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spacegaynsfw · 3 years

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It’s Thursday, and my day off, which means it’s time for me to tell y’all about what I’ve been up to this week!

A few days ago you might have seen I started participating in some shenanigans on Reddit (which admittedly has ups and downs, if you follow my main you saw the wack message I got from someone regarding one of the toys I own) and it’s been. A lot of fun lmao

So, first of all, lemme do a TL;DR version of this story so that if you don’t want to read about the full story of how I got to this point and just wanna know what I’ve been up to, you can.

On r/FapDeciders (classy name, I know) someone started hosting a “Slut Training Week.” On a whim I sent in an “application” to the guy running it, and it’s been honestly great. I mentioned that I’m a lesbian but this sounded too fun to pass up, and frankly he’s been super accommodating which was a pleasant surprise. It started with a lot of edges, still has a lot of edges, and will have a lot of edges. Also some interesting humiliation, denial, (SAFE) exhibitionism (and, of course, limits have been taken into account so that’s good), and sort of the whole gamut of fun stuff for subs. I’m on day 3 of edging with no orgasm, which is both awful and extremely fun for me lmao. If you’re curious what tasks we’ve been given, you can read the post here. I’m u/spacegaynsfw on reddit for this, and you can read my other posts about it there.

On to the longer explanation! Under the cut because, y’know. I think this is going to get long.

So, a little background on like. Who I am as a person on this earth today. For a long fucking time, I’ve been really into taking dares and tasks and the like. I like the aspect of humiliation and sort of exhibitionism, even if it’s technically in private. But, I’m also a socially anxious wreck of a person and don’t like interacting with others. Somehow, through that, I ended up finding out about the phenomenon of faproulette, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. People post little games, you roll numbers, and do the tasks those numbers dictate (this started, unfortunately, on 4chan, but has since migrated to its own website as far as I can tell). I started doing those a few months ago, but eventually it got kinda stale. There aren’t a lot out there that are designed for people with a vulva, and it’s kind of frustrating.

Since the tumblr porn ban a few years ago, I’d also started venturing onto reddit for some of my more... we’ll say eclectic porn tastes. And in perusing those wares, I found the thread I mentioned above, and was there at the right place and the right time to find that slut training week thing.

So, I send in my application and all that jazz. He responds, gives me a few questions, and a task to edge after answering each one; 13 edges. I already know I was going to be into this. We chat for a bit (he’s doing his masters in AI and robotics in Austria, which is cool as hell tbqh), then Monday comes around.

Of course, there are tasks that need to be done throughout the week, but there are also daily tasks. Monday is all about edging, and boy did I edge a lot. But at the end of the day, I did get to cum, so that was nice. But, one of my favorite tasks was keeping track of how many times I looked in the mirror. I had to edge twice each time I did (though since I was at work, I kept track of how many times and then did them all when I got home). I actually was avoiding looking at myself for the day since I didn’t want to rack up too many.

Tuesday was really interesting. Probably my favorite day so far. I hadn’t edged using a makeup brush before, but I’m glad I did. It’s a fascinating feeling and it’s so deliciously teasing that I’m DEFINITELY planning on doing it again. One of the other tasks was to touch my pussy (through clothes was acceptable) for 30 seconds every hour. Every hour I didn’t do, it was a “punishment token.” Every two hours I went, it was 3. So leave it to me to read the rules at 6 am, then forget them, and go four hours (6 tokens) without touching. (don’t worry, while I was at work on Tuesday I spent the majority of my time in the truck, so I wasn’t doing anything insane!) But I caught myself, then went on to keep up with it for the rest of the day. I did the rest of my tasks when I got home, and then... punishment time. And holy jesus.

First, I’m gonna get into something I’m into that I don’t talk about much: pussy and clit torture. I couldn’t tell you why, but there’s something about inflicting pain to a part of the body that seems to be only there for pleasure that’s just... really really delicious. I’m not the type of person to put needles through my clit or anything, but I definitely am the type of person to put icyhot on my clit. Or slap it. Or scrub it with a toothbrush. That kind of thing.

Back to the punishment. He had me put some icyhot on the rope where it touched my pussy, put in my inflatable butt plug, and put on nipple clamps. I also had to put more icyhot on my nipples. I then had to put clothespins on my tits, my thighs, and my labia. Then he had me do 6 jumping jacks, and slap off whatever clothespins didn’t fall off with a wooden spoon. And that happened twice. Any time I was taking too long, I had to spank myself with that wooden spoon 20 times.

Do y’all know how long it’s been since I had a nice relaxing trip to subspace? Do u???????? it’s been FOREVER and this was just so. Hoo. God. It was really nice.

Anyway, yesterday wasn’t as special partly because I had to work late and partly because it was pretty standard stuff. Edging with a vibrator, practicing oral skills, that kind of thing. I did request to tap out of the task that would’ve required I use my vibrator at random in public since I was at work, and exchanged that for edges instead.

Today is a lot of humping. No touching with hands or toys. No edging. If a task requests I edge with hands/a toy, I have to instead fuck my ass. It’s going to be interesting. I’m excited to see what the rest of the week has in store, for sure.

All that being said, I’m definitely going to start taking tasks/dares both here and on reddit a little more frequently because I’m just really enjoying myself y’all. I wanna cum really bad, and just sitting here thinking about it is making me horny as shit, but oh well. Good thing I’m also into denial lmfao

#tori says things #max says things #Reddit adventures

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whatudottu · 3 years

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Okay I have a little more thoughts on Petrosapien biology, and it’s focused around diet and stuff associated with it.

You may think that this would be an awful thought to share, but I found an interesting little critter that has the same proposed diet I want to talk about without the icky gooey extra stuff that comes after. I’m now confident to share and hopeful that this doesn’t come across as too suggestive. There’s implications but I hope you don’t mind all too much.

Besides, Petrosapiens don’t look the type to... do all that anyway.

In my random perusal of the internet, fueled by curiosity and the drive to google those questions, I discovered a pretty little clam. Sure, this clam, a shipworm as it’s called, digests wood and is often found buried within sunken ships, but scientists were recently (for science standards at least) introduced to shipworms that consume rocks by Philippine locals of the Bohal province.

Already a great start.

Okay fine, the scientists aren’t sure if these clams eat more than just limestone or the bacteria in their guts is enough to take nutrients from the stone, but I’m talking about an alien species, and the mere speculation of it in our own earthly creatures just allows me to run for the hills and die on my claim.

So, given that Petropia is really nothing but rock (and any synonyms you may think up) with hardly any form of true greenery, this diet should indeed make sense. Though something makes them different from the ground they walk, which I am honestly stumped myself how to answer, being able to take nutrients from stone and in this case crystal is super important for the growing Petrosapien.

But, for those catching my drift in the intro paragraphs, what’s one to do with any excess scrap that doesn’t have the good bits.

Taking a look back at our little buddy, the article I found details that this clam grinds the stone with its shell (now for Petrosapiens a mean set of grinding teeth), eats and digests the rocks that it eats, then much later expels a fine sand. Not only is this not completely excrement, it’s still sandbased, and guess what babes!

We just found out how our Petrosapiens grow!

So obviously they’re not all just biting down on the same minerals, but, with their digestive systems able to take out the nutrients from crystals, the remaining ‘scrap’ contributes to their own crystal systems. Depending on the crystals, a Petrosapien can develop different levels of mass and personal crystal structure that adds on to the already present colours, textures and shine from childhood, which I will delve into later.

The crystals of Petropia are typically cool colours, spanning from green, blue or purple and a few intermediary shades, blends and vibrancy for ‘special edition’ crystals, think exotic fruits or even drugs. The people are much the same, probably evolving to become the colour crystals that they are. Nowadays a change in diet isn’t going to change the colour of the crystals, because while the crystals themselves may be regrowable (and in that case, technically replaceable if you think mineral wise), the natural colour is moreso determined by the... ‘skin’ underneath, which often filters the excess sand to conform to individual specific crystal structures, on the common basis at least.

Speaking of natural colour, given that I was a little shy to actually talk about reproduction, I want to briefly touch on how children get to have their individual crystals and differ from their parents too.

So, when the parents cloacal kiss each other (but like in an almost fusion type of way because crystalkinesis), some shards from their stomach region disconnects and reattaches to the other. That happens because the crystals themselves do not know the genetic difference between one body from the next (a little headcanon from @karkalicious769 ‘s fanfiction ‘Diamonds are Forever’ over on AO3 if you like Petrosapiens you’ll love the fic), so that when the pair disconnects from each other, they have inclusions from the other.

It’s more obvious if they’re two different colours, which is more obvious than texture and shine, and the inclusions are rather blatant proof of fun times. The child, if successfully made, would take the base colour of the mother and, if the inclusions are different enough, they contribute to a default personal shade. Sometimes though, inclusions don’t quite fuse all too correctly, and some specks are left behind (yes I just headcanoned Petrosapien freckles, yes I think it’s cute and I hope you do too).

Hmm, I think that’s it for today... tonight... whenever. I really do like talking about this stuff, even if I’m not exactly knowledgeable in this area, and I might want to make more. Well, I’d just need to get over my bias of Petrosapiens (which is relatively easy, even if I really do think about them a little more often than what’s considered normal) but that’s all for now.

#petrosapien #xenobiology #xeno #just a little bit #suggestive #but that’s all #headcanon #ramblings #oh hang on #ben 10 #can’t forget that tag #maybe i can #but i like consistency #nevermind my procrastination #and random bursts of inspiration #also you should reall check out that fic #it’s completed so you won’t have to worry about discontinuation

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inkofamethyst · 3 years

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April 8, 2021

Ayyyy got denied from the first internship I applied to! To be fair, my primary reason for my attraction to it was its location, not even the projects, and they’re online anyway, so I ain’t all that bothered~

Also I was perusing the syllabus of my chem lab last night (while procrastinating) and found out that you’re only docked 10% if you turn in a lab report up to a day late. Honestly, wish I’d known that back when I turned in that lab report half-finished all those weeks ago (also I could’ve asked for an extension), but hey, you live and you learn. Also,,,, I probably needed something like that to humble me anyway.

Wanna know something that makes me kinda frustrated? No, very frustrated?

The fact that my professor for my organismal biology class never posts videos on time. Like, she’s teaching, what 150 students over the two sections of her course and is consistently a day or two behind on lecture videos. Now! I understand that she fell ill early in the semester, and like, that happens! And she’s super nice and her explanations are generally pretty clear and stuff it’s just that, like, it throws me off my groove dude.

We had our exam 2 today and like,,,,,, ugh. Like the only reason it wasn’t too bad was because I have a half-decent system for searching through my notes for answers (Notability + powerpoints + decent note-taking) and it’s not cheating because everything is ~open note~, but there were four powerpoints that were posted without video lectures, and one of them was posted the first day that people started taking the exam like ????? Y’all. If I was a conspiracy theorist, I’d say that the professor realized that she’d made it in her syllabus that students could take the first two exams and skip out on the next two if they wanted, so she decided to make getting a decent grade on the second exam really difficult so that students have to pay attention for the rest of the semester and at least take the third exam. But I’m not a conspiracy theorist (though I do think I could think myself into circles like one if I wanted), so I think she probably just got behind after she got sick (and for some reason didn’t use spring break to catch up? idk).

All that may be frustrating, but she did post a lecture for today, so I’ll probably get started on that... tomorrow. I’ve watched hours worth of lecture within the past 18 hours for that class (all at 2x speed, mind you, but it actually worked out pretty well because the professor speaks clearly (and slowly) enough that it was effective), so Imma need a bit of a break.

Also,,,, I went to a webinar on getting a job in archaeology today and like,, I know I haven’t done it yet, but I’m not sure if it’s for me. I might’ve just romanticized it, I think. Now, my plan is more related to bioanthropology than material culture, but I did want to try archaeology just to see if it clicks, you know? Maybe it will, maybe it won’t, but the profession itself feels... unnecessarily difficult to break into. Like, sure, to some extent it could be cool to hop around the US, project to project, but I don’t know if that’s a way I’d want to live, especially since the job security as a contractor is literally nonexistent.

KDFJKDJFKDJ SO THE WEBINAR IS WRAPPING UP RIGht and it’s four white ladies and one white guy and one of the ladies was saying like, “you should definitely try to network with people of diverse project interests but also diverse racial backgrounds” and all three of the other women nodded really vigorously and the guy just sat there stonefaced fjgkdjgkdfglkdf I just gotta say, as much as I love white woman activism (and I’m not knocking what she said by the way, it was actually really nice and there was totally no reason for her to say something like that so whether or not it was productive, I say that it’s the thought that counts right here), white men being uncomfortable and unsure in the midst of white woman activism is even better.

[forgot to post this last night whoops!]

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aoibaratraveler · 5 years

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A Look Back At My Time In Japan Part 1!

Time for some Japan nostalgia!

I was hoping to write this much sooner than now but between settling back after our road trip, finding a job and then finding time to organize my life during my days off has been difficult!

This will be part of a three semi-detailed/summarised blog looking back at what I can remember from living in Japan three years ago; since I was too much of a fool to document it back then but then again I was having the time of my life so that can be a good enough excuse I guess, right?

Part One will be my first month in Japan where I was living in Tokyo with a friend who graciously let me stay in her apartment. Part Two (and maybe three) will be my four months living, studying, and working in Nagasaki and Part Three (or 4) will be my hitch-hiking back-packing trip around Japan in what was my final month of my six months living there!

Pre-arrival/Arrival in Japan and First Impressions:

I was excited beyond belief that I was finally going to go live and explore Japan and be away from home for the first time. I was also super nervous, the preparation to study abroad was pretty intense for someone who had never done it before and for someone who had never gone through the paperwork of visa application, passport renewal and getting all the documents together for the study abroad application itself. Once that was settled though it was just the wait to be able to go (maybe I should write a simple how-to of my experience with the study abroad application and why I think every university student should do it?). I purchased my departure ticket to be on 29th February 2016 which I thought was pretty cool since it’s not every day you get to fly on a leap year. About six months prior to this I had met up with a close friend of mine who was about to leave for a year to participate in the JET programme and she, we’ll call her L, invited me to stay with her for the month of March in Tokyo to sightsee and hang out before my study program would start in April and of course I took her up on it!

In the days leading up to my departure, I really went all out and planned my own going away party with all my friends and had the best time with an escape game, archery tag and a poutine party. The bf, who at that time was just a friend, met up with me beforehand and helped me pick out a bunch of Canadian souvenir type things to bring with me to Japan so I could give to my homestay family. It was a fantastic day and very special so I had no idea that on the day I was set to leave that one of my other close friends, A and the bf planned to sing me a going away song at the airport (to be clear, the bf didn’t actually sing, A did and he provided the music on his laptop and speakers). This tidbit may a bit unnecessary in my nostalgic walk down memory lane but it is just part of what made those six months some of the best times in my life.

Anyway, enveloped in jitters and excitement I boarded my plane to Japan to start my journey, or as the Japanese say “tabi” (旅). I flew into Haneda airport which is quite central to Tokyo and I then found myself squeezed into a sea of evening commuters on the metro. Unfortunately, when I got off the metro and proceeded to take the escalator out of the station…I dropped my suitcase down it and one of the wheels broke which made walking around Tokyo a tad difficult. At that time I hadn’t realized that there was free wifi pretty much everywhere in Tokyo and while trying to find my friend’s apartment…I got lost for about an hour. It was pretty funny and I wasn’t too worried, to be honest, but I did feel bad to be keeping my friend waiting. I found a payphone to try and call her to tell her what was happening but I ran out of change while on the call (had a bit of leftover change with me from when I had first vacationed in Japan two years prior). After a while of walking around and trying to follow google map’s offline directions, I found a koban (a small police station) and gave the police officer the address that I was trying to find. The police officer was very kind and accommodating and pulled out a map to show me where I was and where I was trying to go (which actually wasn’t too far away…I was walking in circles). He then copied down the address on a big piece of paper with some instructions and hailed a taxi for me since he figured it was late and I should just take a taxi which I didn’t mind. I got to my friend’s place in no time at all and settled myself in.

First Two Weeks in Tokyo:

In my first few days, I took out my Japanese textbooks so I could prepare myself and brush up on things to be ready for classes at my university in Nagasaki and because I was planning to be staying with a homestay family that could speak no English…..well, being that I am pretty much the queen of procrastination, those collected dust pretty fast. Since it was a small apartment and I had a suitcase and big travel rook sack with me, L’s sister advised me to just send it to my homestay to be stored there in the meantime. The Japanese postal service is amazing and although my suitcase was pretty big and heavy they had no problems with shipping it to my homestay in Nagasaki the same day.

L’s neighborhood was quite cute and quiet and super pleasant to explore. It was pretty suburban and away from the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo which I greatly appreciated. Since L had work, I often explored on my own and was able to borrow her sister’s bike to further acquaint myself with the area. One of the days I borrowed her sister’s bike, I rode to Arakawa river which is a huge river just outside central Tokyo. I brought my textbooks along and thought I would spend a quiet afternoon just revising next to the river. I didn’t. Instead I rode the bike along the river and took everything in. There were other people there on runs, some guys practicing skateboarding and an old man playing the saxophone. When I finally got around to sitting down and opening up my textbook, a friendly old man walked up to me and with a big smile on his face asked me what I was doing there and why I was in Japan. I told him and we had a pleasant conversation at the end of which he handed me a bag of something from his garden–I think basil? And then told me to enjoy Japan. I didn’t exactly know what to do with this bag so I just gave it to L’s sister who had been doing most of the cooking in L’s place to include in whatever dish she was next going to make.

In the following days, I did all the typical touristy stuff in that I spent an entire day at one point just walking to and around central Tokyo and taking as many artsy photos as I could manage with my old phone. I explored around the Tokyo Sky Tree, perused Sunshine city—definitely made sure to check out all the Ghibli and Sailor Moon items I could find and get a spectacular view from the 59th floor (the place has 60 floors but you have to pay from the 60th and I ain’t about that life).

At the end of my first week in Japan, I made my way to an Airbnb hostel where I would be spending the next 4 days. This place was pretty interesting and my first real hostel experience. Everyone there was really friendly and I became quite close with my roomie who was the embodiment of a stereotypical German woman in that she was tall, pretty, had long blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She was in Tokyo for a mini-vacation from where she had been staying in Hokkaido and basically just wanted a change of pace. We exchanged stories, shared a few laughs and went sightseeing together. We are both fans of anime so we decided to check out Akihabara and since neither of us wanted to go to one alone, we decided to go to a maid cafe…and boy was that an experience. Firstly, it was super expensive so props to the girls who work there because they probably make a ton of money but it was also just very awkward. The maids put on a performance and called us “master” and refused to take any orders for food from us unless we put our hands up to our faces like cat paws and said “nyaa nyaa” first. Afterward, we did the very cliche anime couple thing and went to ride a pedal boat at Ueno park; it was a very silly but funny day. In the following days at the hostel, the roomie and I explored Shibuya crossing, the Hachiko statue, the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno on a rainy day and went to a Pokemon center where I purchased a little Charmander souvenir for the bf (who was then just a friend). It was definitely a very cool little pocket of my time in Tokyo. I ended off my first two weeks in Tokyo by visiting the imperial palace and exploring the royal gardens and…..go to the Ghibli Museum! The Ghibli Museum was beyond impressive and I definitely teared up a bit to be there. It was so cool, we weren’t allowed to take any photos from inside but it was like being transported to another world. On top of the museum was a life-size statue of the robot from Castle in the Sky and inside the museum were all these cute little bits from the movie and a mini theatre where you could watch original Ghibli film shorts. There was also a lovely gift shop with so many beautiful items like illustrated postcards; I purchased a lovely illustrated postcard of the Ghibli museum during the day…which I inevitably misplaced (I’m terrible, I lose everything).

Second Two Weeks:

I met up with a Japanese friend who I had met in Vancouver and we went for a day trip to explore Kawagoe also known as “Little Edo”. I say day trip but really it wasn’t until I got there that I realized that Google had lied to me when I searched best day trips from Tokyo because as lovely as Kawagoe was, it wasn’t worth a “day trip” because it was so small that it could be done in an hour or two! It was really quite funny, to be honest. It was very pretty and had loads of old-style architecture from the Edo period, hence where it got its nickname but there wasn’t all that much to do and a bit expensive to get to so after a couple of hours of walking around and trying to make our money’s worth of the train ticket to get there we decided to head to the next biggest spot to explore; Yokohama. Yokohama was definitely very fun and vibrant and the Chinatown there was great. We snacked on a bunch of samples and enjoyed the pretty night lights of the area. It was certainly a day with a lot of contrast.

The next day was great because the next day L and I headed to Taiwan! L managed to get a week off and so we thought why not explore Taipei during that time and get a little break from Tokyo. I, unfortunately, did not know the geography of the city too well and when I booked the Airbnb it ended up being too far from the centre of Taipei city and hence too far from any convenient connections to explore outside of Taipei PLUS we went right in the middle of the rainy season so it was a bit difficult to do any fun outdoorsy things. We still made the most of our time there and had a lot of fun. We ate at a few night markets and tried a lot of food, explored the area near our Airbnb, visited a cafe that was owned by a family friend of L’s and went to the National Palace Museum which housed tons of historical artifacts from China, it was pretty grand. Even though we spent the last two days of our trip sick in bed I’d still go back to Taiwan again to explore more of what the country has to offer and try more of the food!

Last Week in Tokyo + Night in Fukuoka:

I spent the majority of my last week in Tokyo just chillin’ really and preparing for my departure to Nagasaki, although I did go with L and her sister to do some lesser-known sightseeing in parts of Ginza and did the obligatory visit to the Tsukiji fish market to taste a delicious array of food. As well as some egg on a stick. Good stuff. The last bit of sightseeing that I can remember for that week was in two really interesting parts of Tokyo that not many people think to visit when they explore the city (well this was back then, it seems to have gotten a lot more popular now) known as Yanaka and Nezu. These two neighborhoods make up what used to be Tokyo old downtown and have really kept their old-timey style. Walking through these neighborhoods felt like taking a trip back to the Show era of Japan and walking through the Yanaka cemetery felt very mysterious and cool. I gotta be honest though, as pretty as these places were, I mostly remember them because of the delicious beef korokke and taiyaki that I had there. 10/10. I’m only in part one of my nostalgia blogs but I’m telling you now that I basically ate my way through Japan.

So it was my final night before heading to Narita airport for my flight to Fukuoka and what did I decide to do? Laundry. Except L didn’t have a dryer and the weather wasn’t warm enough for my clothes to be dried fast enough to pack them up and I’m not sure what exactly happened but I think I broke the washer or something because for some reason the water didn’t drain so it wouldn’t have mattered if she had a dryer because my clothes were soaked. With only an hour to go before I had to be out of her apartment (L was asleep and I had decided to just not sleep that night since my flight was so early and I had to leave her apartment at 5 am), I wrung the clothes out as best I could, packed them in the new suitcase that I purchased in Taiwan to replace the one that I sent to Nagasaki with the wheel I had broken on my first day in Tokyo and was off. L’s place wasn’t far from the train station and I arrived 20 minutes before the first train of the day so I decided to go grab some breakfast and use the toilet at the nearby 7/11. Many convenience stores in Japan have two floors and a seating area so it’s a really nice place to just chill for a bit if you’re waiting for a train. A bit dramatic but I’ll never forget this day for the sheer amount that happened in a single morning. So I said before that I thought I’d use the toilet before heading off for the train and I guess for the first and only time in my life, I left the door unlocked…well a construction worker walked in on me on the toilet because of course. I screamed, he screamed and then he awkwardly and for some reason, slowly, closed the door while I died of humiliation. Anyway, I finally hopped on the train to Narita with tears of humiliation still in my eyes and also simultaneously laughing at myself. There weren’t many people on the train thankfully but I’m sure I was still dubbed a crazy foreigner in the minds of the people that were on the train. Oh, by the way, I may not have kept a journal at the time in a technical manner of speaking but I did have a daily journal in the form of me texting the bf every day (again, he was just a good friend at this point) and sending him long messages of what I did every day. Having him to confide in all the time definitely helped me to not go insane, especially that day and especially since Japan is ahead of Canada so he was still awake at that point. Once I arrived at the airport, I was to be greeted by the news that my suitcase was too heavy to be checked in without having to pay an extra exuberant amount, why you may ask? Because my clothes were still frigging wet. Well, partially owing to that and the fact that I accidentally purchased a heavyweight suitcase in Taipei…oops. After some reorganization of my suitcase and bag and *ahem* throwing out some things that I no longer deemed necessary to my life, I was finally able to be checked in..rather late (everyone was waiting for me, what can I say? I was a mess). Pretty sure I cried in my sleep when I finally arrived at my seat on the plane and passed out.

It was a relief to finally arrive in Fukuoka and the airport was so close to the main train station! It only took about 7 minutes to get there. I obviously got there really early in the day so I walked around Hakata station and explored the area before meeting up with the rest of the people who were part of my exchange program for the Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies at the hotel that they were to be staying at and signing in to show that I had arrived. Now I said they were staying at that hotel because of course, I wouldn’t be. But don’t worry, this was by choice, why spend the equivalent of $80 somewhere when the true shoestring traveler way is to rough it up somewhere for little to nothing? It took a bit of searching but I managed to find a family restaurant that was open 24/7 and not too far from the hotel (although sadly had no wifi), left my big ol’ suitcase outside (yay for safe Japan) and headed inside for the night where I did my best to study for the whole night, order some food every now and then and eventually pass out for a couple of hours. The next day I met back up with the exchange group, boarded the bus to Nagasaki and headed to the university to meet my homestay family who I would be staying with for the next four months! (spoiler alert: my homestay mother was about an hour or two late to pick me up and I was, in fact, the last person to be picked up at the university…so yea the first of many reasons why my homestay experience was certainly an interesting one).

#lifeinjapan #nostalgia #studyabroad #japantrip #firstsolotrip #japantravel #japan #Travelblog

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lifeofbouyd · 6 years

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Soldier Freak

Dear Bouyd,

I hope all is well with you and thanks for giving me a chance to tell my story. I do hope you and your readers will enjoy.

Back in college, I was one of the most wanted girls. Thanks to my small waist, big ass and a pretty face who made it possible. Men and women perused me daily trying to get between my legs but I was more focused on getting an education than getting fucked or sucked by random people. I had my game all planned out until my father decided to he wasn’t gonna pay my tuition anymore. Where the hell did he expect me to get money from to pay by myself? He could have at least said he’d pay half. For one, I didn’t have a job because there was no need for a job and secondly, I didn’t have a man spending crazy money on me because that was my dad's job. Against all odds, no experience nor a known skill I started searching the classifieds for a job. Anything was better than nothing. Eventually, I found my calling, just when I was about to give up.

Ad:

Are you in need of quick cash? Have no experience but can read and write fluently? Currently enrolled in college? Earn up to 80k every month. Submit your resume to the email address provided below. We look forward to meeting you.

Call me greedy if you wish but I was not going to be a drop out. I drafted my resume and sent it off. Crossing my fingers and praying. It took only three days for me to get a response and to my surprise they wanted me to come in for an interview. I put on my “Sunday best” and headed for their office not too far away. They loved my jovial spirit and the fact that I really needed the job. Instead of placing me in the packing room for which I applied , they placed me in sales and inventory. That was 115k a month. Just like that I had made a way to survive. I was making enough to cover all my expenses and didn’t have to kiss my dad’s ass for a thing. On my way home I got a ride with a soldier dude, nigga claimed I was in a bad area and even the taxi men are rapist and thieves. I didn’t even think for a second before jumping in his military van. He was somewhat of a gentle man or at least he tried to be. He got us food and drinks before dropping me off and he didn’t even ask for my number which weird. I hadn’t seen him until about two weeks later. He picked me up from the same spot. He introduced me to his buds as his girlfriend and I played along because I wanted the free drive. He dropped them off then got us something to eat and took me back to my place.

Vybz: You wanna go out tonight? My friends and I will be hitting Taboo later on. You up for it?

Well, it was a Saturday night; no work nor school the next morn, of course I said yes. I got all dressed up and spent approximately an hour fixing my face. “Pretty on fleek” was my motto. His eyes stripped me naked the moment he picked me up. I could feel his eyes between my legs and in my bra. The feeling of him staring me down made me tingly. I reclined my seat and raised the sun roof, staring into the galaxy while sexual thoughts ran through my mind. I hadn’t had sex in a long time and I felt like I’d let him take me down if he made me have a good time. Henny, Red Bull, Campari and orange juice; an unorthodox lineup but that shit “lik mi chip”. I was super charged. I kept whining on him from front and back causing his shaft to stretch across his pants. The moment I realized how hard he was I turned around to give him a lap dance. I was showered with $100 bills. Call me greedy but I scraped it all up and tucked it in my purse. That was $7000 towards my expenses 😂. We left the party around 3 am and headed home. He touched my leg and I got soaking wet. “Mi oil did a ride mi”. I opened the sun roof trying to cool down but my body wanted something thick and milky. I reached over and pulled his zipper down to take his dick out and to my surprise it was already rock hard. I gently stroked it with my right hand while rubbing my clit with the left. Both my skirt and his seat were soaked with cum. I started climbing him while he was driving, causing him to pull to the curb. I shifted my soaked underwear to the side and sat on his pipe. Bracing against the steering with one hand on the chicken bar I started to ride his dick. He had one hand and my shoulder and the other holding my waist. In synchrony we made love. It was a shaking, squeezing, moaning, squirting kinda sex. I hadn’t felt so good in a very long time. He had me lay on my back with my legs almost touching the ceiling; deeper and sweeter he planted it inside me. Tears ran down my cheeks. He pushed me all the way to the back seat with my legs still raised. He started kissing on my already paralyzed from sex legs causing my heart to skip several beats while I gasped for breath. He slowly dragged his tongue all the way to my thong before rubbing his tongue all over it. Nigga’s tongue was at least seven inches long. He ran it up and down my clit then sticked it in and swirled it around inside me. I had to hold my mouth and close my eyes not to scream. I grabbed his head, I grabbed the seat, I slapped my pussy and did that on repeat. I vibrated like an alarming clock while I sprayed his face with hot cum. Vybz was no regular freak. He had a PHD in eating. He made me regret not fucking him the first day I saw him. I was so defenseless when he asked me to ride his dick; all I could do was ask him to take me home. I fell asleep long before he even drove off.

I woke up in a strange room. A big bed with expensive sheets. Curtains that matched nothing and a tv that seemed too big to be on the wall. I smelled something delicious coming through the door but I couldn’t help but look around as if I was lost. A big portrait hang on the wall. They had painted him as a god with a sniper rifle in his hand. That’s when I realized where I was, he had taken me to his house instead. He came through the door with a breakfast tray in his hand which was different from anything I’d ever experienced. It was a really nice gesture but I could help but noticing how sexy he was. Big arms, a muscle packed tummy, hard chest and muscle built thighs. He was smoking hot and he cooks. I had fallen in love with this man I had only planned to fuck once. I took a long warm shower trying to beat the feeling out my head but it only made me hornier. I came out with nothing but my towel on. He grabbed it off and kissed my waist. He squeezed my nipples and grabbed my ass while he ran his snake of a tongue over my legs, waist and belly bottom. I was dripping wet and shaking as if I was cold. He grabbed me by the legs and held me on his shoulders, giving him full access to my juices. His tongue created chaos. I came on his face at least five times before he held me on his manly hood. Him beat it , eat it, beat it then eat it again. I was weak to my knees. I just kept cumin. For months we had sex and it was awesome.

Good dick but great tongue. I tried avoiding him so many times but that tongue kept me coming back. He’d come by my work place to pick up to pick up supplies for the camp and on most occasions we had sex in my office. My boss decided we would have a Christmas party and we could invite our partners. He was the closest thing I had to a boyfriend and the only nigga I had sex with since the year started. I thought he’d never show up but eventually he did. He kept squeezing my ass and scratching my legs which made me super horny. I had him meet me in my office where he devoured me on the table before fucking me hard from behind. Just as he came on my ass my boss walked in. There was no covering it up.

Boss: Vybz, is this how you treat your wife? Fucking my employee at my party. Have you forgotten your wife is my sister? Venice, your fired. I gave you a job, a way to survive and this is how you repay me?

We just sat there. We couldn’t even answer her questions. He said he had a girl but he never mentioned marriage. I lost my job simply because I couldn’t keep my legs closed. On the other hand, he couldn’t keep his tongue in his mouth. He pellets a wipes from a pack I had on the desk and wiped his oats thick cum off. He slapped my ass and grabbed me by the throat. Bracing against my ass he said, “no matter what happens, I got you”. That was all the reassurance I needed. I pushed him back on the table and jumped him. With my hands on his shoulders and feet on the table, I danced on his dick like a crazy woman. I had already lost my job so why hold back. I packed my stuff as soon as we were through and he took me home where we continued where we left off. I had already paid for my last semester so I had nothing to worry about at that point. I even tricked him into paying my tuition which was already paid so I had a lot of cash sitting on. We dated for two years before breaking up and since then I ain’t ever had anyone do me like he did. I even had to hit him up a few times lately for a fix.

Good dick and great tongue. Never to be replaced. I just Regret is breaking up but I wouldn’t change a thing if I got the chance. Shoutout, Soldier Freak. You are greatly missed.

Yours truly,

Kim

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noona-clock · 6 years

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Please Subscribe - Part 6

Genre: AU/Fluff

Pairing: Hanbin x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Hanbin was not surprised when you admitted you were going to fix your makeup just a little bit before lunch. He’d tried his best, but he’d known from the get-go he wouldn’t do a good job. He was impressed he did as well as he had, actually, but... it was definitely because he’d watched so many of your videos. He’d learned more about makeup in the past few weeks than he had the rest of his life.

He waited for you back in your hotel room, sitting on your bed and just looking around. He still couldn’t quite believe he was in your hotel room. Waiting for you.

And... call him crazy, but he was kind of almost positive you were flirting with him?

I mean, he was doing his best to flirt with you, so hopefully, you had figured that out by now.

“Okay, I seriously am starving,” you announced when you appeared back in the room.

“Wow, that was quick,” Hanbin noted, extremely impressed you’d managed to make yourself look presentable in so short a time (although, you always looked presentable).

“Really, all I had to do was add some lashes and blend my eyeshadow a little more. And fix up the liner.”

“Oh, is that all?”

“Are you kidding? That’s so impressive! Have you ever done someone’s makeup before?” you asked, grabbing your purse and making sure you had everything you needed for lunch.

“No...”

“So, for your first time, you did an amazing job. If you asked me to create a song right now, it would sound worse than nails on a chalkboard, I can tell you that right now.”

Hanbin chuckled, shaking his head as he followed you out of the room.

You two found a nearby sushi place for lunch and were seated in a comfy booth for two near the back of the restaurant. You both made light conversation as you perused the menu. but once the server had taken your orders, you immediately got out your phone.

“I honestly can’t believe I haven’t documented any of this yet,” you said, shaking your head slightly.

Hanbin watched as you tapped away at the screen, assuming you were going to Instagram to add something to your story. Sure enough, you held your phone up in front of him, smiling slightly.

“Okay, smile,” you ordered sweetly.

Hanbin did his best to look playfully annoyed like he didn’t want to be on your story. You took the picture, chuckling a little before bringing your phone closer to you and bowing your head to add whatever stickers you wanted. He couldn’t see exactly what you were doing, but he trusted you wouldn’t put a picture of him out there that wasn’t good. Social media was your job, after all.

About a minute later, he got the notification that you had mentioned him in your story, so he swiped the alert to see it.

You hadn’t actually posted a picture of him - you’d posted a boomerang. And instead of looking playfully annoyed like he’d been trying to... he was basically looking at the camera with hearts in his eyes. Cool.

So... not obvious at all.

But you had added some heart emojis around his head and one of those little orange ‘like’ stickers.

So... not obvious at all.

But before he could say anything, you beat him to it.

“You should get out your camera,” you reminded him.

Oh, that’s right. Hanbin still had to finish filming. He heeded your advice, taking his camera out, turning it on, and aiming it right at you.

“Where are we? What are we doing? Tell me everything,” Hanbin said, watching you on the screen.

“We’re getting some sushe,” you replied, lifting one shoulder in a sassy sort of shrug.

“Sushe?”

“It’s what the cool kids say these days on the soshe meeds.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“Sushi. Social media.”

“Ohhhh, got it,” Hanbin laughed.

“Hey, I’m still getting a ton of questions on Instagram, do you want to answer some?” you asked, raising your eyebrows slightly at him.

“Go for it.”

“Okay, here’s one for you: where do you find inspiration for your songs?” You then reached for the camera so you could film him answering, and he handed it to you gently.

“I find inspiration from anything, really. Mostly experiences my friends have been through,” he explained with a little shrug.

“Your friends? What about your experiences?” you asked curiously.

“Well... most people like songs about romance, and... I’ve never really experienced romance,” he admitted.

“You haven’t?!”

“Nope.” He could feel his cheeks getting progressively warmer.

“You’ve never had a girlfriend?!”

“...Nope.”

“But you’re, like, perfect! You’re cute! You’re nice! You’re funny! You’re talented!”

“Okay, so, do you know anyone who might be interested?”

All right, then, so he was ditching the subtle flirting and going straight for the obvious.

“Maybe,” you replied with a little smirk. “Okay, now I’ve got a question for me.”

Instead of handing the camera back to him, you simply turned it around to film yourself. Usually, Hanbin would get annoyed at someone taking over his vlog like this, but when it was you? He didn’t mind one bit. He just sat there and watched, fairly certain those hearts in his eyes were back in full force.

“This user asks ‘What’s your favorite Hanbin song?’ Ooh, that’s a good one. I think my favorite would have to be ‘Just Go.’“

Hanbin nodded slowly at your answer. He’d actually been wondering that himself.

“It’s the first one I ever heard, and it’s the reason I got sucked into your channel,” you explained. “It’s so... emotional. And the music is just...” You shuddered a little. “Just so good. And I honestly can’t believe you wrote that song about somebody else and not yourself.”

“I did,” Hanbin chuckled. “I promise you.”

“Man. That shows you just how talented you really are.”

Hanbin simply let out a sigh, wishing you would stop singing his praises but also not wishing you would stop singing his praises.

You managed to ask a few more questions before your food came and then Hanbin set up the camera to film you guys eating. He loved doing meal montages, and he also low-key wanted to document that he was eating lunch with you.

As you two were eating, you brought up when you both would upload your videos. You suggested uploading them around the same time, but then you admitted you would probably edit yours tonight and upload it tomorrow. You were too excited to wait any longer.

“I can edit mine tonight, too,” Hanbin agreed before stuffing a piece of sushi in his mouth.

“I don’t want to rush you or anything!” you assured him, your brow furrowed just a bit.

He simply shook his head and gave you a thumbs up, not wanting to talk with his mouth full of rice and avocado.

“Okay,” you chuckled. “Do you want to edit together? Or would that be weird? Because, I mean, I know we’ll have our headphones on and stuff, but I always edit by myself so it might be kinda fun to be with someone else who’s editing...”

Hanbin quickly swallowed his food so he could save you from your rambling. “No, we can. That would be cool.”

You smiled, and Hanbin suddenly realized you had the best smile he’d ever seen.

He honestly wasn’t sure how much longer he could go without just totally falling in love with you. Which was crazy. He’d never fallen in love with anyone in his life, and now, less than a day after meeting you in person... he was in trouble.

After you finished lunch, you went back to the hotel to get your laptops and headphones so you could edit before you headed out to a YouTube-sponsored event later that evening. Hanbin wasn’t going, but he wasn’t particularly bummed about it. He had an idea for a new song he wanted to work on, and he needed to get started before he lost inspiration.

Instead of getting your editing done at the hotel, you insisted on finding a cute coffee shop nearby so you could order a fun drink and put it on your Instagram. Hanbin didn’t refuse, of course, because he really didn’t care. But also he figured you guys could sit closer to each other than you would have if you’d gotten your work done in one of your hotel rooms or something.

Yeah, he was starting to feel sort of pathetic.

But as you were sitting in a nearby coffee shop you’d found on Yelp, both of you glued to your laptop screens... he could’ve sworn you kept brushing against him on purpose. You acted like you didn’t notice it, so he acted like he didn’t notice it. But every time your elbow gently nudged his or your arm lightly bumped his or your foot slightly tapped his, his heart sped up.

Hanbin was filming the whole thing, too, so he made sure not to glance at you too often...

Finally, after what seemed like hours, you took off your headphones and closed your laptop.

“I’ve gotta head out and get ready for this event,” you said with a slight frown. “I’ve got a panel tomorrow, though. If you’re not doing anything...”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Hanbin assured you with a smile.

“Great!” you smiled back before sliding off your stool and tucking your laptop into your bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Hanbin wished you luck at both the event and your panel tomorrow, and once he was sure you were far away from the coffee shop... He reached for his camera.

“So, Y/N just left to go to some fancy YouTube event. I gotta say, guys... she’s the real deal. She’s super nice, exactly how she seems in her videos. Even better, actually. And she’s much prettier if you can believe it. But, anyway... I’m going to start working on a new song. That’ll keep me busy the rest of the day, so I’m just going to end the vlog here. Give it a thumbs up if you’d like to see more Y/N in the Day 2 vlog, and please subscribe. See ya.”

Hanbin made his way back to his hotel room, trying to focus all of his concentration on this new song so he could finish it and upload it as soon as possible. He hadn’t been this inspired in a while, and he wanted to share it while it was still fresh.

He stayed up far too late, but it was totally worth it. He had his vlog and his song uploaded and ready to post at 11am tomorrow. You had messaged him earlier saying that’s when you usually posted your videos, so he had agreed to post his then, as well. He hadn’t told you about his new song, mainly because he wanted it to be a surprise, but... also because he was nervous. Which, coincidentally, was the name of the song.

He set his alarm for 10:55 in case he didn’t wake up before then. He needed to get the link to your video to put in his description box, yes, but he really just wanted to watch your video as soon as he could. He was excited to see how you had edited it and how your viewers would respond.

When the alarm went off the next morning, he forced himself to sit up immediately, wanting to wake up enough to find your video, get the link, and update his description box. He shuffled to the bathroom to splash some water on his face before plopping down at his desk and opening his laptop.

Just as he’d typed in his password, he heard the notification on his phone that you had uploaded (obviously he had turned on your notifications right after he found out you had notifications for his channel). He navigated to your channel, clicked on the video, grabbed the link, and paused it so he could add it to his vlog.

Once everything was saved, he clicked back to the tab with your video and pressed play. A smile immediately pulled at his lips when he heard your voice.

When the video got to him starting to put on your makeup, he began to feel the embarrassment creep in. But during editing, you had added little captions to the screen every so often. When he had shown your foundation bottle to the camera, you had put ‘Look at that, already a professional’ with the clapping emoji. He chuckled softly, reminding himself to thank you for being so kind to him.

You also threw in captions like ‘blend it boy you got this’ and ‘set that concealer like a pro,’ and he found he had been blushing and laughing through most of the video so far.

Then, when it got to where he’d told you about his dance crew, you had frozen the video and added in the sound effect of a record scratching, zooming in on your face. You added comment after comment like ‘WUT’ and ‘SHOOK’ and ‘HE DANCES TOO?!’

Hanbin was seriously about to fall out of his chair. He hadn’t thought it was funny in real life, but your editing was everything.

When Hanbin was applying your eyeliner, you added subtitles for when you said ‘You smell really good,’ and then you zoomed in on his face because he was clearly embarrassed. Another caption popped up on the screen that said ‘he really did tho,’ and Hanbin felt his cheeks warming all over again.

He smiled to himself as he watched him move on to your cheeks, knowing the end was coming soon. He really didn’t want it to be over even though he usually didn’t like watching himself on screen. Your editing had just made it so enjoyable to watch.

When he got to the part where you had admitted you wanted your boyfriend to be into his own thing, like music, you had added another comment to the screen which said ‘wow real subtle girl good job.’

Hanbin’s heart skipped a beat. You had just admitted you weren’t being subtle.

So... you definitely liked him. Right?

He couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the video. But then at the very end, when you’d told your viewers to click the ‘thumbs up’ button if they wanted to see more videos with the two of you together, you paused the video again, zoomed in on your face, and put up the comments ‘the face of desperation’, ‘please thumbs up’, ‘more videos with hanbin plz thnx,’ and ‘could my crush be more obvious lol.’

Hanbin stared at his screen until the video went black.

And then he pushed his chair away from his desk and made his way to your room.

He walked quickly so he wouldn’t have time to second-guess himself and chicken out, and when he arrived at your door, he knocked three times.

The door opened a few seconds later, a smile immediately coming to your face when you saw him.

“Hey! I just listened to your song, oh my gosh, it’s so --”

“Did you mean what you said in all those comments or were they just for your video?”

You froze for a second before taking somewhat of a deep breath. “What do you mean?”

“Like, you said ‘could my crush be more obvious.’ Is that real? Or just for the viewers?”

You bit back a smirk, your cheeks turning a slight shade of pink as you let out a nervous chuckle. “It’s real.”

Hanbin stood there, studying you for a moment... and then he stepped up to you, taking your face in his hands, and pressing his lips to yours.

Part 7

@takura-rin, @cramelot, @sun-shinee-world, @daelicious-jongbulge, @yoyoyeola, @ankle-sockss, @ttelesilla, @katwangx, and @insane-and-dazed, my loves, part 6 is now up!! Readers, let me know if you would also like to be tagged in the next update!

Master list // RULES // Submit a Request! // Read About the Admins

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ayekanaru · 6 years

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{Anonymously or not, tell me who you ship my muse with. || Because this all honestly couldn’t fit into one ask and I didn’t want to split it up into multiple ones}

I know you are aware that I ship our muses for a fanfic I’m trying to write, but I’ve kept mention of it to a minimum on my blog because (1) don’t wanna make it seem like I expect something and force you along with it cuz that’s force shipping and that’s no bueno and didn’t want that coming off as my intention for rping because it really wasn’t. A disappointing and toxic roleplay group plus a mighty need to share my Nappa portrayal with Tumblr was (2) Our muses hadn’t interacted much anyways so who knew if they’d get along well enough?

I’ve been enjoying the threads we’ve had together, they’re worth waiting for and I am pleasantly surprised by how the two muses get along as friends. Their social chemistry is better than I expected, and the banter is so entertaining to read and write for both when they get along and when they don’t see eye-to-eye.

I know your muse already has @asktenchi as an interested Tenchi and they do an awesome job being IC with him. There are also a great number of other muses that Ayeka gets along with too. However, if you and your muse ever feel a pull towards wanting more than friendship with Nappa, I’m gonna let you know that as of right now she’s one of the few muses I’ve had Nappa interact with that has a legitimate chance of sparking his interest for a romantic relationship. It’s alright if you don’t see it ever going down that road, because that can certainly happen too and both my muse and I would be fine with that. But I figured now was a good time to bring it up since this ask meme has had me thinking about this lately.

I know it may seem like a biased thing, but I’ve been lookin’ around at the other muses who try to flirt seriously with Nappa and…it’s difficult to find muses who have mutual chemistry with the big guy. The only one who did have mutual chemistry with him wasn’t interested in shipping at all so we kept it to flirtatious banter. She left Tumblr because she wanted to focus on her family, understandably. That was so many months ago and since then Nappa’s not felt anything like that from another muse.

Other interested female muses only remark on/compliment his physical appearance – mostly his muscles too lol – as what makes them interested. Honestly it makes me and my muse feel like Odette from the beginning of The Swan Princess. “Thank you…but what else?”

Again, I wanna reiterate that I love and value the friendship between our muses and if it only stays a friendship I’d be perfectly happy with that. And I hope I don’t make you feel uncomfortable bringing it up or make you think I will be counting on things to go down a romantic road. Just wanted to say while we do ship Ayeka with happiness and self-confidence first and foremost, we also wouldn’t turn her away from forming a ship with Nappa.

////

Some things to clear up first: 1) Sydney @nappainanotherdimension and I have talked about this on Discord after this ask was sent [because uh, whoops thesis and grad school, I wasn't on tumblr???] so some of this may seem repetitive to her but new to you, dear followers; 2) Nyuck, nyuck, Odette. Who would be Derek then? 2) *Zsa-Zsa Gabor voice* Please. Ze followers. No drama.

Okay, now that this is already pretty long, my answer to this is under the cut. I'm not going to do point by point, bur rather a general full-fledged answer!

I've already told you this, but when I first found your personal blog, and went through your Tenchi tags, I really liked what you had reblogged and written in your personal text posts. It must have been one of the first pro-Ayeka --or at the very least, someone who appreciated Ayeka, because she might have not been your fave, I didn't know lmao-- blogs that had accumulated enough content related to Ayeka and/or Tenchi. I did notice that you, like me, were a fan of the...crossover ships ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What I found "whadda heck" worthy was that you shipped Nappa with Ayeka! My first thought, to be honest, was "...the bald guy from the Team Four star memes?"

[ I knew of him from DBZ, but since most people my age apparently found out about him and liked him from the TFS videos, I thought maybe that's where your like of him came from? At the time, because now I know better :y ]

I'm the type of person who isn't a shipper hardcore, and for most ships that don't make sense to me initially, I go "okay, well, whatever floats her boat!" XD I did like the pieces of art there were, and I think I liked your Raditz/Mihoshi icon more because yay, somebody also appreciates Mihoshi! XD And they like the buddy cop angle of things? LMAO

But anyway, time passes, we get to chatting and then you say you want to make a blog. Cool! You want to make a blog for Nappa!

Aw, jiminy christmas.

Your worries that I'd think you were force shipping on me were the same as mine. I've seen it enough times on Tumblr that I honestly was surprised I found myself in a situation where that could've been a possibility. I enjoyed your fanfics, even the lemon ones lmao, just because they were funny but also it was me going okay, how does she believe this ship works again?

and lemme tell you, I am the absurdist around here in terms of crossover ships, both platonic and romantic. [We've talked about some others of our own too, nyuck nyuck.] I really wanted to understand because obviously, I supposed we were going to interact and I'd wanted to know how you saw them so I could back the heck away, ignore it, and try to do my thing with Ayeka properly. I didn’t really want to think of the ship when I wrote, I wanted to approach it as if Ayeka really did meet Nappa for the first time or had him enough time as a guest in your DBZ/TM verse.

Half of my worries went away when yay, you weren't going to force ship and wanted to actually interact! Whhhaaat, true build up of characters through rp on Tumblr dot com? The devil, you say!

And like you say, and I agree, the banter has been really fun? Surprisingly not really, Ayeka finally gets some respect in the manner that sometimes she doesn't get lmao. Her attempts at cooking, her own thoughts and views -- not saying everyone in the Masaki house's a jerk [they're not, and listen, Ayeka really does mean stuff too without thinking or on purpose] but you get different things with different people, and with Ayeka, it's probably getting some maturity and two-way respect in conversations befitting two super old people 8D

To be honest, sometimes I get a tinge of the cynic in me, and wonder if the writing turns out the way it does because maaaybe it's being geared towards something else? But then, like, I remember Nappa and Skuld --and Sasami!-- and how believable your headcanon about him and children is, how real it feels. Of course, the fact that you would write with anyone, and even with my Skuld who you know less about in comparison, just makes the cynic go shoo-shoo. You don’t seek out ships either -- like most people will notice if they peruse your blog, the ladies come to Nappa LMAO.

Plus, again, the threads are fun. I'm still laughing at the Xmas one where Nappa thinks Ryoko and Ayeka are the alpha females XD

In that sense, I can see why Ayeka throughout our rps would have a better chance with him. I mean I've seen your threads, it's pretty obvious who Nappa gets a conversation with, who Nappa gets a Conversation with, and who Nappa gets small talk-y with. Sometimes it's the writing, sometimes it's the character. That's the way rp works. Ayeka and Nappa have Conversations.™

I think I didn't really answer your ask as is, so I'll just say this, which applies to everyone: if the writing takes us that way, it takes us that way. I'm slowly beginning to see your crossover ship as it is, but still feel "hmm, but is it really?" It's like Ayeka and Fang: I didn't expect it, but the writing took those muses to some place along the lines of "are they...or are they???!" I would hope the end result takes us somewhere where we’re both satisfied with whatever relationship our muses have.

Or maybe you know, either polyamory polygyny or Nappa fights Tenchi, I guess. [I vote for the Pay Per View fight during the Space Travels arc of Universe.]

#everyone loves me more than they do ryoko (submissions)#nappainanotherdimension #up walk in the galaxy! (asks)#(because technically an ask )#ooc #submission

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philippaoliver · 5 years

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This Article Will Change The Way You Think About Clickbait Forever!

(Originally published during my time at The Leith Agency, in September 2017)

I was recently perusing the latest Teen Vogue political journalism masterpiece (no, really). When I came to the bottom of the article, I was greeted by the usual suggestions of other articles I might want to read. As always these days, the titles were clickbaity.

Part of me — a large part, the part that’s usually dominant — is screaming words dripping in sarcasm. Lord forbid I’m making an eyebrow mistake! But there’s another part, the one that’s normally buried deep down, asking if there even are 15 mistakes you can make with eyebrows, and then again what if my eyebrows are a bit shit? And so I click. And in a new tab I also open the one about the benefits of sleeping with my hair in a bun because honestly, I’d love to read the opinion of someone who is probably equally as unqualified to talk about hair as I am.

(Fear not, it turns out my eyebrows have not undergone any major catastrophes.)

But why did I click? I knew perfectly well that it’s not a subject I’m particularly interested in. Anyone who’s ever met me knows my usual aesthetic is ‘scruffy at best’. I also knew that it was clickbait, and that the contents would be disappointing. And yet, here we were. Again.

So, deeply disappointed in myself and coated in my own self loathing, I did some digging, and it turns out there’s actually a fair amount of research on clickbait (it was even mentioned on a recent episode of QI) and it’s fascinating stuff.

Is anyone immune to clickbait?

We all know someone who, whenever the subject comes up, will smugly proclaim ‘Oh, I never click on that rubbish. I can’t imagine why anyone would.’ They’re just better/smarter/savvier than that. But the truth is that we know clickbait works. There are whole websites that rely on it and reputable news publications are increasingly using it to pad out their offerings and increase website views.

Diply claims to generate 1 billion video views on Facebook and 150 million unique website visitors per month. Given that they sell advertising space, it’s fair to say that clickbait is big business. So claiming that clickbait doesn’t work just isn’t going to cut it with me and the science backs me up. So what are the key reasons clickbait works?

Curiosity and Dopamine

Studies have shown that the reason clickbait is so alluring is partially down to dopamine responses (the body’s reward system). So if someone’s claiming to be completely immune, chances are they’re either lying or joyless. Dopamine is the chemical in our bodies that makes us feel good, and the levels of it rise when we find something good. It’s hella addictive. But interestingly, we release dopamine in anticipation of a reward, not when we receive the reward itself.

Kanye’s probably immune to clickbait.

Additionally, dopamine is the impetus to do the work to receive the reward (in this case, clicking the link and navigating through sixteen pages of pop-up ads and auto-play videos). So we don’t actually need to see the cute or funny or shocking thing in order to feel good about it, but feeling good about it is what makes us click the link in the first place. So those particular clickbait headlines, the ones that add a “#23 will appall you!”, are especially effective; it’s anticipation that keeps you clicking through.

And even worse, we’ve been set up by our own bodies. Dopamine levels grow even higher when there’s a chance that there won’t be a reward at the end of our work (as we all know there probably won’t when it comes to clickbait). Psychologists and neuroscientists call it intermittent reinforcement. When we introduce a ‘maybe’ factor, that addictive surge fills us like never before. This explains gambling, but it also explains clickbait. We’re addicted to the fact that maybe it won’t be good. We’re slaves to our own curiosity.

The Information Gap

Further to this, behavioural economist Loewenstein describes an ‘information gap’. This takes a similar approach in that it has the same end point — that curiosity, and especially its intensity, is driven not by the satisfaction of obtaining information, but by the pain of not having it. There is therefore pleasure in the anticipation of obtaining it.

Studies have also found that guessing and feedback increase curiosity. In a sense, many clickbait headlines pose a question (What do these child stars look like now?). Readers may have an idea of what the answer is and, by internally guessing, their curiosity increases. The information gap has now widened to include whether or not they’re correct.

In studies on deprivation, researchers have also found a link between deprivation and impulsivity. Loewenstein links this to the impulsivity we see in curiosity situations; we’re curious when we see clickbait so we impulsively click on it, without stopping to consider if it’s clickbait. Anyone who’s ever fallen into a Wikipedia hole knows this to be true — you go on to find out whether cuttlefish sleep and through clicking on interesting links somehow end up learning about the black market organ trade, also reading about every living member of the Dutch royal family on the way.

Actual footage of me in a Wikihole.

The Language and Tropes of Clickbait

It’s all well and good to understand the dopamine responses that curiosity elicits, but how is curiosity elicited in the first place? The headlines of clickbait articles are written in such a way as to pique that curiosity, and the pictures are too. One of the major tropes of clickbait is a partially obscured picture — clearly linked to copy that throws up an information gap (You’ll Never Guess What This Teacher Bought For Her Class! I Was Shocked!), but with the information gap part obscured, only increasing the urge to click.

Writing these headlines is not so much an art as throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. With the rise in technology, websites can serve you the same article with 20 different headlines and simply eliminate all but the one that works best. Nevertheless, there is skill attached to good clickbait headlines, and you’ll also see certain ways of phrasing used repeatedly. These often take advantage of the things we’ve mentioned above: information gaps, taking advantage of emotion (including disdain) and using lists.

But it’s not just the content of the headline that draws you in, and what’s particularly interesting to me are the ways in which grammar and semantics are manipulated to grab your interest. Clickbait headlines frequently follow specific patterns, which are really odd compared to everyday language. They often refer to a specific person or persons by only a pronoun (e.g. he, she, they). That’s super weird when you don’t actually know who they’re referring to. In linguistics, it’s called a deixis: it’s a word or phrase that cannot be understood without further contextual information.

Consider the two following headlines, both clickbaity:

1. ‘She Gave This Bear A Pair Of Headphones… What Happened Next Will Shock You!’

2. ‘A zoologist gave a grizzly bear a pair of headphones… what happened next will shock you!’

While it’s written in an annoying way, I’d argue that the first is more successful in grabbing your attention and getting you keen(ish) to find out more. This is for a number of reasons, but key among them is the use of deixis. There are a couple of ways deixis are normally used — anaphora and cataphora — and this headline sort of defies both of them.

The first headline would be completely normal in situations where there was some text preceding it, which explained who the reference was in ‘she’ (e.g. ‘A zoologist was doing some research on grizzly bears and their reactions to music. She gave…’). This is called anaphora — where the deixis in a sentence or clause refers to some information that came before. That’s fine. We’re cool with that. Cataphora is sort of the opposite — it’s where a deixis refers to some information which will come later in the discourse. It’s a little stranger to explain, but it happens a fair amount, especially in rhetoric, literary prose, or storytelling. The reason it happens more in literary prose and story telling is that it adds an element of suspense. We’re also pretty cool with that.

What clickbait does is to separate the deictic words from their cataphor — you’ll find out what they refer to, but only if you click on the link. It’s not something we normally see, so it throws you off a little bit. And like an open bracket that never closes, it makes you a tiny bit stressed. We’re not so cool with that. By not giving up that contextual information we need to understand ‘she’ or ‘this’, the headline effectively and infuriatingly adds further curiosity.

What does this actually mean, though?

As advertisers, we cannot ignore the fact that clickbait exists primarily to allow its publishers to thrive on advertising money. In a sense, we fund and pay for clickbait (and as part of that, fake news). Guilty as charged, we’re proliferators of evil (but we already knew that). A question to ask ourselves is whether we’re able to reclaim clickbait and harness it and its techniques as a force for good. So what, if anything, can we learn from clickbait?

Loewenstein suggests that the information gap could be used to motivate learners in educational settings, by drawing attention to what they don’t know. It’s an interesting point, and could hint towards clickbait as a force for social good. For those of us in the business of behaviour change advertising, there are real questions to be asked about whether we can learn from clickbait in inciting our targets to learn for themselves. Am I suggesting that the answer to all social good is clickbait? Absolutely not, it’s still fairly abhorrent, but I do think there are learnings to be had — certainly in terms of our approach and possibly from the way we use language (even if it’s just manipulating cataphor better).

It may also be useful when we’re trying to solve particularly modern problems. In our recent campaign for the Scottish Government, our aim was to educate the Scottish public about the introduction of new legislation against the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCSII) — commonly known incorrectly as revenge porn. NCSII is not a new thing — people have been doing it since we had cameras — but it’s become more of a problem in recent years due to the ease of dissemination through internet channels. It made sense that we would talk about it on the same channels our audience are likely to encounter it and proliferate it, and potentially in the same salacious tones that make people so morbidly fascinated by it.

In came clickbait.

With headlines like ‘Her Boyfriend Shared This Video Of Her Online…You’ll Never Guess What Happens!’ (spoiler: he gets arrested), we infiltrated our targets’ newsfeeds with authentic looking clickbait to pique their interest and get them clicking. On the other side, a ‘trojan horse’ ad — starting off looking like an authentic homemade video (we shot on an iPhone 4), we see what looks like the beginning of a sexual act, with our female actor placing handcuffs on the wrists of our male actor (who, for authenticity, was also the cameraman). A quick cut later and the fluffy handcuffs have been replaced by real ones, his girlfriend by a stern policewoman.

A still from the campaign. By luring people in using curiosity gaps and the implied promise of the very thing we’re legislating against, we hope we can encourage them to examine their own behaviour (which will ultimately prove more effective than lecturing and finger wagging). Companies are already using clickbait to sell their products, I can’t help but wonder if we can use it in a more worthwhile way, as we did for our NCSII campaign.

Given that viewing clickbait is itself viewed as a shameful act, can we use that to our advantage, to access topics that people find hard to talk about? Clickbait taps into morbid curiosity, it’s car crash internet. Let’s take a long look at how we can take advantage of that, rather than simply dismissing it as an annoyance to avoid. I’m not saying clickbait is good, or even that it’s not annoying, but it’s unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon — so let’s at least take it seriously (even if it does make our copywriters want to vomit).

And to finish on a lighter note, my favourite piece of (parody) clickbait, which delivers on its headline in spectacular fashion by presenting you with the entire text of Moby Dick: ‘The Time I Spent On A Commercial Whaling Ship Completely Changed My Perspective On The World’. Plus, my current favourite Facebook page, TL;DR, who helpfully summarise clickbait articles so you don’t have to click on them. Not all heroes wear capes.

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dragon-moms · 7 years

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Entry 150 - Gloria

Today I helped make a big discovery, I guess.

During breakfast, Flare told us about this place he had found with Merry, Myrmidon and Philly.

“It is super cool! A lot like the castle in Forward! But sized for dragons!” he said. “And there’s lot of art and stuff… it’s really official!”

I glanced over at Merry, Myrmidon, and Philly, who were being quiet. Merry looked especially uncomfortable.

“So you think we should check this out, terror?” I asked.

“Yeah! We should look around some more, probably,” he said.

“Yeah, we should,” Ivana said.

“You want to come with?” I asked.

“A castle is where the leader should live, right? The Queen? It’s got to have more concrete information than just going to random buildings,” she said. “It’d be a fucking waste of time for me to look elsewhere, now that we know it’s there.”

“We’ll head there, then,” I said, before taking another sip from my bowl.

“I shall continue my research,” Baroness said. “I have had some... complications to my approach I must consider.” She didn’t really need to be at breakfast, as she didn’t eat, but she always sat in the corner anyway while we planned.

“That sounds fine,” I said. “Merry? Myrmidon? Philly?”

“Ah, I am not sure,” Myrmidon said. “Merry and I have some things to discuss, but we will figure things out and likely continue our search locally.”

There was something going on that I didn’t know about.

“Well, let me know if you need any help,” I said. In a different situation, I’d pry. But we had limited resources. If we were going to figure this thing out, we didn’t have time to waste, and Ivana was right: this castle thing could have something.

I’ll have to keep an eye on them, though.

Soon, Flare was leading the way to the castle, with Ivana and I flying behind.

“Is this place dangerous, terror?” I asked.

“Oh, probably!” he said. “I set off a couple traps yesterday, I think? I broke them, though.”

“You should have gotten me,” Ivana said, annoyed.

“I did, today!” Flare said.

“I meant before you set off those traps. Oftentimes anything protecting something really valuable destroys it unless you deactivate it.”

“Oh,” Flare said. “Well, I’m sure it’s fine!”

Ivana made a frustrated noise.

Soon, we landed in front of the castle structure. It was impressive, I had to admit. Sort of an attempt to construct something that felt like the Peak, I suppose.

“Okay, well, have fun looking around!” Flare said.

“What?” I said, frowning. “What are you up to, terror?”

“Oh, I have to meet Merry, and then I’ll come back!” he said.

“When did you set that up?” I asked.

“I didn’t?” Flare said.

His ridiculous god again. I took a breath. “Fine. Be careful.”

“Of course!” he said, and took to the air.

“Just letting him go?” Ivana asked. I wondered why. Was she reading my face and saw my concern?

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t fucking know, control your son?”

“He’s all grown,” I said. “He can make his own decisions. And anyway, I figured you’d appreciate him out of the way while we look around.”

Ivana nodded. “Who fucking knows what he’s already destroyed…”

We walked inside to find ourselves in a big entrance chamber. I looked up at the huge image that covered the wall, of many different lineages living together, and the depiction of what must have been the White Queen.

“Amazing we had no idea about any of this,” I said as I looked it over.

“Don’t sit there being wowed, we have information to find,” Ivana said, already heading up a set of stairs to other chambers.

We were soon walking down a passage filled with side chambers, each of them filled with corpses. They were mostly regular-looking spaces. Offices. Bedding chambers. We were slow going because Ivana insisted on checking for traps. But there were none.

Eventually, we found what looked like a library, and even with the mask on, I could tell Ivana was excited.

“Fucking finally,” she said, and headed in, perusing the shelves, stepping carefully over the corpse of what looked like a Green. “It is going to be super difficult to pull these and read them without damaging them, though.”

“Moreso than those ledgers you were looking at?” I asked.

“Those had partitions between most of them. Separated by time period. These are cover to cover and shelved fairly tight,” Ivana said, clearly thinking. “I’d rip the covers off and damage pages pulling them.”

“So all these books are just lost?” I looked over the shelves. Who even knew what these were about? There had to be lost knowledge here, about this territory if nothing else.

“I mean, a team of professionals instead of a fucking thief pretending to be an historian could probably get them down safely,” Ivana said, and sighed. “Give me a bit, I’m going to see if there are any particularly loose I can confidently pull.”

I waited around a bit as she slowly combed over the shelves. There wasn’t a lot I felt I could do here.

“I’m going to keep looking around,” I said.

“Hm? Sure,” Ivana said, engrossed in her search.

I walked back out, looking down the rest of the passage, into the chambers. There was lots of look at that I’m sure would have thrilled a researcher, but I saw nothing that caught my eye.

Until I walked up another staircase into a large chamber. A large glass panel illuminated seating that had a dead White on it. It looked a lot like the chamber the Queen used at the Peak for very official meetings where she needed to look in charge. But there’d clearly been a fight in here.

Before me was the corpse of a Blue. It had a hood on over it’s head, that looked like it would disintegrate if I touched it. It took me a second, but I remembered where I’d seen a hood like that before. Men who had claim to the pre-Unification Blue royal line wore them for some old tradition I didn’t really know anything about. I’d met an older guy at a Council function that dressed like that back when I first joined.

This would have happened after the Unification, if I’m keeping everything we’d learned in my head. But the Blue royals would have still existed back then, if people were still tracking them today. One of the Harvest Knights was a Blue royal, too, at least in the children’s stories.

I kept staring, thinking, but as I did I noticed something. Through this Blue skeleton, the floor was odd. The flooring in this room was fancy and smooth. There was a big spot under the Blue that was marred, like unfinished stone. And next to it was a key.

I hesitated for a moment, but reached my claw carefully around bones and grabbed it.

It was a perfectly normal key. But this Blue had in theory died hiding it. Maybe it opened something important.

I headed back to the library and Ivana.

She had apparently gotten a book, and was looking through it carefully.

“Anything good?” I asked.

“It’s about building these kinds of structures,” Ivana said. “Probably interesting to someone, but pretty fucking useless to us right now. Did you see anything on your sightseeing tour?”

I held up the key. “I found this.”

Ivana looked at it. “What’s it to?”

“No idea. A door, probably. Looks like that kind of key. But I found the first chamber I’ve been in so far that looked like there was a fight in it, instead of dragons just falling over, and one of the bodies was concealing this, so maybe it’s important.”

Ivana took the key from me and looked at it a bit more. “Not bad,” she said.

“Was that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked.

“Not if you’re going to make it fucking weird,” she said. “Let’s go find this door. I could almost certainly get in without this key, but maybe you’re right, and it’s a clue something important is in there.”

It didn’t take us long to find one of the few doors on the upper floors that were locked. Ivana tried the key, and the door opened.

Inside was a chamber that seemed to have been adapted. There were plenty of normal, dragon-sized things, but on top of them was bits and pieces of furniture designed for someone smaller. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly special about the chamber, besides it’s mismatched nature.

Ivana walked over to a desk and looked at a book sitting open on it.

“A diary,” she said. She carefully closed it, and pulled a piece of cloth out of a pouch, wrapping the book in it. “A diary could be very useful.”

We poked around the chamber a while longer, but found nothing particularly out of the ordinary.

“Nothing in here that seems worth dying for,” I said. “Maybe it was just their chamber key.”

“This room is for one of those little White dragons with how it’s furnished,” Ivana said. “You said you found this on the body of a Blue. So something was up.”

“Good point,” I said.

“And we won’t know if there’s something in here worth dying for until I read the diary.”

“Another good point.”

“Mommy! Nobody!” Flare was yelling from somewhere. Ivana and I exchanged a glance. “Where are you? I’m back!”

“Guess I better see what he wants,” I said.

“I guess I’ll come with to the entrance,” she said. “It’s getting late and I want to start reading this.”

We headed back down to the entrance chamber. Flare waved at us when he saw us on the stairs. “Hi!” He said.

“Everything okay, terror?” I asked.

“I need to think about some things,” he said. “I’m not by myself anymore and stuff. Not that I ever was before, but like, all the humans just kind of went along with whatever? Maybe because they were so small? Or maybe I just never noticed what I was doing to them? I feel like maybe I’ve misjudged this quest in some ways. I need to look out for you all more and try to learn. I have to be better.”

That was not the response I was expecting. “Uh, well, that’s good. I’m glad you’re thinking about all that,” I said.

“She meant with your screaming for us to get down here,” Ivana said.

“Oh!” Flare said. “Well, I just thought I’d show you the door!”

“The door?” I asked.

“Yeah, the one I found yesterday, with the traps? I guess you were in the upper levels and didn’t look at it?”

“Show me the door,” Ivana said.

We headed down this time, way down, following Flare. Occasionally Ivana would yell for us to stop and disarm something.

And then we reached it.

The door was huge and made of stone. It was covered in magical lines and things. Above it was an image of the White Queen, resting a claw on an egg nearly as big as her.

“There we fucking go, that’s more like it,” Ivana said, moving to the door to examine it.

“It’s got a magical whatever on it,” Flare said. “So I can’t get it open or anything.”

Ivana had pulled a tool I didn’t recognize out of a pouch and was poking at the edge of the door. “I’ve seen a lot of door seals, but this one is really strange. Give me a bit.”

So we did. Ivana got visibly more and more frustrated. Finally, she stepped back, and jammed a piece of gum into her mouth, blowing an angry bubble. “I don’t know how to break this open,” she said. “I’ve never hit a fucking door I couldn’t open.” She blew another angry bubble. “We’ll have to ask the skeleton. This magic is complex.”

“Let’s gather everyone here tomorrow, then,” I suggested. “We’re all in agreement that this place is important. We could use more eyes on it to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

“Sure!” Flare said.

“I just need Baroness,” Ivana said. “But whatever, you’ll fucking bring everyone anyway.”

We flew back to try to get some rest.

As I laid down to sleep, I could hear Ivana muttering loud curse words under her breath. Eventually, I couldn��t take it and got up to stick my head into the other chamber.

“What’s so frustrating?” I asked.

Ivana jumped a little in surprise. Which was odd. I never caught her by surprise. “Fuck, you scared me,” she said.

“So you’re not invincible after all,” I said.

“Fuck off.”

“Just try to keep it quieter? You’re keeping me up muttering at that book.”

“Yeah, sure. Sorry,” she said. “I just…” She took a breath. “Going to have to confirm some things before I say anything. So give me some time here.”

“Is it worth dying for?” I asked.

“...possibly,” she said. “Now leave me alone so I can read.”

I did my best to get to sleep.

I could tell, tomorrow was going to be quite a clawful.

#dragons #moms #dragonmoms

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phantasyprone · 7 years

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The Memeing of Life - A pretty extensive philosophical critique

Hey everyone, I’m just gonna take another break from writing my graduate thesis to briefly run through some of the points (???) made in Dan’s video. I’m pretty tired and stopped watching Supernatural to type this up so this is incredibly informal so yh, excuse the rambling nature of this. I’ll type what he said in the video then provide my thoughts.

‘‘Born too late to explore the earth, born too soon to explore the galaxy, born just in time to browse dank memes.’ Also a phrase that defines the purpose of our existence at this point in human history. Do you ever find yourself wishing for a different life, that your weren’t just a kid at school, or you weren’t just a young adult trying to work out what to do, or a person stuck in a job, but instead a person with a calling – a mission to go on adventure bigger than the life we know’ – OK, I have so many issues with this. 1. Only white males get to say that they wished they lived before this point. 2. ‘just’ a kid, and ‘just’ a young adult? Mate, Dan my man, no one is ‘just’ anything. Every single person is a complex, awesome human being capable of so much. No one is just anything and you say that like everyone out there thinks so little of themselves? Yeh of course, some people are on a journey to try and work out their life’s purpose but some people aren’t? For some people their purpose is to have close friends or family, or theyre on the career path they want, or some people are not in their mid twenties and just wanting to enjoy/get through the hell that is school. If I was 14 and watching a video where someone was telling me that ‘we’ all spend life trying to find our calling or mission I would have been like ‘fuck no. I just wanna pass my exams and get to uni mate, stfu.’ Or many teens, as actually was the same when I was young and super into philosophy, liked to think about this stuff on occasion, but in an informed manner not some chill youtube video they used to escape flinging an existential crisis at them.

‘our boring time’ – No, Dan. Our time isn’t boring. It’s exciting, amazing, there’s so much good in the world. Yo, have you even seen videos of baby pandas? Have you read the amazing things activists and progressive politicians, and inspiring children, and wonderful artists, and artists and non white cis straight amazing people are doing to make the world fucking awesome are doing? Nah mate. Not having it.

(this shit got long so more under the cut)

‘well this is your life and its probs the only one youre gonna get’ – WHY DO YOU SAY THAT LIKE IT’S A BAD THING??? The fact that we only have this one life is such a beautiful thing to cling to and whilst sometimes things may seem shit, theres no need to go saying that phrase in that way like our lives are bad and we should just accept that? Yeh I could be Hermione Granger if I was in the Harry Potter books but would I want to be? NO. Yo, I wouldn’t give up my best mates for anything. And Hermione couldn’t play the guitar but I can. And Hermione didn’t laugh so hard she cried when my mate and me were out walking with huge rucksakes and my mate got stuck between two trees and couldn’t get out, then heaved herself through and fell flat on her face in the mud. NO, I saw that. – a wonderful moment. Yeh, this IS my life, and it’s the only one I’m gonna get SO GREAT. Things can be shit but yo, my mate got stuck in a tree so pffffft, this shit can be pretty awesome sometimes.

‘this reality could be a computer simulation talk’ – erghhhh, don’t throw stuff like that out so flippantly. That shit is actualy worrying to some people. I had a breakdown which took me 3 full months to get over that ONE thought, so cheers for saying that so casually. But it’s fine because if this is a computer simulation (which I highly doubt cause I did research, a lot of research) then this is what life is and it’s pretty great anyway so lets just not think about that and enjoy life if we can.

‘it’s a lot more difficult for us to find a quest that will give us the big answers’ – who are these people needing quests? Why do we need these big answers? You talk like there is some great, intrinsic meaning to everything and we should all be searching for it? Nah mate. Just enjoy what we have, don’t spend your life constantly searching for answers you’ll never find. Enjoy the now. What’s my big quest? To try and be kind to myself and kind to others. And to try to love myself and love others; there we go – big quest sorted. Don’t go giving people this existential crisis where they feel as though they wont be satisfied if they never find this ‘one true purpose’. You will have many different purposes and many different paths and missions and journeys and you will change and its OK to go in varying directions. There may not even be this idea that everyone has or needs ‘one big quest’ – just do what makes you happy and be kind, and if what makes you happy changes over the years then that’s cool. Don’t ever go thinking that you need to spend your whole life trying to find your purpose and you wont feel fulfilled unless you’ve found that purpose. Why only ‘one’ mission anyway? Do everything that makes you happy and live now instead of waiting and searching your whole life for something that you don’t find because you simply search for it.

The whole discussion about contributing to science so that only a few people can go to mars – No dan, the amount of incredibly important advances in science, medicine, and technology that was discovered BECAUSE we funded space missions and people tried to find answers in the universe is staggering and I wish I could remember them all, but tust me – the amount of cool stuff in our lives that wouldn’t have been invented if it wasn’t for space exploration is seriously cool and y’all go try and be astronauts because you might change the world even if you don’t get to space.

‘reality is slow and painful’ – ergh, I mean, it’s cool if you sometimes think that, I do too! But you cant just say that without any context, or like ‘reality is slow and painful sometimes. But not all the time’. – like, of course we all feel this way sometimes but if you’re making a video you cant just announce that without also saying life is fast and amazing and wonderful. You have a certain responsibility here Dan. So no, reality can’t be defined by that wholly pessimistic and way too sweeping statement that it is ‘slow and painful’.

then goes onto explain how cool, but not really cool books and film realities are. - yeh, but our lives are pretty cool. I mean, over half all movies and books are based on our reality... so i mean, it gotta be kinda interesting. Which it is...

Good bit being aware of this being a first world problem

‘you may say that there are many meaningful missions you could go on from perusing personal passions to politics, science or even changing the world to being a better place by doing charity work, and yep, that is all true but its not something that we can completely escape to, leaving what we know behind. I know, pretty disheartening right.’ – I mean, yay, finally some optimism but it was all ruined when you said that basically no matter what you do, you cant escape this reality. Eergh. No, Go do all those amazing amazing things and there is no way that any of these things are lessoned by the fact that they’re still within our reality. Escapism isn’t necessarily the best thing? Sometimes we gotta look at our reality and see how awesome it can be amongst the shit. And we should do all these amazing things to make it even better because if you could escape to a different world would you? If everyone who had something to give to society left then what state would humanity be in? A shit one. I for one am glad we can’t escape and I wouldn’t want to. Changing the world and making it a better place, whether that’s through charity work or by being a generally nice and lovely person, is awesome and the fact that we cant leave this reality isn’t disheartening.

‘But what do we have… is a world that might never do anything particularly amazing apart from destroying the world; memes’ – No, just no. People now are doing pretty fucking awesome things. Like, I don’t really need to say any more. Have you seen how far we’ve come? How much societal progression has occurred for minorities and women and the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who are disabled? Of course we have so so so far to go, but things are slowly progressing in general.

meme discussions – they are relatable and show us how we all have relative experiences – but like no, memes are a cultural artefact which can be alike to Dadaist and surrealist work pointing out the absurdity of our time and how meaning can be warped and blah semantics, existentialism, satra, kafka, keikergaard, Joseph Heller, (I can’t be asked right now to go into a discussion of memes and existentialism and meaning because it’s interesting but long and tbh Dan should’ve covered that so I’m salty he missed this great and obvious discussion)

‘it’s what we do all day, and perhaps, that is us attempting to find meaning within ourselves in a time when the universe isn’t providing any easy answers’ – ergh, why do we always have to be searching for this true meaning you’re talking about? Maybe we just shouldn’t search for an intrinsic meaning? Look for love and kindness and humanity because who can argue with that, and let’s just not give your entire audience an existential crisis, or if you did want to discuss existentialism then please do so in a balanced, well researched and UPLIFTING WAY. This shit is serious and I’ve had so many breakdowns because of it but through YEARS AND YEARS of reading am I good and OK and not in that deluge or worry for meaning anymore. If you wanted to discuss such deep and truly worrying stuff as this, you needed to be more eloquent, less ‘ergh life is shit’ and just generally more optimistic (which I know you can be so, like, why was this so dreary and ergh)?

so go reach for your dreams because what is important is that it’s your choice – erghhhhhh where did this argument go? We’ve missed so many steps in your discussion of finding one ‘true mission’ into you having a choice? Mate, I know how you could jump between these but you haven’t explained how you got here or how this all links up and whaaaaa? You need to back up WHY peoples choices make sense within the existentialist discussion youre basing all this on. You cant just say it and expect people to know?

Sorry guys, that was my incredibly messy discussion of this video which was not at all eloquent because my brain is fried and I paused my rewatching of Supernatural to type this stuff up.

#mischa's philosophy #response to dan memeing of life video

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chuckfresh · 7 years

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I’ll be the first to admit I can be cynical. But that’s a plus for you! My cynicism helps flush out the TRUTH about these cruise companies, their policies, their ships, and what your experience might be. Every other idiot’s review of these cruises has been a friggin’ lovefest. Why? They’re on the take! Either as a paid endorser, or as a travel agent. Me? I make money from you reading my reviews and watching my YouTube videos, so I don’t owe anyone, and no one owns me. Get my drift? That’s why my cynicism will help you.

I spent close to three times as much on a short weekend Disney cruise from Port Canaveral aboard one of their older ships, the Disney Dream. Is Disney worth the extra shekels? Let’s take an objective look at the important stuff and you can decide for yourself. Sail along with me here.

Boarding. Since we booked our trip a week out, we were on the low-end of the boarding process. That was actually kind of nice, because we had the majority of the day to chill out and get our stuff together. We slept in (8:00 is our sleeping in), had a nice late breakfast at Cracker Barrel (we asked for Brad’s wife), and slow rolled up to the ugliest cruise port on the east coast.

After paying the $68.00 parking fee (WHAAAAT??? And no car wash?), we shimmied up the very tight path to level 5 and found a parking spot well away from some dingleberry-family minivan that would probably have children slamming their doors into ours. The spots are very tight. The elevators are conveniently located, and there’s a walkway over the busy road below that takes you right up into the Disney security screening area. No goofiness there. Standard TSA-type inspections. That was pretty quick.

Rode the escalator up to the main concourse – and there they were – both Minnie and Mickey, live and in the polyester, posing for pictures. The lines were strangely small, probably because we were pretty late. Check in was very quick and pleasant. As the attendant handed us two lanyards, I was stunned. “What, we don’t have to pay for these?” He smiled at me as if I were an idiot. Every other cruise sells lanyards for up to $30 each, depending on how much bling it has.

We headed right to the gangway. They scanned our Mickey cards with a smile and we headed up the ramp. Some random white shirt asked me what our family name was. Shocked, I answered “Imbecile.” She then pulled out a microphone and announced, “Let’s have a warm welcome for the Imbecile family!” All the other white shirts clapped for us as we walked about. Apparently, no one got the joke.

The Rooms. Like many of the other cruise companies, I expected Disney’s older ships to be sloppy, dirty, loud, and in disrepair. Boy was I wrong. Our room was ready by the time we boarded, so we rolled our small carryons one flight down and around the corner. We touched our keycard to the sensor (no swiping) and the light turned green. We walked inside our room. It was really dark. I fiddled around with the light switches on the wall and nothing turned on. I wondered if Lumière was going to pop out of the shadows singing “Be Our Guest.” No such luck. Genius me figured out I had to slide my cardkey into the slot near the door, and voila! The lights magically turned on.

The first thing I noticed was there were two doors for the bathroom. A walk through I thought? Nope – and this was pretty sweet. One room was a sink and a toilet. The other room was a sink and a shower – with a tub! Not those dinky round pods most other cruise ships use in the cheap seats, but a respectably sized shower with a tub. I pulled out my trusty white Mickey hand and searched for mold spots. None. Zero. It was as if we were the second or third family who had ever stayed in this room – unless many other had, and maybe using bathrooms were against their religion. Plenty of water pressure and hot water all day and all night. The water was scalding hot at times, so watch yourself.

There was ample closet space, and lots of drawers all over the room to tuck away all your junk. There was a surprising amount of space in our room. We peeked into some of the inside rooms, and some were even larger! The inside rooms had a cool round video porthole. We were too late for a balcony, but the enlarged real porthole in our room was huge – and clean. I had never seen windows this clean on any cruise ship. And that cleanliness was apparent throughout the entire ship. Oh, yeah, I checked even the remotest nooks. Same.

The beds were clean and comfy, and the room attendants were top notch. Not much difference there between Disney and the others.

The Boat. “It’s not a boat – it’s a ship.” Oh, shut up. It’s my two grand, I’ll call it whatever I please. I mean, it’s a cruise ship. Eat, eat, eat, poop. What else is there to do? Actually, I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of hideaways for adults on this ship. There were several bars scattered throughout, including one area called “The District,” where you could watch live sports on satellite television and order hot wings and beer.

Most parents dumped their kids off in some hideous aberration of reality called the Oceaneers club. That made no sense. You book this expensive-ass vacation with your kids, then you dump them off in day care and get your groove on. Why? The kids had a blast. I saw kids throwing tantrums when their parents pulled them out on formal dinner nights. I watched some 7-year-old pounding his fists into his mother’s stomach while dad did nothing. I screamed something, and the kid got scared and stopped. She owes me.

Connectivity. Disney has these strange internet packages. Their biggest is about $80, and they’re capped at 1 gigabyte of data up or down. You can share you package across five devices simultaneously. I actually used my entire gig in less than 20 minutes due to my Google backup and Dropbox accounts synchronizing the few videos I had taken so far. Their internet concierge sees this all the time, and he did a one-time reset for free, while turning off all those crazy data-sucking apps. That was pretty cool. We used it sparingly and left with a little unused data. You can forget about Netflix binging unless you downloaded everything at home. Most newer phones will let you talk and text over WiFi. My wife’s worked, mine failed for some reason. Who knows. This was one time I really missed Royal Caribbean’s unlimited data.

Photo Shoots. This is where Disney beats everyone. They’ve got the typical photo shoot setups every night, including the final night, which is wonderful for families who might have had something planned on some other night. And Disney has the costumed characters that will pose with you in your pictures, which is a terrific keepsake. They too have the all-too-crowded photo center with portfolios which contain your printed photographs for your perusal. The logistics of how they got our Goofy photo into our binder within 20 minutes on an incredibly crowded night blew my mind. THAT was magic! Photo packages are available, and singles are roughly $20 each.

Now – what was possibly the coolest thing I have EVER seen on a cruise ship was during character photo ops. The host volunteers to take your picture with their character using YOUR OWN camera! To me, that seemed like capitalist suicide. And when I reviewed my smartphone pictures the host took, they were excellent! I felt so guilty I had to purchase at least a few of the pro shots. To me, that was the most generous thing Disney has ever done. Well done, Mickey.

Food and Beverage. Most other cruise lines require that you purchase a “soda package” for about $8 a day. Not Disney. Soda is unlimited and FREE! I was so overjoyed I would pour myself a random mixture of all the sodas, take a sip, make a strange face, then dump it out. Only because I could. Coke products only, and served via fountain. Canned sodas at bars or shows were extra.

Beer choices are limited, as they are on most cruises. But the bars were fully stocked with top-shelf liquors (Patron, Grey Goose, etc.) and their prices were steep, but not much more than any other cruise. Domestic beers were about $6, shots of 1800 about $7.50, Patron Reposado was about $9.75 I think. Some bartenders were more generous with their pours than others, so find those guys if that’s what’s important to you.

Another thing I noticed was Disney is big on wipeys. While the other cruisers prefer hand sanitizer, Disney makes you grab a cloth hand wipe. I can’t imagine all the trash that creates. Are those things recyclable?

If you’ve been with Royal, you know about their Windjammer. Copious all-you-can-eat buffets almost all day long. Dream ain’t got that. The closest we found was something called Cabanas, which had a very nice lunch buffet including a netload of jumbo shrimp and crab legs, and something for everyone from roast beef to mac and cheese. There were a few additional buffets at strange times (one was 10:30 at night), so keep your eyes on the schedule. Interestingly, the buffets on Disney are much more controlled than Royal or Carnival. Much of the fruits, veggies, fish, and desserts were behind glass, requiring you to ask for them. The shrimp, however, was low enough for boogie-fingered kids to grab by hand. Ew.

Waiters and servers were very friendly. I hate the dining room experience because I’m a super fun bro, but we always get saddled up with some old boring couple. And surprise – we were once again. We only went to let you know how it was. The dining room food was comparable to any other cruise – serving strange concoctions you’d only find in overpriced restaurants cooked and served by folks who can’t afford to eat there. I had sea bass on day one, some sort of strange penne pasta on day two, and their version of beef tenderloins for my last supper. It was all fine, but I do prefer the freedom of a buffet. We left early all three nights to get our cruise on.

We skipped the specialty dining at Palo and Remy this time. Honestly, we’ve done this on other cruises and didn’t find the food to be any better than the dining room or even buffet food. Many folks told us “Oh, Palo is the best meal I’ve ever had.” Yeah, when I was 20-something, I also bragged like that after feeling stupid for buying overpriced cuisine. But then again, Olive Garden is a big night out for a simple guy like me.

Entertainment. This is where I really expected Disney to shine. And yet, this was my largest disappointment. Our cruise director, Trent, a portly cartoonish dork from Australia, was one of those super annoying people who might be a terrific guy, but has absolutely no business whatsoever being around a microphone. Some of us have presence, some do not.

What was really interesting was I noticed several of the party games I invented years ago for adult bars were being played in the teen and kids’ clubs. That was both kind of cool and disturbing. You can read my book for yourself on Amazon here.

We saw something called The Golden Mickeys the first night, hosted by some underperforming actress pretending to be a stage hand. Yeah, there’s a load of characters that dance across the stage in costume in a well-rehearsed show. But it seemed to be more filler than substance, as we were lost about half way through. The little munchkins might like it. The second night had something to do with Disney villains. The best part of that show was the Cruella song. Catchy. The final night featured a show that was supposed to get some bro to believe in magic. Sure, there were some dances, acrobatics, the obligatory suspend someone from the air shenanigans, a really cool light that was supposedly Tinkerbell, and even some pyrotechnics. Yet, there was no real spark. Even the kids were falling asleep. The shows weren’t bad, but they were definitely outclassed bigly by Royal Caribbean. I’d sum it up as too much leaning on their 100-year-old character stable, and not enough original substance. I was shocked. Meh, at best.

Oh – and there are NO POLES obscuring your view in the lower level of the Walt Disney Theatre! There are two in the balcony, but nowhere near the 8 or more Royal Caribbean has on its ships. Every seat in this theatre is a good seat. If you get there early enough, you can sit in the special balcony seats to the sides of the stage.

Music left a lot to be desired. There were some individual vocalists, violin and piano soloists that were quite good popping up here and there. And a few bands in the adult clubs doing their thing who were average at best during the short time I spent there. But no steel drum band on the pool deck? No live tropical music in the tropics? Something was conspicuously missing, Disney Detectives.

They did play some first-run movies in their theatre, including one of the Star Wars flicks in 3D and Beauty and the Beast (while it was still in theatres). Times were sketchy. We missed all the showings due to scheduling conflicts.

And, after an overblown and way too long pirate night show on the pool deck stage (with no seats), Disney tooted and provided the only fireworks show from a cruise ship in the western hemisphere. That was pretty sweet.

Is Disney Worth Twice The Price? Tough call. It’s definitely a good time. We felt safe. Very few obnoxious drunks probably because there are no unlimited drink packages. Clean rooms. Smart bathroom designs. Great service. Good food. And their Castaway Cay is a gorgeous piece of Bahamas property. I can honestly admit I did not feel ripped off.

Add up the free sodas, the cast taking character photos using your own camera, free first-run movies, the time saved by having two separate bathrooms, and, of course, the free lanyard, and I’m sure you too can justify a healthy portion of the additional cost.

If your children are still tiny (and you want to safely ditch them all day), or if you’re a hard-core button-collecting Disney maniac, definitely do the Disney experience. If not, drink til you puke and take two cruises on a lesser cruise line.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S_rkBj8jJA)

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aoibaratraveler · 5 years

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UK Road Trip Week 2

Day 8:

We woke up and quickly packed up our stuff not wanting to spend another second in this airbnb especially since the bf got such a bad kink in his neck. We headed to Bournemouth as soon as we bought lunch and there we relaxed on the beach and ate it. The city centre of Bournemouth was unexpectedly busy but it makes sense since the beach there is so nice. We walked around for a couple of hours and played with the new feature on Pokemon go. After leaving Bournemouth, we took a detour to our next campsite and stopped at Lulworth Cove. This area was gorgeous and relaxing to sit and watch the waves at the top of a cliff but it was also packed and after an hour we decided to pitch up at the Osmington Mills campsite. This was the most beautiful campsite we had been to by far It had amazing views of a valley and rolling hills so it was understandably full of people. We pitched up and then drove into the nearby town of Weymouth for burgers. We enjoyed the beach views after dinner while writing a scathing review of our previous airbnb and then headed back to the campsite to tuck in for the night since we were exhausted.

Day 9:

Today I woke up feeling super excited because it meant that I got to see Kevin, the bf’s grandparent’s dog! I have been really looking forward to it! I got up at about 6:30 after having the most uncomfortable sleep by far (was tossing and turning all night) in the tent, got refreshed, looked in amazement at the gorgeous beach with a mini waterfall and there was hardly anyone there, win-win!! We explored for awhile and let the sounds of the ocean waves relax us. At about 11 we decided to head off to the Isle of Portland after getting the bf’s starbucks, we only had about 4-5 hours to explore and sightsee before getting to the airbnb cottage outside of Yeovil where I would be staying with the bf and his family as they prepare for his cousin’s wedding. We drove to the very top of a hill/cliff at the Isle of Portland and it was just fantastic, the sky was mostly clear with nothing but a few pure white fluffy clouds. There were also olympic rings up there since apparently this was the sight of the 2012 London Summer olympics. There was even an old torch which was cool. We explored the cliff area and found a rocky area that seemed to be the remnants of a Roman fort, it had a mysterious and intriguing atmosphere and felt like a rocky canyon of sorts as we walked through it before deciding to scramble up the rocks. The bf and I agreed that we both love a good scramble and talked about possibly doing a climb in Italy together called a via Ferrata which I’m very excited about. We decided it was time to head to the cottage which would be an hour and a half drive away. The cottage itself was beautiful with many rooms and washrooms and a lovely garden, i don’t know about you though but when family photos are up everywhere in a place you’re staying just staring at you, it can make you feel a but unnerved. When the rest of the bf’s family arrived we ended up having to settle for a room with two single beds because the only other option had a sofa bed which was too uncomfortable. The bf’s grandmother thoroughly disliked the cottage because of all the rules, I was just bummed because I couldn’t wash my clothes since apparently the washing machine was off limits. Oh, I forgot to mention Kevin, yes the moment I saw him I was so happy and couldn’t wait to play with him but he was much too energetic to focus on me and just wanted to run circles around the garden but who could blame him after spending four hours in a car. For lunch, the bf’s grandmother made a very carby, delicious assortment of foods. There was a potato salad, a rice salad, boiled potatoes, breaded chicken, and a trifle for dessert. After lunch, the four of us, the bf, his sister (R), and her husband (S), and I went grocery shopping, The bf and I were complete goofballs and had too much fun just messing about and being silly while getting cereal and milk. When we got back we all just talked for awhile in the kitchen and I thought we’d play games but by 21:30/22:00 i was super tired and the bf, R, S, and the bf’s grandad had all gone to the living room from the kitchen and were looking at Netflix while their grandmother and I stayed in there. i’m not sure why but I didn’t want to join them and I was so tired that I just wanted to be alone so I went upstairs, listened to some ASMR and fell asleep. I woke up about an hour later and noticed that the bf had moved some stuff around the room so I decided to get up and brush my teeth, properly say goodnight to everyone and then return to the land of sleep.

Day 10:

Today started off with a rush of excitement as I woke up early and I thought to myself that I needed to be productive and get all of the little things I wanted to get done like planning my blog and reading before going on our hike to Cheddar Gorge which I thought would earlier on in the morning than it ended up being but well everyone else seemed to be taking their time which I mean is understandable but I was just very keen to go and we didn’t end up leaving until 11. When we got there it was packed full of people which made me remember that it was a Sunday so of course it was busy. I had gone in S’s car, R’s husband, so I could sit with Kevin the dog but we got there too fast so we had lost sight of the bf and R and spent a good half hour trying to find them via phone and text but with poor signal all while defending a parking spot for the bf in a layby parking area that we found. I say defending because people were being very aggressive and trying to take it and I know it’s a faux paus to hold a spot but where else was he supposed to park in this madness. We eventually started the walk at 13:00 after finding them and boy was the beginning steep! But what a great butt workout! It was Kevin’s first time in this kind of situation so he refused to have anyone walking in front of him from our group otherwise he’d give out a very nervous sounding, high pitched sort of bark. He needed to lead the pack. Once at the top, the views were spectacular and the winds refreshing. The walk was supposed to take 1hour and 30 mins but we took our time and the 4 mile walk took about 2 hours and 30 mins. We hurried to the cheese shops before they were to close and bought a nice big chunk of extra mature cheddar cheese as a souvenir before heading back. Once we got back, i was delighted to see that the sleeping mats I ordered had arrived. I opened one up to test it out and then the 4 of us, the bf, R, S, and I sat around the table to play card games until dinner and afterwards until the evening.

Day 11:

Today I woke up knowing that it would be an uneventful day because the bf and his family were going to his cousin’s wedding. It was an easy going morning with them leaving at about 12:30. I spent the rest of the day with Kevin and got some things done from my to do list including uploading the first week of my blog! I read my book, had dinner and then took Kevin out for a nice long walk, so just a chill solo day.

Day 12:

Barely slept and woke up feeling exhausted at 6 in the morning because the bf came back drunk from the wedding at midnight yesterday and this was the most drunk I had ever seen him. He inevitably spent the night vomiting so I did what I could to help him and then spent the rest of the morning packing up both of our things while he rested but then I also got my period and felt just as crummy as he did because I was always have the most painful cramps. We had breakfast with R and S after leaving the cottage and then the rest of the day was a struggle for us both until we got to our campsite.

Day 13:

We both woke up freezing today, the weather seems to have turned it’s back on us. Our trip started off very warm, day or night, but the rain has been following us since we left the cottage which makes the nights cold and the days hot and humid. Today the weather wasn’t too good for sightseeing so since we had to anyway, we stopped in a Starbucks to plan the next portion of our trip. We unfortunately had to take the whole of Ireland out of our plan because the costs of this trip are starting to add up and truth be told, a month and 3 weeks isn’t enough time for us to do all that we want to do in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and The Republic of Ireland and we were foolish to think it would be enough time. I’d say more like 2 and a half months to 3 months would be enough time to really see everything and take our time but we just don’t have that or the savings to be able to do so. So we’ll explore England, Wales, and Scotland this time and dedicate an entire trip for Northern/Republic of Ireland later on...once we had wrapped up our planning, we headed to the lush and filled with rolling hills Dartmoor National Park to camp for the night.

Day 14:

Woke up freezing again today at 4 am because I went to sleep without extra layers, very foolish mistake. Tried to do what I could to warm up, thought about staying awake for a bit, but then went to the car to try and and warm up to no avail. In the end, I put on some extra socks and forced myself back to sleep. Woke up two hours later to the morning chorus of “baaa” and “neigh”. To accompany this lovely tune was the sweltering heat from the sun that the tent has captured which was a signal to the bf and me that it was time to pack up and leave. From there we headed to Plymouth to exchange two camping gas canisters bought the day before. While we were there we perused the nearby Waterstones and then bought a delicious steak pasty to share before heading to St. Austell. Once we arrived, we bought flowers for Vanessa’s family and parked out on the road of her house and was greeted by Vanessa’s mother. We put our stuff in the room that we would be staying in and then walked down to Porthpean beach. The bf had been wanting to go to the beach for the longest time and was glad to finally dip his head in the water. On the walk to the beach, we bumped into Vanessa’s twin sister. I had never met her before, and even though I had seen photos before and was able to tell the difference then, I was surprised by how truly identical they are in person. At the beach, the bf played around in the water for a bit and we then skipped stones for a while before heading back. Vanessa’s mother had cooked a vegan lasagne for us all to have for dinner and we chatted with her and Vanessa’s twin until Vanessa got back from work. We then gathered some snacks, took the hood off their jeep wrangler and went to Caerhays beach for a late night drive in showing of Grease. It was the bf’s first time seeing the film and he found it ridiculous.

#travel #road trip #ukroadtrip #ukroadtrip2019 #roadtripeurope #blog post #firsttimeblogging #travel blog #camping #ukexploring #englishnature #englishcoast #southern england #cornwall #cornishcoast #moodyweather #cramps

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soulfulzebrablogs · 5 years

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Let’s start this off with an intro of sorts.

Hi there. If you’re reading this, then this tells me you have found this page somehow. I might have told you about it, you might have stumbled upon it (does this website still exist? Also, if you remember this site, you’re just the right age for me fam), or if I really played my cards right, you might have been having a casual peruse on the all mighty Google and you typed some fun phrases like “entertainment blogs” or “pop culture hot takes” or something more generic like “writing blogs for dummies” and you saw this Tumblr page come up at the top of all the other sites and thought, “hmm I like it, I want it, gee thanks, I click it.” Or none of the above scenarios happened, I don’t know. To be honest here, I don’t like making introduction, or more specifically, introducing myself. It’s always been like that.

Being the first in an icebreaker game drives me insane, like “great no pressure, I have to set the standard of making myself sound more interesting than I actually am.” Or in job interviews when they ask the classic question “so tell me a little bit about yourself” and then I proceed to, again, make myself sound more interesting and engaging while also keeping in mind that my answers have to align with whatever the said career path requires. It’s not that I’m antisocial or anything, it’s just the whole idea of being put on the spot to introduce myself has always made me a bit anxious. There’s a lot to introductions, like where do you want me to start? Do I go all the way back to childhood? Highschool?

As an adult, the common thing to do is flex that you went to college, got some degrees, perhaps you graduated with honors? Always flex that. And then you talk about all these jobs you did in your 20s to work towards a career or something, again, setting the appearance of being “interesting” in a certain generic way. The truth is, educational and career backgrounds are the least interesting things about what makes us, us. People. Living and breathing, and as you become wiser in whatever moon phase of life you’re in, you realize you don’t have shit figured out and you probably never will and in some ways, you’re okay with that, at least I am.

From that whole spiel above, you probably just figured out I’m a bit of a nihilist, if you’re cool and into philosophy like that. Like, I’m not full on dogmatic or hardcore about it, it’s more or less a basic level of believing that life has no grand meaning and no ones born with a particular purpose or a predetermined path (but I do believe in predetermination as well as free will and all that jazz… maybe I’ll explain later… but not in this post.), but you give your life meaning, a purpose; you create and manifest whatever is you want to exist, if you want it bad enough of course.

If you’ve made it this far into this intro of sorts, you’ve probably figured out that I overthink things, a lot. That’s why I love writing. It just seems like the perfect creative outlet to let all these wild, wild thoughts have a place to live, to roam, to exist out of my head. It should be noted that I often contradict myself, I’m at peace with this (sometimes). Most things in life are just never that simple, there are so many scenarios, patterns, questions with multiple answers. The flaw of us all is that we sometimes like to believe that everything needs to be figured out in the simplest of responses and answers. If these are the kind of blogs you enjoy reading, if you don’t question a damn thing and have a more definitive viewpoint on the world, I can tell you now, this blog will not be consistently like that. I have plenty of opinions like you but they are constantly changing and evolving. However, certain ideas and philosophies will forever stick, like pineapple pizza is delicious, tea is superior to coffee, and Beethoven is the greatest pop artist of all time. If any of that triggered you, you’ve for sure blocked me at this point and that’s cool, express yourself Queen, go off.

If I still have your attention up to this point, you’re probably now wondering “okay pero like, what is this blog about though?” A solid question indeed and you’re appreciated. I’m here to write about all things within the Entertainment industry, pop culture, music, film, digital media, the arts, politics, etc. that fascinate me and hopefully you find these array of topics interesting as well. From reviews to hot takes, analysis to research, many subjects will be discussed in the hopes that we can get into engaging dialogue. This is probably a good time to inform you as well: if you’re looking for a gossip column, celeb couple goals, or anything that reminds you of TMZ or People Magazine, no disrespect to those established brands but... this ain’t it chief. Like, I’m not going to sit here and act like I don’t enjoy the occasional gossip corner or the spilling of the superior tea or what have you, I just think there are much more interesting things to discuss within the realms of Entertainment that we all often look at through rose colored glasses. If I get into the gossip territory, it’ll somehow require a bit more depth and analysis like A Close examination into the timeline between Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande’s short lived relationship (I won’t talk about how much I obsessed over this if you don’t...) or The Selena Gomez Come Up Theory/Story and How Justin Bieber became her Ultimate Achilles Dick (honestly, this might get a post one day). Also, to be really good about celebrity gossip you have to be on top of it and post everyday, and sometimes multiple times a day, which is something I don’t plan on doing ever; and you have to have/find super sketchy insider sources. I’m just not into the idea of being a direct contributor to that world, none of it is interesting (our word of the day) enough on a long term kind of basis, but that’s just me.

Yes, I’ll be another writer on the internet talking about things, people, places like everyone else, but they’ll be people, places and things that interest me and I hope they’ll interest you as well. At this point, you might have figured there aren’t a whole lot of guarantees for this blog, and that’s mostly true, I don’t have an extended planned out schedule of upcoming posts, I don’t even know what topics I’ll cover next or in what order, but I can offer you some rules and guidelines I have recently developed for myself and my varying creative pursuits that I will promise you. You can call them my 3 Don’ts list. They go as follows:

1) I DON’T ever want my work to insight violence, harm, ill-will, hate, etc. to others well-being or even, myself.

2) I DON’T ever intend or want to bore you. I believe that boredom is a choice and I know I can’t predict and/or control what you consider boring, just know I’m here to entertain you first and foremost, and then all that other good stuff comes afterward. AND

3) I DON’T want you to feel or think that I’m trying to outsmart, out-wit or manipulate you in any way at all.

If it ever feels like I’m breaking any or all of these rules or that I could be unintentionally coming off in such a manner that conflicts with these said guidelines above, feel free to hold me accountable for it and I will come up with a course of action moving forward, within reason of course. But let’s hope we don’t have to get to that point, yeah? Agreed, okay cool. If you’re still here reading this, then congratulations and thank you for making it to the end of my Ted Talk.

I think that’s it, am I missing anything? Oh right the name game, icebreaking intro: hello again, my name is Kamaria and this is my blog.

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eddiejpoplar · 6 years

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First Drive: 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

BRASELTON, Georgia — The first time Teddy Roosevelt’s words—you know, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”—came into my head as I reviewed a car was after driving a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Jump ahead 10 years and I stand perusing a shiny new 2019 Corvette ZR1. I had just ripped this particular example around the awesome Road Atlanta racetrack in Braselton, Georgia. I smirked as I thought to myself, “Speak rudely and wield a really fat club” might be more appropriate for this new force of engineering passion.

Engineering passion? Yes, for real. I noticed the faces of the numerous Chevy engineers on pit lane as each journalist exited a ZR1 after taking their first blasts around the track. The engineers hung on every syllable uttered, noting every gesticulation and throwing a satisfied smile at every “holy $&#*!!” They looked a bit like a group of dads pushing their noses up to a delivery room observation window: proud fathers, every one.

Not content with the kidney-flattening supercharged LT4 engine that kicks out 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque in the Corvette Z06, the new ZR1 has a super-supercharged LT5 V-8 spitting 755 hp @ 6,300 rpm and 715 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm. You don’t need your kidneys, anyway. Certified top speed is 212.49 mph, which came from a two-way average (215 mph/210 mph). Chevy informed us the ZR1 is “restricted” to a top speed of 215 mph to be within tire-safety standards. So, let’s recap: “Restricted to 215 mph,” base price of $119,995.00 for the coupe (actually $122,095 when you add the $2,100 gas guzzler tax) and $126,095 for the convertible, and it’s a “street” car. I’m now thinking: “Big fat club, with bells on.”

You probably have read hyperbole, and then some, about road cars that sound unreal. In this case, though, I really have never heard a production car sound this much like a race car in both tone and volume. It is bonkers loud on full “rude” mode. Some Jaguars can compete on the loud scale but I think the ZR1 has them beat. There is some engineering trickery in one of the mufflers, featuring a spring-loaded valve that burps open or stays closed based on driving style. Bring your earplugs, Mildred.

Chevrolet says the ZR1 (with the $1,725 eight-speed automatic transmission) runs from 0-60 mph in 2.85 seconds and from 0-100 mph in just 6.0 seconds. Launching the ZR1 from a standstill is not easy; you have to keep wheelspin at bay all the way to 60, which doesn’t do much to help the time. I’m interested to know how much time it needs to accelerate from 60-160 mph, as I think very few cars, regardless of price, would keep up with the ZR1.

If you have this much power, you better have strong brakes to slow down the ZR1’s 3,600 pounds. Despite temperatures hitting almost 90 degrees on the day we tested at Road Atlanta, I saw more than 168 mph heading down the circuit’s serpentine back straight heading into the 45 mph turn 10a. The braking area into 10a is downhill and bumpy, but let me back up a few hundred yards: The ZR1 screamed at full rip at around 145 mph, still accelerating hard as I followed the bend to the right and flew over the hill that leads down to the brake point for 10a. I have driven many race cars which were far less stable going through this flat-out bend and cresting the hill. This was both impressive and confidence inspiring.

So, I see 168 mph, shut my eyes and think of a quiet safe place. No, I didn’t. I progressively pressed the stop pedal hard and the ZR1 dutifully spit my eyes balls out of my head. I recently tested a very capable GT4 race car at Road Atlanta and was very impressed with its brakes; the ZR1 was equally impressive. The tires, aerodynamic downforce, and all-new Brembo carbon-ceramic stoppers combined for more than 1.7 g’s of deceleration (serious race-car good). As I mentioned, stability in this bumpy brake zone was also excellent. I made a mental note not to use the brakes this hard with a cement truck behind me out on public roads.

I tried both the automatic and manual versions of the car. If I’m buying the ZR1 to track, there is zero doubt in my mind I would buy the automatic. This car pulls serious g loads in both longitudinal and lateral aspects. I only weigh about 155 pounds and found myself moving around a bit too much in the seats while doing my maximum attack, despite using the seatbelt-locking mechanism. To be sure I didn’t mess up, I took a little extra time making a shift in the manual while trail-braking or cornering. I was much more comfortable lapping hard in the automatic, as I could always keep two hands on the wheel. I had no issues at all with the seats holding me solid with normal or spirited street driving.

The tires on the new ZR1 are the same make and size found on the Z06: Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s; 285/30 R-19 up front and 335/25 R-20 rear. The ZR1 does have a half-inch wider front rim size compared to the Z06, which apparently helps the ZR1 front-end work better when combined with the 60-percent increase in overall downforce. The downforce improvement (the car produces a total of 950 pounds at top speed with the $2,995 ZTK/high-wing option) also came with no increase in drag versus the Z06, Chevy says; a nice trick if you can do it.

However, the ZR1 is not a “downforce car,” as it still relies mostly on mechanical grip. However, the amount of downforce it does have makes it very stable while cornering at speeds sometimes 10 mph faster than would be possible without the downforce. The faster you go in the ZR1, the higher the speed differential becomes at corner apex. For instance, turn 10a (45 mph minimum speed) feels no different in the ZR1 than it does in a Corvette Grand Sport, as it’s a mechanical-grip corner. But you can take the much faster turn 12 maybe 8-10 mph faster in the ZR1 (128 mph) compared to the Grand Sport. Fun stuff.

Three and a half years ago I was also at Road Atlanta for the launch of the Corvette Z06. On that occasion I managed to run a 1-minute, 29.8-second lap and was looking forward to see by how much I could improve on that with the new ZR1. Upon arrival at the track, I was a bit disappointed to hear from the engineers the circuit was running 2-3 seconds slower than it had been, due to temperatures being almost 40 degrees hotter than they had been earlier in the week, making for an extremely greasy track. This is not unusual; many times, we qualify for a race with a really fast time on a cool day and then see lap times 3-4 seconds slower if race day is significantly hotter. It was about 3 p.m. by the time I got a chance to drive a ZR1 with some new tires. Despite the greasy track and almost 90-degree air temperature, I did manage to run almost a second faster in the ZR1 than I had in the Z06, without really pushing hard.

I was grabbing water in the pit lane when I remembered the reports made by some Z06 buyers who said they were disappointed with overheating issues at track days. Well, considering the day’s heat, I asked the engineers if I could possibly do a long run in the ZR1, just to see how things would go. Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter gave me the green light and pointed me to a ZR1 with an automatic transmission.

Note: This ZR1 has received all kinds of new engineering developments that separate it from the Z06 and help provide more cooling. There are several additional radiators and intercoolers up front, five to be precise. Plus, a “Halo Hood” that pops through the regular carbon hood to accommodate the taller LT5 engine and help to extract hot under-hood air. Air ducting through the nose was also addressed to add downforce plus more efficiently direct airflow to intercoolers and brakes. The ZR1 now has a true front underwing as opposed to a flat-bottom front panel. This extra downforce is enough to counteract what was lost by the addition of the extra cooling hardware. The underwing also helps direct air to more areas that need it. All of these changes helped the engineers feel confident enough to let me try the long run on such a hot day.

I decided to run a fast race pace for 20-25 minutes, do a cool down lap, and come in. I felt that was about right in terms of what a track-day group would usually do. I did not have new tires for this run. The run laps ended up being between 1:30.4 and 1:31.7. These are very respectable, consistent, and quick lap times for a street car at Road Atlanta considering the hot conditions. Lap time drop-off is usually due to tires gaining air pressure and surface temperature. Any extra lateral tire slip later in my run was controlled easily by slowing my steering inputs and throttle application, and the ZR1 never got nervous or twitchy. I saw no warning lights and engine temps remained in the normal range throughout the run.

Road Atlanta can be hard on brakes, especially at the end of the back straight when braking downhill from 160-something mph to less than 50 mph. The Brembo brake engineer present told me they had seen brake temperatures as high as 1,400-degrees during the week, and I didn’t doubt it. But I had no brake issues at all during my long run. I could tell they were hot and I did need to use a little more pressure in a couple of brake zones late in my stint, but the car still managed to keep the same brake points as when I began.

One more important point: The Chevy engineers understand very well how quickly things can go pear-shaped when you’re dealing with 755 hp and 715 lb-ft of torque. Traction control and stability control have become superb these days and certainly catch many drivers’ ham-fisted throttle, braking, and steering misdeeds. However, the ZR1 also has an electronic throttle delivery tuned to deliver less immediate gobs of torque during the beginnings of throttle travel. Plus, the total throttle-pedal travel feels a little longer. I think the changes work well. I was comfortably able to control my throttle inputs during corner-exit power application, managing to tickle the TC instead of slamming into it, which kept momentum going nicely.

Indeed, a place like Road Atlanta is the only appropriate venue to experience the new ZR1’s heady limits. I am a big fan of vehicles that put a smile on my face and the ZR1 certainly overflows that box. The first time an owner experiences the brutal shove in the back a ZR1 can dish out, I pretty much guarantee they’ll think they got a bargain. Roosevelt would be blown away.

2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Specifications

ON SALE Now PRICE $122,095 (base) ENGINE 6.2L supercharged OHV 16-valve V-8/755 hp @ 6,300 rpm, 715 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm TRANSMISSION 7-speed manual, 8-speed automatic LAYOUT 2-door, 2-passenger, front-engine, RWD coupe EPA MILEAGE 15/22 mpg (city/hwy) L x W x H 179.8 x 77.4 x 48.5 in WHEELBASE 106.7 in WEIGHT 3,506 lb 0-60 MPH 2.85 sec (auto) TOP SPEED 215 mph

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#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

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