Okay time to finally talk about the boiling isles/The Titan/Kings Dad!

And why I love him and hes been a character of the show the whole time.

We first really "meet" the titan when Eda shows us the beauty of the boiling isles at the start of the show

Just a dead carcass, right? Thats how it seems at first but over the show we learn that the titan is magic! That the magic around Luz comes from the Titan! Now here is where the Titans character first really shines. He gives Luz the spell! And literally gives her a clue to make the connection!

Now we think that this just happened randomly because she really listened to the nature. But since we now know that the Titan was actually there, seeing and listening to everything, this was a choice he made! Notice how Luz saw the light glyph in the sky after she spoke directly to the Titan.

Luz: "youre supposed to teach me magic...."

And afterwards it starts to snow, revealing the glyph to Luz!

Afterwards in more episodes, and especially in season two we learn that the habitants of the boiling islands worship the titan. The question of course is if they always did this in the first place or if Philip was the one who convinced them that the titan is some sort of god. I think they always kind of worshipped the titan since it was important for Philip to earn the islanders trust and so he used an already established deity that was wroshipped by the witches.

Witch on screen: "he says he can talk to the Titan!"

Witches on the island constantly refer to the Titan like we do refer to god when we express worry or doubt or if we just wonder what is going on. ("Oh my Titan" "For Titans sake" "In the Titans name" etc)

And those graffiti. Sure they were most likely added to be jokes. But those jokes only work because it is established before that the witches of the islands see the Titan as a god!

Also see how Eda and Lilith react when they find out King is a titan!

Lilith: "I cant believe that all this time you had a titan under your roof! - GASP - Ive eaten ice cream with a god!"

The Titan didnt choose to be worshipped. But he chose to tell Luz the glyphs and how and where to find them. And he chose to not tell Philip about them!

Philip: "Took years to find them. Almost as if the world wanted to hide them from me."

Another instance that showed or hinted at that the Titan was still there, alive and watching out for King was when the wind gently brushed the swing he was sitting on in "Clouds on the horizons"

And - of course - something that got kinda overlooked by all of us, the GIGANT still beating heart in the throne room!

But we also learn that Titans themselves were crazy powerful. So powerful that they were the only ones who were strong enough against the collectors powers! Their blood is literally the cause of Luz being able to cast magic in the first place! Because of them and well because of the boiling isles Titan things from the human world wash up there constantly. Because they create those rifts.

So what did we learn? We learnt that the Titan is a big being that was crazy powerful and was worshipped by the witches on the boling isles. We also learnt that he has sort of a character of his own and may or may not be still around.

And THEN..... we actually meet the guy!

Basically in his pyjamas, what he is wearing is also basically merch from the show. The "bad girl coven" shirt and the glyph sweatpants. Thats something any nerd from the show would want to wear. He has a dad bod and the first thing he does is making a joke to Luz about himself. Yes he is wise and does give Luz a lot of advice and her crazy powers, showing that he is very powerful even when he is trapped in the inbetween. But he never considers himself better than Luz or anyone else on the isles. He is very down to earth!

Also the reveal that they dont take gender that serious but is totally fine with the title "dad" cuz thats what King has been calling him the whole time. All while he chuckles!

The Titan: "What? Have you been drinking Edas home brewed apple blood?"

When Luz presents them the idea that she "might just be as bad as Belos" he immediately asks her if shes serious about that in a joking manner.

And, of course, the cherry on top for all of this, is the one direct message they could send to their child. The only thing The Titan could EVER tell directly to King! And what is it?

King: "... I loaf you...? I loaf you!"

King: "... Oh hahaha! BREAD pun!"

Its a DAD joke! And King loves it!

I think none of us really knew who the Titan was and if hed ever show up ever on screen. (Honestly I myself thought its more likely that we would see Evylin and Caleb.) But whatever our idea from the Titan mightve been, Im sure no one of us thought it would be like this. The Titan turned out to be just some guy. Just a being that happend to slip into all of this mess. I think we can all learn from that that some things arent as big as they seem (literally.)

This reveal was awesome and I love that the show took this route with him.

tagged by my brother @beesnutz :P

last song you listened to: descent by fear factory

last movie you watched: the new hunger games!! went to see it at the cinema with two friends :) it was good, unsettling exactly where it needed to be (which was. most of the time LOL) and its managed to pull off the 'act as a standalone but still have room for a sequel if someone wanted to' balance v well. and id watch a sequel! but overall i cant lie i prefer the original trilogy...

currently watching: house md on my own, im on season 7 rn and [spoilers] have finally left huddy hell. i love masters btw my friend masters ❤️she just had her first main pov ep and it was a good un. im also watching doctor who when mine gustes and peris schedules line up, and also taskmaster with guste :)

other things you’ve watched this year: ummmm lots but some of my faves are still across the spiderverse, also limitless and alien, and also american psycho but thats sort of from last year, i watched it nye with nami and it hit 2023 like halfway through for me LOL

currently reading: money by martin amis!! its good ive read time's arrow by him before too. he's got a fun way of writing but idk how i feel about him putting himself as a character in this one lol???!!! also i guess i technically have a few other books on the go too but tbh im not actively reading them... btw if anyone wants my goodreads send me a dm !!! i would love more friends on there

currently listening to: my albums 2023 playlist which is um. 1500 songs strong still. i swear ive listened to plenty its just that i keep adding more oopsy doopsy

currently working on: editing my longish nrmts fic so that i can finally start the last three out of ten chappys.... problem is is that im doing this mostly at work when the bars quiet LOL. im also trying to draw more frequently!! ive made it as easy and low stakes as possible for myself (using a biro in some small lined notebook, means i dont get fixated on making things look perfect and also means i dont need to fill up too much space to finish a full page) but its still a habit in progress ....

current obsession: honestly probably the gym. im following what i guess based on exercises and number of sets and reps would be considered a powerbuilding program?? october saw me doing proper strength building work for the first time Ever rather than just hypertrophy/muscle building and ive finally started doing bench press using an actual barbell rack set up!!! and i really like it :P

ok thats it thank u. all the crans my lovely crans have been tagged i believe so i'll also tag @sevenyeargap @bardicspiration and @adultfiendfinder ❤️ and anyone else who wants to do it go hog wild ok byeeee

hi so i.found ur blog and its honestly like a breath of fresh air to look at so if its ok i might just fuckin,,vent here.

so. ik a lot of other people have been talking abt how pof was really straining to watch and i am.very late to the party but i need to talk abt it bcz holy fuck. when i first watched it i was in a way better place mwntally, also the general excitement of wow,content kinda overrode the headache and the eye hurty and the just. bad. but i was rewatching it recently because i was basing a fic off it and i just. i couldnt finish it because all of it was just so much and there was no fuckin warning?? so that was pog ig

next thing because i have. a lot of thoughts. ive been in the fandom for not-very-long, i joined in the middle of 2019 or something.and it just kinda sucks because im only still here for the fandom. i love the series but i can only watch dwit and compilations of logan/roman being sad so much before i can basically recite them off the top of my head. but i reallyreally love writing for the fandom!! it makes me so happy to do the writing, its just the fact that im not as invested with the series that makes me feel,,idk man guilty ig?? anyway thats too deep for a rant so im.a move on

god so tw me not liking post aa virgil and me talking abt toxic friends but hoooly fuck man. i just. pre aa virgil was fun because he was snarky and sarcastic and i could actually stand the nagst because his character made sense?? he was the 'bad guy' and he wasnt as woobified back then and he was honestly a solid vibe. but post aa virgil gives off the vibe of that one friend who fuckin, gets angry at you when you bring up any of your mental health issues and then blames their outburst on their mental health issuea and its like?? no i hate that character dynamic. people say bad things when the feel bad, sure, ik i have, but its the vibe of 'im gonna threaten you and then blame it on my mental health but if you so much as look at me wrong while ur having sensory overload or something i will smite you with the force of one thousand suns' and i am just.so tired. also ithink someone else said this but we should just call the series 'virgil sanders and the rest' because thats what it is now ksbdjqkbsq

also (all ofthese are my opinions btw and im not trying to say im rigbt im just tired honestly) the way. in pof the way patton's whole thing is 'you need empathy' is not funky fresh for both people with low empathy and high empathy 😎 bcz ppl with too much/too little empathy are always told theyre 'cold' or that theyre 'oversensitive', the whole 'there is an average amount of empathy and if u dont have that fuck you actually' is icky and bad and gross. i do think patton's character is really well done in the series but that episode jjust personally. ick.

and finally the moment uve not been waiting for bcz this is probably really tiring to read but the moment youve been waiting for-fwsa.just. why. its cute and stuff and i love nico. nico is a vibe. also bathroom man john is great. but shouldnt roman still be on shit terms with thomas?? like lk we're just gonna sweep away the whole 'i thought i wad ur hero' shizz? cool cool, glad to know romans arc still aint happening. also i get it, we needed to cement that virgil is a light side now. but like..did we?? actually bcz this is so long im gonna send in a second ask (im sososorry if this clogs up ur ask box if u tell me to stop i will i just. many thoughts) abt how even though i hate virgil, his arc should have been done. so differently. just gonna put like,, a mushroom emoji here so u can put the 2 asks together if u want 🍄

You’re always free to vent here! Sorry it took so long to respond but life has a cruel habit of getting in the way of things I need to do. 

So for starters, the POF problem should be talked about more so I can assure you that you’re not late to the party. It never really got the amount of attention it deserved so I am more than willing to bring that back up and trust me, you’re not alone. 

And again, you’re not alone in this either! Plenty of people still enjoy creating content for these characters. You don’t have to feel guilty for not finding the actual series interesting because honestly, I’m kinda losing interest too. But I still love these characters and I love that the fandom is still creating stories with them through different mediums.

Honestly I agree with just about everything you said about Virgil and I do eventually plan on tackling a lot of this in a future post. You know, if I ever force myself to just sit down and write the dang thing... 

Oh my gosh I’ve been waiting for someone to talk about this because that whole thing about empathy in POF really ticked me off because you’re absolutely right, not everyone is 100% empathetic, and some people can be empathetic to a point where it hurts themselves. Like I get what they were trying to say but it came across as, well, like you said. “If you’re don’t have this exact level of empathy then eff you I guess you’re a bad person.” Maybe that actually wasn’t their intention but it sure came across that way and maybe I’ll go into it a little more in another post because now that I’ve been reminded of it again I kinda wanna talk about it more. 

Okay yes, FWSA on its own is a good episode. Heck, it’s one of my favorites. It feels closer to a season one episode than ATHD that’s for sure. The problem with this episode isn’t the quality but the fact that it comes right after POF. And I’ve basically gone over this in my “Problem With Asides” post and how it affects both Roman and Virgil’s current arcs so I won’t go into much more detail here but just know that I pretty much agree with all of this. 

Also don’t worry about cluttering up my inbox. It’s here for people to share their thoughts and that’s exactly what you’re doing! Hope to see your part two soon mushroom anon! 

What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2

Episode 2: SOdden (or Sod ‘Em depending on your persuasion)

(Dont know how long I’ll be able to keep these puns up)

Catherine, like this woman, does not really fit into this era. But while this woman seems dropdead cool and at least looks the part, Catherine just...

To all those of you keen enough to have come back for another segment of ‘what hasn’t already been said: TSP’, as opposed to have just been scrolling when you see this - welcome back! (Scrollers you too <3)

To anyone who’s seeing this for the first time: what this is a list of observations, jokes, reactions and criticism which occur to me upon a rewatch. I wait every week until Saturday to do this so that I have had my fill of scrolling through the tag and aggregating what has already been said. I tried doing a whole spoof (here where I gave up 10% in) but tbh a) I don’t know the history well enough b) it’s more time consuming than I thought and c) this series is just not as funny or as crazy as TWQ, so it’s untenable. Having said that: This is not a hatepost. I’m not hatewatching this series and nitpicking on purpose but expressing my honest views and trying to find the good in it as well as the bad.

Without further ado...

First Scenes:

The baby cloth lifting into the ceiling of the chapel had nice ‘myth of the demon countess of Anjou (ancestress of the Plantagenets)’ vibes. I am 100% that was unintentional. I get this impression by the cringiness of the baby’s screams (what’s up with those sound effects? It sounded like a zipper).

Henry gives me such softboi vibes? It’s pleasing to me because it’s making me attracted to him as a viewer, but no good in convincing me this is Henry VIII.

I think Catherine’s exposition about how she feels is pretty ok actually, it’s fitting that she would feel anger.

CHARLES’ FATHER IS NOT MAXIMILIAN, IT’S PHILIP (or rather it was). ~~ A quick wiki search guyz, a quick wiki search. Ughh

Again with the whole everyone acting like Catherine is Queen. Can they cut it out? Also while we’re at it, what was Catherine’s attendance in councils even like?

The music was nice

Post Child announcement phase:

Oof I hate to say it but I lowkey wanted de la Pole back in this mother. Mainly because it would mean more Margaret Pole and by this point I am scared her storyline will fade in prominence now that there’s no longer a Yorkist subplot (showhorned as it was, it was the crowning glory of last season tied with Arthur x Catherine).

More x Maggie Pole and all of it over Seneca and learning :’). I already know this will be the best part of the episode.

‘We certainly know stoicism in our family’ ~ I guess she’s referring to Reggie? Because our boi Clarence was no poster boy for stoicism. Though could she be making an ironic reference to her father~?

Edmund de la Pole Debacle:

Well this convo at least passed the bechdel test.

Maggie and Edmund’s interactions here are touching. I know this plotline was rushed but I think it was just right to bring us back here for 5 min as a mournful throwback to the bygone era to which Maggie Pope belongs to and now continues to do so alone. It is emotionless and you can just feel how the York cause was hanging on by a tired old threat by that point.

Maggie Pole is becoming matronly now and I like this transition.

What bothers me about a lot of fans of Margaret Pole is that what they don’t realise is that she wasn’t all like ‘I want nothing to do with my family I’ll stay low and obscure’. While far more cautious than the likes of her ancestors, she did engage in land disputes with Henry VIII and was an outspoken supporter of Catherine and Catholic. Having her be a woman woth dubious loyalties towards the Tudors is accurate.

Scotland with Meg and Jammes:

LMFAO it’s like they read my mind when I spoke of how much I laughed when Meg was like ‘Alexander Steward you pig!1!!’ last episode.

Nice reference to Aulde Alliance

I like James.

Henry and Catherine on the balcony:

Was she commander of the forces? Was Howard appointed that? Regent she was, ok.

Charlotte Hope’s new hairstyles really suit her!

‘Will you please stop cursing’ agahsjdk ahah

No offence to women (of which I am one) but this comparison between childbirth and war is just... wrong. I know Starz think they are being smart but childbirth is far less impressive than winning or surviving a battle - comparing the two diminishes the bravery of soldiers. YET ,having said that, childbirth is necessary for our society whereas war is almost always futile and by comparing them, it wrongly represents violence as something inherently as natural to us as birth and continuing of civilisation. overall not a smart, respectful or accurate parrallel to make.

Meg and prep for invasion + Catherine in her weird armour:

So Margaret dreams that her husband is dead and bloody in her bed. Ughh show you neeed to get more creative. But I did like the whole ‘dreams are how our ancestors talk to us’ line from Angus Douglas.

Re: Meg in her beret... Why is Meg dressed like me going to the London shops in October? Digging the aesthetic but not sure about the accuracy.

Rich of Catherine to bring up Edmund.

Why is Ursula Pole crying??? What is all this to her really?

Did Howard just call the guard... sonny?? Is this some WW2 crossover?

Catherine - James and the tent parlay:

Did Catherine just insult Meg’s intelligence??

Also lmao I’m going to miss James.

Re: Howard saying ‘I’m not going to get insulted by a man wearing a dress’ .. UMMM Starz, you do know that just thirty years ago men were prancing about in dresses and leggings (essentially). From around the middle of the 14th century to the beggining of 16th century (if not earlier), Englishmen were also essentially prancing about in ‘skirts’.

Am I getting a weird cooperation-partnership vibe between Meg and James?

The Battle:

Charlotte Hope looks so good with the helmet, she’d really suit an english hood! Such a shame they won’t give her one!

Ewwww he’s eating mud, why?

Just standard battle scene. They are all the same to me no matter which movie.

Aftermath:

Jesus, I find the whole Meg crying over James IV so heartfelt ‘you arrogant bastard’ for some reason just came out so full of emotion. Can someone please explain why the hell I ship them more than Henry x Catherine?? Like how ??

Awwww Linna is sooooo adorable ughhh. Also this whole Catherine going into armour among all the women crooning over the children gives this adorable sense of Catherine boyish and bloodying herself out to protect their peace, idk. All I have to say is that these series is less eager to pitt women against each other than the previous. I think that’s a step forwards.

Also, good to see Catherine being modest about her victory so Henry can save face. Finally starting to seem like the real Catherine.

‘Go on you dog’ arghh ahah he sounds like some public school rugby lad egging his mate on.

Re: Wolsey cock-blocker; the real Catherine would know it was uncatholic to have sex when you were pregnant. Also Catherine is not technically speaking in confinement if she’s wandering about.

It’s nice to see Catherine sticking up for Howard, she at least learned to respect him during the battle.

I foresee Oviedo having enough of this Christian stuff and wanting to return to the berber domains (I suppose Spain is out of the question)

Knighting Ceremony:

Apparently Margaret Pole herself was made Countess of Salisbury during this same ceremony... right? @houseofclarence

Also Maggie Pole being like: “being a rebel is in my blood, or so they tell me”... gahhh what’s with these shows and the Clarence erasure? Can’t they make one bloody reference to her dad or grandad Warwick? Ugh. Especially with lines like this. Actually? You know what? Ignore my previous comment about the stoic remark and it being an ironic reference to Clarence. I put such subtlety above this show’s writers.

Catherine has a habit of going to the coldest places possible to lose her children...

Haha @ Henry asking Bessie Blount (of all people) where Catherine is.

Conclusion:

6/10

What I’m happiest about is that Flodden got dealt with in one episode because warrior xena Catherine is not what interests me most about this show. Having said that, it was a true shame that James IV died because his were some of the best scenes. This whole show is starting to feel so historical fantasy-ish because the aesthetics are so confused. Granted it’s still pretty (not eyesore like Reign) but it doesn’t penetrate.

I am as always invested in the Poles (and More) but am also starting to get attached to Princess Mary whose actress exudes plenty of charm. This show remains confused with its feminist message because while it shows women being proactive there is so much emphasis on babies that what remains with the mind after watching is this womanish birthdrama, as opposed to a show about struggles which affect both genders.

You might tut at me and say I’m being ridiculous and that it is historically accurate to put so much emphasis on women’s babies and I say that’s swell. I would happily watch a show where that element is strong (most pre 1995 historical dramas are like that with traditionally feminine characters and I gulp them up like sustenance), but if a show promises feminism and women-men being partners I want it to deliver that properly. As I said in my previous post, why do we keep trying to make women engage in acts like war as if such an abhorrent act is the only way to take them seriously? I await the day where cunning, rationality and cool-headedness will be the traits portrayed as feminist ones.

There is nothing else to really comment on... the only potentially deeper message in this is the gender discourse. I am unsure about the accuracy so I can’t speak of the historical value of the interpretation. But what I will say is that though I remain excited for each new episode... I’m just not as invested as I was in TWQ (rewatch every year dont @ me) or TWP despite their many flaws. Some characters pull me in eg Maggie Pole (Carmichael is a bae), Thomas More etc but not the whole cast like TWQ. Anyway... would be interesting to see if anything happens with Lina and Oviedo tommorow as their storyline is conspicuously slow.

1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 23, 26, 17, 28, 31, 32, 35, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73, 74, 75, 85, 86, 87, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98

I am so sorry, I literally have no idea what came over me

Wow Lulu you really said ‘let’s ask this bitch EVERYTHING’. I love it tho lmao. Since it’s long imma put it under the cut tho

4. How did your elementary school teachers describe you?

“A pleasure to have in class, a bit lost in their mind, if they committed and focused more they’d excell but they settle for good grades”

From elementary to high school lol

5. Do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?

I like soda cans

6. Pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Somewhere between tomboy and grunge I think

8. Movies or tv shows?

Tv shows

9. Favorite smell in the summer?

Sunscreen and freshly baked bread

11. What do you have for breakfast on an average day?

A cup of milk with some cereal or biscuits. For the past month I’ve been following the keto diet tho, and I usually are some ricotta with peanut butter for breakfast

12. Name of your favorite playlist?

“Sad but vibing” lol

14. Favorite non chocolate candy?

Strawberry lollipops

17. Most frequently worn pair of shoes?

A black vans pair, I bought em in August but the left one already got a hole on the front 😤

18. Ideal weather?

Cloudy but not too windy or cold. I just don’t like the sunlight in my face

20. Preferred place to write?

On my phone’s notes app lol, I’ve got almost two thousand notes in here

23. Strange habits?

I hide stuff in my room with no apparent reason. I’ve got money stashed around my room in four different points lol

26. Favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Given the chance, I like to race with my bike to get some refreshing wind

27. Favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Cozy up in a blanket and watch some tv

28. Five songs to describe you.

Karma— AJR

Ultimately— Khai Dreams

Putting a spin on Slow Dancing in the Dark— egg

Mars— YungBlud

Gotta be a Reason— Alec Benjamin

31. What outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

Black jeans, black sturdy boots, and a silly little hoodie lmao

32. Top five favorite vines?

‘DONT FUCK WITH ME, IVE GOT THE POWER OF GOD AND ANIME ON MY SIDE— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA’

‘Let me see what you have!’ ‘A KNIFE!’ ‘NO!!!’

‘Hey bro, what do you wanna eat?’ (‘The souuuls of my enemies’) ‘A bagel’ (‘NOOO’) ‘..two bagels.’

FR E SH A VOCA DO

‘Two shots of vodka..’ *pours half a bottle of vodka*

35. Average time you fall asleep?

I am terrible at this. I love sleeping but I also love feeling ✨ unbothered ✨ doing whatever I want in the middle of the night. So, never before 3am usually

37. Suitcase or duffel bag?

Suitcase

38. Lemonade or tea?

Tea

40. Weirdest thing to happen at your school?

I dunno how weird it is, but I always found peculiar that there were cigarette butts on the ceiling of the bathrooms. Like, seven feet tall ceilings. How did those cigs get there??

41. Last person you texted?

My best friend to tell her that my sister found a way to let me watch supernatural on American Netflix >:3c

42. Jacket pockets or pant pockets?

Jacket pockets

43. Hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Hoodie and/or jean jacket

44. Favorite scent for soap?

I dunno. Talcum powder I think

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

Superhero

46. Most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

Tee and boxers. Sometimes socks too

48. If you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

Umh. Clementines maybe. Easy to peel, sweet but also not, sometimes with seeds.. and some people loathe the little white stripes they have and they spend hours peeling those away

49. What saying or quote do you live by?

“Like any / unloved thing, I don’t know if I’m real /when I’m not being touched.” —Natalie Wee

50. What made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

My best friends always make me wheeze, it can be the stupidest dumbest thing ever, I’m really fucking easy to amuse lol

51. current stresses?

My driver license my driver license my driver license my driver license my driver license my d

52. Favorite font?

I have no idea. This one? Lol

53. What is the current state of your hands?

Good. I just cut my nails, I really wanna put some nail polish but my dad comes back home tomorrow and he always looks me weird when I put it

55. Favorite fairy tail?

The little mermaid

56. Favorite tradition?

A tradition I have with my friends is that when we celebrate someone’s birthday, we go to the thrift shop and buy them stupid stuff to wear or put on. On my birthday a couple days ago I had to wear playboy bunny ears and a black glittery bow tie lol. Once I bought my best friend a tiny pirate hat, and for another my friend took a boa with pink feathers lol

57. The 3 biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Mmmh

I’m having a hard time with my parents since I dropped out of uni but I think I’m starting to overcome it finally

When my parents were about to divorce and in was dreading the idea of moving from this city

That time in middle school I spent a couple weeks at the hospital to run a bunch of neurological tests

58. Four talents you’re proud having?

I’m pretty good at multitasking

It’s very difficult to enrage me (yes I consider it a talent)

I can juggle lol

I can read in moving cars/trains etc without getting sick :D

59. If you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?

“What the f—“

61. Favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/ etc?

“Happiness isn't in the having. It's just in the being. It's in just saying it.” Aka Castiel’s love confession (OF COURSE I WAS GONNA SAY SOMETHING DESTIEL RELATED)

62. Seven characters you relate to?

No specific order:

Dean Winchester

Eric Derekson

Jake Peralta

Doug Eiffel (👀)

Tony Stark

Klaus Hargreeves

Diego Hargreeves

63. Five songs that would play in your club?

Anything from P!ATD

Bang!— AJR

Natural— Imagine Dragons

Anything from Set It Off

Maniac— Conan Gray

64. Favorite website from your childhood?

I didn’t use computers in my childhood lol

66. Favorite flower(s)?

Fresias 💕

67. Good luck charms?

I used to keep in my pocket a little hazelnut my dad gave me once telling me that it was a good luck charm. I took it away tho. I dunno, maybe my rings

68. Worst flavor of any food of drink you’ve ever tried?

I have to admit I never tasted it, but the smell of truffle literally makes me gag, so that

69. A fun fact that you don’t know how you learned?

Apparently your love language is both the one you give AND want love, and also the one you most lacked growing up. So. Mull that over.

70. Left or right handed?

Rightie

71. Least favorite pattern?

Holey ones. Make my sight go double

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

A seven I guess. I usually try to sleep off anything I have, I hate to take medicines, and loathe to call the doctor lol

75. When did you lose your first tooth?

Around.. six I think?

85. Fairy tails or mythology?

Mythology forever

86. Cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies 🍪

87. Your greatest fear?

That the other shoe will drop and I’ll be alone and lonely

88. Your greatest wish?

To have enough stubbornness to do what I wish to do without getting demoralized so easily

90. Luckiest mistake?

Me and one of my best friends got to know each other through other common friends, and once they both couldn’t come and we ended up spending the day together. We had lots of fun, but we also got drunk and I lost my mcfreaking watch lmao

92. Lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Lamps

94. Favorite season?

Winter ❄️

95. Favorite app on your phone?

Tumblr! (And the music one. And the podcasts one. And— jk lol)

50 questions tag

tagged by: @parkseonghwa​ thank u, joo joo the fool

i’m tagging: @wooyuong​, @ateezsbitch​, @atiteez​, @sug-er​, @surans​, @officialrenjuns​, @ultvisual​, @mingictzen​, @sonqmingi​, @softmingis​, @prettyseonghwa​

1. What takes up too much of your time?

my fucking bitchass schoolwork 

2. What makes your day better?

all the groups i stan and inna and all my moots and pals and looking at pics of mingi and jongho longingly while hoping for them to post someday

3. What’s the best thing that happened you today?

uhhhhhh i sat on my couch and watched 3 seasons of the office nonstop fjkdslf i didnt do anything rip

4. What fictional place would you like to go?

uhhhhhhh i dont remember wht its called but the soul reaper realm in bleach?? badass as shit i wanna see it

5. Are you good at giving advice?

apparently i’m good but only if u want rlly blunt advice bc i Will tell people like it is and i get that that’s not always appreciated fdkjfdk

6. Do you have any mental illness?

i have diagnosed adhd and social anxiety and god ive definitely been depressed, im just a cocktail of mental illness fkdjfld

7. Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

nope

8. What musician inspired you the most?

hmmm probably either jonghyun or tablo

9. Have you ever fallen in love?

yeah :/ twas a time

10. What’s your dream date?

my dream date is stargazing its so sexy and fun ugh

11. What do others notice about you?

uhhh idk tbh ppl seem to notice my nose a lot?? shes ugly as hell

12. What is the annoying habit you have?

i am very clingy and whiny and kinda narcissistic djklflkdf

13. Do you still talk to your first love?

nah, i haven’t talked to her in like 4ish years now

14. How many ex’s do you have?

3

15. How many songs are on your playlist?

i dont ever make playlists but therere maybe 400 songs on my phone??

16. What instruments can you play?

i played the violin and guitar but my school has no music program so ive gotten rusty :(

17. Who do you have the most pictures of?

xuxi,,,,,,and close runner ups mingi and jongho also me

18. Where would you like to go before you die?

uhhh to a fansign for nct or ateez or gugudan i just wanna hold one of my ults’ hands before i die

19. What is your zodiac?

leo!!

20. Do you relate to it?

sometimes i do sometimes i dont i feel i really exemplify my scorpio rising tbh

21. What is happiness to you?

happiness is just being able to be still and not worried about anything in the back of your mind

22. Are you going through anything right now?

kinda??? but its just bc im a dumbass and should do my schoolwork on time kfdjdkjfkdljf i Hate my film teacher

23. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made?

speaking to anyone i knew in middle school

24. What’s your favorite store?

forever 21 all i do is buy big pants there

25. What’s your opinion on abortion?

i support it, i think people should have a right to control what happens to any part of their body

26. Do you keep a bucket list?

nah i just figure out what i wanna do when it comes time to do it

27. Do you have a favorite album at the moment?

ology by gallant or smyle by kyle

28. What do you want for your birthday?

cash or an nct lightstick

29. What are most peoples first impressions of you?

i am frequently told that i’m intimidating which is ??? ive never gotten it

30. What age do you seem according to most people?

people thought i was in my 20s on here???? generally ppl seem to think im older than i am

31. Where do you keep your phone while you’re sleeping?

in my parent’s room since theyre paranoid about me using it at night for some reason

32. What word do you say the most?

idk probably something stupid like ‘dude’

33. What’s the oldest age you would date?

i’m 17 so im at the awkward age where if i date older than me im dating an adult so at the current moment probably 17

34. What’s the youngest age you would date?

a year younger at most

35. What job/career do most people say would suit you?

something artistic

36. What’s your favorite music genre?

rap and r&b are my two biggest faves

37. If you could live in any country in the world where would it be?

hmmm maybe sweden or something?? its kinda sexy there but way too cold, idk tbh i like canada

38. What is your current favorite song?

look back at it by boogie wit da hoodie ft. park woojin

39. How long have you had this blog for?

almost 4 years i think???

40. What are you excited for?

i’m excited to finally fucking graduate hell yeah!!!

41. Are you a better talker or listener?

listener i am very bad at conveying what im trying to say in words rip me

42. What is the last productive thing you did?

i filmed my film project woo!!

43. What do you want for Christmas?

cash money babey!! and i’ll probably get it bc my family doesnt know how to shop for me hell yeah

44. What class do you get the best grades in?

english!!

45. On a scale from 1-10, how are you feeling right now?

if i wasnt stressed like a 9 but with the stressed like a 5

46. What can you see yourself doing in 10 years?

i wanna teach esl so maybe i’ll be somewhere in china??

47. When did you get your first heart break?

uhhhh prolly in the 8th grade

48. At what age do you want to get married?

i dont reeeeeeeeeeeally wanna get married?? idk i feel like its kind of a waste of money

49. What career did you want to have as a child?

i wanted to be a bet but i have a fear of blood so that went out the window quick

50. What do you crave now?

shrimp toast dumplings from a restaurant i love

dang, I have the power to ask all the uncomfortable ones. mew, eevee, farfetch'd, abra, garbodor, grimer, sawsbuck, castform, whismur, purrloin, shedinja, gardevoir (of course), clefairy, porygon, electivire

SO MANY OF THEM ok i got this

Mew - If you had a Pokemon nature and ability what would they be?

Gentle, and cute charm~!

Evee - If you were a Pokemon gym leader what would your gym be like?

Fairy, and just lots of pink and white. it’d be a castle theme, with me on the throne on the end but also theres stuffed animals and stuff so you know im cute

Farfetch’d - What kind of animal do wish they’d base a Pokemon on?

hmm.. not animal, but i NEED fairytale fairies. darkfairy big bad wolf, ice fairy that have ice shoes for cinderella, etc etc

Abra - How much sleep did you get last night?

NOT MUCH! i slept as soon as i got home from work but woke up cause of a headache at 10 so like 5, 4 hours?

Garbodor - What is your most disgusting habit?

god please let me not bite my nails

Grimer - Do you always wash your hands after going to the bathroom?

of course im not cis

Sawsbuck - What is your favorite season?

spring!! its almost here!!! the rain, the blooming flowers, me walking in my rainboots and umbrella while wearing my cute spring clothes… need it…

Castform - Which type of weather do you adore?

a nice rain on a warm day and how it feels when it ends, and everything is kinda misty. otherwise, just partially cloudy sunny day~!

Whismur - What is the strangest compliment you’ve ever received.

once someone who was DEFINATELY high on meth came up to me while i was in line at walmart and said “you look… angelic… so beautiful” and she then turned away and left and i was so scared

Purrloin - Have you ever stolen anything?

>:3uh yeah but when i was a kid who did stupid things because they thought they were the coolest shit ever but i was just a shithead

Shedinja - Would you go to the Good Place, Bad Place, or a Medium Place?

i mean you ever watch the show? there isnt a good place really anymore the answer and the point of the show is that the average person no matter how good they do its inherintly flawed and would go to the bad placeidk i think im a good person. 

Gardevoir - When did you first realize you were gay?

before i knew i was trans, there was a guy that people compared me to a lot, humor-wise? and then i finally met him and we hit it off very well and i was DESTROYED when i found out he had a girlfriend. otherwise, when i found out i was trans when i played dark souls 2 and made a girl version of me and went “oh shit”

Clefairy - What is the most stereotypically gay thing you do?

kiss my gf

Porygon - What are your three most played game series?

soulsborne, and uhh… i dont really play… game SERIES, i hardly play GAMES. Fire emblem i guess? ive played lots of those. and i guess monster hunter just because of the over 200 hours in world lmao

Electivire - What was the last Youtube video you watched?

right now, as i write this, im listening to a playlist of Tally Hall’s music, right now its Turn the Lights off by them

tagged by @coleil !!!!

holy shit i am embarrassed... this sat in my drafts for like  a fucking year lol

Rules: Write ten facts about yourself, then tag 10 followers you’d like to get to know better. 

1) when i was about 11 or 12 maybe? i wanted to invent a machine that turns black and white/sepia photos back into color, and i was upset when i found out someone had invented it already

2) i love to draw! i try to draw a lot. ive been drawing since i was about 18 but i gave up from around age 19 to 21 because of really bad mental health so ive only picked it up again in the past year but its one of my favorite hobbies.

3) when i was 15 -16 i made up a secret language (more like a code) and memorized it and wrote all my journals in code so no one could read them (finding them again last year i realized they were too obvious to be very secretive lol)

4) i am super bad about replaying video games and rewatching movies. any movie ive watched ive guaranteed to have watched it at least twice. and my small video game collection - ive played all three dragon ages games at least 4 times. (dai ive played like 8 ... we dont talk abt that). ive played tlou 3 times, ive played hzd twice, ive played dishonored 3 times, dishonored 2 twice, uncharted 4 three times....etc etc.... im a creature of habit.

5) i collect glass bottles! i have been for a few years, but this past year my collecting has slowed down a bit. heres what i have so far tho ! (minus a few not on my main shelves)

6) last year when i was super into dragon age i used to spend a lot of time on the wikia page translating untranslated or “unknown” pieces of elvish language. i managed to fix/translate a decent amount and even started translating a common song into elvish (that i never finished otl)

7) i LOVE to travel. my best friend lives in austria and i have  another friend in ireland and ive visited them both. ive been very briefly (like less than 2 full days) to paris and munich as well. my dream job would be one that lets me travel/drive a lot

8) my two biggest fears are zombies and boats. since like 14 ive been deathly afraid of zombies, and zombie video games (dead space, tlou, etc) are still hard for me to play. wrt boats i think im afraid of it sinking and id drown. you will not get me on a cruise ship of any type.

9) im in my last semester of school!!!! im finally gonna have an associates in accounting. i kept dropping out bc of mental health/work reasons so its taken me like 5 years lol but im almost finished and cant wait to be done.

10) um i guess ill just list some favorites cuz i ran out of things! - sunflowers are my favorite flower, pistachio green is my favorite color, 27 is my favorite number, fall is my favorite season, dr pepper is my favorite soda!

i tag anyone who wants to do this im too lasy to think of ppl

No pls I love rants on music, especially vocal techniques (had a couple of classes, quit because of life in general, most of my expertise is on the piano side anyway), and would really, seriously love to hear your thoughts on the members vocals (although I do understand that this is time consuming to do) just wanted to say that there's no need to apologise for ranting, we all wanna hear you speak anyways :)

sorry this took forever to respond to! akdjf youve went to more vocal technique classes than i have so maybe you might know more than me ahaha! tbh i really want to formally learn vocal pedagogy so i know what im listening for and what im not. like having that professional opinion alongside telling me ‘ur wrong’ or ‘ur right’ i really want that so i can solidify my learning in a sense…ive been doing that kind of through youtube videos and stuff but still idk. omg ur a pianist? please i love you automatically now so idk why but i’ll probably just summarize in units? and like maybe short comments about each member or more than one member or something idk. under a readmore bc it got longwarning: i am no way, shape and or form a professional. 

hht: im going to start with hht…tbh i have another name for hht haha its called ‘baritone team’ alsdkjf isnt it a coincidence (not really) that all of svts baritones ended up in hht…thus is the fate of most baritones in kpop sadly :( they either get pushed to subvocal or to the rapper position even if its not what they want initially bc of their like natural (basically) biological disposition of not being able to hit, with the same kind of ease, high notes that tenors can…like tbh tenors cant hit those notes ½ the time either but its less obvious bc theyre tenors…that made no sense lasdj…in relating to current events though heres a classic example of baritone (vn) vs tenor (sk) singing in basically the same high note range but vn has to go into falsetto while sk is trying to mix up there…both of them arent really singing it well (laskdj fmaybe sk is a bad example bc he has a good approach to his voice…but like nonetheless that isnt a healthy sounding note from either of them) but its less obvious with sk bc hes a tenor and more obvious with vn (well maybe the falsetto vs mix also had to do with it but like idk a bari who would want to mix that high ljldkajf). anyways in terms of technique, no one in hht team particularly stands out. All of them tend to either sing with their throat or sing with lots of air in their voice, which isn’t particularly healthy but also to be expected from rappers. tbh rappers i find tend to be more throaty, i think why in this group they also are airy is because of wz lol and his vocal directing. within the entire group though (like not just hht), ww has my fav vocal color and i tend to think from within hht, he has the most potential to become a decent vocalist. its mostly (like 95%) because of his continual expressed desire in singing (it makes me think that when he does actually get proper vocal lessons he would take them very seriously and be very disciplined about it and tbh that just goes above everything else) but also because of that one performance of city escape (here) ? and it sounds really pretty and the range that he’s singing in that song is starting to be in the higher part of a baritones register too. and in some of his other vocal performances too, whenever he is in the range where he doesn’t have to mix, his approach to his voice really isnt bad at all. i say he has the most potential but that doesnt mean the other hht members cant become awesome vocalists they can if they put the right time and effort into it. pt:the rest of the units are composed of all tenors (at least from what i know) btw so yeah all of pt are tenors. again in terms of technique no one particularly stands out. they all seem to approach singing similarly but with putting emphasis on different things which makes them sound different….actually upon closer inspection most of the members of the entire group (not just pt) are like that laksjdl….well maybe with the exception of sk. anywho…jh pushes air a lot which is why you get those like ‘hiccups’?? idk how else to describe it but an example is here. like do u hear how his voice rises at the end of a lot of those notes? hs also gets those same hiccups. jh is also quite nasal, and probably the most nasally member within the 13 members when it comes to singing. nasally voices are my number one pet peeve rip thats why my fav jh singing moments is when hes singing in his comfortable range and esp when its words/syllables that force him to place his voice not so much in his nose (ie this part in my i). being nasal is not really as damaging for the vocal chords as much as it is the individual not really placing the voice in the correct, most optimal place. he also gets really tight on higher notes esp when hes trying to mix that high. same with hs (you can hear the both of them sounding tight in the habit perf i linked to earlier). also jh has tongue tension but im not sure if thats a reflection of him trying to sing in kr…him and hao are probably at a disadvantage when it comes to singing because of the fact that they aren’t singing in a language that theyre comfortable in/fluent in. when it comes to hao, when he said in the seasons greetings video that he was working on singing but no matter how much he practiced, he couldnt improve, that made me really sad :( because that basically means is that the vocal lessons he is getting arent actually good vocal lessons…unless he expects results to happen in a week (which sadly no it takes months upon months). ur vocal chords are a muscle so they take time to develop (like when u first go to the gym u arent going to try and lift the heaviest weight right? or run at the fastest speed or whatever u have to build urself up to that slowly). and then he also compared that to his dancing which he said he could get better at by doing over and over? but its the same when it comes to dancing like u cant be improving dancing if u learn the wrong choreo or the wrong ways to dance a specific type of dance right? like no matter how much u practice a wrong choreo its still going to be that wrong choreo…so if u sing with bad technique no matter how much u practice u arent going to get better u’ll just develop bad technique. but yeah singing with correct technique should yield some results eventually (i can attest to that). anyways im biased and i really want to hear hs get proper vocal lessons bc i find his vocal color sooo pretty i literally listen to campfire like 90%for his part in the chorus (and the other 10% is cheols rap aldjsf)….i also think he hovers around being able to support or maybe its my biased ears talking who knwos… i didnt really talk about dn but hes kind of along the same lines…maybe a bit more dependent on his throat than some of the other members in pt…which kind of makes sense bc thats what rappers tend to dovt: ok js and wz are both similar in how they approach singing i think its kind of obvious too with how much they sound alike at times. oh yeah wz probably has the highest vocal range within the group idt anyone in the group can go higher than him (not that it really matters when it comes to vocal technique but its a neat tidbit of info). jh for one has a lot of tongue tension (just like jn) when he sings and is kinda nasal (not as much as jn but still there). just like the rest of the other members in the other units, these three dont support either. we can finally talk about support when we talk about sm…although his supported range isnt too much he does have that basic down…he gets super throaty though when hes outside his supported range. he does that same hiccup thing that hs/jn do. he hasn’t shown the ability to resonate but at least he can support.  despite singing a lot of the groups high notes, he hasnt developed a connected head voice, as far as im aware of. technique wise hes really similar to a lot of the main vocalists in groups that debut these days. but ok NOW SK aka the member who has the best vocal technique. he supports consistently and he has resonance too its so beautiful and wonderful to listen to like esp since a lot of kpop group vocalists that debut these days for some reason dont really want to resonate. its so nice to listen to his voice. like hes fooling around here but still manages (what i think is) a resonant F#4? (not the high note he holds out, its like the note he sings before he slides up) and if that note isnt resonant then it is at the very least supported very very very nicely. heres a really pretty g4. tbh i really want to hear him start trying to conquer the fourth octave like what a good day itd be if i could say ‘yeah sk can sing up to b4s with good technique’ like thats kind of hard to do but definitely attainable! and he has the potential for sure! i think within the fandom hes really quite overlooked for some odd reason that i cant seem to figure out why. he definitely has the healthiest voice, at least his mixed register for sure. he seems to prefer mixing over head voice for whatever reason when it comes to high notes so honestly speaking i havent paid much attention to his head voice but i wouldnt be surprised if it wasnt connected considering how much he doesnt sing in it…but tbh the fact that he mixes pretty decently is amazing in it of itself. CONCLUSION: with proper vocal guidance and technique ANYONE can become a decent singer. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ lmao

i figured this wouldve happened 

i don’t like chocolate ice cream alone. i will only eat it if theres something else in it (brownie, cookie dough, etc etc.)

that being said, i only like chocolate milkshakes. i will never ask for a vanilla milkshake

that also being said, my favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough

my favorite animal is an elephant. i will take any chance i get to talk about elephants, and my backpack and water bottle both have elephants on them.

i love creative writing, but i rarely get a chance to write for fun anymore

that being said, i love writing essays for school because it gives me a chance to write something.

i’m studying psychology in college. i dont know what my minor will be yet.

my favorite thing about psychology is understanding others without them having to tell me. i like to know what is going on in someone’s head. i think it helps me better interact with them. 

i’ve only had one job so far in my life, but ive had it for 5 years now. 

i only just got into makeup within the last year. now i cant seem to stop buying it.

every year for christmas and on my birthday my uncle/godfather gives me a $100 amazon giftcard. i only ever use this money to buy books, nothing else. i’ve been doing this for years (therefore i never run out of money)

i can’t eat oats

for about 4 years i did everything i could to curl my hair without using a curling iron bc i couldnt figure out how to use it. i still dont know how to use one, but i use a curling wand now

contrary to popular belief (as people keep asking me), ive never had a boyfriend or have had my first kiss yet. its weird living in a small town bc you grew up with everyone, so i rather not date them, you know?

yet, when it comes to what i find attractive in guys, i usually look for intelligence (look at my gemini venus ass). intelligence to me means good conversation and a wit (which i severely lack)

i love my sun/moon/rising placements and i probably wouldn’t change them for the world

that being said, i actually felt really bad about being a gemini sun for quite some time bc of all the gemini hate memes. but im over that bc being a gemini is pretty fucking great???

i’ll repeat this, as i’ve said it before: i am the farthest thing from funny. however, i laugh at everything 

i don’t get along with my mother at all. 

my favorite season is spring by a long-shot

i found out the other day i can only bowl with my right hand, even though im left handed 

with that, its fair to say that i have no hand-eye coordination what so ever. this is why i did horseback riding for nine years. 

 i dont ever share full body images (just haven’t had a chance) but i’m only 5′1

i hate soda. not for the taste, but the carbonation. it makes my tongue burn. 

i can read and write in spanish fairly well, but i can’t speak it or understand it when spoken to me

i believe i’ve only less than movies in the theater that weren’t disney related

i’ve never traveled outside of the u.s.

that being said, i’ve only been to 9 other states 

that’s because i’ve gone to disney world once year since i could walk (well for the most part)

i think everyone has bad luck with at least one thing. for my brother, it’s phones (he’s broken 4 phones in the last 3 years). for me, it’s laptops. they just seem to crash and burn for me

one of my requirements for when i have my own place is i need to live within a short distance of a bookstore. 

my dream how also has a balcony and a wrap around porch (or an alcove with a window seat)

 i’m not a math and science person at all. i’ve always been more into english/history/social sciences

i really want to visit italy, germany, greece, and hawai’i

i can’t cook to save my life, but i can bake fairly well (so ive been told)

i get along best with libras and arians 

when i was in middle school i had a club penguin blog 

i also used to rp a lot with lonny and some other people. we started on a website called xat with some friends, and then we moved onto a tumblr rp for quite some time...

speaking of which, i’ve been on tumblr for six years

when i first started my personal tumblr, i would always reblog disney things (wow what a surprise), but then i moved into ‘quality photos’ and other bs, until finally settling on to reblog whatever makes me happy

i cannot keep a plant alive to save my life

i don’t like roller coasters that have loops in them. this is bc when i was little and i was watching jimmy neutron sheen and carl got stuck upside down in one. it stuck with me apparently. 

i am a fairly shy person in my opinion. despite that, i was also part of my high school’s news broadcasting station as well as in the school musical for four years. 

i was obsessed with webkinz when i was little. i think last i checked i had about 50?

im really bad at throwing away/donating stuff, because everything has some sort of sentimental value to me

i’ve never been good at journaling. this is because im bad at keeping new habits

as much as i love reading, i hated assigned reading for school. but, my favorite book was the secret life of bees by sue monk kidd

i hate wearing skirts/dresses. i own a few dresses, but i have not owned a skirt since middle school. 

i prefer vegetables to fruit, even though i prefer sweet things. 

my “artistic medium” is writing. i can draw, but not well (my high school art teacher made that pretty clear). i would definitely consider writing to be my medium over singing as well (though i do love singing)

i’m awful at giving advice to people, or comforting people for that matter. however, i will always listen, no matter what i’m doing. 

i hate running. nothing else, i just really hate it

oh by the way, i’m left handed. no one else in my immediate family is tho

i cannot sleep with any noise going on in the background. no tv, no music, no talking, nada. nothing.

that being said, i also can’t sleep anywhere but a bed. i can just barely fall asleep on a couch, but forget about sleeping in a car or at school.

i get terrible car sickness. i have to sit in the front seat and i have to look at the road. i cannot read/look at my phone in a car without getting nauseous.

for every ‘⭐️’ i get, i will post a fact about myself!

1: Golden mornings or peachy sunsets? golden mornings

2: Sugar cones or waffle cones? i dont have a preference. i guess waffle cones?

3: Do you wear scarves often? do you have a favorite? i knit scarves out of boredom so i end up wearing a few of them. i bought this fluffy wool that was so incredibly soft! it made a gorgeous scarf so its probably my favourite

4: How long do you lay in bed before you finally get up? i make sure (when im living in home) it’s always by 9am - doesnt matter what time i wake up. but when im out of home and have no one to answer to, then it’s just as long as i can before i have to get up for work, food, or to wake and bake

5: Is there a food you’ve never had but always wanted to try? no actually! i’d like to make a good homemade ramen but i’ve tried that at the store

6: What does your umbrella look like? it’s black. but there is one that’s black but turns rainbow once it’s wet which i really want to buy

7: Do you listen to ASMR? nope. i only have a vague idea about what asmr is tbh

8: Rain storms or a light drizzle? rain storms!

9: What’s a little thing in life that you love? music

10: Favorite color aesthetic? red & black. or pastels

11: Wobbly lines or using a ruler? wobby lines much to the dismay of my maths teachers

12:  Bright colorful living room or neutral cozy living room? bright and colourful! that’ll be one thing i’ll definitely have if i ever own a house

13: Do you have any candles? what scents are they? i do but they’re mostly for witchcraft & are scent free. but the scents i usually buy are caramels or vanillas

14: Have you ever rode a horse? yes! loved it. but the most recent time i fell off which is unfortunate

15: Do you have glasses? i do! they’re 4 years old though. my most recent pair i gave to my sister because neither pair particularly suited me very well. but i’m hoping to get enough money together in a few years to get new glasses that look kinda decent.

16: What’s a language you’d like to speak? punjabi so i can talk to my relatives

17: What’s your favorite season and favorite month in that season? summer and probably december because i love the christmas season! at work it’s fun because its always busy, and i love seeing everything decorated and hearing the carols playing

18: Do you have a favorite pair of socks? yeah either this deadpool pair, or my black thigh ones

19: Favorite Ghibli and/or disney movie ghibli: kiki’s delivery service; disney: frozen or live action cinderella

20: Disney, Dreamworks, or Pixar? disney i guess

21: What snacks do you usually get at the theater? ooh! i always get sour gummy worms, white chocolate raspberry bullets, and sometimes chocolate

22: What’s an underrated video game/ movie/ show you love and think it needs more recognition? anne with an e from netflix or champions

23: Would you fill your house with plants if you had a green thumb? god yes! i did when i moved out initially

24; All plants are great but do you have a favorite? ;) i sure do

25: Do you have a favorite type of art style? (eg: soft looking, no to little color, sketches, crisp and clean, minimalist, pixel art etc.) soft looking or minimalist? some trippy stuff is cool too

26: What would you do if someone gave you flowers? it happened once and i was very drunk and i teared up

27: Do you like nicknames? i adore them. i only give ppl nicknames as like an affectionate thing so when i get one it’s nice

28: Do you still watch shows you watched when you were a kid? even from time to time? absolutely! sailor moon & winx club & barbie movies

29: Do you still like old memes? (tell the truth) yeah if they’re funny

30: Favorite Halloween costume you dressed up as? (if you don’t celebrate halloween have you ever cosplayed or would you like to? who did you cosplay as?) i went as a witch for halloween last year which was definitely my favourite

31:  Are you a fashionable person? i would be if i had more money. but i do what i can

32: Do you like watching holiday movies? yeah if they’re good

33:  Cookies or brownies? cookies

34: Do you blow in the cold air just to see your breath? all the time

35: Do you find the crickets chirping outside your window relaxing? i usually dont notice them

36: Do you like cobblestone streets? adore them

37:  How often do you doodle? not very often because i never have a pen and paper around after graduating high school

38: When was the last time you blew bubbles? huh... honestly cant remember

39: What’s your favorite random piece of decor in your house and room? this pink flower pot that has pretty flowers in it

40: Do you bite your fingernails off or clip them more often? i sued to only clip them but ive gotten back into the habit of biting them. so its pretty 50/50 atm but im trying to change it

41: Any birthmarks? big old mole on my right arm. and a lighter one on the side of my face

42: Thoughts on freckles? love them!

43: First video game you ever played? spyro or crash bandicoot

44: what type of bird do you hear most often outside your door? crows or bell birds

45: Do you use gifs/ memes a lot when replying to people? yeah haha pretty often

46: Thoughts on spring? love it. still too cold but love it

47: Ideal temperature outside? anywhere upward of 20C

48: Cloudy, partly cloudy, or clear skies? either. as long as it’s not too cold. - i feel like i should explain that i’m a cold person by nature but also just so iron deficient. like extremely iron deficient which doesnt help

49: How often do you hear airplanes outside? i dont notice them but i’d say maybe once a week ave?

50: Do you enjoy windy days? NO

He is one of the most talented young coaches in the world of volleyball. Started his volleyball journey as a player than as a statistician, assistant coach and later on became head coach for both club and national team. He had an incredible journey so far and the path is still long and it seems to be a very successful one. But he’ll tell us more in the next few minutes. You should read and then read again as this is one of the best interviews I’ve done thanks to the answers this man gave me. With no further introduction, I welcome mister Ferhat Akbas, the head coach of CSM Bucharest female volleyball team and Japan female volleyball team.

Hello mister Akbas and welcome at vladpop.com. The first question is always the easiest one: what does volleyball mean to you?

It is a very simple answer.A day of my life starts with it and finishes with it. A passion that directs all my life. It means everything.

If I did my homework correctly, at first you wanted to play basketball. Looking behind you now, do you consider that arriving at a volleyball team and playing was a great “twist of fate”?

Exactly , and I am very happy that I met with volleyball. After many years, volleyball still looks more enjoyable and a more team-based sport to me.

You are one of the very successful young volleyball coaches. But the path was not that easy as you worked very hard for it. You started as a statistician for Galatasaray and also continued as a statistician at Turk Telekom Ankara. How helpful for you is now as a head coach the fact that you progressed through all the steps of this job, starting as a statistician?

I suggest all the new coaches to scout in one point of their career. It helps you to understand the game better , it gets a lot easier to see the important details. If you want to be a tactical expert , scouting will help you a lot. If you know how to scout , you can read the analyses better and in much efficient way. More important than that, it gives you a great habit to study the game. Every high level team coach has scouts that give many information to the coaches. The key part is , how to read it , how to study it and and to decide how much amount of information is necessary for the players.

The next path in your career was being the assistant coach for a legendary name of female volleyball: Lang Ping. How was it working with her? How much did you learn from her as you also accompanied her when she coached in China too?

It is my turning point on my volleyball journey.She is my teacher.I know almost all high level coaches personally , I was lucky to work with the best ones , but Lang Ping is the best coach that I worked with.Before I met with her I wasn’t aware of thinking in the way of an Asian.They look to the world in a different way.After a great volleyball career , Lang Ping moves to USA.She combines her Chinese way of thinking with the knowledge and experiences from another country.While I was working with her , I was so young that I tried to take her as an example figure.

There is a saying that besides learning, being a coach also means “stealing the skills” of every coach you ever worked with. Which skills did you “steal” from Lang Ping that serves you even today?

I can share and tell the one which is the simplest thing to do.It is very useful also in any life decision.You know , coaches life is based on taking decisions.How good you are about the decisions , you are going to be that good.She taught me to take decisions just in the moments you are in peace , quiet and relaxed..Otherwise the emotions and situation you are in , effects your decision.If you watch her during the games , you will never see her going out of control , getting crazy with some reason or yelling to people during the games.My culture is different but I try this way of thinking all the time.I am trying to take all the decisions with a healthier way of thinking.

I was amazed that you took no breaks and used every opportunity to learn more and more the skills and trades of your job. For example in the summer of 2012, when the club teams were in holyday, you went and worked as a statistician for Veljko Basic when he was head coach of the male Turkey national team. Is this the secret of becoming a great coach: constant working and constant learning?

As I told before I am a lucky coach that I could find these opportunities.It was great to work with men national volleyball team , which is a different sport than women volleyball in my opinion.I represent my country from very young age , all these experiences helps me in some moment.I don’t remember a holiday that I did for a long time.New experiences gives me confidence and energy.I hope I can always work high level and grow.

In 2013 you started your role as the assistant coach for one of the greatest coaches, mister Giovanni Guidetti in Vakifbank. How was that period spent at one of the most powerful volleyball clubs of the world? One thing that you learned from Giovanni?

They were  the dream seasons that nobody had , except the players and the  staff that was there that years. We won everything , every single game , we dominated world volleyball , became European and world champions.Our success is recorded in Guinness Records book.I worked there for 3 seasons and I always remember it with a smile on my face.About  Giovanni , I can say that , focusing to the details of the game and showing the ‘will’ to win a cup or a match , makes his players believe to the victory.

All these things happened until you were 28 years old and that’s why it is so impressive. At 28, you were appointed as head coach of Turkey female national team and you managed to win the 2014 Women’s European Volleyball League against Germany coached by Giovanni Guidetti, your former boss. How did you feel winning against him? How did you feel winning with your home country as head coach?

Representing your country , is something special.We won European League title and European games title , also we had some bad moments as Olympic qualification tournament.Each experience gave me a lot , I am trying to reach to the best version of myself.It is all  meaningful when you lose or win something.Volleyball world is quiet small , so one day we are opponents. , other day we are on the same side.So I don’t care a lot who the opponent is , I try to focus to my team and myself.

For the past season and continuing you are the head coach of CSM Bucharest. How did you find Romanian volleyball compared with the Turkish league?

The main difference is the budget of the clubs in Romania.Many clubs are directed with smaller budgets , but budget is not everything.Romanian Volleyball is improving a lot.We need to keep it in this way all together.Better sport halls , better gyms can help this a lot.Turkish volleyball made a big step after building volleyball gyms which is not shared by other sports.And the other thing is  , sharing information , helping each other is always makes the difference.If a club is successful , it is good for everybody , if a coach did a good job , it is an opportunity for another coach.If a referee is good , it is good for a player.Everything which is connected with volleyball is connected with each other, too.Lets do it better all together.

I’ve been following the Romanian volleyball championship for 17 years now and I’ve seen it grow. Unfortunately the financial factor is of high importance in any business and volleyball makes no exception. Considering this factor it seems there will be a battle of two for the championship this season: CSM Bucharest against Volei Alba Blaj. Do you think there will be other teams also to influence or fight for the Championship?

Bacau and Targoviste is always a big force in this league.As a newcomer Timisoara made a good job , too.I hope there can be more teams that can target top 3 spots in the league.

This summer, like no other transfer window before, it seemed like a transfer race between you and Volei Alba Blaj. You managed to snatch from them Adina Salaoru, their captain for the past four years and they managed in signing two of your best players from last season: Susana Cebic and Ioana Baciu. How do you comment this transfer market activity?

Our strategy has nothing to do with the other teams.We are trying to improve our team system adding new players to the ones that were already with us.We kept the team basis and we are trying strengthen our team. Salaoru is a player that can give us a lot. Cebic gave great confidence to us with her experience , she was a great captain. Baciu made the biggest step in her career last season.I wish them good luck and the best for the next season.

For the first time in its very short history, your club will play in the Champions League this season. I know the format is changed now and what Volei Alba Blaj managed last season is very improbable to happen again soon, but what is your objective for this season in the Champions League?

Champions League success is the most important success in CSM club history.First time we are going to have the opportunity to play with the ‘elite category’ teams.We are going to challenge ourselves and try our best for it.It gives me great motivation.We are going to participate 1st time as CSM team , but we deal with the players who has great experiences in Champions League and international volleyball. The objective is hard to tell until we see the drawing of lots.It can be easy and hard groups and we don’t know which opponents we are going to face.Only thing I can guarantee ; people who watch our games is going to see a team fighting very hard for the victory.

I am a huge fan of Imoco Volley Conegliano and I had the chance to spend a lot of time with the staff and the players during the Champions League Final Four tournament in May. I noticed that this year, except one player, the starting six remains. The same in Vakifbank. In a world of volley where entire team rosters change from one year to another, is this a key to success, keeping the players for multiple years?

Stability always brings success in sports.The teams that you count has the budget and organizational power to keep the same players or build totally a new team.They are choosing a strategy and they keep their team.This brings success.We kept 4 key players from the last season and added experienced players to make the team stronger.I hope and believe that we can do good job.

Is it all about the money in today’s volleyball? Vakifbank has a 14 million euro budget, there are some Russian teams with huge budgets as well. Is it all about the money or sometimes money can’t buy success?

Team spirit is always bigger than budgets.Budget is a tool just to create the great team.But team spirit , team culture is built with patience , hard work in years.This is what we are trying to do in CSM. Working hard , trying to get the team better and stronger year by year.The result shows that we are on the right path.

You are also involved with the Japan national team. A totally different culture. How do you manage to deal with it?

I try to live as a Japanese here. I try to always remind me , in each situation , Japanese people thinks in a different way. It is better to adapt  and understand. It is very enjoyable to be on the court with Japanese players. Because you don’t need to repeat what you want from them. They focus easily to the information and they work harder than every player on the world.

Rumours say that besides your current setter, Hashimoto, we’ll see two more Japanese players in CSM Bucharest for this season. Can you confirm that?

We are building our team and we announced the transfers that we did. I suggest everybody to follow our club official website and social media accounts , they can see the new transfers on the right time.So they can get all the news in a very quick and official way.

Your thoughts for this season?

I wish all the participants a great season  with great experiences , great matches with Fair Play. Each of us needs to announce and inform volleyball activity to the people that doesn’t follow volleyball in Romania. Each person that is involved positively to volleyball in Romania can make our sports grow.

Mister Akbas thank you again for your availability.

Thank you so much for  the interview and your interest on Volleyball.

    THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH – AN INTERVIEW WITH FERHAT AKBAS He is one of the most talented young coaches in the world of volleyball. Started his volleyball journey as a player than as a statistician, assistant coach and later on became head coach for both club and national team.