#I dont mean this negatively its a fascinating dynamic

[alphaketoglutaricacid]

man that falin realized just before she died the first time that she was willing for other people to get killed if it meant marcille and laios would live and that gave her the will to teleport them out knowing it could kill other innocent people. And then she revives without the memory of it and no one will tell her what she did and she has to learn all over again that to live is to take so she can finally stop being dragged along w other people and do what shes always wanted to do

[peachjagiya]

this is a fascinating discussion…i wasnt gonna comment on it but since its still apparently going on i kind of want to… no one is shadier to my brother than his fiancee so i dont think this indicates dating status (to clarify theirs is not a toxic or unhealthy relationship either.). If anything it shows how close they are. But also, please put yourself in their shoes for a moment. This is their work, not just regular hangouts. And jungkooks personality, he is a perfectionist and this is hardly not the first time we have seen slightly irritated by taehyung, what comes to mind for me first is behind the scenes of dynamite mv when they are timing the dance and tae doesnt change pose and jk hits him and its not playful but its also not like…that serious? Its just regular momentary slight frustation. Totally human. It reminds me of how id act myself with someone im close and comfortable with. Another moment is when they were a team in that run episode (frog ears), jungkooks competitiveness made him typically a little hot headed with tae but nothing really bad. 

Watching that boy with luv clip, it seems to me that its a staff member that first points it out, and jungkook takes it on himself to explain it to taehyung. And then, to namjoon as well. Is it perhaps a bit of his ”bratty maknae�� side coming out? Arguably. But still so innocent. And i dont mean bratty in a negative way. Its more an endearing thing than anything. I relate to him as the youngest of my siblings hehe. But this is also him in a professional setting. Taehyung — and all members — arent just his personal friend/maybe partner but his coworker. I think its important to point out especially when it comes to his dedication to his work. Just think of how hard he is to himself. Now of course he can still hurt his members by being careless but so can anyone. Im so single but still so confused how you guys think people in a relationship are supposed to treat each other? Im not a 100% taekook believer all the time but i hardly think this debunks them..

The squid game costume thing… man. Its jungkooks job to defend him against hyungs teasing (or scolding or whatever)? He supported him, is that not enough? You also have to take their group dynamic into account. Also, we dont know what goes on behind the scenes.

Excellent anonning, anon.

[kittyit]

fwiw i dont think thats any different than people who have difficulty reading books because theyve spend too much time on eg twitter and cant focus. thats happened to many more people than ladies who skim too many stories on ao3. and its all much of a muchness with older discourse abt how television was making people unable to read anymore too, or the centuries of discourse about whether people reading sensationalist newspapers or broadsheets or pulp novels is rotting their brains. i dont think it has anything to do with fandom specifically.

there are specific fandom iterations and they're worth talking about! it's true that Twitter people are reading thousands of words of tweets a day etc, but it is striking to me to be an avid reader (or fanfic) but unable to interface with new or even slightly challenging material. I do find the twitterbrain unable to read equally as disturbing and part of the same internet culture milieu. I do think TV and then YouTube and then mass shortform video as a primary means of entertainment also are causing issues like this. loss of critical thought, critical engagement, and the idea of fun and enjoyment as antithetical to both of those. also the defensiveness around fandom is also fascinating to me. like fan studies is an entire academic field so I'm certainly not alone in my fascination but I also haven't seen anything from that field that isn't celebratory, barely anything neutral and certainly nothing critical. again and again I come back to what fandom participation does to original creative output and the negative social dynamics and impact on a personal and subcultural level

[raisinchallah]

since you are a queerbaiting scholar, I have a question that I don't remember if you've ever covered. Do you think the t'hy'la footnote in the Star Trek TMP novelization could be considered an example of queerbaiting or is it just too iconic to fall under that category?

oh unequivocally like for clarification for people i guess who have a more narrow and specific definition of queerbait i do think it like kind of dodges around the entire central conceit of hoped for "gay representation" or something that is not really the lens i think its viewed thru in 70s fandom the way it was in 2010s as in like the way people frame queerbaiting they want characters to join this pantheon of confirmed gay characters fitting a mold of existing gay characters on tv to some degree and nobody was assuming like from that tease that kirk and spock would be portrayed as a couple in future movies or anything the way the queerbait dance between creator and fandom was portrayed in 2010s queerbait discourse but i think it was probably the first and most high profile attempt to date for a creator to try and mediate the relationship between the media property shippers and ship haters through like a direct communication of like canon material i guess like i would have to go on a pretty big deep dive back into some of the random star trek zines ive looked at to find sources again im struggling to find it right now but i know i read some various responses from fans at the time and kirk/spock shippers did react negatively to the footnote in much the same way people reacted to like ship tease jokes in classic queerbait tv shows on tumblr which i found really interesting people did think it was trying to shut kirk/spock shippers down just as much as people thought it was energizing them and speaking to them it really threads the needle so perfectly by like opening the door to a whole new type of possibility and whatever to the types of people who want that while also in text saying theyre not lovers hah hah isnt that weird which i think some fans also felt uncomfortable about because it was like shining a light on their niche corner of the fandom letting people know there were people who thought the relationship between kirk and spock might be romantic but again ive only read like two accounts of this so i honestly have no clue how widespread each type of reaction was i wonder if it also like re inflamed fights about if they do or dont have sex lol because that was a whole thing which is slash was for people who believed it was sexual vs kirk&spock was like homoerotic friendship to nonsexual romance fanfic and these were bitter fandom divides as well but of course and like this isnt to paint it all in a negative light but i do think the dissenting voices get a bit lost in the history and i thought it was kind of fascinating how similar a lot of the weird mediations felt to like some actor at comiccon 2012 saying well i dont know but it could be romantic you know it creates the perfect vessel for everyone to see what they want thru it so i think in many ways it was groundbreaking queerbait but also tbh did it better than anything else like truly stoking the fires of fan speculation and probably introduced a lot of people to the idea of "the premise" and planted the seeds in their minds to begin with and again few other queerbait texts are out here inventing special words that mean lover for the characters to call each other few people that bold like again somewhat different context but it does kind of feel like a first of its kind broaching into that messy dynamic between fans and the powers that be as they sometimes called them and truly a fascinating iconic piece of queerbait history

ok upon further looking i believe i must have read a scan of "a careful analysis: the roddenberry footnote" by christopher randolph (a pseudonym for della van hise the author of killing time) that was printed in the star trek zine naked times issue #3 but i have been unable to locate an actual link to the full text beyond the excerpts from fanlore here [x]

[wishfuldivine]

so valid with the ghoap thing! i found that post (+the upset anon reply) through the ghoap tag and i didnt feel upset at all over it! no shitting on the character dynamic, no shaming us shippers, just some personal observations and reasons👍 i dont know what that anon was on about, its literally one of the most positive opinions on the ship dynamic.

adding gaz into the mix is the cutest thing ever though. when soap and ghost hold hands they both have 1 hand each to hold and kiss kyles

Oh Anon, I wish I could kiss you on the forehead right now! Or just be friends! This means so much to me because I don't go bashing what other people like and enjoy. I respect that. Everyone has their own thing. I was doing it based on my opinion and observations, as you said. I would NEVER bash shippers. This world wouldn't be fascinating if there was no shipping within fandoms tbh!

And yes! I just can't help but add Gaz into the mix! He's so.. so fucking gorgeous and pretty and manly yet soft and giggly and.. sighs. He's perfect for Ghost and Soap. I REALLY love them together.

I just feel like Kyle would mind his own business when it comes to Ghoap but then be thrown into the mix and just takes it happily!

Thank you so much for the support and not being negative about my opinion! ♡

[gayregis]

As much as i hate twn it's been very interesting seeing the surge of interest around the witcher and seeing how people outside of poland/EE interpret it and what they focus on? Like I dont mean this in any negative way at all but in a "its fascinating how people's cultural background shapes how they look at foreign art and it's weird to be part of the original culture that produced it and not the alien culture consuming it like it is with american movies or something" like it's just Fascinating

it is interesting, i don't have much to add as an american, but i think this should be an open discussion. i think cultural background definitely shapes how one sees characters interact, reads lines that were said, etc...

in my experience, what i've appreciated is reading the books once just to get my first impressions, then going through it over the past couple of years with additions and translation notes from a variety of sources (polish mutuals and other eastern european people on here that post about the witcher, r/wiedzmin commentary, random wordpress blogs, etc) to get a better understanding of what's going on in certain contexts and understanding some of the cultural differences. because i believe translator notes do not just begin and end with "this is what this word means," but rather are needed to understand whole characters and scenes, because of a variety of aspects. for translation in the sense of translating words, the syntax and diction changes a lot from the polish to english official UK translation. of course, some change is inevitable because of the way that polish and english grammar works. but in some cases it's so severe that it changes how the prose sounds and in many cases changes how the characters come off. @karanfile has spoken about this, where in english geralt is pretty wordy, whereas in polish geralt is brisk and curt, and it makes them entirely different characters. 

here is also, of course, context surrounding cultural references, such as torque saying “goodnight” at the end of edge of the world, or the bounds of reason/limits of the possible with regards to villentretenmerth and sheepbagger. the witcher does draw on a variety of european mythology (and even extends as far as japanese mythology in season of storms), and many tales are utilized and inverted. but i think where an american audience will know sh’eenaz and duke agloval from hans christen andersen’s the little mermaid, we will be completely in the dark when it comes to princess adda, torque... i have seen many american and british reviews of the witcher praising it for its uniqueness and never-seen-before quality in including kinds of creatures from slavic mythology, and i can’t help but chuckle a bit because it’s not really a matter of uniqueness, just that the american and british audience are not familiar with the mythology! plus, since it loses that “familiarity” like these characters are living in a strange, inverted rendition of a story from your childhood, the message highlighted right on the page that “THIS IS A SERIES ABOUT INVERTING FANTASY TROPES” can be missed sometimes (though i also feel like it still remains obvious, with main characters who are blatant inversions of their tropes...)

another thing i have noticed (also spoke about this with karanfile and others in the discord) especially is how love and romance is interpreted by polish and american audiences. i was reading this wordpress article by sylwia of warsaw about the differences between how polish and american cultures concieve of friendship (i was thinking about how geralt calls dandelion his przyjaciel as his first introduction). (also here is another good article by her on the subject). a few things which came to my mind from reading this, and these thoughts are about broad cultures, not individuals!: 

americans generally seem to not recognize that “a friend” can mean someone very close. the word “friend” basically stands in for any kind of friendly relationship, you may spoken to someone once or have known them closely for 20 years, and both are your “friend.” it is also suggested usually that one’s friend is at odds with their boyfriend or girlfriend, i.e., it’s usually suggested that people will prioritize their boyfriend or girlfriend over their friend, nevermind how close either relationship might be to their friend (again, there’s only one real word for “friend”). there is also attitude against this, in a counter-culture manner, in which you get the “bros before hoes” type of sayings. this attitude i think affects how many americans see geralt and dandelion’s relationship - i.e., it is read that dandelion is just geralt’s “friend,” so he is not important to geralt, and that being “friends” doesn’t insinuate any closeness, and is “lesser” to romance. this i think also affects how many geraskiers from twn have changed the dynamic between geralt and jaskier in their fanon, because much “happy” or “ideal” geraskier content is of them calling each other pet names, doting on one another, being overly and overtly romantic. geralt and dandelion have never acted like this in either netflix or the books, and in the books where they are actually friends, they do not treat each other like this and there is nothing to suggest that if they had a romantic relationship that their dynamic would change to fit this idea of what romance is like.

similarly, dandelion’s floweriness and “hyper-romance” (i have no idea how else to phrase it) in the books has been interpreted by some american fans as being genuine, cute, sweet, romantic, and admirable -- when it’s pretty clear that the intention is to make him look foolish and absurd. when he flirts with women such as detchka in eternal flame (the landlord’s daughter), he whines some bullshit (UK translation, made even more flowery and out-of-place by david french, “Forest dryad! Sylph! Fairy! O, Divine creature, with eyes like azure lakes. Thou art as exquisite as the morn, and the shape of thine parted lips are enticeingly…”) geralt and dudu (in the form of dainty) cringe at his performance. and this is who dandelion is, he plays with love and acts embarassingly dramatic and forward about it. but to an american audience, this behavior comes off as sweet, romantic, dreamy, desirable... not utterly stupid like it’s intended to?

i also think about geralt and yennefer. this is barring actual qualms about the writing of their relationship itself, but i have also seen american fans say that they do not act like a couple because they are not constantly doting on one another. and of course, misinterpreting yennefer’s sarcasm about the house dream in time of contempt as a genuine response (i do believe she also longed for a home, but was simply teasing geralt for being so optimistic as to think that they could ever achieve something like that, as it seems improbable (especially to her, as she is older than him and has seen more of life)).

bringing it back to what you have said, anon, i think “romance” is something the american audience definitely bangs their fists on the table to demand, and focuses very closely on couple relationships. not that this isn’t the case in ANY other countries’ cultures, but from my experience, a tie in for deep, blinding romance it seems to be essential to american storytelling. this is unfortunate to me because i believe romance is only one element which makes the witcher strong.

this attitude is also highly reflected in netflix’s witcher series, as they did not show how geralt and jaskier are close friends, did not show how geralt is ciri’s father, and did show geralt and yennefer together, BUT with the caveat that they ruined their entire relationship and made geralt insanely dominant, merciless in rebuking and taking advantage of yennefer. romance is prioritized and it’s only a certain type of romance that is...?

i invite more discussion on this post, if anyone else has thoughts, reblog at will

[lettersforyoulettersforme]

When You Talk about Everything From Power Plays to Engagement...

Stephen and I were talking about marriage last night. Ha because I brought it up. It’s something we talk about sometimes and I had been with (old) Sophie earlier that day. She and I were discussing it in the context of our own respective relationships. She and Ben don’t talk about it very much- she doesn’t quite feel ready.

It’s interesting to accept that I do, in fact, feel ready. Not only that, but I want to get married to Stephen. I’m not jumping into anything too quickly, but I just feel ready. Does that mean I’m like a fully formed adult? I don’t know. I don’t really know anyone else my age in my position, so I feel like I don’t have anyone to really ask about this. So I’m just going with my gut.

When Stephen and I were talking about it last night, we both acknowledged how we were falling into semi stereotypical roles. Stephen, the “guy,” who was “not quite ready” with “things to accomplish first.” Me, the “girl,” who is “pushing him for answers ever so slightly” and who “feels that marriage isn’t a death sentence or the same thing as having a kid, meaning that it wouldn’t put your life on hold.”

But then it got me thinking about the technical aspects of marriage, aspects that are often glossed over and ones that I don’t really think about. Ever. Like WHERE would it be? And who would come? And who would pay for it? Or how would WE pay for it? And since our lives and our friends are so geographically distant, how could we get everyone in one place for one day? How many people would come?

I told Stephen that I would split the cost of the ring with him. Hmmmm maybe I just want a new piece of jewerly and a slew of parties. Maybe I just want to be more the center of everyone’s attention? That’s true, I will not for even more breath deny that. BUT (big but here), it’s much more than that. I do want to celebrate my relationship with my family and celebrate with my friends and be close and happy. But I would just be happy marrying him tomorrow. It wouldn’t be what I was picturing, but I do think that I would be happy. In a lot of ways, I already feel married to Stephen. I feel domesticated (though, let’s be honest, I was never THAT wild). I feel great about my relationship. I feel like my whole life, in fact, is in a good, strong place. I feel comfortable where my friendships are, where my school and then professional life will be/ currently are, and hey, I’m getting my driver’s license (hopefully) soon. So this whole life thing is coming somewhat full circle. I guess that I just feel happy and it’s not a new feeling and it’s a feeling that should be celebrated. Sure, sad and annoying things have happened to me, but I feel like I’ve been able to work past them. Which, on a slightly unrelated note, makes me think of Christiana. We are so similiar in so many ways (What’s up Saint James? Hi NYU). She’s even said “Our lives have been running parallel for so long.” And that WAS true, but it’s not true anymore. It just makes me think about nature versus nurture and other things of that ilk- like.. Why, despite all of the odds, is Christiana still depressed? She had the “right” upbringing, her parents give her so much (I’m just leaving Tess out of this equation because she’s another can of worms), she was cum laude-- which at the time, felt like everything, she graduated with Honors- which at the time, felt like everything (here’s looking at you, Snee), but she isn’t in a good place.  I don’t mean to compare, I feel like I’m coming from a place of concern. I hate that she isn’t more of where she thought she would be. She will say things like “I hate that I’m not where I thought I would be. But I’m working to accept that.” Its hard to not disagree with her. I dont want to whole heartedly agree, I want to support her and use that strengths based perspective we’re always talking about in school. But I wonder if the sugar coating is sheltering her further and kind of damaging her even more? Hoensty is important, but I don’t want to crush her by agreeing with the negative voice in her head. I think it just depends on the day/ hour with her and it’s been something that’s been tough over the later year of our friendship. It’s tough to know HOW to be there for someone who can’t pick themselves up. Shouldering her and her mania and her depression (not that I did it alone) was exhausting. Even that fraction that I shouldered felt unbearable  most of the time (Hayley knows from my complaining) but yeah… I feel like I just went on a tangent. I think that if I were to cut through the words that I just spewed, I would  note that the emotions behind that content were concern and perhaps guilt for being quote on quote “happy” when Christiana is quote on quote “not.” It feels weird to be talking about weddings and engagements with someone who I love, someone who christiana barely knows, when she’s locked herself away in Hagerstown. I feel bad that our lives were so parallel for so long and now she’s just slid back into a place and a person that I don’t recognize.

I know that I can seperate my happiness and her life, but I do need to find a way to stop feeling “bad” and “guilty” about things that I have no control over in my life. So that’s just a theme that I clarified for myself- I feel guilty about aspects of my life that are outside of my control. I knew that, but it never hurts to say it again. Once more, ladies!

Anyway, to back away from that for a minute, Isabella comes back tomorrow. I don’t quite know how I feel about her return. She’s been out of DC for a year and she’s back. Part of me wondered if I’d see the day. But here we fucking are, people. So much has changed for both of us and in a way, we’ve barely spoken over the course of her time abroad. Which is fine, no one is upset about that. But I’m supposed to see her tomorrow to return her stuff and catch up with her. But I’m just like not excited about it. Mainly because I feel like she’ll always be wanting to catch up and hang out and do things. I always complain about hanging out with her and then when I get there, it’s always great and incredible. But she is just so judgemental and I hate that about her. I feel like I can never truly and 100 percent be myself with her (unless there’s wine) and I don’t like that uneasy feeling. She was the first friend I made here and honestly, I feel like I outgrew her. How do you break up with friends? Especially in this day and age on social media and shit? Nothing is a fucking secret. Haley Jakobson acts like she’s the only one who spills all of her secrets, but the rest of us are not that far behind. Not to take anything away from her, and what she’s doing is important. But I feel like that could be me or you or anyone else at any point. We’re getting closer and closer to realness. Also, realness includes an Instgram that isn’t perfectly well lit and curated like hers is. Sorry, I’m stepping away, literally no need to tear her down. Truly no need.

San Diego is so soon, by the way! January is like almost half way done and then February and then we basically go. I have a lot of tests and stuff beforehand, but we’re almost there. Time is fucking flying and I’m just trying to loosen the purse strings and treat myself and have a little bit more fun. LIke if I see a dress in San Diego that I want, I should just BUY it. Me and money man. What a doozey there.

I’m going to wrap this up soon. I’m just rambling at this point and putting off reading my second article for my social work in communities power. OH the first article was so interesting though… Just about how as social workers, we have more power than our clients, especially if they are nonvoluntary. And how we need to learn to accept that power dynamic and how to truly advocate on the behalf of our clients. And how that isn’t as easily said or done because everyone’s reality is objective to their past experiences/ their lives and how it’s tough to TRULY advocate on behalf of a client because we’ll never know their experiences. It’s just endlessly fascinating to me because this whole social work field is so steeped in politics (like everything is and always has been) and how individual therapy can only go so far when the overarching policies that are dictating various clients’ lives keep them in chains (metaphorical or otherwise). Just makes me realize how badass social workers are and how it really is this clan of individuals fighting for the marginalized. But how as much as we can fight for them, even our occupation itself is reliant on a particular sector fo the population to remain marginalized in SOME sense. (READ the essay the positive functions of poverty.) It’s just important to remember that there is relief/ allyship/ advocacy but at the end of the day, when social workers go home, we have REST but our clients might never get that same rest or peace of mind. What a humbling position to be in, to constantly know that your client is  “on the job” 24/7 and you get to walk away and exist in your own life. It’s weird to keep those two ideas seperate, but also necessary in order to avoid emotional burnout. Something to consider now and later….

[viralhottopics]

Two of Everest’s coolest climbers talk digital storytelling and survival tips

Cory Richards (left) and Adrian Ballinger (right) making their way up Everest.

Image: eddie Bauer

Next time you’re whining about the ~struggles~ of trying to capture the perfect winter Snapchat to add to your story, think of Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards two badass mountaineers who used Snapchat to document their climb up Mount Everest last year and toughen up.

Before they attempt to summit Everest again this April, the two legendary adventurers who became fast friends after meeting seven years ago in the Himalayas stopped by SXSW to chat about the tech that saves their lives during the climbs and give inquiring minds some insight on what it’s really like to take on the worlds tallest mountain.

SEE ALSO: Now you can climb Mount Everest in VR

In May 2016, the partners embarked on a climb without supplemental oxygen. But when Ballinger, who previously summited Everest six times (with oxygen,) neared 28,000 feet above sea level, he was advised to head back to base camp due to poor health.

Richards carried on, achieving his first Everest summit and becoming one of around 200 people to have successfully climbed Everest without using additional oxygen, but unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties, when he reached the peak he was unable to Snapchat his epic view.

This year, Ballinger explained the primary goal for the two is to summit without supplemental oxygen, while, of course, having loads of fun and hopefully grabbing that glorious Snapchat moment Richards was denied last year.

Between the popular social media platform and Strava a biometric data-driven app that tracks their heartbeats, miles walked and other health-related statistics the climbers plan to use the best of tech and social storytelling to chronicle their excursion in a never-before-seen way.

After hearing the experienced climbers describe the key technology and factors that make achieving their goal possible, Mashable compiled a list of fascinating Everest pro tips from the jaw-droppingly costly price of internet to the shockingly gross storage of bodily fluids.

Here are some things you should know should you hope to scale Everest and document your trip:

The internet costs A LOT up there

Snapchatting up Everest is no cheap feat. In fact, Ballinger explained that last year, the pair’s internet bill was a whopping $23,000 essentially as steep as the mountain itself. While I almost passed out upon hearing this news, Ballinger simply laughed and owned the massive but worthwhile charges, saying, “We killed it.”

Bet that extra $50 you pay when you exceed your data limit doesn’t seem so terrifying anymore.

Ballinger Snapping away like it’s just another day.

Image: SNAPCHAT/EVEReSTNOFILTER

A very stylin’ Richards gives Snapchat users a glimpse at the snow.

Image: SNAPCHAT/EVEReSTNOFILTER

Data will help you understand what’s really going on

While Snapchat serves as a more lighthearted form of entertainment for the two, allowing them to preserve and share monumental memories from the mountain, Strava aids in their safety, updating them along with their doctors and coaches back home about their health.

“We feel like the two platforms Strava and Snapchat work really well together because they show two really different sides of what we do,” Ballinger explained. Without Strava’s geospatial data, it would be almost impossible for the men to make sense of their physical activity on the mountain.

“We go a mile and it takes four and a half hours,” Ballinger said, but once you use the app to “see the data, look at the heart rate, grade of the slope and do some calculations, you figure out thats like the equivalent of running five-and-a-half-minute miles for four hours.”

“Its basically an Instagram or Snapchat for the athletic community but rather than stripping pictures and videos youve got all sorts of backup data to show whats actually happening,” Richards added. “Its a more robust and scientific social media.”

Special gloves are VERY important

In Richards’ mind, the gloves you wear could either make or break your entire Everest experience.

“Some people dont think about this, but something thats massively important to me is the gloves you have on,” he explained. When it’s negative 25 degrees outside and the wind is whipping at 20mph, “the last thing you want to do is take your gloves off,” he said, so you’ll need special tipped gloves to use your phone.

Check out the gloves on these guys. Very nice.

Image: eddie bauer

External battery packs are your heroes

For all those who fear the menacing 10% battery warning as much as death itself, it feels like external battery packs save lives on the regular. But on Everest they’re actually essential just ask Cory Richards, he knows.

“Cory summited this past year without oxygen,” Ballinger said about his climbing partner. However, when he reached the top of the mountain, he was in for some very troubling news his phone was dead. “Cory did not take a snap from the summit because he took his phone out, pushed the button and got the wheel of death right as the phone shut down,” he explained explained. Ballinger had been carrying the external batteries all season but went back down the mountain before reaching the top, taking the power sources with him.

When Richards successfully reached Everest’s peak and the heartbreaking wheel of death showed itself, he admitted he considered straight-up throwing his phone off the mountain. However, he ultimately decided it was more important to preserve the other content on the device and resisted the urge. “I wasnt mad,” he said, “it was more of like a Tom Cruise moment in Top Gun where he takes the dog tags and chucks them.”

Everest can be as social as you want it to be

You may think a two-and-a-half-month climb up a very cold mountain would be an extremely solitary experience, but according to Ballinger, it doesn’t have to be. While you’ll undoubtedly spend a lot of time alone with your thoughts, the climber compared base camp to summer camp!

“Some things are really serious when youre higher up, but when you come down everyone just wants to let off steam,” he explained. When the two aren’t busy brushing their teeth, having dance parties or judging who has grosser looking hair, they’re exploring the camps.

With different camps spread out over a 25 to 30 minute walk, climbers have the option to do whatever they feel like, such as eating Korean food for lunch at the Korean camp, grabbing some vodka at the Russian camp or popping by the Italian camp to steal some prosciutto and mozzarella, for example. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?

Ballinger (left) and Richards (right) having a straight-up blast.

Image: eddie bauer

You sleep with a bottle of pee (I am unfortunately not joking)

Bad news, prospective Everest climbers sleeping arrangements are definitely not ideal, nor are they comfortable. “The reality is its so cold up there that anything liquid or electronic actually has to be inside your sleeping bag,” Ballinger described.

“So youre in a mummified sleeping bag and its completely full of stuff … your boots are in there because your boots would freeze otherwise, your water is in there, every battery you have sometimes we carry like 10 or 12 pounds of batteries our satellite internet, phones, cameras,” he went on. “We even have our pee bottles in there because its too cold to go outside to pee.”

Cory Richards beside his tent.

Image: eddie bauer

I mean to me, cuddling a bottle of pee at night sounds pretty nasty, but a seasoned professional like Richards is all for it. “Pee is actually a great source of heat once it’s outside of you,” he said. In fact, Richards makes the most of his pee bottle by putting it down at the bottom of his sleeping bag to keep his feet warm.

If you’re attempting to climb without supplemental oxygen, it’s not going to feel great

Ballinger described the feeling of scaling the mountain without oxygen as “pure suffering.” While both men admit it’s hard to even imagine the severity of the discomfort, he compared the feeling of breathing thin air high on the mountain to laboriously breathing through straws. “I think the best way to do it if you want to try it at home is to run around your block or exercise normally thats like sea-level,” he said. Breathing through three straws and running around the block a few times is like 10,000 or 12,000 ft, and repeating the activity with one straw is like 20,000 ft.

If you’re looking to feel high altitude, “go try with a coffee stirrer,” he explained.

The video above shows several Everest Snapchats from Richards where he can be seen speaking in between strained breaths. “You can hear it in some of the snaps. Its shallow, labored breathing,” he said. “When youre not acclimatized, I think the easiest way to explain what it feels like to be at altitude is like the worst hangover you can imagine and still having to get out of bed and go work out all of the symptoms are the same, confusion, dehydration, headache,” Ballinger added.

You’ll want to buy ramen and Pop-Tarts in bulk

Welcome to college errr wait, Everest! Once you embark on your climb an Everest diet isn’t as healthy as you might imagine. Since fats and proteins are difficult to digest above 10,000 ft, sugars are your friend. “Some of the things you would normally be okay to eat, you can’t digest,” Richards explained. His go-to meal? “Lots of ramen.”

Richards said the dorm room staple has tons of sugar in the noodles, tons of fluid in the broth and its salty. The dynamic duo have also been spotted Snapchatting Pop-Tarts on their journey, so Everest climbing sounds delicious.

Image: SNAPCHAT/EVERESTNOFILTER

Despite this amazing inside info, you shouldn’t be attempting this perilous climb without a whole lot of training and experience. Even well-trained and experienced climbers can run into difficulty, which can be fatal. After Everest’s 2016 climbing season, a total of six people reportedly died on the mountain, 18 died following an earthquake in 2015, and there are a ton of potential dangers climbers must face.

Be sure to follow along with videos and photographs of the April 8 expedition on Snapchat at EverestNoFilter.

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from Two of Everest’s coolest climbers talk digital storytelling and survival tips