#I am perpetually in a state of forgetting my asks and im going to forget to answer this if i glance away from it for another 5 seconds

[pillowspace]

When a glitch happens in the universe:

Alternate character looping AU where it's Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie, and Bonnie!

[tossball-stick]

personal kieran headcanons 😋

tagging: @aintan0driscollnomore

hiii im here to ramble about my kieran hcs. these r all my personal ones. i hope u enjoy :3

i am not gonna he/him this guy for the whole post so first things first to get it out of the way: i think shes trans!! yeah i think shes a trans woman who just hasnt realized yet. a long life of hardship has left her in a perpetual state of "im probably actually a woman but im going through life ruining trauma so i cant deal with that rn"

therefore....... i think her spending more time with the women is to be one of the girls. its the closest shes gotten, im sure, im sure its probably the first time shes even properly been around women, socially, in years, even.

i like to think her and bill eventually start warming up to each other. a shared history in the army makes her sympathetic towards him, to a degree. i can imagine her listening to him pour his heart and soul out about dutch and feel a little bad for him. especially the closer she gets to the ladies, the more of a safe space she has away from bill, should she desire. it works out.

before the vdl gang very rudely starved her, she was actually a little thick around the middle. in aus where shes allowed to eat reguluarly for a good while, i think she needs to fill back out

i think shes flat out lying about how significant her role with the o'driscolls was. i think she was actually pretty notable in the gang, maybe even being close to colm. other posts have explained this much better than i could dream to.

i also think she doesnt exactly hate outlaw life!! people often forget thst her time in the army "didnt end well," and that after the army she joined another gang that later abandoned her. she seems to lean towards gang life, as well as horse management. interesting!

while she actively pursues mary-beth for the most part, i think she has crushes on most of the other ladies. i think she'd even admit grimshaw is mighty pretty for her age, and that she'd be fooled to find out grimshaw was as old as she was.

very inexperienced with dating. just has never really been around women much, as i ssid before.

i think she has a bitter crush on arthur. gets all huffy about finding him handsome. maybe has asked him for a dance while drunk once. i like to think he obliged her but realistically i doubt it

i think "fishing" is moreso just an excuse to look out at nature and enjoy it, as well as an excuse to ride around on branwen, though dont get me wrong, i still think its one of the few connections she has left with her father.

i think in an ideal world sean would be her outlet to have the childhood she never quite got. based on their campfire interactions, despite the violence, they seem to think not poorly of each other. irish immigrants 🤝

i think shes a bit more cruel and tricksy than people give her credit for, but i dont think shes a horrible person or anything. shes done bad bad things. she doesnt feel good about much of it i imagine. i think her phrasing of "the o'driscolls gave me a choice: ride with them or die" as more along the lines of how the vdl gang members view dutch as having saved their life yknow. kiersn only went to the o'driscolls for food and safety to survive, otherwise she might not have had any.

i think she would tbh respect pearson!! she isnt sick of his navy stories like the rest of the vdl gang is, and the navy is highly respected amongst the rest of the military. i think she would humor him a little. plus, he feeds her. a+ in kierans book.

[truly-abysmal]

Hope and Blushing

Peter Parker × OC

Warnings: Very light cursing, character with anxiety

Word count: 1620

》《》《》《》《》《

Mariah Parris was no stranger to neither hope nor hopelessness— she constantly felt as if she lived in a state of perpetual nothing. She felt so utterly alone in her life, despite being surrounded by her family, all living together in a cramped two bedroom Queens apartment. She never felt a real, true connection with anyone. There was no friend to talk with late into the night, no confidant to share her deepest secrets, no partner to hold her as she wept. She felt like no one was there for her, like no one truly cared. Sometimes it even seemed as if the only times her friends ever wanted to talk to her was when they needed help or advice. For so long Mariah just gave and gave and gave, and now, she didn’t have any left for herself.

    So maybe this wasn’t the best time to move to a new school, where she would be, once again, isolated from her peers— alone to fight the demons that lived in her head. This was the mood that she felt, the weight she carried on her shoulders, as she walked into Mr. Harrington’s first period physics class.

    The class was organized alphabetically, as they so often are, and Mariah was sat next to a boy named Peter Parker. Throughout the first few weeks of school, she was able to determine a few key aspects of Peter and who he was; one, his best friend was Ned Leeds; two, Peter never seemed to know when to stop talking; three, he was insanely smart; four, he blushed far too easily; and five, he looked so damn cute when he blushed. He also may have been the first lab partner Mariah ever had that actually participated in the projects with her.

    “So…” Peter started one day, when they were about to begin a new lab project, all about oscillations. “Ned and I are thinking about having a movie night at my place this Friday. I know you and Ned haven’t met yet, but I think the two of you would actually really get along, and…”

    There was that trademark blush.

    Grinning, Mariah continued to work on the project, listening to Peter as he rambled on about the proposed movie night, pausing every once in a while to take in a breath or to write down data. After calculating the natural frequency of their mass on a spring, Mariah finally looked up at the boy who still hadn’t stopped talking. “I would love to go, Peter,” she interrupted, causing his skin to flush even deeper.

    “That’s great!” Peter had a grin spreading wide across his face. “Awsome, cool! I’ll let Ned know and I’ll text you the address. I think you’re really going to like this movie, I’ve seen it a couple times before and it’s…”

    Mariah just hoped he didn’t talk this much during the movie.

》《》《》《》《》《

    The three hours between returning home from school and heading to Peter’s house that Friday night was excruciating. There were so many thoughts running through Mariah’s mind, so many ideas of everything that could go wrong, of how she could embarrass herself in front of the boys, how she could end the night hating herself even more. She couldn’t stop changing her outfit countless times and applying and reapplying makeup. Logically, Mariah knew it wasn’t a big deal to look nice for pizza and a movie with two high school boys, but she couldn’t stop herself from psyching herself up before leaving.

    What if they hate me?

    What if I annoy them?

    What if they don’t really want to hang out with me and they just pity me?

    Fifteen minutes before she had to leave, Mariah typed out a long winded essay of a text trying to explain to Peter that she couldn’t make it. She forced some dumb lie about feeling sick and needing to rest for the night, but sincerely wished him and Ned to enjoy the movie without her. It took her another five minutes to actually work up the courage to press send.

    Why am I this way?

    Why am I doing this?

    Why can’t I allow myself to enjoy the night?

    Her heart raced when she saw Peter had replied.

'Oh im so sorry!! I hope you feel better soon. See u monday then:)'

    God, I made him feel guilty. Now he hates me. Now he’ll never want to talk to me ever again. What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?

    Four more texts.

'Maybe a movie night next week then?? Ned and i still want to hang w you'

'If thats not too forward lmao'

'I mean im not trying to be forward im just trying to be friendly'

'Yeah ill stop texting you now see you monday then good night!!'

    It was incredibly difficult for Mariah to sleep that night. The questions kept running through her head, over and over again. She was desperate for answers, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to find them. She almost felt suffocated by everything going on inside her own mind, as if she were stuck in a broken elevator, free falling to certain death.

    Eventually, time did what it always does, and passed. Monday came and went, and both Mariah and Peter acted as usual. They got their work done in between short conversations about what’s going on in the world and their interests. Mariah seemed to have personally insulted Peter when she said she didn’t really mind Jarjar Binks all that much, but the conversation ended in blushing and laughter like it had all school year. Tuesday also came, as Tuesday seems to do every seven days. Then Wednesday and Thursday, all much the same as Monday. Even Friday decided to show up again, along with Mariah’s invite to Peter’s house.

    Could she go? Yes. Did she want to go? Also yes. Was she going to go? Mariah still wasn’t sure.

    She didn’t want to cancel, just like she didn’t want to cancel the week before, but there was such a strong urge to tell Peter that she just had far too much homework to do and that she couldn’t make it.

    I can’t cancel two weeks in a row. It’ll look like I’m avoiding him and he’ll feel bad. I can’t make him feel bad, he doesn’t deserve to feel bad. I deserve to feel bad.

    Despite her apprehension, Mariah finally decided to go. The pizza was awful and greasy, which was fantastic, the movie was campy and boring, which meant the three teens could talk all they wanted, and Mariah actually felt like she was a part of a group. However, she wasn't the slightest surprised at the positive turn of events. It was a cycle of torture within her own mind, of creating the worst possible scenerio, and the opposite happening. She would make herself feel awful for a really long time, have fun for a few hours, and feel socially drained afterward. It never ended. It never improved. It only got worse and worse and worse.

    But for now, she could forget that cycle. She was in the good part, the short few hours of escapism with what felt like two new friends; two boys who actually listened when she talked, who made an effort to include her in the conversation, who asked her opinion on the topic at hand. It felt like years since the last time she felt that sort of connection with anyone, but she couldn’t find it within herself to hope for it to last, because all good things must come to an end.

    Eventually, that good thing did end. Ned had to leave, and Mariah’s curfew was coming quick. However, neither she nor Peter could come up with the right words to say goodbye— so they didn’t. The two sat together on Peter’s ragged old couch and talked about everything and nothing. They filled the air with the music of conversation and the art of laughter. They were bonded as one as they spoke, held together by the web of their words. Though the night was ending quickly, their conversation lasted eons. And when Mariah did have to leave, it was with a promise that they would continue where they left off next week. A promise Mariah had never heard before, but a promise that was held nonetheless.

    Religiously, for the next few months, Friday night became “Shitty Movie Night” for the three teens, and every night ended much the same as the first Friday. Mariah felt like she was at home when she talked to Peter, one on one, like she finally had the person. That person that you read about in books and see in movies, and she almost felt like she was that person to Peter too. She especially felt that way when the two shared their first kiss, when she heard Peter tell her that he loved her for the first time, when they held each other and just talked and laughed and blushed.

    Mariah wasn’t a changed person, by any means. Though she no longer felt fear at the prospect of being with Peter, the questions always running through her mind remained. She still felt scared most of the time, she still felt so much hatred for herself, but for the first time in a long time she could say that she was working on loving herself and the people around her. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if she had a support system.

    Peter may not have changed her, no one could change Mariah except for herself, but he did give her one thing.

    He gave her hope.

》《》《》《》《》《

hydrate or diedrate babes xoxo take care♡

[bxstiae]

⚜ ; [ TWILI LANGUAGE / HC.4  ]     WORLDBUILDING │ LANGUAGE LANG. POSTS: HYLIAN /

alright, so... in my last post about the hylian language. i talk about like.... its roots and what it would really sound like phonetic wise and whatnot. && if you haven’t read it, then go ahead and click the ‘hylian’ link above. I do go into some detail about it. but to sum it up: it’s latin based. granted thats a lot to really cover and very generalised but i mean i can’t go into detail about the different dialects of all hylian. just know that there are different dialects of hylian: zelda speaks differently than link as link was raised in a village in ordon and zelda is a princess and comes from a different region. ganon also speaks a bit differently since he is gerudo and yet from ANOTHER region.... like all three of them speak hylian: but they have different words & phrases. but... i mean in general hylian is latin based with a bit of japanese and/or arabic in there too ( it just depends on region )

but i want to talk about midna speech && the twili language! cause it is different! all going under a read more cause i don’t know how long this will be.

as always, you guys are free to look at this, but please try not to take what i’ve researched without asking. with the twili language, i have a lot of sources that i’m looking at. a majority (if not all) of this stuff i have written is stuff that i have made ( or at least taken into consideration for ). The videos/people i source just happen to she the same exact thoughts and can put it into better words than i can.

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE OR USE WITHOUT PERMISSION. DO NOT REBLOG OR REUSE THIS FOR YOUR OWN HC. 

regardless of game. 

I work hard on my HCs, i do not want this to be snatched up. if you want to discuss, then lets discuss. I have similar HC for many of the LOZ games mainly in Skyward Sword & Breath of the Wild. I am more than willing to share if you come and discuss with me. otherwise, DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING from this post without permission.

The other day i found this page. while i always kinda knew that midna talking was always garbled & scrambled, i never really had the patience to really.... sit down and look for actual videos where they unscrambled midna’s lines. that and i honestly forgot too cause it’s been a hot minute since i played tp.... so im glad this was actually on my recommended the other day -- it’s like chrome knows that i am looking for things like this.....

anyway.... so i bring it up to attention cause i had been honestly looking for resources & stuff for the twili language. I mentioned that it was a little primitive in nature because it is! i just didn’t know how to correctly consider it without straying TOO far from canon. i like to make meta out of stuff that’s formed from the game. but like to go into more detail about it. 

anyway. like i said. twili is technically still considered hylian! its.... like how midna’s voice suggests.... very scrambled/jumbled. it’s not backwards per say... its... just jumbled! it’s a bit like... typoglycemia but the phonetic version of it. ( if there is a phonetic version of it ). mind you, this is NOT the same as the twili language written out. twili has its OWN scriptures!!! that’s different than hylian!!! just that their SPEECH is garbled/jumbled. 

Think of it like.... in Spy Kids. when they make the clones?? yea and they can’t talk so it sounds garbled?? LIKE THIS. yea exactly like that. okay but here: have that video that shows midna talking though:

she.... just.... i love her... anyway.. so yea. anyway...

the twili language is really weird cause their speech patterns are very.... different. it’s not as... sophisticated as the standard hylian but that’s because it’s more ancient & didn’t have much to evolve over the years. it’s pretty standard comparing it to the more.... older languages. but yea. 

also another side thing to conisder, because i said this in my last post:

Let’s also not forget that i also mentioned that twili is a FORM of hylian ( so possibly you can see latin & arabic roots there ). But we aren’t talking about twili language this is strictly hylian. so back to hylian.

Now without really talking all that much about the gerudo ( cause honestly..... thats also a language/dialect in itself ), let me present you guys with this theory video:

to sum it up: the video considers that.... the twili are gerudo or at least have some part of gerudo in them ( mixed races, etc. etc. etc. ) It also brings up the idea that.... Gerudo are capable of magic, which the twili are known for ( in this case it is dark magic ). Its a bit of a stretch, and im going down an even deeper rabbit hole, but i bring this up because.... i do, in fact, see twili to be a bit more arabic than any other language at least in TP.

so... say it simply: twili is a garbled-ish form of arabic with some latin roots.

Lets also look at the fact that the twili world can only be entered through a MIRROR. a world in a state of perpetual dusk. a world that is on the opposite side of the coin. in a way... a world almost like a mirror to hyrule: but smaller and... a bit different. whats funny is that in english ( or latin ) words are written from left to right. and justified left. arabic: to my knowledge, is the the other way around. and in manga: the correct way to read things is from right to left. 

IM not saying that the twilight language is a BACKWARDS language. cause it’s not. it’s way more complex than that, but you cannot look at it directly in the normal way. I bring it up cause the scriptures... are very different than hylain. while it may be easier to understand what a twili says, it’s HARD to read what what they’ve written. because its.... not normal.

twili do not write or read in straight lines. Midna, when she comes to hyrule, understands that hylians write in straight lines. and she can pick it up cause... its... different... and honestly easier despite it’s sophistication. 

but thats the difference!! normal hylian is simple & easy cause it isn’t all over the place. Twili honestly is what a 4 or 5 year old would draw or write. i.e.: it’s all over the place. I would show you some twili font, however, i cannot due to the fact that there isn’t much. and by that i mean, there is literally nothing that i can go off of. however, I would like to show you guys this:

This is the CURTAIN OF TWILIGHT. while i don’t think it was their intention to make this look like a language let alone words ( i think they just tried to make it seem look archaic ), i do have to say that the twili language LOOKS like this. by this, i mean that its everywhere. there isn’t a single line for it. it’s.... everywhere. normal people wouldn’t be able to read twili: they would consider it just scribbles and random designs. however, twili can read it. I would have to look for a comic that shows link looking around and finding twilight artefacts, but its a lot like the cave art that we have in places that bring up our own ancestors.

an artist actually...??? made up their own design for a twili font that i actually like?? HERE is that link for the font. and I really do like how they have the radicalised twili syntax because it’s very, VERY similar to how i would probably want to see the twili written as. Please know that this is Undying Nephalim’s tribute to the twilight language. this isn’t something that i made or even discussed with them. I just found this like months ago. i am using it as a guide to show you what i can see twili looking like. 

i’ll end it here for now cause im kinda at a lostt to what else i should say but.... please feel free to let me know what you guys think and if you guys like this. I’m sure i’ll have more some other time.

[benhaardy]

king of my heart || b.h.

(i apologize i do not know where this gif is from i found it on weheartit but im not sure thats who made it but here is the post. if you are the owner please let me know so i can credit or take it off at your request. thanks!)

Summary: Ben takes you to the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere and you reminisce of his accomplishments and your years-long friendship.

Request: Can you do a fluffy first kiss imagine with Ben? Thanks!

A/N: so uhhh the request was literally the simplest thing EVER but my extra ass had to put some Extra Sass™ upon this lol. idk why i wanted to go big for such a simple prompt but its ben and its his birthday today so HE DESERVES IT!

gotta add in that S H E E R D R E S S S H I R T because i’m still not over it, thank u, next.

the outfit i had in mind: dress (the one in the middle) shoes necklace earrings, though obviously you can imagine your own outfit.

song that the title/some of the fic is based off: king of my heart by taylor swift

obviously, i am a huge fan of the longtime best friends to lovers cliche and idk if anyone else thinks this but i write my characters as super affectionate in the first place so i hope it isn’t weird to anyone to have like the really touchy-feely best friends or friendships in my stories ig? idk, just a thought cause i literally just noticed how affectionate my characters are ANYWAYS here's wonderwall

thank you for sending a request in! hope you enjoy it!

also happy birthday to our king i hope he has a beautiful day

Wordcount: 1.7k

Warnings: a few frick words (2). fem!reader. mention of nudity. fluffy!! not proofread, but beta’d

“Ready, Y/N?” Ben called from downstairs

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

You put the final touches of your outfit on. Perfume on your wrists, Tiffany necklace on, you went down the stairs carrying your nude Louboutins and adjusting your earrings. It wasn’t really your style to do any of this, really, but your best friend Ben had wanted to take you to the Bohemian Rhapsody premiere. Go big or go home, you figured. At his asking, you didn’t see or know what he was going to wear so you played it safe with a black dress.

You went down the stairs and got to the bottom floor. Ben was standing in the middle of the living room, back turned to you. He was looking down at the cat weaving in between his legs. As far as you could see, he was wearing an all black suit. “Ben?” you said. He whipped around to see you as you were putting on your shoes.

“Oh, wow, Y/N,” he beamed. Ben put his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide with surprise. “You look so good!” You opened your arms to embrace him, to which he stepped into, his arms around your waist.

After a few seconds, you both pulled away but his arms still stayed in their place and your hands lingered on his biceps. “I could say the same about you, Benny! Everything looks great!”  He let you go fully. You looked up and down at his outfit. Sheer black dress shirt, black blazer and trousers, everything was tailored perfectly to his body. You grinned. He cleaned up very well, but it wasn’t like he didn’t dress nice in the first place.

“Ready to go?” he asked. “Car’s waiting outside.”

“Ready.”

--

You watched from the side of the carpet as the main cast were getting photographed together. That was your best friend! Standing next to Roger fucking Taylor and Brian fucking May. Everything still felt surreal, though he had been in the public spotlight for the past few years, this felt different. Your senses just felt heightened. The flashing lights, the hues of purple and pink and gold all around, surrounded by people you either knew well or were complete strangers to you. Your eyesight was crisp, noticing everything you could, taking it all in. You did musical theatre, you hadn’t really dealt with something as big as this, even with Apocalypse.

And here your best friend was, in the middle of all of this. Your mind played back all the memories of you two in drama school with his all-nighters, monologue after monologue, script after script. You couldn’t be more proud of your closest friend, all of his hard work going to this. You could remember Ben’s shifty eyes backstage the very first show of Judas Kiss and the blush on his cheeks after the show when he remembered that you had watched him perform and there was that one scene of full frontal; he figured it was worth the embarrassment, it’s not as if you hadn’t seen worse.

Back to Eastenders and its countless shirtless and kissing scenes. You thought back to the countless nights that you spent up with him when he was weighing leaving the show or becoming Archangel. At your own urging, Ben left Eastenders, ready for the next chapter, ready for the next big thing. One of the best memories of your life was traveling to the United States with him for Comic-Con and driving up and down the west coast a week before he had to attend it. He took you to Disneyland and Universal Studios after everything with the convention was said and done.

Now, Bohemian Rhapsody! You laughed at the memories of Ben scrambling to find a good drum teacher close by and how he turned up in the middle of the night to your flat to tell you he got the part. You couldn’t ever forget his embrace in the dark of your living room, his face buried in your shoulder and his arms, tight and strong around your waist. Your happy tears wiped away by Ben’s hand as you drew apart. Though you both were excited, it was still the middle of the night, so you both just slept in your bed once more with the cats.

Ben would always invite you over to watch him play and give your input. You had to admit, he had gotten pretty good over all the lessons. Though you discouraged his lying about playing the drums and seeing the consequences in his clamber to learn as much as possible, it paid off in the best way possible. They started the process of making the movie. Though you couldn’t really be by his side throughout filming, you were basically there, his perpetual FaceTimes keeping you in the loop with everyone. You even “met” the guys and Lucy, who you hit off with very well. Ben made sure you were always by his side and he was always by yours.

So when you saw him here, at his biggest premiere surrounded by even more amazing actors and actresses, you couldn’t help but shed a tear. This role of Roger had basically brought him into the light.

You watched them take pictures until Ben beckoned you over, the group disbanding and walking over to their families and significant others to pose for their own photos. You came over and he put his arm around your waist, hugging you close. Your hand was on his back and you both posed for pictures, the flash basically blinding you, the sounds of the shutters all around. “Smile,” Ben whispered into your ear.

--

Everyone was at the rooftop restaurant that you were all going to eat at after the premiere. You were sitting in between Roger and Ben, having been introduced to all of the people around the table. Never in a million years, you thought, never in a million years did you think you’d be here, conversing with the real Roger Taylor or getting along with his daughters, or telling Lucy Boynton and Anita Dobson where you got your necklace and earrings.

“If you’ll excuse us, Y/N and I are going to go out to the balcony,”

You scooped another spoon of food in your mouth before saying, “Oh, okay we are? Okay.” You gave a polite smile to Roger, who you were talking to before Ben got your attention. Standing up, you followed Ben out of the tall, ornate door, out to the terrace where you could see all of London. The view was breathtaking.

“What is this all about?” you inquired as you came over to Ben standing with his hand on the glass, observing the scenery in front of him, the various coloured lights illuminating London.

“How do you feel about all this, Y/N? The whole shazam,” he questioned, wanting to know your true feelings about everything.

You shook your head, “What can I say?” You looked out along with him. “If you had told me in the first year of uni when we met that we would be here right now. Eating dinner with two freaking members of Queen and their families and being around some of the best actors and musicians in the world!” You said, your voice breathy. It was crazy what your best friend had been able to accomplish. “I would’ve slapped you and called you mental. This is all so... wow.”

“I couldn’t have made it here without you, Y/N. I’d be a complete and utter trainwreck. I wouldn’t even, like, survive without you, you know?”

“Ben,” you shook your head vigourously, “Don’t…don’t. This is your thing. This is your work. This is your doing. I was just there along for the ride and you were there with me,” you reasoned. “It’s just...just that simple.”

He shook his head but smiled. “None of this is that simple.” Ben turned to face you, still looking down. You moved to look at him yourself. “You mean everything to me, really. It’s not just the support. It’s the little things. It’s how you never fail to put your jumper sleeves over your hands and bury ‘em in your face. It’s how you look at me when you’re adjusting my suit and doing that little,” he paused and did little sweeping movements in the air, “that little sweepy thing on my lapels and you look back up at me and smile. The way you smile, the way you look at me, love, it just- it drives me crazy in the best way. You’re always there for me, yes, but that is not the only reason that I love you.” Ben took hold of your hand and held it close to his heart, his hand encapsulating yours entirely. “I want you, Y/N.”

You leaned forward and an abundance of holy shit holy shit did I just do that did I really just do that did he reeeallly just say those amazing things about me?’s rang through your head, echoing and echoing. You kissed him. His plump lips were upon yours finally. At first, Ben was stiff, taken by surprise at your sudden action but he softened quickly with the feeling of you on him. Your hand stayed on his chest while his moved down to your hips. As the kiss deepened, you laced your hands around his neck.

He pulled away. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted that, love,” he said, breathless, his lips swollen and pink.

“Me too, Ben.” You smiled and cupped his cheek in your hand, to which he kissed your palm and held your wrist lightly. He looked down at his shoes, blushing.

“We should—“ he started, his thumb pointing back to the inside. “We shoul—“

You exhaled. “Y-Yeah, yeah we should, we should.” Ben grabbed your hand and led you inside. He pulled your chair out for you and you sat in it. You brushed imaginary dirt off your dress, trying to act casual.

“Looks like you two had fun out there!” exclaimed Roger, a bellowing laugh coming from him.

[dragon-hall]

“Vater unser im Ewigenreich”

I’ve been watching all of K Project’s series and episodes these past few weeks and I want to write something for it. This prompt seems interesting to me and the what ifs are plenty.

(K Project // Divergent - Space)

Writing Prompt: An ancient god “cursed” you with immortality, expecting you to watch the Sun swallow the Earth. When that day comes 7.6 billion years into the future, you’re living large on the other side of the galaxy.

“...even though the so-called ancient god is nothing more than an old slab of ancient stone.” The perpetual smile on his face is simply fond as his long fingers trace the edge of the slate. The slate, even though limited by its seal, glows with shifting orange light that can be understood as lethargic merriment.

Shiro - no - rather, Adolf K. Weismann chuckles at the silent words it transmits through its aura alone.

“Indeed, I share the same fate but need I remind how I came to have such fate?” His words carry a small lilt in it that never betrays his carefree personality.

He leans against the stone’s side, taking a seat on the edge there as if it is a sickbed of a friend. In hindsight, the Dresden Slate has been his constant companion for years ever since he laid eyes on it. Here, at the center of his craft, they talk about past lives, present companions, and future destinations. Adolf surmises that the slate, confirmed to be an entity, shares his loneliness and makes it easy to talk to.

“A fate that leads to this very moment,” Adolf mutters. His smile morphs to despondency as his thoughts take him to the very reason why they ventured out in the open on this very day. “Honestly, I felt insufficient. How it is that I was granted an Aura and my sister was not despite her being the better person. I ran away plenty of times and here I am still. Many are deserving and yet here I stand.”

The slate beneath his hands glimmers in a pale yellow, sympathy as Adolf understood. Is it comforting him?

His smile is back following an airy laugh. “Rest easy. The time for regret has passed. There is nothing to fear considering the treasures I’ve picked up on the way.”

As if on time, the sound of the automatic door opens and a familiar bell-like jingle echoes through the room. Above them and up on the balcony overlooking the hall is Neko, still youthful as ever and fluffy judging from her choice of fur coat and her ear muffs, a new feature.

“I found Shiro!” She exclaims and jumps from the balcony to Adolf’s waiting arms. How she survives such falls every time is beyond him. “Are you done talking to Dresden?”

Dresden, as she calls the slate, shifts to an earthy brown as it relaxes in their presence. Even to this moment, Adolf is still amused to hear the name. After all, it is the Dresden Slate.

“We’re just about to wrap it up.” He pets the young woman who is obviously happy to get more physical contact and addresses the slate in finality. “I know you’re not fond of fireworks so I’m going to assume you won’t watch this one with us. I’ll bring tea down here after dinner, yes?”

The stone glows green this time as it conveys its optimism to his proposal because tea could only mean Shiro and company. The King and his clansman leave arm in arm and proceeds to the viewing deck.

The deck is purely Adolf’s own personal taste way back in the 18th century. A large hall with marble floors, towering marble pillars and gigantic glass windows for a panoramic view of the galaxy. There are shrubberies on the sides with a few white flowers blooming in earnest in contrast to the dark space outside their ship. In the middle of the hall is a depressed platform where windows upon windows of hologram show current news from nearby habitable planets and statistical readings of a singular planet they are observing. The graphs show spikes and changes in one particular planet.

A pair of leather couches instead of a single one situated near the viewing area above the platform. There is already a tatami mat situated beside them and a single occupant is already there as he gazes at the view before him.

“Everything alright, Kuroh?” Adolf asks in his normally gentle tone.

Yatogami Kuroh, one of his first and foremost clansmen, and one of his dearest friends take his time savoring his favorite tea. He sits facing the depressed platform in a perfect seiza all the while watching the events unfold. Years have passed and even so, with the power of the slate given to him through the Silver King, he retains his physical appearance in its youthful state right down to the tips of his long dark locks which he wears in a ponytail like old times. Even the way he acts is the same although with wisdom and maturity that his old master would surely be proud.

“The Union is currently in session to finalize the relocation procedures of the evacuees. Nearby habitable planets are currently on high alert for a radiation surge but nothing far as the dwarf planet but the Centauri system is also raising an emergency. There are reports of minor casualties here and there but nothing to be concerned of.”

“Mm. I guess no one needs our help right now. How’s the evacuation?”

“The Blue King is handling the evacuation most efficiently. Earth has already collided with Mars’ atmosphere fifty-seven hours ago and left a decent hole on its surface where most of the population resides. I’ve received a report that there are no deaths recorded so far and people were already on board Scepter 4 blimps.”

“It is thanks to your clairvoyance that they acted fast. Without your warning, we would be mourning many deaths,” Much is not known about how he managed to have such a talent but since Kuroh was a clansman of the Colorless King, the late Ichigen Miwa, then it is believed to be a latent talent from the Colorless Aura. “By the way, it is said that the current Blue King is the second rising of the legendary Munakata Reisi. What do you think about that, Kuroh?”

“The boy still needs to earn his stripes against me.” The swordsman clicks his tongue, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. It does not help that the current king of Scepter 4 also wear glasses and a smug face he wants to bash so badly. “Having an exemplary leadership does not change the fact that he is wet behind the ears when it comes to battle. Compared to that man, he is nowhere near an eighth of his capabilities.”

“Hah! Kurosuke likes to torture Boss with glasses junior to get back at Bosumegane senior!” Neko chirps from Adolf’s side and detaches from his arm to drape herself across the couch.

There is no doubt that his friend still holds a grudge towards Scepter 4′s previous king and it also extends to the successors over time. By the time the fifth Blue King was chosen, Kuroh delegated to himself to train every succeeding Blue King with the sword and martial arts as revenge from the time Munakata Reisi outsmarted him. He never forgets the experience.

“Don’t be too hard on him.” The Silver King takes a seat next to Neko who moves to lay her chin on his thigh so he can pet her some more. When he does so, she starts preening with attention. “The Gold King is already expecting so much from Scepter 4.”

Now that he thought about it, the current Gold King resembles his late best friend so much that Adolf was not even surprised that time he learned that she has the blood of Kokujōji Daikaku. To think that the lieutenant had children and he was not informed, he feels a little miffed during that time.

“They multiplied like rabbits as they should be to cover the entire universe but quality must never be sacrificed for quantity.” Kuroh huffs against the lip of his teacup. “And I, Yatogami Kuroh, will never fail to remind him of that.”

Adolf merely chuckles at his enthusiasm and plucks his own teacup, an intricately designed china cup compared to Kuroh’s traditional japanese set. The hot tea was already brewed by his friend and a healthy serving of snacks lies next to the pot for consumption.

“Any time now and she will be entering the Sun’s coronal atmosphere, isn’t it? There is no turning back from that point on.” The Silver King leans back on his seat, Neko purring against his thigh as they watch the events unfold.

“Earth as we all remember her wears a beautiful face even under duress. That her strength and resilience through time will surely be passed on to her beloved children and to those witnessing her final moments.”

Trust Kuroh to say something optimistic during the time and Adolf completely agrees with his words.

“That we are all sons and daughters of our Mother that we return on this very day to honor the place we once called home.

---

Derjenige, der die Freude küsst, während sie fliegt Lebe im Sonnenaufgang der Ewigkeit

[internetdetectives]

11/17/19 - Chat with The Producer

The Producer 4:15 PM: "you can do it whelp”

The Producer 4:15 PM: "you can claw em gnaw em stone em beat em”

Xenquility 4:15 PM: "Ay it's P dog”

The Producer 4:15 PM: "ill do this with my mind you just obey me”

ARGdov 4:15 PM: "?”

otherLiam 4:15 PM: "uhhh”

The Producer 4:15 PM: "hello”

ARGdov 4:15 PM: "is he quoting a song”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:15 PM: "Ay prodddd”

otherLiam 4:15 PM: "hey producer, meet erika. erika, producer.”

ARGdov 4:16 PM: "he is”

ARGdov 4:16 PM: "https://genius.com/Ace-composer-gang-plank-galleon-lyrics” 

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "damnit dov”

The Producer 4:16 PM: "literally who”

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "I was gonna post that”

pakospooky 4:16 PM: "@Erika_XP💚 https://youtu.be/A7P40vNkVr4 where did you get that?”

otherLiam 4:16 PM: "i am uncertain which of you is more antagonistic”

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "WHERE DID YOU GET THATTTTTTTT”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:16 PM: "Yo prod”

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "inb4 doug”

ARGdov 4:16 PM: "lol”

pakospooky 4:16 PM: “WHERE???”

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "pakoplans”

otherLiam 4:16 PM: "pako chill dawg”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:16 PM: "Inb4 pako AO doug”

Xenquility 4:16 PM: "how's the production business my guy”

The Producer 4:16 PM: "its quite lively”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:17 PM: "Are u gonna send us another sick beat now?”

ARGdov 4:17 PM: "I can imagine”

The Producer 4:17 PM: "im enjoying my cup or morning spook joe”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:17 PM: "Spook Joe?”

Xenquility 4:17 PM: "are there other people in your field or are you the only person who produces shit between paralellos's”

The Producer 4:17 PM: "no i dont have any songs to send right now”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:17 PM: "OH NO”

The Producer 4:17 PM: "but ill make one specifically for you guys”

ARGdov 4:17 PM: "aww”

ARGdov 4:17 PM: "well thats sweet”

ARGdov 4:17 PM: "considering who you work for”

The Producer 4:17 PM: "i wont give it to you all until the time is right, however”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:17 PM: "Ty dude!”

ARGdov 4:18 PM: "deal.”

The Producer 4:18 PM: "ill call it”

The Producer 4:18 PM: "uhh”

Xenquility 4:18 PM: "what if it turns out producer is actually insanely evil and is the reincarnation of tenebris”

The Producer 4:18 PM: "what should i call it”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:18 PM: "Kill switch”

ARGdov 4:18 PM: "as for which one is more antagonistic”

ARGdov 4:18 PM: "I mean compared to BUP neither is”

The Producer 4:18 PM: "ok ill call it kill switch”

Xenquility 4:18 PM: "see”

Xenquility 4:18 PM: "he is”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:18 PM: "15 minute song of just TTS: YES, YES, YES, YES”

spookypako 4:19 PM: "Is it possible that Erika is Tyler's friend / girlfriend?”

Xenquility 4:19 PM: "call it: Kill?, yes”

ARGdov 4:19 PM: "no.”

ARGdov 4:19 PM: "definitely not”

The Producer 4:19 PM: "Boyfriend”

ARGdov 4:19 PM: "Carla lives in Australia, and they havent dated for....several years”

spookypako 4:19 PM: "ups”

ARGdov 4:19 PM: "she was also a member of the LC”

spookypako 4:19 PM: "seriously?”

Xenquility 4:19 PM: "Former”

Xenquility 4:19 PM: "if I recall”

Xenquility 4:19 PM: "Ay Producer”

Xenquility 4:19 PM: "Any idea how erika got a hold of never-before-seen-exclusive-vip footage”

The Producer 4:21 PM: "you'll just have to ask them”

Xenquility 4:21 PM: "or are we just stupid and forgetting that we've seen it”

The Producer 4:21 PM: "as for many years this has been going on for, its no surprise that some stuff has slipped through the cracks”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:21 PM: "EL PRODUSER!!!”

The Producer 4:21 PM: "el traitor”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:21 PM: "mexican music plays”

Xenquility 4:21 PM: "also why is slinky the traitor”

The Producer 4:22 PM: "i guess traitor isn't exactly accurate”

The Producer 4:22 PM: "how about "elegy boy"”

spookypako 4:22 PM: "Is it possible that some character gave her images and videos, but she can't tell who gave them?”

Xenquility 4:22 PM: "alright that sounds good”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:22 PM: "Elegy boy sounds neat”

Jos 4:23 PM: "what about about to fuck up boy”

The Producer 4:23 PM: "a perpetual state of aboutting to fuck up

sounds good”

Jos 4:23 PM: "exactly”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:24 PM: "Neat”

spookypako 4:26 PM: "guys who is the guy at left”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:26 PM: "Hm?”

spookypako 4:26 PM: "fuck”

spookypako 4:26 PM: "wait”

The Producer 4:29 PM: "we will never know who is the guy at left”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:29 PM: "F”

Xenquility 4:29 PM: "some say he is still at the left to this day”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:29 PM: "Others say he is now at the right”

spookypako 4:29 PM: ":joy: :joy:”

Xenquility 4:30 PM: "they're fucking wrong”

spookypako 4:30 PM: "my phone is trolling me sorry”

The Producer 4:30 PM: "thats horseshoe theory for you”

The Producer 4:30 PM: "or spooky horseshoe theory as we call it here”

spookypako 4:31 PM: "who is the guy in the left in the window”

The Producer 4:31 PM: "our office has quite the diverse range of spooky politicial opinions”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:31 PM: "Do you know who is "spuu kinjo'"?”

Xenquility 4:31 PM: "Pretty sure that's just tyler in his house”

Xenquility 4:31 PM: "can't really tell though”

The Producer 4:32 PM: "joe spooky mama”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:32 PM: "Nope”

Xenquility 4:32 PM: "the spooky producer”

The Producer 4:32 PM: "i have the second eye”

The Producer 4:32 PM: "you cannot fool me”

The Producer 4:32 PM: "i mean third eye”

The Producer 4:32 PM: "fuck”

Xenquility 4:32 PM: "the spooky second eye”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:32 PM: "Spuu kinjo' mama”

spookypako 4:32 PM: "but who is recording?”

spookypako 4:32 PM: "uhum”

The Producer 4:33 PM: "the camera, obviously”

spookypako 4:33 PM: "very funny”

spookypako 4:33 PM: "...”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "it's their second eye not the camera”

The Producer 4:33 PM: "they have google eye”

The Producer 4:33 PM: "spooky google eye”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "google cardboard”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "or glass or whatever it was”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "waoah”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "briefcase”

Xenquility 4:33 PM: "that's somewhat relevant to this isnt it”

The Producer 4:35 PM: "briefcases are quite handy for delivering and transporting goods”

The Producer 4:35 PM: "im a fan”

spookypako 4:35 PM: "dewalk closed”

spookypako 4:35 PM: "cross here”

Xenquility 4:35 PM: "what if”

Xenquility 4:35 PM: "producer is the white dude with the briefcase”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:35 PM: "That's producer”

The Producer 4:35 PM: "its me”

Xenquility 4:35 PM: "from start life”

Xenquility 4:35 PM: "BUM BUM BUM”

spookypako 4:36 PM: "bumb”

The Producer 4:36 PM: "im not that tiny faceless mongoloid”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:36 PM: "Prod”

Xenquility 4:36 PM: "woah”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:36 PM: "Are you a little mannequin?”

Xenquility 4:36 PM: "mongoloid was my word”

Xenquility 4:36 PM: "how dare you”

The Producer 4:36 PM: "OI”

The Producer 4:36 PM: "sorry”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:36 PM: "Mongoloid is racist”

The Producer 4:36 PM: "im racist”

Xenquility 4:36 PM: "and im raceless”

Xenquility 4:36 PM: "is it okay to be racist if you're racist to all races”

The Producer 4:37 PM: "apparently pako needs a new bum”

spookypako 4:37 PM: "HAHAHA”

The Producer 4:37 PM: "my condolences”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:37 PM: "F”

spookypako 4:37 PM: ":joy: :joy:”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "Pako's ass has been blasted”

The Producer 4:37 PM: "im racist towards non spookys”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "so you're racist towards yourself”

spookypako 4:37 PM: "nonon”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "cause uh”

The Producer 4:37 PM: "aw”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:37 PM: "Prod, are the Spooks like a different race”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:37 PM: "Like”

The Producer 4:37 PM: "you guys dont think im spooky”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "you're not spooky or something”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:37 PM: "Elfs? For example?”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "we appreciate it”

Xenquility 4:37 PM: "spooky is overrated”

Xenquility 4:38 PM: "all the annoying guys are spooky”

Xenquility 4:38 PM: "but luckily”

Xenquility 4:38 PM: "you are”

Xenquility 4:38 PM: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39Bnk6VU53Y”

spookypako 4:38 PM: "hd lol”

The Producer 4:38 PM: "well im glad i could at least be "Refreshing like a spring breeze..."”

The Producer 4:39 PM: "like finally taking off the gas mask and getting a big ol whiff”

Xenquility 4:39 PM: "woah”

Xenquility 4:39 PM: "gas mask”

Xenquility 4:39 PM: "producer is skm”

The Producer 4:39 PM: "he wishes”

spookypako 4:39 PM: "oh yeah”

Xenquility 4:39 PM: "why do all of you guys hate on skm”

spookypako 4:39 PM: "no you wishes”

Xenquility 4:39 PM: "skm is great”

The Producer 4:39 PM: "nah skm is pretty cool”

The Producer 4:39 PM: "kinda sketchy though”

Xenquility 4:40 PM: "no offense but”

The Producer 4:40 PM: "keeps himself busy”

The Producer 4:40 PM: "thats for sure”

Xenquility 4:40 PM: "you're one to talk”

The Producer 4:40 PM: "twoshey”

Xenquility 4:40 PM: "TWOSHEY”

Xenquility 4:40 PM: "EXCUSE ME”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:40 PM: "TWOSHEY”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:40 PM: "HAHAHA”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:40 PM: "r/boneappletea”

The Producer 4:40 PM: "its pronounced "toosh"”

Xenquility 4:40 PM: "touché thankyouverymuch” 

The Producer 4:41 PM: "haha... laugh now…”

The Producer 4:41 PM: "you, wont be... laughing... soon,,,”

Xenquility 4:41 PM: "one flaw in that joke”

The Producer 4:41 PM: "am i spooky enough now”

Xenquility 4:41 PM: "spooks always use capitals”

The Producer 4:41 PM: "HAHAHA”

The Producer 4:41 PM: "HEEHEE”

Xenquility 4:41 PM: "I meant the first letter of a sentence”

The Producer 4:41 PM: "shit”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:41 PM: "Hohoho hehehe”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:41 PM: "HELLO THERE OLDY CHUM”

Xenquility 4:42 PM: "also the dots make you sound like a prepubescent girl trying to write ben drowned fanfics”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:42 PM: "IM NOT A GNELF”

Xenquility 4:42 PM: "i mean”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:42 PM: "IM NOT A GNOBLIN”

Xenquility 4:42 PM: "non fanfic”

The Producer 4:42 PM: "maybe i am”

Xenquility 4:42 PM: "definitely real”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:42 PM: "IM A GNOME”

spookypako 4:42 PM: "Skm.png (147×148)”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:42 PM: "AND YOU'VE BEEN GNOOOOOMED”

spookypako 4:42 PM: "ups”

The Producer 4:42 PM: "deep down inside, arent we all prepubsescent ben drowned fan girls?”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:42 PM: "We are”

Xenquility 4:42 PM: "TOUCHE”

The Producer 4:42 PM: "toosh”

ARGdov 4:43 PM: "I mean”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:43 PM: ">producer being meta”

Xenquility 4:43 PM: "ill woop your toosh if you spell is twoshey again”

ARGdov 4:43 PM: "Were all still here”

ARGdov 4:43 PM: "So yes we all our secretly BEN fangirls”

Xenquility 4:43 PM: "does tenebris know about all his fans”

The Producer 4:43 PM: "we all our”

Xenquility 4:43 PM: "nigth”

Xenquility 4:43 PM: "nigth”

Xenquility 4:43 PM: "nigth”

spookypako 4:44 PM: "nightmind”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:44 PM: "Suck”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:44 PM: "My”

Slinky Stinks△ 4:44 PM: "Dick”

Xenquility 4:44 PM: "no thank you pokephile”

The Producer 4:44 PM: "Dickth”

Xenquility 4:44 PM: "and now pedophile”

spookypako 4:44 PM: "i”

spookypako 4:44 PM: "dony”

spookypako 4:44 PM: "wanna”

Xenquility 4:44 PM: "gerth”

The Producer 4:44 PM: "more like i pony wanna”

Xenquility 4:44 PM: "gerth vlogs”

The Producer 4:44 PM: "alright lunch break over”

Xenquility 4:44 PM: "more like i pako wanna”

The Producer 4:44 PM: "i have consumed my spook soup”

spookypako 4:44 PM: "hahaha”

The Producer 4:44 PM: "ill speak with you all some other time”

Xenquility 4:45 PM: "*some other spooky time”

The Producer 4:45 PM: "^^^”

Xenquility 4:45 PM: "anyways seeya p dog”

[aowanders-blog]

New Post has been published on https://aowanders.com/how-to-prepare-yourself-for-long-term-travel/

How to Prepare yourself for Long Term Travel

Long Term Travel

One of the most life changing activities is Long Term Travel.  Everyone dreams of traveling to far off adventurous places living a carefree lifestyle were budgets aren’t a concern, responsibilities are temporary and fun is the only focus point.  The allure of sipping Mai Thai’s on a beach in Thailand or surfing waves in Maui create this romantic stereotype of Long Term Travel. The movie “The Beach”, “Call of the Wild” or my all time favorite “A Map for Saturday” ignite this soulful lust to pack a bag and head out into the world to see all its magnificent beauty, diverse cultures & unlimited challenges.

    The excitement this thought process brings to us is undeniably motivating.  Then you get the text message from your boss reminding you to turn off the lights in the bathrooms at the dental office when you lock up at night ……….uuuuuuuuuuuurkkkkkk  reality pops your daydream bubble.  Long term travel is one of the most intimidating concepts out there.  How are you going to afford long term travel when you can barely afford car insurance?  How are you going to get time off from work when you get written up for being 5 minutes late?  You don’t even own a passport, and your last vacation amounted to spring cleaning & hosting a garage sale. The time before that you spent a months salary on a rental cabin in the middle of the woods while drinking copious amounts of alcohol around a fire!  How could you afford to travel the world if it costs that much for one weekend getaway?  Its unfair, unobtainable & irresponsible!  Right?

  Long Term Travel is this mythical unicorn that only a friend of a friend of a friend heard another friend say to a friend they know a guy that has been travelling the world for years.  You always hear about it, read about it, but you never actually meet someone who can tell you about it.  You never meet that individual that can tell you while long term travel seems intimidating its one of the easiest things you can do.  And the easiest part of long term travel is funding it especially if your adaptable.  Sure you can take the “old guard” approach to stay at your job and save up $20,000, buy your around the world ticket, put all your things in storage and see what happens.  There is no right or wrong way to fund your travels.  Some will save up, some will get a credit card, some will take a loan out, others will sell all their belongings, and some will get very creative.  There is no right or wrong way to obtain your happiness.  Your either going to live your dreams or your going to fund someone else’s.

  Every time I meet someone or tell them how long I have been travelling for ….the typical response is: “Oh my God”, “WOW”, “Sounds rough”, “Do it while your young”, “I wish I could do something like that”, “Your so lucky”, “That is so amazing.” To most I have the best life in the world, but just like everything else in life there is a price.  I’m not talking rent or groceries here.  I’m talking about the trade off you have to be willing to make to be a perpetual traveler.  So while the allure of exotic destinations,  foreign languages, eclectic cultures,  adrenaline pumping adventures & foreign tavern times may seem very appealing there is also  down side to Long Term Travel.  Friends and family are always in another time zone, solo occupancy at a hostel in a foreign country on a rainy day isn’t so exciting, saying goodbye more times in one year than anyone should say in a lifetime has its challenges, loneliness, constant travel planning, becoming numb & detached (insert 100th waterfall, 600th bus ride, 200th historical church, 800th mountain, etc etc).  These are just some of the things you will encounter on your trip, and whenever anyone asks me whats the one piece of advice everyone should have when getting ready for a big trip I always give the same answer: “Make sure your ready for it mentally above anything else.”  Money comes and goes.  Electronics get lost, stolen or broken.  Friends wander in and out of your trip.  Bars become your living room, buses/plains/trains become your daily transportation, lobbies & terminals become your office, and anonymity becomes your default.  How do you prepare for all of this?  You can’t prepare 100% for life on the road, but you can get a glimpse of it or some exposure to what life would be like as a Long Term Traveler.

  Couch Surfing

One of the most beneficial things you could do for yourself to prepare for Long Term Travel is sign up for Couchsurfing which was founded in 2004 and one of the first hospitality networks to really take advantage of all the web had to offer.  Couchsurfing  is a peer to peer portal made of hosts and surfers meant to connect travelers with hosts willing to provide a free place to stay (couch, bed, guesthouse, room, floor, backyard, etc), and get a local perspective on the vibe and pulse of a destination.  Hosts are individuals willing to accommodate travelers for FREE  & surfers are individuals looking for places to stay.  How can couchsurfing help you prepare for Long Term Travel?  Thats a great question,

Seasonal Life

  Nothing is impossible, but life has a very creative way at throwing you curve balls to deter your dreams.  I’ve been travelling the world for 22 years which all that means is Im an expert problem solver because a life of travel will test your problem solving skills daily!  Knowing that lets examine a scenario…….You make “X”

Before I show you how to fund your own dreams I want to tell a story about an ex girlfriend who owned her own in home care company making 6 figures a month.  Never having to go into the office, never having to see a patient, never having to do payroll, never write a schedule, never answer a phone, never having to do anything but provide a bank account the state could deposit payments into.   She had the car, the boat, house & freedom to travel across the world every other week when the kids were at their dad’s.  One day she came home in a fitful rage because one of her staff was always late, on her cell phone, too many cigarette breaks yadda yadda yadda.  I asked her how much are you paying her?  I was floored by her response when she told me $9.50/hour.  So while that could be considered a livable wage somewhere I guess and “industry standard pay” for that position I asked her, “How serious would you take a job that pays roughly $1200/month after taxes and seeing your boss drop $20,000 to go on a date with her boyfriend every other week to some far off place?  What can you do $300,000 that you can’t do with $298,000/month????  Give her an incentive to earn an extra $2,000/month and I bet her attitude will dramatically improve, or better yet how much is it worth to you to have all this freedom & money for this employee to go do their job correctly??  What paycheck would you need to feel appreciated for running a 3.6 million dollar a year company for someone??? This employee had been working there for 3 years and supporting and adult life on teenage wages.  How long do you think it would have taken her to save up $20,000?  Think about all the sacrifices she would have had to make over that time period to achieve her saving’s goal.  Not impossible, but the dedication needed for a lifestyle she has no exposure to isn’t the most motivational.  What am I saying & why am I telling you this??   First get some exposure to the lifestyle.  Then go find out if you like long term travel on someone else’s dime!

  COUCH SURFING  

  Seasonal life

    You’ve been scouring the internet for all the information you can find on long term travel to prepare for your big trip but you still feel lost.  STOP!  Stop what you are doing right now, and look at what you have done.  How many excel spreadsheets have you created?  How many sticky notes are hanging up?  How many times have you packed & unpacked your bag? bags? suitcases?  How many times have gone to the embassy website?  How many storage locker places have you called for rates?  How many times have you called the bank to get exchange rates?  How many hostels, hotels or airbnb listings have you called to make reservations??  How many “travel blog” newsletters have you signed up for, and now have an inbox full of spam asking you to buy this or buy that???Stop right now!  Forget everything you know about to travelling because Im sure your getting frustrated.  Ask yourself –” Why are you travelling?”  So stop what you are doing right now go sign up at couchsurfing

Before I answer that let me tell you about a friend who was planning a 10 day trip to Hawaii with her dog.  I was also going to Hawaii around the same time with my little  midget so we decided to meet up at a hostel after arrival.  Now Hawaii has some pretty strict pet regulations you need to follow in order to bring your pet to the islands.  My friend, lets call her Casey, is a researcher at a prestigious law firm in New York so when she emailed her flight details she also emailed me her travel plans which came in the form of 2 word documents, 3 spreadsheets & covered everything from bathroom breaks to cell phone charging times!?!?!?!

            When you first start out you get lost in the details, and excitement of planning turns into trepidation, anticipation turns into anxiety, ambition turns into procrastination & self-discipline turns into floodgates & euphoria turns into loneliness.