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aphrodite-would-be-proud · 3 years

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I just read the Erwin date scenarios and it’s so hood AGH could you please do one for armin? Plz 😚

You read my mind👀 ngl I think about Armin each time I write something for Erwin, despite them being alike i like to compare the differences and think they have different tastes and love languages.

Erwin strikes me a more act of services and gift giving guy while Armin would definitely go for words of affirmation and quality time.

Type of dates with Armin PT.1 {pt.2 in masterlist}

{ Armin x reader | tw: none | fluff, romance | modern }

{ "in bloom" by Abbott Fuller Graves 1859–1936 }

Ideal dates : these are dates he plans up ahead, makes sure they go smoothly and you're both are having fun. He really looks forward to these dates, they're like an event for him. He saves them up for important occasions like your anniversary, valentine's day, birthday, etc.

1. Spending a full day on the beach: when i say a full day I mean it, he's driving you there really early in the morning while you're struggling to stay awake in the passenger seat. He doesn't even need coffee he's running on 100% pure determination and will.

You'd arrive before anyone there, to get the best spot of course. It's close enough to the sea that you can feel the humidity of the water in the air, yet far enough from the rest of the beach that other people won't bother you.

He'd understand if you were too sleepy to help him set things up, he'd just kiss your forehead before letting you go back to sleep, promising he'll get you something to drink when the stores open.

You wake up to the smell of your favourite hot drink, just around 8am. The sun is up and the air is refreshing, you can hear the quiet chatter of people far away just arriving here. You sip your drink as Armin guides you to the small comfortable space he made, proudly showing off his work.

Please praise him and give him a kiss on the cheek, he will melt.

The rest of the day is spent with you two swimming lazily in the water, feeling the warm sunlight on your skin. Collecting whatever pretty seashell you see, using some to decorate the sandcastle Armin built with you. He takes a pictures of you at seemingly random moments, he promises to show you when he devolps them later.

You help him dry his hair afterwards, he take you to get ice cream. Despite getting you one too, he still ends up sharing his own with you, and if you're up for seconds he'd happily oblige.

When night falls and the people began leaving, the waves of the ocean get a little higher, wind turning colder. Don't worry, Armin thought about that, that's why he brought blankets.

He'd wrap you both in the same one, even holding you close to him, it's for warmth he says and yet he seems like he was looking forward for this. You help him in making a small bonfire, he brought marshmallows.

The rest of the night is spent with you laying against him while huddled in a blanket, looking at the heavens above and the constellation of the stars.

He takes your hand in his, guiding your finger to where polaris is. "It never changes" he says "no matter what" and from that star, he guides you through the formation of the little dipper.

Just right under it, directly under the polaris, begins the big dipper, a close replica to its little sister.

You spend hours like this, looking at the stars as new formations come and go with the time. You were early enough to catch Aries as it was leaving, pleiades, the seven sisters shining brightly next to it.

And just after midnight it was Sirius turn to say goodbye. That's when both of you decided to call it a night, he hugged you close to him, you could feel his heartbeat slowing down, he was oh so warm and tasted just like chocolate and marshmallows when you kissed goodnight.

2. Going on an adventure and trying new things: Armin has the need to try new things and gain new experiences, despite being someone who prefers small groups of friends and getting lost in a book than socialising. It's something that's been a part of him since he was a child, he wants to experience what the world has to offer and won't say no despite how utterly terrifying it can be to him.

And he wants to have those experiences with you, to share his love for the unknown with you, to see your reactions and share his own thoughts. The only thing that's better than going on adventures to him is going on adventures with you.

An adventure could be anything really, it could be going diving underwater or going to that creepy looking supermarket that never closes, you never know. An adventure is an adventure after all. The possibilities are endless.

So don't be surprised when he asks for you to go with him sky diving for his birthday despite knowing how terrfied he is of heights and how even a carnaval ride can make him sick.

Good or bad he doesn't care, he just wants to try and learn everything. He's full of curiosity and surprises that you'd never get bored, although a good thing about him is that he never is unprepared.

Yes he will take you on seemingly dangerous adventures but know that he really deeply thought about this before hand and is prepared for all the different scenarios that could happen, he likes the unknown but he's smart and cautious on how to approche it.

Not to mention that a single adventure can leave him satisfied for a long time before craving a new rush, probably once or twice a year. Just frequent enough to be something to look forward to but not too frequent that it becomes boring or too repetitive, he manages to keep that balance and walk on that thin line.

3. Hot air ballon ride: just imagine, it's early autumn, the weather is just right to wear those cozy yet good looking clothes, the earth seems like it's turning slower than usual as the trees change colours.

Around sunrise or sunset, both of you are high up in the air, the sun clearly in view with the golden clouds surrounding it. The world managing to look so small yet so vast at the same time.

Armin is wearing his favourite sweater and scarf combo, he's holding your hand in his pocket to keep it warm. It's just you and him isolated from the rest of the world like other people dont exist anymore, and strangely he's okay with that, at peace even.

He brings a camera and captures how the sun reflects in your eyes, how the chilly air makes you rub your hands together for warmth and how utterly breathtaking you look.

Beautiful, gorgeous even, these are the only thoughts in his mind at that moment.

And so Armin made a promise to himself that in the far future, when he wants to be even closer to you, to vow his life to yours, he'd propose on a hot air balloon.

But as much as he likes staying up in the air with you being his angel, the process of booking a ride is much more complicated and time consuming than he originally thought. Meaning he doesn't get to enjoy these rare heavenly moments as he wants to.

He needs to make reservations in advance, not to mention how important it is to choose a trustworthy company. Lastly how rides depend on the weather conditions, needing to reschedule if the weather takes a turn to the worse.

4. Visiting the aquarium or planetarium: he's just a boy with oceans for eyes and stars in his smile, can you really blame him for gravitating towards these places? Or for diving too deep in knowledge about the sky above and sea below?

Whenever the weather is too harsh for a beach trip or the sky is too cloudy for a stargazing night, these two places are his to go backups.

He's memorised the place like the back of his hand, no need for a map. Want to see the shark tanks and how they're doing? He'll take you there and introduce to them and the silly nicknames he gave them. Or how about saying hello to the dolphins who'll show off some moves just for your attention, or maybe you miss seeing the adorable penguins wobble around?

He knows endless facts about each fish kind, he makes it seem so fascinating and the way he phrases the information and coats them in milk and honey makes it impossible for you not to engage.

You both could have a slow with few words spoken walk and it still be as interesting, he'd even make special playlists to listen to while walking around and sharing his earphones.

Meanwhile at the planetarium, sometimes in the early mornings you'd run into kids just arriving for their school trip. Racing each other to the solar system panel and looking in amazement when the stars show begins. You and Armin have a nostalgic feeling when watching them, yet when you look at each other you remember how good it feels like to be grown and have someone special.

You never could get bored of seeing the stars, especially not with Armin.

5. Trying a new kind of art: one time you asked him what does he think the meaning of art is, what even is art?

"Art is communication" he said.

Armin has a deep love and appreciation for all kind of art, from classic oil canvas paintings to old greek sculptures. He doesn't pick a side, he likes both the modren and classic.

Music is art, writing is art and even making pottery is a form of art too. He wants to experience it, not for a need to acolmplish something or to rival Shakespeare, but for a need to communicate his emotions in a more subtle and personal way.

Like a secret language only he can decipher the meaning of, after all he was the one to create it.

Whenever he tries a new form of art, his usual fear of failure and absurdly high expectations actually go out the window. There isn't good and bad art, there's just different levels of communication and different styles.

So to him, the act of bringing you both some watercolours and cotton papers to paint on for a date is incredibly intimate, that's his true feelings and emotions he's showing you. But don't worry, he isn't here to take the whole thing seriously, he's actually playful and mellow most of the time.

Or maybe he'd like to make pottery with you, an excuse to put his hands around yours while sitting intimately close, maybe even give your shoulder a couple kisses while you shape the vase you agreed on making.

The next day, you find the finished vase near the window with a sunflower arrangements inside.

It also could be you two sitting next to each other, working together on a page of an adult colouring book or maybe to each one his own book. He'd hog the color blue most of the time so watch out, and don't lend him yours because he will hog it too.

Or maybe as a fun past time, you'd both attempt to make poetry, expect you're getting more and more drunk on the fruit flavoured beer he brought with him. You had fun laughing while reading what you came up with the next morning.

6. Going fruit picking in summer: it's his favourite way to celebrate the arrival of his favourite season, wear something light, pack some lemonade and go enjoy what mother nature has to offer.

You two would walk around in the fields, he's wearing a straw hat to block the sun, he thinks it looks better on you. Both of you looking at the fruits waiting to be picked, choosing the really unique shaped ones, the colourful ones and the especially delicious looking ones.

You might meet some small friends along the way, like a couple ladybugs that were crawling up Armin's arm. Two butterflies dancing in the air and even a frog that's taking a walk from its lake home nearby.

Going home that day with baskets full of different fruits waiting for your use, Armin and you discuss all the different ways you could use them for, like making delicious smoothies, or maybe saving them for baking a pie or cake. Maybe cutting them in small bites and covering them with different kinds of chocolate, maybe just making a fruits salad to enjoy while Armin reads you a book

Or maybe, maybe just washing them and eating them raw. Yeah that option sounds the most appealing after a day of walking through fields in the sun.

He'd feed you some, push them against your lips and smile when your eyes subtly light up at the sweet taste....maybe a kiss after so he could taste it too?

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venusinflleurs · 3 years

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I love Appledash. I love music.

I wanted to show you guys few songs that in someway remind me of Appledash. But only few. If I tried to type down every song then I'd rather not to because it would've took A LOT of time.

1. She by Dodie

Am I allowed to look at her like that

Could it be wrong when she's just so nice to look at

And she smells like lemongrass and sleep

She tastes like apple juice and peach

I can totally see Rainbow Dash singing, or actually thinking, like that about Applejack. It even says apple juice which totally fits.

Cause she tastes like birthday cake, and storytime, and fall

But to her I taste of nothing at all

We know how AJ loves to talk about her family, storytime, and if you give each Mane 6 character a season, we ALL would associate AJ with fall. And we also know how RD has self esteem issues (which she hates to show). Yup, this song describes how RD feels about AJ. It's their song.

2. Cinnamon Girl by Lana Del Rey

It's not really the lyrics of the song, it's more like the title. Personally, when I think of Applejack I also think of apples and cinnamon. And I think a lot of people do too.

Also these lyrics

You try to push me out

But I just find my way back in

Have you guys noticed how RD is very touch-y with AJ? And AJ is always like 😳. Imagine they both have feelings for each other and AJ pushes RD away because she can't let those "silly feelings" distract her.

3. Boyish by Japanese Breakfast

At first I was gonna say how the title itself only reminds me of Appledash because they're both boyish and you can imagine either of them to sing this about the other, but then I read the lyrics and imagined an AU where RD likes AJ, but AJ likes Rarity (or RD just THINKS that AJ likes Rarity, but in reality she doesn't) because of these lyrics:

I can't get you off my mind, I can't get you off in general

So here we are, we're just two losers

I want you and you want something more beautiful

4. Flaming Hot Cheetos by Clairo

Now I don't really know how to describe why this song reminds me of Appledash, Imma just drop these lines:

You're telling me I'm silly, It's no fun in the old days

I'm such a romantic, I never remember how things really happen

I guess you're attractive, or something

Again, I imagine RD saying this.

I really need to find a song that doesn't make me think of hopeless romantic Rainbow Dash oh my god..

I need hopeless romantic Applejack >:(

Ok back to the point..

I wanna be the one you think about at night

And I wanna be the one that you would put up a fight for

Shout Out to the people who think RD and AJ would only fight if they were in a relationship.. (spoiler alert, they are girlfriends >:)))

5. Off to the races by Lana Del Rey

The lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with Appledash, believe me.

But the title...

The title....

Fall weather friends....

Also that one Appledash fanfic called Off to the races :D

6. Big Eyes by Lana Del Rey

Lana is my all time favorite artist so don't be annoyed at me for using her 3 times already :D

With your big eyes

And your big lies

With your big eyes

And your big lies

Lies. Element of honesty.

Imagine this as break up scenario :D

Yup, I love suffering.

I saw you creeping around the garden; what are you hiding?

I beg your pardon, don't tell me "nothing"

I used to think that I could trust you

I was your woman

THE LAST ROUNDUP. THESE LYRICS ARE LITERALLY THIS EPISODE.

Is it me, was I wrong to have trusted you?

Did I see what I wanted, what wasn't true?

Was I wrong to go on like a little fool?

It's amazing what women in love will do

What would women in love do? Make their friends ride a train to find your gf? yea, thought so.

7. Killing me to love you by Vancouver Sleep Clinic

The whole song is Appledash material. I could put the whole song here but instead I'll show you the lines that REALLY remind me of Appledash.

I'm bringing you home

It’s been so long

The way that actually happened. Rainbow Dash really bringed Applejack home with her sonic rainboom.

And now you’re stronger than yourself

I’m fighting for you

I’m hiding for you

But it’s killing me to love you

Yea, Applejack is strong. Stronger than when she was a filly. I have no idea how else to describe what I want to say but this song really screams Appledash.

8. Crush by Cigarettes after sex

Out of all the songs I named and I'm going to name, this is the one that reminds me of Appledash the least. But this line:

Hold you here, my loveliest friend

Now this is a headcanon so you guys won't agree with me, but I headcanon (actually it's one of my many headcanons on how they got together) that before AJ and RD made things official, they had their own type of romance going on, and they loved each other, they just didn't call themself a couple because both thought that what they had is just Friends with benefits (which they hated because they wanted more, but they thought the other didn't care about them like that and they kept their feelings inside yadadada. Yup, just a headcanon)

9. Meant to stay hid by SYML

The title. The lyrics.

The last roundup.

Literally.

Again, I would put the whole song here but I'll just show you guys the lines that really scream Appledash to me.

I wasn't built for this

My head can't make any damn sense of this so it sings

This is probably what RD thought on the way to Appleloosa when they were searching for Applejack. Proove me wrong I dare you.

If I wasn't so afraid

I'd shine a light up to space

Then my soul could be

Strong enough to see your face

One more day

JUST LOOK AT THIS. I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO EXPLAIN.

I found notes that you hid

Sharing secrets and fears that were meant to stay hid

Imagine in MLP Applejack kept a diary and RD found it and then she read about Applejack going to Appleloosa and why she stayed (that is before they went to find her)

Whew, that took me some time.

These are all in random order by the way.

Drop some songs that remind you guys of Appledash, I lowkey want to make a playlist :D

#appledash #applejack #rainbow dash #mlp #mlp friendship is magic #my little pony

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aerial-aspie · 3 years

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An Autistic Point of View 21 (Summer Camp Edition)

Hi there it's Hazel! I'm finally back after a bit of a too long break because I've been struggling to find things to write about (which is also called being too lazy too) but I actually have something to talk about today! Yay!

So if you haven't seen on some of my earlier posts, I am a youth summer camp leader and 3 weeks ago I led for my first time and this is how it went.

Coming from a northern city in England, it was already difficult because everyone else was from London and were all talking gossip about people at school and would leave me out of everything, telling me I didn't want to know. I felt left out and isolated because I couldn't join in conversations as much because I didn't know who anyone was. This went on for the full four days of pre-camp preparations and it was quite difficult, another thing that happened was someone used the phrase 'you're not Jewish if you don't know...' and this was about a musical called 13 which was about a Bar Mitzvah. I'd never heard of it because I mostly know things that people tell me about or that I've seen come on tour and I wasn't sure how to respond because I didn't know it.

We also had multiple clashes in interests because the interests of all the girls (who I clashed with more) were more mainstream such as watching love island (I hate that show with a passion, it's disgusting), being die hard mamma mia fans (the songs are annoying and the film is awful in my opinion) and this is about everyone, they love pop music (again, I hate pop music and would much rather listen to vocaloid, jpop, electro swing, heavy metal and whatever is on my weird playlist). So because of this we clashed quite badly, especially over our opinions on love island because I'm so opinionated on how much I hate that show and they love it we got into a somewhat argument, so I left the building and went back to my dorm because it was the evening when we could do basically what we wanted.

Now I've gotten that off my chest, I need to say that I loved the group of people I was leading with. Yes we didn't get along interests wise and north, south divide didn't help but they were lovely to lead with and some of them I've come out with friends for life (well if we can keep in contact).

When the kids came it was so daunting, but luckily my friend Ash (who is leading with me) was on the coach with them because they had just had covid and had to isolate before coming, but they were fine.

I can't really remember fully what went on every day but I can tell you that the first meal time was horrible. I had this one kid on my table who begged me for the full half an hour about what we were doing next and I couldn't tell him at all and was panicking about what to say. I grabbed one of the senior leaders and was like "help, I don't know what to do" and he gave me some tips but even then, the kid wouldn't get off my back. He started being like "I hate it when people keep secrets from me, my mum once kept a secret from me and it was so horrible so tell me what we're doing please" (this is not exactly word for word what he said but he did bring his mum into it).

However, dinner was luckily over and I thought I was done with him but whilst we were blocking the entrance to one of the buildings whilst the activity was being set up, he went at me again and I was really struggling and panicking. Ash, who is one of my closest friends and knows me better than any of the other leaders, quickly spotted I was in a bad position and turned to me and said "Hazel, I think you're needed inside" and instantly got me out of that stressful situation. I thanked them for it later because it really saved me from a panic attack.

I only had one major panic attack through the entirety of camp, which is the best I've ever come out of one before. The one I had was because we were running early and had to think of something to do. I was suddenly told in front of all the kids with no prior warning that I was leading an invisible circus session and I found and excuse to leave the room and then I panicked. From there on out, the people running the camp knew they had to pre warn me about anything that was causing major changes and I would have to do things on the spot (even though I already told them that when we talked about my needs on a call prior to camp).

Last extremely negative moment when leading, then I'll get onto the positive sides. The kids were so hard work and one day they had 4 discipline talks and it did nothing. We were getting so annoyed and upset that Tammy had to do a full powerful speech about how upset we all were and I could see she was struggling too. Because of this, she wasn't in the next session she was leading with me (and I do not and will not blame her for it because she was so upset and needed that break). Luckily, Ethan was there to help me out and helped run the session and keep the moral high up for the kids as I was really struggling. At dinner I basically broke and after went to sit in the welfare room, there was another kid in there from another bubble and so I moved a chair just to put more distance between us and it was stuck to a phone lead and the phone clattered to the floor. This kid was very noise sensitive and was so frightened, I apologised so much to them before they got taken out and that was enough to set the tears off. There were leaders from the other camp there who knew me and comforted me (socially distant) because they understood I was having a terrible day.

I was then kicked out the welfare room because kids from the other camp were eating in there and this was for safeguarding reasons and so I got sent to one place to wait for the welfare officer but she was already there with someone else. I was basically a stranded autistic person, mid meltdown, not knowing where to go.

I did get rescued by another set of leaders who make our resources and they sat and talked to me whilst I cried it out. I really wanted to go home then, I hated it so much that day and soon the welfare officer came and I talked it out to her before ringing my parents and telling them about it.

I didn't go home in the end and made it all the way through.

Now for the good moments.

Meetings in the evenings were the funniest moments ever, where we talked about about our day and told funny stories and they never failed to make me laugh and always made my day, plus they were always followed by snacks!

We led some amazing activities where the kids got so into them and joined in with everything so that we all had a blast in the end. Site activities were so fun and I got to do high ropes, crate stacking and climbing and I loved it. Me and Ash went as a pair in crate stacking and I fell off at 6 crates, while they got to 13 and it was supposed to be a pairs challenge. But let me say, I screamed the whole way up the crate stacking.

The last night of camp talent show was hilarious. I got to do my poi in it because I was not comfortable doing what everyone else was doing, which was being randomly assigned acts on the go and you had to go up and improvise. But all the improvisation acts by the leaders were so funny, there was; the freedom sandwich song with a singer and someone with a broken finger on recorder, bohemian rhapsody without the vowels, slam poetry about the clavicle and more and it was so funny and such a great night.

The last night of camp in general was great because I pigged out on ice cream and popcorn and got my face painted as a cat. It was great except me 2 hour shift of watching the quiet sleeping area, which was dead boring but then I got to sleep early.

Finally, I did a talk on autism, at first it was just a half an hour chat session where Ash came to sit and listen and also crowd control in case anyone was silly in it. I only had 3 people turn up and another leader ran a football chat session to try and bring more people to mine (how sweet of them) so I ended up with 5 of them, all of them boys.

I thought they would mess around but they were so mature it was amazing! They asked loads of interesting questions about what it was like to be autistic and I answered them all and I loved this talk so much because I was so happy when it ended because it went so well and all the boys said I was now their favourite leader and it made me so happy.

I then ran this talk again in a session which was an hour where you could move between chats freely, whenever you wanted to. Ash was inspired by my autism talk and wanted to do one on being non-binary however, they didn't want to stop people from coming to mine. I turned round and said it doesn't matter about who comes and who doesn't, you should lead it, don't let me hold you back. And they did it! I was so proud of Ash for leading that talk.

I ended up getting all the boys in my talk, whilst Ash got all the girls (which they all apologised to me about not coming but I said it was fine and that they could come and ask questions at any time). All the boys were mature again and I got to happily chat about being autistic and I loved listening to all the questions they asked and anecdotes about people they knew and it went so well again.

Finally, my last highlight was Ash's 'why don't we talk about periods' session which most of the leaders all assisted on because it was so interesting. All the girls were sharing stories, I shared a story and even lots of boys turned up and one was brave enough to ask where the blood goes which I was so proud of him for asking. Whilst the female participants found that question funny, we were making this boy feel good for asking because we thought it was a mature question to come from a 12 year old boy and happily answered it.

To help desensitise people to some of the words we were using, we had everyone yelling period, menstruation, period blood, etc and it was good fun and I loved it.

And that's all about being autistic as a summer camp leader, will I lead again? Probably not. I considered trying again next year but it clashes with the commonwealth games and whilst there were positives from leading, there were lots of negatives too that were off putting and I'd rather go to the commonwealth games.

I hope you enjoyed it and see you next time!

#autistic experiences #actually autsitic #autism #autistic positivity #being autistic #autistic life #autistic blogger #summer camp

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crowdvscritic · 3 years

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round up // AUGUST 21

Happy 2nd birthday to these Round Ups! For two years I’ve been making monthly pop culture picks, and they’ve included:

More than 200 movies

32 TV shows and specials, plus 8 different Saturday Night Live Round Ups

27 albums, singles, playlists, and more music picks

13 podcasts

12 books

2 concerts

There have also been articles, events, museums, social media bits, trailers, and a service that helps you find movies across streaming platforms. (Find all of them here.) This month I’m adding a few more, like:

2 podcasts

2 albums

5 vampire movies

A conversation between two GOATs

A very funny dead guy

A terrifying Robert Mitchum performance

Another Dumb Rom-Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed

Here’s to another year!

August Crowd-Pleasers

1. Jungle Cruise (2021)

Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean with a dash of The African Queen. I like all those movies, so sue me, I had a nice time! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

2. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Genetically-enhanced sharks try to break free of their cages in an ocean research facility, chaos ensues for the characters, and it’s a delight for us. For no intelligent reason, I love movies that make me guess who’s going to get killed off next, so a big dumb shark movie starring L.L. Cool J and Samuel L. Jackson? It’s a particular brand of joy. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5.5/10

3. Double Feature — Adam Sandler Comedies: 50 First Dates (2004) + Murder Mystery (2019)

Adam Sandler movies are little like IcyHot for the brain—that is, they’re the relaxing kind of mind-numbing. Thanks to a stressful month at work, I watched six Sandler flicks in August—which I don’t necessarily recommend but also don’t regret—and the Netflix original Murder Mystery (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) was one of the the best of the bunch. It’s a silly spoof of Agatha Christie’s work, and it’s a scenic two-hour European vacay. I also gave 50 First Dates (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) another try and was pleasantly surprised. Once you get past some of the gross-out humor at the beginning, you’ll find a sweet story all about how we need to keep showing up for the people we love.

4. Double Feature — SNL Comedies: Wayne’s World (1992) + Hot Rod (2007)

My love for Saturday Night Live is more than well-documented, so exactly zero mes were surprised that I loved these flicks from its alums. Wayne’s World (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10) follows up with Wayne and Garth in the basement we first saw on late night. Now they have the opportunity to make it big on TV thanks to a sleazy exec (Rob Lowe). Brian Doyle-Murray and Chris Farley show up, and so do Laverne and Shirley? Hot Rod (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10) follows Rod (Andy Samberg) as he tries to make it big as a stuntman and impress his stepdad (Ian McShane). Will Arnett, Bill Hader, and Chris Parnell show up, and now I can mostly forgive all those boys in high school who quoted this movie non-stop.

5. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

If those SNL comedies weren’t enough silliness for you, how about you add some Bernie to your lineup? Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman are wannabe-yuppies who think they’ve got their career breaks when an exec named Bernie invites them to his vacation home for the weekend. What they don’t know is that Bernie (Terry Kiser) has been laundering money, is connected to the mob, and, is now, um, dead. The right thing would be to call the police, but then we wouldn’t have a 97-minute high-concept comedy, now would we? Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

6. Twilight series (2008-12)

I mostly skipped the Twilight phenomenon at its peak, but I’m so glad I hopped on the train years later—this series of vampire vs. werewolf showdowns are ridiculous. But major kudos to the filmmakers who somehow turned a dump truck of nonsensical gobbledygook and unhealthy teenage relationships into something insanely watchable. Also, major kudos to Billy Burke and his understated, curmudgeonly, sarcastic performance. Bella’s dad is the MVP with the only appropriate responses to all of the nonsense he's forced to participate in and the only tether this franchise has to reality. Be sure to watch with a friend so you have someone else to process this weirdness with. Series Crowd: 8/10 // Series Critic: 5/10

7. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at The Muny

You know what’s great? Live theater! This month I made my first trip back to the stage at America’s oldest and largest outdoor amphitheater, the Muny in St. Louis. Their productions never disappoint, and these performers reminded me of Howard Keel, Jane Powell, and Russ Tamblyn in the best ways.

8. Wimbledon (2004)

Paul Bettany and Kirsten fall in love at Wimbledon! Frankly, that premise alone should be enough to sell you on this very winning rom-com. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

9. Career Opportunities (1991)

This month’s Dumb Rom-Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed! Frank Whaley and Jennifer Connelly fall in love while stuck overnight at a Target—which honestly sounds like a dream scenario—and since it’s a John Hughes script, it’s got some heart beneath its thin premise. John Hughes directing would’ve made it better, but there’s enough Hughes in there to catch my heart. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 4.5/10

10. First Blood (1982)

Aka Rambo: Part I. Sylvester Stallone is a tough-as-nails Vietnam vet, and Brian Dennehy is the self-righteous sheriff who ticks him off. It digs a bit into PTSD and how we don’t take care of our veterans, but mostly, it’s just Stallone going ape with a knife and explosives. Oddly, also from the same director as Weekend at Bernie’s! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

August Critic Picks

1. TCM’s The Plot Thickens Season 2 (2021)

You know those movies that make you ask, “How on Earth did this get made?” This season of The Plot Thickens, subtitled The Devil’s Candy, is an attempt to answer that question. Pretty much no one thinks 1990’s The Bonfire of the Vanities works as a film—including yours truly—and reporter Julie Salomon documented many of its production troubles leading to the final product. A must-listen for anyone who loves hearing behind-the-scenes stories or just gets a kick out of schadenfreude.

2. Gene and Roger (2021)

Gene and Roger, the summer series on The Big Picture podcast, is an overview and reflection on the work of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, starting with the launch of their individual careers in the ‘60s through their partnership that lasted into the ‘90s. Another must-listen for movie lovers, especially those who love digging into the history and criticism.

3. Gold-Diggers Sound by Leon Bridges (2021)

Chill vibes and cool groves to transition you from Summer to Autumn.

4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Come for the Clint Eastwood, stay for the Ennio Morricone. Actually you can stay for Eastwood, too, because his humor is at his driest, and for Eli Wallach, whose Tuco is an insanely charming cockroach. It’s almost three hours, but this treasure hunt breezes by like a tumbleweed in the wind. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. AFI’s Master Class - The Art of Collaboration: Steven Spielberg and John Williams (2011)

Two GOATS talking about making some of the GOATs. They share clips and explain their collaborative process (including on projects like Jaws and Schindler’s List), and they take questions from film students at AFI. I’m only wishing it were 10 hours instead of 1!

6. The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Robert Mitchum’s terrifying preacher elevates this classic into more than just a standard crime thriller. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

7. Respect (2021)

While a few scenes indulge in melodrama, Jennifer Hudson’s killer performance—both in vocals and character work—more than makes up for it. This Aretha Franklin biopic hits the familiar beats, but it makes you feel like you’re in the room listening to Franklin sing , which is really all you want from a movie like this. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

8. Solar Power by Lorde (2021)

At first listen, this minimalist pop record sounds worlds away from the angst of Pure Heroine and the melodrama of Melodrama. At second listen, you realize it’s the Lorde you know and love, just with a Laurel Canyon influence. Carole King even gets a shout!

Also in August…

This month Kyla and I checked out Loveline, a call-in radio show popular during the run of Gilmore Girls. Should our favorite Yale students give up dating OR call into the syndicated radio show Loveline? Should Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla give strangers advice OR make fun of them? Oh, and Germany OR Florida? Listen to ep. 107 of SO IT’S A SHOW?

The '40s are coming! Reviews of 1940s Best Picture winners are on their way, and I kicked it off with an overview of the Academy that decade focusing on how they responded to World War II and their new prestigious reputation.

Photo credits: The Muny, The Plot Thickens, Gene and Roger, Leon Bridges, AFI, Lorde. All others IMDb.com.

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buttermybooks · 5 years

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10 road trip tips to try on your next big escape!

Friendship is based on many things, in my case some of those things are boys, bands, boys in bands, and boybands, but along with all of that – Most of my friendships are founded on a love of travel. We all want to explore the world. Not in an ordinary “Oh! Let’s go to PCB on spring break and get wasted” kind of travel, but an inherent need to see and experience as much as we possibly can - together. Since we live so far from each other we have to actually TRAVEL just to hang out like normal friends. So with all of the road tripping we have done together - you could say that we have it down to a science.

That being said, this year we have some amazing trips planned and although we will be with different people seeing completely different parts of the world, I can guarantee that we will all be using some of the tips we have discovered to make sure our trips go off without a hitch.

Packing can be a chore. It is my second least favorite part of any trip. Unpacking being my LEAST favorite, but I have come up with a few tips over the years that have made it a little less of a hassle.

1. Pack a spare tooth brush and some toothpaste into a Ziploc bag and put it in your suitcase and LEAVE IT THERE. I learned this the hard way because I am the queen of “OH MY GOD CAN I BORROW YOUR TOOTHPASTE, I TOTALLY FORGOT MINE?!” I have a gallon size Ziploc bag with all of my bathroom necessities that I never take out of my suitcase, even after I get home. It might seem like a silly thing to do, but I promise it will make packing much easier.

2. When traveling with friends, share products and tools!!! I don’t mean that you should necessarily share hair brushes, but most definitely share hair tools and products. If you know that you will all need a blow dryer, flat iron, and curling wand - decide who will bring which. There is no need to have several of each when you can all use the same one. Do the same with hairspray, leave in conditioner, sea salt spray, bobby pins, etc.

Road trips are my favorite trips, but there are a few things that make them easier on everyone.

3. Make gas money envelopes. This one seems kind of obvious - but I had never thought of it until a friend made some for a road trip a couple of years ago and we have never stopped using them. Be sure to include a little extra $$ to cover tolls and unexpected parking expenses!

4. Research roadside attractions along your route. I can assure you that you will not remember all of the naps that you took in the car during your 15+ hour road trip - but you will remember stopping to see Dinosaurs in Kentucky, The world’s largest rocking chair in Missouri, and a bright blue whale in Oklahoma.

Getting to your destination is fun, but when you arrive - that’s when the real adventure begins.

5. Talk to everyone. I know that your mother probably told you not to talk to strangers but meeting new people is SO FUN. Even if you are just asking your waitress what you should put on your to-do list while in town, you can guarantee that she will be able to give you the best tips on how to experience the town like the locals do. And THAT, my friends, is not something that TripAdvisor can do.

6. Don’t sleep. No really, just don’t sleep. Okay, maybe you can sleep if there is nothing better to do, but there is ALWAYS something better to do.

7. Always eat local cuisine. I know more than anyone how easy it is choose a place to eat just because it’s cheap, but everyone should try and find a -local-non chain- restaurant to eat at during their trip. If we hadn’t done that, how else would I have discovered the Chili Queso Burger at The Brook in Tulsa, Oklahoma or gotten *free pistachio macarons in NYC? (*#5 scored us free desserts!)

Leaving is always the hardest part. You’re tired, you’ve spent all your money, and you still have to drive ALL the way home. Luckily, we have a few ways that always seem to make our trip home a little less terrible.

8. Buy a pack of disposable cameras. If several people are going on a trip - buy a pack of disposable cameras and split the cost. Put them in a central place every night and when you are ready to explore have everyone grab a random camera and snap lots of pics. This way all of the pictures are completely random on every camera. At the end of the trip - take them to a Walgreens and have all of the pictures developed. The pictures are an awesome way to remind you of everything you did and it’s fun to take pictures without immediately looking back through them on a digital camera or your phone! The pics will definitely keep you entertained on your ride home.

9. Make a wonderfully bad playlist. I don’t care if you are a music snob or someone who only listens to top 40 - everyone loves to loudly scream the words of the best/worst songs of the 90’s. My recommendations are Faded - Soul Decision, Digital Getdown - N*sync, Quit Playin’ Games (with my heart) - Backstreet boys, and a recent favorite Push - Matchbox Twenty.

10. Bring a few books along for the ride. There is no better way to pass the time than having a good book to keep you company. Long drives home are often filled with a little more silence than the ride to the destination because everyone is tired and wishing they could teleport home, but with a book in hand you might not be able to apparate to your bed but you can disappear into another world. You know what they say, “always bring a book.”

Now that you have seen my list of tips - do you have any that I didn’t post? If you do, share them in the comments below to help out your fellow nomads!

#music and lifestyle #travel #solotravel #roadtrip #travelgram

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secondscratch17 · 5 years

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weird asks that say a lot

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? All of them. I drink tea in coffee mugs and teacups. I love drinking wine. I like that I can recycle soda cans

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? chocolate

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? bubblegum if the flavor lasts long

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? the stereotypical quiet, obedient, smart, goody-two-shoes kid

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? somehow I like the aesthetic from soda bottles

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? hONESTLY I can dO ALL OF THE ABOVE in the span of days. Went to work one day wearing beach-y clothes for spirit day. Returned to pick up a friend to go see a metal concert in VERY metal concert attire. I own short, sweet summery floral dresses and gothic dresses, too

7. earbuds or headphones? Earbuds, they allow me to be more mobile

8. movies or tv shows? movies

9. favorite smell in the summer? Fresh cut grass. The smell of the ocean. Churros at the fair

10. game you were best at in p.e.? Soccer, obvs. Somehow would always last until the end of the game in dodgeball tho because I was small and no one could hit me

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? Cereal

12. name of your favorite playlist? Don’t have one.

13. lanyard or key ring? Key ring

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? Smarties!

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? I remember re-reading Holes over and over just to make my book reports easier since I knew the boo so well. The Kite Runner was phenomenal and unforgettable

16. most comfortable position to sit in? idk?? I really can’t sit still in one position for too long

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Currently my hiking/outdoorsy shoes. Also my black Nikes that I play pickup in and wear to the gym

18. ideal weather? Sunny and 65. Maybe one or two clouds. The tiniest of faint breezes to cool me down.

19. sleeping position? Any I can get into and fall asleep in quickly

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? Laptop. I can edit easier.

21. obsession from childhood? Probably any cheesy show on Animal Planet. The Most Extreme, Meerkat Manor, Big Cat Diary, etc

22. role model? I have a lot of different ones. Role models for athletics, role models for career and ambition choices, artistic role models...can’t pick just one

23. strange habits? Spelling words with the tips of my fingers

24. favorite crystal? Aquamarine

25. first song you remember hearing? how in the FUCK am I supposed to remember that. I do remember my parents playing The Beatles for me when I was a toddler

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? Soccer! (futbol)

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? Sledding, making hot chocolate, or playing indoor soccer haha

28. five songs to describe you? Who I am Hates Who I’ve Been by Relient K, Proud by the Icarus Account, Land of the Dead by Voltaire, Always Leaving by Mayday Parade, Wavin’ Flag by K’naan

29. best way to bond with you? Listening to my favorite music with me or watching the US Women’s national soccer team with me

30. places that you find sacred? Belfast, Maine. Gold Camp Road. Newport Beach

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Tight jeans with holes in them, fishnets, and a crop top

32. top five favorite vines? Vines still exist?

33. most used phrase in your phone? “tbh”

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? O O O O REILLYYYYYY’S autoparts

35. average time you fall asleep? around 9

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? I don’t remember

37. suitcase or duffel bag? suitcase

38. lemonade or tea? Is it warm outside? Lemonade. Is it cold outside? tea

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? PIE!

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? Zombie hunting or my professor cutting lab a half an hour short to go look at some Cedar waxwings

41. last person you texted? I think it was Robert

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? Pants pockets

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? Jean jacket

44. favorite scent for soap? Anything fruity

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Fantasy. It depends on how good the sci-fi movie is

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? as little as possible lmao

47. favorite type of cheese? Parmesan

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? A raspberry

49. what saying or quote do you live by? A great amount of good is always evened out by a great amount of bad

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? Honestly Daniel knew how to make me laugh better than anyone. There are a couple of memories with him that I don’t remember entirely but I know that I ended up cry-laughing so hard that my head hurt. There was a time during my orientation camping trip when a bunch of us were playing ultimate Frisbee, and Jesse went to catch the frisbee in the most perfectly lateral horizontal position and the expression of focus just frozen on his face had me laughing so hard that I couldn’t see

51. current stresses? Sam. Jobs that I can apply for starting in May of 2020. Sam. STUDENT LOANS. Bills. Car payments. Wondering how fucked up my car has gotten since I’ve lived here on this ranch. Sam.

52. favorite font? Anything that looks fancy and sarcastic

53. what is the current state of your hands? Need to be washed.

54. what did you learn from your first job? The world is cruel and bad things happen without warning

55. favorite fairy tale? Uh....the Pied Piper?

56. favorite tradition? when my family visits for Christmas, eating lots of traditional Chinese food with them

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Heartbreak. Staggering rejection from the field I majored in. Probably a lot of body image struggles in there as well

58. four talents you’re proud of having? Writing, futbol, adaptability, flexibility. I think the last two are just traits but I don’t have a lot of talents I can invest in

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? Let’s make like a baby and head out

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? No idea

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? Though we are far apart, our spirits share the same earth and the same sky

62. seven characters you relate to? Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit, Data from The Goonies, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter, Eliza Thornberry from The Wild Thornberries, Raven from Teen Titans, Isaac from Teen Wolf

63. five songs that would play in your club? ANYTHING by Within Temptation. I wouldn’t be a good club owner. The catchy and pump-up songs from Hamilton.

64. favorite website from your childhood? Wasn’t allowed much computer time. I was allowed to visit educational sites and occasionally the Disney site

65. any permanent scars? some self-harm scars. Probably the one on my right leg that I got from CO parks and wildlife. I stepped on a barbed wire fence that had been plastered to the ground, but the metal sprang up when I stepped on it and ripped through my skin

66. favorite flower(s)? Plumerias

67. good luck charms? I’m not sure if I have any.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? earthworm flavor from Bertie Bott’s every flavor beans

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? uh...Something about not being able to spray silly string on Halloween in Hollywood

70. left or right handed? Right handed

71. least favorite pattern? wtf

72. worst subject? anything math related, I really struggled in GIS.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? I...have no idea

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? 2. I’m a baby

75. when did you lose your first tooth? I was 6

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? chips and fries

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? a succulent

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? sushi from a grocery store, the quality can surprise you

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? Both are terrible

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Jewel tones

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? I hate bugs

82. pc or console? PC

83. writing or drawing? Writing, I’m terrible at drawing

84. podcasts or talk radio? Not into either

84. barbie or polly pocket? I had both

85. fairy tales or mythology? God!!!! Like hearing about both but mythology I guess

86. cookies or cupcakes? Cookies

87. your greatest fear? Being forgotten. I also have a terrible, horrible fear of drowning

88. your greatest wish? In the times I’ve struggled I often find myself wishing for peace. Not only for myself, but for others to easily feel peace with everyone else

89. who would you put before everyone else? Sierra

90. luckiest mistake? Mistake? There’s been lucky accidents but I don’t think any of my mistakes have been lucky

91. boxes or bags? It depends on what I’m packing and where I’m going

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Sunlight

93. nicknames? T, Tear, Tear-tear, T-Dog, Miss T..a few of my recent favorites from soccer: Ronaldinha and Thierry Chun

94. favorite season? Fall! Shit, especially in New England

95. favorite app on your phone? I don’t know

96. desktop background? A picture of a simple dock leading out to sea

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? My parents’ and brother’s

98. favorite historical era? Victorian era, for sure

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dont-stop-giving · 6 years

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The Playlist Tag!

Hi Friends!

In honor of launching our birthday charity drives for Ash and Luke, we’ve come up with a Tumblr Tag Challenge in order to garner some more exposure for them! We’re calling it The Playlist Tag!

The objective is pretty straightforward, make playlists with songs that remind you of Ash and/or Luke!

Here are the Rules:

1. All good playlists have a theme!

“I Made My Crush a Spotify Playlist”. Capitalizing on Meme Culture™ we’re taking a note from @hanwoodly on Twitter and asking you guys to use song titles to create fun, silly sentences about the boys. To paraphrase Tyra Banks, silly, but be respectful. (Ash Example) (Luke Example)

Audio Moodboard/Storyboard. I know y’all are always out here saying “mood” about and in regards to everything, so why not translate that into a playlist? What does Ashton driving around in a car during sunset sound like? What does Luke free falling from an airplane sound like? Illustrate those scenes with music or tell a story about said scene with the songs/song lyrics you choose! (Ash Example)(Luke Example)

Keep It Simple Sweetie. Simple is by no means a negative. In fact, I think I’m most excited about this theme! Make a playlist featuring all of the songs that remind you of your chosen boy! (Ash Example) (Luke Example)

You can view these themes as guidelines and suggestions! They are by no means binding! Be creative and make something that you’re really proud of! Just make sure that there is some sort of unifying idea for your playlist (a mix with all female bands? Or exclusively artists of color? Disney songs? Show tunes? Whatever floats your boat)!

2. Now that you’ve got your theme, you’re gonna need a way to create that playlist. You can put your mixes together on Spotify, 8tracks, or YouTube. There is no limit to how many mixes you can make, so go wild!

3. Once you’ve got your playlist made, there a few ways you can go about showing the world your creation!

(Highly Recommended) You can make a new Tumblr post and paste screenshots of your playlist (don’t forget to include a link back to the original mix!) and tag us.

Sharing your new playlist with us via your chosen platform (Spotify, 8tracks, or YouTube) and we’ll be sure to reblog, share, etc. with the rest of our followers on Tumblr and your chosen platform.

Posting screenshots of your playlist on Instagram or Twitter (and linking back to the original mix) and tagging/sharing them with us.

4. So, you’ve got your theme chosen, mix made, and you’ve posted your playlist on your chosen platform.

We’re almost done!

Make sure that you tag/share your post/playlist with your friends! And please be sure you tag/share with us! At the end of each month, we’ll be posting our Top Ten Favorite Playlists and we really wanna make sure your mix is included in our decision making!

5. And finally, the last and most important rule, please be sure to include a link back to the charity benefiting the boy of your choice in your playlist description.

Hope you guys have fun with this! We’re really excited to see what you come up with!

Please don’t stop giving (your time, effort, love, and care),

-DSG Team

Spotify, 8tracks, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram

#5 seconds of summer #5sos #5sos3 #ashton irwin #luke hemmings #irwinsource #thedaily5sos #lukehemmingsdaily #tag challenge #playlist #the playlist tag

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thedepthsremember · 6 years

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20 Questions: Choices fanfic writers edition

Tagged in this by @breaumonts! Thanks :D

1. When/what age did you start writing? In elementary school, I wrote and drew my own picture books, which at that age I definitely thought was the best thing to do forever. In middle/high school, there was some self-insert Spider-Man and Harry Potter fanfic that I hope stays buried forever. I picked it back up more regularly during an awful period in college where I lost my love of drawing (unfortunate, considering my major) but still needed to express somehow. 2. What inspired you to start? Similar to my art it's been a way to express myself, to tell my side of how I'm seeing things. A lot of the time it's like solving a puzzle, what was that character thinking? And then I just keep chasing that thought.

It weirds me out that writing feels more like..... excavating. Like it was there and I’m just uncovering it. Drawing doesn’t feel like that at all. 3. Where and when does inspiration usually strike you? I do a lot of driving, so usually then, or if I'm doing something repetitive at work and I can let my mind wander. While I'm getting a massage is a random one but I'm relaxed and my mind can just play without getting in its own way.

4. Where and when do you usually to write? Morning? Late at night? On the bus? In bed? Lately it's been my favorite way to procrastinate sleeping because it's like I'm being productive! Hahaaa

I'll write entire scenes in my head before I write anything down. Sometimes I'll dash down little parts on paper or in my phone to make sure I don't forget.

5. Do you listen to music while writing? If so what genre/playlist? A lot of chill video game instrumentals are a good default, unless I have a playlist or an artist I know will set the right mood. I'm pop trash so usually that'll fall to the background enough that I can focus. 6. Which category do you like best? Angst? Fluff? NSFW? Other? I would love to wrote more fluff, but it seems to tend towards a lot of angsting and anxiety with some humor thrown in, I guess because that's how I deal with my own thoughts. I do get to give them happy endings, so that's nice! 7. Which category do you find most challenging to write? Smut is really difficult and awkward for me, partly bc part of the appeal of the actual acts irl are they help me turn my brain chatter off, so it's hard to put that back into descriptions. Plus I'm just self conscious about how personal that is.

Also anything with an actual plot. I can give you moments and that's about it. 8. If you had to pick your favourite Choices book, which one would it be and why? TRR is the one that sucked me in and stole my soul for whatever reason, BUT I can also admit a lot of that is for what it could be. It's a good thought playground. Like Harry Potter.

Perfect Match is shaping up to be my jam, I live for sci fi and found families and all that "what is the nature of humanity" nonsense. It's like Dollhouse without being built on a base of creepiness.

I also really love the ILITW cast, enough that it balances out how much of a wimp i am when it comes to scary things. 9. If your Choices LIs were real, which one (and only one!) would you personally want to be with? I've said before that Damien from Perfect Match is the closest to my irl type, but right now I'm kind of exhausted of that "I'm too cool to like things" sort of dude. Idk let's give older Lucas (ilitw) a shot. He's motivated but has a playful side, we might balance each other out. Especially after he figures himself out more in college. 10. Do you share any physical characteristics with your Choices MCs? Pics/selfies optional :) Riley is small and ready to brawl and I've basically given her an idealized version of my body type when I draw her. Uhhh like half of the others end up being long haired blondes because even though that's not my hair anymore it was like that for most of my life. 11. Which MC do you share the most personality traits with? Perfect Match MC feels the closest, a lotta the other MCs are leader types, PM MC is like Alright yeah let's kick ass so we can go home and eat ice cream. Feels very purple Hawke.

TRR MC in her more absurd moments also feels very familiar. I have a story about the fancy hats. 12. Which Choices character do you feel you have the best grasp of in terms of personality? I get Drake bc that fucker is every guy I've befriended who then caught feelings because he's not used to being treated nicely. :| He also has a “the people I care about deserve the things I want more than I do" thing that I am only now realizing feels.... awfully familiar....... :| …...let’s move on.

13. What’s your favorite Choices pairing to write for? Obviously Maxwell x MC. I love pairs that have a good push and pull, where they can be silly but care about each other.

Sidedish of MC+Drake friendship because my wish fulfillment fantasy is those previously mentioned guys stop ruining a potentially good friendship with their moping and actually be a pal, dammit. 14. What is a pairing/s you hope to start writing for? Like anything else, lmao. More friendship stuff? Hana's only been in one of my fics which bums me out.

Pretty sure some Damien x MC and Hayden x MC will be coming now that PM2 is happening. Something with more ladies. Eleanor x MC from THOBM! Ghost gf fitting into the modern world has plenty of potential. 15. What do you hope to improve in your writing? Current struggle is I keep trying to write smut and then distracting myself with what happens before/after. Gah.

More actions / feelings. I feel like too much of my writing comes from dialogue with actions peppered in to meter the rhythm.

16. Any pet peeves related to writing? So. Words have always been a finicky thing for me. Things will make sense in my head, and then I say them out loud and realize people aren’t seeing things from the same spot. So sharing my writing is A VERY SELF-CONSCIOUS TIME.

In terms of the actual process: When I just wanna write something self-indulgent and I start actually trying, and then we're like 5 miles off track from the fun part. I also get pretty self-conscious that the OOC police or something is going to come for me. 17. Are you inspired by any IRL experiences when you write? Care to share? A lot of flaws or traumas I'll saddle my characters with are my own but tweaked, because I like the idea that someone can have them and still succeed. 18. Is there any particular piece of work you consider to be your ultimate writing goal? uhhhhh i. don't. know? If I could make someone laugh and cry in the same fic that's golden. 19. Did/do you write for any other fandoms? If so which ones? I have a bunch of drabbles for Dragon Age. I also just checked my ancient FF.net account to make sure the really old stuff is gone and found some Teen Titans and ATLA stuff I completely forgot about. 20. In your spare time (when you’re not writing) what other hobbies do you pursue? Art mainly, I'm back into digital for the first time since graduation (I majored in animation/illustration) so that's kind of exciting right now. VIDEO GAMES. I like to bake but my housemates have way more self control than I do, meaning I always end up eating most of whatever it is, so that's dangerous. I do like to work out. Share and tag fandom writers! @riseandshinelittleblossom and anyone else who wants to!

#vee life #meme me

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vivareverie · 6 years

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"So, what now?"

That's a question I've had stuck on my mind for at least the past month or so now, regarding the state of my content production and my life as a YouTuber. It's a question that I've somewhat avoided asking myself for the past year, because I somewhat naively thought "Hey, everything'll just work out". Needless to say, that isn't the case, so here I am asking myself this question now.

Before I go any further I'd like to quickly clarify something: This isn't a depression thing. It might sound like a depression thing by the way I'm writing or the overall tone of this post, but I currently have zero mental health issues and require no sympathy in that area. All this is is an introspective look at my state of affairs, looking at what I did wrong attempting to grow my channel, and where to go next.

So, let's start from the start: My channel's success was lightning in a bottle. "Surprise! Your video has gone viral!" Starting with super short meme-y pony toy videos. Well... Admittedly that was at least a few years into my "career" at that point, but all my content before then just silly "Early-teen goofing around"-type videos, once I suddenly actually had an audience to make videos for, I obviously wanted to keep going. What's important about this "Era" is that I had a theme going on. I was the "Pony toy video guy", that was where my initial audience came from, watching my ~10 second long meme-y videos for a short giggle. These videos were very short, very easy to make, and had an audience... So, why did I stop?

Three big reasons: One, money. To make videos making fun of silly pony merch, I had to buy the merch, and, to put things into perspective, that Celestia toy alone was $50. Imagine that but for every single toy in every single video and it adds up quick. The good news is that I liked collecting them, and I had the money, but that was quickly running dry. You might ask "Well, couldn't you reuse toys?", and I did a bit, however...

Two, I hated reusing jokes, and still do to this day. Even back then I'd felt I used the "Celestia toy hits thing" joke 2-3 too many times. I suppose I'd somewhat considered it a running joke- but without putting a twist on it, it was just the same thing happening over and over again. Although "toy abuse" wasn't the entirety of my content back then- I did still try to be creative about it- but nonetheless I kinda felt that well drying up. Plus, finally, there's reason three, and this one is probably a bit obvious...

Three, I wanted to try out animation. It's history time: The reason why even my earlier pony animations looked at least half-decent was because I already knew ahead of time how to use Flash, the program used to animate MLP. This was because I used Flash to learn how to make terrible bodged-together video games, some of which are still online over on Newgrounds and Kongregate (And no, I won't be linking them (Maybe at a later date)), those games, although they were pretty terrible, did inadvertently teach me how to use an animation program, meaning that, when my YouTube channel kinda blew up, I suddenly had an entire genre of media to create with at my disposal.

Thus started "Phase two" of viv, the "Short goofy animation" phase. At the time I didn't think I was gonna ditch the toy video stuff, but after a short while I felt... More satisfied with my animation work. It took me a while to nail down why, but in the end I felt like I was "Undeserving" of the amount of attention I got from my toy content, and felt as if I had to "Earn" the amount of followers I was getting. My toy videos were recorded with terrible audio, a bad camera, very little care for lighting (One video in particular's punchline was ruined because I didn't think about lighting, "Applejack Wins" I believe was the name of that one), however my animations, with the exception of a couple of my early ones having framerate issues, were very "Clean" and felt polished, something I definitely couldn't say about the majority of my toy videos.

Likewise, my standards went up, and they went up fast. I did start off making more silly goofy short stuff, but I kept setting borders for myself making content more difficult to pump out. I wanted to make music videos, but I eventually said I didn't want to make them using pre-established "stuff you could buy on itunes" tracks, worried about potential copyright ramifications. A lot of my short videos were based on clips of songs, and I stopped doing those for the same reason. This was also a very similar (Albeit technically very different) reason why I stopped using show-style puppets, and although I technically could've continued animating show-style if I wanted, my standards had gotten higher still, and I wanted to start making animations using my own "Design" of puppets. Those are the horses you see in the banner of my Patreon page, the doofy ones with the fat noses. This starts what I'd call "Phase three" of viv.

...However, where I went, the majority of fans did not follow.

My earlier content was easy to digest, easy to share around, and easy to click on. Short doofy meme videos. Phase three of viv however- Although the content I was making was finally meeting my stupid standards, it ran into two problems. One, content production got slooooow. The entirety of the first couple of "phase three" years feels like I'd gotten nothing done, despite the, well, "Objectively better" quality videos coming out. I can count how many vivshorts I have on three hands, which is... Not a lot. It's good, and all of them are great, don't get me wrong, but throughout this entire "essay" I've been leaving out one giant big huge factor regarding my content: YouTube itself.

I'm sure you've heard this a million times before, but in case you haven't: YouTube does not promote channels that don't post often. The system likes channels that make long videos, and they like them posted every day. This is... The complete opposite of the state of my channel, however. Especially these days, where my projects get larger, and the gaps between videos get longer. Unfortunately, the amount of production put into videos does not necessarily translate to views- Or at least not anywhere near the amount it does compared to my older videos.

I did make an attempt to make my channel more active with my Vivcast series, but, although that series has its fans (And I love you all much and you know who you are), I feel like all that did is hurt me during phase three viv. It littered my channel with videos that only a very niche audience would appreciate, and meant that newcomers would have difficulties finding the videos my channel was centered around when visiting my channel, which is, you know... A bad thing. All my Vivcast videos are now unlisted on my channel, but the playlist is still publicly available for those who still want to see them.

The second big reason why I got a huge dropoff of viewers from phase three viv was the change in style, or, more specifically, the lack of using MLP characters at all. I stopped being part of the trend, and went and did my own thing. It gave me more creative freedom, but it was less "Immediately appealing". It's far easier to click on "Rainbow Dash is Excited" than it is "The Second Day of Chrasmas". I've created a bubble of content that only those inside the bubble can enjoy, and this bubble is already inside the bubble of MLP itself, which, as much as I wish it wasn't so, has a huge huge huge stigma around it that to this day has never dwindled. Despite my content being less about the ponies themselves and more about the comedy or the writing or the animation, just the vague connection to MLP is a huge turnoff for potential new viewers who although might not care for MLP might still enjoy the content I may put out.

So, due to this, I have a dwindling viewerbase both because I'm not directly using MLP characters (Meaning the general MLP fans are turned off from my content) and also because I'm using pony characters in the first place (Meaning the non-brony side of the internet won't be looking at my content in the first place). I've inadvertently created a niche inside of a niche because I became complacent. I thought "Hey, if I make videos, the viewers will come, as they always have been", and that was true a few years ago, but I've diverted the train far far off course and not many people still want to stay on the ride.

...Okay, I should mention, no, 10k views per video is not bad in any way. That's really really good and many many many youtubers wish they got a fraction of the viewerbase I got, but it's all relative. In my case, I'd steered my life towards "Hey, I got a good following going, if I grow my following enough I'll be able to make YouTube videos for a living! That'll be super cool!" And that was okay for a long while, while I was "Doing the motions", while I was at college, while I was at university, while I was looking for a job and not finding any for... The entirety of 2017. That's a long time, that's, like, 4+ years at least. But, that whole time, it was fine. I was in no rush, I was in no hurry, no real problems, I'd gotten a little lazy and my content slowed down for it, but I didn't necessarily need the money so I wasn't churning out garbage 24/7 just to make sure I hit a threshold. I thought to myself "Hey, I'll think of something, eventually. 10k views per video isn't enough to make a living off of, but I'll make something that'll go viral again, eventually. It'll be fine."

However, that changed this January.

My new years resolution was to go back to making monthly videos. The Second Day of Chrasmas I made relatively quickly and I'd totally be up for keeping that going, I thought. But my free time was suddenly whisked away, and I was suddenly told I'd be "Working for the dole" for half the week, every week, for at least the next 6 months, or until somebody finally decides to hire me. If that's French to you, essentially that means that, in order to get the money I'm literally living off of, I'm now forced to spend ~15 hours every week doing tiring sweaty exhausting labour work, getting pricked, scratched, sunburned, and bitten, on top of the obligation I already had regarding finding work with the job employment agency I'm hooked up with, oh, and that's not even mentioning that I'm not earning any more doing this work than I was earning the entirety of 2017. essentially meaning that all the free time I'd grown complacent with the past year is now gone in the blink of an eye, and I'm getting nothing out of it.

...So I thought "Okay, 2018 will be the year I finally set my channel back on the right track." Suddenly that's something I can't do. I can't make videos that bring the views back when I literally don't have the time nor energy to make those videos in the first place. The past January shows it, I forgot to make the post-January update Patreon post because of how quickly the month passed by for me. My complacency led me down this track and now I'm paying the price for it.

Okay... So... What now?

This was the question I asked at the start of this post, and what you just read is my story leading up to this question. I don't know if I have the right answer to that question, but I have a few proposals.

One: Cut my ties with pony content entirely. This is a route I'd been intentionally avoiding because I didn't want to be one of "Those guys". You know, the "I'm grown up and more mature now, and therefore I cannot like or associate with pony anymore". That... In itself, I'd personally say is an extremely immature sentiment, cutting ties with who you once were is like denying part of your life existed. Likewise, if this were the route I'd take, I would never deny my association with MLP... However, I would be changing all my branding and future content to not be MLP related, and move into, say, video games stuff instead. That way I can tap into a very large audience of people that didn't exist within my bubble within my bubble. I may be able to grab that "Lightning in a bottle" once more... I wouldn't stop doing Bronies Reacts, though.

Two: ...Keep going. This is the significantly more risky route, but I still have unfinished business in pony content. The two big ones are Trigger Happy Horses and Brony Polka Animated, Trigger Happy Horses being very very well loved and a project I would be very happy to continue if I had the money and time, and Brony Polka Animated being a project I teased... Ah jeez, two years ago. Both projects would require at least several months straight of work to finish/continue, meaning no other content on my channel (Outside of stuff that maybe I could hire other people to edit (Which would imply I had the money to do so, which, I don't)), meaning it'd be super unlikely my channel would grow in any way from it. I'd still be inside my niche of a niche, that double-layered bubble. But... Maybe people would come back if they saw these projects as finished projects? I don't know, and I have no way of knowing- But I expect that may unfortunately not be the case.

Three: Do both... Kinda. Perhaps I could begin by doing new stuff that appeals to a larger audience and completely ignoring those huge projects on my backlog until I've reached a point of equilibrium- And then return to them once I've maintained a stability on my channel. Albeit, that implies I get to that point in the first place, I may be trying to throw darts at this invisible dart board for the rest of my life, meaning those projects go entirely unfinished forever...

...At the end of the day, if I want to keep doing YouTube, I'll want to be earning enough off of it to make it viable. This means consistent revenue, every month, every year. I'm getting a very nice fraction of that off of Patreon right now, and I thank all my patrons wholeheartedly for it, but... I need at the very least quadruple the amount I'm currently earning to get back to even attempting YouTube full time. Single time pledges won't really help either, I either need four times the amount of patrons I have or at least ten times the amount of views on my future videos, and consistently.

This revamp needs to happen. With it I'll be revamping the structure of my Patreon page before the end of the month, including probably removing the $10 and $30 pledge options... Which I feel like is kind of a terrible move because it's the last foothold I really have, I'll be cutting my revenue in half with that move alone, but I don't feel comfortable being pledged those amounts when the content I'm putting out is minimal at best, and entirely against what you were asking for at worst. Although I believe there is an option to pledge a higher amount than the given pledge amount, no rewards come with that, and nobody is obligated to do that for me.

Will this post do anything about my situation? Deep down I kinda hope it will, but really... I don't expect it to, and I've accepted that. You gotta deal with what life gives you, and when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. That term is thrown around so much it sounds like white noise so I'll turn it into a metaphor that actually means something: If you're given shit, make something out of it. Well, I've been given shit, so here I am figuring out what to sculpt it into.

It's midnight where I live now, so I'll be going to sleep. When I wake up I hope to have the answer to my question.

Good night.

- Viva

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creideamhgradochas · 6 years

Text

Thanks to the lovely @sarahwroteathing for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Sarah, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Umm well I write my pairings with reader inserts because I know it tends to make people the happiest. Plus I just think it's a cute practice - giving people a chance to live an adventure or a romance with their favorite characters. It's sweet. But I do enjoy writing my OCs as side characters because I can be specific about who they are and what they look like. It's also just useful as a sounding board for how people respond to my characters which helps me with my original fiction pieces.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Mmm I don't know that I have one! I really like to experiment and play with genre and tropes. I think it's fun!

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Honestly I'd probably be fine doing that with most of them. "Shift" is definitely one because I don't feel confident that we had enough material for Pietro to allow me to write him well which bothers me. But it was a request. Umm "Burden of Proof" maybe just because I don't think it's very good at all - it was just a quick silly thing - and I'm bitter about it somehow having the highest number of notes of any of my stories. It frustrates me greatly.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Laaaaate at night. That's when my best stuff comes to me. The notes section of my phone is full of parts and pieces of stories from when I wake up in the middle of the night and have a huge wave of inspiration.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Honestly my writer brain is always working. A lot of the time it's weird connections to my life that trigger something. A "what if this had happened instead" or a "I wonder what would happen if". It literally never stops. I have a notebook of more story ideas than I could ever hope to write.

7) In your Just One Kiss fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

It's a scene you guys haven't read yet.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

No, I have not. I haven't ever gotten any useful criticism before. Just rude people.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Probably Steve! He's the easiest for me to write for some reason. I also tend to get nicer feedback on Steve stories.

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

Uuuumm... Pietro. Like I mentioned before, I just don't have enough information to comfortably write him.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Just One Kiss?

Because that's all Bucky's been asking for since he was ten years old: "Come on, doll! Just one kiss?"

12) How did you come up with the idea for Just One Kiss?

Oddly enough, hearing "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer for the first time in a while. I've always thought that song was adorable. Cute and happy and sweet like a pre-war Bucky.

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

No, I don't think so! There are a bunch I haven't worked on in a while, but I'm very stubborn. I'm not letting them go.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I've played with the idea of a The Lonely Tree sequel series. I'm still not sure though. I don't want it to be one of those things where the sequel spoils the original because it sucks, ya know?

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

No, I don't think so! I'm pretty intense about finding my endings.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Oh, gosh. This question scares me. I know I'd forget so many people if I tried to be specific. Really, I admire any one who writes on this platform. It's scary. It can get weirdly intense and rude really fast. Writing is hard, and sharing your writing is even harder. Really and truly, I admire everyone who has ever tried.

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Every. Single. One.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Depends! It does have to be one or the other, though. I'm not one of those people who can sit in a coffee shop and write. I either need silence, or I need music. I actually make playlists for each longer piece that I take on to help me keep inspiration flowing. I've thought about posting them on the masterlist before.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

I've gotten very, very, VERY sad, but I don't think I've ever made myself cry. Probably because I know I'm a big ole softy who is going to write a happy ending. It helps when you know everything is going to be okay.

20) Which part of your Just One Kiss fic was the hardest to write?

Chapter 7, the Christmas chapter, for sure. That was when I was getting really rude and hateful messages from people. It was also a mental health low point, and of course there was the full chapter deletion that forced me to rewrite from scratch. That was not a fun time, let me tell ya.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

It kind of depends. Mostly I just go with the flow. However, if I'm having trouble grappling with a larger or more complex story, I do try to break it down by what I want to be the theme for each chapter, or a wish list of ideas/moments I want to cover. It still isn't really an outline. More of an idea board, really.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

At some point, the number of notes on stories remains stable and comparatively low no matter how much higher your follower count grows.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Soundtrack. It's the one that I've spent the longest amount of time working with and the one that I feel has the most genuine emotion and depth. But also the lowest number of notes by far.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Burden of Proof. I wrote it as a silly little answer to a vague request. It really doesn't have a plot. That character work isn't that great. I didn't spend much time on it at all. And yet, it has the highest number of notes by far.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Umm not really? Role wise and situation wise, sometimes. The Lonely Tree came about when I passed by my favorite tree and my soon to be friend Maggie asked if she could put me in her art assignment. Scarf Thief came about when I crossed paths with a guy in a Captain America costume the weekend of Halloween who looked like he was about to freeze to death because he forgot to grab a coat and I lent him my scarf.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Really any person who actually goes into detail in their comments is paying me a very treasured compliment. When people do some interpreting? I love it. When people share how they are affected by my writing? I am floored. In recent memory, @hispeculiartreasure private comments to me touched me the deepest.

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I think things have to be useful in order to be considered criticism. I've instead had rudeness (demanding updates and treating me like a servant) and confusing leaps to unsupported conclusions (I hate Bucky Barnes because I dare to write a slow burn, apparently).

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

Oh, I love to share them! You guys don't know how much you would learn if you actually asked! Mostly I share them with @aubzylynn and @indominusregina

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

No, and I plan to keep it that way.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

Umm minor in terms of not the focal point of the story, I always love writing Tony. His voice comes through really easily to me, and I definitely plan on giving him his own stories in the future. In terms of actually a minor character, Louise from Just One Kiss! I love my sweet, silly Louise. (Betty is a main character dammit)

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

F e e d b a c k. Always feedback. The more detailed, the better.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

I don't know yet! I haven't had a chance to play with very many! I'm missing a lot of the classic romcom ones and it's a damn tragedy. (Hmm I sure hope no one would be an angel and request some specifics so I have an excuse. That would be terrible.)

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I have no earthly idea

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Fluff! Easy! I don't have it in me to carry angst all the way to the end. It always has to have a fluffy ending. I do enjoy the depths I can reach and the complex dynamics I can explore with angst, but in the end I always have to soothe it over with fluff. And I don't write smut, so that's out too. I just like making people happy! I love being able to make people smile and feel good and walk away in a better mood than when they first sat down to read. That's always the goal.

#milestone celebration #ask the author #sarahwroteathing

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bapdirt · 6 years

Note

hey, i'm not sure if you're still taking these but if you still do the otp questions, can you do them for himup and younglo? :) if not, just ignore this, haha.

1) Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop?Himup: Jongup rocks the seat, Himchan yells and hits his arm until he stops.Younglo: Zelo rocks the seat by accident and freaks himself out, Youngjae starts doing it to see him freak out.2) Who is always horny and will have sex at any time, at any place and at any time?Himup: They’re both up for it, Jongup likes doing it in riskier spots though.Younglo: Youngjae likes to get Zelo excited until he’s willing to sneak off to have sex, or hurry home.3) Who is more into taking showers/baths together? Who tries to make it relaxing and who tries to make it sexy time?Himup: Himchan likes the baths, it gives him time to wind down with Jongup. Jongup likes the shower so he can do a little dance while he listens to music, but he’s the one to start washing Himchan’s back, next thing you know they’re fucking.Younglo: zelo likes to have a bath at the end of the day, sees it as a chance to get off with Youngjae before bed.

4) Who likes to walk around the house naked and who tells the other to go put some clothes on?Himup: Jongup really doesn’t care for clothes around the house. Himchan doesn’t mind.Younglo: Zelo walks around naked, Youngjae asks him to at least wear shorts, his mother would catch a heart attack if she knew what Youngjae was seeing on a daily basis.5) Who sleeps on the couch when they get into a fight?Himup: Jongup likes to sleep on the couch anyway, and he likes to give Himchan his space after an argument.Younglo: Zelo stomps off to the couch even though Youngjae asks him not to.6) Who takes photos of the other while they sleep?Himup: Himchan has a folder just for Jongup. Jongup, unknown to Himchan, has more pictures.Younglo: Youngjae likes to take videos of himself fucking with Junhong and sends it to be group chat.7) Who said “I love you” first? and who ends their arguments in a fight with “Because I love you”?Himup: Jongup said it first, he was drunk and honest. Himchan ends the argument with that sentence, Jongup folds most of the time.Younglo: Youngjae admitted it first because it’s just how he feels and he knows Zelo feels the same. He also ends his arguments with that line, but it’s more sarcastic than anything.8) Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?Himup: Himchan has the habit of stealing clothes, period, so Jongup ends up with half his sweatshirts missing.Younglo: Zelo tries to wear Youngjae’s sweatshirts but only the oversized ones fit him correctly. 9) Who wakes the other up in the middle of the night to tell them a cool dream they had? Who has the most nightmares, and who sings them back to sleep after?Himup: Jongup might wake Himchan up if the dream stays on his mind. Himchan has the most nightmares and Jongup talks until he falls back to sleep.Younglo: Zelo wakes Youngjae up with weird dreams and nightmares. Youngjae winds him back to sleep.10) Who is more likely to cheat?Himup: Neither.Younglo: Neither. They both have trust issues already.11) Who makes fun of the other for having a crush on them, and who has to remind them that they are in a relationship?Himup: Himchan makes fun of Jongup for having a crush on him, Jongup doesn’t even care to remind him that they’re together.

Younglo: Youngjae teases Zelo about how infatuated he was in the beginning, Zelo reminds him that Youngjae confessed to him first.12) Who starts a food fight in the kitchen?

Himup: Jongup starts it, Himchan ends it.

Younglo: Youngjae starts it and is somehow surprised when Zelo fights back.

13) Who initiates duets? and who is the better singer?

Himup: Himchan tries to start it but Jongup isn’t having it. Their voices compliment each other.

Younglo: Youngjae tries to get Zelo to sing, he thinks he actually has a really nice voice.

14) Who starts the hand holding? Who grabs the others butt? Who slides their arm around their waist? Who likes to put their fingers in the belt loops?

Himup: Himchan for like all of those. Jongup likes hand holding in private and putting an arm around Himchan’s shoulder.

Younglo: Youngjae attacks this boy with affection all the time. When Zelo tries to do the same Youngjae sometimes rejects him.

15) Who likes writes the others name on their wrist?

Himup: Jongup likes to write Himchan’s name in messy scrawl and then wash it away not too long after.

Younglo: Zelo writes Youngjae across his own palms and wrists, likes to send pictures to him if he can work up the nerve. Youngjae calls him an idiot but saves all the pictures anyway.

16) Who is more seductive when they are drunk? and who is louder in bed?

Himup: Himchan. He talks a lot. Jongup is shy but he’ll make some noise when he’s really into it.

Younglo: Zelo, though they’re both on the more quiet side, whispers and soft moans.

17) Who is more protective?

Himup: Himchan, overly so. Jongup doesn’t mind.

Younglo: Youngjae because he’s been watching over Zelo for a long time. Zelo has a mean streak when that childish jealousy hits though.

18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping?

Himup: Himchan. Never. Stops. Talking. Jongup’s said this before himself lmao

Younglo: Youngjae ends up talking to himself until he finally notices that Zelo has drifted off to sleep. Then he’ll stop.

19) Who drives and who has the window seat?

Himup: Himchan drives, Jongup stares out the window, music playing.

Younglo: Youngjae drives and Zelo watches him, records him while driving. Lots of half finished videos of Youngjae’s smiling face before he slaps the phone out of his hand.

20) Who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed?

Himup: Himchan falls asleep in Jongup’s lap while they watch something on tv, or while Jongup is playing on his phone. He doesn’t move him, he’ll stay still until Himchan wakes up and drags them both to bed.

Younglo: Zelo likes to curl himself up in Youngjae’s lap as much as possible. A lot of time on the weekends is spent like this.

21) Who cuts the others hair?

Himup: Jongup let Himchan cut his hair once and never again. Their stylists is the only reason he stopped letting him do it.

Younglo: Neither. Youngjae wouldn’t dare let Zelo cut his hair and he wouldn’t want to mess with Junhong’s either.

22) Who is super bad at sexting? and who sends them encouraging messages throughout the day?

Himup: Jongup forgets to respond to sexts, he doesn’t mean to, Himchan gets embarrassed if it’s too much and tells Jongup to stop sometimes. Himchan sends encouraging messages throughout the day, Jongup responds to those.

Younglo: Zelo is bad at sexting, frets over what to send back if he can’t send nudes. Youngjae wants him to widen his vocabulary. Zelo sends encouraging messages and silly pictures to cheer Youngjae up.

23) Who thinks they are not good enough for the others love? and who’s more afraid of losing the other? Who thinks they keep messing up, only for the other to tell them they don’t need to worry?

Himup: They both of times where they doubt they’re enough of the other. It’s easier for Himchan to express the way he feels to Jongup, but Himchan has to watch for certain signs when it comes to Jongup.

Younglo: Zelo has moments when he wants to back out so he acts out of character, self deprecating jokes and low moods. Youngjae assures him that he’s good enough, that’s why he’s with him.

24) Who starts random slow dancing with the other in the kitchen? Who holds the other just above the ground and kisses them?

Himup: Jongup starts slow dancing with Himchan in the kitchen just to make him laugh, but then they end up swaying there for an hour to one of their playlists. Dinner burns. They don’t pick each other up.

Younglo: They like to start slow dancing with each other, but Youngjae does it seriously and Zelo gets embarrassed. He picks Youngjae up just to spite him.

25) Who says shitty puns and sex jokes just to see the other giggle and blush?

Himup: Himchan has a dirty mouth, okay? Always ready with the sex jokes, but he ends up blushing and giggling at the end of them with Jongup, too.

Younglo: Youngjae has the occasional sex joke, but shitty ass puns aplenty. Junhong hides his face if it’s too much but he’ll have a dirty joke to tell at the wrong time himself.

26) Who kissed first?

Himup: They went in at the same time. One look shared and they kinda went for it. Their teeth knocked together on the first try.

Younglo: Youngjae asks to kiss him first, Junhong turns his face away to laugh each time Youngjae tried until he got cursed at.

27) Who orders take out at two in a morning? and who wakes the other up at three in the morning to go downstairs with them to get a glass of water because it’s too dark?

Himup: Jongup orders food at two in the morning because McDonald’s is open 24/7 near the apartment. What else does he have to do. Himchan makes him get a glass of water since he always wants to be up at ass o’clock in the morning.

Younglo: Zelo orders food, Youngjae adds on his own stuff so he doesn’t mind when the delivery man comes knocking at weird times. Zelo begs Youngjae for a glass of water when it’s too dark.

28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs they write for them?

Himup: Jongup writes about Himchan when he’s feeling particularly affectionate but Himchan isn’t there, or he doesn’t want to say what’s on his mind. He doesn’t sing them though. Maybe.

Younglo: Zelo would write about Youngjae a lot, too embarrassed to say so. Might put one line into a song that’s he’s releasing if it isn’t obvious. Youngjae likes to sing his songs to Zelo, though.

29) Who does some crazy stunt to try and impress the other and who ends up driving them to the emergency room after it backfires?

Himup: Himchan tends to do stupid shit and end up hurting himself. Jongup never has to take him to the hospital, but he has to work kinks out of Himchan’s back later.

Younglo: Zelo had to go to the doctor after pulling a muscle. Youngjae drove there in a frenzy after Junhong tried to do a triple back flip

30) Who is embarrassed when they have to wear their glasses and who thinks they look super cute?

Himup: JONGUP. He thinks they’re a hassle to wear but his prescribed glasses are goofy. Himchan wants him to wear them more often, has like a hundred pictures of him with them on.

Younglo: Neither of them are embarrassed. They like glasses actually.

#these are long #himup #younglo #otp questions #long time no see #college is killing me #I’ll be back writing soon #until then I’ll do whatever else

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couplesinstitutecounseling · 4 years

Link

A few weeks ago, I published a blog about how couples can spend time at home during the sheltering in place. I speculated that all streaming services are going to be well used during this time. Many people will binge on shows they have missed and movies they have wanted to watch, but that will only sustain and entertain you for so long. Despite the difficulties caused by the coronavirus, this can still be a great opportunity to try new things, learn new skills or get back to something you love doing but don’t always have time for.

So, what can you do while you’re hunkered down and working to keep yourself and your community safe? I have adapted the previous list for individuals and added some new ones so you don’t have to; some are silly, some more serious, but all give you the opportunity to create memories, connection and hope during these surreal times. Some you can do alone, while others allow you to include others via technology.

But let’s be real here too, this still sucks. These are hard times. Hanging out with friends or family online is not the same as doing things in person. It will not feel the same. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t feel good. It will be different, and it’s not meant to replace our normal way of connecting, but in times like these our ability to adapt and pivot may mean all the difference in our mental health. It’s important to remember that the most powerful buffer of distress lives within our ability to have connectedness and resilience. With that in mind here are some creative ways to have fun and stay connected, if even from a distance.

50 Creative ways to spend time while sheltering in place:

Get creative with technology. Have an outing with friends and family through video apps like Zoom.

Listen to new music and build a new playlist of songs you found through sheltering in place. Share songs with friends/family and ask them to do the same.

Listen to old music and experience or write down the memories that go with the song.

Exercise. You can do this by running or looking for intense programs online. You can also do it in a silly, fun way. Look up “weird workouts” and then try them. I’m sure you will laugh!

Get outside. Spend some time on a patio, balcony, or yard. Breathe fresh air. Point out things you notice in your environment. Do the 5 Senses Count down.

Build a fort and watch a movie in it.

Make a funny video or a music video.

Pick some home projects you have been putting off, put some music on and be productive.

Listen to a new audio book or podcast. Start an online “book club” and talk about it.

Plan a future trip together.

Do a puzzle.

Appreciate the sky. Watch a sunset or sunrise, look for shapes in the clouds, at night look for stars.

Write a story with friends on email or text, one person starts with 1-2 sentences and then the next person continues it…you can go around and around until you feel done.

Send a surprise package to someone you know.

Look up fun science experiments you can do at home

Watch a documentary or Ted Talk. What was surprising? What did you find interesting? What feelings did it bring up?

Interested in getting a pet? Spend time researching what you would want.

Find a new video game to play or to play online with friends.

Social Media or Screen detox.

Visit a museum, aquarium or zoo online.

Lip-Sync or karaoke using YouTube or a music streaming program, grab a hairbrush or spoon as a mic and go to town. Sing solo, sing online with friends and have fun.

Declutter something. A junk door, closet, cabinet; you will leave sheltering in place feeling lighter

Take the online quizzes that help you learn about yourself: love language, temperament test, etc.

Take an online class. Learn a new language, a cooking class, art class.

Document your experience through this time. Create your own “captains log”, use pictures and videos. Be serious, be silly.

Try meditation. There are YouTube videos and apps that can take you through guided meditations. Here are a few videos to get you started: 1. Deepak Chopra’s Go-To 3-Minute Meditation To Stay Focused 2. 5-Minute Meditation You Can Do Anywhere 3. Daily Calm | 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation | Be Present 4. 10-Minute Meditation For Anxiety

Learn about mindfulness and practice it. Check out this great video Why Mindfulness Is a Superpower: An Animation

Purge…look for things to donate. Clothes, shoes, home goods.

Color in a coloring book or print out free coloring pages.

Take dance lessons using YouTube.

Make a bucket list. Make it specific to all the things you want to do after Lockdown is over.

Make a vision board for what you want the rest of your year to look like. Apps like “Wishboard” are great but you can use old magazines too.

Chat with some friends online and tell jokes, riddles or ghosts’ stories.

Make a time capsule of this historical moment, write letters about your experience. Pick a date in the future to open it. You can use a box or bag but seal it, date it and sign it. Then put it somewhere safe and set a reminder on your calendar to open it.

Think and plan a few random acts of kindness you can do now or in the future.

Play an online trivia game.

Go window shopping online for something you want to save for.

Build a Lego set.

Learn a magic trick.

Reread your favorite childhood books. What do you remember about the story? What memory do you have of reading the book or who read it to you. What feelings does it bring up?

Make a list of local restaurants and activities you want to do when life returns to “normal”

Watch comedians online; laughter is so important during times of stress.

Re-watch your favorite movies. From childhood or more recent. Anything you notice this time that you didn’t see before. How old were you when you first saw it? What was going on during that time?

Incorporate a new habit. It’s said it takes 30 days to establish a new habit…you have the time.

Practice gratitude. Watch our blog on the Top Three. A great way to learn about and practice being mindful and grateful. Ask a friend or family member to do this exercise with you.

Try EFT/Tapping if you feel overwhelmed or stressed. Here are 2 great resources How to tap and Free tapping meditations

Relax. Try a long shower, bath, enjoy the slower pace. It won’t last forever, which is good but that means all the hectic schedules and commutes will restart. There may be things you miss about this slow down…try to enjoy those.

BREATHE! Learn how to take deep calming breaths. Here are 2 helpful videos Reducing Stress Through Deep Breathing and 3 Deep Breathing Exercises to Reduce Stress & Anxiety.

Bonus Tip: Check out the blog “Hope is more powerful than fear” for a daily tool that can help combat difficult feelings.

Write the ideas you like down on individual pieces of paper and put them in a bag or jar. Then when you get bored, pull one out and do whatever it says…you will be bound to have some fun, laugh and create memories during this difficult time.

Also, if you are struggling and need support, all of our therapists are offering online sessions. We will be adding new services to help more people during this time; shorter sessions, short term sessions, groups, workshops and reduced fees. If you are interested in more information or you would like a free consultation fill HERE.

#Sheltering in Place #Relationship Therapist #Relationship Counseling #Couples Therapy #COVID-19

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toast-connoisseur · 5 years

Note

All the "weird asks"

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? -I’m actually obsessed with coffee mugs and tea cups even though I don’t drink coffee nor tea.

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? -Chocolate bars

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? -Cotton Candy!

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you? -It’s funny because I actually found some of my old report cards recently... they range from “a pleasure to have in class!” to “danger of failing the course” even though my grade for both of those would be an “A” ?

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? -The soda from a bottle from Mexico hits completely different.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? -Personally, I don’t dress like any of those but I am attracted to tomboys.

7. earbuds or headphones? -Depends. Mostly, earbuds.

8. movies or tv shows? -Movies.

9. favorite smell in the summer? -All the seasonal smells from the stores!

10. game you were best at in p.e.? -Softball or tennis.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? -One slice of toast and one egg.

12. name of your favorite playlist? -I made my friend a playlist called “Emo Turn Up” and I like that one a lot.

13. lanyard or key ring? -Key ring, but I have a lanyard because I tend to leave my purse in the car and that way I can just carry my keys around my neck. Also, my lanyard is Nightmare Before Christmas themed, so she’s beautiful.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? -Lollipops, actually lol

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? -Rosemary’s Baby. Although, I kind of got to pick the book for my assignment.

16. most comfortable position to sit in? -One leg is usually elevated while the other has my foot flat on the ground.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? -My Chuck Taylor’s!

18. ideal weather? -I have two technically. I love blue skies with a slight breeze but I also love windy rainy weather.

19. sleeping position? -On my side, on leg curled up and the other straight (kind of like how I sit) while I hold a pillow to my chest.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? -Notebook and post its!

21. obsession from childhood? -Stickers!! Although I never actually stuck them anywhere except on other papers or just left them on their page. I collected them so I didn’t like them getting ugly.

22. role model? -Dita Von Teese!

23. strange habits? -I guess if it’s habit, I probably wouldn’t consider it strange. I do write everything down. Like, everything. I have a list of every movie I’ve ever watched (I had to stop updating it because it was giving me anxiety due to how many movies I watch), I make post it notes that I eventually compile into notebook pages. Any information I never want to lose gets written down somewhere.

24. favorite crystal? Aventurine

25. first song you remember hearing? -It would’ve been something in Spanish. Most likely one of the many songs my mom used to sing to me.

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? -Although I rarely get to do it: sitting in the sun/going to the beach or a pool. If it’s warm with a breeze I can lay outside for quite some time.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? -Watch movies on the couch with a blanket over me.

28. five songs to describe you? -Brown Eyed Girl (the original is nice but I love the Reel Big Fish version), Because I’m Awesome (The Dollyrots), Hot Mess (Cobra Starship), I’m Just a Kid (even though I’m almost 25. Simple Plan), Independent (Webbie)

29. best way to bond with you? -Be open and honest. I love talking about books, movies, and music but talk to me about conspiracy theories and ghost stories and you’ll have my heart. I love when people have stories revolving around their culture. I’m Mexican and we have lots of myths and stories to swap so it’s awesome.

30. places that you find sacred? -A person’s bedroom can be sacred. Call me silly but Disneyland is kind of sacred to me. It hold so many wonderful memories. I only like to share certain spots with certain people sometimes.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? -Probably whatever outfit I have on at the moment. I don’t really plan to kick anyone’s ass let alone want to plan a whole outfit for it. I assume leggings and a t shirt will do?

32. top five favorite vines? -omg I miss vine! I was actually going through vines on YouTube recently... The “Miss Keisha” vine always kills me, any vine with Sarah Baska, anything that Zane and Heath ever made, Jay Versace has really funny vines too, and I still quote the “welcome to Chilis” vine constantly. Picking 5 is way too hard.

33. most used phrase in your phone? -“it be like that sometimes” or “yaaaaaaas”

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? -The Red Robin commercial and the O’Riley Auto Parts one play in my head on loop at the worst times.

35. average time you fall asleep? -I lay down around 9ish but don’t actually fall asleep until 10PM

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? -That’s way too hard to remember. Probably something I would consider really stupid now.

37. suitcase or duffel bag? -Depends on how long I’ll be away/how many clothes I’ll need. Usually, a suitcase.

38. lemonade or tea? -Lemonade.

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? -omg why would you make me pick?! Lemon meringue pie though...

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? -I went to a public high school in LA. We mostly had riots and fights and I stayed away from all of that.

41. last person you texted? -Jayla. I need her to wake up so I can tell her about my dream about Beyoncé.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? -Por que no los dos?! I like buying men’s jean jackets because they have pockets inside though...

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? -Depends. I tend to get cold easily so I usually start with a cardigan but I love jean jackets.

44. favorite scent for soap? -just plain ol clean??

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? -Fantasy

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? -Depends on the weather but usually just shorts and a t shirt.

47. favorite type of cheese? -Mozzarella

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? -Grapes. Sweet and sometimes a little sour lol

49. what saying or quote do you live by? -“Let your imaginarlo run free”. I actually have it tattooed on my right bicep.

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? -My friends always get me to laugh really hard. I think the hardest I’ve ever laughed was when my friend tried to say something and she completely botched the sentence so it was pure gibberish and yet I understood her? We just looked at each other and burst into laughter.

51. current stresses? -Work, school, life... the usual??

52. favorite font? -Arial

53. what is the current state of your hands? -I am typing my answers to these questions on my phone...

54. what did you learn from your first job? -I only have infinite patience for kids, not adults.

55. favorite fairy tale? -Used to be Cinderella, but I was never really one for fairy tales tbh

56. favorite tradition? -I don’t actually have any. Never really had anyone to have traditions with.

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? -2018 was an entire struggle, car crashes because idiot drivers crashed into mine and totaled mine (TWICE), my entire life as a whole has been a struggle tbh. Every day is one that I try my hardest to overcome.

58. four talents you’re proud of having? -I don’t really consider myself as someone with any talent, let alone four, but... A mathematician once taught me how to divide any number by five in my head, I’m pretty good at mimicking certain accents, idk of this counts as a talent but I can drink quite a bit before I actually feel anything, I can recite certain movies down to what song will play during certain scenes, and I would consider myself the ultimate Disneyland tour guide. That’s five but it’s all I can think of so if one doesn’t sound like one, we have an extra.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? -“Oh shit, here we go again...”

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? -I know nothing about anime so I wouldn’t even know. I would want to make a joke about being in the ones that are essentially pornos but I’m probably wrong with that too.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? -“The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” Idk if the line comes from elsewhere but I first heard it in the movie Moulin Rouge and it has stuck with me since.

62. seven characters you relate to? -Oh geez, I don’t really relate to any tbh but seven characters I like: Princess Tiana, Shane from The L Word, Theo from the Netflix version of A Haunting of Hill House, Satine from Moulin Rouge, Wall-E, Cassandra from Saved!, and The Grinch (as wonderfully played by Jim Carrey)

63. five songs that would play in your club? -Act Up (City Girls), Motivation (Normani), LGBT (Cupcakke), Alcohol (Millionaires, lol), My Type (Saweetie)

64. favorite website from your childhood? -Neopets!

65. any permanent scars? -I have one from when I stuck my hand in a garbage can because I was looking for something and wound up cutting myself on all the glass that had been thrown in. The scar is super tiny and on my pinkie lol

66. favorite flower(s)? -Roses and carnations

67. good luck charms? -I don’t have any anymore.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? -I tried sea urchin once and I swear I can still taste it.

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? -All leaves have symmetry (unless tampered with)

70. left or right handed? -I’m right handed but I use my left hand as dominant for a lot of stuff? It’s weird.

71. least favorite pattern? One that isn’t symmetrical.

72. worst subject? -I was once good at math and now I’m horrible.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? -Some think syrup on bacon is gross but I love when the syrup from my pancakes falls on it!

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? -10

75. when did you lose your first tooth? -I have no idea. I lost all my baby teeth early on. I’ll go with 5 or 6...

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? -Can’t go wrong with French Fries!

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? -I recently revived the orchid my boss has on his windowsill and I’m quite proud of that.

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? -I don’t drink coffee but I love sushi...

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? -Now, my driver’s license photo. I retook it recently lol

80. earth tones or jewel tones? -Jewel (with a mix of earth?)

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? -There’s a difference? Fireflies, I guess?

82. pc or console? -Console, though I love PC games.

83. writing or drawing? -I’m shit at drawing but I love to doodle. Writing is my favorite though.

84. podcasts or talk radio? -Podcasts

84. barbie or polly pocket? -My childhood nickname is Barbie (my middle name is Barbara) so I only played with Barbies even though I only dressed them because I liked their clothes and then then threw them to the side to play other games.

85. fairy tales or mythology? -Mythology

86. cookies or cupcakes? -Cookies

87. your greatest fear? -Being buried alive.

88. your greatest wish? -To be truly happy.

89. who would you put before everyone else? -My family/close friends.

90. luckiest mistake? -My entire life? I guess it would be taking a job in a field I knew nothing about which led me to learn about said field. I’m now somewhat successful in that field.

91. boxes or bags? -Depends on what I’m carrying but I love boxes. Bags are much easier though... I guess I’ll go with bags.

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? -Sunlight/sunset.

93. nicknames? -Barbie, a friend in high school used to call me West Side Story because my first name is Maria, Barbz...

94. favorite season? -Fall

95. favorite app on your phone? -I like IG

96. desktop background? -Wildflowers

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? -5? My friends have changed their numbers before so I remember their old numbers only lol

98. favorite historical era? -I love the fashion of the fashion and cars of the 1940s but I would never want to go back. We’re barely making any progress towards equality as is so going back would not be an option for me.

Thanks for the questions, Anon!💞

0 notes

reality-retold · 7 years

Text

; top 15 favorite beast/highlight songs

so, i’ve wanted to do this ever since i watched K!Junkies video of their top 15 favorite Beast/Highlight songs. tbh this is something that i sometimes do, picking my top 10-15 fave songs from each group i like and then compiling them to make a playlist. more often than not, though, i end up getting somewhat frustrated because i can’t make up my mind on which songs i have to include on the list l o l. but it’s good fun, and the list tends to change from time to time, depending on my mood, so yeah.

it really took me awhile to finish this list because, again, it is never an easy feat to have to choose only 15 songs. i mean, come on, beast/highlight have been amazingly consistent with their music and they have LOTS of awesome songs. so i decided to base my choices on my own personal attachment to the songs - whether they hold sentimental meanings to me, and so on. that said, it doesn’t mean that the songs not included here do not have any effect whatsoever on me, no.

anyways. here goes my list, and it’s in no particular order, i guess?

1. 주먹을 �� 쥐고 (Clenching A Tight Fist)

As far as i can remember, this was the first Beast song that i listened to. I can’t recall how i ended up listening to this song, though - it was around the time when i wasn’t into them yet and barely knew them, but i remember feeling impressed by their vocals. So yeah, naturally this song owns a special place in my heart for being my first Beast song ever. It’s just my kind of song, because boy am i a sucker for Beast ballad. Once, Doojoon also talked about how special this song was for him and, as shallow and silly as this sounds, it just made me grow fonder of this song :’)

2. 숨 (Breath)

This song is one of my favorite title tracks ever, hands down. Idk, it’s just.... epic? I love everything about it. The fast-paced, sort-of rock-ish, gritty instrumental, Dongwoon’s adlib at the beginning (that he gained after his Dad bribed the producer l m a o), Yangyo’s impressive long notes, the dance, the styling they’re sporting for this era, just.... everything, really. And this may not be a popular opinion, but I personally think that this era marked the beginning of their more... sophisticated sound and style?

3. Fiction

Ask any B2uty/Light and they’d most likely tell you Fiction was the era (or one of the most significant, at least) for Beast/Highlight. And i just can’t agree more even though I actually joined the fandom just right when the promotion era for the song was ending. I know, what a bad timing, eh? I guess, what i’m trying to say is, I didn’t include Fiction on this list because it was such a massive hit back in the days, but because it’s the song that sealed the deal for me? Really, there’s no turning back for me after listening to their Fiction and Fact album.

4. You

If I have to describe this song in one word, it’d be Dongwoon. I mean, don’t get me wrong. It is a beautiful song in its own right and all the other members sound so good (Doojoon’s part is still one of my ultimate favorite ever), but for me personally, Dongwoon owns this song. I was snatched from the moment he opens the song with his I’m gonna make you love me line. Yeah, I do love you, all right, so mission accomplished, magnae. l o l.

5. 비가 오는 날엔 (On Rainy Days)

On Rainy Days is one of the songs that I always seek for first whenever they hold a concert or perform in an event. I’m not sure why I love it so. Maybe because imo this song is just such a perfect representation of them? They’ve always been known as a vocally strong group that are especially good with ballad, and this song showcases it all? I’m pretty sure I’ve listened to and watched performances of this song for hundreds or even thousands times already, and yet I just can’t get tired of it, ever.

6. Midnight (별 헤는 밤)

Midnight is probably one of their finest songs to date. And it’s special to me because it’s the pre-release for It’s A Beautiful Night comeback, which was their first comeback after I became a fan. Every time I listen to it, it’s like I can relive the excitement I felt back then, and the feeling is just wonderful. I love the original version, but I also like the acoustic version that they did in some of their concerts.

And Doojoon’s part during the bridge is pure perfection. It still gets me every time, even after years. Ultimate favorite of all his parts in any songs, hands down ;-;

7. 니가 보고 싶어지면 (When I Miss You)

I fell in love with this song from the get go, and I think it’s easy to see why. It’s one of their slower songs and it’s beautiful in a bittersweet kind of way. And it’s also one of the songs that show just how much Dongwoon has improved over the years, as he shares the chorus with Yangyo ;-; He also harmonizes for Yangyo’s parts during the live perf of this song. And then there’s Doojoon part ;-; Anyone should know by now that I have such strong affinity for his voice l o l.

8. Good Luck

While I can’t say I loved everything about this song’s era (I wasn’t digging Dongwoon’s purple hair and Doojoon’s brown hair), but the song itself is so awesome I could overlook everything else. It’s so fierce and packed with energy and just... amazing. And i think the song also served as a reminder that yes, they are actually capable of doing some intense choreo - it’s just that most of the time they choose not to do so l o l

9. 12시 30분

If I had to choose the ultimate favorite of all my favorite songs, this is it. I’m not sure why I feel so emotionally attached to this song. Maybe it’s got to do with the fact that they released this song (and the mini album) as a commemoration of their debut 5th anniversary. Maybe it’s got to do with the fact that this is like everything i ever want of them. The concept is on point, the styling is on point. And the song and the dance are both challenging and yet they manage to make so effortlessly easy, belting out those notes while dancing gracefully. Idk, i just love it bunches ;-;

10. 가까이 (Stay)

As per Can You Feel It concerts, this song screams Doojoon through and through. Seriously, it’s legit the most he has ever sung in one single song! So of course I would have to put this song on the list here. But, to be fair, I’ve loved this song since I heard it the first time back then, though admittedly, yeah, it’s mostly because I thought Doojoon (and Dongwoon) sounds amazing. I can’t help ruing the fact that they never got to perform this song with Hyunseung, but it is what it is.

11. Stay Forever Young

Their one and only Japanese track to make it to the list. While I love their other Japanese songs, I have to say this is my ultimate favorite. I just love the vibe and the feel of it? And how it’s about life and being young, and it’s just like a reminiscent of the kind of song my favorite jpop group would sing, so yeah.

12. 리본 (Ribbon)

I know not everyone is a fan of this song. Some found it too boring, even. But not me. Granted, it’s not the song that I’d always put on my playlist like every single time. But whenever I do listen to it, it overwhelms me with feels. I suppose it’s because it’s their first title track as 5-member Beast, and also their last as, well, Beast. So in a way, it represents both a new beginning and an end for them.

13. 아름답다 (It’s Still Beautiful)

God, if i ain’t choked with emotion the first time i listened to this song ;A; But could anyone blame me? This song was like solid proof of how these boys survived against all the odds, of how they’re still pretty much in it together, bringing music to their fans once more. I will never not feel things whenever I listen to this song ;-; And don’t even get me started on how beautiful it is, simple as it is. It shows that they don’t need much else because their vocals just shine.

14. 얼굴 찌푸리지 말아요 (Plz Don’t Be Sad)

I don’t think there could be a better, more fitting song for their comeback/re-branding as Highlight than this song. It just hit all the right notes. It’s fun, it appealed to the public, it showed their versatility in music while at the same time conveying their message for their fans: don’t be sad, be happy because we’re back to bless you with more music :’)

15. Sleep Tight

If anyone ever questions why Yangyo is their main vocal (though, seriously, why would anyone?), well, this song will tell you exactly why. He simply slays the song, all right, with his raspy voice that is so fitting for such a rock-ish kind of song. And it also proves, yet again, how their music is so versatile, that they can tackle almost everything: heartbreaking ballad, uptempo fun, rock, you name it,

Honorable mentions: Shadow (그림자), 그곳에서 (At That Place), Easy, I’m Sorry (2013 version), Butterfly.

#BEAST #HIGHLIGHT #my favorite songs

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sithlordintraining · 7 years

Text

She’s No Angel (Part 6)

A/N: I’m back . . . by popular demand. So I made a playlist to help get me into the groove of writing this ridiculous story that I change the plot to every day 🙄. I converted it to Spotify, if you have any songs you think fit, please let me know.

She’s No Angel Mix

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 7

You have no recollection of what Kylo Ren did to you. Let’s commence Kylo Ren’s second first impression.

Lucky made his way down the silent corridor towards your quarters. He was very surprised that you were going, you were shy and kept to yourself and maybe about 5 other people, including himself. With a gentle knock, the door slid open with you making a brisk exit. “Lucky what took you so long? The more I sit in this dress the more I regret coming up with this silly idea.” Straightening your dress you stopped to look straight at his helmet. You knew he was staring. Looking down the hallway, you whispered “Stop staring. If this is how it's going to be all night, I might as well not go at all.” Turning around to open your doors, you were stopped by Lucky's soft lock on your wrist. “I'm sorry. It's just . . . You've always been beautiful to me and now . . . I . . .” You felt the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. You looked back at the expressionless mask, feeling the blue eyes lock with your (y/e/c). “Y/N I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable, I’m just nervous that’s all. The first day on the job and I have to protect my Angel.” You bit your cheek and looked down to stop the blushing. “Let’s go get you to your ball.”

The only sound to be heard was the click of your heels down the recently abandoned hallway. This sector had been marked off as vacant for a few years, so why not use the large room to host probably the only ball the First Order has ever seen. They made their way towards the entrance of the doors, you could see some of the guests begin to fill up the room and hear the musicians playing. You soon approached the doors, when the door was replaced by a black cloth wall. Peering up through your lashes, you saw it was the Commander. Lucky seem to grow to his full height and seemed ready to attack. The Commander shifted his view to Lucky and it looked like a standoff. Your breath hitched knowing this wouldn’t end well. “It’s ok, thank you trooper.” you barely managed to get out. Lucky turned to you, hesitating to tilt his helmet in confusion, but just nodded and left the two of you alone. A Black arm was placed in front of you and you slowly placed your arm in his. Your nerves started to work up as the doors opened. You wanted nothing more than to hide behind this man, maybe even steal his cape and disappear. If the room wasn’t filled with talking and music, you probably would’ve heard the man next to you try to suppress a laugh.

Entering, you let your eyes wander at the sight held before you. You did this and you put all of this together. And people seemed to be enjoying, both parties. “Y/N, you look beautiful.” Your wandering eyes were interrupted by General Hux’s rare proud smirk. He gave Kylo a stern look as he held out his arm and you quickly made your way to the general. Kylo watched you descend the few stairs that lead to the vast court. Phasma silently made her way to his side. “Commander?” she held out her arm and he put it on top of his. Following behind them, Kylo tried to listen into the little conversation you and Hux were having. It was mostly praised, by your coy smile; you looked around in amazement as if you weren’t the one who made all of this happen.

‘She’s so cute.’ Kylo thought to himself. You glowed in the dress that he had picked out for you. Red was his favorite color and he just knew that it would look nice on (y/s/c) skin. With your hair up, he could smell the perfume linger off you, making it rather tempting for him. And the lace, it just seemed to show everything your uniform didn’t. Since you forgotten everything that happened between you and him, why not start with a clean slate. This was like a game to him, he wanted to see how long he could hold off. But, who was he kidding, if he wanted you, he could get you. Plus, there was always Matt. And you rather quite like Matt. This would be a fun venture.

It was well into the night, or so you thought. The whole time was spent following the General. He didn’t mind. He basically showed you off like a proud parent boasting all your achievements to the higher ranks of Ruhma. You glanced around the room, observing at all the people. Hux seemed to be enjoying his talk with the older gentlemen, Phasma was loving the attention she was getting from both men and women, and then there was Kylo Ren; standing in a corner very statuesque. He was talking to no one and seemed to stare, at something. You slowly made your way over to him Getting within a few steps in front of him, you entered his ‘personal bubble’. You could feel the anxiety radiate off of him.

“Are you having a good time?” His mechanical voice rang out. “Yes.” You hoped your soft reply reached his ears. He scoffed “It doesn’t look like it.” Your face twisted up. This conversation seemed vaguely familiar. ‘I can say the same about you’ you thought. You were drawn out of your thought with a glass of champagne floating, by itself, in front of you. “Drink. It will calm your nerves and your loud thoughts.” You grabbed the glass and quickly apologize, forgetting about his special skill. Cautiously sipping the drink, you saw many people look over at you. “They’re looking at me, don’t be so conceited Consultant.” He said, as you looked down clearly embarrassed.

It was a few minutes of comfortable silence that you two shared basically hiding in the corner before Hux found you and dragged you away. The whole time Hux introduced to these people, you felt a tugging sensation in the back of your head. Of course, you regarded it as the champagne as you found yourself on your third glass. But looking behind you, you saw Kylo Ren surrounded by people, who seemed to be fascinated by him. That could only be the reason the were talking to him. “What is going on over there?” Hux was now looking in your line of view. “I-I think they’re talking to him.” Both you and the General brows had furrowed. “Y/N-” “I’ll go save this before we lose them.” The General let out a sigh. You always knew what to do and was glad to see competent people in positions they deserved. Once more, you made your way through the crowd towards the seething man. How could they not see he was bothered. He was clenching his fist! Taking a deep breath, you opened your mouth to speak only to be pushed backwards. Everything seemed like such a blur.

He needed to get away before he could lash out and he saw you. You would be his way out. Rushing towards you, he held your waist tightly and pushed back into the dance floor. Your (y/e/c) were wide and shifty once you settled and realized what just happened. Kylo stopped and adjusted you in his arms. The hand still around your waist still held you tight. He was thankful for the mask because he was nervously scanning your face and mind for any indication if you would run away. You moved a little closer and rested one hand on his shoulder, keeping distance. With this touch, he seemed to relax and loosen his grip.

You looked around the room to see everyone’s eyes on you. The General watched you two carefully, almost as if Kylo was handling his fragile prized possession. Phasma and her drunk companions gave a supportive look. You looked up to where the troopers were. You saw Lucky shift forward and then move back in line with the others. “Your rescue was very efficient.” Kylo vocoder rung against your ear. It was an uncomfortable feeling and you squirmed, creating more space between you two. “Thank you?” you said.

Kylo tried to sort through your thoughts as you swayed in his arms. You never really been to formals or balls and he saw how uncomfortable all of this made you. And he could also feel how uncomfortable you felt having that mask peer down at you. “You didn’t go to many of these, did you Consultant?” He asked. “No sir.” was all you answered. Your eyes still wandered throughout the whole room. “Well, you are well versed in this.” For the first time, you finally looked him in the eye. “I know who you were before and what you came from. Before did you—did he, go to these things?” Kylo stopped and inhaled sharply. He wanted to be mad, truly he did. He wanted to make you regret even asking. A silly young girl inquiring about what he did in his past. Kylo wanted to tell you while others were dancing and being carefree to the ways of the universe, he was forced as some sort of security for “higher-than-thou” nobles when he was still a jedi or before he was sent off, how he was paraded around with his mother to these things that seemed to last all day. But instead he chose a simple answer, which he knew would have a follow up: “Yes.” He watched as the corner of your lips twitch and then he saw your thought of child size version of him dancing the night away, mask and all. He couldn’t help but let a small smile fall across his lips. “I didn’t have a mask back then.” He said so low it could be mistaken for a mumble. You tried to hid your bashful smile, but a laugh escaped, causing him to see your whole face light up. Kylo bit his lip as he registered what he just did. He was somewhat proud of himself, but mostly astonished.

Collecting yourself once more, you noted that you were in the center and there were more eyes on you than ever. “Are all these stares normal?” you asked your Commander. “We are in the center of the dance floor, Consultant . They don’t call it the eye of the hurricane for nothing.” Looking around at the faces, you saw men and women gawking at you. The looks were uncomfortable, you knew what those look meant. Kylo felt you tensing up and brush gently into your mind. “You think you know what they think of you?” He asked perplexedly. Looking up to his visor once more you spoke “I don’t need to know how to read minds to know what those looks mean. I worked to hard to just be ogled as something to be used and then thrown away. I’m one of the youngest working officers, I can tell you the history and currents events on over half of the known systems and their habitants and yet I’m still rejected to this. My mother always told me ‘If you rely on looks, you’ll end up lying on your back. If you rely on smarts, you will rule the galaxy.’”

A split second of silence passed, before his cape billowed passed you as he made his way to the General. Your anxiety shot up once again, as the two men lowly bickered and looked in your direction. Captain Phasma retreated to your side. “Y/N are you okay? What happened?” she asked. You turned to her shaking your head, your weren’t able to speak. The two men made their way to you and Phasma and signalled for you to follow. You briskly followed as know the whole room was on you. ‘If he could read minds, then why would he put me in this situation.’ you softly groaned. Ascending the stairs, you stood uncomfortably nestled between the General and the Commander. “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention.” The General voice carried through the hall. “Before we continue our successful night, I would like to remind everyone the real reason for this success: Miss Y/N L/N, Chief Consultant to the First Order and Galactic Relations.” The room roared in applause. You were still tense and didn’t relax until someone whispered ‘Breath’. But, it sounded like a thought but it was someone else’s voice. General Hux went on about your accomplishments and accolades that you have achieved in your very young life. It was definitely like a proud father doting on about his child.

Kylo watched your face, trying to hide your happiness as you looked into the crowd. They were very impressed and couldn’t help but talk about your crowning glory. This is all you wanted and he gave it to you. Of course, Hux was the one giving the speech, but he was the one who told Hux to do it. Honestly, if Hux thought you were as competent as he says you are, he wouldn’t keep you in a job where you were locked up under his control. He finally ended his speech with a toast to you and you giggled a thank you and held your hands not knowing what to do.

A small yawn slipped passed your lips. Turning to Hux, you spoke “Thank you, General. Truly, I’m thankful and honored, but I can’t lie, I’d wish to retreat to my quarters.” Before he could reply, Kylo made his way in front of you and the General. “I will escort the Consultant to her quarters.” He said sternly. Hux rolled his eyes “No, you will stay here and make sure this deal falls through.” He waved his hand and Lucky came to your side. “Well, these past few weeks have been very straining. A day off is much deserved. FN-0777, you will escort her to her quarters. And it’s a pleasure, Y/N.” You simply nodded and turned on your heel. But, you spun around once more calling out for the Commander. With a small smile, you sent him a thank you and made your way out the door.

The walk back to your quarters seemed shorter. Halfway there, you took off your heels to get there much faster. Lucky strode by you silent, almost nervous. Reaching your quarters you turned around and engulfed Lucky’s armor tightly. “Aren’t you glad you went?” He said snaking his arm around your waist. “Yes!” you giggled. Letting go you looked at the large red lapel hanging on his right shoulder. “You know, you look very handsome in your new uniform.” He let out a chuckle as you punched in your passcode. The doors slid open and he called out to you. Turning around you were met with the helmetless blue-eyed trooper. Slowly he closed the gap between you two and pressed his lips to yours. He held onto your face gently and you could feel his eyelashes brush against your cheek. Pulling back, the blush illuminated the freckles on his cheeks “Goodnight, Angel.”

The blast doors closed and you turned around breathless. Entering your bedroom, you jumped back on your bed as you reminisced about tonight. You thought about a book you had enjoyed so much as a child. A princess, at a ball for her birthday; dancing the night away with a prince and later kissed the kitchen boy, who she was truly in love with. You guessed that you were the princess, Hux and Phasma were your mother and father, Kylo Ren was the dark prince who almost ruined this magical night, and Lucky was the kitchen boy who ended your night with a kiss. Opening your eyes wide, you thought ‘Wait, am I in love with Lucky?’

P.S: If you don’t mind, I would really LOVE to hear your thoughts and opinions on this, the playlist, the characters, why you like it anything. Please don’t be shy, I really like talking to you all!

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