#ill try to hold onto 3-5 pages of updates for as long as i can

[duchi-nesten]

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omg I wonder what ghost it's gonna be :3c

[tiramisiyu]

【未定事件簿】 Tears of Themis: Main Story 7-35 Translation

Translation Masterlist | Video

Chapter 7 – Rains of Monte Cristo: 7-1 / 7-3 / 7-5 / 7-7 / 7-9 / 7-11 / 7-13 / 7-15 / 7-17 / 7-19  ♦️ ♦️  7-20 / 7-22 / 7-24 / 7-26 / 7-28 / 7-30 / 7-32 / 7-34 / 7-35

Content Warning: This section contains topics that may be uncomfortable to some readers (mentions of abuse). Please proceed with discretion.

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Court Hallway

After the trial ended, I did not leave immediately. Rather, I waited in the hallway for Hang Jiahe. 

Soon, she walked over, guarded by two bailiffs.

MC: Miss Hang.

Hang Jiahe: What are you doing here? Are you going to laugh at me?

Hang Jiahe: Are you happy to have beat me?

MC: You’ve misunderstood. I came to tell you something.

Hang Jiahe: What?

MC: Actually… this examination report…

I took out that last examination report again.

MC: Due to time and technical limits, we currently do not have the identification results.

MC: When I showed it in court, I just wanted to add psychological pressure onto you.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe froze for a few seconds, but she then responded quickly.

Hang Jiahe: You tricked me… you tricked me… hahahahahahaha!

She suddenly burst into sharp laughter.

Hang Jiahe: I didn’t lose… I didn’t lose…

Hang Jiahe: I still got my revenge!

MC: …

MC: Miss Hang, can I ask you something?

Hang Jiahe: What do you want to say?

MC: You said in court that Qi Yu tried to hold Hang Fei back “that night”.

MC: But you still murdered her out of hate for her bystander position, correct?

Hang Jiahe: Yes, I hated her for being a coward, hated her for being too scared to resist Hang Fei, hated her for looking on for so many years without lifting a finger!

Hang Jiahe: She knew during those years what Hang Fei was doing to me, so why didn’t she save me?

MC: …

Hang Jiahe: Then… did you know that Hang Fei had also been abusing Qi Yu during those years?

Hang Jiahe: I did. How could she not have been beaten, with how cowardly she was?

MC: Then do you know why she was beaten?

Hang Jiahe: Why?

MC: …

I took out my phone and opened a video featuring Qi Yu’s abuse. That small woman was lying weakly on the floor, passively enduring the man’s punches and kicks. But she kept mumbling something –

“Don’t hurt Jiahe… and those children… stop it…”

Hang Jiahe: What…

MC: Miss Hang, did Qi Yu never do anything during all those times you were abused?

MC: Are you sure that every time, she chose to be a bystander, rather than being forced into her position?

MC: Did you know that Qi Yu said those words in each of the videos she was beaten in?

Hang Jiahe: I…

Hang Jiahe froze for a second, but then she immediately reacted.

Hang Jiahe: So what, then? What do you want to say?

Hang Jiahe: That I misunderstood her? That I shouldn’t have killed her? Then does all the pain I suffered for so many years even matter?

Hang Jiahe: You want me to absolve her? To forgive her?

MC: You’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I mean.

MC: I am not you. I have not endured your suffering, so I cannot request for you to forgive anyone.

MC: I haven’t seen what happened during those years, so I cannot judge whether Qi Yu was actively or passively making her decisions.

MC: And I definitely can’t carelessly determine whether she sinned or not.

I stopped for a moment and looked at Hang Jiahe’s gloves. 

In her mind, she probably was the Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantès – someone who had been wronged and could only get revenge for herself. She believed herself as intelligent and as lucky as Edmond, that she would ultimately be the winner. But…

MC: But even Edmond would figure out the situation before his revenge and repay his benefactors.

MC: I’m telling you this, only because I hope you’ll understand what sorts of people you sent away.

MC: I hope you understand that there have been people who intended to treat you kindly.

Hang Jiahe: …

MC: Also, Miss Hang, I can guess why you were not willing to ask for help from the police.

MC: In that sort of situation, you may have thought that you couldn’t rely on the outside world to go against them.

MC: But even so, me, Captain Morgan, and many, many people still have to do something.

I flipped further into the examination report.

MC: Even if Hang Fei is gone, the things he’s done will not disappear with him.

MC: This is the report we’ve created. Captain Morgan’s already sent it to upper management and applied for international cooperation.

MC: Miss Hang, we will bring you the justice you deserve for the pain you’ve experienced.

MC: As for the last few people, I promise that they will receive the punishment they deserve.

MC: So, for the rest of your life, please don’t live in hate.

MC: You’ve already stayed in the darkness for long enough. Please try to take a step forward.

MC: Doesn’t it say that in your beloved “The Count of Monte Cristo”?

MC: “He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness.”

MC: Miss Hang, if possible, please try it.

MC: Perhaps the light you’ve always been searching for isn’t too far away.

Hang Jiahe: …

Hang Jiahe: Ha… ha… hahahahaha!

Hang Jiahe broke into sudden, sharp laughter. It sounded like a heartrending sob was woven in it, as it resounded in the empty hallway, melting into the rain.

Amid the grey deluge of rain, specks of light leaked through. Maybe the downpour would finally end this time.

Not long after, Simon’s homicide case opened trial, and Wang Chunchong was deemed the murderer. Xingrui Estates declared that they would be depriving Xu Yin of her position and removing her from the family. Only Tyson received the weakest blow, as the evidence for instigation of murder was insufficient. However, lots of people online were saying that they hoped he would “succumb to the demon of illness as soon as possible”.  

Thus, the homicide case of the couple in Yaofu Community came to an end.

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NXX Base

After the Hang Jiahe case concluded, the NXX investigation team met up at the base again for discussion.

MC: That’s how the Hang Jiahe case went.

Marius: Thanks for your hard work!

Artem: Thanks for your hard work. You did excellently.

Luke and Vyn nodded at me.

MC: Thanks, everyone.

MC: Enough about me – how’s everyone else’s investigation?

Artem: I’ve already updated Tyson’s case file. I haven’t found any new clues for now.

Marius: I followed what Wang Chunchong said and investigated that guy named Xiao Ren, but…

Marius: I haven’t found anything for now.

Luke: You also found out about Xiao Ren?

Marius: Huh?

Vyn: What a coincidence. I, too, found out about him.

MC: !!!

Luke: Marius, what information do you have on Xiao Ren right now?

Marius: Mainly what Wang Chunchong told me before.

Marius sighed.

Marius: According to Wang Chunchong, Xiao Ren is linked to Heirson’s raw materials purchases.

Marius: Tyson held Xiao Ren to very high regard, and keeps his occupational information on severe confidential status.

Marius: All in all, this person seems pretty mysterious.

Marius: What about you, Luke? What did you find?

Luke: The aunties in the group told me that Zhao Fei kept looking for someone called “Xiao Ren”.

Luke: I suspect that Tyson brought up this person in the recording that he sent him.

Marius: That’s possible. Wang Chunchong also heard Tyson bring up Xiao Ren, so there should be some sort of link between them.

Artem: Luke, that’s not all the information that the assistive team provided you, is it?

Luke: Yep, that’s not all.

Luke: First, the workers in Heirson where the abnormalities appeared were mostly on the production front lines, so what they touch the most are the products.

Vyn: They probably mixed in their developed illegal drugs into the products, resulting in infection.

Luke: That’s right.

Luke: Secondly, about Zhao Fei…

Luke ripped out a page from his notebook and placed it on the table.

Artem: These names are…

Luke: When I was questioning these ten people about Zhao Fei, their reactions were a bit abnormal. I suspect that…

Luke: They’re the ones hiding Zhao Fei.

MC: What about you, then, Dr. Richter? You just said that you also found out about Xiao Ren.

Vyn: I spoke with half of the 20 special respondents and noticed that it was the same doctor in charge of their examinations.

Vyn: And that person is named “Xiao Ren”.

Vyn: So I suspect that this person knows many secrets regarding Heirson’s experimental data.

MC: If so, this Xiao Ren person knows about where raw materials come from and can deal with the experimental data…

MC: If we can find him, we might be able to patch up the missing part in our evidence chain against Heirson.

Marius: So this Xiao Ren is going to be our investigative focal point from now on?

Luke: Leave it to me, then. I’m the best when it comes to finding people.

Artem: Then leave Zhao Fei to me. I just happen to have something I want to confirm with him.

Vyn: I have only met with the special patients. I will continue to meet with the remaining bunch.

Vyn: Marius, what are your plans?

Marius: Me? I plan to go see Hang Jiahe.

Marius: She wanted to find reporters in the past to drop major news about Heirson, and she’s now in jail…

Marius: We should find out what this news is.

MC: Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that!

Marius: So, jiejie, want to come with me to see Hang Jiahe? After all, only the two of us know her the best.

MC: Uh…

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

Luke: Marius, do you really need someone to accompany you just to go see someone?

Marius: I’m not going to see a typical person, am I? I’m going to see someone who might give us an important clue.

Marius: It makes sense to be a little more cautious and bring someone else.

Luke: Then just bring your assistant. If anything else, then bring some recording equipment.

Luke: Convenient, and it can record in real time.

MC: …

Right after, Artem spoke.

Artem: Zhao Fei’s case was ours to begin with, and now that we have clues…

Artem: MC, let’s finish it off, alright?

MC: Lawyer Wing…

Vyn: I may be overstepping, but…

Vyn stepped in just before Artem could speak again.

Vyn: May I trouble you to go with me next?

Vyn: There’s a special patient that I need your assistance with.

Faced with their “eager” eyes, I was very sure that –

The investigation team seriously needs to recruit a new member!

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[overlooked-gems]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Brawl in the Family

Another webcomic today, and a pretty charming one, too. One you can sit with your family and read together, especially if they’re fans of Nintendo and video games as a whole. But mostly Nintendo. Today, I give you... Brawl in the Family!

Brawl in the Family is a gag-a-day webcomic created by Matthew Taranto and the first issue would be uploaded on June 13th, 2008, with the webcomic primarily centering about the characters of Nintendo, all existing in a single unified world, al a Super Smash Bros., to which Matthew drew inspiration from. The first several issues of the comic were about 3 pages long, sometimes extending to 4 or 5 and most of those were merely “Kirby eats something” gags.

Of course, the main character of the comics is Kirby, and by extension, his ill-tempered rival, King DeDeDe. Though they would eventually extend to more varied gags with more characters, such as DK accidentally blasting a bird when he tries putting his bananas in a Blast Barrel or the Lon Lon Milk that Link had on hand being long-since expired during his 7-year slumber. Not to mention Adeline and Bandana Dee (or merely Waddle Dee) would end up becoming majorly recurring characters.

As stated before, the comic is largely gag-focused with each upload being a simple gag. But on occasion, there will be longer stories, such as one where DeDeDe and Meta Knight are stuck together via a Gooey Bomb and they try to get it off (the series goes on for 7 parts) or one where Kirby is taken to court in Ace Attorney with Edgeworth as the prosecutor and Kirby’s best friend, Diddy, in place of Phoenix Wright and DeDeDe as Manfred von Karma.

And since all these Nintendo characters exist within the same world, they all have noticeable relationships with one another; such as Samus dating Captain Falcon.

There’s also more to the comic than just gags. There are times where there’ll be something akin to a story; not like the Gooey Bomb story, like I mentioned, but things actually happening. There’s one that shows DeDeDe and Meta Knight when they were younger, attending school together.

Alright, now it’s time for the Final Recommendation Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

Like I said at the start, the comic is very charming and completely family friendly. No swearing, overt violence, or anything like that. Just gags and occasional heartwarming moments. The gags themselves aren’t just limited to wacky situations, but sometimes poke fun at game mechanics, like Mario and Luigi messing with Bowser’s insides to make him do various things (Bowser’s Inside Story) or Crocomire actually being polite when his roars and other sounds are translated.

There’s also an entirely new character added to the series known as Eario, who serves as the janitor for the Mushroom Kingdom,

More than that, Matthew has occasionally used the comic in reaction to video game news, such as reactions to E3, making a tribute comic starring Howard and Nester because Nintendo Power was ending, or even a tribute image when Satoru Iwata passed away.

The comic itself would eventually come to an end on October 3th, 2014; the comic started around the time Brawl was released, so it ended on the same day Smash for 3DS and Wii U came out. The comic had 600 issues, not counting intermissions or the extra pages/updates after issue 600.

And before I end this, I want to say that Matthew has also released; most of being voice-acted versions of his comics or even singing in some of them. Here are some of my favorites. And the comic itself can be found here.

And with that, I’ll see you guys next month for October. What spooky thing do I have planned? I’ll give you a hint; it relates to Sesame Street. Not directly, but still.

[greysfanpage388]

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Hey guys- at long last- here is my latest fic, which is the prequel to ‘ Óur Little Princess. ‘ This fic is set in a future timeline, when Omelia have found their way back to each other after their breakup on the show.

I’m sorry for taking so long for this update - real life got in the way- with a conference, work and a knee injury.

This fic is dedicated to @toevenexist who requested for this. :D <3

Special thanks goes out to @jia911 for faithfully setting aside time to help me proofread- you’re really the best!! <3 <3

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!! <3

The sequel,’Óur Little Princess ‘ can be read here:

http://ailingnoor.tumblr.com/post/166784792136/our-little-princess

P.s : I’ve implemented a little of the Obstetrics knowledge I gained during medical school, internship and early residency into this fic ;)

P.p.s  I’ve decided to write in first person again after a long time, as I feel like it gives us more insight into what Amelia is experiencing.

 Amelia’s POV

Hyperemesis gravidarum. The medical term for an extreme form of morning sickness, characterized by persistent nausea and vomiting, and associated with poor weight gain. This condition may cause dehydration, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, nutritional deficiencies and in some extreme cases- death. Severe cases require hospital admission. Statistics show that this condition affects 0.3 -2% of pregnant women, but of course, those are just statistics.

This condition affects women from all walks of life. It doesn’t discriminate. Even Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge suffered from this condition for all 3 of her pregnancies. One of the attendings I previously worked with at the John Hopkins Hospital also suffered from that condition and she couldn’t work for the entire first trimester of her pregnancy. I can really empathize with them because I’m currently suffering from the same condition too.

It’s not a fun thing to suffer from, let me tell you. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. You can barely keep anything down, you throw up almost every single thing you eat. The only thing you can tolerate eating is saltine crackers.

The morning sickness started in full force since I was 5 weeks pregnant. I threw up almost everything I ate- day and night. Actually, to call it morning sickness isn’t accurate at all. It should be called whole day sickness.

Initially - I thought it was a very bad case of food poisoning when I started throwing up the entire day. I had eaten the cafeteria food after all and it was known to cause food poisoning occasionally. Furthermore, I was babysitting my nieces and nephew who were also ill with a stomach bug a couple of days earlier. I carried on with my work. However, when the symptoms persisted and I realized that I was 2 weeks late- I knew that it was something more than food poisoning. My heart pounding fast, I had bought a couple of pregnancy tests from the pharmacy and took the tests alone in the bathroom at home. I decided to do it myself this time without Owen next to me, as I did not want to disappoint him again should the test turn out negative. We did agree to try again for a baby a couple of months ago. After I had my tumor removed, we both decided to ‘break-up ‘and start anew. It was like a reset button, a brand new start in our relationship. We started dating each other again and learning new things about each other daily. Every new thing I learned about Owen attracted me even more to him, such as when he told me how he would let Megan tag along with him on his outings with friends and even on his dates. It reminded me of my relationship with Derek, and how I would tag along with him for his dates with Addison.

When both tests turned out positive- I had a mixture of feelings. On one hand- I was overjoyed that I was finally starting a family with Owen. I knew that Owen would be in seventh heaven- it had always been his dream to have a family. On the other hand, there was still this nagging feeling at the back of my mind- what if this baby of ours turned out to be anencephalic as well? What if I can only produce anencephalic babies? Would Owen still love me and the baby? However, now that the tumor had been removed from my brain, I had the ability to think and act rationally. If before, my first instinct would be to run away from all my issues, now I knew I had to face it like an adult.  I knew that the chance of me having another anencephalic baby is low- less than 5%, and I knew that Owen would be there to support me regardless.

As expected, Owen was over the moon with the news. His grin when I told him was as wide as a Cheshire cat, and he hugged me a little too tightly, spinning me around. I had to remind him not to tell anyone in the hospital yet until I was further along, at least until my first trimester was over. I knew that if it was up to him, he would be announcing it to the entire hospital, and I didn’t want that.

He started mommy tracking me almost immediately, making sure I downed my breakfast of crackers and oats as It was the only breakfast I could tolerate.           He made sure I stayed hydrated. He would make chicken soup for me in the evenings, as it was the only main dish I could tolerate.

When I rushed to the bathroom to throw up, especially in the mornings, he would immediately run to my side, hold my hair up and gently pat my back as I emptied my entire guts contents out.

He had also started calling the baby Bean and had already started talking to the baby. When I told him that Bean was only the size of a bean, and couldn't hear him as their ears weren't fully developed yet, he would claim that he knew Bean could hear him.

It did feel a little weird at first, Owen talking to the baby. During my first pregnancy, Ryan wasn’t there to take care of me or speak to my belly. This was all new to me, but I guess I could get used to this.

_______________________________________________________________

Today has been especially rough. I've jolted out of bed to puke in the toilet several times since 5 am this morning.

I am now hunched over the toilet bowl, dry retching. I have emptied my entire guts contents out and now there’s nothing left to throw up anymore.

Owen is patting my back gently as he holds my hair up like he does when I throw up every morning.

I groan and sink onto the cold bathroom floor. I just don’t have the energy to get up.

Owen flushes the toilet and helps me get up, leading me to the sink where I rinse my mouth. It has been our daily routine every morning for the past few weeks.

He then slowly leads me back towards our bed. I gratefully lie back down on the bed, which seems so welcoming at the moment.

‘You sure you don’t want to call in sick today? ‘Owen asks, a concerned tone in his voice as he soothingly rubs my arm and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I have been throwing up every day for the past few weeks, but never so many times in such a short interval.

‘ No! I’m fine, I’ll be. I’ll take the saltine crackers and some oat later. I’m used to this already. I can’t just call in sick every single day if this continues. ‘ I point out.  ‘Besides, I have 5 surgeries scheduled for today and several patients I'm supposed to discharge today.’

Owen knows that when I use that tone of voice- there is no arguing with me. He had tried before- last week, he called Bailey to inform her that I wasn’t going down to work, without consulting me beforehand. I got so mad that I drove my own car to the hospital. The look on his face when I appeared in the ER with scrubs after April paged me was priceless.

‘Amelia, no offense but you do not look good at all. You look really pale. Are you sure you can handle a whole day of work? ‘Owen asks again, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I know Owen means no harm and is just genuinely concerned for me, but something, I guess my pregnancy hormones, is making my blood boil. He’s not the one experiencing this horrible thing, why does he think he has the right to tell me when to go to work?

‘I’m fine, Owen.’ I say stubbornly as I get up of bed, throw the duvet playfully at him and head to the bathroom to shower.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Owen shaking his head in defeat.

_______________________________________________________________

Half an hour later, there is a tense atmosphere in the kitchen as I try to down my breakfast of oats and saltine crackers in silence. Owen keeps on stealing glances at me, and it's beginning to irritate me.

‘'Whatever you have to say, just say it! ‘ I finally snap at him.

 ‘I just…..you really don’t look good today, Amelia.’ he says earnestly. ‘ I really think you should at least rest for today, I can help you call Bailey and inform her that you’re sick and unable to work today.’

‘ And what excuse are you gonna give? Food poisoning? The Flu? I have gone to work so many times while having food poisoning without any issues. Please don’t tell me you’re gonna tell her that I’m pregnant. The moment I discover that anyone in the hospital knows, I’m gonna strangle you with my bare hands.’ I say with a serious tone.

‘ But they’re gonna find out sooner or later with your condition. April has been asking me why are you rushing to the bathroom in between consults. You can’t go on like this.’ Owen tries to rationalize.

‘I don’t want anyone finding out- not until my second trimester- once it's confirmed that everything is fine and our baby is healthy.’ I say adamantly.

‘Ok fine- we’ll keep it a secret first. But can we at least just inform Bailey? So that she can give you a lighter workload or something? She's a mother herself, she would understand.’ Owen suggests.

I place my spoon on the now empty bowl a little too forcefully.

‘ I do NOT need a lighter workload, Owen! I’m pregnant, not handicapped!' I huff.

Owen raises his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender. Good, at least he knows he isn’t going to win this argument.

Just then, I feel a wave of nausea overtake me and bile rising in my throat again. I rush to the toilet to throw up my breakfast.

‘Amelia,’ Owen is beside me in an instant.

 ‘Just don’t‘ I mumble, pushing him away gently. I’m just sick and tired- sick of throwing up all the time, sick of not being able to keep any food down, sick of the fact that I have to go through all this during pregnancy.

After I think I have nothing left to throw up anymore, I rinse my mouth and storm out of the bathroom.

I grab my car keys, march out of the front door and jump into the car, turning on the engine immediately.

‘Hey, where are you going! You can’t go to work in this condition!’ I hear Owen call out, but I don’t care anymore.

‘ Bye Owen!’ I roll down the car window and wave at him as he stands there on the car porch, hands on his hips, shaking his head.

_______________________________________________________________

‘ Amelia- are you ok? You look really pale. ‘ April asks me after I have finished updating her about a patient I have consulted for persistent headaches. DeLuca, who has been tagging along with me is reviewing another neuro patient, which he'll be presenting to me later.

Owen had been called to the OR a while ago, I’m so thankful I don’t need to face him yet.

‘I’m fine.’ I reply curtly. DeLuca had asked me the same question during the morning rounds on our patients.  I am feeling nauseous and have a bad headache, so I’m not in the mood for small talk with her. I have to admit, April is a very nice person and can be a good friend, but I just don’t feel like talking to her today.

She follows me to the nurses counter, where I sign below the patient’s chart and hand it over to a nurse.

‘You don’t look fine to me.’ she notes, tilting her head slightly as she studies me. Gosh, are all red-heads this persistent?

‘I’m fine really…. ‘I reply, as another wave of nausea hits me.

 ‘Damn it…. Bean……please don’t do this to mommy. Mommy has work to do.’ I whisper internally as I close my eyes and subconsciously rub my stomach.

April’s eyes widen as she puts two and two together. Of course, she’s a mother too, she should know the symptoms. Damn it. The whole hospital is going to know. News spreads faster than wildfire around the hospital.

‘Congrats! ‘she squeals, a little too perkily for my liking.

‘ How far along are you?’ she asks.

I can’t reply her though, as the next moment I’m rushing to the nearest washroom, covering my mouth with my hands. The last thing I need is to throw up in the ER.

I rush into the first cubicle and throw my entire guts contents out, not even bothering to close the door behind me.

I hear footsteps entering the washroom. Damnit.

‘Amelia, is that you? Are you ok in there?’ April’s voice calls out.

I roll my eyes, concluding that yes, red-heads can be very persistent.

The next minute, April appears behind me.

Concluding that I have nothing left to throw up anymore, I flush the toilet and stumble to one of the sinks, looking at my reflection in the mirror. Both Owen and April are right after all- I do look terrible.

April follows me to the sink and touches my arm comfortingly.

‘ I’m sorry, I know that morning sickness can be horrible.’ she says.

‘ More like whole day sickness.’ I mumble.

April smiles and starts to say something, but I can’t focus on what she’s saying. The entire washroom is spinning, April is spinning.

Suddenly, I find myself lying on the floor as I hear April yelling my name.

Then everything turns black.

_______________________________________________________________

When I open my eyes, I’m having a throbbing headache. It takes me a while to realize that I’m lying on a bed in one of the observation rooms in the ER. Wait, why am I lying on a patient bed in the ER, and not reviewing patients?

I blink my eyes as I try to adjust to the bright fluorescent light of the room. I look down at my hands and notice a cannula inserted into the dorsum of my left hand. I trace the IV line attached to the cannula to a pint of normal saline hung on a stand beside my bed.

I sigh. This is the price to pay for my stubbornness, fainting due to dehydration. Owen is going to be so mad at me.

The room door opens, and April enters with Melissa, my favorite ER nurse.

‘Dr. Shepherd, I’ll need to give you a dose of IV metoclopramide to stop your vomiting.’ Melissa says as she injects the drug into my cannula.

Melissa, as much as I love her because of how efficient she is in her job, is also known to be the biggest gossiper in the hospital. The whole hospital will know my secret in record time.

I smile weakly at her, and then turn to look at April who is standing at the other side of my bed, busy filling in my electronic chart.

‘How long was I out for?’ I ask, my voice croaking.

‘ About 10 minutes.’ she replies in a sympathetic tone of voice. ‘ I’ve just paged Arizona down for a consult. It’s most likely…’

‘ Due to dehydration, I know.’ I complete the sentence for her. 'Í’ve been throwing up the whole day for the past few weeks, but it has become more frequent the past week.’

‘ That must suck, I’m sorry.’ April says sincerely as she puts down the chart and holds my hand.  ‘I threw up every morning too when I was pregnant with Harriet, but it was just once every morning. I didn't throw up with Samuel though. I guess every pregnancy is different.' she says as she sighs and looks up at the ceiling, probably thinking about Samuel.

' I didn't throw up when I was pregnant with Unicorn Baby too.' I wanted to say, but I remain silent instead and just squeeze her hand.

'It’s amazing how you can still manage to go to work in this condition.’ April changes the subject as she smiles at me.

‘ Owen tried to convince me to stay at home today, but I was too stubborn.’ I admit, chuckling meekly.  ‘He’s going to lecture me for this, I know.’

Just then, a flustered looking Owen himself barges into the room.

‘ Amelia, what happened ?! One of the ER nurses entered the OR in the middle of my surgery to inform me that you had fainted. Meredith is now closing up for me.’ he says, a panicked tone in his voice as he walks over to my bed.

‘ Yeah, I just blacked out…’ I reply weakly, in no mood to argue with him anymore.

April walks over to him and whispers something in his ear, before giving him a pat on the shoulder and leaving the room. I wonder what she is saying. Melissa leaves the room shortly after, leaving me and Owen alone in the room.

I swallow hard, expecting Owen to say ‘ I told you so.’ Instead, he walks over to my bed and holds my hand in his without saying a word.

‘ I’m sorry, Owen.’ I say meekly. ‘ I know I should have listened to you, but I didn’t. I’m sorry. I really thought that I could still work.’

Owen sighs in reply. ‘I just hate seeing you so sick like this.’ he says. ‘ I wish I can do something to ease your suffering.’

He kisses me tenderly on the forehead.

‘ Well, you've been doing a great job in taking care of me so far.’ I say as I smile weakly at him.

‘ It’s my duty.’ he claims as he squeezes my hand.

Before I can reply, Arizona enters the room, pushing an ultrasound machine which she leaves at the corner of the room.

‘ Hey guys.’ she greets us in her usual perky manner and cheerful voice. ‘ I hear that congratulations are in order.’

Owen and I exchange looks, knowing that our secret is going to be spread throughout the entire hospital in no time.

‘ Thanks.’ I reply, giving her a small smile. ‘ It’s no fun though, throwing up all the time.’

‘ I know….’ Arizona replies sympathetically. ‘ You fainted due to excessive dehydration from the vomiting. I’m ordering a tds dose of IV metoclopramide and continuing your IV drip.’ she says as she types the orders into my electronic chart. ‘ Also- I’m afraid that you have to be admitted for observation.’

I stare at her wide-eyed, unable to believe what I’m hearing. No, I cannot be admitted! I have work to do, I have patients to attend to and operate on, I can’t possibly be admitted.

‘ No, no….I can’t!’ I say exasperatedly, pushing myself to sit upright on the bed. ‘ I have 5 surgeries today, and I’m holding the pager for Neuro today. Nelson doesn’t know my patients, I can’t possibly let him operate on my patients without knowing their history.’

I look over at Owen, silently pleading to him with my eyes, but he seems to agree with Arizona.

‘ I thought DeLuca was tagging along with you today? He can help to handover your patients to Nelson. Also, I can help you to pass him the pager. He’s still outside, helping you to review another patient. Relax, Amelia. He has got this. You need to have a little more faith in him.’ Owen says, as I scowl at him and rest my head back on the pillow.

‘ Amelia, I know you have work to do, but right now, you’re my patient, and as your doctor, I’m telling you that you need to be admitted to the wards.’ Arizona says gently but firmly. I know that when she uses that tone of voice, there’s no arguing with her.

‘ Fine,’ I sigh in reply.

‘ Amelia, I just want you to take care of yourself. And Bean.’ Owen says as he squeezes my hand and gives my belly a subtle rub.

‘ See, your husband cares so much for you.’ Arizona says, winking at me.

 ‘I know he does. ‘ I admit, knowing that it is the truth, Owen does indeed care so much for me.

‘So just lie down and relax, Amelia. You need to take care of yourself and your baby first. Stressing out about work isn’t good for your health.’ Arizona says gently, as she touches me lightly on the arm.

I close my eyes and let myself relax. She is right, I should relax and take care of myself and Bean, and not stress out too much about work.

Arizona pushes the ultrasound machine to my bedside.

‘Amelia, I’m going to perform an ultrasound scan on you now, just to make sure that everything is fine. Ok?’ she asks as she gives me a warm smile.

‘ Ok.’ I answer, my heart pounding in anticipation of seeing Bean again. The last time I saw Bean was 3 weeks ago when I first found out that I was pregnant.

‘Have you been taking your antenatal vitamins regularly?’ Arizona asks.

‘Yes, I have.’ I answer earnestly. I’m not going to risk this baby having any sort of deformity just because I neglected my antenatal vitamins.

‘ Are you experiencing any bleeding? Abdominal cramps or discomfort? Diarrhea?’ Arizona asks as she adjusts the settings on the scan machine.

‘’ Nope. No other symptoms besides vomiting.’ I answer.

‘Ok, good. This is going to feel a little cold.’ Arizona says as she squeezes the gel on my abdomen and I wince at the cold sensation.

Owen, meanwhile, is sitting silently beside my bed, holding my hand. His eyes are transfixed on the ultrasound screen. I know that he’s just as excited to see Bean again. I remember the first time he saw Bean, his face lit up like a child on Christmas Day.

‘Ok, are you ready to see your baby? ‘Arizona asks as she smiles at us.

‘Ýes.’ both of us reply in unison, as Owen squeezes my hand in support. I think he can sense that I'm not only excited but anxious as well. All 3 pairs of eyes are now fixed on the screen in anticipation.

Arizona manipulates the ultrasound probe until an image of the fetus appears on the screen. I feel my heart skip a beat at the sight of our baby, part me and part Owen, growing inside me right now.

‘ Ok, here is your baby.’ Arizona announces. ‘You can see the head,' she says as she points at the head. 'It’s still too early to see the other body parts though. I’ll book a detailed scan for you at 14 weeks to detect abnormalities. I’ll measure the crown-rump length first to confirm the gestational age and the EDD.’

‘A head.’ I whisper. ‘ Owen, our baby has a head!’ I know that anencephaly can only be detected during the 14-week scan- I’ve learned that during medical school and internship, and Arizona had discussed it with me in detail during my first visit. But still, seeing that the baby has a head is really reassuring.

Owen, knowing my history of having an anencephalic baby during my first pregnancy, rubs my arm in support and kisses my forehead.

Silence fills the room as Arizona proceeds to measure the crown-rump length of the fetus. No one utters a word. Owen and I are too transfixed on the little blob of miracle that we have created, while Arizona is busy with the measurements.

‘ Crown-rump length corresponds to 8 weeks gestation, which matches your LMP. We’re still sticking to the same EDD.’ she announces cheerfully.

I take my eyes off the screen for a while to look at Owen. He is staring at the screen in awe. I know his heart must be leaping with joy.

Our eyes meet and we exchange a joyful grin.

‘ Wanna hear the heartbeat?’ Arizona asks. ‘ Yes, please.’ Owen replies as I draw a deep breath and say a silent prayer to the powers above. Please let this baby be ok.

Arizona further adjusts the scan settings and soon the ‘lub dup’ sound of the baby’s heartbeat fills the entire room.

I release the breath that I don’t realize I’m holding. A wide smile forms on Owen’s face.

‘ Here’s the baby’s heartbeat. It’s strong. Everything seems fine.’ she says, smiling cheerfully.

‘ Hear that, Amelia? Our baby’s heartbeat is strong, and everything is fine.’ Owen repeats reassuringly to me as he bends down to kiss my cheek. Tears inadvertently spring to my eyes. Maybe I can actually have a healthy baby after all?

‘ Our baby is fine.’ I whisper, more to myself, daring myself to believe it.

‘ The 14-week ultrasound will confirm any abnormalities, but yes your baby seems fine.’ Arizona says in a reassuring tone.  ‘ I’ll give you two some privacy now. I have booked a private room for you on the Obs floor, Amelia.’ she adds. ‘ They’ll transfer you up there as soon as the room is ready.’

‘ Ok, thanks Arizona.’ I say gratefully as she nods at us and leaves the room.

Once we’re left alone in the room, Owen and I exchange a smile as our eyes meet. We do not need to say anything as our eyes communicate it all. We can read each other perfectly through our body language and the expression in our eyes. His eyes are showing so much love and joy, it is contagious. I can’t help but feel overjoyed too. I think my eyes must be reflecting extreme relief. There is always this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that this baby might be anencephalic too, but both scans have been fine so far, and Owen has been so supportive and helping me to ease my anxieties.

Owen climbs on the bed beside me and holds me tight as I snuggle up to him, relishing in the warmth and comfort of his embrace.

I take his hand and place in on top of my still flat lower abdomen, where our little Bean is safely nestled inside. I then rest my hand on top of his. Nothing is going to get in the way of our happy little family.

_______________________________________________________________

Over the next few days, Owen would leave my room only to get some food for us or to get a new change of clothes from home. He has taken an emergency leave just to be by my side. He even makes it a point to cook some soup and porridge for me whenever he manages to go home. He makes sure that I finish all my food, claiming that I have been losing so much nutrients from all my throwing up the past few weeks, and it wasn’t good for me or Bean. My appetite is slowly returning, and I am not throwing up anymore thanks to the IV metochlopramide. However, Arizona has advised me not to take solid foods in the meantime until I am fully recovered.

Meredith, Maggie and the Shepherd kids come to visit me daily, bringing me get well soon cards and drinks. Meredith has brought me more saltine crackers, claiming that it was the only thing she could tolerate too, while pregnant with Ellis. Zola is over the moon with the prospect of having another cousin. She has never met her existing cousins before, so this is the first cousin she’s going to get to be close to. She has brought me a huge teddy bear, which she claims is a gift to both me and Bean. Bailey has presented me with a handmade get well soon card. Both gifts bring tears to my eyes.

Andrew DeLuca has also visited me several times, to update me about our patients and how the surgeries went, which I really appreciate.

April, Alex and several other attending colleagues have also visited me after their shifts, staying for a while to keep me company while Owen goes out to get some food. Webber and Bailey have also visited a couple of times. When they visited me during the time I had my tumor removed, it was the first time since I arrived in Seattle that I actually felt like I belonged. It was then that I realized that my home is here, in Seattle. Them visiting me and caring for me now just cements this fact. I am so grateful for the people I call my family.

Owen has offered to help me call my mom a few times, but I refuse, saying that if she wasn’t here for the wedding or the tumor ( I had called her while recovering from the surgery and she didn't come), she certainly doesn't deserve to be here for my morning sickness.

According to him, she needs to know that she has another grandchild on the way. I finally concede, agreeing with him that she deserves to know that, but I want to wait until my detailed 14-week scan before I announce it to her.

_______________________________________________________________

It has been 5 days since I was admitted. The vomiting has ceased and my appetite has returned. I have been bored out of my mind the past 5 days. Although I really appreciate all the company and support I’m receiving, I cannot get used to lying on the bed, watching sappy TV shows and reading boring journals or cheesy novels all day. I miss the adrenaline rush of reviewing patients in the ER and operating on patients in the OR. I am so ready to get back to work.

I open my eyes from my nap to find Owen curled up in bed beside me, one hand resting automatically on my belly as he snores softly. I look at him sleeping peacefully, wondering how did I get so lucky to find a man who really cares so much about me.

I shift slightly, causing him to open his eyes. He looks at me full of love.

‘Hey,’ he whispers, as he kisses me on the cheek. ‘ How are you feeling now? How is Bean treating you today?’

‘ I’m feeling much better.’ I reply, smiling at him.

‘ Good.’ he says earnestly. ‘ It breaks my heart to see you so sick like this.'

‘ I know. I don’t enjoy it very much either.’ I joke feebly.

Owen then places his hand on my lower abdomen, tracing the outline of my still flat belly, which is being covered by my hospital gown.

‘ Hey Bean, please be good to your mother. Try not to make her sick again ok? She’s ensuring that you grow healthy and stay safe inside, so do her a favor and don’t make her throw up again ok? She needs to take enough food and nutrition for the both of you.’ he says gently.

‘I hope this works. Maybe Bean only listens to you. I’ve been trying to tell Bean to stop making me throw up for ages but it doesn't work.’ I admit as I place my hand on top of his.

‘ It’ll work.’ Owen says as he releases his hand from my belly and kisses me on the lips affectionately.

We cuddle close together, just feeling the warmth of each other's embrace.

Arizona now enters the room, a wide smile on her face.

‘ Hey guys.’ she greets us cheerfully, holding my electronic chart in her hand. ‘How are you doing today Amelia? Everything ok?’

‘ No more vomiting, I can finish my food, no abdominal cramps or spotting.’ I answer before she could ask the routine questions. ‘ Now can I be discharged?’ I ask her, winking.

She chuckles at my enthusiasm.

‘ Good. From your vitals and charts, everything seems to be fine. So yes, you can be discharged today.’ she says.

‘ Yay!’ I pump my fists in the air in celebration as both Owen and Arizona laugh at me.

‘ Thanks, Arizona.’ I say as I hug her tightly. ‘ Thanks for taking good care of me.’

‘ It’s just my job.’ she replies, reciprocating the hug. ‘ I’m gonna go sign your discharge papers now. You need to rest at home first for the next few days before you return to work. If you feel the symptoms coming back, give me a call or a page immediately.’

‘Ok.’ I reply as I smile at her.

‘ Hear that Bean?’ I say, rubbing my tummy affectionately as soon as Arizona leaves the room. ‘ We’re going home!’

‘ I’m gonna go home to set the thermostat and prepare your favorite meal.’ Owen announces as he kisses me on the cheek.

‘ My second homecoming?’ I joke, winking at him. It reminds me of when I had my tumor removed and Owen finally convinced me to go home with him after I had been staying with my sisters for several months prior to that. He also prepared my favorite food and set the thermostat to a temperature I was comfortable with that time.

‘ Well- hopefully, your next homecoming will be with our baby.’ he says, winking back at me as I giggle.

Hopefully, fingers crossed, I’ll be able to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy, surrounded by my loving husband and caring family, and we’ll have a healthy baby. I now am full of hope.

 Ok, this is it guys- I really hope you enjoyed it! Comments, reblogs, reviews and messages are very much appreciated. I would really love to know what you guys think!! I love hearing from you all!! <3 <3

I have a few more fluffy Omelia fics planned- which is what we need after the recent development on the show. Do stay tuned! ;)

[jimlingss]

His Name [1]

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Words: 5.5k

Genre: Angst, Multiple Personality!Au Summary: Jeon Jungkook is a puzzle with too many missing pieces from his past and too many sides. Somehow, it’s become your job to solve him. → Inspired by the Korean Drama - Kill Me Heal Me Warnings: Topics of mental health, mentions of death and medical disorders.  Disclaimer: Although this piece of work required lots of in-depth research and was attempted to be as accurate as possible, at the end of the day, I am not a psychologist and this is fanfiction. Specific things may be altered or exaggerated for story-telling purposes. Please take all medical terminologies and procedures with a grain of salt.

Cr.

His eyes flash open.

“You need us.”                       “Jungkook.”     “We’re only trying to help you.”

He bolts straight up, only to fall off the mattress and onto the hard ground. The thin, cardinal curtains are closed, trickles of sunlight pouring in and painting the unfamiliar room in a hue of crimson. His head is pounding and his eyes are swollen; he doesn’t know where he is or who he is.

It’s an unfamiliar motel room - the brown patterned covers are shoved in a corner, the drawers thrown open, chairs knocked over and the gray static of the television casts a glow, his shadow flickering with the screen. The full length mirror is shattered, jagged shards littering the carpet and coloured with the same dried scarlet that marks his skin. His fist is sliced in a line, gashed open but he pays no concern as he stares at what’s leftover of the mirror; his reflection is split to show more than two eyes, his face slashed with the splitting grooves.  

He ignores the stinging pain of his hand as he reaches for his phone on the nightstand - ten missed calls and a text message from Inhye. He can barely read it in the darkness of the room.

‘Thank you so much for everything. I really enjoyed myself.’

He doesn’t remember a single thing of yesterday.

Jungkook with his pounding heartbeat and in helpless desperation, slumps to the floor, curling his legs together. As his body begins to shake, his trembling fingers reach up to grab fistfuls of his hair, trying to rip the strands from his skull. A scream of rage tears through his throat.

The voices never stop.

//

No matter what corners you turn, the scent of disinfectant will always follow; perhaps wafting in the air or simply clinging onto your white coat. It’s become your consoling partner, reminding you where you are and keeping your feet rooted to the ground. It keeps your mind away from him.

You curl your fingers around the cool metal handle, sliding the door open for the blazing saffron shade on the wall to blind your eyes. Immediately, you observe the two nurses in the room and the white curtains pulled to separate the space between the beds.

The first girl lying in her bed has her eyes wide open, blankly staring at the ceiling. She’s fifteen years old and transported to the mental health unit earlier this morning when she tried to commit suicide. You’ll have to conduct a suicide assessment test in order to know how immediate the danger is. Depending on the results, you’ll bring Jieun over to find out the patient’s state of mind and decide what kind of therapy would be the most suitable to help.

The boy in the second bed is sleeping while grasping onto his teddy bear in tight fists. He’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia and alongside taking medication, he’s going through psychotherapy. In a few days, he’ll be able to function enough to be discharged from the hospital but it’s essential that he continues his therapy.

You scribble some notes on your clipboard, exchanging a few words with the nurses to get an update on the patients. Your entire morning is comprised of the same routine, your undeterred focus and concentration on each patient, checking and adjusting treatment plans. It’s when you walk back to your office that you recognize a figure standing by the window.

“Nayoung? Oompf.”

She swivels on her toes, racing up to you and engulfing your body within her arms. A tiny giggle escapes your lips as you place the clipboard down on your desk, returning her hug. The dark bags under your eyes seem to alleviate its pressure for a split second.

“Y/N! You didn’t tell me that you were back!”

“Well...I’m back.”

The both of you let go of each other, a good distances away as she studies your face with a smile. “How long has it been? A decade?!”

“Don’t exaggerate.” You grin at your old colleague. “It was only for a half a decade.”

She scoffs, rolling her eyes and digging her hands into her white coat. “And you didn’t even tell me!”

“I literally just got back a week ago.” You mutter to her in an attempt to ease her pout.

“One week and you’re already managing the Mental Health Unit, huh.”

“What can I say?” You shrug with a sigh, unclipping the documents on your clipboard and searching for the right file in your cabinet. “Going overseas and studying there made me more qualified back here, I guess.”

“That and the fact that you graduated as the top psychologist of your PhD class and before you left you were running this department anyways. It’s no wonder you’ve gotten your position back so quickly. I bet they were begging on their knees for you.” She teases, the tip of her tongue peeking out at you as she plops down in your armchair.

“Please. And what about you? Aren’t you doing well in the Pediatric Care Center?”

“I am. But as you can see. I’m currently on my break. Have you had any breaks?”

“Nayoung.” You draw out her name in exasperation, placing back the file into its proper place.

“Just answer the question, Y/N.”

“We literally just reunited after half a decade and you’re already nagging me?”

She ignores you. “I’m going to take that as a no.” She melts into a smile while shaking her head in disapproval. “You haven't changed at all. Even after all these years….when will you ever stop being a workaholic, Y/N?”

It’s your turn to ignore her.

You pull out a binder from your shelf, searching for a specific page that you've been thinking about all morning. It could potentially help with your patient that has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Nayoung sighs. “I really didn’t expect you to come back.”

Your hands halt, glancing up at her for a second before turning back down and murmuring under your breath- “Me neither”.

“What made you?”

“I guess I missed….I missed home.” You admit with a meek upturn of your lips. “No matter where I went….”

...you could never escape the demons of your past. The change of scenery could never change who you were.

“Nothing beats home.” She nods in agreeance, leaning back. “I get it. I’m glad you’re back, Y/N.”

“Thanks. I’m glad to be back.” You bring your full attention onto her, exchanging smiles.

“Say…” She turns around, having gotten up and ready to greet you goodbye as her break was nearing the end. “...have you….have you talked to Seonho, yet?”

With the mention of him, something uncomfortable lodges in your throat. She quickly retracts her words. “I mean...it’s just that...I know it’s a serious-..um...he’s asked me about you.”

You manage a strained smile but your voice comes out weaker than you expect. “No. I haven’t got the chance yet.”

She nods, eyes downcasting in sympathy and understanding. “If you can...Y/N...you should really visit him.”

The dark past that had been chasing you for five years comes to catch you faster than anticipated. It wraps its arms around your body and holds you captive to regrets. Your limbs are chained by bitter anguish and it’ll never cease to play the game of ‘what if’ with you.

“I will.”

//

His fingers are wrapped around the orange container, hand shoving the white cap off to spill the pills into his palm. His pupils never stop scrutinizing the reflection in the mirror - not for a mere split second as he presses the bitter capsules to his bleeding lips and his tongue twines them. He forces the medication down his throat, despite knowing that it has no effects, that it will never be any curative for his illness. The label has all but faded away, ripped at the edges but he pays no mind as he shoves it back into the bathroom cabinet.  

It is another day that he must walk in the body that is no longer his.

“Jungkook. Your father would like to see you.”

He brings up his white bandaged hand, motioning to silence the secretary. His eyes are pinned straight ahead, lips in a straight line to perfectly mask his pain in a blank expression.

“I am fully aware.”

The workers of the floor peek their heads past their cubicles, orbs glued onto him and their mouths draw open. Murmurs befall from their lips, rolling off like sugar and melted butter - words like rich and handsome, ‘it’s the CEO’s son’. Yet, he can’t find it in himself to be satisfied by the numerous titles they’ve branded him nor does it swell the pride in his chest. It’s not to say that he is modest. He finds it amusing. Black suits, swept hair, expensive watches and a home worth more than millions doesn’t account to anything.

If only they knew how broken he was inside.

“You called me?” He shuts the door behind him, taking measured strides up to the desk where his father is seated behind in a chair, his hands clasped together in thought.

“Sit.”

He hides his uneasiness, forcing his hands not to tremble as he obeys. His father’s tone is icy and malicious but his eyes are even colder; a glare that could drive Jungkook to run through the colossal glass windows behind his father and pummeling to the hundred floors below - greeting death would be more merciful.

His father cuts to the chase, throwing down a stack of papers on top of the desk, in front of his eyes.

“Look.”

Jungkook immediately recognizes the white pages. “It’s...it’s the deal I signed yesterda-”

“I said ‘look’.”

He takes the documents into his hands, seeing no faults and turning the pages. He racks his brain, narrowing his eyes onto the endless black and white to find the mistake. He turns the page. He turns the page.

He turns the page.  

He

       Turns

   The

              Page.

And on the very last one, he can barely recognize the swirling ink that signs the bottom of the sheet. It’s ordinary to see his name in someone else’s handwriting; work that he was suppose to do completed by another. It’s happened countless times before. But this time, it’s a clumsy mistake that has never occurred before. Instead of the name ‘Jungkook’, it is the signature of the name ‘Namjoon’.

“Are you kidding me, Jungkook?!” His father slams his fist against the wood of the table, his voice shaking with anger. Jungkook immediately winces back, not being able to help the shaking of his legs. “Do you take this as a joke?!”

“I’m...I’m sorry.” His teeth sink into the bottom of his lips, forcing the tears that well up in his eyes to wither away. “It’s...it was my...my…”

“Are you going to blame it on your fake disorder?” Jungkook’s father sits back in his chair, eyes still scrutinizing his son and after a full minute of silence, a chuckle falls from his mouth. It’s not a laugh of joy but one full of disgusted disdain and disbelief. “When will you grow up?”

“I’m…” He stutters before finally being able to look his father in the eyes. “..sorr-”

“Save your apologies.” He spits out sharply. “This. Whatever this is. Get it fixed. I can’t have someone signing fake names in contracts. I can’t have such an idiot taking over the company. You’re getting married soon, what are you going to do then? Stay home. Don’t come anymore. Not until you get it fixed or learn how to take responsibility and behave yourself.”

The two men stare at each other; the younger one with his hands trembling and orbs full of desperation…an ache to be acknowledged…..loneliness. The older dismisses him, looking away to the enormous towers out the window, each a rival and an ally. The two barely share any resemblances aside from the dark shade of their locks. Jungkook has softer features, a rounder face and contrary to his father’s cold ones, Jungkook has bigger eyes carrying an innocence that his father absolutely hates.

“Leave.”

The voices are screaming inside his head, his fingers twitching to switch but he holds it down, even when it pains him to the very core. No. No. Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!

Jungkook spares one last glance at the silhouette of his father before he withdraws into the darkness.

//

It must be urgent.

They had called you in the middle of the day, in the middle of your shift without giving much of an explanation, merely using the word ‘emergency’. And that awoke an instinct that you were trained with, causing you to run down the halls and past the other units to the third floor.

You swallow your gasps as you open the cream doors of the conference room, not wasting a second to knock.

“You called?”

Your arms are by your side, hands clenched in fists. Your white coat is slipping from your shoulders, the hair from your bun falling to the sides of your face. “Wha-what’s going on?” You take one scan of the vast room, the bleached coloured walls and the stretched wooden table sitting in the center. There’s an unfamiliar man wearing a business suit, sitting across from the chief who’s smiling at you.

They seem far too relaxed.

You’re on alert.

“Calm down, Y/N. Come. Take a seat.”

You follow the orders warily, narrowing your eyes at the stranger as you pull a black chair beside the older man. “How are you? You’ve only been back for a week. Are things going well?”

“Yes. They are.” It’s unusual that he’s asking you such trivial questions. “Is there something wrong?”

He hums, arms crossing. “Not wrong per say…But Y/N, this is Mr. Jinkey.” You nod at the black suited man who kindly smiles at you. “Mr. Jinkey, this is Y/N. She’s our modern day genius, entering university at an early age and the highest graduate amongst all her peers. She’s a certified clinical psychologist with a PhD and she recently came back from overseas. Currently, she’s running our entire Mental Health Unit.”

Your suspicions are only growing. He’s not one to give any compliments, afraid that egos will be blown up too big and end up exploding; ultimately causing harm. Your chief is known for throwing equipment at interns and shouting at nurses until they burst into tears. You’re certainly not a genius and you’re not running the unit either.

But for appearance's sake in front of the stranger, you give a tense smile. “Please. I’m just working my hardest…”

“Good. Good.” Mr. Jinkey nods his head in approval. “I think she’s suitable.”

“Really. There’s no one but her. If there’s anyone that can do it, it’s Y/N.” Your chief grows serious, staring at his clasped hands.

Your brows furrow together. “What’s going on?”

“Y/N…” He sighs, looking at you with a softened expression. “I’m going to give you...an off-campus job.”

“An off-campus job?”

The man in the suit pipes up, sliding over a manila folder across the table towards you. “Miss. Y/N, have you ever heard of Jeon Corporations?”

Of course you do.

They’re one of the biggest companies in the country. Even someone living in a rock would know of them. They own all kinds of land and utilities, areas of technology to energy plants. They employ over thousands of people and a large part of the country's GDP is on their shoulders.

You nod your head and he continues. “This is strictly confidential. The moment you open that folder, you’ll be bounded by contract. Of course, we have more official documents with us right now that require your signature.”

“Wait.” You hold out your hand, turning to look at your superior in utter confusion. “What’s going on. Can...can I get some sort of explanation?”

“Y/N.” He draws out a long exhale, dropping his voice into a low murmur despite no one being around that shouldn’t hear. “I need you to work at the Jeon household...to work in their abode. Their son….he suffers from-” inhale “….DID.”

Dissociative Identity Disorder.

The man looks at your chief in alarm for revealing classified information but your chief simply motions his hand. Mr. Jinkey fixes his posture as he stares at you. “Multiple Personality Disorder. Have you heard of it?”

“Yes. Of course..” You nod, questions finally being answered but your frown doesn’t cease. “I...I know of it.”

“Then will you help him?”

“I….Why do you need me to stay at his home? I can help him if he comes in regularly for therapy.”

“He can’t do that. There’s isn’t time.” Mr. Jinkey shakes his head slowly without moving his eyes away from you. “He must be cured within a year.”

“A year?!” Your jaw drops, fingers curling at the edge of the file. “This..that’s impossible! This disorder required a long term healing process.”

“Then make it short term.” Your chief cuts sharply and when you turn to him appalled, he gives you a sympathetic expression. “Y/N. I understand the difficulties but you can’t give up when you haven’t tried. This is a patient that needs your help and I sincerely believe that something can be achieved if you focus all your efforts into this one client.”

“He went to therapy previously but only for a few weeks. There’s little information but if you’re worried about it - he’s not dangerous.” The man tries to coax you. “He’s never been hostile since his diagnosis.”

“No.” You stand up, the chair falling behind you, colliding onto the ground. “I can’t.”

It’s all too much. You haven’t had much time to think. All of the sudden, you have to drop everything and all your patients for one. Someone you’ve never met, a rich boy from a wealthy household. You have to live with a stranger and cure his disorder within a year.

Things aren’t simple like that. Disorders like his take decades to improve, perhaps an entire lifetime. It’s a goal that is intangible, something outside the boundaries of your abilities. You can’t.

“I’m sorry.” You bow your head, turning on your heel to leave the room.

“You’ve changed, Y/N.”

The timber of your chief’s voice shakes the walls and causes you to halt mid-step. “The Y/N who came here six years ago as an intern would’ve never given up on a challenge. Especially when she hasn’t even tried.”

“Good.” You mutter under your breath as you turn around. “A lot of things in my life would’ve been less painful had I given up earlier.”

“That’s a foolish way of thinking.” He doesn’t look at you as if it’ll hurt him too much, staring at the ivory walls as his lips continue to move. “The drive and persistence to never admit defeat is what’ll lead you to a brighter future. If you stay in the same place, if you surrender to hardships, regret will simply build. It will build and build and build, until you wonder-”

What if.

“-what if.”

“Please.” The black-suited man turns to you and his stoic expression is ruined by the knot between his brows. “He needs your help.”

Ten seconds of quiet as you mull over the words and your own thoughts.

With your heartbeat pounding in your chest, you finally take one step forward.

“What is his name?”

“Jeon Jungkook.”

//

The first thing that you immediately notice is how high the walls are.

His house is encased by concrete stones and a metal gate entrance; reaching past the rooftop. But beyond is a luxurious residence, carrying a minimalistic modern style with sharp corners and flat ceilings. Enormous glass windows take up the spaces of the white walls, revealing the bare interior. As you’re walking up to the front door with the lights in the grass illuminating your path, you can’t help but feel like you’re treading through foreign territory - an adventure to save the prince trapped in the soaring tower.

You set the luggage down by your side, inhaling a huge breath to calm your nerves. Your fist raises to knock on the surface but then-

BANG!

“Mr. Jeon!” The black suited man who escorted you smiles.

You’re calming your heartbeat, startled to death at the door flying open, crashing against the wall from the force. And it takes one full minute for you to soak in the appearance of the so-called Jeon Jungkook.

He’s a lot younger than you’ve imagined. From the documents, you already knew that he was the same age as you but from his appearance, though looking tired and weary, he still somehow maintains boyish features. His cheeks are rounded, lips puffy with teeth imprints in his bottom lip exhibiting how he was nibbling on them prior to your arrival, most likely out of nervousness. His bangs are curled inwards into a comma motion, hair a dark shade of chocolate that matches his irises. If it wasn’t for the sick colour of his skin, the downturn of his mouth or the black bags under his eyes, you would’ve thought that he resembled an innocent rabbit.

Instead, with the way he sharply scrutinizes you, it looks like life has forced him against his will to become a predator.

Mr. Jinkey speaks up, shattering the silence and breaking your gaze on the boy. “This is-”

“I know.” He interjects. “You can leave.”

The older man bows his head and you watch his backside as he leaves to his car. Jungkook widens the door, abandoning it without sparing a second glance at you. Nonetheless, you exhale a huge breath as you step into his abode with your luggage, shutting the door behind you.

“How fast can you cure me?”

“Excuse me?”

You disregard the fact that he hasn’t introduced himself or asked for your name.

He huffs out as if each single word he utters to you adds to his exhaust. “How. fast. can. you. cure. me.”

“I...these things take time. Dissociative Identity Disorder is the most intricate and theoretically difficult dissociative disorder; it embodies the total variety of dissociative phenomena.” He continues to give you an unimpressed stare and you sigh. “We still haven’t talked about anything yet. This might...might take some time.”

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“What?” The handle of the suitcase slips out of your grasps in the moment that you grab it. “Why would I think that you’re lying?”

“A lot of people think this disease….disorder...whatever you want to call it...is a hoax. Fake.” He smirks at you, the side of his lip pulling. “I’m just a spoiled rich boy who’s ‘diagnosed’ with having multiple personalities. It’s my excuse to avoid inheriting the company so I can play all day.”

Your eyes examine him coldly. He’s in black dress pants, a black button-up shirt that’s rolled all the way to his elbows. More importantly, his arms are crossed together over his chest - a defensive position, body language that tells you he fears being vulnerable.

“I don’t really think that’s the case.” You smile gently and he falters, the frown alleviating for a mere heartbeat. “It’s not the sort of thing that someone can joke about either.”

Jungkook continues to gaze at you until he turns on his heel, mumbling something barely coherent about how your room is upstairs to the left. You don’t stop smiling, especially when you catch him rubbing his hands together out of nervousness.

//

The both of you are seated across each other, both on leather couches with the coffee table placed in between. You’ve dim the lights to create a relaxed atmosphere but keeping it bright enough for business to be conducted. With the way he’s tapping his foot, you assume he’s anxious with getting the first session started.

The first thing you have to do is establish the clear boundaries. “Jungkook, have you already signed the contract that was given to you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should know that we’ll have at least one session every day. More or less can be decided depending on the circumstances.” He nods and you offer a kind smile. “If you need something from me, you can knock on my door since I’m down the hall. I’m here to help you with your disorder and any issues that you may have, nothing more and nothing less.”

“I understand.” He’s tapping his fingers on his thigh, a sign of impatience but he nods nevertheless.

“Good.”

“I’m also going to discontinue any medication that you’re taking right now. If I feel that it is necessary, I might prescribe you and then I can monitor you from there.” He nods. “Today I’m going to introduce you to talk therapy and psychotherapy. At any time that you may feel uncomfortable, you can tell me. Please don’t hesitate. You can refuse to answer any question. This space and session is meant for you. Whatever we discuss will also be fully confidential. Your safety is of my utmost priority.”

“Okay.”

“Our goal is to merge all personalities into one. Or at the very least, to resolve and make peace amongst all the personalities.”

You’ve taken a look at his documents before and the information of his few previous sessions. There was close to nothing aside from the notes that he had at the very least five other personalities. When met in any kind of danger, one of his personalities immediately takes over. Another common occurrence of when he switches to his alters is when he experiences strong emotions. It’ll be absolutely essential to build his stress tolerance and help him cope with stress and anxiety.

“Isn’t there a...quicker way? I want to get rid of all these other...things...personalities...whatever.” His brows are knotted together in frustration and he runs a hand through his dark brown locks. “Can’t you just make me...normal?”

“I understand your anxiousness, Jungkook. But all these steps are absolutely essential. They will help in the long-run.”

“Okay.” He leans back in the couch. “Fine.”

You smile at him, letting a bit of silence linger as you move onto the next topic. “We’re going to create a safety agreement. It’s just to reduce unsafe behaviours. This is a safe space but I want you to feel safe wherever you go.”

He breathlessly laughs, a mocking tone out of disbelief as he shakes his head. “Yeah sure. Tell that to the others.”

“This agreement is something that all the identities must acknowledge. They’re bound to it too.” He’s quiet, staring at the carpet. “This means that no matter who comes forward, I want you to recognize that you’re in control of your life no matter what, Jungkook. No one will be able to harm you or this body.”

He doesn’t respond for a long time, frowning with blank eyes at the wall. “Jungkook?”

“They’re loud.” He moves his eyes onto you. “I can hear them in my head.” There’s a pause before he breaks out into a smirk. “Do you think I’m crazy?”

“No.” You shake your head. “I don’t think you’re crazy.”

“Well I do.” Jungkook mutters. You catch a hint of defeat in his voice but no sooner he’s looking back at you again, waiting for you to continue.

“During our sessions, I don’t want you to fight the different alters.”

He frowns. “What? You…….......don’t?”

You shake your head. “The very core of this process is to make all the identities become aware of each other. Nothing good will come out of ignoring them. The goal is to try to resolve everyone’s innermost conflict. That being said, you still remain in control. If an alter does something that is dangerous, I want you to believe that you have the ability to come back.”

He inhales sharply, tilting his head out of skepticism. “I’ll...try my best.”

“And that’s good enough.” The corners of your lips upturn and you motion towards him. “Are they still speaking to you right now?”

“Yes.” He grimaces. “It’s hard to concentrate.They won’t shut up.”

“Then if you’re comfortable, Jungkook...and only if you’re completely comfortable - is it alright if I meet one of the alters?”

He blinks at you as if wondering why in Heaven’s name you would want to do something like that. But eventually his tense posture loosens and he slumps back. “Okay. If...if it’s weird or you get freaked out, I und-”

“Jungkook.” You interrupt. “It’s okay.”

He nods before inhaling a deep breath and shutting his eyes. He frowns and his nose twitches. His body winces once. Within five seconds, his eyes flutter open again.

“Hi.” You mask your startleness with a smile. His orbs are painstakingly cold, face blank of any expression and you’re unable to read his body language. “I’m doctor Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

He stares at the hand that shoots out. After an extended pause, you withdraw it. “Not much of a hand-shaker, are you?”

He chuckles lowly. “Don’t call me an alter.” Somehow his voice has dropped down a tone, timber rumbling and husky. “I’m a damn person.”

“I see.” You tilt your head in curiosity. “Then what’s your name?”

“You don’t need to know.” He cuts off. “Are you here to try to ‘fix’ him?”

“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours.”

He rolls his eyes, leaning back in the sofa and throwing his arm over the edge. The side of his lip tugs upwards. “Good luck sweetheart. Don’t think you’re getting rid of us anytime soon. He needs us. You’re causing more harm by doing this.”

The knot between your brows deepen. “Why?”

But before he has the chance to answer you or evade your question again, suddenly he closes his eyes. Jungkook’s face contorts in pain and then he slumps over, falling off the couch. He grunts out, hands grabbing up to his chest as if something is pounding from within. You immediately flinch forward but you don’t rush to his side.

“Jungkook?”

He catches his breath, gasping for oxygen and he manages to sit up, hands at the floor to support the weight of his body. He looks at you with weary eyes, lips parted and his head thrown back. Jungkook is still shaking.

“Do you hear me?”

His pupils flicker to yours at the question.

“You aren’t many people within one.” You strictly affirm. “You’re one whole person, simply sharing many identities.”

The words wrap around him like a comforting embrace. You’re the first person who’s ever believed him, who has ever tried to help, who has been by him when he’s needed it most.

A deep determination begins to root itself in the pits of your chest.

You already know - you’ll help until the end, no matter the consequences.

“You’re one whole person.”

//

The voice message plays once more.

“It’s me~ Nayoung! I texted you the address in case you didn’t remember. I know you’re busy, Y/N but there will always be a hundred excuses.” A heavy sigh is heard on the other line. “I know it’s not my place to say anything. But he’s asked about you for the past five years. If you have some time….” A slight pause holds suffocating silence to overwhelm your guilt. “....you should really visit him.”

The door opens, the walls are closed together with a thin glass separating the other half of the room. “He’ll be here in a moment.” The guard huffs out.

“Thank you.”

Your palms are clammy and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat. Doubts of - whether or not you should be here, if you should leave right now, if you should run, if he really wants to see you - begin to cloud your mind. But before you act on any of the urges screaming inside your head, the other door opens.

He’s there behind a guard, scruffy shadow around his mouth and bright eyes, aged then you last remember but still as happy. He has faint lines on his face, most predominantly under his eyes. He’s still the same boy that is dormant in your memories; running on campus, up to no good and giggling with you. The moment his orbs land on yours, he rushes over, almost tripping over his own shoes. A huge grin splits his mouth, pinching the apples of his cheeks pink. His lips move to your name as if he’s screaming it out in joy. But you can’t hear.

Tears fill your eyes and you exhale a deep breath, picking up the phone handle with a trembling hand. He does the same, nearly exploding out of happiness- “Y/N!” He exclaims and you laugh, scrunching up your nose at the sheer volume that threatens to burst your eardrums.

His orange jumpsuit blinds your eyes.  

“Seonho.” You smile. “It’s been a long time.”

You don’t know how or why. Three years ago if you had told yourself you’d be in this position, you would’ve ran to the ends of Earth to avoid it. You’ve already ran away most of your life. One more time wouldn’t hurt.

But somehow, you find yourself sitting, once more, across from the man who holds your heart captive.

[ts-akhmim]

Episode 2 | “GET ME OUT OF HERE ” - Devon

okay so i filmed a video confessional earlier which is uploading where i basically talked about dealing with being a winner/the tomb and having an idol/potentially wanting to go to tribal pre-swap/deliberately choosing the puzzle/how much i love jake so that'll come at some point after this but just KNOW that came first. anyway just wanted to talk MORE because i have more thoughts. last round i was really conscious of needing to micro-manage my threat level and i think im putting in work to do that? im very concious that i cant play the same game as montenegro because im coming into it from a very different perspective/position. However, one thing I can do this season is transfer my prejury game, because i think it still works. What I need to do is to some extent take a backseat, where I'm not actively messaging people first, and keeping game talk kinda limited (but acknowledging it when people talk to me). Like I have the safety cushion of my idol, and my connection to jake/jordan, and to some extent dan and lovelis? like im not gonna be a target (touch wood) and hopefully if i am my men tm going to keep an eye out for me.... hopefully? it also means im not gonna be pushy about votes im gonna hear names and run with it (as long as its not jake/jordan, or lovelis tbh i get real good vibes from him). but yeah id really love the beauty tribe to go to tribal this round ive literally never spoken to a single one of them so i'd love one of that tribe that is a complete unknown quantity to go home DJDKLFSF. but yis so im feeling good taking a backseat but im gonna ejector seat myself forwards at some point, just got to figure out when to push the button

Okay so Bodhi left last night and that was really sad. We had nice conversations but i told him that if the rest of the tribe wanted him out i wasn't going to campaign for him. He ended up making his rounds but at the end of the day, no one felt strongly about keeping him. He speaks so well that it took me a night's rest to get my head straight. Also Trace got an alliance together of himself, myself, Scott and Isaac. Bitch i was SHOOK! I am so glad to be likable enough to be brought into someone else's core. So this kind of perfectly positioned myself and Scott between 2 alliances. I believe we're both more loyal to the one we formed before we found out we were going to tribal, but who knows. I did tell Autumn of the news because i figure if we were to lose again. Whichever of Isaac of Trace remains is going to feel on bottom and blow up that Scott and I were two-timing the DADS. Btw that is the dumbest alliance name I have ever been a part of but whatever. The rat pack has also formed and now him and I are in a good spot. I will say that i am nervous that MISS ALYSSA spoke the comparison into existence, but i really hope we don't continue to flop like Luzon did on Cagayan. But hey! If Denise can go to every tribal council in one season and win, maybe i can too. (PS i pissed myself with my score in winterbells but also F*CK WINTERBELLS, thats all, ty) 

Honestly I’m really regretting not participating in this challenge because I feel like our scores are.......not great. I feel like I could have turned out the puzzle and even winterbells. The flag Lovelis made is super cute and i think will fair well bc it’s very clean and neat. It’s not super creative, but it’s definitely well made. I think even if we went to tribal I would be okay though. Liam seems like an easy enough boot for us. No one seems that dazzled by his contributions to the tribe. 

i literally am the biggest clown who ever clowned for continuing to overdo it in challenges, if i'm allowed to make it to merge at this point it will literally be a miracle.

So Bodhi left on a unanimous vote yesterday and I'm glad that it worked out as planned! I definitely felt bad lying to him about it all and stuff, but I think it was the best for the tribe going forward. What does suck however is that we lost AGAIN! And it was actually close this time! I'm actually annoyed that we lost this time because I submitted my challenge at 4PM and the reason why we lost was because the last submission was at 8 :/ like... y'all couldn't get it in any earlier? Plus I'm annoyed because I find myself in the swing position between the DADS and The Rat Pack. Personally I don't trust Trace after finding out he tried to play the Rat Pack off as my idea when it was really his all along. To me, it shows that he'd betray me later on down the line. And the only purpose for "The Rat Pack" is so they feel like they're in the majority. So since we lost, I don't mind voting out Trace. Duncan and I called to confirm that we're on the same page. We also found out that Devon is telling us the same things about loyalty and allegiances and I don't like that. He also told Duncan that he would throw immunities and play idols for him if he needed it, and that Duncan was his number 1 ally. But he said the same exact thing to me. So... that has me a little sketch. But I also think that Autumn/Duncan are a close pair, so I may need to stick close to Devon for the long hall. But if Autumn/Duncan think I'm more with them than Devon, I'll take it. I'm supposed to go on call with the Dads soon. Duncan wants to tell them about the rat alliance so that Isaac doesn't use it as motive to get us out. Which i agree that it'd be a good idea as long as devon/autumn stick with us. Duncan and I both feel like Devon might be thrown off since he always likes to be in control, but not actually being in charge. So we'll need to do damage control when that happens. But for now it seems like Trace is going unless things change. If things go how I would want it to, then Trace leaves tomorrow. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JKqH3EQMlugIe-lwHMYMG2qoVZ7dvIzr/view?usp=sharing

Omg!!!!! Another win that makes me so happy . The tribe is all getting along great and I couldnt all for better ppl. I'm hoping soon to get some kind of solid group together. Kendell adam and amiry are ppl I def wanna work with long term at the time. Just gotta see what happens. 

Not much has been happening lately so I might be able to keep this short and not ramble on and on like i usually do (ill still end up writing a novel probably) yippy yay it's day 5 and everything is still all smiles and giggles over here because we've won yet another immunity!! kinda boring tbh but obviously im happy we won immunity because now that buys me one more day and at the end of it that's all i care about. I kinda did want the brauns to go to tribal however instead of the brains because i just really would like my beauties to get a nice foot hold and a lead in the game, i actually enjoy taking to some of these people, and im trying my best to talk to as many people as i can, which anyone who knows me knows isn't the easiest thing for me, i was reading some of my old confessionals from both my past games and the one thing i consistently got dragged for was not being as present with people, which granted i did improve a lot on last time around for sure, but i still got work to do and im realizing that more each day when i have no urge whatsoever to talk to anyone (don't worry, it's not you, it's (crippling depression) me! I understand socializing is part of the game and i do think my social game is my strongest asset but to me i like to think of my social game as a more distinct kind, im more elusive and i like to be that, if you leave them wanting more dahling they'll keep you around, i dont like to show all my cards, and that's a quality that i reflect in both survivor and life, and it has advantages and disadvantages in both but ANYWHO despite all that dare i say i think im still doing *decent* ? I'm making it a priority to reach out at least once a day to *most people (AJ, Augusto, Amir, Austin) are the ones ive probably had some of the best conversations with where it was the most natural and just flowed you know, and still is on day 5, and with kendall ive had some talks with her i do like her but idk i get this vibe she's kinda holding back when talking to me, and ESPECIALLY same with connor? we only had one private conversation and he gave me about a 3 word response, and if you havent guessed by now i like elaboration or at least a lil bit of personality when you talk, no shade just an observation, so that's a small red flag im very much a person who matches energy, one of my go to's in survivor is being open to the possibility of anything, ill always work with anyone who will work with me, and i think thats how everyone should play so hopefully the people ive been talking a lot to feel similar but i guess we'll have to wait until a vote of some sort to see about all that.. I still havent heard any idol talk or even game talk quite frankly so im guessing people are just still keeping the friendly facade up..... or ...... is it me?? am i the one on the outs looking like boo boo the fool or is that just my paranoia getting to me??? im not gonna send myself into a tizzy about getting voted out when we're not even going to tribal i- lemme calm down. If i had to guess I'd say Kendall, Connor, or Amir have the idol probably but sounds like a mystery for another day because im DONE im clocking out for the night until other people wanna wake up and play the game too oop final note: ok but it would be sick and twisted if it turns out they are all playing the game just without me and im the first boot of the tribe 

Waking up on this glorious Day 5 with a new perspective. I originally applied to be on the brains tribe and was shook when I got brawn because let’s face it, my arms are akin to overcooked spaghetti noodles. BUT my tribe is so much stronger than the brains. I’m hoping for a big name to go to shake things up. AND I’m not really looking to swap onto a tribe with Trace or Autumn due to our past game history. Love them both dearly, but it’s gonna be a no from me. 

okie so! update from me is i think im doing okay. like i think the benefit of no dua lipa cave is you can just build connections with everyone, you aren't voting someone out every round so why not capitalise on that? i'm so afraid of the fact that i'm overdoing it in challenges like i really need to calm. down. but im reassuring myself with the fact that in the first challenge i only was top because i did like... one more thing than others like its not thattt big of a deal? my puzzle time was clownery but hopefully people don't pay attention to it? im getting very anxious about overdoing it in challenges, but my thought process now is like. i need to act like people have an awareness of it, without getting kinda consumed by my anxiety about it? idk im hoping since most of these people don't know me, they wont notice me doing good in the challenge but truly who can be sure also am really just liking my tribe? like jake is ofc a king, i love jordan (who im gonna talk to later, he is the only one i feel like i have to talk to today), i also really like TJ who i was super harsh on at the start for no reason, i get good ally vibes from lovelis, liam m is super sweet even tho he is kinda inactive and dan is so fun (plus he told jake that he speaks to me one of the most so we love that!!). i've been trying to figure out what i even do about a lot of the super old school players that i have no connection/point of reference with? like people like scott, adam, kendall, aj i have truly no basis with? thats whats so scary about a swap, is at this point in the game i know 10/20 people left aka the brawn tribe + duncan/isaac/autumn, and like 10/20 isnt bad... BUT then the other 10 aka the beauty tribe + trace/scott/devon i have literally no connection to which is super scary JAKSDFA. im just real afraid of a swap. just swap me with jordan/jake/autumn/isaac PLEATHE. im just a pile of anxiety this season idk what to do im like frozen because of how scared i am... maybe it'll be all fine

Well, that was a close one. I struggled with that comp all day and I feel like absolute shit that I only got our team that 1 point. To me, it's inexcusable not to have be able to help my tribe as I wanted to contribute and make sure I made my worth known. So now I'm just this paranoid mess that I would have been in trouble had we gone to tribal. It's been hard to talk to some of these people or for most of those who I do talk to, I just don't really know where there head is at. I'm not sure if this is just a really guarded tribe, or if I really should be concerned. So I don't know what to do just yet. And that's not a feeling I like when playing TS.

Not gonna lie, I’m pretty sad that Bodhi left the game like he was so active pre-season so I was expecting him to do his best to go super far and maybe he did? I don’t know, but I did want a chance to actually get to play with him in TS but we keep passing each other by! I hope he is doing good despite how he might feel being the first boot yknow but yeah <3 

The way I absolutely flopped with the idol system stuff is all types of funny and sad at the same time like I REALLY thought I did something only for it to be part of the challenge… That being said, Amir did tell me that he has a theory the idol system might be based on numbers which is interesting! I am super thankful he decided to tell me and we went on this long talk about how we are each other’s #1s which is super cute! I really do trust Amir and I do want to go far with him because he’s awesome but that being said, my #1 is me like I promised myself that I’d be selfish this time around just because being the selfless person I am hasn’t gotten me a win but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. We did go over a lot of stuff in terms of tribe dynamics and we both kinda agreed that AJ would be the first boot from the time if we went to tribal, we like our alliance with Kendall/Connor, we both like Adam and we both think Austin is sweet/genuine even if we don’t talk to him tons so yay for that too <3

I am SO trying to sell the fact that me and Kendall are a duo to Kendall which is funny to me idk hjfkds like she did approach me super early on about aligning but I do have the tiniest feeling she did that to mostly everyone but I’m trying to pin us with each other to her so she trusts me more, especially since I do feel as though she is the best connected on the tribe. I even called us Crystal Cox (me bc blazing speed and challenge flop ofc) and Ken(dell) ghfjdksl, I’m doing the most but yeah, I just want Kendall to see me as her #1 in the game on the off chance anything happens yknow?

Austin thinks I’m his #1 which is really sweet? I do like Austin even if it is hard to talk to him sometimes but hey, that happens. He told me that he’s really glad I’m on this tribe (which I have heard from basically everyone especially Adam and Amir which makes me feel cute omg) and that we might need to get a group going soon. I was like…. Tea but I also don’t know how quickly I want to get an alliance including Austin going just because it’s like… do I reveal that Austin and I are close-ish and be seen as a social threat? That just ain’t cute sis! But yeah, Austin told me he also really likes Kendall and Amir and that’s awesome that the two people I feel the closest to are ALSO doing THAT but at the same time, I want to be the one doing THAT the most because I’m greedy (by Ariana Grande) so it’s something to keep in mind! 

The way I absolutely flopped at that puzzle… this is why I’m a Beauty cause a sis ain’t smart to complete a puzzle and I’m not brawn-y enough to do well in a challenge hgjfdk BUT that being said, Hagthor beat the thots and apiss and I couldn’t be any happier! I do wish Brawn lost over Brain but yknow, you can’t have everything go your way (‘: it’s funny how I slayed the last challenge and flopped this one tho like a bitch really lacks consistency huh ghfjndmks

Ugh fineeeee since I've been called out... by myself. I guess I'll do the bare minimum. So we won immunity!!!! Wooo!!!!!! Low-key though through out the entire process of making the flag, I just kept thinking darn I wish we voted out someone last tribal because drawing 7 people is annoying... watch me get voted out next tribal council lol. That would be quality foreshadowing. Today I have two goals. 1. Figure out what the method of entering the tomb. I intend on getting in contact with Augusto or Connor for that one. Augusto because he is low-key my number one. Connor because I feel if anyone can solve it he probably could. 2. Set up group chat with me, Augusto, and Austin. So Austin can feel a false sense of reassurance and Augusto and I have options. Write more later maybe.

Honestly im feeling kind of trepidatious going forward which is a little wierd, i just dont feel like ive gotten my footing yet in this game. I think like, im in a good spot to be fine on this tribe because of my social game and how I contribute in challenges, but I dont know if I feel good about anything longterm just yet. What really is bothering me is the tomb. Its gonna be round 3 tonight and I haven't made any more progress on getting in than I have night one. I feel like I have a lot of pieces to this puzzle but nothing is fitting together and its bothering me. I'm also a little upset that if we lose, I could see Liam being the target and I can't see my self risking my position to save him if he cant save himself. He has my name on his wiki page its an obvious association to me, and while I think hed be loyal to me, I'm just wondering honestly if him as an ally is worth the target it may bring. Im cautiously moving through the beginning of this game with a lot of unnease and hopefully I find some steady ground soon.

I am annoyed that we are yet again at tribal. I played so fucking hard at winter bells but of course someone on another tribe got like 238593277 billion which threw us back into tribal... So annoying truthfully. But it's alright, I should be able to make it out alive. I want Devon to go home. But I also don't want to let my guard down. This vote is important for a few reasons. The first reason is that our tribe is very close, so I am nervous that lines are going to be drawn in the sand. The second is that, after this vote, we will be down to five, making 3 the majority. We have an alliance of 4, and lord knows that when you are down to 5, whoever feels like 3 and 4 of the alliance are most likely going to try and rope in the 5th person to get rid of each other. So my plan is to make Isaac and Scott BOTH feel as though they are my number 1s so that they actually stick to our alliance of 4 thinking that I will be keeping them both if we lose again. This is the only way that i can see it working, but idk. I feel bad if Devon ends up going because he's a nice guy, but we have to make choices about strengthening our team, and then I have to make a choice about strengthening my place in the game. Hopefully this doesn't come to bite me in the ass.

Things have been going pretty well for my tribe! We won the first immunity challenge and that really seemed to boost tribe morale. Granted, these past couple of days I've been quiet since I'm trying to boost grades that are literally 0s into something manageable before I graduate hehe. I've tried to keep up with people through small conversations, which seems to work better for me at the moment until I get myself together. Adam wants to create an alliance with Augusto and Amir, which I'm totally for. I understand, though, that he doesn't wanna do it immediately since there's really no urgency to? We didn't go to tribal, so why did it matter! That excuse aside, I do hope that us holding our breath to say something doesn't bite us in the ass because these are people I want to work with! I wanna get something going with Kendall as well hopefully, since I adore her! Earlier, I stated that Adam and I (Adam, really) found our way into the tomb and both flopped in the questions. Adam took another stab at it and found out we've been bamboozled! Someone beat us to the punch and has whatever contents were inside the tomb. I'm assuming it was an idol, but who knows what else is in there! It kinda made me lose motivation to keep searching inside but when in Rome? I'll probably end up trying again despite knowing the end result just because I wanna prove I can be a smart cookie as well. I also didn't gloss over this but I'll mention it really quickly, but I'm sad Bodhi went! He was one of the few people I was familiar with on the other tribes so it's unfortunate we aren't going to be able to connect with each other this game. A king has fallen. In lighter and more recents events, my tribe crushed the second immunity challenge. Kendall stunned with her artistry and I'm still gushing over how cute everyone's character was. I kinda like decimated Winterbells, but I've always been good at the game, and Amir did really well in the scavenger hunt. Augusto and Austin did really well in the puzzle also, despite their lack of confidence in offering a strong performance. We appear to be THEE tribe to beat honestly and I'm loving that. I love our tribe! I LOVE OUR TRIBE! It really would be a tragedy if we aren't able to keep up this win streak we're manifesting. 

Sorry for not writing this sooner! Been having a bad depressive episode for the last couple days and it makes me unmotivated to write c': I feel like a flop so far in this game, not because I submit shit scores, but because I find it exhausting to connect with some of these people. They're all very nice in their own special ways, but interacting w some is like pulling teeth, and I guarantee they feel the same about me, which I would expect. That being said, I hope we keep winning, cause I don't have the energy to go to tribal right now.

Heading into a second tribal council, there is becoming less and less room to hide. I am struggling to hold my own against the other tribes when it comes to competitions, but thank goodness it's a numbers game. If everything goes accordingly, I am taking a backseat this vote and allowing a 4-2 vote out when it comes to Trace. I appreciated Duncan coming to me with the alliance chat information with him/Scott/Trace/Isaac, but didn't like how Autumn needed to tell me first. Shows that I really can't trust Scott/Duncan after a swap comes up. In regards to Scott, he outright didn't say anything. I like him and all, but it was a slimy move to say the least. He only said something because he HAD to vote out someone in one of his two alliances. This group will be dumb as hell if they let me swap. I'll flip on them as soon as possible and invite anyone into my alliance. The tribe swap is where I made my 'Slithers' game infamous last time, so I'm hoping for a similar output. Don't forget: I swapped with the minority last time in Guyana (shout out to Jess), so I'm not worried about the numbers and how its split. ALL I NEED IS A SWAP OR TWIST. GET ME OUT OF HERE. 

Thank God we won that based on the tiebreaker, but yikes I didn't think my flag would've tanked so hard. Guess I've gotta get better at perfecting my craft huh, but at least we're safe. I feel nervous on this tribe to be honest, because I think I'm the second to bottom on the totem pole after the other Liam, so it isn't reassuring that if we lose twice I'll either be gone, or I could even be gone at our first tribal if he's got a solid alliance going...the only alliance I have right now is with Jordan and I don't really know where I sit with everyone else, but I'm afraid of overplaying... ugh so annoying! I think I just need to force a couple of game related conversations with people to build up some trust, just hope it wouldn't paint a target on my back for trying I guess...

oh gorl, some of these people on my tribe really think im just the clown of the tribe and cant put two and two together, well guess what, IM NOT. So Amir messages me, which nothing out of the ordinary there, ive been talking to him every day so far for the most part like i said we're a little familiar with each other from our pasts, but i was VERY surprised today at what had happened... what had happened was....he starts talking the smallest bit of game with me, basically he just said, "is it me or is everyone really quiet here?" and so i just agreed with him and i said yeah i dont think people are talking game yet which is a little weird, and then i threw the TINEST tea crumpet out there and i said "yeah ive talked to some people so easily like you, but then there's others who.....i cant say the same for" and i was absolutely hinting at connor/kendall just because i havent had the longest convos with them, which no biggie, but THEN about 20 minutes later i get a message from CONNOR of all people saying "hey adam!" ..... obviously im glad to talk to him and im all for getting to know everyone, but my instincts immediately went off and told me it's a little sus....how not even a few minutes ago i was saying how some people never talk to me and then out of no where the one person i was mainly talking about messages me?? Coincidences don't exist in survivor. Now I really have no choice but to think that amir in someway mentioned to connor that i said theres some people i havent talked to at all and that he probably needed to work on that.. which is true, but cmon. i know the tribe brain cell is missing but at least put a little thought into this and message me later tonight or not right after i say it?? I'm not sure if they have any type of past connection and while I definitely do wanna keep building my relationship with Amir, this will definitely make me question him a little bit at least until i see how some votes fall when we eventually go to tribal. Amir also told me he's had the most convos with Augusto, which is funny because thats exactly how both me and aj feel about augusto, which tells me augusto is really playing the game rn, and while thats someone i want to work with, it's also someone i need to be extremely careful with if we're still playing together down the road. plot twist: connor messaging me has absolutely nothing to do with amir and i just made this whole conspiracy for nothing but idk.... it's a conspiracy IM interested in.

***last add on because i forgot to say how the hell im gonna HANDLE this amir/connor situation... im keeping my eyes on it incase theyre in kahoots and also if they think im that dumb then clearly they havent watched me play before, which is great for me but bad for them, you cant trick a trickster try all you want, There's nothing I love more than being underestimated in survivor because it kinda makes it a little easier to play and gives me more options, so sure ill keep up my fake smiles and act like we're all fine and dandy, ill play dumb and wont even act like im onto them but i absolutely am and ill be ready to make my move the second it seems right 

Ugh I feel so DIRTY. I feel so GROSS. Poor Devon, truly. I spoke with Autumn and told her about Devon, and she was in without a fight and told me that it should be 5-1. And then Devon came to me and was like... we all good for the vote tonight? And I'm like ................yes? Lol. I'm good, you're probably not. ugh, this is the part of this game that I hate. I want to never lose immunity ever again, let someone else break someone else's heart!

Something about Kendall is so chaotic and terrifying and I can’t put a finger on why.her aligning was her talking to me for the first time in a day saying “let’s align” and created an alliance chat without even asking who else should be in it which leads me to believe her Augusto and Connor already have a trio and I was the 4th. Are all these focking people playing me?? Like i still cant tell if this is a real alliance but i want to believe it is and not a bluff to vote me out. But also like why even do that, the only person on this cast that I trust and have played with, bodhi, has just been voted out. I’m a free agent and I can help that alliance make it far in the game, but they also have lots of relationships on other tribes so like I might not even be that valuable to them. I mentioned to Augusto about the numbers on the blog, hoping to create more trust because I really really love him and want to trust him but I’m still just so damn unsure. if we lose this immunity and I get one bad signal from any of those 3, if they slip up even once, I won’t hesitate to align and gather the minority. But if they are playing me properly, then kudos to them! 

I am just happy i have the idol i am going to put it in my ass. 

me when the brains tribe only has 5 members left http://prntscr.com/s8y76g

You know what? https://66.media.tumblr.com/b7b4accba586ad321141b6ba80d69044/tumblr_omule3fwZC1w1swfno1_250.gifv I'm mad but I'm not tight because that same alliance that Duncan and I orchestrated is the same alliance that will get us through. So do I enjoy going to tribal? No. And do I enjoy knowing that Trace created an alliance w/ everyone except me and Devon? No. But the Dads will prevail and I trust Scott and the gang. I mean Ducnan is family so as long as we don't go it's fine. But Devon is my baby so absolutely gotta kill for him. That's what keep em close hahaha But no the Trace vote is a dream come true that I only crossed my mind once and STILL got manifested. Like Duncan suggested it and I said you got it because Trace will be the FIRST to rally all the white boys against me in a swap. Cute or not, Trace will kill me I'm convinced. Like something in my spirit told me not to trust Trace and low and behold: Duncan reveals that alliance to me on Day 3. So confirmed, Trace is leaving so that I don't fall to the bottom of the tribe. But it's all good- Isaac listens to Fleetwood Mac and watches Schitt's Creek so he's a good guy. And Scott is literally a cinammon roll who's too busy to snitch or flip. I don't have time to discuss how much I love Duncan or Devon so we're tabling that. Anyway If y'all need me I'll be doing this 4 part immunity challenge that determines whether I make Final 3 in the other org I'm in so try not to need me lmao

okay so... we aren't going to tribal but its still kinda messy on brawn beach. i kinda have felt this energy for a while, but i don't think jake and jordan have enough trust between the two of them for us to be a continual three person alliance. jake is a very reactive, gut-impulse kind of player which is honestly to his benefit since he is super perceptive. however that also means he is quick to be anxious about stuff in the game, which is the same as me and that is why we click. BUT. he thinks something is up with dan/jordan and honestly i see that and feel it. jordan keeps hinting at dan being the one to loop in and i think that does say something about them having some sort of game dynamic. however, jordan is maybe downplaying that relationship which is scary KLAF tbh i still like jordan and wanna work with him, but i do 100% have to keep tabs on him, his social connections could definitely become a problem if he has other priorities over me! so i think i just have to make sure im a continuing priority for him, so i have to find some sort of information to bring to him (maybe when dan proposes the alliance of me/jordan/jake/dan to me ill run to jordan and be like hey did dan suggest this to you how do you feel) to solidify that sort of trust? idk... i want my j-men to stick together and they ARENT. maybe i need to solidify stuff with TJ specifically more, he gives good ally vibes? but ya... its a mess tm

[yourfavoritexeposofthepop-blog]

makin' bacon burgies

Aight guys today imma take you on a little barely literate journey on different ways you can make some sweet dough in a pixelated horse game dominated by bored 40 years old women who have made the decision to swap out yoga, accai berry smoothies and kale for a "realistic simulation focused on horses" well...a highly competitive genetic race with a core audience of 8 year old who think genetic is a pokemon #649. 

Now if i am honest i am not a good example of holding equurs but in the last 12 hours my reserve has gone from 600k to 10mil. for me equurs are not something i need as when i do i can easily sell my hordes of shit i have collected over time. so following my "slight dig at 40 year olds intro" today i will be covering 2 topics 1. My financial history and how to abuse it 2. My personal expenses and how to avoid them. 

My financial history 1. sale of horses (pretty basic sell horses!) selling horses i one thing but not making long term gain from the sales, its not worth it. if you are wanting to make gain from this remember NEVER SELL A HORSE UNDER 2,501e weather it is a cross or purebred they still cost 2,500e to breed and with public coverings used the minimum for that horse should be 3,001e this of course only goes for horses under 6 months after that they begin to cost (fodder, carrot and equestrian center boarding) for just one day (2 months) that horse can cost you 46e on top of the 3000e already. now the sales can be tough so really the best thing you can do is stalk obsessively, wait for there to be minimal foal sales at low prices go for 2600-3100e for a woken up 6 month old, remember don't board just wake for that sweet sweet aging point. tips: STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM BREEDING ARABIANS seriously there are currently 3x more Arabians than any other horse on the server they are the poor mans horse NO ONE want's or needs them, go for something a bit more exotic hmm Icelandic, Nokota's, Mustang they will all sell better especially if they are purebred (pssss...avoid cross breeding if possible), and check and label the horses i.e c/5%1109GP, labeled horses are just...easier to sell and once you have got an idea of the sales and costs it will come in handy i.e a pure bay TB foal will sell for 3000e but cremello? Up to 100k pretty good aye! 

GA, RA, seasonal coat stuff whatever you get me lets start with the easy one "seasonal shit" buy them when they are cheap hold onto them when you get them in an event watch the sales learn the prices then sell in the off season or fuck it CHRISTMAS aaahh yes a beautiful time full of children desperate to spend the pass pack there aunt bought them. sadly this Christmas i may have been saving up for it but sadly i was away, at least i got to sell my flammy flame sleiphnir for 45passes more than i bought it NOOOIICE. golden apples (stuff retired apples those aint shit on aus server legit they are only a colectable but...treat em the same way as GA's i guess) Currently the price is at 250k for a golden apple coat (excluding donkey), i personally aim for anything under 190k then sell for 200-250 depending on species, blup, genetic, training, bmi's and limit. when selling whether it is limited or not is quite important if its not limited dump it (psss..when choosing your own GA coats go for limited always like.... for real), if it is try and hold it as long as possible so when it does retire you can get that extra buck on top or become a collector.

hmmm i dont really have much more to say about gold apples...oh sell just under the sales price with donkeys even less, i sold today 30 ga donkeys for 170k they were all gone with in the hour and my golden apple horses all bought under 160k sold for 200k also with in the hour. go for a tad less but never less then the bought price.

sale of products

ill be quick with this one presenting epos' top 3 shop items 1. Carrots, thats right surprise surpise i am sure you have heard this one a thousand times and well... there is a reason for it ok lets break this down 1 carrot sell for 10e, in a 25acre greenhouse you can plant 25 carrot seeds at 1000e add 25 manure costing 2575e (if bought you should make it yourself though) give it 6 days for your 2503 carrots to be ready total profit without expenses taken off 25'030e and 21'455e if you are paying for manure + seeds. now lets say you have 100 acres of land the all growing carrots each week you will be making a total of 100'120e expenses not included, that pretty good for a once per week 5 minute job. 2. apples, simple let the trees grow no care needed sells for 3e literally a completely useless item all round they are just...easy 3. Manure, its shit (free) + Straw (cheap to grow cheap to buy) = shit in a bag selling for dayyuum good price (52e) now i would go through all the math and shit to help you know all the cost yadda ya but i really can't be fucked IT'S CHEAP BOOM BITCH HOW BOUT DAT. 

Misc income, Contest, Coverings, Competitions, Divines, Board, Missions and partner offer thats thats right! i'm smashing it all into one because this is starting to shit me, the first two misc and contest PPPfffrrttt that shits all luck and stuff though in the last 7 days i have made 284,860e out of it so.. thats alright i guess. 

coverings, in 7 days i have in the past made over 1.3mil, this just takes time, the right colts and of course a really high gp, if you have the time and patience i would suggest doing so not only that you will need to make sure you are either apart of a high gp team or constantly buy the next top gp release available, this is of course if you are after 7'500e per cover, coverings are a very good idea sadly i only had the patience for 1 week, now heres an easier option if you are just after a little work daily unicorns well...no just 1 unicorn for me that is my Arabian colt "Dancing in space" of course you could put up all sorts of cover for little to no cost but remember putting a lot into an awesome curly colt thinking he will cover so many per day for top dollar no you are wrong in the sense of covering it is best to use what is popular and spread the cancer known as the Arabian horse, when breeding unicorns though go for the uncommon breeds STAY AWAY FROM ARABIANS. 

Fuck alright where am i now lets see... competitions= nah like only if your a heavy blupper its good don't go for a "comp horse" as you will make fuck all doing so, though i will suggest entering the Grand Prix daily if you can you'll make something like 2000e just for entering thats like 16'000e daily for 8 horses or something idk lol i don't rank that low.

divines and missions if your not a cash cow with 100+ divines and skillors needing lessons its pretty shit, you could do lessons with your app horses but you won't so don't bother because w..wait for it it's shit.

board only worth something if you get type 1 boxes at lowest price or slightly higher, don't add any bonus and just put them out to the public for there app horses, not at all fancy BUT WE NEED THEM!!!

Huffff finally done the "my financial history guideline shit" alright expenses hmmm epos what do you waste money on cocaine, strippers, emma's sweet sweet EPOS NO well my expenses used to be shameful but they are pretty clean now, my top problems used to be boarding and bonus items but they are taken care of now.

Boarding option 1. buy your own shitty box type 1** stick the app slave in there and forget it for 60 days, pre easy stuff prestige and all that stuff i was told not to do, do whats easy and cheap bleh. Boarding option 2. click 60 days on the board page to display the cheapest center at that period of time aim for 1,200e in the afternoon and night this will be tough for a horse with low skill hint do it after update or close to too get them good cheap boarding.

Bonus items: well..when i started of in high leaping gems it was gospel to buy all the bonus item to put on the horse just to blup it in 15 minutes then never see it again, well that fucking stupid especially when your closest opponent is 50gp behind annnnndddd you fill your own competitions anyway, like don't if you can't afford bonus items dont use them if its a low gp and skill horse just fill it yourself from 0 participants dam easy. 

Aight im done now any questions just ask or what ever sorry for the grammar not sorry.

[travelguy4444]

32 Random Facts About Me

Updated: 02/13/2019 | February 13th, 2019

A few weeks ago I mentioned that this year I wanted to make the website more personal.

Back in 2011, I wrote this post featuring some personal facts about my life. It was a window into non-travel me. Well, that was a loooooong time ago. Life changes. People change.

So I thought one way to make this website more personal was to resurrect this long forgotten post and share a window into the current non-travel me.

So let’s kick off 2011 2019 with some random facts about me and my life:

1. I hate flying. I love airports, lounges, and elite status, but the act of flying makes me sick. I don’t like heights and any turbulence makes me think the plane is about to crash. I’m not a good flier. (Ironic considering how often I fly!)

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Pinky and the Brain. I even had a T-shirt collection. I also had one of those bowl haircuts, but I prefer to forget about that fact.

3. I never traveled independently until I went to Costa Rica at age 23. My travel experiences up until then were a series of road trips with my parents and a drunken weekend in Montréal when I was 19. (I also never went west of the Mississippi until I was 25.)

4. When I was younger, I wanted to be an archaeologist because of Indiana Jones.

5. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Costa Rica. It was so bad that I had to be hospitalized for three days and put on a morphine drip.

6. I went to college to be a high school history teacher. I’m still technically certified to teach high school history.

7. I am a really good cook. I don’t cook much on the road because I hate how hostel kitchens aren’t fully stocked and everyone crowds them at the same time, but once in a while, I like to cook a massive meal for my fellow travelers.

8. I used to be a vegetarian. After reading Fast Food Nation, I decided to give up meat and was a vegetarian for four years. It wasn’t eating meat I was against, but rather industrial farming and the chemicals/antibiotics in the meat that I didn’t like. I gave up vegetarianism when I started to travel.

9. I think it’s rude to turn down food in other cultures. If you go to a village in Mongolia and you are given food, it’s insulting to refuse. “Sorry, your traditional and heartfelt cooking doesn’t go with my dietary needs.” It’s culturally insensitive. But that’s a rant for another post.

10. I’m a huge fan of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz. It’s way better than any of the pop music out there.

11. If I could ever pick what time period I could live in, I’d pick 1920s Prohibition America. I think that would be an exciting time to live in. But maybe I’ve just read The Great Gatsby too much.

12. Speaking of Gatsby, I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party. I did it for three years in a row. They were epic birthday parties.

12. I am intensely political. After travel, politics is my second love. I live and breathe politics, and it is the only news I keep up with while traveling. I am always ready to discuss and debate the world any time of the day and with anyone, no matter how well I know them.

13. I co-own a hostel in Austin, Texas called HK Austin. You should come stay there!

14. I don’t have a burning desire to visit most Middle Eastern countries. There are parts I want to / have visited (Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Oman) but, as a whole, the area is low on my list of places to visit.

15. People always ask will I do this forever? My answer: I don’t know. Forever is a long time. I’d like to travel for the next few years, but who can say what the future holds and where it will take us? For now, I’m enjoying the ride and see no reason to hang up my backpack just yet.

16. I’ve been to over 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts. I’m a super fan.

17. I’m a Japanophile. I love everything about the culture: the food, the history, the etiquette, the landscape, the architecture — all of it. I would eat sushi every day if I could.

18. I’m a workaholic. Maybe because I grew up in New England, I have the Puritan work ethic, and if I don’t have work to do, I think something is wrong and create work for myself. Idle hands are the Devil’s playground!

19. I decided to travel after meeting five backpackers in a shared taxi while on vacation in Thailand. I was so amazed at what they were doing that the next day I decided to quit my job. They were two Australians, a Canadian, and a Belgian couple. They changed the course of my life and have no idea.

20. I’m an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Not only do I think she’s an incredible businesswoman and marketer, but I also love her cheesy pop songs.

21. I’m also a huge fan of Sia. Incredible songstress and writer.

22. I don’t play any sports nor know anything about them. I couldn’t think of anything more boring than going to a sporting event. In fact, I once fell asleep at a hockey match.

23. I don’t drink coffee. It tastes like shit to me. And I don’t want to put added sugar or milk (or soy milk) in my cup of joe. Drinks should be able to stand on their own! Nothing is going to change my opinion on this. I’ve tried for years to acquire a taste for it. It’s just not going to happen.

24. I drink tea. Lots of it. Especially green tea. That’s my drink of choice!

25. My alcoholic drink of choice is an old fashioned. A few years ago, a few friends turned me onto whiskey and I’ve been obsessed since. I judge a bar by the quality of the old fashioneds they serve.

26. One day, I’d like to learn how to garden. I want to grow my own food. I love cooking and think it’s a logical step!

27. I used to be a professional poker player. I funded a lot of my original trip with poker winnings and lived in Amsterdam for a few months playing “professionally” at the casino in the city.

28. I don’t eat sweets. Maybe once a year I’ll have a cookie or brownie but, for the most part, I don’t do desserts or sweets as I don’t like all the sugar.

29. I have a new book coming out in July (you can pre-order it now!). It’s about my ten years on the road. More details next month!

30. When I’m working, I’ll often play one song on repeat over and over again. It helps me focus because it ends up just being white noise. As I write this post, I’ve been listening to Sweet Annie by Zach Brown Band on repeat for the last two hours.

31. I don’t have a favorite color. I have two. Blue and green!

32. In 2019, I want to take up more hobbies. I want to swing dance more, learn French, take some cooking classes, and try to learn how to play the piano. If I do two of those things, I’ll consider it a successful year.

***

There you have it! Some fun facts about me. Now, you’re turn. Tell me about yourself in the comments below.

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The post 32 Random Facts About Me appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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[joshuamshea84]

32 Random Facts About Me

Updated: 02/13/2019 | February 13th, 2019

A few weeks ago I mentioned that this year I wanted to make the website more personal.

Back in 2011, I wrote this post featuring some personal facts about my life. It was a window into non-travel me. Well, that was a loooooong time ago. Life changes. People change.

So I thought one way to make this website more personal was to resurrect this long forgotten post and share a window into the current non-travel me.

So let’s kick off 2011 2019 with some random facts about me and my life:

1. I hate flying. I love airports, lounges, and elite status, but the act of flying makes me sick. I don’t like heights and any turbulence makes me think the plane is about to crash. I’m not a good flier. (Ironic considering how often I fly!)

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Pinky and the Brain. I even had a T-shirt collection. I also had one of those bowl haircuts, but I prefer to forget about that fact.

3. I never traveled independently until I went to Costa Rica at age 23. My travel experiences up until then were a series of road trips with my parents and a drunken weekend in Montréal when I was 19. (I also never went west of the Mississippi until I was 25.)

4. When I was younger, I wanted to be an archaeologist because of Indiana Jones.

5. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Costa Rica. It was so bad that I had to be hospitalized for three days and put on a morphine drip.

6. I went to college to be a high school history teacher. I’m still technically certified to teach high school history.

7. I am a really good cook. I don’t cook much on the road because I hate how hostel kitchens aren’t fully stocked and everyone crowds them at the same time, but once in a while, I like to cook a massive meal for my fellow travelers.

8. I used to be a vegetarian. After reading Fast Food Nation, I decided to give up meat and was a vegetarian for four years. It wasn’t eating meat I was against, but rather industrial farming and the chemicals/antibiotics in the meat that I didn’t like. I gave up vegetarianism when I started to travel.

9. I think it’s rude to turn down food in other cultures. If you go to a village in Mongolia and you are given food, it’s insulting to refuse. “Sorry, your traditional and heartfelt cooking doesn’t go with my dietary needs.” It’s culturally insensitive. But that’s a rant for another post.

10. I’m a huge fan of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz. It’s way better than any of the pop music out there.

11. If I could ever pick what time period I could live in, I’d pick 1920s Prohibition America. I think that would be an exciting time to live in. But maybe I’ve just read The Great Gatsby too much.

12. Speaking of Gatsby, I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party. I did it for three years in a row. They were epic birthday parties.

12. I am intensely political. After travel, politics is my second love. I live and breathe politics, and it is the only news I keep up with while traveling. I am always ready to discuss and debate the world any time of the day and with anyone, no matter how well I know them.

13. I co-own a hostel in Austin, Texas called HK Austin. You should come stay there!

14. I don’t have a burning desire to visit most Middle Eastern countries. There are parts I want to / have visited (Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Oman) but, as a whole, the area is low on my list of places to visit.

15. People always ask will I do this forever? My answer: I don’t know. Forever is a long time. I’d like to travel for the next few years, but who can say what the future holds and where it will take us? For now, I’m enjoying the ride and see no reason to hang up my backpack just yet.

16. I’ve been to over 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts. I’m a super fan.

17. I’m a Japanophile. I love everything about the culture: the food, the history, the etiquette, the landscape, the architecture — all of it. I would eat sushi every day if I could.

18. I’m a workaholic. Maybe because I grew up in New England, I have the Puritan work ethic, and if I don’t have work to do, I think something is wrong and create work for myself. Ideal hands are the Devil’s playground!

19. I decided to travel after meeting five backpackers in a shared taxi while on vacation in Thailand. I was so amazed at what they were doing that the next day I decided to quit my job. They were two Australians, a Canadian, and a Belgian couple. They changed the course of my life and have no idea.

20. I’m an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Not only do I think she’s an incredible businesswoman and marketer, but I also love her cheesy pop songs.

21. I’m also a huge fan of Sia. Incredible songstress and writer.

22. I don’t play any sports nor know anything about them. I couldn’t think of anything more boring than going to a sporting event. In fact, I once fell asleep at a hockey match.

23. I don’t drink coffee. It tastes like shit to me. And I don’t want to put added sugar or milk (or soy milk) in my cup of joe. Drinks should be able to stand on their own! Nothing is going to change my opinion on this. I’ve tried for years to acquire a taste for it. It’s just not going to happen.

24. I drink tea. Lots of it. Especially green tea. That’s my drink of choice!

25. My alcoholic drink of choice is an old fashioned. A few years ago, a few friends turned me onto whiskey and I’ve been obsessed since. I judge a bar by the quality of the old fashioneds they serve.

26. One day, I’d like to learn how to garden. I want to grow my own food. I love cooking and think it’s a logical step!

27. I used to be a professional poker player. I funded a lot of my original trip with poker winnings and lived in Amsterdam for a few months playing “professionally” at the casino in the city.

28. I don’t eat sweets. Maybe once a year I’ll have a cookie or brownie but, for the most part, I don’t do desserts or sweets as I don’t like all the sugar.

29. I have a new book coming out in July (you can pre-order it now!). It’s about my ten years on the road. More details next month!

30. When I’m working, I’ll often play one song on repeat over and over again. It helps me focus because it ends up just being white noise. As I write this post, I’ve been listening to Sweet Annie by Zach Brown Band on repeat for the last two hours.

31. I don’t have a favorite color. I have two. Blue and green!

32. In 2019, I want to take up more hobbies. I want to swing dance more, learn French, take some cooking classes, and try to learn how to play the piano. If I do two of those things, I’ll consider it a successful year.

***

There you have it! Some fun facts about me. Now, you’re turn. Tell me about yourself in the comments below.

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel save money, get off the beaten path, and have a more local, richer travel experiences.

Click here to learn more about the book, how it can help you, and you can start reading it today!      

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!

The post 32 Random Facts About Me appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/20-random-facts-about-me/

[tamboradventure]

32 Random Facts About Me

Updated: 02/13/2019 | February 13th, 2019

A few weeks ago I mentioned that this year I wanted to make the website more personal.

Back in 2011, I wrote this post featuring some personal facts about my life. It was a window into non-travel me. Well, that was a loooooong time ago. Life changes. People change.

So I thought one way to make this website more personal was to resurrect this long forgotten post and share a window into the current non-travel me.

So let’s kick off 2011 2019 with some random facts about me and my life:

1. I hate flying. I love airports, lounges, and elite status, but the act of flying makes me sick. I don’t like heights and any turbulence makes me think the plane is about to crash. I’m not a good flier. (Ironic considering how often I fly!)

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Pinky and the Brain. I even had a T-shirt collection. I also had one of those bowl haircuts, but I prefer to forget about that fact.

3. I never traveled independently until I went to Costa Rica at age 23. My travel experiences up until then were a series of road trips with my parents and a drunken weekend in Montréal when I was 19. (I also never went west of the Mississippi until I was 25.)

4. When I was younger, I wanted to be an archaeologist because of Indiana Jones.

5. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Costa Rica. It was so bad that I had to be hospitalized for three days and put on a morphine drip.

6. I went to college to be a high school history teacher. I’m still technically certified to teach high school history.

7. I am a really good cook. I don’t cook much on the road because I hate how hostel kitchens aren’t fully stocked and everyone crowds them at the same time, but once in a while, I like to cook a massive meal for my fellow travelers.

8. I used to be a vegetarian. After reading Fast Food Nation, I decided to give up meat and was a vegetarian for four years. It wasn’t eating meat I was against, but rather industrial farming and the chemicals/antibiotics in the meat that I didn’t like. I gave up vegetarianism when I started to travel.

9. I think it’s rude to turn down food in other cultures. If you go to a village in Mongolia and you are given food, it’s insulting to refuse. “Sorry, your traditional and heartfelt cooking doesn’t go with my dietary needs.” It’s culturally insensitive. But that’s a rant for another post.

10. I’m a huge fan of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz. It’s way better than any of the pop music out there.

11. If I could ever pick what time period I could live in, I’d pick 1920s Prohibition America. I think that would be an exciting time to live in. But maybe I’ve just read The Great Gatsby too much.

12. Speaking of Gatsby, I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party. I did it for three years in a row. They were epic birthday parties.

12. I am intensely political. After travel, politics is my second love. I live and breathe politics, and it is the only news I keep up with while traveling. I am always ready to discuss and debate the world any time of the day and with anyone, no matter how well I know them.

13. I co-own a hostel in Austin, Texas called HK Austin. You should come stay there!

14. I don’t have a burning desire to visit most Middle Eastern countries. There are parts I want to / have visited (Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Oman) but, as a whole, the area is low on my list of places to visit.

15. People always ask will I do this forever? My answer: I don’t know. Forever is a long time. I’d like to travel for the next few years, but who can say what the future holds and where it will take us? For now, I’m enjoying the ride and see no reason to hang up my backpack just yet.

16. I’ve been to over 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts. I’m a super fan.

17. I’m a Japanophile. I love everything about the culture: the food, the history, the etiquette, the landscape, the architecture — all of it. I would eat sushi every day if I could.

18. I’m a workaholic. Maybe because I grew up in New England, I have the Puritan work ethic, and if I don’t have work to do, I think something is wrong and create work for myself. Ideal hands are the Devil’s playground!

19. I decided to travel after meeting five backpackers in a shared taxi while on vacation in Thailand. I was so amazed at what they were doing that the next day I decided to quit my job. They were two Australians, a Canadian, and a Belgian couple. They changed the course of my life and have no idea.

20. I’m an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Not only do I think she’s an incredible businesswoman and marketer, but I also love her cheesy pop songs.

21. I’m also a huge fan of Sia. Incredible songstress and writer.

22. I don’t play any sports nor know anything about them. I couldn’t think of anything more boring than going to a sporting event. In fact, I once fell asleep at a hockey match.

23. I don’t drink coffee. It tastes like shit to me. And I don’t want to put added sugar or milk (or soy milk) in my cup of joe. Drinks should be able to stand on their own! Nothing is going to change my opinion on this. I’ve tried for years to acquire a taste for it. It’s just not going to happen.

24. I drink tea. Lots of it. Especially green tea. That’s my drink of choice!

25. My alcoholic drink of choice is an old fashioned. A few years ago, a few friends turned me onto whiskey and I’ve been obsessed since. I judge a bar by the quality of the old fashioneds they serve.

26. One day, I’d like to learn how to garden. I want to grow my own food. I love cooking and think it’s a logical step!

27. I used to be a professional poker player. I funded a lot of my original trip with poker winnings and lived in Amsterdam for a few months playing “professionally” at the casino in the city.

28. I don’t eat sweets. Maybe once a year I’ll have a cookie or brownie but, for the most part, I don’t do desserts or sweets as I don’t like all the sugar.

29. I have a new book coming out in July (you can pre-order it now!). It’s about my ten years on the road. More details next month!

30. When I’m working, I’ll often play one song on repeat over and over again. It helps me focus because it ends up just being white noise. As I write this post, I’ve been listening to Sweet Annie by Zach Brown Band on repeat for the last two hours.

31. I don’t have a favorite color. I have two. Blue and green!

32. In 2019, I want to take up more hobbies. I want to swing dance more, learn French, take some cooking classes, and try to learn how to play the piano. If I do two of those things, I’ll consider it a successful year.

***

There you have it! Some fun facts about me. Now, you’re turn. Tell me about yourself in the comments below.

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel save money, get off the beaten path, and have a more local, richer travel experiences.

Click here to learn more about the book, how it can help you, and you can start reading it today!      

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!

The post 32 Random Facts About Me appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site http://bit.ly/2w7wzlr via IFTTT

[melissagarcia8]

32 Random Facts About Me

Updated: 02/13/2019 | February 13th, 2019

A few weeks ago I mentioned that this year I wanted to make the website more personal.

Back in 2011, I wrote this post featuring some personal facts about my life. It was a window into non-travel me. Well, that was a loooooong time ago. Life changes. People change.

So I thought one way to make this website more personal was to resurrect this long forgotten post and share a window into the current non-travel me.

So let’s kick off 2011 2019 with some random facts about me and my life:

1. I hate flying. I love airports, lounges, and elite status, but the act of flying makes me sick. I don’t like heights and any turbulence makes me think the plane is about to crash. I’m not a good flier. (Ironic considering how often I fly!)

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Pinky and the Brain. I even had a T-shirt collection. I also had one of those bowl haircuts, but I prefer to forget about that fact.

3. I never traveled independently until I went to Costa Rica at age 23. My travel experiences up until then were a series of road trips with my parents and a drunken weekend in Montréal when I was 19. (I also never went west of the Mississippi until I was 25.)

4. When I was younger, I wanted to be an archaeologist because of Indiana Jones.

5. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Costa Rica. It was so bad that I had to be hospitalized for three days and put on a morphine drip.

6. I went to college to be a high school history teacher. I’m still technically certified to teach high school history.

7. I am a really good cook. I don’t cook much on the road because I hate how hostel kitchens aren’t fully stocked and everyone crowds them at the same time, but once in a while, I like to cook a massive meal for my fellow travelers.

8. I used to be a vegetarian. After reading Fast Food Nation, I decided to give up meat and was a vegetarian for four years. It wasn’t eating meat I was against, but rather industrial farming and the chemicals/antibiotics in the meat that I didn’t like. I gave up vegetarianism when I started to travel.

9. I think it’s rude to turn down food in other cultures. If you go to a village in Mongolia and you are given food, it’s insulting to refuse. “Sorry, your traditional and heartfelt cooking doesn’t go with my dietary needs.” It’s culturally insensitive. But that’s a rant for another post.

10. I’m a huge fan of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz. It’s way better than any of the pop music out there.

11. If I could ever pick what time period I could live in, I’d pick 1920s Prohibition America. I think that would be an exciting time to live in. But maybe I’ve just read The Great Gatsby too much.

12. Speaking of Gatsby, I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party. I did it for three years in a row. They were epic birthday parties.

12. I am intensely political. After travel, politics is my second love. I live and breathe politics, and it is the only news I keep up with while traveling. I am always ready to discuss and debate the world any time of the day and with anyone, no matter how well I know them.

13. I co-own a hostel in Austin, Texas called HK Austin. You should come stay there!

14. I don’t have a burning desire to visit most Middle Eastern countries. There are parts I want to / have visited (Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Oman) but, as a whole, the area is low on my list of places to visit.

15. People always ask will I do this forever? My answer: I don’t know. Forever is a long time. I’d like to travel for the next few years, but who can say what the future holds and where it will take us? For now, I’m enjoying the ride and see no reason to hang up my backpack just yet.

16. I’ve been to over 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts. I’m a super fan.

17. I’m a Japanophile. I love everything about the culture: the food, the history, the etiquette, the landscape, the architecture — all of it. I would eat sushi every day if I could.

18. I’m a workaholic. Maybe because I grew up in New England, I have the Puritan work ethic, and if I don’t have work to do, I think something is wrong and create work for myself. Ideal hands are the Devil’s playground!

19. I decided to travel after meeting five backpackers in a shared taxi while on vacation in Thailand. I was so amazed at what they were doing that the next day I decided to quit my job. They were two Australians, a Canadian, and a Belgian couple. They changed the course of my life and have no idea.

20. I’m an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Not only do I think she’s an incredible businesswoman and marketer, but I also love her cheesy pop songs.

21. I’m also a huge fan of Sia. Incredible songstress and writer.

22. I don’t play any sports nor know anything about them. I couldn’t think of anything more boring than going to a sporting event. In fact, I once fell asleep at a hockey match.

23. I don’t drink coffee. It tastes like shit to me. And I don’t want to put added sugar or milk (or soy milk) in my cup of joe. Drinks should be able to stand on their own! Nothing is going to change my opinion on this. I’ve tried for years to acquire a taste for it. It’s just not going to happen.

24. I drink tea. Lots of it. Especially green tea. That’s my drink of choice!

25. My alcoholic drink of choice is an old fashioned. A few years ago, a few friends turned me onto whiskey and I’ve been obsessed since. I judge a bar by the quality of the old fashioneds they serve.

26. One day, I’d like to learn how to garden. I want to grow my own food. I love cooking and think it’s a logical step!

27. I used to be a professional poker player. I funded a lot of my original trip with poker winnings and lived in Amsterdam for a few months playing “professionally” at the casino in the city.

28. I don’t eat sweets. Maybe once a year I’ll have a cookie or brownie but, for the most part, I don’t do desserts or sweets as I don’t like all the sugar.

29. I have a new book coming out in July (you can pre-order it now!). It’s about my ten years on the road. More details next month!

30. When I’m working, I’ll often play one song on repeat over and over again. It helps me focus because it ends up just being white noise. As I write this post, I’ve been listening to Sweet Annie by Zach Brown Band on repeat for the last two hours.

31. I don’t have a favorite color. I have two. Blue and green!

32. In 2019, I want to take up more hobbies. I want to swing dance more, learn French, take some cooking classes, and try to learn how to play the piano. If I do two of those things, I’ll consider it a successful year.

***

There you have it! Some fun facts about me. Now, you’re turn. Tell me about yourself in the comments below.

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

My New York Times best-selling paperback guide to world travel will teach you how to master the art of travel save money, get off the beaten path, and have a more local, richer travel experiences.

Click here to learn more about the book, how it can help you, and you can start reading it today!      

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!

The post 32 Random Facts About Me appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/20-random-facts-about-me/

[vidovicart]

32 Random Facts About Me

Updated: 02/13/2019 | February 13th, 2019

A few weeks ago I mentioned that this year I wanted to make the website more personal.

Back in 2011, I wrote this post featuring some personal facts about my life. It was a window into non-travel me. Well, that was a loooooong time ago. Life changes. People change.

So I thought one way to make this website more personal was to resurrect this long forgotten post and share a window into the current non-travel me.

So let’s kick off 2011 2019 with some random facts about me and my life:

1. I hate flying. I love airports, lounges, and elite status, but the act of flying makes me sick. I don’t like heights and any turbulence makes me think the plane is about to crash. I’m not a good flier. (Ironic considering how often I fly!)

2. When I was younger, I was obsessed with Pinky and the Brain. I even had a T-shirt collection. I also had one of those bowl haircuts, but I prefer to forget about that fact.

3. I never traveled independently until I went to Costa Rica at age 23. My travel experiences up until then were a series of road trips with my parents and a drunken weekend in Montréal when I was 19. (I also never went west of the Mississippi until I was 25.)

4. When I was younger, I wanted to be an archaeologist because of Indiana Jones.

5. I got really bad food poisoning when I was in Costa Rica. It was so bad that I had to be hospitalized for three days and put on a morphine drip.

6. I went to college to be a high school history teacher. I’m still technically certified to teach high school history.

7. I am a really good cook. I don’t cook much on the road because I hate how hostel kitchens aren’t fully stocked and everyone crowds them at the same time, but once in a while, I like to cook a massive meal for my fellow travelers.

8. I used to be a vegetarian. After reading Fast Food Nation, I decided to give up meat and was a vegetarian for four years. It wasn’t eating meat I was against, but rather industrial farming and the chemicals/antibiotics in the meat that I didn’t like. I gave up vegetarianism when I started to travel.

9. I think it’s rude to turn down food in other cultures. If you go to a village in Mongolia and you are given food, it’s insulting to refuse. “Sorry, your traditional and heartfelt cooking doesn’t go with my dietary needs.” It’s culturally insensitive. But that’s a rant for another post.

10. I’m a huge fan of soul, Motown, blues, and jazz. It’s way better than any of the pop music out there.

11. If I could ever pick what time period I could live in, I’d pick 1920s Prohibition America. I think that would be an exciting time to live in. But maybe I’ve just read The Great Gatsby too much.

12. Speaking of Gatsby, I learned to swing dance so I could throw myself a Gatsby-themed birthday party. I did it for three years in a row. They were epic birthday parties.

12. I am intensely political. After travel, politics is my second love. I live and breathe politics, and it is the only news I keep up with while traveling. I am always ready to discuss and debate the world any time of the day and with anyone, no matter how well I know them.

13. I co-own a hostel in Austin, Texas called HK Austin. You should come stay there!

14. I don’t have a burning desire to visit most Middle Eastern countries. There are parts I want to / have visited (Dubai, Jordan, Israel, Qatar, Oman) but, as a whole, the area is low on my list of places to visit.

15. People always ask will I do this forever? My answer: I don’t know. Forever is a long time. I’d like to travel for the next few years, but who can say what the future holds and where it will take us? For now, I’m enjoying the ride and see no reason to hang up my backpack just yet.

16. I’ve been to over 30 Dave Matthews Band concerts. I’m a super fan.

17. I’m a Japanophile. I love everything about the culture: the food, the history, the etiquette, the landscape, the architecture — all of it. I would eat sushi every day if I could.

18. I’m a workaholic. Maybe because I grew up in New England, I have the Puritan work ethic, and if I don’t have work to do, I think something is wrong and create work for myself. Ideal hands are the Devil’s playground!

19. I decided to travel after meeting five backpackers in a shared taxi while on vacation in Thailand. I was so amazed at what they were doing that the next day I decided to quit my job. They were two Australians, a Canadian, and a Belgian couple. They changed the course of my life and have no idea.

20. I’m an unabashed Taylor Swift fan. Not only do I think she’s an incredible businesswoman and marketer, but I also love her cheesy pop songs.

21. I’m also a huge fan of Sia. Incredible songstress and writer.

22. I don’t play any sports nor know anything about them. I couldn’t think of anything more boring than going to a sporting event. In fact, I once fell asleep at a hockey match.

23. I don’t drink coffee. It tastes like shit to me. And I don’t want to put added sugar or milk (or soy milk) in my cup of joe. Drinks should be able to stand on their own! Nothing is going to change my opinion on this. I’ve tried for years to acquire a taste for it. It’s just not going to happen.

24. I drink tea. Lots of it. Especially green tea. That’s my drink of choice!

25. My alcoholic drink of choice is an old fashioned. A few years ago, a few friends turned me onto whiskey and I’ve been obsessed since. I judge a bar by the quality of the old fashioneds they serve.

26. One day, I’d like to learn how to garden. I want to grow my own food. I love cooking and think it’s a logical step!

27. I used to be a professional poker player. I funded a lot of my original trip with poker winnings and lived in Amsterdam for a few months playing “professionally” at the casino in the city.

28. I don’t eat sweets. Maybe once a year I’ll have a cookie or brownie but, for the most part, I don’t do desserts or sweets as I don’t like all the sugar.

29. I have a new book coming out in July (you can pre-order it now!). It’s about my ten years on the road. More details next month!

30. When I’m working, I’ll often play one song on repeat over and over again. It helps me focus because it ends up just being white noise. As I write this post, I’ve been listening to Sweet Annie by Zach Brown Band on repeat for the last two hours.

31. I don’t have a favorite color. I have two. Blue and green!

32. In 2019, I want to take up more hobbies. I want to swing dance more, learn French, take some cooking classes, and try to learn how to play the piano. If I do two of those things, I’ll consider it a successful year.

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There you have it! Some fun facts about me. Now, you’re turn. Tell me about yourself in the comments below.

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Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!

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