#dutch would totally learn to surf just to make it there

[finns-blog-pt2]

looks like the olympic surfers made it to tahiti… they had a god damn plan

[mimsyaf]

Why Is The Night Different From All Other Nights? On This Night, Bitter Herbs.

The first problem, Johnny thought, was that he just didn’t have a lot of experience with apologies.

Bobby said it was important. Bobby had come to him a few months ago wearing that earnest, almost pained look he got when he was praying before a match (and didn’t they all give him shit for that!) and said “I think you ought to apologize to LaRusso.”

“I’m not the one who totaled his knee,” Johnny snarled, and Bobby shook his head with a deeply disappointed look reminiscent of Johnny’s fourth grade teacher when they were learning fractions. Well, the class was learning fractions. Johnny had Superman vs. The Amazing Spider Man tucked in his math workbook and was mostly learning about red-sun radiation.

“I know, Johnny. I already apologized last week. He was really cool about it.”

Johnny didn’t always make great decisions, but most of his best ones came from following Bobby’s advice. So he started hanging around LaRusso, waiting for the right moment to say he was sorry. Only the right moment never seemed to present itself, and soon hanging around morphed into hanging around with, which in turn morphed into the current situation, which neither of them seemed to want to talk about thank you so very much.

And LaRusso turned into Daniel in Johnny’s mind, and that should have made it easier, but somehow he’d never gotten around to apologizing. When they started doing — this stuff, whatever, Johnny thought maybe he could skip the apology step altogether. Make it up to Daniel with his body, because Johnny was good with his body — he could make it do awesome things, and he was always coming up with new awesome things to do to Daniel. Maybe that was enough to show him how he felt, like paying off a debt through orgasms or whatever — not like it was one-sided, Johnny came just as often, but Daniel seemed to like that too, so... all good?

Until tonight, when he looked in Daniel’s eyes and the guy looked afraid of him. For a second only, but oh man that sucked. That sucked so bad. Bobby was right, Johnny was going to have to use his words, and Johnny had always been terrible at that. He could never say what he meant, the right words slipping through his fingers like beads of mercury that time he broke the thermometer in chemistry class. Used to drive him crazy when he was with Ali — she’d get so mad at him, and the more he tried to explain where he’d been coming from, the madder she got.

So the first problem was that he was terrible at apologies. The second problem was that Daniel was totally wasted. What a lightweight. Sure, literally he was a twig, but that was no excuse — Ali’s best friend Susan was tiny, and a chick to boot, and she could drink them all under the table, even Dutch.

“Your face is funny,” slurred the pathetic excuse for a teenager, gazing up at Johnny blearily. “Why’s your face funny?”

“I’m thinking about how you’re a loser who can’t hold his liquor,” Johnny snapped. Ok, not such a great start to an apology. Dammit.

“I can definitely, definitely hold my liquor,” Daniel pronounced. “That wasn’t liquor, it was cough syrup.” He sighed, twisting around in Johnny’s lap. “Do we have any more?”

“Nope.” And ok, maybe Daniel being kind of fucked up would make this easier? Like, he was more relaxed right now than he normally got. Johnny took a deep breath.

“You don’t have to be — I don’t want you to be scared of me.”

Daniel sat bolt upright suddenly. So much for being relaxed. “Scared of you?”

“Yeah uh — before, you looked kind of — uh, what I’m trying to say is, I would never uh. You know, hurt you or anything. I was just messing around.”

Speaking of funny faces, Daniel’s went through about nineteen different expressions in the space of a second. “Oh really? You would never hurt me?” He flailed his arms, pushed himself out of Johnny’s lap. “Jeez, you’re right, how could I ever have gotten such a crazy idea? Silly me.”

Oh wow, ok, they were really doing this. Johnny’s heart was pounding.

“I’m sorry.” Ok, that part had come out alright.

Daniel gave a weird laugh. “You’re sorry?”

“Yeah.”

“What for, exactly?” his eyes were very sharp for someone who’d been acting drunk as a skunk a minute before.

Johnny tried to take another deep breath, but it felt like someone was sitting on his chest. “You didn’t. Do anything. I mean, sure you were kind of annoying — no, wait, let me finish! I’m bad at this, ok? I don’t usually. I mean, with Bobby and Tommy and them, we don’t really — we just kind of pretend things didn’t happen, if one of us is a dick, and then. It’s ok. Like, no hard feelings. But, I never —“

God, Johnny felt like he was strangling. His eyes were stinging, he wasn’t going to cry, was he? Pansy! Never mind, never mind, just keep going. He’d started now, might never get a chance like that again.

“I never did anything to anyone like what I did to you. Last year. I — it wasn’t your fault or anything. Forget what I said just now, it had nothing to do with you being annoying. I — ah!”

Johnny gave an unholy strangled gasp as the pressure around his chest increased. Keep going! “I don’t know why I did that stuff,” he gritted out. “I mean, we all did it, but none of the others would have — it was all my fault. You didn’t deserve it, not any of it. Except with the pie. That was funny, but everything else was really fucked up, like nothing I ever did before. And I wish —“

Johnny gave up the fight, let loose a sob that hurt his throat. Almost done, keep going!

“I wish I hadn’t done it. I’m sorry and I wish I hadn’t done it, but I did, but I want you to know I never. I never will again. And I get it if you don’t want —“ he gestured between them, he didn’t have words for this, was terrified of finding them, “that’s fine, I understand. Please just believe me that I’m sorry.”

He couldn’t look at Daniel. Couldn’t keep his eyes open at all, really, just sunk his head onto his knees and tried to get his breathing under control.

Daniel was silent for so long that Johnny half wondered if he was still there. Like maybe he’d snuck away under the cover of the pounding surf. Then suddenly he felt a slight kick against his toe.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” He couldn’t look up.

“I’m not going to say it’s ok.” A pause. “It wasn’t ok, but, I uh — I believe you. And I accept your apology.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. I do.”

“Thanks.” Johnny burrowed his face even harder into his knees and neither of them said anything for a while.

*************************************************

Parts One and Two of Ma Nishtana are here

Part Three is here

Part Four is here

[sunshinexlollipops]

If Arthur was alive in modern day, he would totally be a Bob Ross fanboy, change my mind

There’s no need to change your mind, anon, because it’s already in the right place. I agree and back this 110%

This isn’t a headcanons request but like it turned into a headcanon post by god:

Arthur discovers Bob Ross by accident. It’s when he’s a kid and he’s staying up and trying to sneak past Dutch and Hosea and really that just means staying up in his room and doing nothing in his bed

He turns on the TV and ends up on the really odd channels that just broadcast whatever because who tf is awake rn?

Well besides this little gremlin, ofc

Arthur ends up flipping through these black holes of television until the shot of a paintbrush crosses the screen, and he stops his thumb before pressing the surf button again

For the first time since he turned it on, Arthur sits back to watch what’s on the TV

There’s no audio because he knows his ass will be grass and Hosea will be Jon Deere if he finds out he’s staying up so late to watch painting, so subtitles will have to carry him through these dark times

He quickly becomes enraptured with Ross and his paintings, mainly because of how he manages to create something so pretty with what seems like little to no effort.

Arthur doesn’t have paints, and he’s too hesitant to ask for some, but he’s got paper and a pencil, and so he starts from there

He can’t secretely watch “The Ross” all the time, because of school and not being tired constantly, but he has it to where late Saturday nights are all about Ross

Dutch and Hosea have no clue this is going on FOR YEARS— they just assume their eldest has a knack for art (which he does) and that he’s doing this at reasonable hours (which he is not)

As he goes into high school, Dutch and Hosea are a bit more lenient and they support Arthur’s art escapades. They buy him sketch books and other materials, especially when Arthur goes into various art classes

For the first time, he gets to try painting at school, and the grin he has splits his face in two and is brighter than any star in any nebula

He gets good. Damn good. But his drawings are the best. He’s known around school as the really cute guy who can draw whatever he wants, but especially nature pieces

People ask him all the time “where did you learn to draw like that?” and he just goes :))))))

Not that people dig on Bob Ross. Not in the slightest. But he thinks no one will believe that he’s been watching Bob Ross at three in the morning since elementary school

People also think he’s making a joke when he calls things “happy accidents” or “happy trees” but in reality he is 256% serious

The family knows because Arthur will hog the TV but they love him and getting watch him draw or paint? Good entertainment as any

When Arthur graduates he applies to a college for art-related degrees, and he works on commissions and other works for people in town

Probably gets a job where art is included/a needed aspect. Might even be able to support himself with his skillset on the side because hot damn

He definitely designs some of the boys’ first tattoos too

John is a frequent customer okay

He often visits cafes or small coffee shops and takes a cup of straight black joe to work on sketches

Definitely listens to indie music on his laptop

Which definitely has a Bob Ross wallpaper on it

Only has one Bob Ross shirt though, and it’s this one:

Dutch bought it for him and it is one of Arthur’s favorite possessions

Also on another note: he has an Instagram and is rather popular. Not a massive artist by any means, but he’s got a following because his content is usually amazing art but occasionally a selfie with his dog and a derpy caption and what I would GIVE to see that feed :,)

So yes, anon. Very big Bob Ross fanboy. No doubts ‘bout it. ;)

[thesmallcast]

New Year, New MEga Goals

Before I hit into the 2019 goals and outlook, I do want to reflect on my last post. Sex has been a big topic of my blog and rightly so. I think that it was such a difficult thing for me to comprehend. Sober Sex! Getting intimate! Nervous! Scared! I had issues with my vagina this year where I couldn’t even put a tampon in without pain let alone the thought of anything else.  I saw a gynaecologist for “vaginismus” - which more or less is the tightening of my vagina muscles making any type of penetration painful or impossible. I felt fine physically but mentally I was still holding on to previous trauma. I think seeing my therapist again and talking more about has helped me heal. Finishing the drought was n’t as bad as I had expected, in fact, I'm amused by the way it played out and so proud of myself for taking a leap and just feeling that confidence again! Of course - the first thing to do is message all my friends and update them on the latest and greatest news…One friend commented “ Isn’t it weird having sex with someone who’s drunk and you’re sober” - I was a bit taken back. I am not going to be able to dictate this I have made a choice to go sober - for me, it doesn’t change anything. I'm more conscious of ensuring that the male is in the right state of mind to consent. Its something I won’t be able to control and it doesn’t bother me either way.

Coming into 2019 a big part of this year is to stop being so hard on myself for everything I do, live in the moment, breathe and embrace. Its easier said than done but I'm getting so much better at taking a step back and being more accepting. Sometimes a friendly reminder that Hey, that's just you being you, dorky Sam, open book, bold, confident, cheeky, fun, loud, loveable Sam… I won't be everyone's slice of pie but Il always be delicious. I will continue to shine bright and not be discouraged by those who don’t value me or me being wholeheartedly ME.

I have written up a tonne of goals which I feel like have shifted than my outlook for 2019 originally. I have recorded them all below

I'm going to take a break from weightlifting. Two reasons, one is to save money and the other is to work more on building muscle and losing body fat. I have gone guns blazing into weightlifting but have been injured several times recently that its time to make a change. I want to get back into running I use to enjoy it so much and build more muscles in the legs.  My 2019 goals are to

1.Squat my own Body Weight 2.Enter City to Surf in August 2019

Also, a friend from the gym TJ has kindly offered to write me up a program.. for free which I’m so excited for. She is so knowledgeable and has a strong understanding of what I want. She gets my vibe. I enjoy the gym, the feeling it gives me and getting shredded is also great... I love my body as it is today! Maybe not that one week during my period.  I have definitely done a 360 from where I used to be I couldn’t stand my hips, my thighs, my chin…. Now my hips and thighs are my favourite parts of me! I used to have to look in a mirror at my therapist and it was super confronting at first but now I can't stop a looking!

My saving goals are to get back on the saving bandwagon. After a massive spring clean today, I realised I have so much stuff! I have seven pairs of shorts - is it really necessary… definitely NOT. I have been told on countless occasions that I’m a shopaholic. I will happily admit that I am. I think that most girls are but I don’t even think through a purchase I just swipe my card. It’s time I change that and take action. I would hate to know how much I spend on clothing each month... each year. I have a total shopaholic mindset which this year Il be majorly working on. Do I need it?.  I feel like there is a birthday or any occasion I instantly ‘need’ a new dress for it. Other than it draining my bank account - Do I have any other purpose for it? I have brought so many one time dresses or outfits for just a special occasion. I also, on the other hand, have some items I wear to death e.g my denim shorts, my Elle t-shirt... essentially my go to ’s. Nobody actually remembers or gives a fuck what you are wearing ... let’s be real.

Last year in winter,  I decluttered and asking myself -Do I need this? Do I wear this? I filled two kitchen rubbish bags with clothes ... and I was ruthless. I didn’t fall for the whole I might wear this again.... if it hadn’t been in my laundry for the past 6 months it was gone. I did make an exception for summer outfits but I was pretty honest with what I will wear and what I didn’t wear last season or what just made a guest appearance. It didn’t mean I now have space to add more clothes in those drawers it just means I’m a little less cluttered. Somehow I have managed to get my drawers chockfull… AGAIN.

So the rules are:

1. I will only buy if an absolute necessity - e.g. Work pants fall apart… which they won't cause I have about 7 pairs of those too!! 2. I am able to buy something new if I hit a fitness goal ( to be decided) 3.   Don’t just buy it for aesthetics 4.   Sell some shit and DIY

Thank u, Next!

Although it's slightly contradictory to saving, I do want to get out more this year and see more, do more, be more social. Experience more of Sydney. It doesn’t have to be expensive but definitely want to continue going for hikes, seeing what Sydney has to offer and meeting good souls.

My biggest goal for 2019 (one which makes me nervous and excited). To quit my job and move to Amsterdam for a year. It's a big one. It will be bittersweet to leave the comfort of Goodman Fielder were I have worked for 8 years, to pack my bags and leave. Hence the saving goals are in dire need. I am only young once and I feel this is a prime opportunity I'm single, I am turning 29… I have nothing to lose. Why Amsterdam? Well, I have a best mate there which makes settling a bit easier, its a great location and I can travel around Europe. I went to Amsterdam around 4 years back and absolutely loved it and the vibe and could see myself living there. The goals are too:

1.Buy a one-way ticket to Amsterdam for September 2.Learn basic Dutch

Moving into my more emotional and ‘icicle’ related goals. I am such a self-reflector and so more self-aware than I have ever been and I want to make sure that I'm not just thinking of my self but others too. I really want to pick up a volunteer role as I have been trying to find one which suits who I am and what I believe in. I will continue to keep my eyes peeled. My top 5 emotional goals to work on :

1.Be more decisive - Don’t be scared to make a decision to please someone else. Just go with your gut. No answer is the wrong answer 2.Don't get caught up on males - validation that I don’t need. I am enough. Stop wondering if I'm good enough for other people and start wondering if they’re good enough for me 3.Making enough time for the VIP in my life 4.Continuously praise and validate my self-worth - Be kind, gentle and caring. Making my own happiness. 5.Continue blogging to express me, my thoughts, my freedom, my being.

2019!!! Let's get cracking!

[foofygoldfish]

deputy alice riley

Soooooooooo this is gonna be long, but it’s pretty much anything you could ever want to know about alice lol

her full name is Claire Alice Riley, though she pretty much only goes by Alice. Staci calls her Allie, and she haaates it.

She was born in Falls End on October 30th, 1992.

Her face claim is Anya Taylor-Joy, just shorter (5′) and with pink hair. She naturally has dark brown hair, though when her hair isn’t pink, she dyes it blonde.

Her childhood in Fall’s End was fairly average - her sister was annoying (Jane was the designated babysitter, and hated it), so was her brother (he loved frogs and spiders, she… didn’t; though she got him back by her loving snakes and him being terrified of them, which is still true), her parents were happily married. The car crash happened after a Girl Scout’s meeting (the troop disbanded not long after, but not because of the crash) that her dad picked her up from. She came out with a broken arm and a concussion, but that was it. She doesn’t really remember much from the few hours before or after the crash. A few years after, the Sheriff had Jane (who had custody at this point) send her and Caleb to California, where her aunt and uncle were her legal guardians. Her uncle is a chef for big events, so he had weird hours, but they were able to live comfortably and (to Alice’s amazement, Caleb’s disdain) to have passes to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm. Her aunt works in the industry and travels a lot, but both of them tried to be home more for the first few weeks after the twins moved in. The twins were both involved with theatre, but Caleb is the one with the real acting talent - Alice thought about being a voice actor, but it’s more of a hobby for her than anything. 

Her family owns the Fall’s End Garage - she’s not the best at the mechanical side of running the shop, but she’s pretty good at running the business side of things. She wanted to ban peggies from the shop, but Jane wouldn’t let her.

Lives in the house behind the garage in Fall’s End - it was her parents, her sister kept it after she moved in with her then-boyfriend - she didn’t want to stay, but nobody was really looking to buy houses at that point, so she boarded it up for the twins. Jane joined after the house was “given” to Alice, so the house was fine. 

She misses LA like crazy, especially once winter hits. She loves having rainy days again, but ten years of no winter? Her dream.

Her brother, Caleb, thinks the testy festy is hilarious, and after everything is over, is so mad that he missed it. Alice doesn’t agree with him. At all.

She’s technically Catholic - she was baptised, went to her first communion, and then pretty much stopped going to church. She goes to Pastor Jerome’s masses for the comfort and traditions when she moves back, but she doesn’t really believe.

She loves being on the water. She prefers surfing and kayaking, but adapts to the lakes and rivers of Hope County quickly. She’s not a huge fan of fish, but she starts to like fishing at some point. She definitely prefers it to hunting, and if given the choice, will definitely go fishing.

Speaking of hunting... Alice has a habit of darting off into a field of bliss when she’s bored hunting in the Henbane. She doesn’t actively do drugs, and doesn’t want to be an angel, but... She gets bored. And has impulse issues sometimes.

The Seeds tease/taunt her because of her height - she doesn’t even come up to Jacob’s shoulder, which I also think is kinda hilarious lol. Staci used to tease her too, but the entire department learned not to/were told by Whitehorse to stop (unless she can’t reach something and she doesn’t have anything to climb on)

When everything’s done, she helps Grace open up a little cafe. There’s plenty of people to help run it, and she thinks that (after a nice vacation) it would be good for Grace, and eventually Jess as well.

The Sheriff forces her to take a vacation after everything. She tries to go back to just being the Junior Deputy, but she gets roped into continuing to help the resistance. She pretty much takes over Virgil’s responsibilities as mayor, and helps to set up a small school for the few kids left in the county.

If you’ve seen Wynonna Earp - she has the same blue and white truck as Wynonna. She came back to Fall’s End with her little electric car, but that isn’t really feasible to keep using, so she took it up to Missoula one day and sold it. The salesman tried to sell her a fancy new truck, but she was happy with the one Jane had kept for her.

Most called gun for hire: Jess and Grace. She’s not the best at being sneaky, and her eyes aren’t the best for sniping (she had an optometrist appointment for a week after the initial mission, she obviously missed it), so she almost has one or both of them with her. When she needs to just fuck shit up, she’ll call Sharky, though

She started at the sheriff’s office as a secretary - it was a job, and she’d be able to look after her sister (“who didn’t need looking after” but there had been some fainting spells), and then after Hudson’s partner died, Whitehorse told her that she could apply for the role, and she took him up on that. 

If she did join the cult, she’d have a fairly nondescript position - probably something administrative, as that’s what her degree is in. Definitely something behind the scenes and non-violent.

Fucking loves disaster movies. She’s a slut for disaster movies. Like, she’ll sit through all the shitty SyFy channel ones as well as the big budget ones (San Andreas is one of her favorites - it’s so cheesy, but it has Dwayne Johnson and Alexandra Daddario, AND GIANT FUCKIN EARTHQUAKES. And the guy from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries who is a total teddy bear)

She doesn’t really like planes or helicopters - if they are needed, she’ll get Nick or Addie. She knows enough to take off and land, but she’ll avoid flying herself if at all possible. The mission where Kim has her take Carmina and blow up peggie supplies? Fucking terrifying.

She rock climed and did some parkour back in LA. She didn’t keep up with it when she moved, but it obviously comes in handy...

Alice has two cats: Crookshanks and Data. They are both huge Norwegian forest cats, Crookshanks is an orange tabby, and Data is a grey tabby. When she’s not home, Mary May happily takes care of them.

She has a shitton of anxiety problems. She had a decent supply of meds when shit went down.

She has a major panic attack after driving Nick and Kim to the clinic. Even without the shit all over the road, she was terrified that she would crash and hurt or kill the Ryes. 

Relationships:

Jane - She’s 8 years older than Alice. Alice absoultely does not approve of her relationship with John, and is horrified when she finds out that her sister married the fucker.

Caleb - Both of them are horrible at keeping in contact, so he’s not worried at all when she goes off the radar. 

Joseph - She thinks he’s full of shit lol

John - Direct quote from when she’s told her sin is wrath: “No, it’s not wrath, it’s I fucking hate you.” Once they’re able to laugh about it, Hudson doesn’t let her live that down.

Faith - Uh, she obvs thinks Faith is the cutest. She has a hard time keeping her sass to an angry level, rather than super flirty.

Jacob - They fucked. After the Rye’s barbeque with the infamous watery mac n cheese. I still haven’t figured out why? She hates him now, and absoultely regrets the one night stand (...mostly. She thinks.)

Mary May - Her childhood best friend. They tried to keep in contact after Alice moved, but they eventually both moved on - Alice with new friends in LA, Mary May with helping to run the bar.

Pastor Jerome - He doesn’t mind that she isn’t a practicing Catholic, and welcomes her with open arms. She tries to get people to go to his church again after everything, to mixed levels of success.

Dutch - She’s not a huge fan of him, but she’s grateful for his help, and he is grateful for what she does and how she helps Jess.

Eli - He can’t reconcile the image of the Junior Deputy and the Alice he knows in his head - she doesn’t act anything like the rumors flying around the county, but he loves her (as a friend).

Tracey - They don’t get along very well - it’s a very strained, very professional relationship. Tracey knows that Alice likes Faith, and is very worried that she’ll be too soft on her.

Virgil - She loves his pins, which makes her super cool in his book. They quickly become friends, and he becomes a sorta mentor to her before his death.

Nick and Kim - Nick finds it hilarious that she hates planes so much, and he only uses it to tease her sometimes. Nick quickly becomes like an older brother to her, and she spoils Baby Rye rotten after she’s born.

Adelaide - Also amused by Alice’s feelings on flying, but doesn’t bring it up often as Alice was a frequent visitor to the marina before shit went down. Adelaide doesn’t understand Alice’s crush on Faith, but she will tease her about it (as long as Alice doesn’t defect).

Grace - The two met once before Grace’s parade, and then again at Alice’s dad’s funeral. They get along pretty well, and Alice always has her with her when liberating outposts or doing anything that requires her to have good vision.

Hurk - He drives her insane. She thinks he’s funny, and a really nice guy, but he’s so loud.

Sharky - On the other hand, she loves Sharky. She teases him about the time he puked on Grace every time he mentions having an upset stomach. They’ve drunkenly kissed a few times, but they both try and act like it didn’t happen.

Jess - In the main story? Her girlfriend by the end of the game. Jess teaches her how to hunt properly, even though Alice hates it. Jess joins in her teasing of Sharky about the puking. She hates it when Jess uses the fire arrows - Sharky and Hurk already set her clothes on fire, she doesn’t need it from her super-stealthy person! At the end of everything, she tries to convince Jess to play video games (instead of killing people), to some but not much success.

Relationship wise: They start off with drunken kisses, then one night stands, and then realise that the amount of one night stands (and nights when they fall asleep together) they have mean they’re kinda girlfriends. 

Fangs - She sleeps with Boomer in her bed every night, despite her cats protests. She’ll cuddle with Peaches and Cheeseburger when it’s cold and she’s outside, but it’s a little harder to get the two of them inside the house.

Marshal Burke - She thinks he’s a decent person, a little egotistical, but decent. She’s super shocked when he shoots himself.

Whitehorse - He’s part of the reason she starts to not mind fishing. He’s her surrogate dad, and has been looking out for her since her dad died. They’re both relieved to see each other after the crash.

Hudson - She’s not too sure about Alice at first, but she quickly becomes protective of the “city girl,” and willingly does all of the night driving.

Staci - Her brother’s ex-best friend (for the same reasons as with Mary May). She didn’t really get past “I tolerate you” until the events of the game. After he’s rescued, they become platonic cuddle buddies, even after he starts his thing with Stella. They both agree to not tell Caleb exactly what happened to both of them.

[ghost-avalyn]

After many hours of deliberation I came up with some answers to a questionnaire for Denver. <3 Questions can be found here! Some of the answers have dialogue, some have no dialogue, some are both.

Answers and stuff under the cut.

1.) What is your guardian’s name? What does it mean? What inspired you to choose that name for them?

Denver. No real reason, thought it was cute and when a name strikes me I usually stick with it because I'm chronically bad at naming.

2.) What did your guardian name their ghost? What does it mean? What inspired them to choose that name?

Her name is Avalyn. It means “beautiful breath of life”. The name is fairly self-explanatory. Mostly, he calls her Av.

“Heh, funny story. I was rezzed in a bookstore... I can't read. Av deciphers things for me, so it's not really worth it to learn. Anyways. I asked her what I could call her before I even figured out my own name. She took my request seriously and I helped her by turning the pages of some old-ass books. She found the name Avalyn. She seemed to like it, and she deserves a name she likes. So we kept it.”

3.) What is your guardians favorite weapon of choice? What mod do they use for it? Do they have a masterwork on it and if so, how many enemies have they killed with that weapon?

“Crimson looks pretty sweet with the gold studs. But I don't care about guns too much. Next question.”

4.) Do they participate in the Crucible often or do they just go to complete the daily challenges?

He likes participating in the Crucible to be immersed in the energy of battle and to screw around. He can't bring himself to care much about actually competing. He has an exposition kink so he's all about showing off his flips 'n shit.

“There are challenges? Man, that's news. I like showing off my flips, running around the maps, fucking around with the guardians. They're fun. They take things so seriously.”

5.) If your guardian had to choose to be another class, what class would they pick? Or would they stay the same?

He'd probably stay the same. The idea of being a big strong titan might appeal to him briefly, but only if his size were to change and I don't think it works that way.

“Oh! Would I get taller if I became a Titan? Unless it'd make me a bigger, beefier version of myself, no dice. I'd make a pretty lame Warlock, too.”

6.) What is their favorite subclass within their own class?

He's an Arcstrider, he knows no other life. Arc energy flows naturally for him, as if it chose him. The body movement with Arc Staff suits his innate connection to his center of gravity.  

“Arcstrider for sure. If I was smarter, maybe I could figure out how to use different energy. Maybe I'm just lazy, I don't know. I needed Arc energy more than the others and it kinda came to me naturally. I'm not the Avatar over here.”

7.) What is their favorite subclass in a different class?

I wanted to go with something other than Striker, but, he has a strong affinity for Arc and can't help but admire the amount of force and energy that super utilizes.

“Strikers are sexy.”

8.) Would they rather receive a titan kiss ( a hard ass headbutt that mostly results in death ), asking a warlock a question that might result in a long explanation, or deciding to play the knife game with hunter and bet at high stakes?

“That's a tough one. But uh, probably go with the knife-game, it sounds fun.”

9.) Would they prank other guardians or just their close friends? What kind of pranks would they pull?

He'd be fairly cordial with any guardian that hadn't already pranked him in some way – that would be the green light. Except Dutch, he will forever be [attempting to] push him off ledges to get a rise out of that exo.

“I won't mess with a guardian I don't know. Unless, you know, they prank me first. But then we officially know each other, and it's fair game. With Dutch, I'm always trying to pull a fast one on him and somehow the fucker is always one step ahead of me. Do Exos have literal eyes on the back of their heads?”

10.) Which vanguard member to they like to hang out with the most?

He likes chilling with Cayde. He wants to learn more about Exos, and even if Cayde doesn't offer much in the way of knowledge, it's a nice breather to visit him every once in a while as he's a total opposite to Dutch personality-wise.

“Cayde is my bro. The other Vanguard members seem kinda... high strung for me. They don't like me very much anyways. Cayde doesn't mind when I show up unannounced, he's always up for company, and sometimes I need a break from Dutch's seriousness.”

11.) Who would they fmk out of Skolas, Ghaul, and Calus?

“I'd fuck the Fallen guy, marry the rich guy, and kill the asshole. Is there any other way to answer this question?”

12.) What kind of hobbies do they do in their free time? Are there any particular skills they have that help them with this hobby(s)?

“People watching, clubbing, dancing... Just hanging out.”

13.) What is their favorite armor set and what shader do they use for it?

Kairos armor set with Shinobu's vow, and Omolon Meteor Gloss.

14.) Do they prefer silence or are they unbothered in loud areas?

Denver is not a fan of silence. He didn't really think much about this until he started his life at The Tower and felt quite at home with the relative amount of chaos.

“I like loud areas with a lot of different things to pay attention to. Silence is boring.”

15.) Are they afraid of storms? If so, is there a specific reason why?

Nope, he loves them. The white noise calms him, the thunder claps excite him, and he absorbs arc energy considerably better in this kind of weather.

“Stormy weather is my favorite. I've been struck by lightning a few times. I'm pretty sure that's what happened. I was able to run off that energy and power my town for days without stopping.”

16.) Who were they before their ghost revived them? Do they know about this and if so how or what did they use to learn about themselves?

Denver grew up with his mother in a group of ten or so refugees far from any new-age civilization. They stuck together in a small pack, doing a lot of foraging to meet their basic needs. The group didn't get involved in war/political affairs and mainly kept to themselves.

“I dunno, but I don't think about the past much even when it's something I do remember.”

17.) How close are your guardian and their ghost? If they are not close, would your guardian kill their ghost and choose to answer the darkness’ calls?

They are best friends, partners in [sorta] crime. Avalyn calls Denver out on any of his bullshit but follows him loyally wherever they go.

“I love Av. We do everything together. She helps me out so much, and she makes a lot of good points about life-stuff.”

18.) Would your guardian engage in a romantic relationship with Fallen, Cabal, Hive, etc? If so, what do they find attractive about the species?

I don't know that he's ever considered it.

“Hm, Fallen are pretty good-looking. But romance? There's a bit of a language barrier there.”

19.) Who is their favorite lore hero? Example, Jolder, Saint-14, Andal Brask, etc. Why is this person their favorite and in what ways do they inspire your guardian? What would your guardian say if they were face to face with them?

He's heard some stories about Andal through his relationship with Cayde-6, he admires the strength of their friendship and wishes he was able to know the guy in person.

20.) Does your guardian like plants? If so, what kinds? Do they prefer flowers or trees or shrubs? Would they start a garden?

“Trees are nice, I guess. Especially those huge ones on Nessus.”

21.) If your guardian became obsessed with something, what would it be?

“Why do the exos get reset??? Does it shift them farther away from who they really are, is it convenient, and if it is convenient, to who?”

22.) Do they like reading books or watching movies or both? What genres are their favorites? Does their fireteam have the same taste?

Denver prefers watching movies because it can be a co-op experience. He can absorb the information with someone else and bounce it off of them, figuring out how his experience aligns with others'.

“Movies are cool with friends. I don't read. If I really wanted to, I could have Av help me read something, but I dunno. I'd rather have a conversation with someone who knows what they're talking about.”

23.) What kind of music do they like? Do they dance around anybody in any situation or in the privacy of their quarters? What would their favorite song from the Golden Age be?

He prefers future bass like “Exhale Therapy” by Conrank, or psychedelic pop, see “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man. But anything with a good beat is accepted.

“Hell yeah! I'll dance anywhere, everywhere, for anyone who's willing to watch. ;)”

24.) What does their living space look like? Are there a bunch of pictures around or do Knick knacks cover the shelves? Do they enjoy bright, neutral, or dark colors? Would they purchase a fur rug?

“My living space? Oh right. I have a bunk, but I don't spend much time there. Dutch's house is way nicer.”

IMO Denver lives in a shared living quarters with several other lower-ranked Guardians. He spends many more nights with Dutch-9 in his swank-ass modern-looking house, or Cayde's living quarters. He doesn't settle in one particular area, he can even be found couch surfing in the city. As far as personal belongings such as clothing, he does fancy bright, obnoxious coloring and is sometimes known to collect knick-knacks to adorn Avalyn's shell [with her approval] or just to collect dust in his bag/vault.

25.) Do they travel around the city often? If so, what are their favorite places to go and who do they go with? Are the civilians ever excited to see them or do they give them a look because of precious mishaps that resulted in property damage?

He does travel the city often. He likes anything that can be done in tandem with other people. Rather than dragging friends along, he tends to insert himself into groups easily, usually at bars/clubs, making tons of acquaintances and not many close friends. He likes to feel like he “knows people” and makes conversation with the owners of the buildings, yearning for a sense of belonging. Since his found-family from the refugee town was taken in by the city, he also visits them often to check on how city life is treating them and helps them out any way he can. He definitely has done some damage to local venues but does everything in his power to make it right when that happens.

26.) Are they good with kids? If not, how do they react when a child tries to talk to them? If they are good with kids, what kind of things do they do to entertain them?

“Kids are awesome. They're just... authentic, you know? I want to hear about their perspective on things. But I'll show them Arc-staff tricks if they're not into telling me their ideas about the world.”

27.) Are they in love with Shaxx?

“He's a great hype-man. I dig his enthusiasm. In love? Nah, but I have a normal amount of love for him.”

28.) When your guardian sleeps, are they stiff and stay in one spot or wild and kick off the sheets? Do they have nightmares often and if so, about what? How often do they sleep?

He's a bed hog, sprawling out his limbs and tossing and turning frequently. Sometimes known to react violently to being prodded if his partner wants to grab some of the blanket.

“Yeah, I've been told I'm a restless sleeper. I disagree, I'm a heavy sleeper. But... I guess I do take up more than my side of the bed. I love sleeping. Can I add that to my hobbies?”

29.) Do they enjoy coffee, tea, soda, or water? Would they mix all of these together and drink the liquid on a dare?

“Leaf water and mud water is nasty. I'll drink soda all day, but Av reminds it's not great for my stomach. Oh, a dare? Definitely.”

30.) What about their personality attracts other guardians to them? What is it about other guardians that attracts your guardian to them?

“My personality? I'm mostly nice, so maybe that's why I have an easy time making friends. And other guardians... Well, everyone has a story. I like to find out their side of things. See what makes them tick. It works out well, because everyone loves talking about themselves... Almost.”

[theprettysetterclub]

Hi, my name is Stella, can I get a matchup please? I’m a 5’1” surfer, I can spend hours in the water and never get bored. My eyes are green, i almost never wear my hair down, normally in two Dutch braids. I always smell like the ocean, or so I’ve been told. I am studying to be a marine biologist. In the summer I like to teach the neighborhood kids how to surf, when I’m not working as a lifeguard. I love kids, I love helping others. In the winter, fall and spring when it is to cold to surf I do stage crew, building the sets for the play, and I work the lighting board during the play. I used to play volleyball but now I just do it for fun. My favorite books are Fahrenheit 451 and the perks of being a wallflower. I love piercings but I’m terrified of needles so I wear fake cartilage piercings all the time.I’m fairly outgoing, but I used to be very shy. I can make friends with almost anyone. I’m the dad of the friend group, i make the best dad jokes, always offer people rides, am good at grilling, I love jeopardy and classic rock, and I’m good with building. I love affection, I’m good at calming people down. I get cold easily, but am always too stubborn to admit it. I’m on adhd meds that from time to time, give me insomnia, and during those sleepless nights I will try do school work or read or workout. Thank you!!!!

@stella-290​ STELLA I’M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I FORGOT TO PUT IT IN MY DRAFTS 

i match you with…

nishinoya yuu!

✧ he stuck out to me pretty quickly, tbh! i just think you’d find it so easy to get along with him, and you really play into each other’s strengths, if that makes sense? 

✧ first of all, he’s got an adventurous streak, so i can totally see him getting into surfing! especially once he knows how much it means to you; all he asks is that you return that energy when it comes to his passion for volleyball (he’s always getting you to practice with him, btw)

✧ he also thinks the fact you’re a lifeguard is really cool, and he loves that you like helping others out. he admires the strength of spirit revealed in that sort of thing, and how much you give back to the community! he tries to lend a hand when he can

✧ you two would be the most outgoing couple! you two would have a ton of friends, and everyone enjoys having you two around because you’re so good at lifting up the mood. 

✧ being the dad friend means you can reign in his chaos from time to time, and also temper his raw energy a bit. he’s a little whirlwind, but i think you can handle it! also, i feel like he’d be into classic rock so-- 

✧ he loves the fact that you’re affectionate, because he’s so loving (and borderline clingy). he loves having an arm around your shoulder or wrapped around your waist whenever you’re out in public, and he loves to pepper you with kisses whenever you’re alone.  

✧ honestly, he just loves doing stuff with you? whether it’s playing volleyball, or surfing, or playing with kids,,, he’s just glad to share an experience with you. i think this sort of thing would be the cornerstone of your relationship? you’re both just so happy to have someone to experience life with.  

✧ he likes to stay up with you on those sleepless nights slkjfdf good luck getting any school work done ever again, because it’s just going to be workouts from now on (and if it’s not a workout, you can bet that noya’s going to bother you too much to let you study) 

✧ you two would be the cutest little adventure duo and i’m very much here for it,,, i hope you’re ready for the absolute chaos he’s about to unleash on your life skljlk

other matches!

✧ hinata shouyou: in regards to your relationship, i think it’d share a lot of similarities with nishinoya. you two would also be that super outgoing, well-liked couple, and you’d be just as affectionate. he understands your passion for the water because he equates it to his own love of volleyball. he also loves your kind heart, and seeing you get long so well with kids is almost Too Much for his heart. please help him calm down dfskjlf he gets tunnel vision and he’s super energetic, so i think you could help give him some guidance. also, if he finds out that you enjoy playing volleyball, he is constantly begging you to play with him sdklj

✧ iwaizumi hajime: i just get the feeling that you’d get along so well? it’s kind of hard to articulate, but it’s there. i can see him being a good surfer sdkljfdslk all it would take to teach him would be like. one afternoon hhh i can see him loving the fact that you love kids? he’s not particularly great with them himself, but he thinks it’s kind of cute. he’s also a dad friend (see: him with the team), but you’re a bit softer than him; i think that could help him learn to be a bit less,,, harsh? he also likes that you’re quite outgoing, too also, he’s always giving you his jumper, because he knows you get cold easily even if you won’t admit it. sure, he’s a little grumpy about it, but there’s no way he’s letting you freeze. 

[tuttleinbold]

Arriving in Utrecht, Netherlands

Dear Tuttleonians,

I’m living in Utrecht, Netherlands since March 2nd. Most days, err, pretty much every day is overcast, windy and rainy. But I’m slowly growing accustomed to it. Only 50% of this country’s land is over 1 meter (3 feet) above sea level. Not much to slow the wind down.

On the second day here, I connected with a seller who had a “grandpa bike” for sale - it is perfect!! :D

I snapped a few pictures of my ride from the hostel to the school as I ride through or around (depending on construction that day) the Dom tower which was constructed in the 14th century.

MATH COURSE

I’ve just finished my refresher math course where we covered such classic hits (topics) including properties of exponents, calculating with letters, factoring expressions, fractions with letters, linear equations and equations of a line. 

It was quite enjoyable but surprising a heavy load of work. It was customary for me to spend 6-7 hrs on the homework and still struggle to get all of it done. It was the perfect ramp-up class to take so that I could get my “study” bearings while also be reminded of what I learned more than 18 years ago.

As is the norm, I met some interesting people along the way. My main instructor used to be a lawyer and then a judge before going back to school and becoming a mathematics teacher she shared was her most fulfilling career to date. She also mentioned that she went back to school for mathematics in her 50s, insinuating that I at the age of 35 have plenty of time to switch careers. I agree with her.

Another instructor who gave us our end of the course test sat in the silent classroom while we were filling out our answers and would make these sounds as if he were about to address the class but I guess it was just the way he breaths. This went on for about two hours before he actually did address the class.

One of the students I met would always snack of peanuts the way one would snack on apples and in her case she’d drop all the shells and peanut dust into her pocket. She said she suffered by high anxiety and would squeeze the peanut shells in her pocket as a sort of stress reliever.

Before bed, I’ve been reading A Journal of the Plague Year, an account of one man’s experience of the year 1665 when the bubonic plague strikes London. However in celebration of completing my first course I picked up Joseph Campbell’s, Romance of the Grail, about Arthurian mythology. I’m very excited! 

HOSTEL LIVING

Since arriving I was booked near the city center at Stone Hostel. Relatively speaking this was a good hostel for the price though not without it’s challenges. The first night there I was so jet lagged I didn’t notice much around me and collapsed on my bottom bunk, the room totally 4 bunkbeds (8 beds). The next day I noticed a fellow in bed all morning and all afternoon. That evening, returning from my math course, the man was still in bed. That night when I was getting ready for bed, I noticed the man was snoring and making choking/gurgling sounds. The room smelled of cheap cologne and alcohol. I switched on my flashlight to look around his bed and noticed trash strewn around his bed with something leaking out from under his bed. Shining the light under his bed I found more trash and a whole serving of discarded french fries. Yikes. Sitting in my bunk, lights out, pondering the situation, the man woke up. He didn’t really move then I heard the crack of a can opening. And the man drunk his can of beer down lickety-split, without leaving the bed. I moved rooms.

In the Netherlands, there is some sort of social safety net for people that would likely be homeless, where they can stay at inexpensive hostels. I ended up rooming with a couple of folks who fit that description though none as severe as the story above.

While in the hostel I met some really interesting people from all over the world including a lad from South Africa who worked in investments but is going back to school here in Utrecht to become an English teacher. I told him of my desire to visit Botswana and he agreed to give me the inside scoop when it was time to plan such a trip in detail. Whenever he asks me about Trump he refers to him as “The Donald.” Oy.

The Dutch don’t use shortening for backing. So I tried making this biscuit recipe without shortening as I couldn’t find it in stores. I substituted butter instead but the biscuits were crunchy and not that wonderful soft texture. I’ve since found a store and have custom ordered Crisco that I’ll pick up today – https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fluffy-biscuits/

NEW DIGS

Sleeping in a hostel room full of snoring bears finally pushed me over the edge in terms of aggressively looking for a temporary room in Utrecht. Being perpetually exhausted due to little sleep due to loud snoring is a bad recipe. The housing market here is worse than Los Angeles if you can believe it. I would have never believed that was possible. When I first arrived I reached out to all the places that I know of with little results. One anxiety filled night, as the snoring symphony performed in the background, I did another round of online searching.

One of the people responded and so after school I rode my bike 20 minutes away, facing the wind, and wound up in what looked like a suburb sharing tea, chocolate and conversation with a fellow who was employed as a system’s analyst with shelves and shelves of books on all manner of philosophy. The convo went well and that night I waived sayonara to the hostel and had a full night of peaceful sleep in my new room at the new place.

PERFORMANCE ART

I met up with the local Couch Surfing group for drinks and a funny thing happened. The bar became absolutely silent. I turned around and saw two chairs atop a table with a man and a woman sitting in the chairs staring at each other. Then without a word they began a sort of choreographed movement grabbing each other, one much of the time mirroring that other’s movements. The performance went on. They stepped from table top to table top as the performance continued. The place was stone quiet. Nobody had their phones out taking pictures, no. Everybody just watched. The two performers had some interactions with the audience through body language but not a word was uttered. It really was an incredible performance. Afterward, I came to find out that it was part of a “Performing Art Festival” that happened annually in the venues in the area. I was hooked and recruited my South African friend, Jan Louis, to join me in checking out four additional shows the following day: 

1. Barista Coffee Makers

A women in red and a women in black in conflict with men playing instruments musically representing them

A coveted ball being used between three performers and the audience

The dance of the devil, intense, animalistic, all to the music of a small orchestra

A woman from Spain upon hearing my above story said I should check out Marina Abramovic, a well known performance artist born in present day Serbia. Her work is quite fascinating and I’d encourage you to check out her TED talk where should gives a delightful definition to “performance art”:

And if you like that, you’ll likely enjoy this long form documentary about her:

[dac-bonj]

Lesotho Infinity And Beyond: 6 December 2016: South Africa- Cape Town!!!

               My British friend George and I left for Cape Town from Hermanus in the morning. It was so stressful driving in a city with traffic again. We returned the car, super dirty and needing gas, but the car rental guy said he wouldn’t charge me, which was great. I checked into my hostel, Zebra Crossing, a really nice hostel with wifi and lots of indoor/outdoor chilling space (R170/night, the cheapest I was able to find in Cape Town). We wandered around a little bit, then decided to try to make it to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with the train. But it turns out that the trains were all screwed up and delayed due to people stealing parts of the train or something, so they weren’t running. TIA. So we wouldn’t be making it to the gardens. We then met up with these other girls George knew from other hostels, and went to their fancy hostel and swam in their pool, which was awesome. Then all of us went out on Long Street, which is the primary street for bars and music, etc. Every night on Long Street is loud and crazy, but this was Saturday night, so it was especially so, and really fun.

                The next day, I went on one of several free walking tours of Cape Town. I ended doing all three they offered, but on that particular day, I did the historical tour. I learned the following: There are 4 million people in Cape Town, with 1 million in the surrounding townships. Most people are coloured and speak English as a first language. On the tour, we saw Desmond Tutu’s church, some Dutch East India Company buildings, the company gardens, the spot where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after being released from prison, and a court house where they determined people’s race with such banal things as the the “pencil test,” in which they stuck a pencil in your hair, and if the pencil stayed put, you were black. If it didn’t, you were white or coloured. The way they classified race was so arbitrary sometimes, and people would often be reclassified from year to year, depending on how some clerk thought they looked. Absurd. I didn’t realize that Apartheid only ended 22 years ago, and the effects are definitely still being felt. Our tour guide was very careful in his choice of racial terms, saying things like “African” or a specific tribe like “Zulu” instead of saying “Black.” Other guides I had had no problem saying “Black.” I guess it’s up to everyone’s specific preference. The first guide said that everyone treats the racial terms differently, some wearing a label like “coloured”  as a badge of honor, but others refusing to be defined by their race. They used to call all black people “Bantu,” even though that’s a specific language classification, and certainly not all Southern African tribes fall under this category. Things were divided into “whites only” and “non-whites only,” and even important foreign businesspeople visiting from Japan and China were put into the non-whites category and were treated as second class citizens. Then eventually all Japanese people, and then Chinese people became honorary whites, being granted all human rights and privileges, because of important business dealings. Cape Town, from the start, was always treated like a business for the Dutch East India Company, being used as a pit stop half way between the trade routes, so I guess they decided that people who were favorable to their business interests should be treated well even though they weren’t technically white.

One of two benches outside of the High Court. The other says "Coloureds Only." They are just kept for historical significance; the benches in Cape Town aren't all like this!

                One day, a few people from my hostel decided to rent a car and drive down the cape to go to Simon’s town and Cape Point. Our cast of characters include a paramedic/ambulance driver from England/Cyprus, a photographer and adventure company owner from India, and an annoying nature cult lady who only wore white from the US. We rented a car from Around About Cars and picked it up in the morning. Our first stop was Simon’s town/Boulder’s Beach to see the awesome and waddley penguins. They were so cute! I also found my Peace Corps Lesotho friend Hillary there too, who I didn’t even know was in Cape Town, so that was a total coincidence to run into her. She rented a bike for the day to go down the cape as well, because the trains were still out of commission.

Penguins!

                Our next stop was Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, which had amazing views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs, as well as the endless expanse of the ocean. There were a few trails we walked along in the area, including to an old light house. (It was at this point where Nature Cult Lady split to go to a special beach to do her voodoo rituals. Obviously, we did not join her.)

The road to Cape Point

Cliffs at Cape Point

Hey guys!

Obligatory handstand

"The most southwestern point on the African continent."

So many lizards!

I'd never get tired of these views

                Then on the way back, we drove through Chapman’s Peak, on a road that was partially cut out of a cliff, which was awesome. Then we arrived back in Cape Town in the afternoon to return the car. That evening, we decided to light the braai (bbq) and roasted some meat and vegetables. This oldish guy was talking about working as a cameraman all over South Africa and having lions jump at him, which was pretty entertaining to hear.

                In Cape Town, there are two main mountains to climb: Lion’s Head and Table Mountain. The next day, I decided to climb Lion’s Head in the morning. The hike takes you spiraling around the mountain, giving views of the city, the harbor, the ocean, and the beaches on the other side. There are also ladders, chains, and staples to help you get up, which was super fun to climb up on.

A ladder on the path up to the top of Lion's Head

A view from partway up Lion's Head. Signal Hill is on the right.

Staples and chains

The beautiful city

A sign at the top of Lion's Head. Who knows what it originally said?

                On the way down, I took the path down to Signal Hill, where they fire a cannon every day at the same time. I saw paragliders taking off and floating around, swooping toward the hill and then gliding out toward the sea.

Paragliders that just took off from Signal Hill

                Hillary and I met up for Free Tour #2, which was a tour of the Bo Kaap neighborhood. It’s a super colorful area of Cape Town where everyone still greets you (“Salaam” – it’s mostly Muslim there), people look out for each other, and troublemaking kids play a kind of ding-dong-ditch game. Our guide had practically grown up in that neighborhood, so it was great to hear some of his first-hand stories of the area. He explained that it’s so colorful because a long time ago, when everything was painted white, one person painted their house a bright color to distinguish it from the others as a sort of advertisement for the business they were running there. Other people caught on, trying to be more colorful than the next, and the result is:

                Hillary and I finished off the evening with dinner at Bisemilah restaurant in the Bo Kaap for some delicious bobotie, a traditional South African dish of spiced mincemeat coated in a kind of egg topping, served over rice. It was so flavorful!

                About halfway through my stay in Cape Town, I decided to move to a new hostel. Zebra Crossing was great, but I wanted to check out another hostel that some of my friends had stayed at, Long Street Backpackers. While Zebra Crossing was calm and quiet, Long Street Backpackers had a reputation of being loud and crazy. And it delivered, in a good way. It was also R170 per night, but wifi wasn’t free. I wasn’t mad, though, as I feel like it forces people to actually interact with each other (gasp!), which traveling is all about anyway. Wifi is a crutch. Plus I had a sim card with a little data anyway, so I could do the essentials like Whatsapp and email.

View from one of several balconies of Long Street Backpackers

                So the day after I moved hostels, I loaded up my Cape Town bus card and bussed to Hout Bay, which is a beautiful beach and harbor area just south of Cape Town. I really wanted to surf, but the waves were tiny to nonexistent. The surf shop guy there told me it wouldn’t be worth trying to surf. I love the ocean, though, so I couldn’t resist at least swimming in the (freezing) water anyway. On the way back from Hout Bay, I stopped by Lladundo and Camps Bay, incredible-looking beaches.

Camps Bay Beach

                I got back to Long Street Backpackers and immediately met an Israeli girl staying in my dorm. All Israelis have to go into the army, and she just finished three years of field intelligence. She was traveling now and would start college in a few months, and felt behind compared to similar-aged people of other nationalities, because lots of them have already established their careers by now. But I told her that having three years of life experience was better, because now she has a better idea of what she wants to do with her life before going to college. Lots of people, me included, just went to college without really knowing what they wanted to do, because going to college is just “what one does” right after high school.

                Other people I met at this hostel include a sweet but crazy English guy, covered in tattoos, who takes a few weeks off every year and just goes insane partying in some foreign location. His blood brother, one of the managers of the hostel, and this English guy were being crazy together while another manager, a guy with a beer belly and a ponytail, looked on with a mixture of indifference, judgement, and brotherly love. There were also a couple of stunt guys who liked to hang out at the hostel a lot, one of which legit looked like a ken doll. The fun and craziness continued through my stay, helped along by the hostel bar’s free-shots-for-varying-levels-of-nudity policy (which I did not personally participate in. Don't worry, Mom.).

                Perhaps the most iconic destination in Cape Town is Table Mountain, named so presumably because it’s flat on top. Many afternoons, a cloud will descend onto the top and start spilling down the sides, which people aptly call the table cloth. I woke up early one morning and bussed up the long hill to the base of the mountain. I went to the info booth and they pointed the way to the advised path, which I heard was just 2+ hours of stairs up to the top. I asked where the fun/hard path was, and they told me that that path was not advised because it was more dangerous, and that if I got hurt and told someone that the info people had told me how to go up the hard path, they would get in trouble. After persisting, the lady reluctantly nudged her head in the direction of the start of the trail. Sweet! It was really fun, with lots of rock scrambling, some chains and staples where they didn't need to be, no chains or staples where they definitely needed to be, and great views of the city once I got toward the top. For those who don’t care to climb the mountain, there is a cable car that will take you right to the top in just a few seconds. The hard path up would have been almost impossible to go down, as I was hoisting and squeezing myself on and between boulders on the way up, so I decided to take the normal path down. Surprise, it was an hour and a half of stairs, to the detriment of my knees. Ouch. While I can go up a mountain all day long (and have), I always hate going down a mountain. I might have taken the cable car down had I known/wasn’t so cheap.

Partway up Table Mountain, looking at Lion's Head

"This is not an easy way down," accurately advises a sign at the top where the hard path pops out

The tiny city below

                Another great place in Cape Town is the V&A Waterfront. It’s a big expanse of shops and restaurant on the edge of the harbor. AKA it's pretty fancy. I got some awesome food, including a pan-seared beef and feta cheese wrap and some bubble tea. There was a Korean cultural festival happening when I was there, and I watched some k-pop dance contest on the steps of a little amphitheater. Then I walked to the Sea Point Promenade, which is a path along the water.

These yellow frame things are all over the city

Tourists think they're funny

                The main reason I was at the waterfront was because that’s where the Robben Island tour leaves. I had ordered my ticket online a few days earlier because they sell out pretty quickly. My tour mates and I lined up to get on the ferry, which takes you 45 minutes out to Robben Island. After we got there, we got on some busses that would take us around the island. Before getting to the prison, we had a small tour of the island itself and what buildings used to be what, and also saw some penguins. At the prison, we got a tour with this awesome ex-political prisoner who told us all about life in the prison. There were many people, including Nelson Mandela, who were held there for many years for being part of the resistance movement against apartheid. He told us about how you were only allowed to have a few letters per year, and they were heavily censored by prison authorities by having words and sentences physically cut out of the paper. He told us about working in the quarries hammering rocks, and that the prisoners used to have secret meetings there to discuss political plans against the apartheid government. Even in prison, apartheid was going strong, as black prisoners had to wear short pants like children, got easier jobs, and got less food, and coloured prisoners got better treatment. Then we all ferried back to the mainland. I don’t think I would have understood/appreciated the tour NEARLY as much if I hadn’t read Nelson Mandela’s book, Long Walk to Freedom. It’s super interesting, and in general it helped inform me about life in South Africa (and in turn, somewhat about life in Lesotho).

Entrance to Robben Island

Beautiful Table Mountain on the mainland

Our guide talking to the group in the prison yard

                One day, I decided to take the third of three free walking tours, this time in the District 6 area of the city. The tour was pretty boring, so I abandoned it and walked to Woodstock, a neighborhood in the northeast of the city. It was such a good idea to go there instead of enduring the rest of the tour, because I found SO MUCH STREET ART! If you know me, you know that I love love love street art, and it was literally around every corner in this neighborhood. Some people sitting outside their houses were super friendly, and when they saw me with my camera, they even pointed me in the direction of the best pieces. So cool!

Woodstock, straight ahead

This was one of the murals that the tour guide showed us. It's very important, but the building owner was painting over it! We might have been some of the last people to see it. It depicted what life was like in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s in South Africa.

A huge mural

Beep

Lots of the murals were animal-related, including this elephant...

...and this rhino

And even some of the buildings are crazily painted

                The last place I went around Cape Town was Muizenberg, a beach town known for surfing. By this point, the train was actually running again, so a German guy (who I had first met in Coffee Bay and was staying at my hostel again in Cape Town) and I trained about an hour down there. Someone had told him that the train was unsafe, but I found it perfectly fine. Sure, there was graffiti all over the outside, but I felt completely safe. Some people are just sketched out over nothing, I guess. After we arrived at Muizenberg, we both rented surf boards and wetsuits and tried our hand at the waves. I still kind of suck at surfing, but every time I do it, I have the best time. Then after falafel for lunch, we went on a quest to buy him a wetsuit that he could take with him when he went to New Zealand in a few days. He was doing the one year working visa, which I am becoming more and more enthralled by. He was going to be a hiking guide there, which sounds awesome because I heard that New Zealand is absolutely beautiful for hiking. We eventually found him a suit and trained back to Cape Town, sufficiently exhausted by the day.

A screenshot of all the places I had dropped pins on my maps.me app. It shows where all I stopped along the coast from Durban to Cape Town!

                I was super sad to leave Cape Town, and I forced myself to buy a bus ticket to Pretoria a few days earlier because I knew that if I didn’t buy it, I’d just stay in Cape Town forever. A friend I’d made at the hostel was super nice and drove me to the bus/train station where I got on the Intercape bus to Pretoria. Cape Town was one of the best places I’d visited by far: outdoor activities, indoor activities, food, night life, ocean, more food, diverse cultures, and cool people, Bye, Cape Town! I’ll definitely be back!

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[toadventureindefinitely]

Lisbon

I arrived 4am on Tuesday at the "better" station in the northern and modern part of Lisbon. I assumed that there would be an inside part where I could nap on the ground while waiting for the first metro at 06:30, but nope. Do your research people, lesson learned. I was very cold with lack of appropriate winter clothing and a homeless man tried talking to me, it was the first time I thought I might've needed my pepper spray. I walked around and found an area that was more enclosed and warmer and sat on the ground to start editing my Ireland GoPro video. Within seconds 3 security guards came running in after me and starting laughing, seeing that I was no threat yet telling me I couldn't be in here. So I went back to my original cold spot and hoped for the time to pass quickly. With editing videos that definitely helps and my computer battery almost lasted until it was time for the metro. Navigating the metro was easy, it's nothing compared to Paris or Madrid. 

When I got off at my stop and up on the street it was still dark and nothing was open. First I found the hostel which was pretty difficult because there's only a tiny sign and the hostel is an old big renovated apartment. After walking around the area to pass more time it was finally 8am and I buzzed the hostel door. I heard a girl say hello but didn't know where it was coming from, buzzed again and then looked up to see the girl standing outside on a balcony. She let me in and said her coworker would be right back to check me in, but when he got back he said I couldn't get into a room until 2pm. I was so sad because all I wanted to do was sleep and they told me I could check in early! I hung around to finish my video, charge my phone, have some of the free breakfast, and decided where I wanted to go first. I asked the girl, now known as Pookie, how to get to the area on top of the building across from our hostel and went there, the Justa Elevator. You can get up high enough to see the whole city for free, but I paid the extra 1.50 euros to go to the very top which was totally worth it; the beginning of the many amazing views I'd encounter in this beautiful city. I walked around the main area of the old city center, admiring the many Christmas decorations and markets. I was truly amazed and quickly fell in love with the city. 

On the second day I went on a walking tour with this German girl I met in my hostel who has been studying in Porto this semester. The tour was in the more western part of the city and we got to see the nightlife area (Bairro Alto) and a cool view of the bridge. It looks just like the one in San Francisco because it was designed by the same person, but just smaller here. I chilled a bit when we got back with some other girls in the hostel, Pia from Germany and Pookie from Netherlands. Pia seems like your typical German girl: tall, dirty blond hair, blue eyes. But she loves to surf. And every place she travels she gets a tattoo as a souvenir type deal. Pookie has been doing Workaway at this hostel for the past 3 months. She's a total hippie: has dreads, lived in Ibiza for 3 summers in a forest campground where she dated a guy from Argentina 17 years older than her with kids, and has her own tattoo tools that she brings traveling to make money giving people tattoos. I'm so glad I met them because I learned a lot from them and loved their attitudes and views about everything in life. They're very open and confident in their sexuality and have like really really hooked up with girls but overall consider themselves more straight, Pia even has a boyfriend who is super hot from the pictures she showed me. The whole point of this is that it made me look at myself and my on views on my sexuality which I've questioned a lot while traveling because I don't have a desire to hook up with guys. But that doesn't mean I have a desire to hook up with girls, it's just nobody at all at the moment. And if I were to hook up with a girl or find a girl attractive does not at all mean I'm a lesbian. I don’t know why I set myself up for such high standards and why I'm so afraid. If I meet someone and feel comfortable enough to want to pursue that then I will, but I'm not going to force myself into anything I don't truly want to do. I just want to enjoy the time I have with people and simply be. So thanks to Pia and Pookie I've come to be gentler with myself. 

I went back out to walk around the Alfama area which has the castle, small cute streets, and amazing miradouros (viewpoints). I watched the sunset from one of the best views I’ll ever see in my life and had some good life thinking. When I got back I made some salad and had more rice for dinner, then Pookie got back and told me about this hostel she wandered into near the river. She said it was the coolest hostel she's ever seen and they were having a pub crawl she was invited to and asked me to join. My original plan was to stay in and get a good night’s sleep but following my traveling motto I obvi said yes and she was super excited which made me a lot too. Pia got back from her day trip while we were getting ready and Pookie was supposed to give her a tattoo but had to postpone it until the next morning since we were going out now. All three of us set out for the hostel (Sunset Destination Hostel) and were amazed when we arrived. I'd definitely recommend staying there, it's cheap and not too far from the city center. Unfortunately no one signed up for the pub crawl so we decided to hang out of the roof and drink wine and tequila shots. We met two girls from Sweden, Lisa and Tia, because the lent us a wine bottle opener. They were super cool and the same age as us. They had been traveling for one month and plan on staying in Lisbon for at least a month or two. We got caught up talking about boys and sex, all that good stuff, and didn't see that the other group left without us so we went out to a bar to drink yummy mojitos and finished off at a small club. 

The next morning I woke up with a terrible headache. Wine, tequila and mojitos do not mix well apparently. After 6 hours of drunk sleep I got out of bed because I couldn't fall back asleep and it was time for Pookie to give Pia and I our tattoos!! Pia went first and got a little wave on her wrist because she loves the ocean and surfing. Then I got my first tattoo! An om on the inside of my lower ankle so I can look at it while I meditate and practice yoga. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would, probably because everyone said it's one of the more sensitive areas to get a tattoo so I was really mentally prepared. After, I said bye to Pia as she was leaving for another hostel near the coast to surf for the next few days. I decided to take an easy day with the tattoo and hangover and all, so the scenic tram line 28 through Lisbon seemed like the perfect option. However, after waiting at the stop for 30 minutes it finally came and after I got on a saw a sign that you have to get off at the last stop, which wasn't much further than where I got on. So it was kind of a waste, but I at least got to experience the famous ride and saw some areas that I decided to go walk around afterwards: the Lisbon Cathedral and miradouros next to it. So beautiful and more great views! I watched the sunset again from the main square by the bay listening to a really good busking band. I stopped at a kebab place on my way back to the hostel and got a falafel wrap for a whopping €3 dinner! And they loaded it up with salad so I was extra pumped. When I got back to the hostel I watched some game of thrones then napped off my lingering headache. 

I woke up to Pookie and Johann, a guy also from Holland, chilling in the common area. Johann has been traveling all around the world for a few years now and makes money by playing the guitar and singing. He's sooo good and I love his style, he plays while we talk, draw, read, or whatever. It really inspired me to find a trade that I could use to make money traveling, maybe I'll buy a guitar and learn to play and sing like him, or give people tattoos, etc. who knows! We also played would you rather from a Dutch website on his phone that he was translating really well to English, and they were the funniest ones I've ever heard. We had so much fun and it's something I'll always remember. I also took time to read through some of the hostel guestbook and write my own note. It's always so cool seeing what the other people from all over the world had to say about the hostel and Lisbon.