#I literally go out at 2am and drive around for 2 hours blasting my music and taking the winding backroads driving twice the speed limit

[brad-bakshi-loves-bugs]

people say the home is where the heart is. brad knows it's bullshit, though.

home is where you feel safe.

and the only place brad can feel truly safe is his car. whether it's his old beat up silver 2006 toyota corolla or his shiny new white 2020 audi rs 3, he spends more time in his car than his apartment.

well, when he's not sick, at least.

brad bought his corolla new back in 2006. it was his first car, and he still affectionately refers to it as "ol reliable" even though it's pushing 410k miles. the car's nearly undrivable now - there's something wrong with the transmission and the car rattles suspiciously when he drives faster than 60mph in it, but he keeps it anyway because it's the only non-living thing he's ever been attached to. that old car got him away from his father and zack, after all. he saved for years to buy it.

because the thing is - cars are safe. which is ironic, because people die in their cars far more than they die in their homes. but they aren't murdered in their cars. well, not frequently, at least. brad knows that zack knows his address. no matter how often brad moves, zack has always known his new address in a matter of weeks. brad's given up on constantly uprooting his life to hide from the inevitable.

but there isn't a paper trail to follow when brad is in his car. he can drive as long and as far as he wants, and no one can follow him or stop him. that was part of his reason for getting his current car - he knows zack can't afford a faster car than he has, so theres zero chance of zack stalking and hurting him when he's driving. not to mention the fact that brad doesnt have any neighbors when he's driving around, so he can blast his music as loud as he wants and scream when he's pissed off and no one will ever hear or know. it's a great release.

brad isnt a car guy. he's only owned two cars throughout his entire life. but he would rather die than be carless. thats another reason he kept his corolla when he got his audi - one day, his audi may be in need of repair or something that requires it to be taken into a shop, and brad doesnt feel comfortable without an escape plan. better safe than sorry, after all.

[imagining-in-the-margins]

oh god i have so many anons omg im sorry lmao

Here are some TB&TB Anon Asks 🐇 !

Check the last few answers for a ton of headcanon discussions!

1. I do have a playlist for TB&TB! You can access it here (along with some others!)

You are amazing, and thank you for your kindness 💕

2. Thank you, friend 👽 I’ve been writing, both fan fiction and original works, since I was about 12 years old. So, however many minutes that is! Writing is one of those things that you will literally always get better at the more you write (as long as you continue to enjoy yourself!)

Also, I sold my soul to the angst gods.

3. Ahhhh I was falling asleep when I came up with that exchange and I turned around and frantically typed it into my Discord so I wouldn't forget, lmao!

The universe colored eyes is also referencing a line from Part 7's dream sequence, for those who missed it!

4. Impending doom...? No... Not me... Never... 🌝

5. Big thank you to everyone who sent in a favorite line! You all make my day! It makes me so happy to see people get excited about the same parts as me. The callbacks to the honeysuckle language in the Prologue are some of my favorites.

Sometimes I worry I'm too heavy handed with the metaphors, but I just love nature so much.

6. Aaaaa I wrote that at like 2am when I couldn't sleep! Also, as to how I do it... I've no feckin' clue. Brain say word, word go down.

7. First off, I am so not annoyed with you! These made my day, honestly. It was especially great to see someone guess so many things that will be confirmed in canon, lmao!

I'm not incorporating the Daddy kink into this fic, but I do think it would probably shock him badly enough that he would completely stop whatever he was doing while he processed what just happened, lmao!

This will be confirmed in canon.

I don't specify hair type/length the best I can, so I won't be confirming it in canon, but I do tend to picture her with ponytails/puffs!

Spencer is already a (show) canon fan of soap operas! I think it'd be funny watching him discuss how manipulative a lot of rom coms are, but then slowly falls in love with the tropes. One day he doesn't call one out and she just looks at him like 👀

This will be confirmed in canon.

8. The first one will be confirmed in canon on several occasions.

I love showering scenes, but I won't be including one in this work to make it more accessible to Readers of all races, since many hair types have remarkably different hair care routines!

This will be referenced in canon.

Please, Bunny would be mortified the whole time. She'd probably kick him the first few times.

Again, I love these, but they aren't accessible to all body types, so I try to avoid them! I agree with you, though, that would drive him crazy.

She does fall in heels in the Part 3, lol! I suck at heels because I have ankle problems. Shoutout to my clumsy bitches. I don't specify height, though I usually picture all of my Readers at my height (5'6").

He definitely already knows the skincare, but he would pretend like he doesn't just so she could teach him something. She's too excited for him to break it to her.

She hates when he cuts it because it means she has less of a canvas to work with!

9-10. I'm sorry the picture messed up! I don't know what my computer is doing. But I have the missing text (When the couple moves in together spencer buys a sign to the door that has 2 bunnies on it with their names on it).

I personally love classic rock, but I know not everyone will. I fully agree with your headcanon, and I share it! Technically, we do see her recognize two different songs from the 80s (Don't Stand So Close to Me & Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want). She would also have heard from Derek all of the music he had to introduce Spencer to!

Hamsters are so cute! I personally am a cat person, but I could see her with literally any animal!

Pastels are a must with a nickname like Bunny.

Spencer WOULD be ticklish. She would be a menace.

Spencer makes the mistake of saying "Good Bunny" in front of Derek exactly one (1) time and doesn't say it for another month.

I have a running joke in the Discord that later the couple has two kids they nickname "Birdie" and "Bee." When Bunny asks him for his B-nickname, he replies "Bastard." Idk why, but the bunny sign reminded me of that lmao!

All it takes is Bunny shushing Spencer once and him looking positively terrified of her wrath for them to realize who is really in charge there.

He's just so used to dry cleaning! It's not his fault 😜

Him and that kitten would be inseparable after that. He would spend hours telling her why cats are great companion animals for autistic people!

Thank you for sending me these! I had a blast, and I love you, too!

[identityexcavationstation]

The High Fidelity Remake is Good and my Identity is Irreversibly Linked to Music Consumption

Hi! So, I’m kinda insane about playlists.

This year I’ve made a lot of them. They’ve been short and snappy on index cards, scanned and pasted in a book and uploaded to the internet. (I’ve really fallen in love with index card playlists and they’re my thing now and I think everyone should do them always and forever.) They were easy to churn out as a retrospective exercise because the music I listened to as a teenager really defined my high school experience. Also, I have most of my favorite songs from that period in a very dramatic playlist I started in 2014 so it was really a game of copy-and-paste. 

Making these smol boys in batches has been a really peculiar experience because for years now, I’ve only made one playlist at a time. In my second semester of college, I’d officially burned myself out listening to only CHVRCHES for three months and began venturing elsewhere. (Don’t get me wrong, CHVRCHES absolutely bangs, but you can only listen to “Never Ending Circles” so many times before getting seasick.) All of the random songs I was listening to made me feel kinda hazy and purple, like I’d done all of this before. So I made a playlist full of them and called it “Deja Vu.”

I added to it all semester, and then suddenly it was summer and I didn’t feel purple and hazy anymore⁠—everything was blue and crisp on the way to South Haven as my friend blasted “Settle Down” by Kimbra in her beat-up Honda. So I started a new playlist and named it the first word that popped into my head: “Roots.”

Using Deja Vu as a rubric, I developed some ground rules for the playlists I would go on to create. They are pretty nonsensical but also exceedingly firm because if I don’t make rules for every area of my life I feel like I’m falling into a deep and limitless void. Health! Anyway, the rules are:

The playlist’s title has to be a short noun (seven letters maximum).

This has since transformed into a noun that is also a verb.

To generate a title, I ask myself what short word I would use to describe the phase of life I’m currently in. The answer comes quickly and reflexively, and I choose the very first word I think of.

One song per artist, no repeats!

Exceptions are made for artists who are featured on a track.

There have been times when I’ve obsessively listened to a whole album or an artist’s entire discography, so I have to choose just one song that represents the very best of that album or artist.

Tracks are added chronologically, based on when I first hear them and/or start listening to them compulsively.

The playlist has to contain an amount of tracks that is divisible by five.

If a song in a playlist is deleted from Spotify, I have to find a replacement asap that is accurate to what I was listening to when that playlist was being created.

and, most importantly, 

I can’t make a new playlist until I feel I’m finished with the current one.

These playlists represent seasons of my life, cycles in which I change and evolve and stagnate and fuck up and try again. The only rule I have for beginning a new playlist is that I feel done with the current one—those songs are a little stale and don’t represent me anymore. These “seasons” don’t have any set length, and I can never predict when I’ll feel like a new being who needs new songs to define her. So far, my life has looked like this:

Deja Vu - 176 days (12.03.16 - 05.28.17) Most common lyrics: now, love, time, need, take

snow that covers ivy that covers bricks, towers made from dining hall dishes, smiling at the bus stop without knowing, sheet masks in the dorm bathroom at 2am, pink string lights and pink crocheted blankets and pink shag carpeting, cheap beer behind tarps and walking everyone home

Roots - 111 days (05.28.17 - 09.16.17)  Most common lyrics: love, one, give, wanna, know

t-shirt tan lines, mozzarella and tomato and basil and singed spaghetti, sunset walks around abandoned high schools, green leaves outlined in watercolor, the smell of mildew and old paper in banker’s boxes, sweat-soaked french braids, the knife twist of eye contact, tarot readings under lamplight

Walls - 110 days (09.16.17 - 01.04.18)   Most common lyrics: wanna, know, baby, take, feel

crying in the gender-neutral restroom, pretty boys holding guitars or rolling rock, photos in the forest, blue carpeting and lofted bedframes, pitch-black bonfires, sitting in the dining hall to just watch the people pass, snow on eyelashes in large wet clumps, laughing at lies

Bite - 78 days (01.04.18 - 03.23.18)    Most common lyrics: know, love, stay, come, need

impatience at the airport, texting on the laundry room floor, nervous night drives, five grilled cheese sandwiches, acne like freckles, ceiling photos taken in secret, watercolor lines and paper houses, broken glass on the sidewalk, ink-stained forearms, notebook paper comics, writing small on basement walls

Windows - 131 days (03.23.18 - 08.01.18)   Most common lyrics: love, now, know, baby, fall

books piled up by the bed, rum and coke and orange juice and vodka and cheap white wine, rainy day night walks, streetlights turning the leaves orange, echoes from the party upstairs, solo trips to the grocery store, always leaving the blinds open, aperol and chai lattes and smørrebrød, never coming home

Grip - 136 days (08.01.18 - 12.15.18)    Most common lyrics: know, boy, lost, girl, night

read receipts, the creaking of an empty house, sand and bricks and traffic cones, sitting on the curb and shaking, applause at dinner, bubble tea, bike rides in torn jeans, mr brightside blasting at 10am, doodles during lectures, embroidery at the kitchen table, blue bus panic attacks, half an apple for lunch

Wait - 117 days (12.15.18 - 04.11.19)  Most common lyrics: heart, want, one, back, know

crying in the lobby, measuring oats by the quarter cup, drunken voice memos, shoes on power lines, another bowl of granola, reading all the lyrics, photos taken with the flash on, sleeping on strange couches, shoeboxes full of photographs, wire catching the sunlight, fifteen minutes of windchill

Wave - 108 days (04.11.19 - 07.28.19)  Most common lyrics: wanna, know, now, love, come

dancing on the porch, reading on the roof, tipsy trips to the corner store, silent heavy parlor air, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, barred windows and string lights and exit signs, highlighting the important parts, nails tapping on wooden tables, wet wind before the storm, biking straight into the smoke

Home - 178 days (07.28.19 - 01.22.20)   Most common lyrics: down, know, now, wanna, think

steep downhill walks, fingertips covered in graphite and lead, blank faces on green walls, forest walkways, hands gripping thighs too tightly, light leaks in darkrooms, the handwriting of strangers, chains trapped between teeth, white words left unread, twirling at the tennis court, yellow becoming blue

Hand - 63 days (01.22.20 - 03.25.20)   Most common lyrics: know, time, love, die, back

masking tape messages, laughing four shots in, BiC .07mm HB mechanical pencils slipped into coat cuffs, cheeks blushed with red ink, green floodlights and kissed knuckles, windows fogged from the inside, falling asleep with earbuds in, finger guns and everything in boxes, wedging open locked doors

_______________________________________________________________________

It’s interesting to look back at these playlists altogether, see them as self-contained units, little stories I tell about myself, about the people I used to be. Adding a song to one of these playlists was like making a vow, entering a relationship with a collection of sounds. It’s like I was saying “this song is now a part of me.” I constructed this little world for myself in the space between my ears, and it, in turn, created me.

I really mean it when I say that the first word that floats to the front of my mind becomes the title of whatever playlist I’m making. I never question what the word means, and its meaning always ends up describing that season of my life. 

“Roots” became a period of reconnecting with essential pieces of myself I thought I had abandoned. 

During “Grip,” I was holding on so tightly to things that had left me ages ago, and I think I knew that, even if I was unable to admit it to myself. 

“Wait” revealed itself in two ways: it was a time in which 1.) I felt stagnant and restless, unable to be patient, and 2.) I was forced to grasp with a physical and emotional weight that had been bearing down on me. 

The mind is a magical thing—it processes what we refuse to recognize. 

Speaking of which, these playlist covers have been driving me up the wall for ages. They’re like nails on a freaking chalkboard for my synesthesia. Is “Bite” a heavily blue playlist? Sure. But is “Home” purple? Is “Grip” pink??? I think the fuck not! 

(I could do a whole goddamn blog post on synesthesia, and I might.)

Now that I know how to switch out playlist cover art (can you believe it’s taken me this long to figure out how to do that?), I have decided to issue myself a challenge/project/way to procrastinate actual work I have to do. 

I’d like to make a piece of cover art for all of the above playlists. And because I am, to reiterate, insane, I’m setting up some Rules For Creation:

All works must be the same size, on the same type of paper using similar materials (tbd but probably graphite, colored pencil, watercolor, fineliners, and/or collage).

The preliminary sketch for each cover must be created while listening to the playlist.

Each piece can (must?) incorporate the five most common lyrics as listed above because goddammit I did not spend four hours compiling lyrics in a web-based word cloud generator for nothing.

If I’m not having fun, I won’t make myself do it because this is literally just for laffs. 

Anyway, I’m looking forward to creating some fun weird art! I know nobody is gonna read this and nobody is gonna comment but if, by some miracle, you feel like it, comment a playlist you’ve made that you’re really proud of! Or comment if you have some weird playlist rules! Or cyberbully me! Anything’s fair game. 

TL;DR playlists are fun and I’m a maniac :)

[heesgf]

Ship your mutuals with Treasure13 (or Silver Boys if you’d like)?💓

thank u for being so patient with me angel🤧🤧 i finally got around to answering this and just a warning omg sksks it’s ridiculously long!! but very very worth bc i love my mutuals more than anything!!!!💞💞💞 i hope u enjoy :’)))

hyunsuk 

im gonna start by shipping the cutest bby in the world with the other cutest bby in the world, @moonxlika!!!🤧💖 lika when i think of you and suk, i think about halloween omg?? like you guys dressing up and coordinating your scary costumes and then heading over to a halloween party that suk practically begged u to go to😢 tbh after an hour, u guys realize the party is kinda lame?? and ur like  ‘ಠ╭╮ಠ rlly u just did me wrong on halloween like this??’ but don’t worry!!!! because suk has got u covered~~he has lots of fun things in mind to keep the party fun and perhaps.. it mostly involves kissing uuuu hehe!!! and at one point, u steal the aux cord and start playing some real music and let’s just say.. u dance the night away uwu!!! (and maybe scare ppl when they come out of the bathroom but shhh u didn’t hear it from me!!!) 

of course i also ship hyunsuk with the world’s sweetest angel, miss sim @hyunsukmyass!!!😇💘 sim i know you’ve been studying hard for uni, so that’s exactly why suk takes every opportunity he can to whisk you away and help his baby relax!! this means bringing u beautiful flowers when u start ur studying sessions🥰 and convincing you to take evening drives with him when ur classes are over!! in the moment, all u really wanna do is nap, so ur a little bit hesitant, but once u see the beautiful orange and pink sky when the sun sets, and the way suk has his heart eyes completely set on you, u just🤧🤧 he really loves u to the moon and back :’))) and would do anything to see ur beautiful angelic smile!!!💕💓💞 pls smile lots for him MWAH

sam my bby @jehyoney!!!!! u and hyunsuk are my cowboy couple.. my crackhead icons🤠 u guys are that couple that are so close and comfortable with one another?? like everyone is in awe at ur relationship bc it’s so loving but also so funny?? u guys spend a lot of time watching cringey tik toks (perhaps recreating them….) and just!!! having the best time together uwu!! he loves u🥰 ALSO he sings old town road 25/8 and u kinda wanna kill him for it but also… he’s so CUTE u cant resist not cuddling him pls!!! sweetest bbys✨

noa

@forhyunsuk omg miss courtney!!! originally i was gonna ship u with suk, but u already know im that relationship’s #1 fan, so i thought i’d switch things up and ship u with noa the prince!!!😽💞 i feel like noa is that super smart and kinda quiet but SUPER CHARMING guy in your class that you’ve been crushing on since forever? and tbh u think ur being slick when u stare at the back of his head during class and drool or when u bite lip when u see his sweet smile!!! but guess what!!! hehe noa has known abt ur crush on him the whole time and he was so shocked when he found out bc he feels just the same way abt you??? when u smile and laugh or even just vaguely glance in his direction, he’s just straight up😻😻!!! one time ur hand brushed against his when u were passing out papers and his heart!! almost leaped !!! right out of his chest!!! dont tell him i told u but… he’s planning on asking u out this weekend.. bby he loves u sm!!!💘

tiyi my love @speckofglitter!!!!💕💓💞💞💝💘 i was gonna ship u with suk too, but i thought i’d be fun and ship u with ur model bf noa!!! noa is just so so so in love with you :’)) and he’s so proud of everything you’ve accomplished omg!! i think he’d love to sneak you off campus and take you on spontaneous night time dates into the city uwu✨✨ u guys spend time together at night markets, taking adorably aes photos (bc let’s be real.. king and queen of aes), dancing on the street and singing loudly, and kissing in the car!!! u guys are such a sweet and lovely couple and noa is just so whipped for u :’)) and his camera roll is literally filmed to the brim with cute pics of u!!! also.. sometimes u guys decide u want to give the world what it needs and sing beautiful songs together omg!!! ≧◡≦

mashiho 

@mashiho m i definitely ship u with baby mashi!!!🥰 hehe when i think of u guys, i think of mashi working at ur local bakery??? and u go there occasionally bc ur mom tells u to get that bread she likes, and u see THE CUTEST ANGEL IN EXISTENCE, and suddenly…. u have an intense craving for baked goods everyday???😉 mashi notices that u come more and more often, and he just grows the fattest crush on you? he’s always slipping extra sweets into ur bag and gives u the cutest lil smile when u walk in💕💓💞 eventually he finally works up the courage to ask u out, and ofc, u say yes!!! then u spend the rest of ur days being the cutest couple ever in the world, and it’s random, but u guys dance a lot together??? he loves teaching u moves uwuwuwuwu✨

@mashilove uyen my sweet angel, i ship u with mashi too!!!💘💘💘 he knows how much hard work you’ve been doing at work, and that it’s been stressful for you, so he loves taking out on little dates after work!!!😻 he likes to hug and cuddle u and poke ur cheeks!!  u guys have dinner and then drive out into the hills, and u spend the night staring up at the stars and cuddling💫💫💫 he lets u rant about work and you have lovely conversations!!! he always comforts you when you need it and gives u sweet kisses!! he loves u so so so much!!!

seunghun

maddi my bby @seunghunn​!!!!! u know that ur love for seunghun makes me the softest girl on the planet😢💖 seunghun knows it’s tournament season and that things are a little bit stressful for you rn, so he just wants to give u the sweetest n warmest cuddles 24/7??? he cares for u too much to let u overwork yourself!!! so anytime he thinks ur studying too hard, he quickly pulls you onto him (despite ur groaning) and he cuddles u between the bed sheets and gives u soft soft soft cheek and forehead kisses!!! sometimes when he’s feeling extra flirty hehe, he’ll steal a few from ur lips as well and as much as you’d like to complain that he’s being too clingy… sksksk u love it too much🤧💓💞 and he knows it too!!! sometimes when u cant sleep at night, he insists that he needs to sing u a soft lullaby, and instantly, u drift into sleep with him by ur side :’)) angel maddi, pls dream of him!!! 

vale, i ship u with ur sunshine bf seunghun too🥰🥰!!! @seunghunies it’s exam season for the both of you, so things have been a little stressful, and sometimes he can’t sleep well at night :’((( on those nights, he drives straight over to ur house, knocks on ur window at 2am with the widest smile, and convinces u to go get some icecream with him uwu!!! tbh ur feeling a little sleepy and icecream @ 2 am… doesn’t sound that appealing sksks, but he’s just too!!!! cute!!! to resist!!! so u hop into his car and kissing, and the next day, maybe ur a little more tired than u need to be but!!! u guys are so in love and it’s sOOO adorable :’ ) ))

angel christina 💞💞💞@kimseunghoney omg literally no one is surprised that i ship u with seunghun!!! u are a complete and utter sweetheart, just like ur wonderful bf, and u guys radiate!!! light!!! hehe when i think of u guys, i think of hun as that sweet and flirty boy next door that has a huge crush on u!! like he’s always doing cute things, like leaving flowers on your porch, and chocolates on ur desk in the library when u study!!! one time u confront him abt it!!! bc ur just so in love with this sweet boy :’))) he’s s OOooo annoying abt it like… ‘me? did i send it? hmmm…. let me think about it🤪’ but he so did!! and u KNOW it 😤 another time, u think you’ve finally reached ur breaking point, so while he’s teasing u, u suddenly slide your hands behind his neck and look deeply into his eyes… he’s blushing ridiculously hard and biting his lip!!! ur hovering so close to his lips.. and then u ask ‘did u send the stuff?’; when he finally gulps and nods his head, still biting his lip, u bravely move forward and kiss him. hmmm… let’s just say u guys have a new hobby….. ;) 

doyoung

@doyeongs j my sweet lil angel, i ship u with the cutest ray of sunshine!!!🌞🌞 u and doyoung are always studying after school at this cute little ice cream shop!!! and u regularly share sherbet together!!! he’s always doing cute things like holding ur hands, and giving u sweet hugs, and ruffling the hair on top of ur head💘💘 when prom season rolls around, doyoung shows up to ur locker at school with three scoops of your sherbet to-go, and a big poster that says ‘here’s the scoop: prom with me?’!!! and ur screaming bc, ew omg sO CHEESY, but also!!! doyoung just asked u to prom and ur abt to melt!!!! uwu u guys are literally the cutest bbys ever to exist and ur gonna have the biggest blast at prom!!! pls have lots of fun with ur adorable bf🥰

byounggon

bby ess!!!!💫💫💫 @ggoncafe hehe u know i ship u with gon, my love!!! i think he’d make the perfect date for u at ur annual arts banquet :’))) just imagining gon getting all dressed up to support his lovely gf… sksksk the SOFTNESS🤧🤧 he’s definitely gonna be bringing you the biggest bouquet of roses, and giving u so!!! many!!! sweet forehead and cheek kisses!!! he’s just so so so proud of u 💞💞💞 and he’s so excited to have an amazing night of fun with u and ur friends!!! u two are gonna be dancing and laughing and taking the cutest couple pics uwu!!! he’s just so in love with u,,, and it shows so much on his face when he looks at u and his eyes just pool up with love!!! everyone will be gawking at how cute u two are omg😻😻 angels!!! 

@bggon (taryn i was looking for ur old url and almost panicked skkskss) miss taryn ofc i ship u with gon!!!💘💘 maybe it’s bc of ur dark mobile theme, but when i think of u and gon, i think of bad boy! gon??? like on the outside he looks really tough and intimidating with his dark hair and piercings, and some ppl might be a lil bit scared of him, but then they see him with you and they just.. they drop that mentality completely??? bc LISTEN when he’s around u, his bby, he’s just so so soft??🤧🤧 everybody watches as his eyes crinkle with happiness when he sees u!!! and the way his mouth softens into a smile!! and he’s such a cuddly baby too :’((( how could he be scary when he’s so lovely with u omg… 

lastly i ship gon with aurora @constantlytiiired 💞💞💞 aurora ur so sweet and kind and caring, and i just feel like gon would never want to be away from you?? like when he’s recording in the studio, or travelling places, he always wants to call u and just hear ur voice!!! it helps him fall asleep at night🥰 and he loves to leave u sweet little love notes around ur house, so that when u wake up, u can feel how much he loves u immediately!! uwu he always wants to give u that warmest hugs and just :’)) he’s so soft for u

yedam

my baby sugarplum dara @yeetdam ✨✨✨!!!! hnnnggg i have to ship u with [red.] first because ur!!! my!! angel!! you and yedam are those people that are literally head over heels in love for one another, but for some reason, always denying it??? like ur so soft and starry eyed for him, and yet, it always seems to come out in an insult or two??? hehe oops😚💖 not that yedam ever minds tho, because he’s just so whipped for u, his little bby!!! tbh every time u try and deflect ur love for him, he couldn’t be bothered, and instead just wants to engulf u in the tightest hug and smooch ur cute lil head!!! and ofc.. u blush bc he’s so c u t e pls!!! once u guys finally straighten out ur feelings and realize that ur THAT couple; u guys are bursting with love for one another and everyone can tell omg!!! also… the best couple outfits EVER.. i know it

@yedarnit micro u are literally yedam’s perfect match, i swear it!!!🤧🤧 u guys are the most charismatic, and lovable, and musical couple to ever exist omg!!! yedam is ALWAYS at ur shows whenever ur performing, and u better believe he has the biggest bouquet of flowers, along with the biggest SMILE you’ve ever seen💖⭐️💝💓💕💞 he’s shouting and laughing and maybe even tearing up at the end??? god,, he loves u!!! and of course, ur the exact same way with him :’)) whenever he has a music show, ur sure to be in the front row with ur camera, and he can’t help but feel his heart swell with love when he sees u so starstruck (◠﹏◠✿) best bbys!!! 

soh u might run away from this but LISTEN u and yedam…. that’s some good shit @ygteasure❣️❣️❣️ i know u said prom was a little bit lame, so i guess it’s a good thing that u and yedam ditch early to go out on a spontaneous night time beach date????😻 u guys sit in the sand with ur fancy clothes and u lay ur head softly on his shoulder,, and tbh he was gonna be a drama queen and be like… ‘soh.. are u really putting ur head on my shoulder rn?? is this rlly happening?’ but he decides u look way too cute in this moment, and he doesn’t want to ruin anything, so instead he just smiles to himself, and wraps his arm over your shoulder, pulling u closer💞💞💞 u guys talk for hours and have so many heart to hearts… he’s so in love with u!!! and u may not admit it but we know u are too uwu :’)))

jihoon

my sweet baby angel izzy mWAH😚✨ @glossyedam i had to ship u with someone that was just as bright and kind hearted as u, and that person is jihoon!!!! jihoon knows that ur working so hard around the clock for school, and exam season is approaching, so he always want to make sure ur feeling happy and taking care of urself🥰💝💝 u can always catch him visiting u at school with food and sweets and his hoodies!!! he wants u to be well fed and smiley and warm hehe!!! also jihoon is King of the Class Clowns, so he’s never not telling u jokes to make u laugh!! even if it means embarrassing himself in front of ur whole school sskkssk!!! ur his sweet angel and he can never give u enough cheek kisses.. u guys are everything,, and even though ur school principal sees jihoon and is sometimes😤, they get over it bc u two are so lovely!!!(*^ -^*)

yoonbin

@yoonbins kara… my best bitch… my ICON.. i have to ship u with mr yoonbin bc that’s the cutest shit ever!!!!💖⭐️💝💓💕💞 u two are tall bbys!!! and the energy u emit omg….the most badass visual LEGENDS, literally everyone and their mom wishes they could compete!!!! i feel like u and bin on the outside would have a very bff like relationship, with lots of laughing and inside jokes and banter! and i think ur couple-y interactions in public would be very subtle bc u guys dont wanna go overboard, but uwu, behind closed doors, ha yoonbin is cuddliest baby ever!!! and u are ready to accept all the softness🤧 u two are just so in sync?? and even though u aren’t the most lovey dovey couple, everyone knows ur dating bc ur just so attune with each other✨  ilu!!! 

keita 

keita isn’t a silver boy, nor is he in treasure 13, but i want to ship him with the lovely ari @shibrs😽💞 ari, u and keita are the fluffliest couple!!! i can see u guys going on sweet little study dates in the library, and keita just loves to hear u talk, so he likes to lean onto your shoulder and shut his eyes and listen to u talk about ur day!! other times, he’s very boisterous and giggly and his mission of the day is to get u laughing just as loudly with him and omg.. let’s just say there have been more than a few instances in which you two have been kicked out of the library!!! u pretend to be mad sometimes but he’s just .. so.. cUTE !! and when he kisses ur cheek and hugs ur side.. how can u be mad?!🤧

asahi

@multyfan1458 krystal this might be random but u and asahi would be so cute together omg???💖💖 he loves to shower u with love and affection ahh!!! i imagine him taking u out on study dates at different cafes :’)) and he just loves to converse with u abt literally anything.. like just talking to u fills him with happiness!! and he loves to do cute and heart warming things, like brushing the hair from ur face, or wiping the whipped cream by your lips😭😭 u guys would be adorable! 

haruto 

my ray of sunshine niki, i ship u with haru @waharuto!!💓💕💞 when i think of you two, i immediately think of summer time dates together omg!!! i feel like the two of you would love to dress up and head down to the beach :’))) and then you’d share icecream, or swim a bit!!! maybe he’d try and piggyback u and throw u into the water but it’s all in good fun hehe >.

junkyu

@koala-junkyu b i have to ship you with kyu because u two would be the loveliest couple!!!!🥰🥰 whenever ur studying hard, junkyu is sure to come bring u the warmest blanket he can find and wrap it tightly around ur body!!! bc the last thing he wants is his bby to feel cold :’((( he’s always bring u ur favourite foods and snacks, and coffee when u need it desperately!!! he loves u so so so much💞💞💞 and he makes sure u never forget it by giving u the warmest hugs and kisses!!! 

[chaos-and-cookies]

I can't sleep so i guess i gotta get this off my chest or else I'm just going to continue to be seething in it.

So if u don't know by now atm im in Trinidad and so far, much like last time i was here when i was a chid, the experience has been shit for me because my family members seem to collectively hold 5 whole brain cells and need to take turns using them. I'll just do this by a night/day scale to tell how my personal experience has been.

Night 1) finally arrive after 15 fucking hours of traveling. Flight 1 from ny to miami was shit and on a plane that was not made with humans in mind and flight 2 kept having the fucking gates changed then had 2 delays, 1 delay being an hour and a half long WHILE WE WERE ON THE FUCKING PLANE. When we got there at 1am (we left our house in NY at 10:30am so this is 1am the next day) we were told no one had food/no one cooked, so we had airport KFC for what was basically our first meal of the entire fucking day and ngl it wasnt bad because it wasnt american so it wasn't covered in 10 gallons of grease and is actually halal?? Once my uncle drove us to his house everyone was getting ready to leave for Jouvert(?) Some kinda night festival the sunday night/monday morning before carnival that goes from 2am to like 10am but i said fuck that idec I'm exhausted im going to sleep. My mom basically said the same thing and we showered and attempted to sleep but the music the neighbors were blasting and upset animals were so loud we literally couldn't even try to sleep either. It wasn't til things finally calmed down around like fuckin 8/9am that i was able to sleep.

Day 1) after sleeping for only a few hours because my mom claimed there was things to do or we could go shopping or something i got up around 2/3 i think, and waited for my cousin Celine (the one closest to age as me) to come to my uncle's house to do something. My mom wanted me to eat and there wasnt much in the house and we both wanted trini food but my uncle kept claiming that its carnival Monday so everything is closed so heres day 2 of eating fast food, KFC again. Me, my cousin, and my uncle go grab kfc again and then a few hours later they say lets go out to see the bands/parades. They choose port of spain so we drive to the city to go. My uncles up front and 5 grown women clusterfucked in the back seats. I already feel like shit from exhaustion, but i have a bad back, bad hips, and bad shoulders, so this was extra shitty for me. The entire way there its terrible traffic and my uncle drives slow. And when we finally get there there's nothing going on, just ppl everywhere and garbage covering the streets (i never wanna hear ppl say NY is filthy ever again tbh) and since nothing was happening, after a whole 5min (not even exaggerating. 5min.) Of walking up and down a single block they go 'ok' and get back into the cramped ass truck and go back home. No "oh well let's see if there's something else", no "well we can still walk around and see the city a little bit", not even a fucking "well we might as well at least get some food while we're here", they literally just walk back to the car and say nothing's here and go back home on the slow traffic filled drive while we're cramped to high hell. I'm exhausted, my body hurts and that shit car ride made it worse, I'm starting to lose my mind a little bit because my aunts were fucking humming while we were cramped back there like everythings fuckin honkey dorey, as soon as we got back home i immediately changed and went to bed cuz i couldn't take any more b.s for that day. I could have spent it resting for carnival but no i had to spend my night in that fuckery. I don't think they understand that doing that to me is like if i took them to manhattan in a cramped car, after a parade passed, looked at the trash filled streets, walked up and down one single block for 5min and went "whelp we missed it nothing to see here" and drove them all back home while they sat in those cramped seats for another 40+min.

Night 2) my mom said everyone was going upstairs while i went to bed so i tried to sleep. Slightly successful until everyone got drunk and took their loud asses down stairs thus waking me up. My mom came into bed (we share a bed cuz other family is also staying at my uncle's house) and she did nothing but toss and turn all night, and even when i thought she finally stopped and i was about to doze off she would jolt awake and go "whats that noise" for some shit that was probably happening down the goddamn street. Another sleepless night! 2 in a row! Did not get any rest for carnival what a fuckin start to this vacation!!!

Day 2) we drive out to the city at around 11am to go see the parade. What we watched was something so strange and disappointing idek what tf it was or why ppl do it. We went to a stadium to watch an entire parade slowly....go thru a small stage and then leave. They didn't even have like special performances or anything it was literally what you'd expect from a parade, but not being able to go down and enjoy it up close like how you're supposed to. And no one explained this to me! I still don't know why we did it everyone just acted like "yup this is carnival aint this fun?" And i am STILL baffled. We were sitting on hard concrete stadium bleachers, shit headed people were still bumping into me and dropping shit on me, the bass was so fucking loud you couldn't even hear the music, all you heard was the thud of the bass and a guy screaming on the mic. I've been to EDC twice and got up close and personal with those stages and never have i experienced a sound system so shitty that 1) you cant even hear the music and 2) it makes you feel physically ill until now. My family kept trying to talk to me but i had no fucking idea what they were saying, it especially doesn't help that i was having hearing problems days before this trip. I was legitimately disappointed and annoyed at this whole experience, having to watch the parade from stadium seats with shitty sound, and we watched it for a good 3hrs. At certain points i tried to sit by myself to collect myself and not be near the shit heads conatantly bumping into me or spilling shit near me or dropping things on me but my family cant accept that and kept bringing me into the crowd with them. And then fucking again for the 3rd time on this damn trip, after we watched...whatever tf that was, we had american fast food to eat. Burger king and popeyes. Ffs.

Night 3) i was laying down with a heating pad cuz i wasnt feeling well (like always). My mom said they were going to Biche to see carnival there and i said they could go ahead I'm not feeling well, she leaves to talk to my family. My mom comes in again and says i should come cuz I'll see my cousins and grandpa, i think i give her a maybe as a response. She comes in a 3rd time with my american uncle and he says we're in trinidad, already came all this way, might as well go. At that point i was already putting medicine on my legs cuz i already agreed. We drive down to biche on this awful tiny rainforest road that I've hated since i was a child and my other uncle (the one who we're staying at) is either a dumbass or was purposely teasing me, asking if i wanna look or if he should stop. The road is shit and dangerous and just fucking sucks all around and it's the bumpiest fucking thing ever and bumpy roads/shit driving always makes my pain worse so I'm feeling shittier and shittier before we even get there. When we finally do it looks like how i always imagined carnival would but i didn't even rly get to enjoy it because again, i fucking feel like shit. And for some reason, trinidadians must not know how a sound system works because all they do is turn up the bass all the way and call it a fuckin day. I was getting one of those headaches where it just feels like pressure in ur face from how exhausted i am but i didn't complain. I never complained. I just stood there quietly and watched as everyone partied and enjoyed themselves. Eventually tho the bass became too much again, and with the pressure in my face it just started making my eyes water which became a domino effect with how i was already feeling and i just straight ended up crying and unable to rly talk. That's when everyone started asking whats wrong, i guess, again i couldn't fucking hear over the bass. Luckily it was towards the end of the ceremony and my mom and uncle took me home to get rest. But at this point I'm ofc being called selfish among other things by my mom and "i need to speak up". Speaking to her is literally a dammed if u do damned if u dont situation so i always choose don't and just let myself fall off into a corner until one of 2 things happens, i break down or ppl get selfish and think me simply being there with them isnt enough i need to actively act like im enjoying myself regardless if i am or not.

Day 3) i finally got some fucking rest. Finally got some sleep. Didn't need to go anywhere, all i went was to go get some chinese food for dinner with my cousin, aunt, and mom. (Yes there are chinese ppl in the Caribbean. Yes the have an accent. No it isnt weird.) I posted a few things from yesterday on my instagram/fb. One post being a couple of videos from the first festival where i was confused on what the everloving fuck it was and i put what was essentially a read more rant on it because no one ever clicks readmore on instagram videos. Well aparently some nosy shitheaded family member read it and made a huge drama about it amomgst my family, my mom calling my dad upset about it, and me getting shit when I'm honestly the last one who should be getting shit over how me and her have been treated this entire trip in all honesty. My dad kept saying i need to try and enjoy myself but thats hard to do when ur family is just so goddamn ignorant and literally wants nothing more to do than to start a bunch of bullshit drama rather than confronting someone who's simply upset about how they've been treated thus far during this trip. My mom on the other hand called me a "fucking liar" when i was explaining what i posted and she said "everyone was asking you what was wrong if u wanted water etc etc) and i said i couldn't even hear anything over the fucking bass. She said that i give a nasty look to people and they don't like it. Well fuckin sorry they don't like my resting face and i refuse to smile thru my literal pain!!! It's not my job to comfort people by smiling!!! Women shouldn't have to do that bs just because their resting face isn't inviting!!! Fuck that!!!! She ended up talking to her dad (my grandpa) at the same time as her and my dad were reprimanding me over my rant post and got even more upset cuz my grandpa is a shithead and aparently got so dramatic she started looking for flights back home but they were $3k. Uhhhh excuse me? This whole fucking trip was for you not for me. I never said i wanted to come back here after what i experienced as a kid. I came here because you wanted to see ur family/dad and also havent been here for carnival since before i was born so outta the kindness out of my heart i agreed to go with you but honestly fuck ever doing this again, i literally can't be nice to her without her calling ME selfish and shitting on my entire life for no fucking reason. Her 2 faced family starts bullshit because they're too no-balls to ask me about it face to face thats on THEM not ME. I took down the rant (and its down below if u actually got down this far in this whole rant and are just THAT curious) but i said what i said and i ain't folding on that shit at all. And they always do this to us. Whenever they come to us in NY we go all out in showing them everything but when we come to them? They can't fucking be bothered by showing us something nice and honestly they can go fuck themselves.

I know mercury is is retrograde rn. And for a while i didn't believe in its impacts. But seeing all the shit that's been happening this week i think it's safe to say i can blame at least some of this mess on the universe's alignment atm because honestly.....what the fuck man....

Also if you made it all this way, 1) wtf why what is wrong with u and 2) congrats. U get to read the rant i had on my instagram post if ur that curious:

Idk if words can describe how pissed/annoyed i was when i was told this was carnival when all it was was a shrunken down parade that slowly passed thru a stage inside a stadium and you had to watch from the bleachers. And the sound was so bad you couldn't hear anything past the deafening bass and people screaming on mic, I'm surprised you can actually hear music in these vids tbh. Like I've been to music festivals and parades so I'm fine in these conditions but the bass was literally so bad i actually felt sick from it here.

I always imagined carnival like how music festivals are, with people and performers runing around and dancing together in one big party so seeing this was beyond disappointing. The night festival made up for it i guess but at that point i was so beyond spent i couldn't even enjoy it. 🙁

and ofc it all comes back on me being called selfish because i had a breakdown towards the end of the night even tho all I've done is say yes and go wherever people wanted me even if i said i didn't want to go with because i knew how beyond exhausted i was from the start. I should have been resting the day before so i could have enjoyed yesterday but no, after only getting a couple hours of sleep and barely eating that day, that night i was forced into a truck being squeezed in by the 4 other adults in the back seat of a truck to slowly drive around for an hour only to stop and walk around literal trash filled streets for a whole 5 minutes just to go back into the overly cramped truck and go back home. I already felt like crap and have a bad back and hips and that just made things worse but no I'm just being overly sensitive and boujee. I tried to sleep but my family just got drunk and made a ton of noise all night and by the time my mom went to bed it was late, and she does nothing but toss and turn all night so again i went another day w.o any real sleep. So i spent my first carnival 2 days sleep deprived, in pain, and thoroughly exhausted. I kept to myself and stayed quiet thru everything but that's never enough, but in all honesty it should be. I don't need to show that I'm having a good time, especially if I'm not.

[swampgallows]

blizzcon recap, basically a big stream of consciousness text dump while i still remember things and i will make a refined post later i think

Thursday morning I went to bed around 3am, woke up at 630am, and then again at 730am to board my 840am train bound for anaheim. I had originally intended to drive myself to the con but decided against it, as I didn’t want to pay $60 for parking nor endure the stress of driving on the freeway solo for the first time. 

I took a lyft to my hotel and met up with sun​ (who gave me kandi!!!) and their husband aaron, then we went to claim our badges and make some store purchases.

after feverishly texting reglei we caught sight of each other in line, got tired of waiting, then made our way to disneyland. there we met up with zach and kept missing fitze by mere moments; finally caught fitze & friends at the river belle terrace (a place i have never been in before because despite my many years of being a passholder, there was never a reason or time for a sit-down restaurant experience at disney, so when i opened the door i IMMEDIATELY closed it thinking i was intruding on a private dinner event LMAO). we knocked out everything on the western side of the park (including a fry-filled splash mountain) and got some good pics. the ride on indy was one of the best i’ve had in years: no stalling, great speed, and tons of jerks that nearly threw me out of the jeep hell yeah. perce made it to disneyland in the evening and we got to enjoy space mountain, star tours, a second round of pirates, a VERY invigorated spin on the teacups, then left at closing. zach generously dropped us all off at our individual hotels before heading out himself.

around 2am i woke up convulsing with an anxiety attack and took half a med. i was scared i had woken up sun and aaron but they were coincidentally also awake. after some talking and goofing off with them we made the very informed decision to postmates some del taco to the hotel at 3am. my god was it worth it. i had selected the “fries and secret sauce” option, unaware that these ingredients were not sides, but components to be added to the inside of the burrito. wasn’t bad!

7am wake up for day 1 of the con. met for “breakfast” with perce and reg at the hilton starbucks, which said that they accepted rewards but then didn’t :| i sincerely dont even remember what we did first as everything in the con was so purely awesome and overwhelming. The opening ceremony brought tears to my eyes, of course, as it displayed “WELCOME HOME” on every stage. We mostly just traveled around the con, taking pics, learning the layout, and mentally digesting everything. We attended the VA panel in the early afternoon which was a GREAT decision (no spoilers if you haven’t watched the virtual ticket stream yet!!!) and then made our way to the main stage, where we parked for a good 5-6 hours for the WoW and HotS “What’s next?” panels, then the following WC3 reforged insight panel and, finally, the entire community night. i really want to make sure i grab clips of some of darin de paul’s mcing that night because the man was sawing at my heartstrings like a viola bow. i got very close to crying many times. have no fear put on another amazing performance—this time a wow track called “war mode”—and won the talent contest! we had the privilege of running into them after the performance to congratulate and get some pics w them. i also met up with hinz who i haven’t seen in forever and we got to talk about his brewing and the con! had blaze pizza for dinner then passed out.

breakfast at coco’s for day 2 of the con, this time with sun and aaron in tow. all i needed was hot cocoa and a slice of dark chocolate chip cheese pie. it was...so goddamn good. we started off the con with the warcraft sounds panel featuring the zone of drustvar and concluded with some great performances by david arkenstone and the tavern band. they performed the zandalari zocalo music and bloodsail, an old favorite! we puttered around the darkmoon faire until the build-a-panel featuring zone design in warcraft but couldn’t hear anything due to the acoustics of the stage, so i left to pick up my blink purchases with fitze. there i met a girl wearing kandi and traded with her; she gave me a rubber bracelet from a podcast she’d attended called ‘pwncast’ that reads ‘we bow to no one’ which is VERY garrosh. other than that we had a grand old time of waiting in a line we didnt have to wait in and then made our way back for the warcraft Q&A. the second i saw metzen i immediately screamed with awe and terror and then sobbed into my lap. perce and reg comforted me, and the rest of the panel was fairly uneventful. I think i was the one human being who shouted ‘woo!’ at the scott johnson’s mention of his interviews with metzen, lol. we were waiting for meggo to have a chance to ask her question but she didn’t get the opportunity :(

after the q&a we went over to the unofficial tumblr meetup organized by questifer which was a huge privilege and a lot of fun, and we even made some new friends. i spilled my spaghetti about garrosh to actual blizzard quest developers and im very embarrassed that i did. lmao. i really liked the casual atmosphere of just chilling on the floor though. fitze had to leave halfway through :( but the quest discussion went on for almost 2 full hours. it was really a humbling opportunity.

by that time, the closing ceremonies were underway. reg and i missed out on the hots finals so we just bummed around the overwatch arena for a bit just to see the thing and catch a few minutes of kristian nairn’s set. again, cool stuff, but nothing i can go nuts to lmao. it’s questing music to me. on our way out of the hots stage i ran into a dude wearing KIKWEARS and gave him kandi!! it was awesome lmao. we spent some ducats at the darkmoon faire, but the real prize was won as we were walking out and scored the literal actual absolute last three available boxes of lucio-ohs!!! mine had a hole punched in it so we ate a bit of it before returning to blaze pizza for dinner again. the cereal tastes like lucky charms to me! it’s very sweet, but good!

sunday morning perce, reg, and i secured a breakfast at dennys. when i went up to pay the check i saw the cashier was wearing a piece of kandi and i had the perfect piece for her, the “short stack” piece with the pancake eraser. she traded me the one piece she was wearing (!) which said ‘insomniac’ (obv haha). i made that kandi a while ago and it feels like it was fate for this moment to arrive. reg and perce and i all parted ways back to our individual hotels. i was just chilling in the lobby when i saw a woman wearing kandi, so i went over and introduced myself. she traded me a piece that said mermaid on it, due to my “mermaid hair” :> we started talking about phat pants and she said her daughters now wear the pairs she used to wear! and the kandi she chose was the “a book for ants” with the miniature bible on it, as she found it appropriate for her halloween “christian protest” where she blasted tchami and malla and had a totem that encouraged ‘sinners’ to dance with her, lol.

i excused myself for the restroom and she invited me to “come back and hang out!” so i did!! and when i returned the group was playing a fun card game called chameleon. and have no fear was playing with them!! daniella, one of the performers from the talent contest (they sang the song about vanilla wow), had also joined us. so i got to play the game with a few members of the group and made some new friends, leigh (who gave me kandi) and jaime/ace, who i talked to about old school raving and kandi for a bit. there was a point where everyone but ace went up to the room for their luggage so it was just the two of us sitting there talking, and a pair of guys came up to us holding some merch. “Do you guys want these? we bought too many loot crates.” i was stunned!! they handed me a shadow plush and a clip-on ganymede to ace.

when they all returned, they were trying to plan what to do next, and i told them i had to grab a lyft and start heading to the train station. leigh offered me a ride there!!! i really felt PLUR for the first time in ages, lmao. we all hugged each other and said our goodbyes.

arriving at the train station, i ran into other blizzcon people and we talked about wow the ENTIRE ride home. for the first leg of the journey it was a super full train and we all had to stand but it was okay. we were all enthusiastically talking about wow with zero awkward pauses or any points of contention. it was so amazing just thriving on each other’s hype. at one point another person on the train said “do you guys play this game or MAKE this game?” because we were talking about it in such detail LOL. we all traded battletags before i had to go. it felt really amazing to be able to just literally talk to strangers about something i love and have such an amazing conversation like that. it felt so awesome to just be connecting to people so deeply all the time. 

im going to try to preserve the memory of being able to connect to people like that, as i came home and felt isolated and disconnected from everything again. i want to keep riding the coattails of this positivity as long as i can so i’m not going to go into the details of that. a lot of us really felt we could come out of our shells; i kept stressing how “safe” blizzcon was; with all of the focus i’ve been making in therapy on vulnerability, connection, isolation, and the need to feel worthy of being loved, i want to keep these memories at the forefront while i try to forge a better future for myself.

i really hope i can go again next year!

[katzenflocken]

LA Times

I went to a Halloween party in October and I wrote down my experience in my phone.

A month or so ago I had made the decision that I wanted to attend a Halloween event and ultimately I decided on scream in Edmonton. I had bought the pre-sale ticket without actually knowing who was playing since there was no lineup details but this didn't concern me because I just wanted to go have fun and listen to some jams with cool people. I had calculated the cost of bus and hotel and came up to roughly 700 for a comfortable trip with all the best food/mixed drinks at the show. I had already had my own party favors so this was one of the reasons why I wanted to keep it local in Alberta. But then the lineup got released and I only seen one artist that was potentially going to be "okay" after listening to their SoundCloud. I was feeling very on the fence and on top of that, the party only went until 2am which was making it real hard to justify a long boring ass bus ride for a short night of mostly lame edm music. (No offense to the edm enthusiasts out there)

After some Olympic tier mental gymnastics of being so sure I wanted to go to Scream, I got curious and went to the handy dandy Resident Advisor and looked at shows in Alberta then Vancouver, even Toronto. I didn't see any events I was interested in and I left it at that. Then I got the brilliant and brave idea to possibly venture outside our borders, and a few clicks later I stumbled upon louisahhh's upcoming events and noticed she was playing a show along with boys noize and tbh, it was a no brainer. I had to make this happen. After a few calculations, it was literally going to cost the same as going to Edmonton (600 cdn) but with more spending money required in American. So naturally it was 💯 percent the logical choice. The event was called Minimal Effort which was an all techno show with 4 stages. Like holy shit! This event was most definitely calling my name.

I had told family and a few friends and some them ask me why? I've already vacationed once or twice this year so why a third time? I really don't know why, there is no reason. I just like doing these things. It is true that given the current situation, I better to avoid these such things. but the idea of letting someone's words prevent me from doing something so fun and exciting yet so doable drives me mad. In fact this very idea is what makes it so evident that I am in control of my life. I create the reality I live in and why should I let others shape it for me with manipulating opinions. I would argue I am not living to die, I am dying to live. Personally I don't think it's very odd or strange to do exactly what you put your mind to, so it is in such a context that I wanted to make this trip. I hope people see what I do and feel encouraged or empowered. If I can do it you can too. But everyone isnt me and is open to their own opinion.

So my passport is lightly damaged, a few months after I got it I washed it lol whoops. I've been using it since without incident and it expires pretty quick in early 2019 so I felt confident I will make it on the plane and I did! I flew air Canada btw and their service was very meh. There was also some meean turbulence, other than that it was boring. Planes suck ass and I can't sleep on them. I had bought a roaming plan so I can text and use Google maps like a real Traveller. This was the best decision of the whole trip actually, so get ur phones working guys!

Upon landing I was very nervous because I literally didn't want to pay a lot of money to get downtown where my hostel was. But I asked this Tony hawk looking guy he gave me the rundown and to take the skyaway bus which was like 9 dollars. Hella life saver! I got downtown and got Subway spicy chicken wrap at Union station. Now I taxi'd to my hostel... It was near or in the ghetto. When the man dropped me off it was dark and these yuuuge dogs were jumping at me from the other side of the fence, confirming my suspicion that this is in fact the ghetto. I find the property next door and these dudes are smoking outside, I got their attention and they said to go upstairs and talk to "Champaign". In my head I instantly thought a black drug dealer... But then I was greeted by a slim easy going japanese dude with a samurai ponytail who spoke poor English but still had a friendly vibe. Turns out he is the cook/caretaker. I came on the night they had a dinner party that they hold once a month. Pay 10 dollars and you can eat the food that he was cooking. Champaign cooked for a army and I felt like an asshole because I literally came with a belly full of Subway. I had a few snacks and met the other Traveller's/Tennant's that were residing here. In that exact moment I felt like this is exactly where I needed to be. I was not alone and I was amongst other human beings like myself and we were all brought together by an unknown force all so Champaign can go to bed we knowing no one went to bed hungry. I actually passed out after midnight. Kinda lame but tbh I was wiped out from that hectic almost frantic trip to this hostel. The toppest compliment I give to any hotel/hostel is that this place had the best mattress, apparently they were italian (I asked lol).

Saturday (party day). My goal in the afternoon was to adventure and have a decent meal but it was getting off to a slow start due to me not figuring out where I wanted to go. I was recommended business district and looked up reviews but it was all meh. I want that yummy and probably unhealthy local food locations. The guy also said to take an Uber. Which I was like uhhhhhh iduno man... Maybe. Then as I was just getting ready to leave, this korean guy named Sam asked where I was going and he said "you should check out Korea Town, it's dope!!" And I looked up places and he said "no go here!" And I was like okay. Then he said he'll come with me and show me around after he finishes the laundry. Like a good lad I waited and in between he looked at me and whispered "hey do you do... Stuff" and there are a lot of implications there lol so I had to ask like what? And he pulled a little baggie and my reply was "yeah I like stuff" then did it and the kid lit up like a Christmas tree. He was mad hype folding the towels and then him and Champaign blazed downstairs.

One of the most fascinating yet mundane happenings was that I installed Uber on my phone. While those guys were blasting off I went ahead and gave the Uber a good historic first whirl. Little did I know my life was about to change in that exact moment. In 2 minutes after selecting where I wanted to go the driver was there. Holy shit! The cool part was that I only paid 8 dollars to go to the opposite side of the downtown. I wish I can expand on what I did, but tbh all we did was just walk and talk. It was great because it made me feel more immersed in to the city. Kind of like you had to be there type of experience. Then it was food time, he pointed out a Korean joint and I got a meal and he didn't order anything and then like 10 sides came and then 6 more little plates for the main dish. I told Sam he can have some because this is absurd. As we were eating, I slowly gazed around the place and everyone was just a little bit chubby. Sam told me Koreans don't waste their shit and eat as much as possible... Plus it's America lol. After eating like an animal and totally ruining my white shirt we went to get smokes and the line at 711 was almost way too long. Sam pointed out that everyone was powerballin' it... Then upon paying for the smokes and soda I said "one Powerball please". I had caved in and joined the race. We took an Uber back and the driver was a Mexican mom. She was cute in a grandma kind of way and we talked about there should be a "good news" radio because it's so scary listening to the radio. We laughed and laughed some more while Sam had fell into a Korean BBQ coma.

We get back to the hostel, Sam goes back to work and I have about an hour to get ready/nap before the party. Sam asked if I needed party favors and I took him up on his offer, because I hate asking at parties because it's so sketchy. At this point of the trip I realized everything is going 110% right. Sometimes I feel like I am just lucky because I always find myself in surprising situations and that now it's almost normal to me. My body and mind was totes ready to party, then I almost forget... I have stickers!!! I always have some in my bag and I grabbed at least 50 of them. People always love that shit, plus it makes everything more fun by adding another layer to the party... Lol get it? Layer?!? Aaanyways the one girl showed me how to work the door lock, basically it's an app that registers my phone to the deadbolt... What a game changer! Technology huh?! What a cool place! Then the Uber came and took like 4 dollars to get there, I think I can get used to this LA lifestyle if I ever had the chance. The dude dropped me off and I was proper nervous, made sure to hide my shit good and have my ID, ticket and game face ready because there was like 8 security in front... Also I am a pretty nervous person in general, I may seem cool and collected on the outside but on the inside I am a scared little shaking Chihuahua barking internally.

So I finally made it! All my hard work payed off! The weird thing was the guy didn't even look at my ticket, just my ID. Any Yahoo off the street could have walked in. Butt fuck it, I am here and that's all that matters. Imediately I get a beer... 8 dollars. The shit I put up with tbh, the price I pay for fun is worth it but my goodness is it painful. I wander around the theatre and it is nicely large and open. Not hot!! Can you believe that? The other stages weren't bad, too much to take it all in tbh. I settled at the main stage which was the first one you sent me when you walk in. The first artist playing was a chick, she played some good jam actually so I quite enjoyed her set. The only thing that led me to believe she doesn't actually make music and only is a DJ, was that every track she played I knew. Which is expected from shows like this but she didn't play anything "original", it's not a bad thing but if I was to critique her I'd be disappointed because I am the type of person to be wowed and I like to seek new material. I went for a smoke and met this couple dressed and Vegeta and Bulma, hella rad. They were cool, totally forget their names tho. Met this Mexican dude too who was a little short had crazy contact lenses and had a friendly chat. he was rolling which was cool because I wish I was, I even asked him but he was fresh out. The party started picking up too and louisahhh's set was about to play and I am 3 beers deep so I gotta step up my game. And guess what!? It's Modelo time homie!! Met a dude in a headdress and took a pic with him to piss off other people who are against that bullshit, as long as they are respectful about it I think it's awesome... so @ those who are trying to be offended on purpose, fuck you. Went to the bathroom and dropped my Modelo and the worker watched me do it and didn't say anything and swept it up. I went back to get another normal beer because the Modelo was 9 dollars. They mind as well get the lube ready because they are already fucking me dry. I had run out of party favors at this point because I only had a little but that's not why I am here so I accept that fact and I am just glad to be here. The dancefloor was sticky but as more spills happened it was less annoying and more people came, it made it more bearable lol if that makes sense. The sound was definitely worse at the front of the stage so I found that sweet spot 15 feet back in the zone where the speakers were pointed. 7/10 audio, it's no pk system but hey I don't mind too much! Louisahhh was stepping in and she had a super neat outfit going kind of future/madmax like. Her hair was excellent if I might add. I've always wanted to catch her set but never had the chance until now. I could say it was what I expected, which was basically the same set I've heard her play on other sets I heard from her. It's not a negative but mental gymnastics aside she could have spiced it up some more by playing new shit, like I said. I am just glad to be there.

After louisahhh played her set Boys Noize had stepped in and he opened up with that one song he always does lately lol I forget the name but let me tell you, my body was ready! The "wares" I had bought off Sam at the hostel were already used up but I didn't need any, my body was tingling from the energy in the room. I met the maddest group of lads in the crowd and I gave them a handful of stickers to help me distribute. They loved it! I was also doing "rogue" work by slapping stickers on people without them knowing. The funniest ones were the Dealer and Wasted stickers. The lazers and lights in this place were magnificent. Production was nearly top notch 7.8/10. it's a theatre but they used it as well as they could. I want to describe this experience more but going to a party is the purest chaos you can experience. It almost can't be explained, only witnessed. I honestly love being social at these events. In real life I can be very shy or unwilling to exchange or talk with others. It pains me really, I just love people and I want to make genuine friends but I feel so reluctant to meet new faces because I don't really click that well with others. I know that I am unique and sometimes strange, I am sometimes don't give a fuck but I tend to be antisocial because of paranoia that other people won't like me when they get to know the real me. When I attend rave parties, I tend to feel more free and open because I know the people in attendance are also there for the same reason I am. Obviously this may or may not be a healthy life style but it is very fulfilling in a very emotional way. I may not have that many real life friends but when on the dancefloor everyone is my friends lol that sounds like the gayest shit ever but it's true. Anyways party is still bumping and it's 6 am and I am wiped out, boys Noize played some of the best tracks I heard at awakenings I noticed. Kind of the same shit really. But it was LA so more mainstream crowd. I leave the club and it was so fucking foggy outside, like a horror movie. 2spooky4me. I hit up Uber like 4 blocks away because it was just too crazy in the front of the theatre. I got this younger driver about my age and we talked about McDonald's lol she was fun then I get back to the hostel hungry as fuck. Eated bread and smonked some herb and hit the hay.

Next morning I hung out in the common area. Watched friends and watched Champagne die from smoking weed lol he was my favorite. Cool hostel tbh very home like. I had few hours to myself before my flight so I decided I wanted to go to little Tokyo. I had to say goodbye to the hostel, the guys downstairs gave me a donut lol and I got into the Uber. The guy talked about the dodgers game like I actually give a heck about sports. He dropped me off at the entrance of Little Tokyo. This was actually the most wholesome part of my trip. The first sight of the Japanese style outside mall was kind of exhilarating because LA is mostly just the same everywhere. The buildings and decorations were very refreshing and it was a feast for the eyes. Such beauty. As I continue to explore the small but busy space I feel this feeling of wonder and excitement, it made me feel less hungover if I am being honest. The world I was seeing in that moment was powerfully moving and rich with happiness. I wanted to stay forever. In the centre there was an open space where an older Asian man in a scooter and an array of instrument s in front of him. He had a little sampler Casio and hi hats and maracas. It was like a scene out of the movies where you see those cute moments because he was playing to this couple from China that were standing in front of him and you can hear them talking to the Man in between singing lol, they gave him money to play that song from toy story "skies of blue" or whatever it's called and then at the end he pulled out the maracas and hit them on the cymbals with style. I filmed a little bit of it actually. I ended up eating sushi and chicken katsu outside on the deck and just enjoyed the experience. Alone. Fucking sad actually that I couldn't share my emotion with someone else but I really enjoyed the place. I shop in the anime store and gift shop, got a few things for friends and family then had to rush to the airport. I got to Union station and shuttle to the airport right on time. Slightly early since the flight changed to a later time. I walked around and had some beer and wings then got on the plane. Nice cozy airport experience. My dad picked me up and he was working in siksika that week so I slept in his trailer. It was cold as shit and I was late for work the next day like nothing ever happened lol. Just a quick weekend trip, no big deal. Travelling is so so so much fun, I want others to read or see my adventures and feel somewhat inspired to take more risks and go on their own adventures. Its good to open your eyes and free yourself of your surroundings, especially on the reserve. There's a world out there and there's more to life than the bullshit drama that happens here. I look at the world in wonder and amazement, I know it's a sick and sometimes dangerous place but I make it my world by appreciating it for what it is. Everything is kind of all right. Sometimes I wish I didn't exist but I don't want to die either, doing these things remind me that life can be great so I hope I don't come off braggy or I am acting "too good". I make minimum wage yet I still do all this cool stuff. It's not hard to do, just literally set your mind go and do it . I chase my dreams while others think "what if" lol but yeah do more fun shit guys!!!!

[taylorswiftacoustic]

So i’m going to do one of those obnoxious why i love Taylor so much posts, even though I hate putting myself on blast and feel cringey, but it’s almost 2am and she’s still meeting fans in Nashville (at like 5am) so it’s not like she’s going to see it ever.

Anyways I’ve been listening to Taylor’s music since Fearless.  I actually even made a facebook post about it back when I still made obnoxious facebook posts all the time back in 2008 when I first got a Facebook cause I was a freshman in high school.  Because Taylor is 4 years older than me she usually releases music that I need right when it’s relevant to my life.  I was 15 when Fifteen came out and there was a boy I had a crush on who’s name was Drew and honestly her entire work just fit so well into my life.  It was on my ipod and i listened to her song religiously and whenever I would go on walks with my dog she was one of the artists playing.  Fearless is an excellent song to walk out at night and look up at the stars to just in case you were wondering.

Speak Now came out my junior year of high school back when Taylor and the SF Giants coincided with making people in the Bay Area happy in October.  (But tbh i don’t really care about baseball and found the giants hype obnoxious), but the Taylor hype I was all for.  Speak Now was that album it had Dear John which honestly if I was going to pick a favorite it’s def in the top 10 cause as Alana Haim says “Just listened to taylor swifts song “dear john”… That bitch has huge balls.  FUCK YOU JOHN MAYER”.  The part where she says shining like fireworks over your sad empty town does something to my soul and honestly the music and the emotion and ughhhhhh she’s trying to kill me.  The songwriting on the whole album just kills me and the fact that she wrote the whole album by herself just proves that she can do literally anything.  It’s empowering to know how much work she put into that album.  Also junior year of high school was when my older sister left for college and I couldn’t drive myself to school cause I didn’t have my license (tbh i can never spell that word) and I walked home from school a lot and you can tell this was blasting.  Also junior year was when I kind of had a life crisis of what to do for college and life and I just threw myself into the drama department and was a part of 3 plays in one year partially so I would stay after school and my parents could pick me up at the end and partially cause i was so confused by school and my anxiety that being a part of a theater production made me feel like a part of something.  And I literally always and forever want to be a part of any group.

Now for everyone’s favorite album Red.  God people are really not kidding when they say this album is the best.  I mean every single track is that track.  It came out during my first year of college.  I went away to SoCal for college and nobody from my hometown went to my school and I had gone to school with the same people from k-12 and honestly I was so lonely.  My campus was a commuter campus and everyone went home on the weekends and I couldn’t fly home and I didn’t have a car so I joined a sorority cause they did things on weekends, I heart being part of a group and instant friends.  And man was that the best life decision ever.  I joined the most chill group of people and I got my Big in October and on the car ride from Big/Lil reveal over to our dinner my GBig played Everything Has Changed and the whole album and it was just so wonderful and amazing and fit so freaking perfectly with my life.  I had no romantic things happening like ever, but I did go through a major life change and it was just so good.  And then when I went home over thanksgiving and christmas break my best friend also loved the album so we just listened to Red on repeat until i knew every single word and we sat in the car and talked like we had just seen each other yesterday even though it was almost 3 months and it was like I had seen her yesterday.  She’s been my best friend since kindergarten and even if we don’t talk in like 6 months, I see her in person and it’s like she was just in my car the day before talking about whatever.  Anyways this whole album was the key to my first few years of college to get away from the loneliness and the aching of trying to figure out how to live with no parents and it being miserable and magical at the same time.

Then we get to 1989 and my 3rd year of college.  This is when I had finally moved in with my best friends instead of living with randoms and my whole life became so much better because they took care of me and I had a car so i had more freedom and they took me out and I was officially part of their little group and I felt like I actually knew what I was doing with my life for once (did not last long, but it was there for a bit).  And it was just the pop hits album that I needed.  The change from country to pop fit into my life so well and I was so much happier and the album was happy, but you could tell came from a place of knowing about that anxiety and fear, but kept pushing through.  Like all of Taylor’s albums it just fit into my life.  It was the soundtrack of drives to LA and to parties and pregaming and formals and hikes and walks around campus and to class.  It was joined with Haim’s album on a playlist on my phone called HaimSwift and it was played on my 8 hour drive from NorCal to SoCal at least 3 times that year when I drove to school, when I drove back for break and then back to school again.  There’s also a Noah + The Swift for Noah + the Whale and Taylor Swift.  They are both wonderful playlists of my favorite artists.  This is when I found out that Haim the band that I had discovered and fell in love with at Outside Lands the summer prior was going to be touring with Taylor, but unfortunately on in LA when I wasn’t going to be there and not in NorCal at an expensive stadium after I had spent all of my money on pasts and wine in Italy on my study abroad trip.

And then Taylor went on a break, well a longer than 2 year break and in that time I graduated and moved back home and my grandpa passed away and I found a job (not the one I wanted, but you know it paid and I got to stay at home with my parents and my family during a rough time).  And then I applied to the Disney College program and I got accepted in Anaheim and life was better because I got to move back to SoCal where I wanted to be and work at the literal dream location and have housing and see where life would take me.  And so I moved back to SoCal and I started this program and I fell more in love with Disneyland and the people I was in the program with (love being part of a group) and then stayed on after it ended and finally got an apartment and started being a “real adult”.  It was a strange time, but a fun time.  I got to explore the parks, I visited my friends in Chicago, I worked a lot and then from the silence Taylor Swift came back.  I was thrilled about the new album and the experience.  See I have been on tumblr with my blog @megansalphabet(actually the name was meganislameness but that is a little controversial so it got changed) since 2010 my junior year of high school and also when Speak Now came out.  But during the “drought” I actually started following a lot of Taylor Swift blogs cause I was missing her music and her presence and so once the news about rep dropped I was hooked.  From the early days of people fighting about if it was a dragon or a snake and then what kind of snake and through the whole build up and music videos and easter egg hunting and the experience of being in that group and having other people freak out about the same things that I was, was so thrilling and exciting.

And finally on a day when I worked until 2:45 in the morning the album came out.  And so even though I had already pre-ordered a CD, it was not at my apartment yet so I went to Target and bought my magazines and read the lyrics while listening to the album and spent the whole day listening to the album 3 times.  Then once the tour announcement came I decided no more waiting about ya girl is finally gonna see my idol and so I told my mom what i wanted for an early christmas present and I watched the music video and I bought some sweatpants and a sweatshirt and a bag and a keychain and I said this is the era that I’m going to see Taylor Swift live I don’t care who’s going with me, but I am going no matter what.  And I did.  I got a second job, I went to Seattle and I had been working at 2 jobs for almost 2 weeks on the most perfect May day I got off work and drove to Pasadena, picked up my friend and some tacos from the train station and parked at the Rosebowl parking.  We walked a trek to the stadium and got some drinks and found our seats.  We watched Charli XCX and watched the ASL translator translate Boys and we learned how to sign Boys and then we met up with my sister who was also at the concert and got some more drinks and some pretzels because I had a craving and my friend is the best.  And then we went back to our seats and had the most incredible concert experience ever as Taylor Swift serenaded us the whole evening.  Also Selena Gomez and Troye Sivan showed up?!?!??!!?!  Also she sang All To Well acoustic in front of us like we were so close to the B stage and Dancing With Our Hands Tied on the guitar and I just about died like 20 times even though I had already seen a instalive of a girl from the first night of the concert in Glendale and pretty much knew what was going to happen.  But it didn’t matter because this was the concert that i was at next to Taylor and my best friend and oh wow.

And now Lover is fast approaching and I no longer work 2 jobs or at Disneyland and I still don’t really know what I want to do with my life and I’m still probably working too much (say hello to the past 3 sundays that I was supposed to be off and then got a call at 6am asking if I could come in, yay overtime pay? boo 6 days).  But I’m getting closer to figuring out what I want and who knows maybe I’ll go back to school and become a teacher because that’s always kind of been a secret dream of mine, but they get paid so little and grad school is expensive.  But shaping young minds seems so fulfilling and worthwhile.  Join me in my next existential crisis for that debate.

Anyways the point of this is that Taylor has always been there for me through all of the questioning and the confusion and the late night walks with my dog at the creek looking up at the stars and the happy times and the sad times and honestly there is a song for every single mood that i’ve had.  And even though I’m 25 and have never had a romantic relationship (not sure I want one or if i’m just afraid of pursuing one) I’ve always had her songs to stay with me through it all.  And this post is a mess and now it’s 3am and thank goodness I don’t have work tomorrow, but that nap did mess up my sleep schedule and my computer is at 18% and it’s probably time for bed.  Also Taylor if you ever do read this sorry it’s a mess, but I really do appreciate all that you’ve done even if I never get to meet you and tell you that.

[kenzieinfirenze]

"Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone": Ireland

I think traveling alone to a foreign country is something everyone should do, even if only for a few days. This weekend I had the best weekend of the semester so far, and it's because I traveled to Dublin for 4 days completely on my own. If you had asked me 3 months ago if I would ever travel alone, I would have laughed. My friends in NY always joke around about how I seem to hate being alone. Although I'd say I'm more outgoing than not, I can get really shy in certain circumstances. I'm a people person, in that I enjoy being around people, but I have this other side of me that thoroughly enjoys being alone with my thoughts. It didn't even feel like the same semester, being with completely different people and all. I got to Dublin on Thursday afternoon (4/6/17), and started off my trip with a little exploration of downtown, including Grafton Street. I then did a 2 hour walking tour, like I have been doing in each place I visit. The tour brought us to Dublin castle, the Temple Bar district, and Trinity College. After the tour, I walked around a little more, and found a Topshop, which was cool because we don't have them in Italy. I picked up a salad at the grocery store next to my hostel for dinner, and decided I was going to do the pub crawl that many people do from hostels around the city. This was the point where I was starting to feel like maybe being by myself wasn't going to be as fun as I thought. However, I saw 2 clearly American girls eating a snack in the common area of the hostel. I walked up to them and literally asked "hey, are those free snacks, where did you get those!?" because food is a great conversation starter, right? I ended up talking to them for a little bit and went on the pub crawl with them. Savannah and Lana, if you read this, thank you for being so kind and genuinely really cool people. I hope I see you again one day. At the pub crawl, we met an Australian guy named James and a guy from Baltimore named Chris. They were really nice guys, and although Chris went back to the US the next day, we got to know James pretty well. The pub crawl was fun, and I loved getting to see the various places people go out in Dublin. The night life was overall so much more than I was expecting, and I'm grateful I made friends because I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it otherwise. There is live music everywhere at all times, and damn the Irish know how to have a good time. The next morning, I woke up pretty early and had breakfast by myself at a place called Hatch & Sons, which the hostel recommended for a traditional Irish breakfast. I had poached eggs with sausage and bread, and just read my book with a cup of coffee. Again, I was starting to feel a little lonely, but I was happy I got a message from Savannah and Lana that they wanted to join me for the Guinness Brewery later. James and Chris also came. Before that, I walked about an hour to get to Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old (opened in 1796) very famous prison in Dublin. I am so happy I had the opportunity to go there. I've never done something like that, and the history there is amazing. What it's most known for is that it housed and is the place of execution of 4 of the famous leaders of the 1916 Rebellion in Ireland. I saw the older part of the prison, as well as the newer, Victorian section. In the older part, during the potato famine, many people were getting thrown in prison for stealing food, or because they purposely got arrested so they could be fed. The conditions were cold, dark, and many women and children had to sleep in the halls on the floor. I also got to see the yard where many executions took place. Creepy. After that, I walked around Trinity College again, and it really is so pretty. I wouldn't mind being a student there. Apparently it's very similar to Oxford architecturally. I walked over to the Guinness Storehouse for my tour at 4, and met up with my new friends. I was much more impressed with this factory than I was with Heineken in Amsterdam. It was very large, and you could tell a lot of money was put into it. It basically just explains to you the history, how the beer is made, there is a tasting room, and then you get to learn how to pour your own beer before enjoying it on their rooftop "Gravity" bar that overlooks Dublin. It was fun just hanging out up there for a little bit. We were all pretty hungry after that, and we went somewhere to have fish and chips, which was delicious. This is where the story of this weekend gets good-we went to the Old Storehouse bar in the Temple Bar district, and saw these 3 people playing live music that were probably around our age. They were phenomenal, and we ended up seeing them again the next 2 nights. These men that must have been in their 40s or 50s were laughing at us because they could tell we liked the guys playing the music. They kept saying "talk to them after the show," "which one do you like I'll help you out"...it was hilarious. I honestly probably wouldn't have said anything to the band, but the old guys told them we wanted to talk to them but were too shy! Not true at all, but it was still funny. They ended up asking us to stay and have a drink with them. They said normally they just go home after gigs, so we were flattered. We ended up hanging out with them for over an hour, and they were so nice. Zak and Neil were my new Irish friends, which is even more cool than making American friends. They are some of the most talented people I've ever met, and I won't tell their whole life stories here, but I got to know them really well. Zak asked me to meet up with him the next night, too! I went back to my hostel to go to bed because I had to be on a bus at 7am for a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. I did this trip by myself, and really really enjoyed it. On the way to the Cliffs, we stopped at a rest stop that was called Barack Obama Plaza, with photos of him everywhere, which I thought was hilarious. Apparently a couple years ago, Obama visited this random, tiny town in Ireland, and so they named this plaza after him. We continued on to the Cliffs, and I cannot even explain the beauty of them. It was a much different view of the Atlantic Ocean than I'm used to! Everyone told me that the weather can be really bad at the Cliffs, and sometimes you can't even see them through the fog. However, I got the PERFECT weather, and I was so grateful. I walked along the edge of the Cliffs, and there are signs everywhere saying danger, and even a plaque for the people that have died there. I didn't get too close to the edge, but it was very thrilling nonetheless. We had a couple hours there, and then we got back on the bus to drive toward Galway. The bus took a scenic route along the "wild Atlantic coast," which was really beautiful. We got out at one point on these huge slabs of limestone that were very interesting. Geologists all over the world come to this area to study it. We got back on the bus after a short time, and continued our way to Galway. Galway was lovely. I wish I could've spent more time there, but since the airport is in Dublin, it was easier to stay there the whole time, as it was a short time, and just do a day trip to Galway. The tour guide for the day trip gave a quick tour, before I spent a couple hours wandering. One of the things I found interesting was there is a church in Galway that Christopher Columbus is known to have visited, and legend has it that a man called St. Brandon the Navigator had already discovered America, and Columbus must have been talking to locals in Galway, and that's how he knew where America was. Hmmm. I got noodles from a to go place and brought them to sit on the grass in an area called Claddagh, which is where the river runs into the ocean, and also where the Claddagh ring gets its name. Since it was such a beautiful day, there were tons of people enjoying the weather and the pretty scenery of colored houses that reminded me a little of Copenhagen. I walked through the streets a little after that, and got my little a Claddagh ring. Fun fact: the McMahons originated from Galway, so when I blast Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl, I'm not lying :) Since my time in Galway was so short, I only had time to watch a few street performances on my walk back to the bus. We then had about a 3 hour drive back to Dublin. I spent more time on a bus on Saturday than not on the bus, but it was still very worth it. When I got back, I quickly freshened up and met up with my new Irish friend Zak at a bar between his gigs. He had to play again from 12-2am, at this really popular bar called The Quays (Temple Bar district), and so I decided to go and watch, just me. I met some American girls who were nice. I had so much fun just drinking some Guinness and enjoying the music (which again, they are SO good), and essentially being a groupie at this point. When Zak and Neil were done, we went to another bar to hangout, but everything was starting to close soon after that. Since they are known by most bars around Dublin, we were able to stay at a bar and casually hangout even after it closed! I got home extremely late Saturday night, but I had such a blast in Dublin. It really is cool getting to know people from another country, especially your own age. I slept in on Sunday, sat in this cute coffee shop, and just did a lot of walking around. I saw St. Patrick's cathedral from the outside, and then walked to Savannah and Lana's Airbnb on the other side of the river. They did the hostel a couple nights, and the Airbnb a couple nights. We went out to dinner at a place with live music (of course), and then went to The Temple Bar for more live music! We had a couple drinks there before we went to see our Irish friends one last time (I told you-groupies). I feel like I've known all these people for so long at this point, when it's really just been a few days. The guys gave us CDs for free, which was so nice, and I can't wait to listen to it in my car all summer. The best part of this trip was I had no plans other than just to go. I had no idea who I would meet or what I would do for the most part. Ireland, I know I will be back one day. I really do feel like I left a piece of my heart there, and now have memories that will last forever. It's felt genuinely sad leaving this morning. Travel as much as you can. Meet as many people as you can. You'll be surprised at how kind people are, and how easy it is to find yourself in an unfamiliar place.