyway, stop stalking my friends. If you want to talk, just come to the Fentons. And knock this time? I shouldn’t have to say no weapons, but this is you. So no weapons.”

“And how should I know you won’t try anything?”

“Well since you’ll knock, you can just ask one of the Fentons to come with you. Not that you’ll have to, they’ll probably want to come anyway…” he trailed off. “Oh. Invite expires in a week.”

“Now you’re setting a time limit?” This was just sounding sketcher by the second.

“Yuuup. Show up or don’t. Just keep your beef with me away from my friends.”

She handed the PDA back to Tucker, who still didn’t look enthused with the situation. “Are you sure about this?... Don’t say stuff like that.” he frowned, shoving the PDA at Sam “Yell at him for me.”

“Can do.”

The whole exchange was weird. It was something she’d need to think on, the ghost just admitting it was up to something and would explain, and how Sam and Tucker were acting as if something was wrong, as if some ghost could be fragile and needed human friends to look after it. It still felt like a trap of some sort, but she didn’t really want to listen to Sam tell something dead about the importance of self care and an irritating volume, so she made herself scarce.

One week open invitation. Did she really want to take it? Not if Danny was back. She’d decide after confirming he was alright first...

[chochote-sijali]

I'm simply blogging about the reason I got into drawing and writing (both influenced heavily by Naruto lol), and how I might get back into both again. None of what I say is of any importance (as usual lol), so no need to pay attention to this very long post.

Watching Naruto had always inspired me to write my own work. Honestly, Naruto as a whole is an amazing world of ideas but of course, many things in Naruto got confusing and downright dumb after the Pein arc (or Pain, however people wish to spell it). I still haven't watched any of the later episodes in the anime because I grew up on the manga and I wasn't gonna put myself through that torture again (plus, the fillers).

Despite all that, Naruto inspired me to draw since I was 9 or 10. I always drew beforehand but never to the extent of 5th grade fanart. It inspired me to be a cartoonist someday, or a book illustrator, as well as a writer of my own art. By 7th grade, I was writing tons of comedies based on the characters of Naruto. My friend always liked to read them, so I had a "special" notebook (an older, unfinished school notebook from 6th grade lol) that I would write them in. I never used to ship Deidara and Sasuke but I always found the shipping to be amusing, so they were the main focus of my comedy which included the action of the whole family as well as family life.

My best friend, the one reading and loving my work, always seemed to push me to be an animator or cartoonist. Everyone in class was aware of my art but the only people who supported me were my teacher, my art teacher, and my best friend. I was ostracized and at the butt of people's jokes throughout 5th to 12th grade, so I identified with Naruto's character. I had watched multiple other anime since I was a toddler of 2 or 3, but never did I feel the passion for art and writing like I did after watching Naruto.

Years and years of sketching helped me improve my character art, but I always felt inferior. As I got older, most people around me would criticize my ability to stay on top of my schoolwork. And I would rebel, focusing all my attention, all my anger, all my depression into drawing. I was going to be an artist. That's what I wanted. Mainly because that's what people supported me on. Other than my school writing and math skills, it was the only thing people supported me on that I wasn't bashed about.

But that changed when people became less supportive as I grew older. I used to draw dozens of drawings in a single day. I'd finish my work every 30 minutes just to draw another one for another 30 minutes. But my own mother called my drawings useless and said I needed to focus on my schoolwork. Why should I when I couldn't even get passing grades? I was criticized on my ability to do schoolwork but praised for my artwork, what would drive me to do better at school? But despite all my arguments with my mother and others, my interest in art started to fade; it was true: my drawings were useless and served no purpose.

I kept watching Naruto throughout high school, but I became uninterested in a lot of different types of manga I loved to read. No more tragedies. No more slice of life. No more action. No more romance. That meant fanfiction wasn't an option either. I'd given up. I told myself I wasn't even that great of a sketch artist anyway. Heck, I couldn't even bring myself to call myself an artist; people would call me that and it rubbed me the wrong way because I saw myself as doing nothing more than a hobby. I was a sketcher, that was all. I was still drawing, but I drew less and less every day. The pride in my work sinking.

So I turned to writing. It was my last resort. I had focused on my writing skills since I was in 10th grade. That was going to save me. Writing meant I could write BS analysis papers and still get high marks. And it meant that I could write as many depressing stuff as I wanted without having to reveal myself as a writer to others. People would look over my shoulder when I'd draw, but when I'm writing, they can't do that. They can't see my extremely tiny scribbles on college-ruled leaf. They couldn't read what I wrote unless they picked it up (which was hard to do, considering I kept all my work, drawings and writings, on my person almost at all times).

I wrote almost every day, and it was with a newfound passion I didn't have since 8th grade when my best friend in elementary encouraged me. To this day, I consider my best work to be a freestyle (yet rhyming) poem about Satan and his unlucky relationship with God. It dealt with the hypocrisy of the religion I belonged to; I still believed in God back then, so this was a powerful and emotional poem for me. I grew up believing I was some burden on God's shoulders, even once writing a prayer that he doesn't have to carry me anymore. So writing that poem where Satan was more pitiable, where he should be forgiven, where God should welcome him into open arms, was monumental for me. I was on my last legs and wanted to disappear, but my writing kept me going.

The older I grew, the more cynical I became of Naruto's beliefs; it became clear to me that he was too much of an idealist. Sometimes, it's just best to give up. His persistence didn't even resonate with a lot of people growing up (in America, at least). Most people would probably see Kishimoto himself as laser-guided idealist.

But regardless of how I felt the manga moved along, Naruto helped me identify with a character on TV. I tend to identify with personalities more so than anything, and he and Hinata were people I felt strongly connected to. So rather than drawing multiple pictures of them together (I couldn't because like Kishimoto and his not being able to draw female characters the way he liked, I couldn't draw male characters the way I liked), I turned to writing multiple fanfics of their relationship instead. I had trouble understanding love; I had a family, of course, but emotionally I remained an orphan. I was a hopeless girl who didn't believe in love for myself; I prefered appreciation over love. If I was appreciated, that meant people wanted me there for a reason rather than for some silly emotion like love. But at the same time, I wanted to know even for a second what it meant to love someone and be loved. That's where Naruto struck me. And I wrote the two underdogs together constantly (while putting Sakura with Sai rather than Sasuke because Sasuke's a jerk lol).

All of these fanfics over the course of 3-4 years in high school drove my desire to be a writer. I didn't aspire to be a writer only, though (I wanted to go into psychology or anthropology the most), but I always wanted to write one of the grandest pieces of writing that this world could ever know. It was that Naruto idealism that seemingly inspired me; the only difference being that I wanted to write it under an alias so no one would know who I was. I liked being unknown because it was about making people happy and inspiring others rather than glorifying myself. But...

...I didn't have the guts. I was weak. I was weird. People didn't like me, except for a very few. I never had a friend like my best friend in elementary ever again. I rekindled my friendship with my younger cousin after years of avoiding her because I thought she had a nasty spirit about her. We bonded, though, because we were both outcasts in our respective schools. But we shared little in common besides that. I had little support, if any. By college, my need for writing and drawing depleted considerably. I wrote less, I drew less. I'd go months without writing and weeks without drawing. A few more years went by and I just stopped drawing and writing altogether.

I failed.

I had given up on psychology by then. Given up on anthropology by then. Given up on the sciences, started to hate math (both of which I saw an immense, almost spiritual beauty in), and I had now given up on my creative desires. I was wrung dry.

A couple years ago, I tried so hard to get my motivation back up, but that felt impossible without someone there as support. I remember times when I was ready to kill myself and writing everything out denied me the option; it pulled me out of my suicidal thoughts. But that changed a couple years ago when I gave up on it entirely. Again, telling myself that none of my work was good enough anyway. I was as good as dead already, so what point did I have? I had no voice, so why'd I dare to speak?

I watched Naruto over and over again throughout the years, without ever applying it to my life. Never did I think, "I should be as persistent as Naruto" because I knew I wasn't him. I was Hinata. And Hinata had support, something I couldn't find in life. But rewatching the episodes back and forth made me realize how much I had given up in life. Made me remember the depression I felt as I couldn't find a purpose. I still feel as though I have no purpose.

But for some reason, for some very, very odd reason, the show continues to make me want to draw and write with every watch. And I know that, at some point, I will draw and write something I'll finally be proud of. That one piece of work that'll tell me "you really are an artist" or "you really are a writer". And I'll be that artist I wanted to be when I was in 7th grade all those years ago. The same age Naruto was when he started to work on his dreams in Kishimoto's beautiful piece of art.

If life ever gets Kishimoto down, I hope he keeps in mind, realizes, and understands the depth of inspiration he gifted much of his audience.

[comm2800mockumentary-blog]

Evaluation

Outline: 

Update 11/05/20 Main content, explained - 

Interviews: I will adopt the best or most controversial segments of an interview and use them without context to build tension and 'hook’ the audience in. From the subject interviews I have now, examples of this might include:

1) ‘My money, my phone, my internet ain’t shit...“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can't eat money.”’ - Quoted by interviewee SS20T

2) ‘I think we’ll be even more socially distanced than before all this’ - Interviewee 2G01B

3) ‘...It’s man-made...I wouldn’t say I agree, but I wouldn’t say I disagree either. It’s a possibility’ - Interviewee 2G01B

Whilst these aren’t necessarily scripted (I haven’t planned them) I think using controversial or dramatic segments will build arrest my audience from the start and make them interested in watching the rest of the series. Even in the current circumstances - where these ‘pandemic’ narratives have become over-saturated. 

Archive footage: This footage will not be my own.

These clips will be distorted and overlapping. The news will be the main source of archive footage I adopt here. Clips of news as it identifies its first fatalities and rapidly grows across Britain and the world. Rapid cuts will move between the two to reveal a build up to something unknown to the viewer. Adopting a crescendo style epic to build tension, too, will add to the enigma of the sequence. 

In using the 999 call, I believe this will be useful in constructing an authentic message and inviting the viewers into the type of crime or detective theme I aim to create. The title itself ‘the story of an invisible killer’ highlights a narrative using similar conventions. We’ll slowly unravel the life of Covid-19, how it began, how it spread and it’s victims - in a much similar set up to a murder-based docu-series. The titles will ultimately ‘climax’ and end all tension before we return back to a state of equilibrium. Perhaps some establishing shots and tracking shots can highlight the world as we knew it before. This is overlaid over the voice over of an interviewee as they begin to unravel the story of the virus from its onset. This will take up the last few minutes of the narrative. 

Update 16/05/20 Mini teaser: 

Update 17/05/20 Feedback: 

2G01B: Well edited. A current and gripping story.

WDL40: You explore themes of global, economic and political concerns well. It flows nicely and I can see where it all ties into the ‘invisible killer’ narrative. I would like to see some more interview clips! 

[Interviews are currently available to view on the One-drive shareable link.]

D_D64: All is good. I would have liked to see some use of the title in the typography. Maybe starting with ‘Outbreak’ but eventually fading out the first part so all that is left is ‘break’. 

Critical Summary:

How successfully did I meet the criteria?

1) Effective project design - whilst I didn’t execute my final documentary project idea, I most certainly had a lot of fun conceptualising and pre-planning it. Instead of delivering a 4 minute pilot, I invested my time into prepping for it through scripts, vision boards, test shots and more. Doing this allowed me to visualise how the final product would be and ‘fine tune’ any irrelevant or unnecessary ideas I had originally planned for. I believe this pre-production element also allowed me to come up with a solid, attention grabbing pilot sequence - ‘hooking’ audiences into a docu-series which combats topics of crisis. I would suggest, thus, that I was successful in this area of research and am happy with the research I conducted.  

2) Research practise methods - This area was a lot harder to attempt. Considering that my idea was continually evolving, sometimes I found this a little challenging to document. For example, I perhaps didn’t mention how I plan to ‘animate’ parts of my project. I liked the idea of a sand artist or a sketcher to illustrate my work through ‘in camera’ techniques rather than using software like After Effects or Adobe Illustrator. This is because I felt as though it would be more suited to my authentic and personal approach, giving a sentimental feel to each segment. 

Initially, I attempted to make my own sketches. Though, I realise that this not only would be extremely impractical (and time consuming!) but also quite tasking as I am not an artist so would need a lot of test-products and practise. Then, my idea was to to ‘hire’ (or rather ‘borrow’) an artist and credit their work within my docu-series. However, once again, the process of sourcing a voluntary artist would be extremely time-consuming and challenging as creatives deserve to be paid for their work and I would have very little to offer. Finally, I opted to resign from this idea within my 4 minute pilot and stick to conventional documentary making. This allowed me to conceptualise the idea, without actually having to execute it; and, given the short time scale, this was probably for the best! 

On the other hand, however, my research in ideas and themes is present - highlighted through my ‘Inspiration’ blog posts. I would say that the original idea evolved tremendously as a result of continual research and practise. At times, watching non-related shows and YouTube clips would inspire my work to take a different turn. Likewise, researching and reading different approaches, ideologies and theories regarding the practice of documentary making too helped construct my final project. Throughout this project, I aimed to vary my research in author, date and style. This, I believe, is evident in my final project which was shaped from the origins of a mock-documentary with comical elements at its forefront, to a tech-and-edit-heavy docu-series reflecting on how the virus effected us all. The hands-on approach too guided my research and thus, whilst I did struggle in this area, I do believe I did confidently and successfully execute this brief within the pre-production of my documentary. 

3) Critical analysis review - I would certainly agree that I used a variety of sources to aid and support my research. Whilst most of my sources were books (sourced online), I enjoyed studying varying topics, including: documentary origins, the authenticity of documentary making, modern practices and much more. These scholarly texts were useful to some degree in understanding the theory behind this practical art of documenting - and, in some cases, fabricating - real-life stories. However, the skill of documentary making lies in the practical skills too. So, I also used visual mediums like YouTube and Google-sourced images to help manage my understanding of documentaries more closely. This was especially important as my pilot would, once complete, be uploaded to a visual platform like YouTube. 

It seemed that this decision was the right one. Not only did I believe that YouTube (as the second most popular social media site) could attract a wider target demographic but also, my market agreed that my docu-series felt fitting for a platform like this one. 

On the contrary, however, I examined pre-existing documentaries like Tiger King and sitcoms like The Office UK which have established distribution companies, to inspire my hybrid genre. Where I will be tackling issues concerning the virus alone, this will be rather dark and upsetting; almost like a crime investigation using interviews and personal accounts to illustrate the era. On the other hand, I will attempt to break this up with comical or up-beat bursts of footage as a way to showcase that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. 

To summarise, thus, I did use various resources - both scholarly and non-academic sources - to produce my finalised concept. I feel knowledgeable on delivering and executing this piece as a ‘shreditor’ now, but, simultaneously understand the inner workings of ‘what makes a documentary...a documentary’. 

4) Advance practical skills - Whilst I enjoyed the idea of the ‘shreditor’ role, I was a little surprised at its intensity. Of course, I didn’t (in the end) construct a practical piece to submit. However, even in the initial planning, and then creation of the test shots, the shreditor role had its challenges.  

In my previous experience of working in teams, I have definitely learnt a lot. From making compromises and sharing unified responsibility, to the delegation of a team-production - I believe that this opportunity allows us to individually specialise at what we do best, and create a project which resembles the best of our skills. In single-handedly running each role (and thus bearing its responsibility too), however, even the simplest of tasks became challenging. To me, the process was harder than anticipated because I was responsible for all sides of pre-production, production and post. Even in my test shots I found it challenging to set up and film, when this wasn’t even half of the equipment I wished to use initially!

Perhaps in finding these limitations, though, I learnt a valuable lesson that I otherwise would have disregarded. As a single documentary maker, the equipment I wished to use would be highly unrealistic as I would’ve found the process of transportation and setting up extremely challenging. Not only would this significantly eat into my time, but also cause issues with running the shoot i.e. expecting to film and manage sound simultaneously. However, as noted in an earlier blog post, I would require the assistance of my peers and to support me in the filming process i.e. in sound management. This would limit the time I would spend in fixing any issues I had during the shoot as well as lift the pressure a little. Meaning that my time would be solely on the film making and subject. 

5) My final review - Reviewing and critiquing my 2 minute test piece allows me to understand my ideas in the ‘real world’ - advancing from the simplicity of my pre-visualisation to the actual docu-series itself. 

What I found with the filmmaking is that sound is an over-whelming pain which I did not consider for! I didn’t anticipate how good the mics on my phone and camera were as they picked up small sounds like birds in my neighbours garden or my fish tank (strange!) in the background of my interview with my mum. The distorting of sound compromised some of the shots I took and would’ve been greatly problematic for the real pilot. However, in testing locations which worked / didn’t work and how these undesirable noises could be avoided (using sound covers for example), only led me to a better final production...or that which will come after lockdown. 

Furthermore, I depended a lot on archive footage. Especially when cutting different segments of audio together, archive visuals were necessary to hide this. Likewise, in the real edit, using Avid will be useful for brightening and contrasting shots and adding colour where necessary.  

I also noticed that studio lighting will address some of the lighting issues I had and so will be a (new) requirement I will have to consider. Especially for the cinematic look I wish to adopt, this is especially important! Moreover, I will need a camera that can adjust its focal length to enhance this. Using my own Canon meant that I was limited in the visual effects, though with the BMPC, I feel more confident in playing around with the settings and making a more visually dramatic piece!  

I enjoyed making it and whilst my production time was limited (I constructed it over the space of a day!) I found it beneficial in my practical understanding. I hope you can see the development of my idea over the past few months and are on board with my idea. Hopefully I can execute the vision I have in mind and produce a high-quality docu-series aimed to enlighten and educate the broad target market that is those who fell victim to the 2019-2020 global pandemic: Coronavirus. 

[cakertaker-101]

Yet - a story (I bet you read that as Yeet)

I can write only nonsenses.

Might as well make them sound interesting:

The Adventures of Yeetus Fetus; the Angsty girl. Because being an MC makes everyone special.

Once upon a time there was a teen called Yeetus Fetus. A very angsty teen. The kind that spews meme and hobbit references when she gets the chance. She’s not very Interesting. This made her sad. But she didn’t really care and all was good.

One night she was visited by the god of ye(e)t in a dream and said unto her, “I’ve heard your cries and you shall be the main character”. And *poof* she was!

“I didn’t cry or ask for this,” The teen cried.

Yeetus Fetus was eating mushrooms and started seeing weird things. Turns out they were Limbo beans! She was now able to see the weird world of the Limbo world.

Upon a exploring the unknown world Yeetus found herself spawn in, she could help but find her eyes laying upon a small creature perched on a tree branch near by. He was starting at her too. It was a Blue girthward

The blue girthward, a creature born of Lilith’s fetus and tiny as a thumb, perched himself on a twigy branch. His Shrek green skin and Barbie doll eyes could enchant any passing retard with in a 18 mile radius. He fluttered his plastic eyes without blinking and swayed his tiny figure like a stick as he approached the angst filled teen with interest

She had to crane her neck down like a giraffe and squint really hard just to see him.

“Hey there (b)ass,” he said in a southern accent. “I can see an air of filth about you. You must be the chosen one, by God Ye(e)t?”

Yeetus was flabbergasted. “How do you know him? And that’s probably my axe deodorant over my gym sweat.”

Girthward pinches his nonexistent nose, “Ew. no I mean your angst.” He danced around her like an occultist, poking her legs. “But, it’s just what we needed for our ritu- Warding festival. The god is truly one that keeps his words.” He peered at her without a hint of emotion which made Fetus’s skin cry.

The teen stepped back against a tree in confusion, and asked, “Wait, so I’m not the main character? I’m just some peace offering?”

“Yes, ofc you are. But just because you’re the MC doesn’t mean the creator can’t kill you off.”

She almost chocked on her chicken bone at the word ‘kill’. “I’m gonna die?” She asked eerily in a calm tone making the girthward pause in his tracks. “Well not persay ‘die’ but rather reborn - as one of us.”

That made Yeetus throw up her chicken dinner. “Fck! I’m out! Some adventure this is. See ya, you Sequel-spawn-of-Shrek!” She yelled, rolling downhill and it’s her sketchers wheelies.

Once she was out of sight, the small creature tore his skin off revealing the goddes of yetus. She chuckled and sighed, “YOLO! (I wonder where Ye(e)t gets these strange ideas from. Making a hormonal teenager as the main character, classic!” She stared in the direction Fetus had gone. “She’s a weird one, I’ll give him that. Oh well, someone’s got to show her the way out” before she catapulted herself into the sky.

Moral: You’re the MC of your own life

And shrek is a great movie UwU

And I can’t write ._.

[bobalafullaaaaaaaaa]

was tagged by @duckybeth99 !! I gotta tag 25 people at the end but I ain't doin that

LAST:
Last drink: orange juice before bed 🍊
Last phone call: uhhhh one of the 200 patients I had to make appointments for yesterday
Last text message: 🤡🔪
Last song you listened to: oh it was this neat mashup of the Luigi's Mansion theme and a Missy Elliot song on SoundCloud
Last time I cried: I don't cry a lot! but uhh it was actually. Tuesday bc I uhhhh fucked up at work and mom was yelling at me 
HAVE YOU EVER: 
Dated someone twice: nobody thinks I'm good enough to date me for more than uhhhh two weeks so ha! No
Been cheated on: again, no one wants to date me so cheating isn't really an option
Kissed someone and regretted it: ANY time I kiss someone would be a Ragret bc that's uhhh my worst fear
Lost someone special: not in the sense hat this means (death) but I've had way to many fallouts/betrayals (?) by close friends that have fuckin wrecked me (boy oh boy I am a social hermit I Can't Trust People and Don't Want To)
Been depressed: end of high school (like last 2 years) was. really really bad for many reasons (the whole situation with mom's boyfriend, all my "friends" fuckin havin a great time pickin on me and singling me out, general school stuff, etc)
Been drunk and thrown up: nope! 
IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU: Made a new friend: yes!! the past month actually!
Fallen out of love: I don't know if it was love in the first place so I can't say < : / (but it wasn't in this past year actually)
Laughed until you cried: absolutely (thank you mcelroys)
Met someone who changed you: not in this past year!
Found out who your true friends were: this is a question for High School Me bc oh boy that was... hard (true friends? at the time it was One Person from tumblr bc absolutely everybody fuckin turned on me INCLUDING school staff I thought I was good with, I was so fuckin lonely lol)
Found out someone was talking about you: yes but in a good way! mom told me she heard the patients talking in the waiting room about what a good job I do ^^

GENERAL: 
How many people on tumblr do you know in real life?: people I met irl first? god uhh nobody. people I met online and then met irl: 2 lol
Do you have any pets?: too many,,, it's so much work,,,, 2 dogs 2 cats 1 bearded dragon 2 turtles 1 fish 1 bird 1 hamster (brother's) 1 Betta (mom's)
Do you want to change your name?: Not legally, like officially, but when I start Making Content I wanna go by Clara and not Madeline
What time did you wake up this morning?: I wake up at 6 everyday for class and today I was supposed to sleep in but here I am laying in bed for two hours bc I can't sleep so. 6 again
What were you doing last night?: oh I saw the second kingsman movie!! not as good as the first but unpop opinion I liked it Name something you cannot wait for: UHHHH HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS TONIGHT
Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: my grandfather and my uncle's names are Tom lol (and my brother's middle name)
What’s getting on your nerves right now?: my mom and how frustrated she gets (then proceeding to take it out on me)
Blood type: I think I'm B!
Nickname: Clara, Sissy, Mattie (in a couple discord servers uhhh Slappy)
Relationship status: single (ace aro looking for several quasiplatonic friends)
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius! (I actually fall into the category of the unofficial 13th sign jdbsjdbdj but also in Sagittarius)
Pronouns: she/her!
Favorite tv show: currently it's Boku No Hero Academia but I think of all time that's gonna be. Kim Possible
College: UCF CHARGE ONTO THE FIELD, WITH OUR SPIRITS WE'LL NEVER YIELD, VICTORY IS OUR CRY, V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, TONIGHT OUR KNIGHTS WILL SHIIIIINE
Hair color: brown : 0c
Do you have a crush on someone: nope!
What do you like about yourself: I think I'm a pretty good leader type,,, I'm really good at getting the most out of whatever experience I'm in, and my art has been improving lately! I think I can get a Andre on new materials fairly easily and my construction uhh in. general is pretty solid. I have a good hand/feel for whatever I'm working with

FIRSTS: 
First surgery: hasn't happened yet!
First piercing: nope ain't nothin gonna pierce me
First sport you joined: I think it was softball when I lived in Maine?
First vacation: probably was up to Pennsylvania over the summer as a kid!
First pair of sneakers: I'm one f those Sketcher's girls
Eating: currently nothin but the last thing I ate was. jesus uhhh I think some caramel corn in the movie theater 
Drinking: nothin! Again, last night some OJ before bed
I’m about to: get up and start the daily grind Saturday Edition™
Listening to: nothin! I guess tho the sound of my mom snorin in the other room and my cat purring really loud while she pulls my hair over my pillow
Want kids: no and pregnancies really creep me out I think they're uhhh A Squick
Get married: nah prolly not! don't wanna commit to a relationship like that cuz if it goes sour what the hell you gonna do other than lose half your money, heartbreak, and anxiety
Career: I think the more immediate answer is that I'd like to have a show running in tv ala Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, etc, but dream job and big goal? I wanna be a character designer for nintendo. specifically zelda stuff


WHICH IS BETTER: 
Lips or eyes: eyes? I'm not a Romantic person but in drawing I like eyes better than mouths. I think? if it was mouths it might be a tough choice but it says lips. 
Hugs or kisses: hugs, again
Shorter or taller: I'd rather be taller!
Older or younger: younger folks make a lot of necessary mistakes but I think this is a question about dating and I'd rather date someone a little older who's already made those mistakes
Romantic or spontaneous: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 
Sensitive or loud: I listen I music pretty loud in my car but otherwise I'm pretty sensitive to loud noise
Hook up or relationship: ?????
Troublemaker or hesitant: troublemaker. I don't make trouble really but I'm certainly not hesitant 
HAVE YOU EVER: 
Kissed a stranger: nope
Drank hard liquor: nuh uh Lost glasses/contacts: don't wear em!
Sex on first date: what first date
Broken someone’s heart: probably!
Been arrested: not me!
Turned someone down: yes. 
Fallen for a friend: not sure! 
DO YOU BELIEVE: 
In yourself: yes ^^ I can't afford not to if I wanna get to my goal!
Miracles: they can happen! but it's not like "gods will" or whatever just crazy coincidence that happens to benefit one person
Love at first sight: it's lust at first sight. how the hell can you love who someone is by looking at them. it's lust
Heaven: I think this is a concept people have come up with for millenia bc the idea of just Leaving and not existing anymore is too scary 
Santa Claus: I used to! ahhh good times

I tag @phantomtype @lyzardy @pennydreadfuljournal @trickortreatryo @lyesander !!!

[hyucksbf]

92 statements !

aaaaaaa so i’m finally getting around to doing all the tag games ive been tagged in so yeeeee,, thank u @nakamottoyuta and @thenctscenarios for tagging me !!! someone else might have but i dont remember akksdhkkh

LAST

1. drink: milk

2. phone call: uhh ?? i think my private teacher ??

3. text message: to one of my music camp friends !!

4. song you listened to: 태양처럼 by day6, specifically this live bc it’s better than the actual studio recording tbfh

5. time you cried: i cried at music camp bc i was having an internal crisis w myself aha :)

HAVE YOU EVER...

6. dated someone twice: never dated anyone oops

7. kissed someone and regretted it: i was almost kissed at music camp but thank god i avoided it bc i definitely would of regretted it since i didnt even kno the dude lmao like pls u dont just get to take my first kiss like that thanks

8. been cheated on: again,, never dated whoops

9. lost someone special: yea :(

10. been depressed: yep

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: jsjdh nope and i never will bc alcohol is just so unappealing to me

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

12, 13, 14: pink, orange, and purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. made new friends: yes many !!! i love u all !!

16. fallen out of love: no...?

17. laughed until you cried: *music camp flashbacks*

18. found out someone was talking about you: yes but in a good way

19. met someone who changed you: yes many !!!

20. find out who your real friends are: yea kinda ://

21. kissed someone on your facebook list: dont own a facebook u nerds

GENERAL:

22. how many of your facebook tumblr friends do you know in real life: changed it bc its more fun this way but !! shoutout to my irl friends who happen to be nerdy enough to also own a tumblr: @iwriteblogpostsnotsongs @graciasysaludo

23. do you have any pets: yes sjsjhj i have my best friend davidson the cat i love him then i have another cat whos really old shes like 17 but shes a sweetheart and then we also have two doggos (three if u include my grandparents dog who lives downstairs i love him the most aaaaa) and then two guinea pigs

24. do you want to change your name: sometimes i think of other names but i think ive created a name for myself with this one so i cant really leave it

25. what did you do for your last birthday: hsjhj i dont rememeber probably a small party or smth like that ???

26. what time did you wake up: uhh i think around 10:30 ?

27. what were you thinking at midnight last night: “why the fuck am i not asleep already”

28. name something you can’t wait for: districts next year aaaaaa !!!!

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: an hour ago ??

30. what is one thing you wish you could change in your life: have be people be more open minded and nice

31. what are you listening to right now: first time by day6 bc day6 is the Shit i love

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: probably ??

33. something that is getting on your nerves: nothing really rn,, i’m pretty content

34. most visited website: u kno what it is lmao

35. elementary: if u have not completed elementary school yet pls leave tumblr pls

36. high school: gonna be a junior next year aaaaa im Excited !!!

37. college: hopefully ?? or a conservatory would be nice hsjdjdj

38. hair color: my natural color is ugli brown ew gross,, but i’m gonna be dying it a rose gold at the end of the summer !! its basically pink tho who am i fooling

39. long or short hair: i have short hair sjssj but its so long rn i can put it up in a little ponytail if i wanted to oml

40. do you have a crush on someone: do i ?? do i not ??? i confuse myself too much

41. what do you like about yourself: i like how confident ive gotten in myself this past year,, like i can actually be myself nowadays and not feel like i have to act a certain way or live up to other people’s expectations

42. piercings: aha no last ones i had got infected so never again :::)

43. blood type: i ?? have no clue ??

44. nickname: hunter with weird accented vowels,, hoonter, dad don’t ask it happened at midnight on the band bus,,, husband also band bus antics

45. relationship status: im in love w my clarinets

46. zodiac: leoooo yeeeeeeeee

47. pronouns: he + him !!

48. favorite tv show: hskkhhd theres too many pls,, but agents of shield has been a long time fave

49. tattoos: AAAA i want so many i have a List,, i want a giant lion on my shoulder bc im a leo,, then i want a music note behind my ear (i want that to be my first tattoo) then stars and planets on my collarbones bc space man,, also wings on my back, my birthday as a barcode somewhere ?? havent decided where yet + a heart on the inside of one of my fingers

50. righty or lefty: righty !

FIRST...

51. surgery: havent had any yet but i will at some point

52. piercings: i had some in my ears but they became infected and gross and yea no piercings for me thank

53. sport: my parents tried to make me play soccer lmao

54. vacation: the first one i remembered was going to the outerbanks,, but supposedly we went to maine when i was a lil kid but i dont remember rip

55. best friend: we met in kindergarten and are still best friends today aaaaa

56. pair of sneakers: sketchers lmaoooo rip me

MORE GENERAL:

57. eating: i’m chewing gum ?? does this count ??

58. drinking: water

59. i’m about to: go write some angsty markhyuck ::)

60. listening to: colors by day6 um Emo

61. waiting for: something great to happen !!

62. want: everyone to get along ::(

63. get married: nahhh

64. career: something in music !!

WHICH IS BETTER:

65. hugs or kisses: both are cute aaaa

66. lips or eyes: both are v pretty aaaaa why

67. shorter or taller: i’ll probably be shorter than everyone anyways with my 5′ 3 ass

68. older or younger: doesnt matter to me !!

70. nice arms or nice stomach: one, both or neither wouldn’t matter to me

71. sensitive or loud: loud !!! but also sensitive ??

72. hookup or relationship: relationship shakjdsk

73. troublemaker or hesitant: a good balance between the two would be nice lmao

HAVE YOU EVER...

74. kissed a stranger: thank god i didnt wowie

75. drank hard liquor: i dont drink so,,

76. lost glasses/contact lenses: i lost my fake glasses lmao

77. turned someone down: many times yes

78. sex on the first date: uh no

79. broken someone’s heart: i really hope not ??

80. had your heart broken: nah

81. been arrested: nope nope

82. cried when someone died: i cried when my cat died ?

83. fallen for a friend: no.. ??

DO YOU BELIEVE IN...

84. yourself: yes !!

85: miracles: the concept is nice but idk

86. love at first sight: i believe that u can like the idea of someone at first sight,, but you cant love them at as a person since you don’t know them yet

87. santa claus: nah

88. kiss on the first date: i mean i guess ?? idk

89. angels: nope

OTHER

90. current best friend’s name: i have too many to just name one

91. eye color: brown yeee

92. favorite movie: either pacific rim or sunshine both golden

now to tag: @softptg @omgnille1010 @featureless-spy @makkeuga @iwriteblogpostsnotsongs @peurodyuseu @haechance @hyukhyuck

[tripstations]

Episode 2: Top five Paris must-dos

Bonjour, fellow travelers! Finding Alexx here. On my quest to visit 52 countries in 52 weeks based on the cheapest flight every Tuesday, my first stop took me to the City of Lights – Paris.

From bread and cheese all day every day, to sparkling monuments around almost every corner, it’s just one of those cities that is impressive in every way. Here are my tips and tricks for what to eat, what to see and how to get around –  and how to do it on a backpacker budget if you have to.

The Eiffel Tower

Let’s start with the obvious, the Eiffel Tower! This iconic metal triangle was actually hated by Parisians when it was first opened back in 1889 but has since become one of the most famous buildings in the world. Going up to the top with the lift will set you back €25.50, and you might be waiting a while for your turn, but you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful view of the Champs de Mars and Trocadero on the other side of the Seine.

If you’re really tight for money and don’t want to pay to go up, there are plenty of stunning viewpoints to get a glimpse (and a great shot) of the tower. Visit Trocadero to get a straight-on view from right across the river. Have a picnic dinner in the Champs de Mars and see the tower sparkle every hour from sunset, or take the perfect Instagram shot from Pont Alexandre III or Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Take a history or art lesson

Culture, art or history buffs will LOVE this city, with museums and galleries of all different types dotted around the city. Say bonjour to the Mona Lisa and thousands of other works of art at the Louvre, dive into Europe’s largest collection of modern art at Le Centre Pompidou, visit Musée des Arts et Métiers to wander around exquisite buildings filled with scientific treasures, or head to Musée Picasso to see some masterpieces from Picasso himself as well as his fellow artists.

Looking for something a bit more obscure? Be sure to check out the Catacombs, a 3000km network of tunnels running under the city, home to the bones of over 6 million Parisians. In the 1700s the city’s cemeteries were getting full, so a bit of ingenuity kicked off the movement from graves to the tunnels underground. Insane? Yes. Incredible to see? Also yes. Not for the faint-hearted, for obvious reasons!

Shop up a storm

Whether you’re into fancy designers, chic boutiques or vintage threads, Paris is guaranteed to satisfy any shopaholic’s needs… But maybe at the detriment of their wallet! If you’re looking to treat yourself to a special purchase you’ll need to check out the Faubourg Saint-Honoré district, you can find flagship stores of all different brands and budgets down the Champs-Elysées, and Le Marais neighborhood is home to some of the trendiest boutiques around.

If your budget doesn’t stretch past window shopping then I’d still recommend paying a visit to the gigantic Galeries Lafayette flagship department store on Boulevard Hausmann in the 9th arrondissement, just to see the exquisite stained-glass dome ceiling. It’s absolutely stunning!

A cabaret show

I haven’t been to Moulin Rouge so I can’t speak for that one specifically, but I can say that it was way out of my budget (at least €100 per person not including food or drink). This was a shame because I was super keen to see one of Paris’ famous cabaret shows!

Then a friend of mine told me about La Nouvelle Eve, a smaller cabaret just down the road from the Moulin Rouge with fantastic reviews and much lower prices. We paid €59 each which included half a bottle of champagne too, plus the venue was smaller and less people than the ‘main’ shows so it felt a lot more intimate. There were the usual cabaret dancers plus some acrobats and other performers, and some hilarious audience participation. If you’re looking for a cabaret show on a budget, La Nouvelle Eve should be on your list!

Seine

The lifeline of Paris is the River Seine, which snakes its way through the middle of the city, separating the Right Bank from the Left Bank. The river brings some calmness to the craziness of the capital, and its banks are hang out spots for locals throughout summer, spring and autumn.

Take a wander along the river banks, grab a drink at one of the many riverside bars, or hop on a Bateaux Parisiens (that’s what the river boats are called) and cruise past all the major landmarks. If you can afford an evening cruise then that’d be even better, as most of the city’s main monuments light up after dark.

Neighborhoods

Paris is made up of 20 different arrondisements, numbered from 1 to 20, which are administritave districts (kind of like boroughs). Then there’s suburbs within the arrondissements. Slightly confusing! Here are some of my favorite Paris suburbs.

Latin Quarter

Located right by the river on the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter is a youthful suburb packed with loads of cheap eats. The Latin Quarter is home to restaurants of all different ethnicities, and most of them offer fixed price menus that will give you a two or three course meal from only €10, sometimes even including the drink. That’s a win! I’d recommend Mobster Diner for a casual dinner, Chez le Libanais for a takeaway shawarma, or L’Époque for classic French fare, and you can’t miss the panini, crepe and soft drink deal for €5 at Crêperie Genia.

There are plenty of delicious eateries that fit a backpacker budget in this part of town, so I’d suggest heading there for lunch to wander the streets and find a menu that tickles your fancy.

Champs-Elysées

More of a main road than a neighborhood, this stretch in the central city is 1.2 miles long and leads from the Place de la Concorde all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. It’s the most touristy part of the city for sure but the wide footpaths make it not too difficult to get around, despite the thousands of shoppers and visitors. You can shop ‘til you drop, refuel with a sugar hit with macarons from Ladurée or Pierre Hermé, then wrap up your day with a walk up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for a gorgeous view over the city.

Montmartre

This hillside neighborhood has got to be one of the most arty places in Paris, with local sketchers and painters lining the side streets surrounding the beautiful Sacré-Coeur sitting on top of the hill. Pick up a piece for your wall, opt to sit for a caricature if you’ve got the time and funds, or simply wander around admiring the artists’ skills.

Visiting the Sacré-Coeur is free and it’s open from 6am. It’s a fantastic place to go for sunset too, with an unmissable view of the sprawling city and loads of spots for a picnic dinner. Be sure to stop into Crêperie Brocéliande for a Nutella and banana crepe for dessert!

Le Marais

Hands down the trendiest suburb in the city, Le Marais is home to the most stylish boutiques, cafés, bars, restaurants, hotels and even offices! This place is best discovered by strolling the streets with no particular end point in mind, and I guarantee you’ll stumble across something special. It’s also the heart of Paris’ LGBT scene, with rainbow installations scattered throughout the neighborhood during pride month each year.

For a true Parisian experience, dress up in something nice, head to Le Marais in the early evening and grab a patio table and a glass of wine and people watch the night away. Les Philosophes is a local favorite!

How to get around

One of the best things about Paris is that it’s super easy to walk between loads of the key spots, and on the way you’ll definitely come across some gorgeous corner cafés, funky gift shops and ultra-cool boutiques. If you have the time and energy, I’d really suggest challenging yourself to a no-transport day, and see what you discover.

If you’re in a hurry or want to give your feet a break, Paris has a decent public transport system with buses, RER trains and the Metropolitain (underground). You can buy single tickets, packs of ten, or multi-day passes from most train and Metro stations. A single ticket costs €1.90, a pack of ten costs €14.90 and a 5 day pass costs €38.35.

Paris also has loads of bike (JUMP is the main one) and e-scooters (like Lime, Dott and Bird) available for rental, but note that you can only ride in bike lanes or on the road or you could be stung with a €100+ fine.

Taxis can be expensive but there are Ubers available all over the city which are more affordable.

Where to stay

Paris is huge, and with that comes thousands of accommodation choices! The city on a whole is pretty expensive, but there are plenty of hostels that will suit a wallet-friendly budget, as well as some decent cheap hotels.

Generator Paris is one of my faves, right across the road from Colonel Fabien Metro station which means easy transport into the central city. They’ve got modern, functional hostel rooms plus a sweet rooftop bar with views of the Sacré-Coeur. They don’t have a kitchen though and you can’t take food or drink into the hostel, which means you’ve got to spend money on meals out or at the hostel bar.

St Christopher’s also has two hostels in Paris, I stayed at the one next to Gare du Nord (a major train station and the arrival point for the Eurostar) and there’s another one next to St Martin’s Canal, a quieter, more residential area.

The Gare du Nord hostel was an ideal location for me as I was catching a train to Beauvais airport, but the area around the train station was kind of seedy and I didn’t feel particularly safe walking around by myself at night. If you’re in a group or pair, if you’re a guy, or if you’re only planning on going out during the day then this spot is probably fine, but for solo female travelers who might be out and about after the sun’s gone down then it’s not ideal.

How much to budget for Paris

My week in Paris was the first week of a year-long trip, and I blew through my budget more than I should have. If you stay at a hostel with a full kitchen and cook your own meals then it’s definitely doable on a budget, but unfortunately for me (and my bank account) I just LOVE French food and want to eat at all the best cafés and restaurants!

Hostels will set you back anywhere from €15 to €30 for a dorm bed depending on the time of year you go, and cheap hotels will start at around €60 per room (but that’s truly no frills and probably no breakfast included).

Breakfast at a café will be between €5 for a coffee, juice and croissant through to €14-ish for a full cooked breakfast in the fancier parts of the city, and a sit down dinner is likely to cost at least €15 unless you get a fixed price menu in the Latin Quarter.

Picnics are a great choice for Paris on a budget, and you can get bread, cheese and deli meats as well as a bottle of wine to share for between €10 and €15.

Expect to spend around €4-6 per day on transport if you’re taking two or three trips, and you’ll need to budget extra if you’re planning on visiting museums and galleries.

Some extra tips for your Paris trip

If you ever have the chance to visit Paris for Bastille Day, you HAVE to go. The fireworks are the most incredible display I’ve ever seen! They start at 11.30pm and go for half an hour, and they’re set to an epic soundtrack too. You can see them from any high vantage point in the city but I recommend getting a spot in the Champs de Mars (the park right under the Eiffel Tower) for free. The gates this year opened at 4pm and there’s a security check, but if you get there early you’ll be sure to get a decent spot pretty quickly. You can bring food and drink but no glass bottles, so pour your wine into a Dopper bottle, an eco-friendly drink bottle that comes with a makeshift wine cup! Paris has some of the best parks in Europe, so if you need a break from sightseeing during the day then you probably won’t be far from somewhere to rest your legs. Jardin du Luxembourg is on the Left bank and is home to a stunning palace and gardens, definitely one of my favorites. To get photos away from the masses you’ll probably need to wake up early, I was there in summer and took all my photos at the key tourist spots between 6am and 8am. Some of my favorite photo spots in the city are Pigalle basketball court, the columns at Palais Royal, and the view of the Eiffel Tower from Pont Alexandre III. If you want to explore outside of Paris for the day, consider a day trip to the Palace of Versailles, Monet’s Garden in Giverny, or the castles in the Loire Valley You’re never too old for roller coasters! If you’re keen to visit Disneyland Paris I’d suggest trying to visit on a weekday outside of school holidays, for obvious reasons.

And after all that, now I want to go back! I hope this Paris travel guide has helped you plan your upcoming trip, and if you’re keen to follow all my adventures over the next year you can see.

The post Episode 2: Top five Paris must-dos appeared first on Tripstations.

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March in Malta

For my Mum's 60th birthday in April, we decided to return to the country of her birth for the first time since she was three years old. We had a lot of expectations of what it was going to be like; we were right about some and so wrong about others! I'm going to talk a little about where we stayed, how we got around, what we visited and where we would recommend restaurant wise.

Mellieha Bay Hotel

Tucked away in the north of the island, Mellieha Bay Hotel is a fair sized resort situated next to the 'best beach on the island'. The beach isn't anything special when you compare it to other countries around the Med, or even some in the UK, but the sea view rooms all have glorious vantages over the bay, which is beautiful. The decor inside is lovely and has clearly been done up at some point over the last few years. It's got a big restaurant, bar/club, two outdoor pools and one indoor, as well as a host of activities available each day that start in the morning and go on into the evening. It seemed more geared up to pensioners than anything else, as that was the majority of the residents that we saw there. There were also some families and younger couples, but there's not as much for them to do. The hotel also had three small shops; one for snacks, one for jewellery, and another for souvenirs, all run by one friendly lady who spoke very good English.

Our room looked nice at the outset; fresh looking, bath with shower, balcony, all nice things. However, the beds were hard, the air conditioning only blew out hot air no matter what we tried, the TV wasn't set up correctly so it cut off a decent chunk of the picture, and the toilet was broken so you had to slap the flush button to make it stop leaking.

As we wanted to take it as easy as possible while on holiday, we elected to go half board, so we would only have to worry about getting lunches out. Breakfast and dinner were both buffet style all week. Breakfast remained mostly the same, other than they switched potatoes for mushrooms on alternate days, which was a bit of a pain for someone like me who can't eat bread and doesn't like mushrooms. It wasn't very geared up to gluten free eaters, although there was usually one lactose free meal and one vegetarian meal each evening. The evening buffet had four main meals, including a carvery, as well as a host of cold food, and two to three desserts, with jelly and ice cream. Overall, we think that eating at the hotel wasn't the best considering it was supposed to be a four star resort. The buffet style didn't lend itself to a high quality of food because it had to be made in such large portions and it was often left out for a while, which meant that the food could go dry. One example of this was the pork carvery, which was horribly chewy. Their fried eggs were a highlight, as was their lamb shank.

Although the hotel is close to two bus stops (one goes north and the other goes south), which are served by buses that go to Cirkewwa, Buggiba, Sliema, and Valetta, in terms of distance it's so far from everything but the ferry port to Gozo and Comino that journeys end up being very long, compounded by bad roads and busy traffic.

If we ever go back, we'd choose to be much closer to Valetta or stay somewhere on the south of the island.

Buses

I'll warn you now, I don't have much good to say about Malta's public transport system! The bus station in Valetta is good, straightforward with good signage, and has sheltered areas with seats. However, people can smoke while they're waiting for the bus, which isn't pleasant for asthmatics. There is also a wide network of buses that go around the island, so you can get pretty much everywhere important without a car. In hindsight, though, we wish we'd rented a car. Our two main buses from Mellieha to Valetta took an hour and a quarter at the very least because they took all the back roads (which are falling to pieces) and stopped at every stop along the way. This meant that buses were often packed to overflowing, the only way to get a seat was to get on at the first stop at Valetta or Cirkewwa. Also, for some reason, the seats were all curved up at the edges (I'm assuming so people are less likely to fall out while the buses rocketed around the twists and turns), which meant you had to have a tiny butt to be comfortable!

Our ExplorePlus Cards were not worth it for the price, the E21 cards would have been fine to cover us for the bus trips that we did. It might be more suitable in the summer when the fares go up by 50 cents. One of our cards also stopped working the second day on the island and their main pass office in Valetta refused to do anything about it, saying that it had expired when it had only been activated the previous the day. Not only were they rude, but the bus drivers were too. I have a certain amount of sympathy because they had to get around quickly and didn't have a lot of time scheduled for each journey considering how bad the traffic was the vast majority of the time. However, this doesn't permit you to yell at your passengers or hit them. I've never been so disgusted with a bus driver in all my life.

My final issue with the whole system is their app. It's not a bad app by all means, but when none of the buses run to time and they don't know where half of them are, it makes looking up times, routes and live information pointless. Your best bet is to just go to a bus stop and wait for whatever comes that will get you to your destination.

Comino

On our first full day in Malta, the sun was shining so we decided to take a trip to Comino, which is the smaller of the two islands situated to the north of Malta. We ended up hopping off the bus too early when we saw signs for the 'Comino Ferry' which, uh, was a speed boat. This ended up being a hilarious accident, because we actually got a tour of some of the island’s caves included in our trip, before whizzing round the island at high speed, disco music blaring, and laughing all the way as the choppy waters made the boat bounce. On the way back, even the two elderly people at the front were cackling as they got soaked.

Comino is almost completely uninhabited, apart from a few farmers and a couple of small hotels, which are closed during the winter months. This means that the land is mostly untouched, apart from a few buildings dotted about and St Mary's Tower, which is a majestic figure up on the hillside. I made my family trail all the way over to it to take pictures because it was featured in one of my favourite films, The Count of Monte Cristo. It's impressive considering it's 400 years old.

The island is also home to three bays, including the Blue Lagoon. It doesn't disappoint. The water is stunning and clear, the high winds made for some impressive photographs of the sea spray. I loved it.

Two small things to bear in mind when you visit: there are two toilets on the island, one at Blue Lagoon, which isn't very well kept, and one at Santa Maria Bay, which we didn't visit, so be aware for when you want to take toilet breaks. The paths are also very rocky, so make such you wear appropriate shoes. I got sore knees walking around in Sketchers.

Hagar Qim Temples

Wednesday was probably our most eventful day because of the bus pass incident, but it was also the day that we had the longest journeys, none of which were particularly pleasant. We did, however, have a very nice lunch in Valetta at the The Pulled Meat Company, which I will talk about later.

After lunch, we headed out to the Hagar Qim Temples on the coast. They're some of the oldest free standing buildings that still exist, built in around 3200 BC, using only stones, balanced on top of each other to create walls, doors, and ceilings. The history of the place is fascinating and the views from the walkway down to the second, larger temple are fantastic. There's a small island out in the water that the British Army used to use for target practice during WWII.

There isn't much to see at the site, which is a shame considering how long it can take to get there. My recommendation would be to also visit the Blue Grotto down the coast on the same day. It's supposed to be amazing and would have made a nice edition to the day had it not been so late when we left the temples.

Mdina

The walled city of Mdina was my favourite day out of the whole trip. It can trace its history back over 4,000 years, with a lot of the current architecture having been built in the 1500's. The whole city has been so well kept that you would think it was built yesterday. It's Catholic cathedral was a highlight for me because of the ornate decorations and the marvelously detailed painted ceilings. The museum opposite was great as well as it housed pieces from the cathedral, as well as old coins dating back to the early Roman era.

I could have taken photographs of the city all day.

If you head to the far wall from the main gate, you can climb up onto a walkway to look out across the surrounding countryside, all the way to the main city. It's an unbelievable panorama, one of the best views on the island.

There were several places to eat, only a couple that did gluten free food. It was quite pricey because they know that tourists don't really have any other options, but the atmosphere was nice and the food was decent. Just be careful to check the opening times when you're researching places to eat, as some places don't open at lunchtime, only in the evenings. This may be beneficial if you want to be in the city at night. They call it the silent city when darkness falls, which could be an interesting experience!

Restaurants

We didn't eat a lot of great food while we were away, but these three are worth a visit if you're thinking about visiting Malta.

Munchies (in Mellieha)

Munchies can be found on the beach, just down from the Mellieha Bay Hotel. They do plenty of different meals, including Maltese specialties and breakfasts past midday. It was number three out of my top three, as we had food elsewhere that was spectacular, but my chicken tasted awesome and the fries were cooked perfectly.

The Pulled Meat Company (in Valetta)

We tried to visit this restaurant on Monday, but it turns out there are quite a lot of places that are closed all day Monday in Valetta -- another thing to bear in mind! When we came back on Wednesday, it was definitely open, with staff standing in the doorway hoping to entice people inside. It has a TripAdvisor award for its food, which is well deserved. We all decided to have the brisket burger, as it sounded so delicious. Rarely are burgers so tasty. Slow cooked to perfection, we stuffed our faces until there were none left! Would definitely recommend unless you're vegetarian, this is definitely not the place for you.

Vecchia Napoli (at the Airport)

Our best meal on the island was actually our last. I was looking up places to eat at the airport and Vecchia Napoli came highly recommended. A little taste of Naples in Malta, we got a table quickly and ordered a variety of meals, including lasagna and two different types of chicken. My chicken with garlic, honey and seasoning was tremendous and my Mum and sister both thoroughly enjoyed their meals too. If you arrive in Malta starving, this is place to go for lunch. There's also a sushi bar and a place that does English style food (Bert’s) on either side. Vecchia and Berts both label all their food with what contains gluten, lactose, garlic etc and which are vegetarian.

There was also a chef doing pizza tossing at the front of the kitchen! What's not to love about that?

Overall, our trip was a bit hit and miss. There was stuff that we really enjoyed, like Comino and Mdina, but a lot of stuff we could have done without experiencing, like the bus drivers/rides and how distant the locals and staff could be, among others. We probably wouldn't choose to go back, but that's our personal taste. For someone a little looser, who has lots of energy and isn't picky about what they eat, this could be a fun adventure for you.

[tergiferouslandlubbering-blog]

BLOG 2

Add images of your creative portfolio to your blog Add comments and talk about what you feel you have tried to achieve so far. Be critical and positive. How do you want your work to develop in future?

work in your specialist field. What roles exist in your specialist area? Then mention your potential to work in any associated creative fields other than just illustration, animation and graphics. How might your skills be transferable? Talk about confidence. Talk about abilities, skills, competences, tasks undertaken and knowledge. Talk about how you might address your aims or concerns.

Once I read the module handbook a week or two before starting second year I was already dreading this module and upon receiving the final brief for the sequential illustration module I was really struggling to enjoy the module. I have always had a love hate relationship with book illustration, specifically children's books, as to the outside world it is ALL illustration is. Countless times I've gone through the ringer of 'what do you study at university?' or 'what do you read?' and as soon as I say illustration I can almost see the confusion and cogs turning in their eyes. Then comes the long pause................. and their almost joyful reaction of 'oh so children's books' or 'just books then' which follows me to nod and agree like a demented bobble-head.

I knew that sequential would involve books in one way or another but I was not prepared for 24 pages of it. When we were briefed about this project I told my partner about my worries for the module and he bought me a book from amazon called A Child's First Book of Trump by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Marc Rosenthal. This book is brilliant, obviously illustrated long before his disastrous presidential win, although with quite an adult subject matter Rosenthal still makes this book very engaging to kids using a restricted colour scheme including complimentary colours to emphasise the orange-ness of Trump. Rosenthal's use of varying angles and Black's using mockery and rhyme make this book brilliantly universal.

In an attempt to do something a little bit different for this brief I used A Child's First Book of Trump as inspiration to tackle a difficult and serious subject matter but I wanted to educate. Keeping with a political theme I chose to illustrate Margaret Thatcher's political career but from the viewpoint of someone who grew up just late of her years as Prime Minister in the North West. When starting this project I knew little of politics and the details of her leadership but I knew she was despised but I remember in 2013 when she died that there were parties in Liverpool, joyous laughter filled parties with songs like ‘ding dong the witch is dead’ and ‘Maggie Maggie Maggie DEAD DEAD DEAD’ at that time I had very little knowledge of why she caused such hate within people but now I understand. I was worried when receiving this brief as drawing characters and people is a massive gap in my practice as I still haven’t found one way of drawing people that I like and can go forwards with. During the brief we had a one day project to make a puppet and I love manually creating anything fiddly or complex but I had neither the resources or time to make a puppet as sophisticated as I wanted in the time I had so after going shopping I bought a mop head and sheets of felt and created Margaret Thatcher. 

I covered the mop head with air dry white clay, using the part of the mop where the handle screws in as her mouth and dip dyed her hair in varying shades of brown and orange brusho. Once dry I began to cut and tie the mop into place and added her facial features. Reflecting upon Maggie’s head using a mop and then adding a fair amount of clay to it made her head far heavier than her body, which was made of sponge and felt, resulting in me not being properly able to attach her head as the body could not support her weight.

Getting ever nearer to the deadline for this project I began to use the puppet more and more.

After the deadline I realised why drawings of Thatcher were so detailed and similar because as I love urban sketching and being able to see what I am drawing, having a puppet physically in-front of me suited my way of sketching and made my drawings very similar to keep with sequential themes of books.

Unfortunately I got over occupied by such small details and was so critical of my work that I began to majorly stress myself out. I began doing my usual shifts at work finishing between twelve and one then coming home and doing my book until gone six in the morning, sleeping for about five hours then doing it all over again.

Roles in my specialist area

Within illustration the field in which I have always wanted to be an active member of is urban sketchers. Whilst on my Foundation course I went to a Urban sketchers day in Liverpool organised by Simone Ridyard who is a leading member of Manchester’s Urban Sketchers and a lecturer at Manchester School of Art and the main reason I applied to that University. I went purely to see what it would be like but there were so many people that honestly I felt like a little fish in a big pond. I felt way out of my depth next to people who had completed multiple degrees and ten plus years of experience in the field. At that time I was eighteen and very unsure of my future artistically and I literally wimped out. I got on the first bus home after two hours of sketching as the thought of showing my pitiful drawings to a room of professionals terrorised me. I have always felt intimidated and neglectful to show my work, it’s not because I can’t take criticism as without criticism how will I learn but I can’t deal with dismissal. As if my work is meaningless and generic.

me in other fields

I would love to have my work animated or partially animated, even into a gif but I greatly lack the technological confidence and knowledge in which to do so. I feel as though instead of branching into graphic design or animation I would branch into textiles and mixed media. I love making jewellery, clothes, quilts, rugs, cushions and anything I can make more unique and typical of me. I love going to see textile artists work in galleries as I love how the art utilises the space and that each fabric stirs different feelings and emotions within the viewer.

[hyucksbf]

92 truths ??

holy shit when i first saw this i was like ?? 92 ?? 92 ???? but thank u @featureless-spy for tagging me bc this was actually really fun !!

now, to begin ...... (under the cut bc it’s long af)

THE LAST ...

1. drink: water

2. phone call: my grandma

3. text message: “i hope we can send videos ::(” for our band slide show at the end of the year

4. song you listened to: i’m listening to b.a.p.’s angel rn ?

5. time you cried: i was crying of laughter when my sisters got scared shitless at this zombie apocalypse thing we went to over vacation lmao it was hilarious

HAVE YOU EVER ...

6. dated someone twice: nope

7. been cheated on: nopeee

8. kissed someone and regretted it: nah

9. lost someone special: :(

10. been depressed: aha ;;;)

11. gotten drunk and thrown up: nope

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS (12, 13, 14):

pink

orange

purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU ...

15. made new friends: yes !!! many!! some of you on here i lov u guys

16. fallen out of love: uhh i guess with some fandoms yea

17. laughed until you cried: zombie apocalypse lmaoooo

18. found out someone was talking about you: yea but it wasn’t in a behind-my-back kind of way

19. met someone who changed you: yes!

20. found out who your true friends are: yep :(

21. kissed someone on your facebook list: i dun have facebook

GENERAL STUFF

22. how many of your facebook tumblr friends do you know in real life: changed it bc i don’t have facebook but! i know two (who are active at least, ik many irl friends that have tumblrs but arent active): @iwriteblogpostsnotsongs @graciasysaludo

23. do you have any pets: two annoying dogs, two cats, one of which is my best friend, and then two rly fat guinea pigs

24. do you want to change your name: sometimes, yes (mostly bc hunter is such a gender neutral name and people misgender me a lot aHA)

25. what did you do for your last birthday: i feel terrible i don’t even remember ?? i probably had a party or smth like that

26. what time did you wake up: 6:30 ?? around there i had school this morning

27. what were you doing at midnight last night: writing!

28. name something you cannot wait for: ticheli is coming to my school in may aAAAA (for those of u who aren’t music nerds like me ticheli is like the beyonce of the music world + he’s composed to many great songs for band so i’m HYPE)

29. when was the last time you saw your mom: 5 minutes ago ?

30. what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: too many things

31. what are you listening to right now: heartbreaker just turned on !!!

32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: probably ??

33. something that is getting on your nerves: fkn child prodigies ::)

34. most visited website: probably this hellhole lmaooo

35. elementary school: done! if u are still in elementary school what are u doing tumblr

36. high school: still completing it yep yep

37. college: hopefully i can get into a music school or maybe instead go to a conservatory (that’s what i’d like but if i don’t get a good scholarship it probably won’t happen :/)

38. hair color: i’m naturally brown but i dye it all the time rip my hair lmao rn it’s back to its natural color w streaks to give it a break (it’s the first time it’s been natural for over a year) but i think i might dye it a pastel color next time i dye it

39. long or short hair: short short short

40. do you have a crush on someone: i don’t think so ??? i confuse myself a lot so probably not rip

41. what do you like about yourself: i guess my personality?? i think i have a gud personality lmao

42. piercings: the only ones i’ve ever had were my ears and those ended up bloody and infected so i’m never getting those again aha

43. blood type: no idea

44. nickname: hoonter (basically my name just said weirdly) also husband/dad depending on who you are (band fam)

45. relationship status: i love myself ;;))

46. zodiac sign: LEOO YEE (i also figured out this whole sun/moon thing n apparently i’m leo sun + libra moon so :o)

47. pronouns: he + him

48. favorite tv show: I’M WATCHING GOBLIN RN AND I’M EMO ??????? i’m also watching produce 101 too lmao i’m rooting for sewoon and the woojins (and nuest and sammy and hotshot but i mean those are a given)

49. tattoos: i don’t have any but i want many! i want a lion one on my shoulder + a music note behind my ear + also planets/stars/space stuff on my collarbones + wings on my back + my birthday as a barcode somewhere umm?? yea i’ll shut up now aha

50. righty or lefty: righty

FIRST ...

51. surgery: haven’t had one yet

52. piercing: my ears but they’re all healed up now so it’s not there anymore

53. best friend: met in kindergarten and are still friends today nice

54. sport: i tried soccer lmao... not my thing

55. vacation: we used to go down to north carolina a lot to this house we rented but we don’t anymore. that’s the earliest one i can remember but i’m told we went to maine when i was like 4 or 5 but i cant remember that whoops

56. pair of sneakers: probably sketchers smh

right now ...

57. eating: nothing

58. drinking: water

59. i’m about to: write probably

60. listening to: this mashup omf it’s so good

61. waiting for: nothing really??

62. do you want kids:

63. do you want to get married:

64: what career do you want: ideally a clarinetist in some professional orchestra! but lately these days i’ve been considering becoming a music teacher as well

WHICH IS BETTER ...

65. hugs or kisses: both are cute !!!

66. lips or eyes: eyes are v pretty

67. shorter or taller: idk ?? doesn’t really matter to me i’ll probably be shorter anyways rip

68. older or younger: again doesn’t really matter to me

70. nice arms or nice stomach: ??? i don’t care lmao

71. sensitive or loud: LOUD !!!

72. hook up or relationship: relationship definitely

73. troublemaker or hesitant: somewhere in between is nice

HAVE YOU EVER ...

74. kissed a stranger: nope

75. drank hard liquor: nah

76. lost glasses/lenses: i lose my fake glasses all the time rip

77. turned someone down: many people :(

78. had sex on the first date: never had a first date anyways so nopeee

79. broken someone’s heart: i hope not :(

80. had your heart broken: nope

81. been arrested: nope nope

82. cried when someone died: i cried when my cat died

83. fallen for a friend: nahhhh

DO YOU BELIEVE IN ...

84. yourself: yes!

85. miracles: kinda ?? idk the concept is kinda iffy to me but i guess in certain circumstances yes

86. love at first sight: no (i mean, you don’t know them?? i don’t really get it)

87. santa claus:

i’m sorry i’m just so done w people shoving santa in my face like really now

88. kiss on the first date: idk ???

89. angels: no

OTHER ...

90. current best friends name: i can’t really name one?? i have a lot of friends i can’t just name one

91. eye color: dark brown

92. favorite movie: either sunshine (an unknown movie made in 2007 that people should know about because its GOLDEN) or pacific rim bc um

just ??? colors ??

wowie that took like an hour jfc

anyways now yall gotta suffer here we go: @softptg @jeonxgkook @iwriteblogpostsnotsongs @graciasysaludo @omgnille1010 @antiwhitewash @marksvocals @haechance @kingrenjun