#isnt it incredible how theyre each other's constant. be it good or bad

[tragedydenji]

im soooo gone with bakudeku... everyday i end my night with listening to shout baby and datte atashi. both songs just make everything better.

They know each other best, isn't it amazing that they grew up TOGETHER. Despite the bullying, fallouts or mistakes they're burdened with, both were and still are in each other's sphere, always orbiting...

'I grow infinitely smaller whenever I am infront of you.'

IMO this quote is so fitting for them, both felt this way about each other at some point in time. but as kudo said, izuku didnt give up and believed in katsuki's heart... so i'm glad that we got to see katsuki's atonement.

[quodekash]

I HAVE ICE TEA, TIME FOR EPISODE 2 im so scared

iMMEDIATE winnysatang. i love them but i genuinely dont understand why it couldnt be seanmaitee.

im gonna rewatch simm after this and write an essay about why seanmaitee should be together, just in case theres anyone who doesnt believe me

i have so many mixed emotions rn

i love them both so much

and there's no hatred towards them at all because theyre just the actors, not the ones in charge

and i do love winnysatang and i love the chemistry they have with each other

and theyre both so pretty

and bc theyre the same actors they make me think of soundwin and soundwin make me infinitely happy

but theyre not soundwin, theyre sean and nay

and sean is desperately in love with maithee, he has been for the entire series

and, as far as we know, in canon, sean and nay have literally never interacted so why are they suddenly sticking to each others sides??? why isnt sean sticking to maitee's side?? he's always at maitee's side, always has his arm around him, always looking at him. why did his character suddenly have to change once msp came out, just for winnysatang fanservice??

is this neurodivergent backpack-holding i see here?

"i told you to wear warm clothes" "well i wanted you to hug me more" NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND, THATS SO STINKING CUTE

bro theyre so in love

theyre so in love

how are they so in love

i love them

wait a sec (lmao win/nay in that screenshot looks great)

dont tell me naysean are gonna share a tent

that doesnt make sense even without considering the ships

sean and maitee are clearly the bestest of friends

even if you were to argue that the constant arms around each other is entirely platonic, it feels a lot like a close-friends-been-close-forever-dont-want-to-let-go-and-lose-you kinda thing, so wouldnt you expect them to share a tent?????

idk man

sean captaincy reigns supreme

dang it

GOSH DARNNIT PART OF ME KINDA LIKES THE NAYSEAN

going from two people who barely know each other because of a mutual friend and then they meet for the first time and theres like immediate attraction and yadda yadda storyline

i still think i prefer seanmaithee tho

hmm

perhaps nayseanmaitee

then everyone's happy

how is he so pretty

and gender

gimme the gender pls

i want it

seriously, the GENDER ON THIS MAN

THE WAY HE DOES THE GENDER

...okay im starting to believe the naysean storyline

but i still want seanmaitheeeeeee

nayseanmaitee is still a strong contender tho

sean, honey, you're not subtle

"i love him even more, every day" kluen, i love you so much. he's so whipped. hes so in love. it makes me the happy

I CANT EXPLAIN IT, BUT KLUEN'S OBNOXIOUS (not in a bad way) AND UNAPOLOGETIC LOVE FOR NUEA IS SO FREAKING SWEET AND WONDERFUL AND INCREDIBLE AND I LOVE HIM SO SO SO SO SO MUCH

"or i might have been with someone new already" "then id be happy for you that you found good love" "that means you must be happy for me now" "why?" "because i found my very good love already" GI3U4EJRBGJKREBDGKHRE

LITLE KISSE

THEY DO THE LITLE KISSE

HAPPY

HAPPY LITLE KISSE

MAKE ME THE HAPPY

NOT LITLE KISSE

LONGE KISSE

LONGE KISSE HAPPY

MAKE ME THE HAPPY

what im tryna say is i love them

"i dont like spaghetti" exCUSE ME MAITHEE?? I PICCOLI ITALIANI CHE ABITANO NEL MIO CERVELLO SONO FURIOSI

PERCHÉ NON TI PIACE GLI SPAGHETTI??

É MERAVIGLIOSO

VAFFANCULO

TI VOGLIO BENE, MA NON MI PIACI AL MOMENTO

"when did you guys stop fighting" che???? what do you mean by that?? what happened between them??????? ANSWERS PLS

omg this started like 40 minutes ago. ive only just finished 1/4. what the hell is wrong with me

nuea and kluen are so freaking in love i love it what the hell

"sean, go wake them up" OH NO, SEAN'S CAPTAINCY OF THE SHIP HAS FINALLY TURNED TO A CURSE

NOT LIKE THIS, MY FRIEND

TRUST ME GUYS, YOU DO NOT WANNA OPEN THAT TENT

lmao they pushed it onto phoon, nice

BVRHKDBFGHJR THIS IS SO FUNNY

i was pretty sure they were awake already (how the hell could one person sleep through the racket those guys were making. even if one of them slept through that, the other would like poke them and say 'we gotta wake up'

iS PRINCE THERE???

PLS

I WANNA SEE PRINCEFAH

GOSH FREAKING DARNNIT

altho the way that thats worded it sounds like he died lmao

lmao nuea and kluen just left them

PHOON LEFT TOO

NAYSEANMAITEE???

dang it just naysean

NUEAKLUEN AND NAYSEANMAITHEE

i refuse to give up on this dream

seanmaitee get together or i. die.

MINPHOOOOOOOON i love them so much

i love nuea and phoon's friendship its so wholesome and pure

everything in this show is so pure

i love it

NO WHY AM I SMILING

ITS BC I LOVE WINNYSATANG

GOSH DARNNIT IM SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SEANMAITHEE ADVOCATES WHY AM I FALLING INTO THE TRAP

ITS BC WINNYSATANG (and thereby soundwin) AND ITS ALSO BC NAYSEANMAITEE

THAT IS ALL

nueakluen are so in love i love them

how many times have i said that today

probably too many

its fine

oH MY GOSH

CHE CAVOLO

IM DYING

IM FREAKING DYING

A SUNFLOWER RING???

i think im gonna cry

no thats a lie

i know im gonna cry, for sure

WHAT THE HELLLLLL

THIS IS SO FREAKING SWEET

HES SO DRAMATIC

IN THE BEST WAY

I LOVE HIM

HE DID LITTLE GRABBY HANDS GHRBGHBHR

just like me with his gender

*grabby hands* gimme

"THERES A SUNFLOWER AND A STAR" I CANT WITH THEM

BROOOOOOO

"what are you talking about" nuea, it was pretty clear. i think he just proposed to you. or like some kind of statement like 'we're absolutely getting married, that's happening'

i think theyve had a conversation about this in the past. idk if it happened in canon (i dont think it did?????) but it feels like theyve had The Marriage Conversation before

same

LITLE KISSE

lift and walk back into their room lmao

captain is disappointed in his crew

"nuea, ive been rooting for you since high school" nay was the one tending at the docks or whatever and then the ship started sailing and the only one on the boat was sean and he was like 'ah shoot i better figure out how to make a ship not sink now'

i think im getting lost in the metaphor

what im tryna say is even tho nay's been there since high school, sean is still the captain

"should we jsut go to their room?" "let's go" GUYS WAIT NO-

THIS IS MAKING ME HAPPIER THAN I CAN POSSIBLY EXPRESS

MY BOYS

THEYRE FINALLY HAPPY

THEY FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT

THEYRE IN LOVE AND THEYRE HAPPY AND THEYRE TOGETHER AND SOMEONE HELP ME IM GOING TO EXPLODE

LONGE KISSE

HAPPY LONGE KISSE

I HAVE THE HAPPY

THAT'S WHAT WE MUST LEARN

WHETHER ITS SAD OR HAPPY

LET IT HAPPEN NATURALLY

WE MIGHT NEED DESTINY, WE MIGHT NEED TO SAY A PRAYER, WE MIGHT NEED TIME, I STILL NEED TO DISCOVER

LOVE MENTIONED IN A SONG, LET IT PLAY, ONE DAY WE'LL KNOW, JUST LET IT GROW

sorry the msp brainrot is too strong

THE FREAKING FLASHBACKS WHAT THE HELL

THAT WAS WONDERFUL

FREAKING INCREDIBLE

okay now i need to prepare myself for the eclipse preview

goodness gracious im not gonna be okay

im already Not At All Okay, but its gonna be worse in a sec

sorry i just need to take some deep breaths

aaaaaaaaaaaa

okay im ready

(im not ready but i have to watch this)

oh holy hell im already about to have a breakdown

theyre on bikes

they have HATS with the SYMBOL on them

I WANT THOSE HATS

THEYRE STARING AT EACH OTHER INTENTLY

THEYRE SO FREAKING IN LOVE

THEYRE KISSING

akk's waking up from a dream

"are you up, shortstop" HANG ON DID THEY SWITCH THE NICKNAMES????

"shortstop my *ss. you're shortstop" THATS WHAT I SAID

oh nooooo pls dont do a wat/sani thing, pls

do wat/namo

i want puwin's characters to be happy and gay

and sani is a teacher

its problematic

i mean it could be worse but i dont like it

OMG KAN STARING AT THUA

"i thought you wouldnt come" UM FLASHBACKS FROM THAT LINE??? JEEZ THAT SCARED ME

omg cowboy hats

cowboys

i love them

help

im not good

help help

my boys

THEY KISSE

HEEEEEELLLLLPPPP

THOSE LIKE 30 SECONDS ARE GONNA MAKE ME CRY HARDER THAN THE FREAKING SUNFLOWER RING

im rewatching that every single day

help

NEXT WEEK

THEYRE COMING BACK NEXT WEEK

IDK WHAT TO DO WITH MY ARMS AND HANDS

I HAVE TO KEEP TAKING THEM AWAY FROM MY KEYBOARD TO STIM

HELP

AKKAYAN ARE COMING BACK

AND SO ARE THUAKAN

AND IM GONNA GET TO SEE MY WIFE AGAIN

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS WAT

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS KAN

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS THUA

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS SANI AKA MY WIFE

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS AKK

AND THE COMFORT CHARACTER THAT IS AYE

WOAH BIG SURPRISE THEYRE ALL MY COMFORT CHARACTERS BECAUSE ITS MY COMFORT SHOW

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[theunconcernedembalmer]

how do u handle ur social anxiety? ive been struggling a lot with it lately to the point ive sorta been breaking down and what better way for advice than to ask someone that comforts u (mun[?] too)

Mun... might have something more useful for you.

aesops way of coping is probably avoidance but we all know that aint the best way aha. anyway this was one ask i could not stop thinking about because i read it n went (john mulaney voice) Huh my anxiety never got so bad till a break down, n then it happened to me a few days later. i do find this funny yes

anyway, the most useful thing ive learnt to handle my social anxiety (not entirely tho but its a good start) is to identify which trains of thought is Social Anxiety tm speaking so u can immediately know those r lies. stuff like Oh they’re laughing at me just as I walk by, they’re laughing at me, or Someone else is here, they probably hate me, I should go somewhere else but I cant, aaaaaaaaaaaaa

(if im not wrong,) usually theyre statements that are along the lines of “they hate you” or “you’re wrong”, n they’re based off an irrational fear of others that can be countered using evidence or, well, logic and rationale. things like “No one is keeping a checklist of your mistakes, you’re literally the only one doing that and scrutinizing each one of them, others dont care so much about these things.” (ive found this to be a very good counterargument to use for a lot of situations so im bolding it) or “You wouldn’t think that if someone else messes up, it should be the same for them. And if they say it isnt a big deal, it probably isnt”. for me i usually keep repeating these more logical explanations n counterarguments to myself to kinda quell the social anxiety voice for a bit. i know there are cases that it doesnt work 100%, but its a good start

n if ur also like me who avoids eating/ getting food cos theres human interaction involved, i kinda try to get my friends to drag me out whenever possible. no shame, even a simple “hey lets drop by the convenience store later so i can grab a snack” is better than starving for like. a day or so. its also cos of this whenever i plan my schedule for the day, i see if i can plan it such that its convenient for me to get food for both lunch and dinner (sorry im not one for breakfast aha). n also i find that if i dont like the food (sorry im a very picky eater), i would rather starve than eat, so now im willing to pay a bit more for food i like n will eat

or just having someone else to talk to about these kinds of things, and kinda having a second opinion of “was that weird of me” or “should i have done that” with someone (ppl give advice better to others than to themselves aha) really helps, i think. u could probably also ask for advice maybe (like this? XD) ((after i had a small meltdown that day i went to my boyfriend’s to complain for an hour n honestly that helped me to release a lot of distressed energy n its better than stewing in it for the rest of the day + i got some advice that i slowly worked on when i was feeling up to it enough))

im also still kinda bad at small talk with strangers, especially ppl whom i just met. i find a small trick to this (that again does not work all the time) is to try to find a relevant topic (background is also fine i guess, depends on context), n as they answer find something about their answer that u can branch off into another topic. it could be a personal anecdote that is remotely related to that topic, it just gives u things to talk about aha (eg someone saw me drawing n commented that one of their friends also draws, n i started talking about how i used to get really bad grades in art class. which wasnt quite the topic but it worked). n when ur ending ur turn to talk, try to have something that the other person can comment on/ answer. having said that, this is hard if the other person is equally awkward/ doesnt give u much to branch off on from their replies (i mean they really only answer your question n rarely elaborates unless prompted. eg “what did you have for lunch?” “pasta.” “oh, what kind?” “carbonara.”). then i say its only as awkward as u make it to be, perhaps u would be better off kinda just sitting together in silence. its not weird unless u make it, n not every moment has to be filled with conversation.

thank u so much for this ask by the way, social anxiety is a huge bitch to have n it sucks extra much that a lot of our fears seem incredibly stupid from a “normal” point of view n we are constantly on edge even if we seem 101% fine cos we’re not fine aha. but just know ur not alone in this, n i hope some of these might have helped. 

i guess i should put some sort of disclaimer here, these r just some of my own personal problems n the solutions i have are mostly for me (maybe except for countering the thoughts), so i understand if they might not work for others. so i kinda recommend just sitting down, identifying which aspects social anxiety is affecting n finding a solution that works for u is kinda the best. try out different methods, if they dont work thats alright, if it does then thats great. it takes a lot of time, admittedly i starved myself for a couple of semesters before i found this solution for myself. it also take a lot of constant effort to counter, n to that i wish u all the best, n good luck in finding methods that work for u <3

[sundrenched-smilez]

rose, lace, wings, marble, pearl, wine

rose: what makes you feel beautiful? 

gettin to dress up or coordinate an outfit!! compliments, eyeliner, painting my nails, trying on clothes, sunlight, my hair when it works w me, esp when it gets v curly!! i lov that!! also whenever i’m topless? sometimes bc i’ve always wanted boobs, and they’re a constant reminder that i made it thru everything i thought I couldn’t, and that i’ve made so much progress and growth over the past yr, and it’s nice bein able 2 appreciate them n have em out :~)) oh!! and not having body hair, that’s always helpful for feelin nice, smooth is goode

lace: how would you describe your best friend(s)? 

sam @unstablebystander is my fav person and best best friend!! they’re rly smart and creative, and i love how they think!! they’re super innovative, and r always bettering themselves n tryin new things, and it’s super admirable of him. he’s got Such a good sense of humor, and we can joke abt anything, n tease each other, which is rare for me bc im p bad @ takin junk like that seriously unless ik the person rly well, n know they don’t mean it. so i rly appreciate that, and that we can talk abt anything together. i met them like 4 yrs ago, and im v glad i met him when i did; we were both startin exploring gender and realizing we weren’t cis, and they were a rly integral part of learnin 2 accept and love myself, and finding my gender(s) n all that jazz!! we’re like always on the same page n hella in sync, and it’s wild, and rly fun. they’re rly capable and have been thru so much, and keep goin, and they’re really amazing. i always feel better when i’m around them, n talkin, even if it’s abt simple stuff, we find a way to improve each others’ days and they make me so happy. 

roan @agayconcept is someone who i consider a v close friend!!! they’re doin such great work w the kiddos they teach, n makin such a big difference in the world bc of it!! they teach em that everyone’s minds work differently, and that there’s no one way to do something, n how important respect is, and im so happy that they have the opportunity to teach their kids these lessons :~)) im super proud of em. also!!! they’re rly great w fashion n have an amazing taste in music, and in general!! we’re always listen to eachothers probs n comforting each other, n sharin good things in our lives, n that we find, and theyre a huge sweetheart 

wings: list five things you love about yourself 

i love my hair!!

 that i lov tellin bad joaks n laughin w ppl

my eyes r incredibly stunning, esp w eyeliner on, it compliments them so well.

 i love how creative and imaginative I am, and the way I think abt things, n what i’m able to create!! my fashion sense is also v loved

my ear for music is smth im proud of and wanna work more with!! 

im cheating here’s a sixth!! i love how i interact with and make art!! i wanna get into animation, and i rly love my knowledge of su, bc i can pick out an episode by a single frame, and probably tell u the line bein said if it’s one of the older or more memorable ones, and i think that’s neat

marble: what do you look for in a partner? 

I look for someone who’s willing to communicate with me, and talk anything out, even if it may seem silly. someone who listens intently to important things, and will remember things abt me n what i’m into. a big thing i’ll look for is creativity, imagination, compassion and empathy!! i love picking @ creative minds and bouncin stuff off of them w ppl, and as someone who’s into music, art and animation as i am, i feel it’s important to b w someone who’s at least a bit into any of those things. writing counts, bc that’s still creating smth and a lovely thing

ppl who aren’t super short compared to me? just bc i get uncomf towering over ppl. eyes r very very important to me, u can see a lot in them, and i have a thing abt readin them. brown eyes r a big bonus tbh, i’m a slut for em 

bein strong isnt necessary but is Very Hot, and i lov outdoors/nature things a lot so that’s important to me to have in common!! humor is also rly important, i gotta b able 2 make bad jokes w em c: 

pearl: what is your favourite: scent, flavour, sound, texture? 

scent is v particular, bc i have a few!! and im p sure i have synaesthesia and associate things strongly w smell, so one of my fav ones is “animal crossing for gamecube” but i can’t rly explain what that smells like? it’s got a strong memory to it tho!! i rly love bonfire smoke smell, my fav candles (endless weekend, and strawberry pretzel bar)  and when u blow a candle out 

flavour is probs thai tea? crab rangoon, good french fries, and lemon ice (culvers has it, it’s like!!! lemon ice cream but like a mix between waterice/italian ice, and sherbet. )

sound is for sure an acoustic guitar, specifically when u play w the strings and move ur hands down/up them and all sounds that it can make, and i super love accordion??? it’s such a big instrument in my memory and from my childhood, and it gives off like carnival vibes to me sometimes?? which is unique and fun and very pleasant!! it’s also such a specific feeling to me c:

wine: talk about something you are looking forward to 

there’s this rly chill n adorable game comin out this yr? early next? called ooblets!!!! it’s a mix between pokemon, stardew valley, and animal crossing and gosh,,,, it looks so incredible and i can’t wait 2 try it out : DD i love any game where u can grow stuff, interact w villagers/townsfolk and have lil pets n decorate/craft stuff!!! and it’s got All of that : DD!! it is a game for me 

[tomandharriet]

It’s beginning to feel... more like Christmas than it did in India!

Neither of us had ever been away for Christmas before. But we also hadn’t spent Christmas Day together, so we knew this was going to be a Christmas of many firsts. That began with zero build up whilst in India, until our final day in Jaipur where we found a solitary market stall selling a random assortment of Christmas memorabilia. Clearly our Christmas spirit was yet to set in, as we reverted to norm and drove a hard bargain, later feeling a pang of guilt as it’s unlikely anyone else was going to purchase his Christmas tree glasses. We landed into Thailand early after our overnight flight, but with the airport blasting Maria Carey over the tannoy system, there was no time for tiredness as a wave of Christmas nostalgia came over us. This really got us in the mood for our first Christmas treat to ourselves - a five star hotel in Bangkok! Sadly the excitement was cut short.. we’d (not Tom this time) booked for the wrong year.. and they were full! Tired and hungry from our overnight flight, we panic booked a not quite as nice hotel in Chinatown and then battled to overcome our sense of humour failures, before realising it was nearly Christmas Eve.. and the rooftop bar and pool at the new place wasn’t so bad after all.

Waking early for our flight down towards Koh Samui, both of us had that excited, almost childlike Christmas mood. We basically had 1 day to cram in all of the usual Christmas build up and most of that was going to be taken up with travel in taxis, buses, planes, boats and minivans. But we gave it our best shot and spent a frantic 30 minutes running around Bangkok airport buying stockings for each other. The long journey actually went surprisingly quickly as our eagerness to see our Christmas home from home grew ever stronger. Our Koh Samui hotel was actually the first thing we booked for our trip, before we’d even confirmed we’d be able to go away. A Christmas present to our future selves and a target to at least spend Christmas away together, with the hope that it would come halfway through our trip. As it turns out, our hope that this would be a nice treat at the end of traveling around India was exactly how it panned out.

Koh Samui, like much of the south of Thailand, is beautiful. It’s also incredibly busy, with a constant churn of tourists being shipped in and out of the thousands of resorts. This was no doubt heightened due to the Christmas and New Year holidays, but we were expecting that to be the case and ultimately just wanted somewhere which could offer us a little slice of luxury and Christmas Day on a beach. And our hotel, Case de Mar, definitely delivered this through their wonderful staff, easily the nicest / cleanest room of our trip up to this point and some excellent food and cocktails. Oh and the all important steps, leading straight into the tranquil sea! The strangest thing about our time over Christmas was the other punters. Everybody there was seemingly trying to flee Christmas. Which is ironic when Thailand is renowned for celebrating Christmas, despite their lack of Christianity - because they’re always up for a good time! With the staff running around wishing a “MERRY CWISTMAS!” to several gormless faces, our Christmas morning Santa hats gave them a clear indication that their enthusiasm wouldn’t be lost on us. Keen to keep up as many traditions as possible, we opened our duty free stockings and promptly ordered a bottle of champagne! And that was about it for tradition, as we swam and ate Thai food for the remainder of the day.

And that was about it for Christmas. After moving at such a pace for 2 months, it was bliss to barely step foot outside of our hotel / offbthe beach for 3 days and not have to worry about anything more than whether or not that nights buffet would be up to scratch. Those 3 days flew by and before we knew it we were packing up and heading off to Koh Pangnan. Or at least thats what we thought, until we arrived at the ferry port to scenes of chaos and swarms of English and Australian teenagers trying to reach the island for New Year’s infamous Full Moon Party. We were unable to get on the ferry we planned, the next one was in 4 hours and was apparently fully booked too. We had a moment of realisation of just how old we felt and decided to instead move to a different part of Koh Samui and spend a couple of extra days there, to see what the island actually had to offer, considering we’d hardly seen it. We opted for Fisherman’s Village, where we enjoyed more of the same. Decent Thai food, massages and cocktails, but not much more. If you’re looking for culture, this isn’t the place. And after 5 days on the island we were starting to crave it.

Having done all the eating, drinking, swimming, reading, blog writing & fantasy football planning we could manage (yes, it turns out there is a limit to Harriet’s obsession). We decided to do a little more on our final day and headed to Ang Thong National Park, an archipelago of islands approximately 2 hours boat ride from Koh Samui. It was a really enjoyable day and great to put our legs to use again. The steep climb in the humid weather was rewarded with some stunning views of the islands and knowing we had the sea to cool off in made it all the more bareable.

So all in all, a bit of a mixed time on Koh Samui. We definitely missed spending time with our families over Christmas, but loved being able to spend it together. Our bodies generally thanked us for the slowing of pace, but our heads were racing ahead, eager to do more, causing a bit of an internal conflict within us, almost feeling guilty about doing nothing, but then there isn’t a whole lot to do in Koh Samui anyway. But that’s more down to us than the island. It’s a holiday destination and we hadn’t managed to flick out of traveling mode yet. We needed a catalyst to snap us out of our India hangover and luckily we had one, at that point in time, in Chengdu. Rose was on her way out to spend New Year with us and to make that affordable, she had to pass a test of friendship, in the form of spending 8 hours in a Chinese airport.

Food

Not much to report on the food front during the first part of our time in Thailand. Unexpectedly staying in Bangkok’s Chinatown meant access to street food was in abundance. The majority of the stalls were selling any kind of meat that had been put on a stick and grilled. Coming from India that was predominately vegetarian food this actually turned our stomachs a bit.

Koh Samui was definitely the “westernised” break we were probably both craving. However trying local Thai dishes that extended further than a typical meal you would order from your local Thai restaurant had to take a bit of a back seat for our Christmas “holiday”. We ate a lot of Thai buffets (including Christmas Day). Yes, the chicken satay was great but our longing for smoked salmon canapés and roast turkey cut deep.

Something that did seem to be a popular desert in Koh Samui, which we definitely want to start making at home were the most delicate little coconut pancakes called kanom krok. Simply made by mixing coconut cream (and shredded coconut), sugar and rice flour then frying the ingredients in an aebleskiver pan to make them wonderfully crispy on the outside and soft, warm and custardy on the inside. Served hot you have the option to agonisingly wait for them to cool down or in Harriet’s case embrace the piping hot blowing of them in your mouth. Worth every bit of pain!

Travel Jukebox - ‘The Love Actually Soundtrack’ by Various Christmassy Artists

Rules are there to be broken. And when Anja risked her chances of winning a coveted jukebox award by sending us a playlist, we couldn’t have been happier. We waited patiently until Thailand and then spent 3 days with the playlist on repeat. It was this playlist that made the long journey to Koh Samui enjoyable and that helped add a Christmas sprinkle of warmth and nostalgia to our first Christmas away.

Given that it’s Christmas songs, it’s really hard to sound remotely intelligent / pretentious about them. Everyone knows them, moans when they hear them too early in the year, enjoys them for a short spell and then condemns them to the back of their minds until the following December. But being away from everyone we usually spend our Christmases with and then hearing those oh so familiar songs actually helped a surprising amount and we’re not exaggerating when saying Christmas wouldn’t have been far off passing us by if it weren’t for the music. And the novelty of listening to songs about cold nights and snow whilst in 33 degree heat didn’t wear off!

TLDR; Armed with Chris Rea and champagne, you can make it feel like Christmas just about anywhere in the world.

[viralhottopics]

‘Ghost Recon: Wildlands’ review: Ambitious but poorly executed

Ghost Recon: Wildlands isnt just an open world game its a daunting expanse of unrealized potential.

SEE ALSO: 5 tips you’ll want to know before you start ‘Ghost Recon: Wildlands’

At first blush, Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a mesmerizing experience. The rocky hills in Itacua, the first province in the game, create a beautiful, treacherous landscape that is glorious to behold. But Wildlands quickly reveals itself as a husk, devoid of any life or meaningful story, with more veneer than actual substance.

A good start to the story breaks bad quickly

Wildlands narrative starts off compellingly enough. You play as a Ghost Recon operator, call-sign Nomad, in the wild lands of Bolivia, under the CIAs Operation Kingslayer. Your mission is to clear out the Santa Blanca cartel and rid Bolivia of its narco-state ties. But it isnt long before you discover the myriad flaws and plotholes that run rampant throughout the games latter half.

Yuri and Polito, the first provinces buchones (minibosses), were a fascinating pair to track down. Their cringe-inducing talk of necrophilia was enough to motivate me along the missions that would lead to their inevitable execution. Unfortunately, Yuri and Politos end was one of the only satisfying story conclusions in the game.

Everything in Wildlands takes place in an open world, which means that the buchones can be taken down in any particular order. Which sounds great until youre stuck in choice paralysis. I got so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of provinces to explore and buchones to execute that I began to resent the cartel map and its execution targets. Ten hours after starting the game, its repetitive nature and tone deaf narrative caught up with me.

The deeper Wildlands thready narrative gets, the more stale the ideas feel. Its flaws start with inconsistencies in the story but completely unravels when yet another cinematic rewrites a major plot point. But it was the ending both of them that was the worst offense. Not only is Wildlands narrative conclusion a massive letdown in terms of tension and story resolution, its treatment of drug trafficking and cartels is appallingly ignorant and still somehow heavy-handed.

Theres a way to handle those themes that doesnt rely on stereotypes or tired tropes. The Mafia games, especially the most recent installment in the series, provides a far more nuanced perspective of what it means to run a large drug operation. Lincoln Clay, Mafia 3s protagonist, and his gang leaders feel tangible, believable. Wildlands couldnt decide whether to be serious or satirical, evident by its bombastic characters that felt too ridiculous to be taken seriously, even if that was the purpose. Wildlands is a poignant reminder that painting broad strokes on top of existing real world issues is not the way to tell a compelling story.

Sniping is everything and your drone is your only friend

Story isnt always necessary to enjoying a game but, sadly in this case, Wildlands misses the mark almostall the way across the board. Thankfully, between decent gunplay, enjoyable long-range combat, and a drone that has more personality than anyone else on your squad, it manages to claw its way back to mediocrity.

The gunplay is mediocre in comparison to any number of third person shooters, including Ubisofts own The Division, mostly because the contextual cover system is twelve ways to ridiculous. The cover system is unreliable, accounting for at least a third of my deaths it was hard to stay fully protected because there was little indication as to what was considered true cover and what was only a cosmetic hiding spot. The latter obscured my line of sight but didnt give me any protection from enemy fire. But in spite of the unintuitive cover system and the shrug-worthy gunplay, there were a handful of moments that made the game worth playing.

The long-range snipe is where Wildlands really shines. There isnt much to shooting from the hip, even after youve put points into that particular skill. But the shots I made with my eye down the barrel or through a high-powered rifle scope were often the most exhilarating they challenged me to think tactically, rather than just react to the environment. The quick audible feedback, followed by the target dropping out of his sniper tower when the shot struck true from 300 meters away (regardless of whether or not it alerted the enemy to my position) was often the best part of beginning an encounter.

The majority of the game is played at long range, so moments like this are fairly frequent, which means theres a lot of fist-pumping along the way.

Sadly, the only things that your AI squad is good for are fist-bumping one another in background chatter and soaking up sicario bullets. The background information on Holt, Midas, and Weaver indicates that they have special roles within the team. Unfortunately, those roles arent realized within gameplay. Youre still the one laying C4 charges and blowing up trucks full of coke, even though you have a demolitions expert in the squad. So, while its easier to play stealth-heavy missions with the AI (as their presence doesnt alert enemies), theyre little more than meat shields in the heat of battle.

Your drone, however, is your constant companion. In most altercations with either UNIDAD, the military police, or the cartel, the drone was the only way I stayed alive. Flying it (while safely in cover, of course) allowed me to mark targets, blow up a group of enemies, distract another group, and even revive a teammate remotely. My drone was my in-game bestie the only thing that kept us apart was a drone jammer and I always, always dealt with those first.

Vast spaces too empty for their own good

From breathtaking vistas to lush jungle rivers all the way to desolate salt flats, Wildlands has constructed a collection of incredible landscapes to explore. While Bolivias existence as a narco-state is a work of fiction, the environment is as close to real life as you can get without hopping on a plane (or three). Its a joy to ride a dirt bike around the early provinces, capturing shots of sunrises and twinkling stars, but the world is otherwise empty.

Strangely, the more you explore, the more overwhelming the world feels, in spite of the desolation in the environment. It takes a long time to travel from mission to mission the roads and mountains are unforgiving and expansive. As you uncover more intelligence within each province, the TACMAP becomes the most unsavory place in the game. Without a way to filter, it devolves into a lumbering beast with a plethora of icons obscuring the map and making navigation a chore.

Open world games shouldnt be daunting. Rockstar and 2K Games both managed to create open worlds that dont feel like youre drowning in them. So why didnt Ubisofts land?

Outside of the cartel hit list, Wildlands does very little to acknowledge progression. Theres the odd soundbite from DJ Perico, Santa Blancas propaganda-spouting mouthpiece, but there is nothing in the cinematics or the gameplay that recognizes the cartels destabilization. The videos from El Suenos perspective feel disjointed enough that its hard to believe that any part of the cartels operations are aware of one another. Story progression felt like a checklist of requirements rather than the interwoven narrative that it could have been.

Crackdown tackled a similar structure to Wildlands, but integrated the gang leaders executions into both the story and the gameplay. Each gang leader that you took out led to the decreased effectiveness of the gang itself. Taking out a particular leader could mean that enemies began to carry pistols instead of assault rifles; or typically well-defended hideouts would see their numbers drastically decreased. Sometimes, you had to fight certain leaders first before you could even think about tackling some of the games bigger fights.

Wildlands gives the player full reign of what to do and where to go next a true open world experience. But as I progressed through the game, it didnt feel like my actions impacted the game. It was a matter of finishing out a set of missions in order to get to the next set of missions, in order to maybe get the hint of a story. Crackdown, on the other hand, demonstrated through both gameplay and narrative how important it was to be tactical and strategic about the order of execution.

Huge, open world games need diverse soundscapes

Wildlands requires a lot of point A to point B travel but doesnt offer much in the way of companionship. Your options are either to listen to your squad mates drone on, or to endure the same two songs that play on the radio over and over again until youre fairly certain that you are, in fact, in hell. The combination of the two work to create an aggravating experience in between the major story beats.

Theres some satisfaction in looping through the terrain in order to pick up the plethora of meaningful collectibles, but even that wears thin.

Theres a hollowness to how your Ghost, call-sign Nomad, interacts with their squad mates. While Nomad perks up with comments about the mission every once in awhile, Midas, Weaver, and Holt are usually silent. The intermittent broisms including various musings about sex with twenty-two-year-olds and snorting coke to cope with altitude sickness cement how vacuous the game presents its operators. Granted, its a Tom Clancy game and exaggeration is usually the order of the day, but the dialogue writing feels downright lazy after more than a couple of hours with the squad.

There are only so many times a person can hear this medal has a coca leaf on it, thats kinda cool before they are driven to summoning an Elder God in order to end all existence.

Despite its best efforts, Wildlands can still be fun (with friends)

Somehow, out of the cocktail of mediocrity that the game serves up, Wildlands still manages to be kind of fun in partnered co-op. Hopping into a party, bantering with friends and taking down sicarios is pretty much the only way to enjoy playing the game.

With the exception of the day/night cycle, the entire multiplayer experience was disjointed. Weather conditions, radio audio, and incidental chatter was delivered locally, rather than synced across all players in a session. It could be a torrential downpour in my instance of the game while the sun was shining brightly in yours. But in spite of that, the multiplayer experience is what initially sold me on the game.

Cooperative play set a tactical atmosphere that solo play missed. While AI squad mates wandered around of their own accord, getting in the way of my tactical plans, real-life companions and I were able to coordinate our efforts more explicitly.

Everything except stealth missions were easier with human players because we had specialized our Ghosts skill trees. My co-op partners skillset was best suited for vehicle combat, so he often drove. My Ghost was far better at reconnaissance, so I would scout ahead with my drone, marking targets and blowing up small groups of sicarios along the way.

Were not booking a return trip to Bolivia anytime soon

Ghost Recon: Wildlands is an enormous departure from what makes Ghost Recon a reputable tactical squad-based shooter franchise. Beyond narrative fluff, the three AI Ghosts are indistinguishable from one another. Gone are the series staple of individual commands for squad members and the teams specialized skills in favor of a trite story with an empty, repetitive world. The mish-mash of ambitious, poorly executed ideas detract from what could have made the game truly great.

Sniping is a lot of fun. And roaming the gorgeous Bolivian landscape is absolutely breathtaking, no matter which province you find yourself in. But Wildlands myriad missteps are experiential landmines that blow up in your face in almost every province, with immersion and enjoyment suffering as collateral damage.

Amanda Farough has been writing about video and tabletop games for a number of years. Her tastes are eclectic and varied, with a love for strategy and action. You can find her on Twitter at @amandafarough, where she is likely shipping her Overwatch main, D. Va, and Lucio. You can also find her previous work at her personal site.

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