#rocky-shat!

[fizzywashere87]

hehehe 🥰

@fluffyr0cky

i see you on my blog 😁🥰

[gorebonk]

me vs roblox free draw but at least I got a Frankie out of it

[arceus-insanity]

A Moral Scapegoat for who?

All For One is a shit character, he is presented as a massive threat, but we never see him get a win, similar to the dissonance between the All Might we see and the context in universe.

And in the end, he becomes a moral scapegoat... for the heroes.

What is a moral scapegoat?

A moral scapegoat is (usually) a character used to excuse the actions of other characters or a system. Character A may have done XYZ but Character B was the one manipulating them and/ or is so much worse, so we can excuse A's actions. Or helping defeat B acts as pence for their past actions. Etc. And to a degree it makes sense, getting people to believe a character has changed and should now be considered good both by the characters and the audience is hard. So having some bigger bad to blame takes the pressure off the desired character(s).

While the term is typically only brought up negatively, like the use of Mary&Gary Sues, there are good ones. Commander Zhao in Avatar of the Last Airbender is an early moral scapegoat, used to say yeah Prince Zuko may suck, but there are a lot worse out there. My Little Pony Friendship is Magic has a moral scapegoat, right in the pilot, Nightmare Moon for Princess Luna, sure Nightmare came from Luna but it is presented as a curse, something that was cured, fixed. The Hobbit uses Dragon Sickness as a way to both corrupt and excuse King Thorin's actions when they have retaken the mountain; he is not in his right mind, and shouldn't be considered solely responsible for his actions

In certain ways, Pink Diamond (due to the audience learning her arc in reverse, when it has such an effect on the plot of Steven Universe) is a scapegoat for the remaining Diamonds, even though it makes a lot less sense for her to be the scapegoat when considering the actual sequence of events in universe. And while most people don't think Pink/Rose's actions excuse the Diamonds (especially White), she does work with Spinel. Another rocky moral scapegoat is Horad Prime from She-ra & The Princesses of Power, he is the big bad of the show and is meant to be a scapegoat primarily for Horadak who was the previous big bad, and mildly a scapegoat for Catra. The big problems with his sacrificial slaughter is that there isn't enough time to really settle in that this is the true big bad, and both Horadak and Catra's issues were both way more on screen and show up well before we ever hear of Hoard Prime, with them operating separately.

And All For One is a worst example of all of them (that I mentioned)

For starters the more we saw of him the less ultimate intimidating evil he portrayed, nor did we get a satisfying he was actually pretty pathetic. Really trying to have your cake and eat it too. Looking back he's very cartoonishly evil, but lacks the presence, he's boring. I've seen many good portrayals of him in the fandom, but canon is just boring. His background of miscellaneous evil deeds, don't really go into how they were evil, just that Yoichi (& AFO) clearly believes them to be, both come across as very childish to me, seeing the world as black & white.

He lacks the moral complexity of complex villains (like Magneto), meant to be an ambitiously evil man, whose evil for the sack of being evil. But he lacks the presence found in Classic evil Disney characters like Jafar, Clayton, and Ursala. In a way he's like King Magnifico (from Wish, the only recent hated animated Disney movie, that I agree deserves to be shat on), trying to have both but failing to capture either

In the present, he has little involvement on screen, and once he's out of the picture, Shigaraki (& the League) really bloom as villains and characters. The story could have had a slow realization (for Shigaraki, the League and the audience) that he was holding the League back, and that meant either he was nowhere near as competent as he was portrayed, or he wasn't actually helping Shigaraki, setting up for the body suit plan

But my biggest issue is who he's the sacrificial goat for.

And who is he the scapegoat for? The fucking Heroes and their shit-ass society, including the H PSC crap.

The ending reveal that he was behind everything that happened to Tenko, from him being born, his name, the kids he chose to play with, the issues with his quirk, and only having him; fails. It doesn't work! Mainly because of what that scene ignored the walk, and the complicity of the family. It ignored that the family were directly ignoring that Tenko was being abused, trying to placate him after the fact. It ignores that Kotaro Shimura chose to follow his friends advice, over his wife too. It ignores that even though AFO would have killed anyone who tried to help Tenko, no one tried. It also doesn't make sense either, normal kids are shit actors, not to mention Tenko was the one to reach out to them, not the other way around. And with the sheer amount of heroes, and cops, and regular citizens, how was it literally no one tried to help him, it's not AFO.

What else does it ignore, oh yeah, Tenko isn't truly unique in having a tragic backstory. Sure he was planning on taking advantage of the Endeavor's awful legacy plan, but we never see that AFO has done anything before kidnapping Touya. It's implied that he helped stroked Heteromorphic discrimination for his own gain, but that doesn't change that Spinner had pesticides thrown in his face, by 'innocent' civilians, that Shoji was mutilated as a child, for saving a child, by 'innocent' civilians, that the Ordinary Lady was attacked and denied shelter in the middle of an active warzone, by 'innocent' civilians. Himiko's abuse was enabled and furthered by quirk counselling, we don't even get a he was secretly to blame all along for this one. The commission has assassins, ignore. The homeless have to resort to villainy to survive, ignore. Once someone is considered out they are abused by this society until they have to lash out, ignore. The big bad was taken down, so nothing has to be done about these systemic issues, cause the heroes say so

There's a pattern, he was only able to do this, because the society he was in was already doing it.

And AFO being a moral scapegoat could of worked.

IF the Hero Public Safety Commission was similarly a scapegoat.

To begin, AFO should have been the scapegoat for the League, and the villains as a whole. The heroes would instead have the HPSC as their scapegoat.

Hawks should not have been made president of the totally different PSC, not only is he a known murderer, he doesn't regret it, he has never criticized the Commission's (or any other hero's) actions. If he's not going to see the issues, and hypocrisy right in front of him, he shouldn't have any role at all in it, and a very small one if he does recognize them. Giving this to Hawks screams nothing is actually going to be fixed, any changes are going to be for the worse.

Going into the final Deku vs Shigaraki battle, as well as the dreamscape crap, I had hope in this series. I thought that Deku would finally be forced to have the long over reality check of the Villains are right, what are you going to do about it. So instead of hyper-focusing on one tiny moment that with any and I do mean any additional context would show that it's not just this tiny shit moment. Rather than murdering Tomura for not abandoning the League (the same reason Hawks murdered Twice), have Deku convince Tomura that they can make a better society. That Deku's peaceful(ish) method is what's better for the League we have seen he loves.

From there they could have come up with a deal where either (these are simplified) everyone is held accountable for their past actions (as in the villains, Endeavor, Hawks, the Commission, everyone responsible for the sky coffin, etc). Or the clock is restarted, and everyone is hence forth held to the same standard. The villains are around to make sure the actual issues to their problems are dealt with, hint; Himiko's problem wasn't lack of access to quirk counselling. Happy satisfying ending for everyone

[overtake]

thank you for that gifset because i think about the fact that professional driver 3 time formula 1 world champion max verstappen has said before that he doesn’t mind not driving if he knows the person who drives him is capable (he gave his sister as an example, even said she could go too fast) when in a road car, and how daniel likes to show off and be helpful, literally 24/7. max is the ideal passenger princess for daniel because he wouldn’t even insist on playing his own music he’d just go along with whatever daniel wanted 😭😭

Daniel said to Max in this video "You're a good passenger! I would've shat myself" when he's just going crazy in this car on a wet track, but look at Max down here, having the time of his life, so comfortable and confident in Daniel's abilities and never trying to make Daniel stop or tell him what to do.

(And, despite what Daniel said about how he would've shat himself, he was so unbothered in the video where Max did the driving and raced the other car on rocky, dusty roads).

And, to steal vital tags from @blamemma ...

#the strongest juxtaposition of daniel constantly being the passenger princess #doesn't necessarily like to drive on normal roads #gets driven to the track by other people #let his mate do most of the driving on the road trip video #prefers to be in the passenger seat #aux cord his responsibility #but YET everytime they do one of these #he takes responsibility #drives max around #feels somewhat....protective....familiar....endearing...

(And of course, like you said, the music would still remain Daniel's responsibility - making it a perfect match - because Max could probably do a full road trip in straight silence. His mind is a terrifying place. I haven't slept right since he said he runs without music.)

[ratgirlcopia]

long rant about why i dislike the cape fear-inspired poster. mentions of rape, discussion of transmisogynistic caricatures in media, and discussion of transmisogynistic violence.

so i think the cape fear poster sucks, i'm not gonna sugarcoat it. aesthetically it's fine but the movie is like...well. worst-case scenario, i fear we're going back into the pit of jesus he knows me and digging further down. it's hard balancing my genuine excitement for new ghost stuff with the reality that it has Quite Recently with jhkm peddled something as comically regressive as "here's the only guy in our extended universe who actually fucks men; he's also the most unsympathetic shithead we have" while courting an audience of lgbt people. it's not a pleasant thing, and it doesn't encourage me to read into other eyebrow-raising stuff in good faith.

and now we have the cape fear reference. if you have not seen the movie, it doesn't really matter. the antagonist is a rapist stalking the family of the lawyer who he blames for the sentence he got. around the third act, he breaks into the family's house and murders their housekeeper, then puts on her clothes. a cop at the house mistakes the rapist for the housekeeper, and is then murdered. really just a textbook and heinous kind of hollywood transmisogyny. man in dress = bad, dangerous, violence is imminent. as always.

naturally, it's upsetting to me when i have to think about an example of a violent transmisogynistic caricature in media at the same time i am thinking about something i really enjoy. it doesn't even matter that i enjoy ghost as a trans person. it matters that, in general, trans people and cis people are extremely desensitized to transmisogyny in media and often don't think about it at all. i'm upset not as a trans person, but as someone who hates what transmisogynistic caricatures in media have done to the way trans women are treated.

many people do not think about transmisogyny in the media they enjoy, or else don't register it as transmisogyny even if they themselves are trans. trans women are disproportionately shat on by society as a whole and also within the trans community. it is so easy to ignore transmisogyny when it's in front of us, and it's in front of us constantly. how many times can you remember watching or reading something in which a man in women's clothes is a murderer, is murdered, or is just laughed at?

a lot of people love everything everywhere all at once. it's a beautiful movie. it also contains a scene in which a man's clothes are transformed into a salsa dancer's dress right before he's shot.

a lot of people love rocky horror. its creator is a well-documented transmisogynist (read as: publicly agrees with prominent british terfs about what a woman is). believe it or not, i think that shows in the work a bit.

the silence of the lambs is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, and it features one of the worst transmisogynistic caricatures ever put to screen. it has also been referenced once in the cirice single cover art, once in chapter 12, and at least once by forge in an interview.

almost any mainstream television show that ran for more than a season or two will contain at least one blatant instance of transmisogyny. it is deeply, deeply ingrained in media and society, and it continues to be reinforced over and over again. it is the repeated, consistent effort to strip trans women of their womanhood and humanity to ensure that we only see them as men in dresses who murder, are murdered, or are objects of ridicule.

i have not mentioned ghost in a few paragraphs. i don't really know how to mention ghost in this context, because i don't know where things are going. too often, there are creators, politicians, public figures, etc. who support trans people, but still have a ton of blind spots in terms of transmisogyny. sometimes it's not malicious, and it's just a result of not realizing the impact things have, or what that one gag in a movie is really trying to make you internalize.

at a certain point, though, i think consistently "just not thinking about it" becomes indistinguishable from malice.

i don't feel good about the poster and what it evokes for me when i think of that movie. i'm certainly not condemning anyone for something that hasn't even happened yet re: actual ghost plot developments. but i think it's important to actually say it when something is transmisogynistic or references something with those elements.

i tend to give forge a lot of credit because i enjoy what he does. but he's just some guy, and i still think he can do better with a lot of stuff. i think most people, generally, can do better. i don't know what the poster implies about what's coming next. but that movie does chip away a little bit more at my confidence in ghost.

should it? i don't know. the scene in cape fear is under two minutes long. the scene in everything everywhere all at once is under ten seconds. silence of the lambs' transmisogyny is very nearly its defining feature. i'd feel very differently about ghost making some of those references over others, but they all have it. you'd rather have less lead in your tap water than more, but at the end of the day, there's still lead in your tap water and most people are ignoring it.

so even if the poster's not that deep, the omnipresence of transmisogyny in media and society definitely is, and i find that really, really depressing. and if you got anything out of this post, it might as well be that.

[moonscape]

Sending my evil influence to give you the floor to say why you hate USUM

okay so i do want to give a disclaimer that i haven't beaten either sm or usum since they released. i feel like my memory on them is still good enough to say my piece but just keep in mind that i may be wrong about some details and i can own up to that if i am.

since we're talking about sm and usum cw for parental abuse towards children

okay i will say upfront that i do think in terms of gameplay i fully admit that usum is superior. a lot of the stuff it added doesn't really apply to me (i only use pokemon that were introduced in that generation so usum's expanded pokedex is for the most part meaningless to me, and it kinda annoyed me how i was forced to play mantine surf to get to akala when i just wanted to get there immediately). the options are still nice to have, they just didn't add much to my personal experience, which is why i'm mostly coming at this from a story perspective. the ultra wormhole stuff was fucking awesome though i loved that.

so: sm. while i wouldn't say its depiction of abuse was perfect (lusamine was forgiven way too easily imo) i still appreciate the way it came at it. the nihilego poison was a reason behind lusamine's actions, but it didn't excuse them. lillie still got to give her amazing speech to her mother about how children aren't just dolls and gladion is a little more on the fence about it iirc, so there were at least still some repercussions for lusamine in that regard. it's a story that hit very hard at the time of release because while my mom isn't abusive, our relationship was very rocky when i was 16, so sm was very cathartic for me. i'd imagine it'd still resonate deeply with me to this day if i were to replay it even though our relationship has improved since then.

so the tldr of that is that sm had a slightly flawed but still brilliant portrayal of familial abuse that blended in very well with the overall theme of different family dynamics (also shown through guzma/team skull in general, hau and his grandfather, etc.)

so usum just completely shat all over that with how they handled the aether family.

it's like genuinely pretty offensive to me with how lusamine's abuse was portrayed here. she's not under any sort of influence because of nihilego here, she's just naturally very nasty and cruel to her children. lillie doesn't get to give her her speech and gladion literally says something along the lines of "she's not so bad because she's our mother." LIKE WHAT!!!!!! you take away the understandable (but not justifiable) reasoning as to why she was cruel in sm so that she's just always horrible and then take away the few repercussions she faces to have her be excused entirely??? this just feels like abuse apologism. it leaves such an icky taste in my mouth. and derailing into the anime for a quick second here, that also had a weird portrayal of lusamine too. i wouldn't say it was as bad as it is in usum, since it did ultimately stick closer to sm, but it was just sort of weird with them making lusamine's main issue be that she's just sort of overbearing and making faba into the real villain (who also gets let off with a slap on the wrist despite being responsible for the trauma lillie held on to for years).

like that's the main reason why i can't go back to usum over sm. i just feel gross playing it.

and to be fair, this game did do guzma and hau better in terms of writing, but why did it have to portray the aether family in that way as well. i don't even really remember what they did with hau aside from making him the final battle (and tbh i felt like kukui was still a better final boss. i like hau, but the "rival as a champion" thing was done much more effectively in the kanto games imo.)

also rainbow rocket was dumb and cringe and i never even bothered finishing it. to this day (aside from bdsp because i didn't play that) it's the only postgame pokemon story i haven't beaten. i tolerated fucking sordward and sheilbert but not this. also i heard that ghetsis physically shoves lillie to the ground in his section and i genuinely need him to die for it. and worst of all they took hot archie away from us 😔

like i won't deny that usum added a lot of neat features and sidequests that made alola feel more alive (and i already loved alola in sm) but i cannot for the life of me get past how gross the story makes me feel.

[shinyshade8026]

AWRRGGFFT SHATS THE PLUSHIES NAMES

HHEHnda

She named the rabbit Rocky Road (It had a diff name but I like this better)

and the Crocodile is Snapper!

[jegibbs]

Divorced Pope Isn't Gerbils Who Shat Existentialism.

The pope sent me a dick pic/now I am considering converting to veganism/ isn't that what Rocky IV was about/ I don't remember/ watching too many informercials on existentialism.

I had a gerbils once/ is that why I am a divorced dad with no children? Did you know I once was a child/ nether did I/ you couldn't believe the horror on my face when I found out/ I still jerk off to nightmares.

I want to eat meat/ but Tinder says I am outdated/ like the pope/ who shat in the woods on my gerbils grave/ I blame Uber.

[weywookitswestwood]

you getting tricked into eating alligator

😔🤝😔

me getting tricked into eating prairie oysters

OML IM SO SORRY- I first I thought you meant literal oysters until I looked them up on Wikipedia and realized they’re the same as Rocky Mountain Oysters and I almost shat myself😭😭

[fizzywashere87]

You should totally message me whenever your requests are back open

(I have requests hehe)

HI :D

we were on tumblr the same time so now we're also connected :D

you can always shit in requests pookie because you're my moot <333

[elysian-noctuary]

Some stuff to bring up

My activity will be pretty slow for now. With stuff I have previously mentioned, it has gotten more rocky. With my current situation, I'm overworked to say the absolute least. I'm now full time, in pain every single night I get back from work, and expected to keep this house clean as my roommate does nothing.

"But Riley! They're disabled!" So am I (to some extent). My feet are constantly on the verge of flare-ups and could send me to the hospital if I'm on them for too long. I'm still dealing with injury flare-ups from procedures I've had done to correct issues with my feet. Sure, I'm not wheelchair bound, but that doesn't mean I'm not in pain daily either. It has been a constant thing for me since I was 10 years old.

But do I get a break from that? Nope 💖. They cried to me how I never cook for them. When 1) never was taught to cook because reasons. 2) I work late and... can't fucking stand after work 90% of the time unless I want to risk getting sent to the hospital. But that doesn't matter 😊

I bring up that I'm paying for their bills, on top of my own, AND helping my mom since she had a cancer scare, AND she has no money due to the fact that my POS "father" took all of her money. So I'm essentially helping pay for my bills, their bills, some stuff for my mom so she doesn't go homeless.

What am I met with when I tell my roommate it's not fair that I'm doing all of this while they sit in their ass, playing games and getting high all day? Silence. All of my problems get thrown back in my face to only be met with "my mom's dead! My life's a wreck! My anxiety is so bad!!! I ruin everything!!!"

But when I tell them to look for a job that's accommodating... suddenly it's "no one wants to hire the ADHD cripple" as they say. Yet... Have had jobs for years. While having ADHD and their back problems.

It's become very apparent that my only use here is to be their wallet and live-in maid. I'm tired. And I don't get a break. I'm constantly shat on for trying to get help from my current roommate, but only met with backlash and made to be the bad guy. Always. No matter what I say.

But anyway

If you want to talk more, I'm more than happy to do you my discord. I'm way more active there in terms of just talking since my brains fried like 98% of the time now 🤷

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, February 16

BUFFY: I can't let you do it, Faith. FAITH: You're confused, Twinkie. (smiles ironically) Let me clear you up. (points at Angel) Vampire. (points at herself) Slayer. (points at Angel again) Dead vampire. BUFFY: There's a lot that you don't understand.

~~Revelations~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

The Other Malfoy Part One by Zorak23 (Fang Four, Harry Potter xover, T)

Hands Off by MillennialCryBaby (Buffy/Spike, E)

Aflame by HollyDB (Buffy/Spike, E)

The Transition by TheRealJeanGenie (Buffy/Spike, T)

Hot Knife by Lady Emma (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Soul Connections - Ch. 3 by decapiitare (Wesley/OC, Cordelia/OC, G)

The Key To Being Buffy - Ch. 1 - 4 by BlueZeroZeroOne (Buffy, Dawn, Stargate xover, M)

Things Change - Ch. 1 - 9 by Bacner (Faith, multiple crossovers, G) COMPLETE!

cat-to-cat communication - Ch. 3 by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Jenny/Giles, T) COMPLETE!

What the hell is a Bothy? - Ch. 8 by Alwaysandforevermylove (Buffy/Faith, Killing Eve xover, E) COMPLETE!

Who Shat on the Floor at My Sister's Wedding? - Ch. 15 by thoughtsofahouseplant (Buffy/Spike, T) COMPLETE!

The Slayer and her Watcher - Ch. 2 by margoteve (Giles, Buffy, T) COMPLETE!

Initiation - Ch. 24 by Jaspergirl (old_fashioned_gal) (Tara/Willow, Giles/Ethan, T) COMPLETE!

The Rocky Road to Dublin - Ch.1 by fortes775 (Buffy/Spike, R)

I Violently Dislike You - Ch. 10 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Spiderwebs - Ch. 10 by Willow25 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Bring Him Home - Ch. 11 by acb6293 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Better the Devil You Know - Ch. 15 by SlayrGrl (Buffy/Spike, R)

where the shadow ends - Ch. 10 by disco-tea (Buffy/Spike, R)

Kaddara Hade - Ch. 18 by hostile17 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Drabbles - Ch. 16 by Hermionetobe (Buffy, Stargate xover, FR15)

The Key To Being Buffy - Ch. 4 by BlueZeroZeroOne (Buffy, Dawn, Stargate xover, FR18)

Cross Purposes 3 - Ch. 129 - The Scoobies and a Schoolgirl by DianeCastle (Buffy, multiple crossovers, FR13)

I Violently Dislike You - Ch. 10 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset: [Willow and Anya search on the computer] by starryeyesxx (Anya, Willow, worksafe)

Moodboard: coffy (cordelia x buffy) by nbshrubberry (kissing, prob worksafe)

Comic: The washing machine incident - Ch. 2 by JSBirsa (very NSFW)

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Episode 92: Out of My Mind by Myth Taken: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Podcast

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: Howls_Honey seeks missing pages for BTVS Omnibus Vol 2

[Fandom Discussions]

POLL: choose one of buffy summers' greatest hits burning... by comradesummers

I need more "Wilfred" in my life [Willow x Fred Part 1] by Almighty_Push91

They had so much potential despite the brief moments they had together [Willow x Fred Part 2] by AndrewHeard

Lilah Morgan Appreciation Post by Captainoats88

Tara Appreciation Post- S5 E12- Checkpoint ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ by Nollaf5E5

just finished season 5 [ATS] by ruckmanrules

POLL: Crack Ships Part Two [ATS] by Captainoats88

POLL: Crack Ships Part Two [BTVS] by Captainoats88

POLL: Was Buffy just as patient or lenient with Anya as she was with Angel? by Opening_Knowledge868

Okay these are now officially my favourite Buffy thing that I own. [BTVS Tarot Card Deck] by iamjimothy

Andrew's behavior post-siring in S1E05 by Tuxedo_Mark

“Go Fish” is the most filler of all filler episodes by goldenhoneyheart

If Spike had a soul in S6, would he have let Buffy use him like she did... by Ravenclaw54321

How Do We Know That Spike Can "Love"? by Ok_Creme_3640

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[thenameismylo]

America Is A Country Populated By Mean Spirited Retards -- And I'm Tired of Pretending It Isn't

I didn’t want to write this. I have a post about how I went to Rocky Horror, and I hate people. But nope America, you had to shit the bed and ya really shat it this time. You know I could have forgiven you for 2016, everyone gets a mulligan — or in your case like a couple of dozen. You know for 2020, I didn’t think Biden was the greatest choice, because I knew it would lead us to here. To use…

[loplainlointhemorning]

being called this by someone who deadass made me feel like the dumbest person in the world for not liking Sonic youth ENOUGH, and who has written essay upon essay about hating Lana Del Rey despite claiming he never writes anything negative abt his friends’ interests where they can see it is insane. like you had a breakdown when u got into asap rocky and DC comic books bc it wasn’t obscure enough. and I readily admit to liking pop music, popular films, etc. I’m very open abt how my favorite bands are really famous bands. and you’ve made fun of me for my music taste not being experimental enough before because of who I genuinely am. like how in the world could this be applied to THE nirvana fangirl, who wants to be a famous artist. “I ignore it 90% of the time” like dude you are one of the tens of people who’s readily shat on me for liking things that are “mainstream”…

[a-tale-of-2-sloths]

Day 7 - Exploring La Fortuna

Happy FriYay! Or at least I think it is?! Every day has felt like a Friday since arriving here and we’re still not quite at the half way point, but it feels like we’ve seen and done so much already! After our usual mad dash to get ready, wolf down a bit of breakfast and head out to meet out tour guide we needn’t have worried as they were running on Costa Rican time, which to be fair is the same sort of time we run on!

We received a very warm welcome from our tour guide ‘Nomal’ I’m not entirely sure that’s how it’s spelt, but everything he said came with Pura Vida, chicos and chicas and vamonos! Pura Vida (pure life) isn’t just a saying out here, it’s a way of life and one that Nomal is all about. Running a little bit late, Pura Vida! Drenched from the rain, Pura Vida! Toucan shat on your head, Pura Vida baby! Our first destination was La Fortuna Waterfall, which was a sight to behold in the heart of the jungle. We got some snaps from a view point at the top, but our path would lead us downward to the rocky pool and river that flowed from it. Some 500 hundred steps later we were there and the good folk on reception had given the green light for those stupid enough to brave the rocks and go in for a dip.

Georgie observed the few people that were battling against the current generated by the waterfall and struggling to clamber up the rocks before declaring it was time to go in. As she said ‘how often do you get to do this?!’ Well very true and in the words of Gollum ‘the icy pool is nice and cool’. Although it was quite a pleasant temperature after climbing down all those steps. We asked a german lady on our tour if she could take a few photos and I could feel G’s knees-a-knocking! Not from the cold, but the aftermath of walking down 500 steps! I can understand why the rules are to only get pictures in front of the waterfall, not under it, as it was extremely powerful and could easily trap you under the water. After a few minutes G gracefully returned to the rocks whilst I floundered around a little longer before joining her by the river on the other side of the bridge. This had a steadier flow and more people in the water along with the fish swimming up river. We had just enough time to dry off a bit and get our shoes on before it was on to the next hot spot, quite literally - the volcano. The climb back up the 500 steps wasn’t quite as enjoyable, but we had been warned by Nomal ‘back up no Pura Vida!’

Once back in our minibus we were informed that we’d be making an extra stop en route to the volcano, in the form of the shop for some snacks. The proposal was echoed with cheers, probably loudest from G and I. Even though we’d had a bit of breakfast we were ready for something to keep us going as lunch wouldn’t be for a few more hours and the walk was around 2.5km/an hour and a half there and back. Before we’d even left the car park area there was lots of excitement as a baby humming bird was flitting around a nest testing out its wings. There were some other hummingbirds too enjoying the flowers, but despite my best efforts to get a decent picture they’re simply too quick for me!

As we made our way towards the volcano base we saw another mama and baby sloth high up in the trees. G and I have been quite fortunate thus far in our sloth gazing, but some other members of our party were very excited to get a glimpse of the furry beasts! The path wound through thick forest, dense with different trees and plants. One of which has citrus leaves and is a natural repellent for mosquitos so we all had a rub! The climb up was slightly treacherous due to the occasional loose rock and mud on the trail, but it was totally worth it for the sights. You’re only allowed to climb to the base of the volcano as the top is protected land. The volcano is surrounded by rock and covered in lush green plants as far as the eye can see. What we couldn’t see was the top, as that was coated in thick grey cloud.

Nomal informed us about the times the volcano has exploded, most recently 1968 where those living nearby had no idea despite the warning signs of released gasses, earthquakes and the river reaching boiling temperatures. Unfortunately this was to their demise as they were crushed and scolded by burning rocks and lava as they slept. Despite this tale of woe, Nomal’s knowledge of the area and the volcano was very interesting particularly as his story telling involved various sound effects and lots of hand movement which certainly kept my attention! As we sat gazing out across our surroundings I thought about how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place, but also how lucky we were that it hadn’t rained since arriving. However our luck was about to run out as the tropical heavens opened just as we got off the super rocky path and on to the super muddy path. At least the latter would hurt less if we slipped up, a fate which seemed more and more likely with every step taken! The tour guides looked very at home in these conditions, a couple of the younger ones with other groups were like mountain goats springing about offering support to the attractive chicas!

Despite being just as wet as when we were in the waterfall, spirits were still high as we reached our ‘familia picnic spot’ in Nomal’s words! He’d already taken our orders on the bus, so it wasn’t long before the iced tea was flowing and boxes of either meat or fish and rice, beans and salad were being passed around. The food was scrumptious and despite our hunger we managed to hold a conversation with our fellow group members on our table. Thankfully they all spoke very good English, so there weren’t too many awkward silences - Rule Britannia! There were two Germans, a Canadian and a Peruvian who was ‘working’ and occasionally taking planned phone calls! We exchanged stories of where we’d been and where we were going before heading to our final stop of the day, the natural hot springs.

I say natural hot springs, they were more warm springs. But after being soaked to the bone, it was nice to get in some water that was a pleasant temperature to be in for more than 5 minutes! We were told not to take phones, which in hindsight was probably a good idea as it chucked it down, so alas there are no photos so let me paint a picture with words. Failing that a quick Google of ‘La Fortuna Hot Natural Springs River’ gives a pretty good visual! Our bus pulled up at the side of the road and off we hopped, a group of bikini and swim short clad folk with Pura Vida in their hearts and rain in their shoes. The river was a mere 50m walk down hill, where there were lots of people scrambling over rocks in to the water. There were various tour parties and locals enjoying the warm currents coming down from the volcano. Nomal had brought a bottle of homemade moonshine to toast our entry in to the springs, the percentage for which tasted well over 50%! He also had another treat for us in the form of a mud face mask, which I applied to Georgie and she to me, but we should have got in line to have it done from one of the other tour guides as they had the technique down! Wax on, wax off, mud face!

G and I popped what few items we had with us on a couple of tree roots and headed toward a spot under the canopies of some over hanging trees near a mini waterfall drop. A less chunky fellow would have been carried away by the current, but I quite enjoyed the flow of water rushing through my trunks! I feel sorry for anyone down river as G and I added a bit more water to the river than was there before we arrived! It was a glorious way to spend 45 minutes, surrounded by the jungle, enjoying the warm rapids below and rainfall from above. Our time to leave came all too quickly and so the scramble back to the muddy shore began. It was like watching a group of orcs being born, staggering and crawling over the rocks and stones underneath our feet. It became apparent why we were told to leave most of our stuff behind as what we took was absolutely drenched, but of course Nomal had the answer to warm our cockles from the inside, more of his finest moonshine! Pura Vida - pure alcohol!

Since returning to Arenal Backpackers Resort, we’ve showered and hung out our clothes in the hope that they might dry off a bit outside as there’s literally no where to hang them in our pod! It’s gone 7pm here and I’ve actually written this before dinner whilst G catches up on her own journal which hasn’t had a whiff for a few days, the lazy sloth! That said, she usually gets an extra hour’s sleep whilst I’m beavering away at night! We’re on a jeep-boat-jeep to Monteverde tomorrow morning. But before that I’m hopeful we’ll get some more slap up Costa Rican food, maybe some churros and play a bit of pool before bed. But if any thing particularly epic does happen I’ll be sure to update accordingly.

Until then Pura Vida chicos and chicas!

G’s highlight of the day - Swimming in the waterfall and the view from the base of the volcano.

[leviiackrman]

1, 4, 11, 16, 20, 28, 37, 46, 54, 62, 77, 82, 89 + isla/arthur xoxo

otp: don't wander far (isla + arthur)

1. How did they first meet?

isla owned a bar in Blackwater that was left to her by her late mother, and so when she had to sell half the ownership to keep it afloat she was faced with the most disgusting and abusive man you could possibly think of. she was tired of being his personal property and an escort for her once welcomed customers, so she ran away and straight into Mr. morgan himself who then proceeded to accept her into the Van der Linde Gang (tho she later left the gang for a bit - with permission - to open her own bar again and be a safe base for them anytime. she eventually joins them full time again but its complicated as to why aha)

4. What’s the relationship like? Smooth? Rocky?

generally smooth, tho living on the road makes it tricky for both of them so complications come up more often than they'd like

11. Who is the most physically affectionate?

isla is by far more affectionate, tho I'd say they are equally affectionate with each other when others aren't around

16. Do they enjoy dancing?

yes!!! nights around the campfire end with a little drunken jig together or isla dancing with the other ladies - tho she's not the best dancer, she still enjoys it nonetheless

20. Do they give each other nicknames?

not really, they refer to themselves by their first names mostly, tho on occasion they use their last names in a lighthearted way

28. How often are roadtrips?

often. i mean... its the van der linde gang haha! tho isla is deffo more accustomed to being settled so she enjoys the change of pace once in a while

37. Thoughts on PDA(Public Displays of Affection)?

cheek kisses and walking arm in arm is quite common so they're not opposed to it, but isla prefers their more personal/private moments to be kept that way

46. What do they like the least about each other?

isla hates how he can return to camp looking like he got shat out by a cow and think nothing of it, not to mention how long he goes away for with no indication of when he'll be back. arthur hates how picky she can be sometimes - not in a snobby way, but just a bit fussy if she doesn't like something or is in a bad mood and wants to make it clear

54. What do others think of them dating?

"shes too proper for him" is said often, tho that's complete bollocks because she quickly adapts to the travelling life and doesn't fret too much about being fancy. there's a bit of distrust towards isla at first amongst the other gang members because of her complicated situation but the others soon end up loving her

62. What other couple would your otp get along with the best?

john and Abigail!!! abigail really helped isla settle into the camp and they continued to be quite close so whenever she was having issues with Arthur or in general, she would go talk to abigail

77. Do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know?

there are probably a few small ones that Arthur never shared but their biggest ones were shared with one another. tho isla hates the part of her life just before meeting arthur and she knows it upsets him to talk about how she was treated so although he knows, she hasn't ever brought it up again since

82. What is an inside joke they have?

oh god my brain has shut off so I can't think of anything funny aha! oh okay here's one : one-time arthur helped isla clean up her bar at the end of the night and took a swig from a half-full bottle of beer cus it was just sat there. it wasn't beer, it was piss. shes never let him live it down

89. How old were they when they got together?

uhhhhhhh hang on *checks notes* - isla is about early twenties when she first meets the gang so when they get together its about a year and a half later haha! don't ask me about Arthur I'm assuming 30 something

OTP QUESTIONS