#you seemed to like sunsets / seas so <33 hope this is good! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lyrabythelake · 2 years

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if you're fine with taking this request, maybe twilight talking about his adventure for once with wild? i always see fics of twi offering comfort to wild for what happened in his journey but very rarely the other way around. thank you so much!! 💕💕

Of course! Thanks for sending in this prompt <33

Twilight has a lot of quirks to his personality that Wild has never really questioned. He growls when he’s angry (even in human form), he fiddles with his shadow crystal through his tunic when he’s nervous, he likes his meat rare, and he disappears at twilight.

All of them have oddities about them, like how Four covers the mirror in every room they stay in, how Time will stare trancelike for hours at the moon, how Hyrule separates from them sometimes because being around people too long makes him overwhelmed. They all have their secrets and they respect each other enough not to judge or pry.

But Wild can’t deny that he’s curious. He’s known Twilight the longest of all of them, nearing on two years now, and never once has he divulged where he goes when the sun sets.

Now, as he stalks silently through the woods, following glimpses of Wolfie’s tail as it weaves through the trees, he tells himself he’s justified. This area of Hyrule is particularly dangerous—Hylia, they’ve been ambushed three times today—and he tells himself his tailing Twilight is not fuelled by his own petty curiosity, but a need to make sure he’s safe. It’s concern for his friend’s physical safety, nothing more.

Wolfie emerges from the trees at the top of a steep hill, a bald island peaking from a sea of trees with a view right over the horizon. Wild watches from the edge of the treeline as his silhouette, stark against the last embers of the waning sun, shifts from wolf to man and sits on the grass atop the hill.

He’s still for a while, simply watching as the sun disappears and the light turns from gold to murky dusk, and then…

“I know you’re there, Cub. I can hear you breathing.”

Wild startles so hard he has to steady himself against the nearest tree trunk. Twilight doesn’t sound angry, though; in fact, he sounds faintly amused.

“Ah,” says Wild. “Sorry.”

Twilight looks at him, his expression unreadable in the advancing darkness, and pats the ground beside him. Wild takes the invitation to climb the rest of the way up the hill and sits beside him, shoulder to shoulder.

“I was just checking you didn’t run into any monsters,” Wild explains. “I didn’t mean to follow you all the way to… wherever we are.”

Twilight chuckles, though Wild is a little concerned to hear it carries none of his usual energy or cheer.

“I’m sure,” he says. “Thank you for looking out for me. And this is nowhere special, just a place to watch the sunset.”

Wild hesitates.

“I’ve noticed you disappear a lot around this time of day.”

Twilight nods. “And you got curious.”

“No! I mean, well, yes, but it’s none of my business. It’s always been something you’ve done alone, so…”

He trails off into silence, and Twilight makes no move to continue their conversation. They’ve always been able to speak relatively freely with each other, and the pregnant pause starts to make him nervous.

“I can go if you want,” says Wild, “but you seem… sad.”

Twilight is always there for him when he feels lost and alone, when he feels the guilt from his failures so strongly it feels like it’s tearing him up inside. Wild has never been good with words, but the least he can do is be there for him in return.

“Rusl used to say dusk is the only time when our world intersects with theirs,” Twilight says quietly. Wild is confused at first, then remembers some of the tales Twilight has told him about his adventure. He’s never heard the whole story, but he’s been given enough fragments that he can work most of it out, and he knows Twilight well enough to know who in particular this is about.

“I go out everyday to watch the sunset,” Twilight continues, “hoping I’ll feel… something, any connection to her at all, but there’s always just… silence.” He sighs, shaking his head. “It’s stupid, I know. I don’t know why I would ever expect—”

“It’s not stupid!” Wild interjects, blushing slightly at the accidental abruptness of his interruption. “I mean, I understand what it’s like to miss people; it’s not stupid to want to feel closer to her.”

Twilight gives him a strange look, a small, sad smile playing on his lips. It’s so unlike him, so different to the cheerful, tongue-in-cheek personality he normally conveys, that Wild wonders if he condenses all his sadness, all his pain to this one point in the day. Lets himself feel it all at once so he can bottle it up the rest of the time. The thought makes him very sad.

“She was with me through the worst time of my life,” Twilight says, looking back over the horizon. “She was there, by my side, for so long and then she was just… gone. Sometimes I wonder if she even cared about me at all. I mean, surely there was another way…”

With a pang in his heart, Wild shifts closer and rests his head on his mentor’s shoulder, hoping to provide comfort with sheer proximity.

“I think anyone would be hard-pressed to spend that much time with you and not care. I bet wherever she is, she’s watching the horizon and thinking of you too.”

Twilight sniffs. The first of the stars have appeared, twinkling against the dark blue sky.

“Thanks, Cub.”

#thanks anon!!#lyra writes #linked universe #emotional hurt/comfort #lu wild #lu twilight

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muthaz-rapapa · 3 years

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They announced Precure 2021!!

Tropical Rouge! Precure. It will be a tropical/ocean theme and I believe it will have either a 4 team cures (pink, blue, yellow/orange and teal) or a duo with a red cure as a sixth ranger. What are your opinions/theories?

Oh shit, it is that time again, isn’t it? I totally forgot with how screwy year this year has been. ANN didn’t even mention anything. (@_@ ;;)

Well, anyways, since the trademark is out, speculation is all fair game until December or whenever we get the next messy quality leaks at the soonest.

Before that though, I just want to comment about the HealPre movie poster:

I really like the kimono design integrated into the magical girl outfit. Seriously, I wished they could’ve saved this idea for a full-cour season instead of using it as a movie-exclusive form. That would’ve been awesome~ && imagine the crazy hair but decorated with kanzashi. *sigh* <33 ...only in my dreams, I guess. T_T

Other than that, I am also psyched for the (random) return of the Yes 5 girls. I have no idea what they’re doing here but hey, the Maho girls saved the KiraPre movie for me with their cameos so I’m totally cool with Yes 5 dropping in all badass if HealPre’s movie ends up being just so-so.

Alright, now that that’s out of the way...

Precure 2021, otherwise known as

TROPICAL ROUGE! PRECURE

...admittedly, it’s not the weirdest title we’ve ever gotten but still, Toei at it again with its obsession over weird 3-4ish syllable salads. Ah, how I miss the times when we can just attach one simple word before “Pretty Cure” and that would’ve been enough. :P

Also, how the hell are we going to shorten this? TroPre? TropicPre? ToRuPre? PikaRuPre? Too long! Why must you make the little things so difficult, you bastards?!?! (ꐦ ಠ皿ಠ )

*cough*

Judging by the title, we’re probably all correct in guessing one of its motifs will concern the ocean and when most of us think “tropical” mixed in with Precure, the first image that pops up would be Aloha Precure:

[ Hey girls, how you doin’? ^^ ]

But for me? My first thought was this:

SHUT UP.

LET ME HAVE MY BEVERAGE-BASED MAGICAL ISLAND IDOL TRIO REALITY AND LET ME DIE HAPPY THERE!

I LOVE YOU TEA DRINKYUN, SODA DRINKYUN, JUICE DRINKYUN!!!!!

xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

But in all seriousness, we’re likely not going to have these two as the protagonists because

1) They’re not Japanese or Japan-based.

2) They’re from a different Precure season altogether.

3) This is Toei we’re talking about. Looking at how one-shot Sunset and Wave were, do you really think they would go ahead on a tropics theme with any interest in anything outside just the aesthetics/marketing appeal of it? Uh, sadly, NO.

So sorry to dash your hopes if you had any but even if we are lucky enough to get a main Cure who is of Polynesian descent, we probably won’t be spending parts of the season actually exploring their ethnic background.

Though I’d still hold on to the possibility of Aloha Precure maybe getting a cameo. And more importantly, getting another dark-skinned Cure who isn’t just tan from staying out in the sun too long because I really, really, really want that, too! (>.<)

Ok, ok, back to motifs and themes.

So ocean. And there’s a seashell symbol in the logo so when we think of those things, we think of mermaids (and therefore, Cure Mermaid).

[...y’know, I’m starting to believe they’re just basing all the new seasons on the Go!Pri cast like StarPre for Twinkle. Heartcatch, however, pre-existed Flora so I don’t know where that stands but all that’s left would be Scarlet so I guess Precure 2022′s either going to take place in Hell or somewhere freezing like a mountain YES, WE’RE GONNA FIGHT ELSA! >:D or the north/south poles]

Chances of one of the Cures being a mermaid then? Maybe even the midseason one? Pretty damn high.

Chances of the magical items having something to do with pearls? Feels a little like Mermaid Melody but as long as they don’t throw any blatant idol tendencies in my face, I’m good.

Chances of TroPre (name pending) actually focusing on the nature of the ocean and taking time to explain in depth its sealife, ecosystems and the man-imposed problems that exist within it? *BIG SIGH*

Honestly, as much as I would love for Precure 2021 to branch out from what HealPre started with its health/environment approach (which was quite the disappointing cop-out but that’s a discussion for another place and time), I doubt we’re going to get that no thanks to the commercialization aspect of it.

And I don’t blame the writers (entirely), I blame their higher-ups who probably meddle with the story and demand for more cutesy, pointless fillers instead because y’know, toy sales first, unfortunately. :P

But ok, even if I don’t get the science side of it, that doesn’t mean it won’t be enjoyable. But with only just a logo to go off on atm, it’s hard to predict what we’re really in for next year.

Except for the fact that we can already tell how many starter Cures we’ll be getting.

[Sorry it took so long to get to this part, anon]

Pink is a no brainer, there can’t be a Precure season without a Pink lead (bah).

And look at how solid the azure/blue and teal/green is. Those are locked in for sure (HURRAH! ANOTHER GREEN CURE~! xD).

Now yellow...or is that orange? Personally, I think it’d be great if they dropped the Yellow Cure this year and gave it to the Pink Cure as a sub-color instead because unlike the blue and teal katakana, the pink/yellow/orange ombre of the bottom line is not as distinct from one another as the former are. But I doubt it because when you say “tropic” you think of “sun” too so can’t be without the yellow Cure, after all. Ugh.

Finally, there’s that striking red at the end of “Rouge” that looks like what would happen if an exclamation mark and a sea slug had a baby together and put an obnoxious bow on it. :S

With “rouge” in the title [sorry, not you Rin-chan but hey, Rin-chan~! :D], it seems we’re pretty much guaranteed a red Cure as well. I just hope she gets a more creative name than just a synonym of the color red because while “Cure Crimson” cue JoJo jokes I don’t understand sounds cool, it’s lazy. (-_- ;;)

So in total, a maximum of 5 Cures. No, I will not be leaving room open for a possible 6th one cuz that is just one too many Cures and we don’t need that. WE. DON’T.

As for anon’s theory on a duo team with the Red Cure as the sixth (you actually meant third, right?) ranger...really, I’d much prefer a smaller team. I love the idea of starting the season with just a pair of Cures like the good old days. I love the idea of both of them having two theme colors (pink/yellow and blue/green) each instead of one. I’d look forward to a midseason Cure this time because the chemistry would actually be more manageable to work with and develop when it’s not such a huge crowd. So that the new girl doesn’t have to go through all her members like required shifts instead of having more organic interactions with them.

...but that’s just my hope. I know as much as the next person on what Precure 2021′s gonna be like which is pretty much “nothing at all”. *shrug*

We’ll see.

#ok now i rly gotta go to sleep cuz i've got hotpot and shopping i need to do tmwr @.@#replies #precure 2021 #tropical rouge! precure #healin good precure #tropical rouge precure

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mrmallard · 3 years

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18 and 33

18: rant about your favorite musician

So I was bullied pretty badly as a kid at school and at home, and there was a period of time where I was drowning in a sea of age-appropriate content that felt extremely condescending and fake - it wouldn't ever engage with the idea of being sad or depressed in a serious and nuanced manner outside of the token "you're sad now but things aren't so bad!" message. Most adult media I had access to at the time, mostly shitty early-00's action movies airing on TV, was very vapid and about as thematically hollow as the age appropriate stuff. Nothing really represented me and made me feel heard, nothing validated what I was going through and the negativity I was feeling towards others and myself.

As a 12 year old, I found the media which finally validated the depression, hurt and general violent negativity that existed within me due to all of my negative experiences.

And that media...

was End of Evangelion, an anime movie in which the apocalypse happens in an immeasurably bizarre and fucked up way, where there's a bunch of overt giant robot violence but also very alarming and grounded person-to-person violence, and where the ending is unendingly bleak.

I then found the Mountain Goats through a show called Moral Orel when I was 16, and I lamented the fact that I hadn't found them before I found one of the bleakest anime movies of all time to cope with what I was going through. Because my Evangelion fandom ultimately did me a lot of harm - and while I was a stupid kid at times in how I engaged with the Mountain Goats (sending John stupid asks on Tumblr like a fucking asshole), there was a much more resonant catharsis that came with the music I heard, and it facilitated healing over time rather than escapism and outright nihilism.

I feel like had I found them earlier, I could have negated some of the harm I did to myself - like Tallahassee came out when I was 6, and I was pirating music all the time on LimeWire from 13 onwards. There's a hypothetical past where my music piracy led me to find the Mountain Goats way earlier than I eventually did, and it would have changed my life forever.

The Mountain Goats laid out a template for how I found all of my other favorite bands. There was the initial hook - the prerequisite "No Children" and "Old College Try" from Moral Orel - followed by immense overplay, followed by branching out into their other music. Once the connection has been made to a strong base of starter songs, I then get interested in listening to full albums, which is where I find the second wave of songs to latch on to after the first wave gets overplayed. Rinse and repeat until I've exposed myself to all of their music. TMG was the first band to facilitate this process, and I've done the same thing to every "core" musical act I've listened to since.

What I like about the Mountain Goats is that they're not afraid to broach difficult subjects? The Sunset Tree is a masterpiece in this regard, there's a level of vulnerability on that album that you don't get from most other artists - the closest equivalent I can think of is A Crow Looked At Me by Mt. Eerie, about the singer's wife dying of cancer.

There was a part of me that used to approach The Sunset Tree with a lurid voyeurism, a desire to validate my own pain by engaging with the pain that the album puts out there - but now when I hear songs like Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod, I'm capable of seeing a broader picture and having more than just the desire to be validated by listening to another person's trauma. I would consume media like this to feed an unending hunger, but now I take it in bite sized portions and stay mindful of what it represents outside of my own experience.

One thing I want to talk about is John's early work, because when I started listening to the band I couldn't stand the lo-fi stuff. The whirring sound gave me a headache. But over time I've built up a strong base of his earlier material, even stuff he considers an old shame, that I absolutely adore.

The first "going to" song, to my understanding, is Going to Chino. And if you haven't heard Going to Chino, I recommend it - it's silly, it's overwrought and it's passionate. You'll never hear a more earnest commendation of a town's access to the 60 freeway in any other songs on earth. There's also Minnesota, which to this day might be John Darnielle's most romantic song. He acknowledges that he's a different person than when he started making music and he prefers to move forward as opposed to living in the past, but there's a lot of power in songs like No, I Can't or Yoga, regardless of how far removed he becomes from the self that made them.

My favorite song might be From TG&Y, because it hits on a very personal note - engaging in self-destructive behaviour to cope with a town that's sucking all of the life and goodness out of you. I've only ever drank to excess, but there's something very relatable about feeling how run down you are after a bender, having this awful manky taste in your mouth the whole time as you shift from place to place, and having this impulse of needing to run away and start a new life before this way of living kills you.

There's a lot of myself wrapped up in the Mountain Goats, and whether they're the primary band on my radar at any given moment or not, I can always spare a few words about how they make me feel.

33: what do you think about a lot

I think a lot about queer people in the past and how they've able to live their lives. I'll give you three examples.

Lately, I've had this pet idea about the anime/manga series Ranma 1/2. I haven't seen or read it, but I do know that it's about this young guy named Ranma who is afflicted with a curse or the like that results in him changing gender depending on the temperature of the water that gets dumped on him.

Ranma 1/2, from what I've gleaned, has resulted in a few gender awakenings - if I'm not mistaken, I think Dan Shive was one of those people, who went on to create the webcomic El Goonish Shive which deals with gender in a similar way at the start before taking more of a serious turn as the comic goes on.

But I have this idea in my head about early Ranma 1/2 fans writing stories about Ranma coming to terms with being a woman, and deciding to find a way to break the curse in a way that would leave the character as a woman. I wonder if there's anyone who tapped into their transness back then through their Ranma fandom, and whose journey is documented in their work.

It's like, there's people back then who Get It. Who came into their own in a time where the concept of gender transition was less accepted than it was now. And that's my people - geeky fanfiction writers. I want to know that there are people who found an innate truth to them, and who were able to be happy.

Another example I want to talk about is Robert Reed, who played Mike Brady on the Brady Bunch. I care deeply for Robert Reed. From what information is the most easily accessible about the man, he was apparently a pretty angry guy at times - he wasn't proud of his role on the Brady Bunch, and he'd get into arguments with the producer of the show. He was a closeted gay man playing the most sanitized TV dad in America, and if that news ever came out, it would sink his career and the entire show along with it.

But he was a good man. Notably, the producer of the Brady Bunch would tolerate his outbursts because his instincts would usually turn out to be right. And while he was upset with the material, he was never abusive to his co-stars. A bunch of them speak fondly about him to this day - he'd take the kids on day trips and stuff, and became something of a mentor and father figure to them. You don't hear wholesome stories like that from the 70's any more, but by all accounts Robert Reed seems to have been a decent man.

Robert died of colon cancer, but at the time of his death he had HIV as well. He was an incredibly private person - the only reason we know that he's gay is because he called Florence Henderson a week before he died to let her know and to get her to tell the rest of the cast. Apparently he kept in touch with her for years, and he saw fit to let everyone know before he died.

My understanding is that he had a partner at the time, though I'm not 100% sure. I hope Robert Reed had love throughout his life, y'know. I hope he had people who he loved and was loved by in return. I'm sad that he lived his whole life in the closet, and I hope he was able to find comfort and fulfillment in the relationships he did have in his life.

The last example I want to talk about is David Hyde Pierce - Niles from Frasier and the professor from Treasure Planet. I learned a while back that he had come out as gay in the late 2000's, getting married before Proposition 13 went into effect in California. I saw a topic about him on GameFAQs recently and I wanted to bring up that he was gay and married, but it had been a while so I googled him again to get my facts straight.

Not only is David Hyde Pierce still married, he's been in a relationship with his husband since 1983.

It means so much to me because people break up all the time in Hollywood. Whether it be the stress of the outside world gawking at them all the time, or the vice and excess of the entertainment industry corrupting people over time, or just falling out of love ala Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman - relationships in Hollywood don't last. And you don't hear much about gay celebrities and their love lives unless it becomes a point of controversy, ala Elton John's adoption issues or George Michael getting outed.

But the entire time David Hyde Pierce was on Frasier and doing voiceover - for all intents and purposes, at the top of his career - he was in a relationship with a man he'd already loved for a decade beforehand. And they continued to be together until gay marriage became legal, at which point they married each other, and they're still married to this day.

I'm really happy that they've been able to go the distance. May we all have what they have one day.

#long post

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demenior · 3 years

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first lines: fic-writers meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!

Tagged by @curiosity-killed

I had 2 “just toss out the wips you’re never going to finish” fics that would have been included, but I’m skipping them and several of my smutty one-shots that were tumblr prompt fills bc I make the rules. Also this is going by “last 20 updated” because I got halfway thru and realized it probably means “last 20 posted” woops

From oldest to newest!

A Crisis In Your Eyes (Voltron) T: Going on missions with Ulaz is fun.

Lay To Waste (Voltron) T: Hidden away in the recesses of the Kaskada System, deep in the thick jungles of an unoccupied moon, is a glimmer of hope.

Keep Them Galra Rollin (Rawhide) (Voltron) G: “Hurry up,” Shiro orders, “we only have a few hours to get to the rendezvous point.”

My Body’s Got You Pleading (Voltron) E: Trees flash by in an instant, almost a blur except for what's in front of him.

To Be Alone (With You) (Voltron) G: Ulaz exists in the dangerous crosshairs of fatigue and euphoria.

An Alignment to Cry (Voltron) T: If the moon was a large step for mankind, the Galaxy Garrison’s mission to Kerberos is a flying leap into the future.

Take The Power Back (Voltron) T: Prison absolutely, irrevocably, without-a-doubt sucks.

Sunset In Reverse (Voltron) T: Champion waits dutifully while his handlers secure the area.

as the lion loves the lamb (Voltron) T: Lance is sitting with Hunk, sprawled over one another with their legs tangled, up in Hunk’s bed, and licking a spoon of what passes for ice cream, when he stops and says, “You can feel it too, right?”

Mr. Ulaz’s Monster Scaring Services (Voltron) G: At 5:45am sharp the alarm goes off.

Watch You Unravel (Voltron) E: “The trip will not be long,” Ulaz assures him when Keith asks if he can help, “I can handle the ship.”

Babel (Voltron) G: “Again,” Ulaz orders.

Royal Treatment (Voltron) E: Shiro’s toweling off his hair when his personal line rings.

From Eden (Black Sails) T: John Silver oversees the goods as they’re unloaded from the ship.

Awake My Soul (The 100) T: It started with a cough.

Let’s Go Steal a Snuggle (Leverage) T: The kid is smart, Eliot will give him that.

A Whole Lotta Love (Critical Role) G: Marion’s heart leaps into her throat, and Bluud leaps to his feet as the door to the Chateau is thrown open and a group of people stumble in.

Like The Air And Sea (The 100) T: Clarke doesn’t so much wake up as she does become aware that she is not asleep.

Shelter (Critical Role) T: Nicodranas is hot.

To Exist Again (Supernatural) T: Sam considers his life a tragedy in slow motion.

It may not seem obvious, but a lot of these opening lines are (situationally or ironically) funny in nature! Overall it’s obvious that I like to start as close to in media res as possible. And I like my opening line to set a tone for the story! You can tell right off the bat that some of these are going to have a personalized narrator (#7, #5), some are a little more cinematic (#2, which also doubles as funny because reread it with cause every time we touch, i get this feeling) and sometimes with dialogue, and sometimes with a short impact statement (15, 19). Both 18 and 20 hint at/imply the sad tone of their stories, or at least that the narrator is Going Thru It.

This was fun! And interesting!!

Tagging anyone who would like to waste some time doing this <33

#hit me #uuhhh #writing is hard

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the-prince-of-professors · 4 years

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WIP ASK!!! Any or all of the following, PLUS (/or) whichever one you like the best!! : HamCommonChristmas, ModernAUChristmas, Sunset, Vingt-Milles-Lieues <3 <3

Oooh okay let’s see! 😶

HamCommonChristmas is the Christmas fic I started writing last year and was very excited about and then work came and knocked me over completely and I had to give it up... but have been hoping to pick it up again for this year. I had a lot of ideas and I’ve probably written them down in my notebook, but the document only has a short paragraph... which I will definitely rewrite but here it is:

It was the strangest sensation when December came rolling in. Nothing was what it used to be: one life had ended and another begun; and after that, another yet, one filled with new hope and light. And still, when darkness and cold crept up on us and lights were lit in every window, and when carols could be heard practiced in the old church down the road, it was as if nothing was changed after all.

ModernAUChristmas uuuh... I vaguely remember writing this but not sure if I was serious about it or if it was just a loose idea or even just a late night musing. Hehe, well I don’t remember any of it, but opening it now it was somewhat nice. Here are two short snippets from the two short snippets I had written down:

“I’m getting you a Smart TV for Christmas.”

“No, you’re not.”

“72 inches, 4K.”

“Not a chance.”

“For your birthday then.”

“Don’t joke about it.”

////

“Are you sure you’ll be alright then?”

“Yes.”

“Sure?”

“Sure.” I meant it, too.

“Alright.”

He looked at me for another moment; then he smiled.

“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

He took a step forward, embraced me in his usual way – though perhaps, with more warmth and intention. I wrapped my arms around him, and dared to grip tighter this time, holding on harder. He dragged me closer in return, and there we remained for a moment; for two; for another. His curls tickled my cheek; his scent got into my nose, into my lungs, filled me with serenity.

Sunset - gosh this is actually a Mentalist fic I started last summer! I never finished it and I’ve never written anything else for that fandom, though I’d like to try some day. I love that show so much and it’s so underrated, and also Patrick Jane is so very much a mix of Holmes and Raffles and I love him so much. I never felt like I managed to get into character writing the fic, but I still like this part:

How do you do it, she thought. After all that has happened to you—after all you have lost—how do you still see beauty in the world with such clear eyes?

The last burning rays of the sun revealed streaks of gold in his hair; a gentle breeze played with his curls, making them dance over bright emerald eyes. The lines of his face seemed dimmed, smoothened. He took a deep breath, smiled, searched the horizon.

And then Vingt-Milles-Lieues IS one I finished! It’s the one I wrote after reading Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea last year, and the title for the finished work became Bleu Profond. A few favourite lines, because I love a vulnerable Raffles:

He made the last part sound like it was said in jest, but I suspected it was quite the opposite. I looked at the raven curls, and into the blue eyes that were deeper than any sea, and held just as many secrets.

“Perhaps I would, after all,” I said at last.

The eyes flickered, before disappearing below dark lashes.

AND one of my choice?? Then I’ll pick the one called Kisses - in the published fic Intoxication I wrote that Raffles and Bunny had kissed four times before that night but not actually talked about it (what??? communication problems?? between our burglar boyfriends???), and then I wanted to write down those four kisses because I was curious and got some ideas... I don’t think I’ll ever make an actual fic of it, but here is the first one:

The first time was more drunken than anything else; briefly, absent-minded, I pressed his hand and then pressed my lips to his in good-bye. Such a natural action it was, that I did not realise what I had done until his eyes met mine in surprise, and the fresh memory of his breath on my lips made my head spin. For a second I was paralysed, thinking I might have ruined everything; but then he pressed my hand and whispered his “good-night” in return, and the light in his eye as he watched me leave was to stay in my mind for days. We did not speak of it; though sometimes I thought I could see something shimmering behind those dark lashes, and it nourished a hope I had given up on long ago.

Thank you for asking!! <33

#tag game #wip #my writing #answers from toni #wolfiejimi

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lyricalive · 4 years

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A soul is an electric force, full of potential energy.

——Can we find souls in unlikely places, and set them into motion?

中古技術〜 Electric Spirit Seance

#01 Lullaby of a Deserted Hell

From a bird's-eye view, the figures of two sprightly maidens would appear like dolls amidst the surrounding range of artificial mountains, a stunning silvery wasteland.

The taller of the two small-looking girls, Maribel Hearn (Merry) planted her hands on her hips as she surveyed the junk that encircled them in all directions.

– "I can't believe you managed to convince me to go dumpster-diving. Is this a step up or down from graverobbing?"

– "We didn't rob anything from the graveyard. I definitely want to find something worth taking from here, though."

– "So this is a step down."

– "Nah, it's fine. These are all things that no one wants."

– "Or things that no one wants to be seen. Of course, that means…"

– "It's the perfect place for the Secret Sealing Club!"

The club's current president, Renko Usami, pumped her fist with plenty of good cheer. Merry smiled back, although she had mixed feelings about calling a land of literal garbage home.

– "We can't just have normal dates, can we?"

Fortunately, at least, the garbage was not excessively odorous or grimy. The site was a landfill specifically for electronic waste: frayed wires, boxy television frames, old phone models of all kinds.

The time was just around sunset -- more specifically 7:42 and 33 seconds, according to Renko's discerning eyes. The mild starlight reflected off of broken LCD screens, making them appear ever so slightly less lifeless.

#02 Rigid Paradise

– "What exactly are we looking for... Let me guess. Hoping to find some retro videogames?"

– "I won't lie. That'd be great."

– "But finding both a game and the console to go with it is going to be tough."

– "Did you know, if a company manufactures more games than it can sell, they end up buried underground to get them out of circulation?"

– "How wasteful. At least they were given a proper funeral."

– "The first time this happened was long ago in another country. Thousands of unsold cartridges... Just because they weren't popular at the time, now they'll never be played. I'd love to give them a chance."

– "Hee-hee, so much for a funeral. I suppose we're not in the business of letting the dead rest in peace."

In this unique sort of graveyard, the bodies had been piling up for countless years. Most of the material would never biodegrade, so the mounds kept accumulating, one layer buried under the next. In fact, despite the oceans rising drastically over recent years, this dumping ground remained unusually high above sea level for the sole reason that its foundation was constantly being reinforced by layers of tightly packed waste.

Renko, who had taken the precaution to wear pants and gloves on this excursion, knelt down to examine a mess of circuitry at the bottom of a looser heap. Merry meanwhile nudged the tip of her shoe against the ground, pondering how deep down was the earth.

#03 Poison Body ~ Forsaken Doll

The girl in black and white impatiently murmured the time, for the fourth time that hour, before stretching her back and turning around to check on her partner.

– "Find anything interesting yet, Merry?"

Merry, who had been spacing out for some while, quickly darted her eyes around for an improvised answer. A glint of light led her gaze to a long, flat cell phone teetering unceremoniously atop of a pile.

– "This... Haven't I seen this model in advertisements recently? How did this already become trash?"

– "Oh, you know. Technology becomes out-of-date awfully quickly these days."

– "Mm. I'd like to see it as a sign of progress, but…"

– "Yeah, it's not good at all. We're in an age of quantity over quality."

Manufacturers who design their products to poor standards, so as to improve on them soon after, are akin to the type of trickster youkai that disguises itself in beggars' clothes to take advantage of others' low expectations. In this selfishly self-deprecating society, it had become a disadvantage to show one's best.

– "Everyone knows this, but thinking about it makes me so irritated."

– "Right? Humanity is really holding itself back."

– "On top of that, don't they know that this is how vengeful tsukumogami are born?"

An object that has gone unused for 100 years is believed to develop a consciousness. Some end up harmless -- but if its short life was spent being used as nothing more than throwaway capital, naturally it would make sense for it to become unhappy.

Merry laid one hand gently on the phone, as if in a gesture of sympathy.

– "Hey, be careful not to touch more than you need to. It may look clean, but the chemicals released by e-waste can still be toxic."

– "Ah, right..."

She felt a bit sheepish for needing safety lessons from Renko, of all people. But, having thought too hard about it, it became difficult for Merry to view the objects as just physical material. A great majority of one's life was lived by virtual communication, so this material had great amounts of personal information stored in it. Of course, the information's original source was in people's minds, so it's not as if it would be instantly forgotten once the plug was pulled. But there were certainly more petabytes of raw data in a square meter of this dump than a human brain could hold.

#04 Electric Heritage

– "Come to think of it, though, have you ever actually heard a story about an electronic object becoming a tsukumogami?"

– "Well, no..."

– "I have a theory about that. I don't think e-waste is even capable of that transition."

– "How do you figure?"

– "Consider the crossover of electromagnetic fields and the detection of spirits. Electricity is a simulation of life energy, almost too spot-on. Like forces repel... so true life energy can't coexist with it. Because they're flowing with this imitation power, I don't think electronics get a chance to develop real souls."

– "I see. Then, we can't properly call this a graveyard..."

– "...if these bodies were never truly alive."

– "I can't decide whether that makes me feel relieved, or lonely."

Merry let out an audible sigh against their eerily silent backdrop. Then she braced herself to deliver the next news.

– "But, if that's so... then why can I still feel something spiritual around here?"

Renko's eyes lit up instantly.

– "Do you? I was hoping you'd say that!"

– "It just started... which is odd, since we haven't covered all that much ground since getting here. It's as if a border connecting to somewhere else just opened."

– "That supports the second part of the theory. Like forces repel, but opposite forces attract. They may not have souls themselves, but these empty vessels surely attract souls."

It felt fairly certain, now that both of their minds had helped confirm it: Some spirit, human or non-human, seemed to have decided to take up residence in the wasteland. Merry took a moment to feel proud of herself for her invaluable contribution.

– "By the way, where do robots fit into your theory?"

– "Well... I mean, there's no doubt we're getting closer every day to the A.I. revolution."

– "Oh, my. I knew I should have tipped our e-waiter last time we went to that café."

– "But that's a completely different phenomenon than what births a tsukumogami, right? It has to do with the software, not the hardware."

– "Yes. Though, it would seem to imply that there is a border of 'false' and 'true' life that can be crossed..."

#05 Entrusting This World to Idols ~ Idolatrize World

– "Now all we have to do is narrow it down, and we'll --"

As if on cue, Renko's thoughts were interrupted by a loud crashing sound from behind... music to her thrill-seeking ears. She whirled around to catch the culprit, her eyes fixating on Merry and the dark-colored object that rested a few paces away at her feet. The blonde girl threw her hands up in a display of innocence.

– "I didn't do it. It moved on its own! I just saw it fall out of nowhere."

Renko's attempt at a professional retort failed to conceal her excited, twitching grin.

– "Merry, Merry... This is the most basic of physics. An object can't move on its own! Unless..."

They approached the rectangular object and peered over it. It seemed to be a tablet PC, roughly twenty centimeters in length. It had landed face up, luckily enough to not have not shattered the screen, though there was a significant surface crack down its center.

– "Hm..."

– "We've ruled out tsukumogami. You think it could be... a poltergeist?"

– "I don't know. Rather than an outside force, the energy seems very contained in here."

– "So then... a spirit living inside?"

– "Something like that."

In response, the light of the screen flashed briefly on and back off.

– "Ahh! Electricity, a simulation of life energy..."

– "It also works the other way around!"

This was a very lucky revelation for the two investigators, as it would have been nearly impossible to find a compatible charging cable. In an age where each and every product was developed with its own unique cord design, this feature was marketed to consumers as a collectible game; the infinite variety, a controlled channel for creativity.

The device seemed to call out to them, understanding what they wanted. The power flashed again, on and off and on, in a quirky rhythmical pattern that almost evoked a personality.

– "We've definitely found something worth taking home!"

– "Wait. Isn't it wrong to remove a spirit from the place it's attached to? We can't just adopt a ghost like an abandoned baby."

– "Like you said, it's attached to the item, not the place. We're just fostering it for a bit before it moves on!"

– "All right... Just don't raise it to be wild like you."

– "And you, Merry, make sure you don't spoil it!"

#06 Nostalgic Blood of the East ~ Old World

The pair reached Renko's dorm with the haunted vessel tucked inconspicuously into their satchel, grateful that the spirit hadn't chosen to bind itself to a full desktop monitor or CPU instead. The question moving forward would be how to unlock its secrets.

– "How old do you think it is?"

– "Because it wasn't buried under anything, it seems like we should assume it to be fairly new. But it just feels so out of place."

– "Actually, I meant the spirit."

– "Oh."

Hand in hand with the phenomenon of planned obsolescence, the fashionable aesthetics of electronics changed as often as water under a bridge. Sleek designs were popular, then retro designs, then designs that mimicked the mimicry of two eras past, a vaguely deteriorating cycle. As a result, it was difficult to tell which era this piece of technology belonged to.

– "Remember that I saw a border open? Maybe not just the spirit, but the whole item came from somewhere else..."

They had been scrutinizing the home screen for quite some time, attempting to navigate the ancient interface, and hadn't made much headway. As far as they could tell, the data was heavily corrupted, and most of its history had been erased. They were able to access only the most basic types of apps, like the calculator and the keyboard.

– "Hey, Merry. I think we should use that other thing we picked up."

– "That? I don't even understand how we would use it..."

As evidenced by her smug grin, the more scientifically-minded of the pair had full confidence in the strange idea she was about to suggest.

#07 A Tiny, Tiny Clever Commander

– "I mean, really? A mouse?"

Renko had insisted that they bring home a wired peripheral mouse, which she had spent an extra half hour scavenging for. However, of course, the end of the cable did not match the outlet on the tablet.

Currently, she was back in the scavenging position, digging through the pile of unorganized junk that cluttered her closet (mostly books and occult items). Or rather, it looked unorganized, but she seemed to know exactly where everything was. ...Or rather, Merry concluded, it truly was unorganized, but her eyes were sharp at scanning through even a complete mess. She wondered if this small pile would ever become as large as the one at the dump.

– "A-ha, found it!"

Renko had managed to track down the very particular treasure she was seeking, the final piece of their forgathered puzzle. A small cube with many variously patterned notches rested in her open palm. The material's finishing was uncolored and plain, likely to have been produced independently with a 3D printer rather than as a commercial product.

– "W-Where did you get a thing like that?"

– "I have connections you don't know, Merry."

Merry thought she had heard this line before, and felt a bead of sweat roll down her neck just like the first time. The source was certainly shady. Universal adapters were not at all legal. Treating it like a Rubik's cube, and glancing back and forth for reference, Renko cleverly manipulated the block in her hand in ways that Merry was unable to understand.

Renko's partner, who had long embraced being an accomplice, appreciated her resourcefulness; she only wished to be kept more up to date when the other girl's mental plans ran ten steps ahead. But she supposed that this was how Renko felt in return when it came to supernatural sights that she couldn't see, so perhaps they were even.

– "Just like that? Like magic..."

– "Tell me, Merry. Can you see the border of magic and science?"

With all the pieces aligned, Renko ceremoniously linked the mouse to the tablet through the intermediary box. As a pop-up window indicated the drivers being registered, it was, they determined, a truly magical feat. The light on the screen dimmed a bit, as if the spirit were expressing slight disappointment that it was no longer their only option for a power supply.

– "Still... Better technology has been around for decades. These are so unwieldly. Does anyone use an optical mouse anymore?"

– "No, but no one's done this ritual in a long time either."

#08 No More Going Through Doors

Renko took Merry's hands in her own and conveyed them in a stack atop of the mouse. Holding this pose, Merry squinted at the screen in front of her, which displayed a neatly spaced virtual keyboard with a complete set of lettering. A mild shiver ran through her, either nervousness or excitement.

– "Hang on. This setup looks familiar somehow."

– "That's right. We're having a séance!"

Although Renko was very skilled with computers, hacking was not her expertise. She did, however, have the kind of mind that was able to think around the box, discovering back doors. The opportunity here was simple: If they couldn't reach the secrets, they would consult the only one who knew -- the spirit itself.

– "Huh!?"

– "This mouse is a perfect planchette to use as an interface. Sure, we have voice and touch technology. But you don't want the spirit to possess your actual body in order to touch the screen or activate your voice, do you?"

– "Definitely not. ...Wait, did I ever say I wanted to be the medium at all?"

Merry pulled her hands back from the mouse and saw the screen's light flicker weakly.

– "Oh, er... You're right. We didn't really decide that, did we?"

– "Mm..."

– "I think you'd be better suited, but I'll gladly go first. I've always wanted to try something like this."

Merry's eyes glazed over as she thought about the prospect of communicating with the spirit. They had assumed the sealed entity was harmless enough to bring home, but could there be some risk in directly channeling it?

Then again, what was the other option? To leave their investigation at a dead end?

You don't belong on this side of the unknown.

A faint voice bubbled up inside of Merry, almost like an intrusive thought. This had been happening to her increasingly often lately, though she always forgot about it after the fact. Because, at the same time, they certainly felt like her own feelings...

Maribel Hearn was sparked with a surge of curiosity that made her want to take the lead. These were precisely the club activities she had signed up for. How much more dangerous could it be than anything else, so long as one made sure to follow the protocols and say goodbye at the end?

– "No... I'd like to do it."

Renko blinked in surprise.

– "Really? ...Well, gee, make up your mind. You made me get all excited for myself. Go ahead, but I call next!"

#09 Shoutoku Legend ~ True Administrator

Having cleared the area and turned off all the lights, Merry sat with her back straight against a chair and took a deep breath. No candle was necessary, as the warm glow of the screen cast a ring of illumination around the table. They had thoroughly discussed the questions they desired to ask, though the words felt awkward to speak out loud. Nevertheless, the young medium opened her mouth.

– "What is... your name?"

...

The atmosphere of room was deathly still. Merry let all the muscles in her arm relax, preparing.

...

I...

– "It's working...!"

The spirit was conscious and listening. The planchette began to glide beneath Merry's loose grip, landing on the letter I. When it paused on the letter for several seconds, she clicked the mouse button to confirm before the involuntary movement slowly began again.

...FO RG OT.

– "Ah. So it's going to be up to us to give it a name."

– "Did you own this tablet?"

While Merry was lost in thought about a potential name, Renko chimed in with a question of her own from the opposite side of the table. However, the spirit seemed to hesitate in answering.

Suddenly, the other girl's focus returned. On an instinct, she broke the silence with an unexpected change of the question.

– "Does this tablet own you?"

...

YE S.

– "Huh... The tablet owns the spirit? How did that happen?"

Although Renko's words were more thinking out loud than a direct question, the spirit was responsive. Merry's hand immediately began to move.

...

SN AP.

– "Snap...? That sounds kind of scary."

– "What does that mean?"

The cursor then swerved dramatically past all the letters on the keypad and down to the app menu along the bottom edge of the screen. It hovered over an icon barely recognizable as an antique camera.

– "Ah..."

The app launched, reproducing a dark, blurry image of the table on which the device's lens was turned. Upon clicking the screen, a photograph was taken, and the damaged speaker emitted a distorted snapping sound.

– "Spirit photography!"

The two girls burst out in unison, solving the riddle simultaneously.

– "Right. We've all heard the old belief that getting a photograph taken of you might steal a piece of your soul."

– "It has some basis. If captured in a photograph by accident, a minor spirit's energy might become trapped."

Somewhere in the hidden files, such a photograph must exist, binding some foreign essence to this device. The spirit was likely eager to get free.

Merry minimized the camera app and returned to the keyboard.

– "Who took the picture?"

...

Unlike its own, this name seemed to be one the spirit knew. The pair observed with bated breath as the cursor navigated itself around the maze of letters. Ultimately, it came to a halt, and Merry clicked on the final letter.

– "...Eh? Merry, stop kidding around!"

Merry turned to her partner with a genuine, solemn expression.

– "I'm... not. I swear."

Renko's face went pale. In ink-black font, three familiar syllables stood on display beside a blinking cursor.

#10 Dream World Folklore

To disprove the influence of the ideomotor effect, they had asked the question several more times, using both girls as mediums, until the spirit ultimately stopped responding altogether.

– "Oh, no. We scared it away..."

– "Well, it did spook us first."

– "Renko... You weren't kidding about your connections, were you?"

Renko scratched her head with lingering bewilderment.

– "Is the spirit messing with us? Or could it be..."

Her gaze wandered over to the stream of occult paraphernalia still spilling out of the crack of her closet door, and she experienced a strange sense of longing. The adventurous scientist was heavily accustomed to investigating mysteries from an observational and objective point of view. Finding herself personally a step closer to the subject was a bizarre and almost gut-twisting feeling. She supposed that this was how Merry felt in return when the focus of investigations was on her own powers, so perhaps they were even. Almost.

After a few more sessions of séance, they managed to navigate to an encrypted folder. A full-screen photograph had flashed open... but, before they were able to make out any details, the tablet's power instantly cut off. Following this, it no longer responded to any input.

Their assumption would be that the spirit had been able to cross over, after deleting its digital ties to the physical container and unsealing the information it was attached to.

– "I suppose this is goodbye..."

– "Is the spirit free now?"

– "I think so."

– "That's good for it, at least."

– "Too bad for you. If we kept it, maybe it would have served as your personal shikigami."

– "Isn't that a bit cold-hearted? It was supposed to be our child!"

A shikigami is the perfect phantasmal servant. The owner may input commands, and it carries out orders with extraordinary speed and calculation. Of course, a normal computer already fulfills essentially the same purpose. Outside world humans of the modern era aren't in need of such a spirit under their possession.

Even so, the force of attraction that had drawn them to cross paths with this spirit would be a mystery to chase going forward. The two present members of the Sealing Club had a new story to tell, an urban legend that could be shared only amongst themselves.

Afterwords

Hello, this is someone who absolutely promised themself that they would publish at least one Hifuu fic per calendar year. The idea for this one began with a conversation with my real-life partner (as is usually the case of inspiration) about the excellent aesthetic of using a computer keyboard as a Ouija board. This subject in turn came up because of a "ghost" that haunts her keyboard by making a certain cryptic message appear on the screen at random times because the "." and "0" keys are in an easy position for us to accidentally press. So, this story is dedicated to our precious child, ".0-chan."

Then, while it was already being written, WBaWC came out and confirmed that a technology-themed fic would be totally appropriate, and my favorite song from the soundtrack had the perfect title to be used in it. (Also, its blatant dystopian themes justified playing up the similar themes of the Sealing Club's society even more than usual.) And yet, despite many things lining up, it almost didn't get finished in time. It's been such a busy and stressful year, which I hope gets better next year...

Another source of inspiration was the blog "Yukarisuggestion," whose portrayal I respect a lot. When they drop minor bits of supernatural trivia, it definitely feels like they are coming from the youkai sage herself, very natural to accept. I latched onto these posts in particular, finding the concept fascinating, and I only hope I interpreted it acceptably. ...I was really aiming sharply this time at the Sealing Club's conversational aesthetic of "casual confidence in super obscure things that outside listeners would hear as nonsense," so I'm afraid some parts may have crossed the border of B.S.

Also, I wonder if it's okay that the second half of the song choices are almost entirely bad puns?

ASA (Our ghost child's pen name would be "0.4" / "Rei-ten-shi"!)

Hifuu CD-style stories:

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 自封夢幻〜 Sentimental Reverie

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 陶然夢幻〜 Transcendental Revelry

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 羨望横断〜 Unenviable Crossroads

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 外来土産〜 Adventive Reminiscence

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 中古技術〜 Electric Spirit Seance

» [Tumblr] [AO3] 幻想惑星直列〜 Phantasmal Syzygy

#touhou #maribel hearn #renko usami #renmerry #fanfiction

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freshbling · 4 years

Text

Quarantine Time

Tagged by: @rolie-polie-yeolie thanks ✨✨

Rules: answer these questions and tag 5 mutuals

1.Flowers or chocolates? I like both but if someone gives me white chocolate that’s the end

2.Between day and night I prefer: day but not in summer

3.My favourite drink: frappe and tea

4.Between sunrise and sunset I prefer: sunset all the way

5.Between dogs and cats I prefer: dogs a million times, I love those balls of love and fluff

6.The vegetable i hate the most: is onion a vegetable?

7.My favourite sound: whenever I pet my dog she makes this sound of pleasure, almost like a purr and I absolutely adore it

8.The first thing I notice about people: their faces like I do a full scan

9.Would you prefer horror or fantasy? Horror baby

10. I’d want to be stuck in a lift with? (choose opposite gender lol): there is no way I want to get stuck in a lift with a man

11. What city or town you’d like to live in? A Nordic country, they seem to be having a good time and have amazing views

12.What I value most in life: tranquility

13.If I could learn any skill, it’d be: to play the violin or the piano

14.Between the beach and the mountains, I prefer: the beach, I don’t like how it makes my hair all curly but I love the sound of the sea

15.I’d love to get marry in: my dreams, that ain’t happening irl

16.My hidden talent: I genuinely have no idea

17.If I could bring anyone back to life, I’d bring back: my Tita

18.Why? Cause I miss her

19.Rainy or sunny day? Cloudy cause I hate to drive in the rain but I also hate the sun so

20.Who’s the real model of your life? My mom in most aspects

21.How I relax after a hard day: go home to sleep or just lay in bed listening to music or watching some yt videos

22.I like the way I look: is this a question? I guess I do, tbh I don’t have much to complain about

23.My most favourite facial features of myself is: my nose and cheekbones

24.My most favourite part of my body is: hmm my face? Idk

25.If I could change anything about my body: I need some longer legs please

26.If yes, what’s it: dude be more specific on how to answer this lol

27.If I could change something from my past: nextttttt

28.How many piercing I have: I have my ears pierced but I would like more the thing is I’m afraid of needles :)

29.I like makeup? Yep

30.I wear make up everyday: not since March cause of the whole pandemic but I used to wear some concealer in my under eyes and mascara

31.My skin type is: mixt, oily in the t zone and kinda dry in my cheeks

32.My skin tone: Idk my mom says is coffee with milk lol So I would say medium brown?

33.My hair colour: dark brown

34.My height: 160 cm

35.My age: 19

36.My birthday: September 15

37.My best friend: I met her in high school, she is very nice

38.I have a pet or more: I have a miniature schnauzer, she mad cute

39.If i don’t, I’d like to adopt: another dog tbh

40.Video games or social media: social media, the only game I play is superstar pledis lol

41.I’ve visited outside my country: not that I recall

42.I’ve an innocent/dirty mind: dirty, I get all the dirty jokes too quickly, shame on me

43.Someone proposed me or asked me out? Ah quarantine flings, I said yes to the dude but then it got too intense and toxic so I said never mind lol

44.If yes, then I liked it and accepted or the opposite: I already answer ffs

45.Do you follow some celebrities’ fashion: noup, I just wear whatever I like

46.What do you think about your fashion sense: it’s whatever, like I said I just wear whatever I like so ofc I think is good

47.You found someone copying your fashion: mmm I don’t own it so this is a pretty dumb question

48.You Can do your makeup properly: yes, I do my make up whenever I have an event

49.You go or used to go with makeup to school: I’ve been doing the same since high school, some concealer and mascara and sometimes a little blush and highlighter

50.What colour suits you best? My friends say that green so I trust them in it

51.Finally, how is quarantine going? I hate it, I hate classes online and right now that I’m on summer vacay I can’t do anything fun and the next semester is about to start and I haven’t decided if I want to enroll to it or take a break until we can get back to uni, I hate it here

Am I gonna tag the same people as always? Yes, I’m so sorry 😫

@ahnscvity @fangirlonmain @ana0072

And that’s about it, I hope you are having a wonderful day 🥰

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swanqueeneverafter · 5 years

Text

After The Sunset, Pt.33

Enchanted Forest. Medusa’s Lair. Continued. (Snow stands holding the remnants of her sword.) Snow White: “How are we gonna cut off her head now?” David: “Well, we're not, Snow. It's fine. We just need to find a way out of here. (He picks up a helmet and throws it in another direction. Medusa draws towards the sound:) Go, go.” (He and Snow White attempt to escape. Medusa uses a tentacle to grab Snow White's leg and trip her. As she is being dragged away, David grabs a shield and throws it at Medusa, who deflects it. Snow White is let go, but before David can flee as well, Medusa forces him to look into her eyes. He turns into a stone statue.) Snow White: “David!”

Storybrooke. (Hiding from the deranged citizens of Storybrooke, Robin and Alice eventually poke their heads out and look around.) Alice: "When you told me about Storybrooke, you said warm hugs and apple pies, not cross bolts to my head!" Robin: "Yeah, well, I guess the effects of the dark cloud are still wearing off." Alice: "Hm, I hope so." Robin: "We need to get off the streets and regroup." Alice: "What about down there?" (Alice points toward a side street and, seeing no reason not to, Robin agrees.) Robin: "Okay." Alice: "Okay." Robin: (Stepping out from their hiding spot:) "Go! Go, go." The Dragon's Lair. (Alice and Robin enter to find the place empty.) Robin: "Come on, there has to be a phone or something around here somewhere." (They walk further into the club, past the bar and back towards the offices. Coming to a door that reads: 'Boss', they knock.) Maleficent: (From inside:) "We're closed!" (Alice pushes open the door. Inside they find Maleficent sat at her desk reading a magazine.) Alice: "Please, you have to help us, there's a-" Maleficent: "Blah blah evil villain emergency blah." Robin: "Maleficent, you may not remember me, but I'm Regina's niece?" Maleficent: (Glancing at her:) "Why of course I remember. It's been ages. Not a letter, a telegram, a smoke signal. I've been worried sick about you. (As Robin smiles:) Not really. (She goes back to reading her magazine:) Spit it out cupcake, I'm in the middle of something." Alice: "Look, we don't have time for your attitude. All the realms of story are in danger and we can't find any heroes." Maleficent: "So naturally you came to me. If I had any feelings, I'd have the chills right about now." Robin: "We came through a looking glass with Rumplestiltskin, Emma, Regina and Hook and somehow we ended up separated." Maleficent: "Trust me, dear, being separated from the pirate isn't the worst thing in the world." Alice: "Are you going to help us or not?" Maleficent: (Puts down her magazine:) "Totally. Maybe later we can braid each other's hair and talk about boys. (Notices how close Alice and Robin are stood together:) Or girls. You know, Thursdays are ladies nights around here." Alice: "Ugh. This is a waste of time, let's go." Maleficent: "I'd love to help, but I'm wearing my favourite shoes." (Robin makes one last effort.) Robin: "Look, I get the whole 'I live in darkness' thing you've got going on, and I get it. But don't you care about anyone? Your daughter? Regina? Hook? This effects everyone. Don't you see, this could be your chance to be the hero." Maleficent: (Stares at her a moment:) "Did I miss something? Did I get drunk and join a book club and read some chick lit memoirs and now we're bound together by sisterhood or estrogen or some other feminist drivel?" Alice: "I'm surprised you can read. Come on Robin." (The girls leave.) Maleficent: (Glaring after them:) "She was extremely annoying." (After a moment however, Maleficent begins to think about what Robin said and, sighing, gets to her feet.) Enchanted Forest. Recent Past. Forbidden Fortress. (Hook writhes in agony as Maleficent magically removes the bullet from his shoulder. Waving her hand to close the wound, Maleficent stands and walks to her mirror, removing her jewellery.) Maleficent: "You stood me up in favour of getting yourself shot?"

(Hook, hissing in pain, gets to his feet and grabs the bag containing Maui's fishhook.) Hook: (Holding the fishhook up:) "I had to prove that I haven't lost my edge. Besides, this thing could come in handy one day." Maleficent: (Glancing at it:) "What the hell is that thing?" Hook: "This 'thing' is a magic weapon with the power to shatter any prison. So you see, it wasn't a completely wasted evening after all. Cmon, give us a smile." Maleficent: (Turns to him:) "Clearly you don't know me that well. My mad face and my happy face are the same." Hook: "Oh come on, Mal." Maleficent: "Don't you 'Come on, Mal' me. You would rather have your precious reputation than keep your word to me." Hook: "Mal, we can go out any night." Maleficent: (Scoffs:) "I wouldn't be so sure of that." Hook: "I don't know what you're so upset about. I've already given up everything that I used to be to make this thing between us work. I just had to send my crew off on the Jolly Roger to stretch their sea legs or face a mutiny. I can hardly recognise the man I see in the mirror anymore and what do I get in return for my sacrifices? A daughter I barely see and a sullen sorceress who sometimes, quite frankly, is more tolerable in her dragon form!" (At this, Maleficent uses her powers to send Hook crashing back against the wall.) Maleficent: (Stalking towards him:) "If you find my company so displeasing, perhaps you should be without it for awhile. (As Maleficent rages at him, Hook sees a message in a bottle appear magically beside him. Opening it, he hears Henry's message:) And, seeing as you don't like what you see in the mirror these days, another form might make you see things differently." Hook: "No, Mal, wait!" (Before he can stop her, Maleficent uses her powers to transform Hook into an ogre.) Maleficent: "There. Maybe a few days spent as a creature nobody can stand will change your perspective on things. Now get the hell out of my fortress!" (Chasing the ogre from the room with a fireball hurled in its general direction, Maleficent's eyes glow yellow in anger.)

The Enchanted Forest. Medusa’s Lair. Present. (Behind a wall, Snow White peeks out at the frozen statue of Prince Charming.) Snow White: “I won't leave you. And I won't let her scare me away, either.” (As Snow draws her bowstring, a familiar voice speaks.) Jabberwocky: “You're going to have to do better than that.” Snow White: “No.” Jabberwocky: “Enjoying yourselves?” Snow White: (She glances down and sees the Jabberwocky's reflection in the discarded shield:) “I don't remember inviting you.” Jabberwocky: “What's the matter, Snow? Cranky now that your prince is a statue? (She chuckles:) I can barely tell the difference.” Snow White: “You're really enjoying this.” Jabberwocky: “Immensely.” Snow White: “This is all your fault.” Jabberwocky: “No, dear, it's yours. Oh, and I have to thank you, because you saved me so much trouble. I didn't realize I could just sit back and let you destroy your own happiness.” (The Jabberwocky laughs, and then disappears from the shield.) Enchanted Forest. (Rumplestiltskin picks up the large hammer and enters his old family home. Inside, he sees the spinning wheel in motion. Placing the hammer on the floor, he walks over and stops the wheel.) Rumplestiltskin: "I really do hate this place." Jabberwocky: (Entering:) "Bane of your existence, I'd say. And yet, after everything you've been through to escape it, all you seem to want to do is drag yourself right back. Might as well hobble both your legs this time." Rumplestiltskin: “I didn't come here to revisit history. Or repeat it.” Jabberwocky: “Of course. I know that. I know you.” Rumplestiltskin: “Well enough to impersonate me to my grandson it seems.” Jabberwocky: (Transforms into the Dark One version of Rumplestiltskin:) “Indeed. You’re here to make a deal regarding your wife and child.” Rumplestiltskin: “Well, perhaps you don't know me as well as you think. That's not the loophole I'm here to discuss.” Jabberwocky: “Really?” Rumplestiltskin: “I've been trying to rid myself of my dark magic for quite some time now. And every time I try to do it the right way, someone like you turns up, and my magic is needed once more.” Jabberwocky: “That sounds like such a burden.” Rumplestiltskin: “But you, you want the darkness. Giving it to you, I'm not spreading it, I'm not burdening anyone. I think the real loophole I've been looking for all this time is you.” Jabberwocky: “So, you want to make a deal and give me your darkness now. What could possibly have changed?” Rumplestiltskin: “Well, I've finally realized the one enemy I can never defeat is myself. So, you take the darkness from me and everything that goes with it, and I get to go free and have the happy ending I deserve.” Jabberwocky: “Well, it's not exactly the way I expected this to play out, but I'll take it.”

Rumplestiltskin: “Excellent. (Reaches into his pocket, then showers the Jabberwocky with a black liquid, freezing her in place. Chuckles:) Squid ink. Now who's weak?” Jabberwocky: (Frozen:) “This can't hold me for long.” Rumplestiltskin: “It doesn't have to. You see, you made a miscalculation bringing me here. It did remind me of my weakness, but not because of that hammer. Because of you. You see, without love, you are just a pathetic beast who needs to be put out of her misery. (Drawing a dagger from his pocket:) And I'm the only one who can do it.” Jabberwocky: “Is that?” Rumplestiltskin: “The Dark One dagger? No, it’s a replica. But, thanks to my wife’s penchant for reading, I’ve done my research. The Vorpal Blade, the one that so brilliantly kept you imprisoned all those years, was forged through belief. Belief that good could triumph over evil.” Jabberwocky: (Scoffs:) “The Vorpal Blade was forged by The Lady of the Lake.” Rumplestiltskin: “Yes, and who do you think made this replica for me? She was only too glad to do it, after what you did to her sister.” Jabberwocky: “You won’t dare use that on me. Only an immortal can kill me. You use that dagger, and you will never see your precious Belle again.” Rumplestiltskin: “If that means ridding the realms of you, that's a risk I'm willing to take. (As he rears back with the dagger, the door opens:) Regina!” Regina: “What the hell are you doing?” Rumplestiltskin: “Get out of here.” Jabberwocky: (The squid ink wears off:) “Too late. Impeccable timing, Dearie. (Uses her magic to knock out Regina. Then chokes Rumplestiltskin before he can use the dagger:) You know, I thought with the Author doing my bidding I'd be invincible. But, the brief time I spent inside your head was most enlightening. Haven't you figured it out? Thought the hammer would have jogged your memory. The day you hobbled yourself, you met a seer, and she gave you a prophecy.” Rumplestiltskin: (Struggling for breath, remembers:) “The boy will be my undoing.” Jabberwocky: “Yes. And today's the day that prophecy finally comes to pass.”

Enchanted Forest. Medusa’s Lair. (Snow White stares at her reflection in the shield where the Jabberwocky just disappeared from.) Snow White: “She's right. I did this. I defeated myself. Wait. (She takes the shield and rips off the fabric on it. As Medusa spots her, Snow White raises the shield:) Come and get me!” (Medusa charges and meets her own reflection in the shield; turning herself into stone.) David: “Snow.” (Snow turns around to see David is no longer a statue, and they kiss.) Snow White: “Are you okay?” David: “Now I know what Frederick felt like.” Snow White: “I thought I lost you forever.” David: “How did you do it? How did you defeat her?” (They look at the statue of Medusa.) Snow White: “I didn't. I made her defeat herself. I'm sorry. I was so focused on finding a way to beat the Jabberwocky that I almost lost the thing that could never live without—you.” David: “You damn well almost did. Almost.” (They kiss again.) The Dark Castle. (Emma and Hook continue their search for Henry.) Hook: "Just how big is this place?" Emma: "Well you'd know better than I would." Hook: (Shakes his head:) "No, when you and I went back in time, that was the only occasion where I managed to make it inside the Dark One's lair." Henry: (Appearing behind them:) "Looking for me? (When Emma turns to face him:) Hello, mother." Emma: "Henry! Oh thank god, we've been searching for you everywhere. (Notices his attire:) Henry, you look just like-" Henry: "A man who's achieved greatness?" Emma: "Henry, listen to me, I don't know what you think is happening here but-" Henry: "What's happening here, is that I've finally found the path that's right for me." Emma: "No, this isn't like you. You know that this is wrong." Henry: "What I know is that I tried finding my happiness the right way, but I got desperate."

Jabberwocky: (Still appearing as the Dark One, enters the room:) “And now that you've gotten caught up, what do you say, Henry? I think it's time we started a new story. Mine.” (The Jabberwocky waves her hand and Regina and Rumplestiltskin appear inside the room.) Regina: “Oh, God. (Moving toward him:) Henry.” Henry: (Motions for her to stop:) “I prefer: ‘Your Majesty’.” Regina: "Oh, no, no. Henry, don’t listen to-" Jabberwocky: "Such poise, such anger. I'm riveted. Aren't you riveted?" Rumplestiltskin: (Notices the quill in the Jabberwocky’s hand:) “The Author's pen." Hook: (As Henry takes a seat at the desk:) “What’s he gonna write?” Rumplestiltskin: (To Henry:) “Look, whatever deal you made with this imposter, you do not have to honor it. Trust me, there's always a loophole. And I'll help you find it.” Henry: “Why would I break a deal that's gonna give me what I want?” Jabberwocky: “Smart boy. And now we must attend to my humble needs. (To Rumplestiltskin:) I have immortality and power and yet, as both of us know, you can never have enough power.” Emma: (To Henry, pleading:) “Don't do this. We can help you. This isn't the right path for you. Look deep inside yourself, you know I’m telling you the truth.” Jabberwocky: (Suddenly beside Henry:) “Take a letter, boy. It goes something like this: As per his truest desires, Rumplestiltskin’s magical powers are taken from him.” Henry: (Frowns:) “Are you sure?” Jabberwocky: (Looking at Rumplestiltskin:) “Positive. (Slightly confused, Henry nonetheless writes the words and Rumplestiltskin can feel his powers taken from him. Chuckles:) Oh, oh, oh! My eternity feels eternal again. And now, enjoy a taste of winter in your tiny prison.” (The Jabberwocky waves her hand and Rumplestiltskin and Hook disappear in a cloud of smoke.) Regina: “Where'd they go?” Jabberwocky: “I reunited Rumple and Hook with your family and friends. It’s bound to be quite the reunion.” Emma: “Then why are we still here?” Henry: (Stands:) “Because we're finally back to what I'm getting out of this. I’m so close to obtaining everything I could ever want, and yet you two are here to stand in my way. To complete my quest, and to truly achieve my happy ending, I must defeat the Evil Queen and the Savior.”

#sq #swanqueen #swan queen

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kiradillinger · 7 years

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Zircons on Earth headcanons

I have July 17 already, so it’s day 2 of the Courtship week!

- Day 2 (July 17th): Homeworld/Earth

Hope you’ll enjoy~

@zirconshipping

Zircons have to flee to Earth. Yellow Diamond wanted to shatter Blue Zircon, and Steven decided to save her. Yellow Zircon could stay, but realized that without her eternal rival and colleague, she had nothing to do in Homeworld, especially since she herself "knows too much." She says "It's all your fault" and follows her to Earth. Blue Zircon says nothing, but inside she is happy that she will not be alone.

The Earth seems terribly primitive to them. Just like Peridot, they perceive everything as a weapon, and this gives them reasons to tease each another. "It was obvious, Blue, that it's not a weapon... OH SHIT IS THIS A WEAPON?" "Look at you..."

Nevertheless, they quite calmly listen to the stories of Crystal Gems about how everything on Earth works. "Soon you will love the Earth," Peridot tells them, and they doubt it very much.

They always stay together. They do not want to admit, but they are frightened individually, because "Zircons are not created for battles." But to each other they say: "I'm the clever Zircon here, you need me."

Steven gives them the Criminal Code, and they laugh, reading it, and it looks adorable. "Look at this! They have such a law! Oh stars! "

In order for them to live somewhere, they are rented an apartment, one for two, and they are interested in what a bed is and what for it is. Steven tells them about sleep, and sometimes they sleep, because there is nothing more to do. The apartment has two beds and they do not sleep together. Yet.

One day, Yellow has a dream that Blue was shattered. She wakes up with tears in her eyes, frightening Blue next to her. "You okay?" Blue asks, and Yellow sighs, touching her cheek. "YOU okay." answers Yellow and wipes away her tears. Dreams seem to them funny, but sometimes terrible, and they try to sleep separately to be ready to calm each other.

They try to follow the laws of the city in which they live. "The zircons are created to honor the laws. And although we have already betrayed Homeworдd, we will try not to violate anything here. "

Yellow like human clothes and how people dress. She thinks it's interesting and she's looking for something new every time. In one day they learn how lawyers dress on the Earth, and change into suits. Even Blue says "It does not look bad".

They like to spend time by the sea, because there is quiet, calm, there is nobody and they do not have to think about anything. They can sit silently for a long time and watch the sunset or sunrise.

They love the Internet. It's good source of useful information, but there is also a lot of video with the human fails.

The Earth changes everyone. It changes feelings. And the feelings of Zircons to each other will also change over time :33

#courtship week #courtship #zirconshipping #su zircon #my headcanons

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sy-maya · 6 years

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Passage to New Zealand and next steps

Stats until now: sailing for 3.5 years, 18′130 nautical miles (33′580 km)

Family and friends ask us about our next steps. What next? Where do we go? What will we do? How long still? The short and the long answer is: We don’t know yet. But we’ll let you know as soon as we figure it out. In the next days, we have to do some repairs on Maya, haul her out, organize all that. Herbert has to catch up with work (Shortcut). Then, we’d like to do some sight seeing with the kiddos (Christmas?), etc. After that, we will see… Stay tuned! ;-)

In the meantime, here is our passage to NZ day by day. Thanks to our dear friend Grégoire Meylan for posting these in out FB page and thank you all for your motivating comments!

Some impressions can be found here: FB Album NZ Passage

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Day 1: Between Storm and Hurricane November 16-17, 2017

We left Tongatapu yesterday at noon and had a smooth start. Our friends Peter and Renate from the German boat SY Mardos left 2 hours ahead. Cool to have a sailing buddy. Even if we don’t see them, it’s good to know that there is somebody close by. We were analyzing the weather together for weeks, making Excel sheets and weighting different options (the good old German/Swiss way). A bit of background information. This passage is probably the most tricky/dangerous one we ever made. Until now we were stable trade-wind sailors, but down here, the weather changes from one hour to the other. Predictions are very unreliable e.g. now we should have 10 knots wind. In fact we have 20 knots. This is a 100% error :-/. At least the direction is correct. Also, there are weekly spring storms raging on the north coast of New Zealand (up to 30S). There is one right now with wind speeds of a predicted 50 knots. This means gusts up to 60-70 knots in reality. Not good. In comparison, you can imagine holding your head out of the car window at 140km/h. Now imagine it is your entire home that is looking out of that car window and on top of the street rushes 8-9m waves. We don’t want that and that’s the reason why we did not leave last time we planned to. We might have just passed before that storm, but any problem with the engine at the wrong moment could happen and boooom. We are so happy though, that our friends from SY Carapitanga and SY MeliMela just made it on time this morning! The weather window we are taking right now looks much better, at least for now. Weather might still change and will change. Second reason why this is a tricky passage are the hurricanes in the South Pacific. The season started November 1st. Even if there are no reported hurricanes before December 1st in Tonga, we do not want to risk to stay too long. Hurricanes are also very unpredictable constructs. There are outliers in every season. We checked before leaving and there is no hurricane in sight down here. We are right between storm and hurricane. Good that we get weather on board and have daily radio rounds with our friends here. Thanks HAM radio.

Due to the tricky weather here, some of our friend sailors (actually most of them) rely on the help of some weather guru. We don’t. He sent about 16 boats to New Zealand at the wrong time. They were all stuck at Minerva, a reef in the middle of the ocean, for almost 2 weeks in order to take a very risky weather window (the one we decided to avoid). We hope they all arrived safe and sound in New Zealand. But of course, at the end, everyone is free to do what they want, but we prefer to listen to our guts and blame only ourselves if something goes wrong.

Initially, we wanted to see Minerva, a reef about 2 days SW from Tonga in the middle of the ocean. However, the current wind direction below 30S does not allow for a visit (reminds us when we wanted to see Coco Island from Costa Rica to Galapagos and the wind was blowing from the wrong direction. History is repeating). We never made it there. Most ‘experts’ say to go west and then south to catch the west winds after 30S. Currently, the wind blows from E down there and this already since weeks. A change in the wind pattern cannot be seen. Therefore, we go South, until the SE wind comes in. Completely against all sailing literature. (BTW, there are tens of boats waiting in Fiji and New Caledonia already for weeks to cross, but they have the wind right against, and Hurricanes in the back).

Hope our guts will be right and we will make it safe and sound. So far so good.

Fun fact: By going south, we crossed the political time zone again to yesterday and will cross it once more in a couple of days to tomorrow. Don’t ask what day it is here :-)

We had Chili con Carne for lunch&dinner.

position at 9pm UTC+/-??? https://waypoint.li/map?q=-24.872,-175.0814

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Day 2: Active volcanos and pitted dates. November 17-18, 2017

We’re still heading straight south to catch the wind. The night was calm and nice. This morning, we started the engine to keep up the speed. At least, we listen to one of the sailor golden rules for the NZ crossing: DO NOT SPARE THE FUEL, KEEP UP THE SPEED WITH OR WITHOUT WIND! ;-) But still, we fly reef III on the main sail, safety first! We’ve sailed 360 NM, and there are 7xx NM more to go. Our average speed is 6.3kn. It was a lovely day, with smooth (motor)sailing. Even the sun decided to show up at the late afternoon, just in time to give us a wonderful sunset. So far so good.

The boys are fine, very energetic and challenging :-) They are quite excited by the surrounding sea trenches (more than 10km deep) and volcanic activities. We showed them on the map how we are crossing a geologically interesting (and scaring) active underwater area. So, instead of watching for dolphins or whales, they are fantasizing about eventual volcanos “Did you see that? I spotted some smoke, it is definitely a volcano!”.

We had yummy butternut Tortelloni for lunch and a chocolate-banana-dates-sesame cake for dessert. We’re trying to use all the “forbidden” items before coming to NZ. No fresh food, no dairy, no seeds, no lentils, etc. They have a very strict list in order to preserve their beautiful islands. The main question among sailors before leaving Tonga was “Do you need by any chance some lentils?”. It became a running gag ;-) For the story, our friends Meri&Manu from SY Carapitanga/Paprika, gave us a big bag of dates before heading to NZ. Asma was very happy and proud to find out that they were actually from Tunisia! Yeaaaah! The bag is almost empty now ;-) Position at 9pm UTC+/-??? https://waypoint.li/map?q=-26.732,-175.21

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Day 3: South, More South, Most South November 18-19, 2017

Again nice sailing, smooth conditions. The weather forecast seems to be reliable and stable. We are very grateful, so far so good. After sailing straight south since we left Tonga, today we switched to bearing Whangarei, NZ. 480NM behind us, and still 655 NM to go. We crossed this afternoon the 28S longitude, we have never been so far South. The most South we got was Pitcairn Islands (25S) in September 2016, when we first crossed the Pacific from Galapagos. We are all excited about it :-) Small things in sailing life. The air temperature is still nice here, and we are enjoying every bit of it, because our friends on the radio are complaining about the ice cold NZ! Brrrrr. We had a butternut soup for lunch. Soup leftovers and pop corn for dinner ;-). Yummy.

Position at 9pm UTC-11 (we figured it out, officially, it’s Sat 18th here until we cross the date line again.) https://waypoint.li/map?q=-28.603,-176.418

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Day 4: Half distance November 19-20, 2017

While writing these lines, we are only a few miles away from half the distance to Whangarei - New Zealand. Today, nothing spectacular but the sunrise, the sunset, the starry sky, and a splendid day of sailing. We read a lot to the kids. Adam is in Harry Potter fever and Herbert got addicted too (again). So he finished the remaining three chapters of the second book. Adam was so impressed that Asma had to tell him a lot of bedtime stories to get his mind off the scary passages. Samy didn’t understand all the details - better for his sleep quality. ;-)

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-30.00,-177.04

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Day 5: Wind of Change ;-) November 20-21, 2017

After a quiet night, the wind is turning to the right side (From S to SE). Exactly as forecasted. The bearing is 230, straight to Whangarei NZ. Still 440NM to go. We’re passing the Kermadec Ridge right at this moment. Quite rough seas with gusts up to 30 knots (“Dream conditions” for Herbert, “Not So” for Asma but OK, the boys are sleeping). Quite impressive to be in these surroundings. Volcanos -new and old-, marine reserves, birds everywhere. We even spotted our first Albatross, which was following us for more than an hour. Amazing beast! Herbert somehow managed to injure his left hand. It got infected and quite swollen, which led to fever and weakness. Trying to fix him with antibiotic ointment. Last green lentils, carrots and potatoes stew for lunch&dinner.

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-31.072,-178.917

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Day 6: 180 West or 180 East? November 21-22, 2017

The day started with a celebration: we crossed the 180W/E longitude line (and therefore the date line once again)! We have officially circumnavigated half the globe. Our last watermelon has been opened for the occasion ;-). The sailing has been quite bumpy, according to Asma, who is more than looking forward to its direction changing easterly so that we have the wind more from the stern! Herbert and the boys, of course, find it very cool. Maya is rocking, and after all it’s much more fun to play with toy cars when the floor of the living room is inclined by 30 degrees. There are not many houses like this out there. Adam had the ingenious idea to build a sleigh with our IKEA plates. It worked fine and it didn’t take long until the first plate broke… Because of these conditions, only leftovers for lunch (lentils yet again) and some crackers and pop corn for dinner. No way to cook! Even washing the dishes or moving from A to B reveals to be very sporty and to be carefully planned for. The good thing is that we could spot our buddy SV MARDOS since yesterday night and still now, we are about 3NM apart and could talk on the VHF radio! Funny! Herbert’s injury is not getting better, therefore we switched to antibiotics. The wound looks like a volcano by now! He feels a little better, though. Some readers might wonder what we are doing during our night watches when outside it’s freezing and the waves transform Maya into a roller coaster. Asma is watching Big Bang Theory and Herbert - officially on holiday - is (as a hobby) helping a Swiss startup implementing some features for their iPhone app. What a nerdy family ;o) Still 294NM to go. Good night! Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-32.60,178.73

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Day 7: Last night? November 22-23, 2017

After a rocky night, we had a very nice and smooth sailing day. Sun, no waves, perfect wind (Herbert: boring ;-) ). Well, the temperature is getting lower and lower (air at 20 and water at 18 degrees), and we adapt our layers of clothing, so it goes from 0 (only underwear) to 1 (t-shirt for Herbert) or 2 layers (fleece jacket and thick socks for Asma). The boys start with more layers after waking up, but end up with underwear after a few hours. Maya is well isolated, so we only notice the cold when we go outside, which happens less and less by the way… Bye bye tropics :-(

Still, we are all excited for the next chapter of our family journey. We have been sailing one week from Tonga, and it is - most probably - our last night at sea for a long time. Asma was very busy emptying the provisions, so there was much more cooking than yesterday: a bread with (last) whole grain flour and (last) seeds for breakfast, Gnocchis with (last) fresh tomatoes for lunch, a cake with (last) eggs, and (last) hazelnuts and (last) dates for the snack; and finally (last) sausages for dinner. For the New Zealand immigration, we have to get rid of all food items before arriving, and give a list of all “risk goods”. Herbert has been filling these forms. He could even call the officials on the maritime radio via SSB, to inform them of our soon arrival. His hand is getting better, but still a bit weak. The antibiotics are doing their job.

1042 NM behind us and less than 140NM to go until the customs berth in Marsden Cove marina, Whangarei NZ.

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-34.268,176.459

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Day 8: Arrival November 23-24, 2017

At midnight, Herbert woke Asma up for her shift with a “We have a problem, the wind is gone, and the temporary autopilot doesn’t want to work, argh!”. Asma put on 5 layers of clothes and went outside to steer by hand. Herbert tried and tried to fix the problem without success, so he eventually went to sleep until his next shift. Asma was actually very happy to be steering outside despite the cold. It was our last night sailing (well at least for a while ;-)), so we fully enjoyed the starry sky and the peacefulness of the night. It gave us the opportunity to think about all this amazing journey.

At 6:30am, the kids woke up, put warm clothes on and went outside with Asma. Adam could steer, while she prepared their breakfast. He was so proud to help :-) At 10am, Herbert woke up and started to fix the autopilot again. Debugging. At 11am, it was working! Yesss, now, no time to sleep or rest, we have to clean the boat for clearance because we want to arrive today!! And we will. We could have slowed the pace and spent another night on sea but no, we want to arrive on Friday, as planned ;-)

Maya was grateful to be cared of and to be clean and neat. Even the boys were like “Ah wow, Maya looks nice like this!”. And both of us thought ”THAT’S THE WAY SHE WOULD BE IF YOU KIDS WOULDN’T MAKE A MESS ALL THE TIME”, but we didn’t say it. We’ve just asked them to keep her like this at least until the customs come in next day, otherwise they wouldn’t let us stay in New Zealand. Hihihi develish parents, but it worked :-) For lunch, we had some precooked French delicatessen: Boeuf Bourguignon and Ratatouille :-)

At 5pm, the boys were screaming “Land in Sight! We see New Zealand!”. So cool. We will make it. They went to bed to sleep a little bit in order to be fit when we arrive late. That’s what Samy did, except that he never woke up until next morning ;-) Adam was so excited, he couldn’t stay still for 1s, so we let him stay awake with us, and enjoy the breathtaking scenery outside. For dinner, Herbert, who was still in the mood of French cuisine, and who didn’t want to throw away all onions and garlic, cooked a wonderful onion soup. Yummy!

By 8:30pm, Adam was getting tired and overexcited. He could only calm down and sleep when Herbert laid with him in bed and promised to wake him up when we arrive. Which we actually did, but he was so tired, he just fell back asleep ;-) Herbert took radio contact with the NZ harbor to announce our arrival. It was getting dark, we were tired but also excited, that instead of taking shifts to rest, we just sat together outside to steer and enjoy our last miles under a new moon, clear sky, shooting stars, flat sea, and welcoming land lights. It was very emotional. We are really here. We did it. Amazing.

The harbor entry was quite tricky at night, we were so happy to have the navigation charts. It all went well with a huge amount of Adrenalin. At 11:15pm, we were safely docked at the customs’ berth at Marsden Cove Marina. Exhausted but overwhelmed by gratefulness.

Good night from New Zealand!

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-35.8367,174.4686

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Day 9: Ship capsized and sank November 24-25, 2017

At 6:30am, the boys woke up and cheered “WE ARE IN NEW ZEALAND!!!”. No way to sleep any longer :-). We woke up, took our breakfast, and cleared up. At 8:20am, the immigration officer arrived, followed later by the quarantine one. This latter was Mike Barker, the guy we met in Vava’u during the “Blue Water Festival” (Corresponding blogpost still to come), and who we asked all about food clearance in NZ. Nice to see a familiar face at arrival. It went all well, and at 9:20am, we were officially cleared in! We learned from the custom officials that two ships didn’t make the trip. One ship has to be abandoned, the other sank. The crew, however, could be saved in both cases. We were shocked. This happened exactly in the weather window we wanted to take first, but finally didn’t take (see one of the FB posts). Lesson learned: wait, wait, wait, until weather is stable.

It’s amazing how the clearance procedure in New Zealand is dramatized. Adjectives such as difficult, expensive, impossible, tedious, long, etc. are often used to describe it. People start preparing already months before arrival. The truth is: It is very easy to clear in to New Zealand. The assistance of the officials is unbelievable and it takes no longer than 15 minutes to get cleared. This is about 4 times faster than Tonga for example. Not to mention the countries in Latin America. There is not much paper work to be done and it doesn’t cost a cent. Well, that is OUR experience, may be, we were indeed very well prepared ;-)

After clearance, we moved straight to our berth B52 (what a great berth name ;-) ). At 10am, we left the boat and went exploring the marina.

The Marsden Cove Marina is outside of Whangarei, the main city here. There is not much. Therefore, it took us quite some time to get decent Internet to write these posts.

By the way, Herbert’s hand is getting better. He hasn’t been to a doctor yet (everything is closed), but first thing on Monday.

The little we saw so far - the meadows, the woods, the cows, etc. - reminds us of Switzerland. Well, there are some palm trees, but otherwise, really similar. On top of that, everything is so clean. What also hit us was that everybody is so white. Really white skin. Or pale? ;-) The ‘small’ supermarket has everything one can imagine (well, at least for us) we bought fresh vegetables (Broccoli, which we missed most during our trip), fruits (KIWIS ;-), strawberries and blueberries), some meat, CHEESE :-))) to prepare a nice dinner. On Maya, the meat already marinated, and the veggies chopped, we fired up the stove. At least, we wanted to fire it up. However, it didn’t work. Gas was empty. Wow, how lucky are we. If this would have happened some days or hours earlier… Anyway, what now? It’s late Saturday afternoon. When do the stores close here? Let’s ask our neighbors form SY Tregoning if they can help somehow. Luckily, they had a spare gas bottle. We hooked it up and were able to start cooking. While Herbert prepared dinner, Asma went to check whether the shop was still open and had some gas. Yeah, it did. We were saved.

After dinner, we watched a movie with the kids and went all early to bed. Good night!

Position: https://waypoint.li/map?q=-35.8373,174.4685

#sailingonmaya #sailingwithkids

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theglobediary · 7 years

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If you had been following us on Instagram, you would have seen that several things went wrong on our visit to Greece. In fact, some things went wrong before we had even arrived in Greece! Usually, we aren’t so unlucky when travelling. But beyond all the unfortunate events, there were some incredible, out-of-this-world moments that I am so glad Craig and I got to experience along with friends! Here’s a recap of our best as well as our least favourite moments of the trip:

Best Moments:

#6: A Rooftop Dinner at the New Hotel in Athens

We only had a few hours in Athens (before leaving for Santorini the next morning) so we had planned and reserved a table for dinner at an amazing restaurant with all our friends. Our flight delays (cue #1 worst moment) and luggage troubles meant that we had to miss that and instead grab a very late dinner at our hotel. Lucky for us, our hotel happened to have a pretty great view. We stayed at the New Hotel, and ate at the rooftop bar which boasts panoramic views of the city and of the Acropolis too. That plus incredibly accommodating staff, who found me the biggest bowl of gluten-free pasta, plus a strong cocktail, made our first official few hours on holiday, SO much better.

A post shared by YesHotelsGroup (@yeshotelsgroup) on May 24, 2017 at 2:31am PDT

#5: Sunsets in Santorini

It’s pretty much on every to-do list you’ll find on Santorini, the sunsets are a must-see! I can’t imagine anyone not loving these views. They are the most incredible I have ever seen! You’ll know, if you’ve read our Santorini Travel Diary (or my annoying Instagram posts) that everyday, like clockwork, I was out there snapping away at the sun setting. While I didn’t get to see it from Oia, our villa happened to be a perfect spot along the caldera to view it — minus all the crowds. So remember for your next visit, Imerogivili is a pretty good sunset viewing spot too.

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#4: A Day Exploring the Islands in Lefkada

I stupidly did not bring my camera for this. Silly Leigh. I wasn’t sure what we were in for and I pictured both my camera and cellphone hitting the bottom of the ocean with no possibility of replacement in the near future — because you know, travel = life = no money for anything else. Steve, our host from our villa, offered to take us out on a boat for the day to visit Meganisi and Skorpios islands — and I am so glad we took him up on his offer! Besides getting to see the nearby islands, we got to snorkel into a bat cave, grab a local lunch plus get up close with an octapus.

#3: Snagging the Perfect Villa in Lefkada

This villa is pretty much the reason four couples found themselves in Greece together in the first place. It inspired the whole holiday and thank goodness for that. It had a huge kitchen with an outside barbeque area so we could cook our meals and those dinners in were some of my favourite times on the vacation. I know it must seem like Craig and I travel to eat — and we do — but it’s also nice to have home-cooked meals especially when you’re away from home for so long (And I was getting a bit tired of Greek salads).

#2: Seeing the most beautiful beach, Port Katsiki:

I don’t think I’ve ever seen water quite like this. Beautifully turquoise and easily the most photogenic beach I’ve ever seen, it also gets extremely busy. Nonetheless, we managed to grab a couple of empty chairs and get in some good tanning time before returning back to our villa. But note to self, in future I will get waterproof flip flops (shoes) to go into the sea with — those pebbles are killer under your feet!

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#1: Lunch at Amoudi Bay After Exploring Oia

Oia can get a bit much when the tourists flock in and the sun beats down on the marble pathways only to beat up at you again. After exploring for only an hour or two, we were all ready to either retire to the villa or hit a seafood lunch down at Amoudi Bay, which is even frequented and recommended by locals! As you will have read in the travel diary, the 230 steps down to the Bay is no joke. BUT it is SO worth it. We had the freshest seafood, with some of my favourite Greek starter dishes, it was definitely one of my favourite meals in Greece.

Check out our Photo Diary on Exploring Oia.

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Worst (or Least Favourite) Moments:

#2: Driving with the Greeks

You know, you have to be pretty brave to drive in South Africa, so I have a pretty high tolerance for crazy drivers and chaotic roads. That said, the Greeks take it to a whole new level. From our first taxi ride from the airport to our hotel in Athens, to us hiring our own van to drive to Lefkada in, I pretty much thought we were going to die every second that we were on the roads. Particularly nerve-racking is the drive from Nidri over the mountain to Port Katsiki, along the most narrow, windy roads I’ve ever seen. Although it is pretty much necessary to drive on that island, driving can be super stressful on holidays. Hence why Craig and I get walking-injuries — rather that than getting in a major car accident!

#1: Flight Delays and Luggage

Look, flight delays happen. They are unavoidable. That said, we experience a higher likelihood of delays every time we fly with this particular airline (which shall be left unnamed for the meantime), in addition to bad service, lack of communication and no effort to make up for their lack of service. So while we accept the waiting in airports and eating up chunks of our holiday is sadly a risk one has to undertake when flying with them, we would at least expect better service. I, for one, understand how easy it is to drop the ball, especially in a big company, but I do believe that it is the company’s responsibility to make it up to their customers afterwards. And it’s that kind of service afterwards that makes customer’s coming back. But I am going to reserve judgment till I receive a reply.

I’d love to hear what you guys think about particular airlines and bad service. Is it something that you take into consideration when booking flights or does the price win over everything?

Update:

I am currently in Durban, South Africa, visiting my mom who is still recovering from a mild stroke. The weather has been miserable and I haven’t been able to do much blogging or exploring while I’ve been here so far. BUT I’m hoping to get out this week to show off my hometown to you guys a bit more. Keep a look out on our Instagram Stories!

~ Leigh