#proper and normal story formatting or extreme love for characters (who would not show up)

[mapbotofficial]

Ohhh I get the "old OCs are close to my heart but fuck if they were in this story they would mess everything up" thing. One of my old OCs is a species of animal that isn't even sentient in my new stuff but I want him in the new stuff so bad :(

~Mouse

conflict of the century: making stories coherent or being full of love for your ocs

[chuckaf]

Chuck Fic Rec List: Updated

So my fic rec post was in my notifs again the other day, and I noticed a while back that the formatting on the post has gotten all messed up and it’s also had like three reblog additions to it anyway meaning there are three versions out there lol. so, I wanted to do another list of chuck fic recs! I’ll keep the other one up still, so I’m not gonna repeat every fic here, just some I really recommend. I’m also adding the fic summaries, which I didn’t on the old post, and some more of my own opinions so, buckle up for a long post!

Chuck Versus the Steampunk Chronicles | Steampunk.Chuckster

1896. A world powered by steam, where humans and machines coexist, and airships are the fashionable mode of transport. The US Empire's deepest and darkest secrets arrive at Chuck Bartowski's doorstep. Have they fallen into the wrong hands? Or will the inventor prove his mettle, even while he's forced to hide from the very people he's protecting? AU, ongoing chronicle, Charah.

A genuinely incredible AU story, with an entire crafted world and universe, so detailed it frequently blows my mind. There is heart and family and infuriatingly brilliant slow-burn, plus a buttload of danger and super fun historical/steampunk action. Oh how I LOVE it.

Chuck vs the Charade | somedeepmystery

When computer nerd Chuck Bartowski returns home to an empty apartment and a dead girlfriend he finds himself embroiled in a deadly game of espionage and deceit. Everyone around him is playing a part to get what they want and when he starts falling for the new woman in his life, he can't help but wonder if he can trust her or if she's the one he should fear the most.

An action and twist-filled AU based on the movie Charade, which is just such a brilliant fic concept I absolutely adored it from the start.

Two Sides of the Same Coin | dettiot

When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.

The first time I read this fic my mind was just blown to its genius. Such a brilliant interpretation of what the Intersect and its concepts set up in the show could be, and ooooof the Chuck/Sarah interactions, my HEART. Related to it, its companion piece:

A Flip of the Coin | dettiot

What made Charles Carmichael agree to become Chuck Bartowski? Well, to start, it wasn't as much of a change as you'd think. A companion to the early chapters of Two Sides of the Same Coin from Carmichael's perspective.

Chuck vs The Butterfly Effect | n7agentbartowski

Chuck Bartowski is a normal guy who just hit rock bottom. No girlfriend, no career and no super computer stuck inside his head. It isn't until Chuck meets a gorgeous stranger on the beach that he begins to think his life is about to change for the better. An AU Chuck fic without the Intersect. "Change one thing and it changes everything."

I said it on the OG post, but this story has one of my top 5 Chuck/Sarah fic meetings. So funny, so... very Chuck. The story is a little angsty overall, but a great read.

Chuck vs the Rogue Spy | Crumby

When a rogue spy from Chuck Bartowski's past shows up to help him during his first solo mission, Chuck hopes that he'll finally find out what happened to Sarah Walker. Post-S2 AU.

There’s a lot of Season 3 fix-it fics out there, which I don’t usually read bc I actually love season 3 lol, but this one’s a good one! A twisty deviation from canon, but still feels really true to character.

Chuck Versus the Nerds Rewrite | Steampunk.Chuckster and David Carner

What happens when two nerds talk endless hours about their favorite TV show? A new take on the show you know, but with the flair, twists, and turns you've come to expect from Steampunk . Chuckster and david . carner. Somewhat canon. Charah.

As the summary says, a different take on the show, which honestly makes a couple changes I would too, but also adds a bunch of fun twists and plots that make it totally new and fresh. Seeing Chuck and Sarah’s thoughts in the more canon sections is just delicious, too.

The Trapped Assassin | SarahsSupplyCloset

After a mission goes awry, the CIA's most lethal assassin is ordered to take vacation while her superiors figure out what to do with her. But when she meets a disarming tourist, their immediate connection only adds to her disillusionment with the agency and her career. Will he be enough for her to finally take the plunge and leave the only life she's ever known? Charah AU

A warning for the very justified M rating if you don’t like that sort of thing, but this is definitely a plot-heavy fic, too. A really neat Sarah-heavy AU, with a whole lotta Chuck/Sarah fancy French vacationy goodness.

Chuck vs the Second Chance | malamoo

AU from mid-season 2 and onwards. Chuck and Sarah part ways only to be reunited years later. COMPLETE.

Literal, crying-at-my-screen angst. Not even a super happy ending. But a brilliantly written, part-reflective/flashback fic, exploring what would’ve happened if Chuck and Sarah’s relationship really was an assignment all along-- and the aftermath. It’s heartbreaking. But if you want a little heartbreak, this is your fic.

Ready at Your Hand | dettiot

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a Catholic plot against the queen comes to the attention of spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. To protect Elizabeth, he develops an unusual plan: hide the passing of intelligence between two agents by a false romance. When Lady Sarah Walker and Chuck Carmichael meet, though, their pretend flirtation becomes much more.

I love Chuck fic for the very reason that it’s inspired such adventurous and totally unique AUs. Here’s some Elizabethan fake-dating Chuck and Sarah! They have to be so Proper, it’s like that hand moment from Pride and Prejudice but Elizabethan and times a billion. The pining!!

Sarah Versus Getting Married | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker is getting married. Canon. Charah.

I’d recommend all of SC’s fics if I had the room, and I’m already recommending a ton sksks but most of my fic recs are AUs, and this one isn’t! It’s canon, and covers some of in the gap in 4x24, with Sarah just before the wedding itself. Super sweet, heart-tugging, brilliant.

A Chuckmas Carol | Mikki13

A new twist to Dickens' beloved "A Christmas Carol". When Sarah begins to shut out the world around her, three spirits come to show her the error of her ways. Season 3 AU.

Another Season 3 AU, this one written pre-series so it definitely doesn’t fit to canon, but it’s still wonderfully rich in character depth and angst and it also made me cry. Plus, festive!

Chuck Versus Thin Ice | Steampunk.Chuckster

On the doorstep of the Olympics, top American curler Sarah Walker has lost her mixed doubles partner and her boyfriend in one fell swoop. Her coaches throw newbie Team U.S.A. curler Chuck Bartowski onto her team and thrust them into the Olympics, hanging America's curling hopes on two people who only have a short amount of time to learn to trust one another. Charah AU.

Do you like curling? Or the Winter Olympics? It doesn’t really matter because somehow this fic made me extremely invested in both of those things, as well as Chuck and Sarah and them being INSUFFERABLE. Catch me now knowing a ton about curling thanks to this fic.

Walker’s Eleven | Moonlight Pilot

Not the same plot as the movie. Sarah Walker never got out of the con game or became a spy, and now she's on her final con. What happens when true love and betrayal get added to the mix? Twists, turns, and Jeffster!

Con!Sarah always interests me, and this fic is full of her. Lotta con plot, lotta Chuck and Sarah.

The Detective and the Tech Guy | thecharleses

Sarah Walker is a Pinkerton detective. Chuck Bartowski is an electronics genius. They wouldn't have met except for a case of mistaken identity and murder. Will the detective and the tech guy solve the mystery, distracted by the riddle in their own hearts? An homage to The Thin Man film series. Formerly co-written by Steampunk . Chuckster and dettiot, now ONLY Steampunk . Chuckster.

Everyone in this fic is so damn cool. There are so many martinis. But also great heart and family and like, standing up for who you love, and later also Chuck with Baby Clara content which frankly the show robbed us of. Also, PI!Sarah!!!

Gravity | Poetic4U

AU. Sarah makes a decision that altered her life forever.

This is just a one-shot, which many of these stories are not, so a good one if you don’t fancy a big read! Just because it’s short, though, doesn’t mean it’s lacking; a really awesome what-if AU, and heavy on the Chuck and Sarah.

A Yuletie Tale | Steampunk.Chuckster

Sarah Walker was dumped the day before Christmas Eve, and her Plus One at her work’s annual Christmas Eve Soiree is now officially a Plus Zero. Her best friend Ellie Bartowski has a solution to her problem, and Sarah finds she isn’t quite as sure about it as Ellie is. AU Christmas Charah.

I’m particularly in love with this fic because, instead of beginning with a meet-cute, it involves Chuck and Sarah already two years into a friendship-- Sarah is Ellie’s best friend. And she’s been crushing harrrd on Ellie’s brother. Also Chuck is in a tux. It’s pretty.

Set, Spike, Dive! | Frea O’Scanlin

Chuck never expected to even make it to the Olympics. Everything is working against him: he's too tall for a diver, too inexperienced for a medal, too much of a wildcard to really make his mark. But an unexpected meeting at the airport, some intriguing new friends, and a whirlwind romance on the sand just might set up London 2012 as the time of Chuck Bartowski's life.

A London 2012 AU, because why not. This is just a fun Olympic-y ride!

OTP (One True Pairing) Prompts | David Carner

A series of Prompts I found online about different times and places in Chuck and Sarah's life. Mostly AU, mostly one-shots. I assume mostly fluff, but I might get deep. I doubt it, it's me. Charah...ALWAYS (It says complete, but if an idea strikes me...)

If you’re not so into long stories, this fic is perfect. Individual set-ups and stories, all Chuck and Sarah, and all super cute. You could dip in and out and just pick a scenario you enjoy.

Chuck vs The Frontier | ninjaVanish

AU: Chuck was enjoying a simple life as a 19th century watchmaker until an encounter with a beautiful Secret Service agent thrust him into a world of intrigue and adventure he never wanted. But then, with Agent Walker around, it can't be all bad, can it?

This fic gets props for being historically-set but still including the Intersect. Again, a historical AU, so the pining!! the need to be Proper!!! But besides all that, there’s a lot of action fun as well.

Chuck Versus The Crosswalk: Remastered | WvonB

Will a last minute mission help our two favorite characters finally get together? This is the remastered version of my first story.

The original version of this fic is on my first list; this is the updated version! It’s not a complete AU, instead a story that diverges from canon, so if you’re more into canon characters and setting than a new AU scenario, this is a great fic for that.

Little Girls, Paper Wreaths, and Choc Chip Cookies | DanaPAH

Very AU: Sarah Walker is a single mother whose Christmas spirit needs a boost after a tough divorce. She isn't quite ready to go looking for romance, but her little daughter's affection for their new neighbor may lure it right to her doorstep, anyway.

An incredibly sweet AU one-shot where Chuck and Sarah are new neighbours, and Sarah has a super cute little girl. So much sweetness and love and hope. I love this fic so much it literally led me to write my own neighbour-kid-AU, so, not to toot my own horn but I’ll link it here anyway.

May Your Walls Know Joy | halfachance

Looking for a fresh start after some tough times, Sarah and her three-year-old daughter move to LA. When they meet a sweet curly-haired nerd who lives next door, though, Sarah realizes they might just find more happiness than they'd ever imagined, if only her past doesn't catch up to her first. AU.

It’s what the summary says; if you wanna read, feel free!

Chuck vs the Sound of Music | quistie64

AU. Chuck, nerd extraordinaire, is a man with seven children and Sarah must protect them all from Fulcrum's evil designs. Warning: there will be singing.

I mean. Not much mystery as to the concept with that title and summary lol, but this is a super fun, soft ride with a lotta sweetness, and yes, singing.

Just Two People | David Carner

Meet Sarah Walker PhD, Psychologist, specializing in personality traits. Meet Chuck Bartowski, man who has left THE electronic company of 2020. When Burton Consultants tries to figure out what is wrong with the morale of Orion Industries, what happens when a guy named Chuck meets a woman named Sarah. I'll give you a hint, it's me writing.

David’s done something pretty special with this fic. It’s Chuck and Sarah centric, but very much an ensemble piece, too, with a lot of Team Bartowski and other familiar faces throughout.

Chuck Versus the Con Game | Steampunk.Chuckster

AU. Chuck and Sarah are partners in the con game. It's an existence wrought with danger and violence. Every day could be their last. Every mission could be the end of the line.

This is where I freak out SC and declare this fic the reason I ever got hooked on Chuck fic and then wrote Chuck fic, and the reason I still love it today but. that is true lol. Just so. so good. It’s also written with the chapters out of chronological order, which is super fun from a reading perspective. But con!Sarah AND con!Chuck?? Best. The kind of fic you will be thinking about for days (if not, y’know, years).

As you can tell by the repeats, I highly recommend just about anything by Steampunk.Chuckster, dettiot, or David Carner, but there are a TON of amazing Chuck fics and authors out there. I’ve never known a writing community so wildly creative-- there are so many unique AUs and canon explorations and story concepts that this show has manifested, and it’s all so much fun.

Most of the Chuck fic community is still over on FFN rather than AO3, so if any of these whet your appetite, feel free to have a browse there for more stories. I’m sure you’ll find something great. Personally, all the incredible writing there has also led me to write a buttload; I’m at halfachance on FFN, so if you see any of my stuff or wanna chat fic, feel free to message me there or here.

Happy reading, folks!

[mdhwrites]

My Problem/Disappointment With Amity’s Parents

So what the show has done with them is fine. It's fine. Totally fine. They're high society, capitalist jerks who will abuse one of their children for the sake of them having a proper heir and it works and it's been done before and it's effective. It made them perfectly fine villains of the week. It's a shame that it also means missing out on some potential with Amity's character and her fears and makes no sense in context to Emira and Edric. Let's talk.

So, we'll start with Amity and I want to say that a lot more of this part is subjective. I recognize that what I'm going to talk about would have been much harder to do with the show's format and likely taken more time and that it is in fact effective. Her parents make you feel bad for Amity and you understand why she is under such constant pressure and fear. But... What if that hadn't been then case? What if they were strict, sure, and pushed her to succeed, like any set of parents would, but weren't cruel about it? Especially now that she's older and needs to start figuring out what sort of Blight she'll be and experiment with how she interacts with others of all walks of life and not just the best? Suddenly, Amity seems less reasonable to be afraid because a slip up may come with a talk but not a grounding or worse unless it was genuinely egregious.

Except then we get her obsession with never screwing up. Because she never had before Luz. Because she is a perfectionist who was taught that she needed to strive to be the best no matter what and to never show weakness, lessons she took to her core and never learned the second sides of. This would lead to the same character we see but she's now that really smart kid who only identifies as 'the smart kid' and so the idea of relaxing and being something other than that is terrifying to them. The pressure is as much in their own heads as it is from outside sources. They perceive a threat of consequences for failure that are far beyond what would actually be there.

Instead, we know that the consequences for Amity are exactly what she thinks they are, if not worse. I mean, when it came to hanging out with Luz, she likely foresaw getting grounded, yelled at, or worse, but she likely never saw her mom ruining all of her friends' lives as an option. That sort of extreme just means that she needs to readjust her assumptions so that she's closer to the next time her mom attempts to kill someone over her lapsing in focus. That's not nearly as interesting because it implies that she would be much better off without parents. That she'd be able to be close to as healthy as she is with Luz, who makes her forget about that pressure and fear, if she were instead in an orphanage and entirely having to self motivate.

In short: It puts the trait as being something outside of Amity, rather than inside Amity. It's an element of her past, not her. And that's not as interesting to me nor as unique.

But I also mentioned Emira and Edric earlier, right? Because take everything I just said about Odalia and consequences and just yeet it into the nearest sun. After all, while we see the twins try to take steps while directly helping Amity to avoid getting in trouble, such as just asking Mittens to be quiet about it, they obviously aren't subtle people. Hell, one of the main ways of causing trouble that we know about is them SKIPPING CLASS. That's not something you just get away with. Either they are doing something as a trade off to get those teachers to never report them, and report them to very influential people who have heavy sway with the Isles' version of the PTA, or Odalia and Alador have some idea that they're doing this. Also, skipping class usually makes keeping up in class harder so unless Odalia is okay with Cs and Bs rather than straight As, it'd be reflecting on their report cards too.

So how do you make these two halves work? Well, in the case of everything we know right now, you kind of don't. You can headcanon a lot of stuff to make it work but if we just go by what we know, Amity has a genuine reason to complain because a couple weeks at most of her grades not being constant 100s got her double the workload and her friends ripped from her while Ed and Em get to do as they please without consequence. And, reminder, THEY'RE OLDER THAN AMITY. If you want to include them being high society, of status, that means Ed and EM are the HEIRS. Odalia gives more shit currently to her youngest daughter than she does to her oldest. If it's because Amity chose abominations, why wasn't Emira forced into abominations instead? Or was she just that bad at it? We don't know but it is a gaping hole that we don't have an explanation for and I really think it hurts the entire Blight family dynamic because you have to effectively look at it either as it being a somewhat normal, privileged family with the twins, or completely dysfunctional and cruel with the parents.

BUT! This is all just my opinion and, as I said before, all of this has been effective. I still love the twins, I hate Odalia, and I feel sympathetic for Amity because her life is so rough. This is just stuff that has nagged at my brain for a good while now and I wanted to share, especially since I hope it'll help you all consider what the interconnected relationships between characters means rather than looking at them only one on one because otherwise that's how you get the Odalia/Amity and Odalia/Twins disconnect. What do you all think?

And last note because I need to shill if I ever want to make this writer thing work out, if you liked this, maybe consider taking a look at my original work Little Miss Rich Witch which was heavily inspired by Lumity and my thoughts on the high society elements around Amity. It's being published chapter by chapter on Amazon's new Kindle Vella platform where you can read the first three chapters for free and there is a promotion going on to get 200 free tokens which will take you through at least the first 9 paid chapters of the story. It would mean a lot to me and I hope you have a wonderful day no matter what.

[gayenerd]

This interview was the cover story for the 17th issue of Jaded In Chicago. It was conducted in September of 2004, several weeks prior to the release of American Idiot. It was a fitting end to the fanzine that was named after the band, as “Jaded In Chicago” references Green Day’s 1994 MTV concert special. To come full circle by interviewing the band that inspired the zine’s moniker was somewhat surreal.

With the release of American Idiot, Green Day has transcended punk rock. By crafting the first punk rock opera and fashioning what is likely the first tasteful concept album of the new millennium, they’ve provided pop punk bands everywhere with a blueprint for how to mature gracefully. Additionally, as much as American Idiot is about innovation, it’s also a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. The album sears with dissent, takes aim between the eyes of the Bush administration and contains a dangerous sense of unpredictability. It’s been ten years since Green Day was the most popular band in the world and with any luck American Idiot will allow them to recapture that title in no time. (Interview with drummer Tré Cool).

Bill – Before we talk about American Idiot, I wanted to discuss the infamous “lost” album first. About a year and a half ago, you guys recorded what was to be the follow-up to Warning, but reportedly the master tapes were stolen. What can you tell me about what happened?

Tré – We just knew that if it ever came out, we couldn’t do any of those same songs on the actual record. If somebody puts it out, like crappier versions of the songs, it’s going to totally ruin it. Plus, it happened right around the same time that Billie wrote the song “American Idiot” and most of “Holiday.” We were in the middle of working on those songs, so we just decided not to look back and we kept going forward.

Bill – I’ve read that you feel American Idiot is “maximum Green Day.” Why exactly do you feel this way?

Tré – Well, because we’re firing on all cylinders, ya know? Everything about even just being in the band now feels so right. Everything from the recording process to the live shows to our ambitions. This might sound kind of dumb, but even the clothes we’re wearing during photo shoots. It’s more together like a band.

Bill – People are certainly expecting this record to be political, but I think they’re going to be surprised when they hear how you really go for the throat with some of the lyrics. Examples of this would of course be the title track and also the breakdown section of “Holiday.” What are some of the main reasons why you’re so pissed off with this country?

Tré – It’s more like confused and jaded, if you will, (laughs). The bombardment of bullshit, fake news, like Fox News and CNN. All the reality-based shit that’s on television, stuff like Fear Factor that the government is using to keep everybody like good little sheep and not asking too many questions. It’s like how if a cop hears you use the word “terror” it basically means he can take any normal American citizen’s rights away from them. A cop can do that at his or her discretion if they think you might be a terrorist or whatnot. The whole Patriot Act. It’s like do we actually have any rights after all? We don’t have the right to a proper election, we already found that out. The fabric of our government right now is basically just made out of one hundred dollar bills that are drenched in oil. As far as this upcoming election goes, I know that John Kerry is extremely conservative and he’s nowhere near the liberal we need in the White House to clean up the mess. However, he’s not George Bush. Kerry’s money is in ketchup. Bush’s money is in oil and blood. I’d choose ketchup over that, (laughs).

Bill – How do you hope people react to these songs?

Tré – I hope they can look past the strong language and go into the meaning of it. I hope they realize there’s a bit of sarcasm. I hope they don’t feel that we’re telling them what to do. We’re just sort of pointing the fingers at ourselves, saying like “I don’t want to be an American idiot or I don’t want to be a part of this bullshit.”

Bill – Talk about the character called “Jesus of Suburbia.” What sort of journey does he embark on throughout these songs and what made you choose this type of format for your songwriting?

Tré – The album is sort of like a timeline of his life. Depending on where you’re at with your life, you probably fit somewhere on that timeline yourself. Whether it’s the “Holiday” party stage, or the “Give Me Novacaine” drug stage or the “Extraordinary Girl” being in love stage; all these different stages in life show that what paths you choose will inevitably lead you somewhere. It’s not necessarily the happiest ending in the world, but it’s pretty realistic.

Bill – Are you at all worried about some of your fans possibly being alienated by the two nine-minute rock operas found on the album?

Tré – I don’t think they’ll even notice they’re nine-minute songs. They’ll think they’re a bunch of short songs put together. It’s definitely short attention span theater. It’s not like Wilco, where they have a ten-minute song with the same drumbeat and the same chord progression. Not saying anything bad about Wilco, they’re a fine band. They’re great to relax to and drink iced tea to, (laughs). I think we’d get bored doing that. We just sort of get to the point, say what we want to say and move on to the next part of the song. The way the energy flows in the songs is sort of like the way America is now too, just so scattered. There’s a big misrepresentation of how we feel in this bullshit climate right now.

Bill – One of the most important topics you address on this record is the American media. Specifically, how it perpetuates fear amongst the public and does little to question the President’s follow-through on his promises. Do you think the average American is aware of how the wool is being pulled over their eyes?

Tré – No, not at all. Say you see some guy driving down the street with a Bush/Cheney sticker on his Chevy S-10, beat-up truck with a pair of flip-flops hanging off the back. I want to ask him, “Why the fuck are you a Republican? What’s in it for you, dude?” Bush isn’t doing a thing for those people. He’s not helping them get a better truck or put food on the table. He’s not going to give them a tax break. Republicans don’t care about you. They’re not going to try and help you in any way. They just want to use you and get your dead peasants insurance once you’re gone.

Bill – Tell me about the upcoming club dates that you have scheduled where you plan to perform American Idiot in its entirety. Who came up with the idea and what are you looking forward to most about it?

Tré – I’d credit Pete Townshend with the idea. We’ve always admired The Who and their lack of inhibition as far as going for whatever crazy idea they had. As crazy as something like Tommy was when it was just a small idea, compared to what it’s become now, it’s pretty insane. They did A Quick One, where they played that live. That was a quick one, but ours is an hour. Basically, we just want to kick The Who’s ass. I listened to Who’s Next yesterday, which a lot of people are comparing American Idiot to. We totally got them beat. I’ve always aspired to be as good of a drummer as Keith Moon and I think I’ve fuckin’ passed by him on this record.

Bill – Roughly ten years ago, Dookie was released and went on to sell over ten million copies and become one of the most notable albums of the ‘90s. A decade later, I think you’ve constructed in American Idiot what is arguably your strongest record yet. Is there anything specific that you hope American Idiot accomplishes?

Tré – Yeah, I think it’s about time that people think of Green Day in a different light. We’re not snot-nosed kids anymore, we’re men now. I want people to think of us more as one of the mainstay supergroups of today. I’m not asking for too much, (laughs). We’re superheroes in our own minds. We think we’re really cool, why doesn’t everybody else?

Bill – What was the weirdest thing about being the biggest band in America in 1994?

Tré – I don’t think we really had time to enjoy it when it was happening. We were just trying to pay our rent and be able to make records for the rest of our lives. We didn’t know anything like that was ever going to happen. It sort of freaked us out a bit, but at the same time I was kind of busy just moving and doing it. We didn’t have time to look back since we were doing so much. By the time we had taken a break to make Insomniac it was like, “Do you guys know what you just did?” We were like, “Oh…shit.”

Bill – Earlier this year, Thick Records released the Out of Focus DVD, which featured live Green Day footage circa 1992. What are some of your favorite memories from playing at McGregor’s in Elmhurst, Illinois?

Tré – Demetri. Demetri was this male stripper that came onstage for some girl’s birthday at McGregor’s one night. They had her sit in this chair and the stripper did his thing for her. It was fuckin’ hilarious. In the middle of our show too. We took a timeout and let her get her strip on. I think that was the last time we played McGregor’s actually. I remember seeing State Street and I remember taking acid in Chicago. I remember going to the lake and wondering why all the fish were dead. I was inside Buckingham Fountain too. It was real hot out and I got in there during the Blues Fest. There were like a million people down there, but just one in the fountain. Of course this cop was like, “Get the fuck out of there! What are you thinking?” I was like, “I don’t know. I’m fried, dude.”

Bill – Do you have any comments regarding the rumors connecting members of Green Day to the mysterious band known as The Network?

Tré – The only connection is that their record was on Adeline, which is a label run by Billie Joe’s wife. That’s a few degrees of separation if you ask me. I think they’re getting a lot of mileage out of telling people they’re Green Day or pretending to be Green Day. The Network is not Green Day. Bastards.

Bill – Growing up I know that bands like the Ramones and The Who were very influential for you. What’s it like to now be one of the biggest influences on an entire generation of punk bands?

Tré – It’s kind of wild. Especially when younger bands meet you and they’re all nervous and stuff. You sort of get a little paternal with it, like “Ah…my children.” I feel like Michael Landon from Little House on the Prairie.

Bill – What has been the hardest part about achieving all the success you’ve attained?

Tré – I think you can pretty much choose what you want to deal with. You can choose for it to be difficult or you can enjoy it. It’s kind of up to the person.

Bill – After seven albums, what aspects of punk rock are still fresh and exciting to you?

Tré – I like seeing new bands. Bands that aren’t carbon-copied pop punk bands. Bands like Dillinger Four fuckin’ excite me. I think the Rock Against Bush compilation is a pretty damn good CD. There are some older bands on there that are still going strong and some younger bands that are real fresh and exciting too.

Bill – What does the future hold for Green Day?

Tré – I think whatever we put out next has got to be really fuckin’ good. After American Idiot we set the bar so high. It’s kind of like, “Now what are we going to do?”

[prorevenge]

my sexist teacher who humiliated and insulted her students gets what she deserves

TL;DR at the bottom.

So this is my first post on this subreddit, and one of my first on reddit in general, so please forgive me for formatting errors. If rslash is reading this, it's an incredible honor and I love your videos! And this is a super long one so buckle up, and let's get on with the story.

So this story happened a few years ago, when I was about 14-15 years old, during my freshman year of high school (Grade 9). If you talk to my friends now, and even if you talked to them back then, and asked them what my favorite subject in school was, it would always be English (Literature, reading, writing). [I'm in the american school system lol]. Anyways, I met my horrible teacher on my first day of high school, which we'll call Ms. Z. Ms. Z seemed like a nice, caring, normal teacher. How wrong I was.

She would give us projects sometimes, as English teachers do, and would give us specific instructions, and she even called herself "the queen of directions". My classmates and I thought that it was simple enough to follow them, and we did. We even double checked out project twice. However, when it was time to turn it in, Ms. Z started screaming at us about not following the directions, even though we had followed the directions exactly. We didn't think much of it, and just fixed whatever little reason that she called us out on, which happened to be not writing the character analysis although it was literally RIGHT under where she was looking. We wrote another one and went on our way. This seemed to happen at every single project that we did in in her class.

​

The next incident was her refusing to let us say, "Hey guys!" in the classroom because apparently, "It doesn't include girls". So we had to say, "Hey y'all" or "Hey guys and girls!" which was really annoying. I am a girl, and don't really care when somebody acknowledges the group with "hey guys!", and several of my female friends agreed that it was really stupid. She also was extremely sexist, and preferred the girls in my class over the guys, and more guys were called out in class for simply being guys. They hadn't done anything wrong.

​

Yet another incident happened after class was over. I had her for the last class of the day before we all went home, so of course everybody was antsy during the last few minutes of class. She always made us say, "Thank you Ms. Z for teaching us today" after class was over in this stupid musical tone. We forgot to say it one time because we all had different activities to go to, and she actually made us stay for thirty minutes after school to "teach us a lesson". Try explaining to your parents why you were late to your VERY EXPENSIVE TUTORING LESSON.

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Then there was this other time when we had written and turned in essays. After grading them, she walked up to the front of the class, and proclaimed that "our essays were HORRIBLE", and that "I wanted to puke on them as I was reading them," and that "(other teacher's name)'s students had written better essays then you guys". She hadn't taught much about writing during the year, and I was thinking, 'woman, if you had taught us how to write essays they would be much better, but you haven't taught us anything!'. It was at that point when one of my good friends said, "Well maybe it's because (other teacher's name) actually teaches her students how to write!" I watched as her face fell, and the bell to end the day rang then. We hastily stammered out a "thank you Ms. Z for teaching us today" and rushed out the door. I still chuckle about this to this day.

​

Then there was this last incident, which still makes my blood boil. My friend had been walking home from school when a car hit her. She had been in the hospital for about two weeks recovering, and when she came back, Ms. Z had the nerve to ask her "Why didn't you do your homework?" and all I could think of as I watched my friend on the verge of tears was, 'Lady, when was she supposed to do her homework? Under anesthesia? She doesn't even have the book!'

​

She has also singled me out on several occasions, specifically for not "following the directions given by 'the queen of directions'", and for forgetting to bring a pencil this one time.

​

It got so bad that I started to hate English, and would hear my heartbeat in my ears whenever I walked into her classroom. Everyone in my class hated her as well.

​

Yeah, it was pretty much the end of the school year but I was done. REVENGE STARTS NOW. I waited until we had a substitute teacher one day (she was at a meeting or something), and collected statements from each of my classmates. I asked them to write down exactly what they thought about Ms. Z, and what had done to them. I then typed up each of the statements (so that Ms. Z wouldn't recognize their handwriting),and sent them to my counselor and assistant principal. I then walked into their respective offices the next day and told them everything that I had witnessed in class, and encouraged them to read the file that I had sent them. I talked with my parents, and I set up a meeting with Ms. Z, my teacher, my assistant principle, my parents, and I.

​

The day of the meeting arrives. Ms. Z has set up chairs arranged in a circle. She sits at one end, this stupid grin on her face as the rest of us take our seats. I sit on the chair opposite of her, so I can see her face. Ms. Z starts about how she was an amazing of a teacher, how her students were amazing, bla, bla, bla. She stops talking and looks at me. My counselor says, "(my name), what do you have to say?" I notice that we all have copies of my classmate's statements except for Ms. Z. I hand Ms. Z an extra copy of the statements, and I start to speak.

​

I talk about what I had seen her do in the classroom, and how she affected my classmates. I talked about how English was my favorite subject, and how she had almost ruined it for me. I talked about she was the first teacher that had made me cry. Aren't you supposed to go crying to your teachers instead of crying because of them? I talked about how unfair she was. I presented the evidence, aka all of the above incidents, and after I finished talking, I smirked a little as Ms. Z's face turned from a grin to a look of absolute horror. I looked at my counselor and assistant principal. They had faces of absolute shock. My assistant principal said, "(My name), thank you for bringing this to our attention. You and your parents may leave now." As I'm leaving with my parents, my counselor says, in an ice-cold tone, "Ms. Z, please come to the office with us". I don't know exactly what went down, but she was surprisingly nice the next day. But I wasn't done yet.

​

After a quick google search, I found Ms. Z's facebook, twitter, personal website and youtube videos. Apparently she was trying to be this comedian, and her husband hosted this pretty bad tv show. I texted my friends in her class the links, and told them to spam the pages with what she had done to them, and how bad of a teacher she was. I also told them to pass it on to students in her other classes.

​

At this point, there were only two weeks of class left before school let out for the summer, and we all watched as her mood dampened day after day of strings and strings of comments from angry students in every class. I remember her on the last day of school, her lips looking like she sucked a lemon and as pale as death, trying to keep it together. I internally laughed, knowing that that monster deserved it.

​

During that summer, all of my friends texted me that I was a hero, and that we had finally put an end to Ms. Z's reign of terror. Now, the my school's administration was not supposed to disclose information about what exactly happened to Ms. Z, but all of us are pretty sure that she was fired because it's been a few years and her room has been given to a more pleasant and understanding teacher.

​

I've had more patient, understanding, kind, amazing english teachers since then, and I love the subject more then ever. I'm usually an understanding and patient person, but I do have a limit. I may look harmless, but you should not underestimate the lengths that I will go to to make sure that you get proper punishment for your wrongdoings.

TL;DR: my sexist english teacher was horrible, insulted, and belittled all of her students. Took statements from classmates, called a meeting with her,counselor, assistant principal and parents and got her fired.

(source) story by (/u/seiza_is_a_dork)

[starfleetdoesntfirefirst]

Philippa Georgiou headcanons, Part 1: A few different backstory headcanons

In the year and a half since I fell in love with this character, I've developed a bunch of headcanons about Georgiou, most of which I've only used in my writing or gabbed about to people. So, I thought I might as well toss them onto my blog, too. :)

So far, each of the fics I've written/am writing has a slightly different take on Georgiou's backstory, and then I have a few common elements to all of them (e.g. that she started as security track), which I'm putting in a separate post since this one got already got long enough for me to put in a cut. :D

Please talk to me about any of these at ANY time, I would love to gab more about them or answer asks or swap headcanons or anything else! :D

Backstory Headcanon #0.5

Ironically, the first time I wrote a fic about Philippa Georgiou--which I wrote after the “Starfleet doesn't fire first” trailer aired, several months before the show began--I initially started thinking of potential tragic backstories that could have led to Georgiou having strong feelings about Starfleet principles, and then thought to myself, “You know what, self? A fictional character having strong convictions because of a tragic backstory is a really obvious and common way to go. Why don't you experiment with writing a story that shows how a character could develop strong convictions about Starfleet without a tragic backstory? That would be interesting.” 

And I did that, and I'm glad I did that because it was interesting and fun, but...it is, of course, also ironic, since one of the few things we now know about canon Georgiou is that she does have a tragic backstory. (And, of course, that “I was a human who had seen a life of loss but still chose hope” is foundational to what I love about the actual character we finally got to meet; I'm not complaining about the canon there at all.)

(Like some other fans, I do think it'd be interesting if not every Starfleet officer had a tragic backstory...but that's not Georgiou; she does have a tragic backstory that she made her way through to become the person that she is, and I love her for it.)

Anyway, if I wrote a Georgiou backstory fic now with the same snapshots-of-a-life format as that first fic (which is here; blinking gif warning at the link), I'd come up with pivotal moments that fit the “life of loss” narrative, so, while technically that fic is still plausible (the character could, after all, have had other, additional horrible things happening to her as well as what's in the fic), it's on the back burner for me as far as headcanons go. Although there are some things included in that fic that are in the common-elements-to-all-my-Georgiou-backstories pile, like her having a cat named Captain Cat when she was a babby :D

(I just remembered that I also gave babby Janeway a teddy bear named Captain Tribble in a fic. Oops? :)

Backstory Headcanon #1

This headcanon fits pretty well with the beginning of that backstory fic, and is that Philippa has a pretty happy childhood and time at the Academy, then experiences losses and traumatic events in the service (and maybe in her personal life) as an adult.

I have an outline of a longfic set in this universe, which I will almost certainly never have time to write, where a 20something Philippa loses her entire team of colleagues in horrible ways on a mission gone wrong. (Sarek was also attached to the mission, which is how they first meet, and the two of them are the only survivors.) She then doesn't really get proper counseling because at this point there isn't enough oversight in making sure that all Starfleet counselors are able to address the kind of trauma she has experienced, and none of the counselors she works with are able to help her effectively. 

Feeling extremely isolated/grieving/angry, she ends up channeling those feelings into violence and gets involved with Section 31 or another similar, even shittier part of Starfleet (this plot point is inspired by mirror!Georgiou joining Section 31, as well as an arc where Seven of Nine is recruited to Section 31 at a vulnerable point in her life in Gina Dartt's “Just Between” series).

At the crux of an especially unethical mission, Philippa decides that this isn't what she wants to do or be, and makes the ethical choice on the mission. She subsequently helps unravel the Terrible Subset of Starfleet and throws herself back into real Starfleet and proper counseling and a renewed personal life. At the end of this fic-I-probably-won’t-have-time-to-write-but-really-wish-I-did, she bumps into Sarek again and they talk, a conversation that ultimately leads, many years later, to Sarek having the brainstorm that “hey, I know who can help my traumatized human daughter :)”

Backstory Headcanon #2

This backstory basically just exists in the world of my Chakotay x Philippa fic. In this universe, Philippa had a traumatic early life, joined Starfleet and went to the Academy because she believed in Starfleet principles and wanted to be part of the vision she had of Starfleet, had more traumatic experiences (and/or simply unfair and distressing experiences) at the Academy because of low accountability for staff/students from Starfleet families, and developed anger issues and got into a bunch of mutual fights as well. She ultimately decides to stick to the principles of what she believes Starfleet is/should be and channel her anger into making lasting changes, believing that in attempting to do so, she is going to not only fail to actually make any changes but also get kicked out by retaliating staff members. 

Instead, she actually does manage to kickstart some systemic change, and becomes known for having stopped a whole bunch of abuse and corruption, an achievement that jumpstarts her career. (Since I imagine Starfleet/the Federation as being a genuine utopia populated by genuinely decent people, 97% of Starfleet officers are THRILLED that Philippa exposed whatever problems had been festering at Starfleet Academy for the past few decades).

Backstory Headcanon #3

I'm using this one in a third fic that I am planning to finish at some point (it's a little crossover adventure ficlet where Uhura, Janeway and Georgiou meet)! At the end of the day, I think it might be my favorite of the Georgiou backstories I've come up with, so I might have it in mind when writing her characterization in other fics, too.

In this universe, Philippa didn't attend the Academy as (what we would currently think of as) a “traditional student,” instead joining Starfleet later in life. (Terminology note, because idk whether the same term is used elsewhere in the world: in the U.S., anyone starting their first year of college/university in the 17-to-20ish age range is a “traditional student,” while anyone older is a “nontraditional student.”)

Obviously, the whole tranditional-versus-nontraditional thing is something that I’d hope would be less of a division in the 23rd century; I'd like to think that by that point both civilian and Starfleet educational institutions would be much more geared toward serving and welcoming people from all phases of life, rather than mostly being geared towards 18-year-olds they way they are in the U.S. right now (especially at more prestigious institutions). (As a bit of a tangent--to its credit, imo the term “traditional student” is actually relatively good about not inherently holding some kind of value judgement. In a literal sense, it's just an acknowledgement of what kind of path has in fact been “traditional” in U.S. higher education up to the present.) 

However, what we see onscreen in Star Trek is that “Starfleet Academy” is an institution attended mostly by students who enroll in their late teens, just like modern U.S. colleges and universities (and modern U.S. naval/military academies, I assume, since that's what the whole idea of Starfleet having an Academy for its officers is based on, though I don't know as much them). 

That's what the student body looks like when we see the Academy onscreen, and most of the 23rd and 24th century officer characters who reference their education imply that they went to the Academy in that age range. So, my hewing-fairly-close-to-canon headcanon for Starfleet is that “traditional” students are still the majority, though older students are much more common than they are in our time. The upshot is that Philippa is still a little out of the ordinary for having had a longer, fuller adult life before she joins Starfleet in her thirties. 

The awesome thing about Michelle Yeoh being in her fifties is that this timeline is totally conceivable—she could enter the Academy in her early 30s, receive her first commission at 35 (three years older than Kirk at the start of his five-year mission, and only four years younger than Janeway at the beginning of Voyager), become a captain by age 45 (from Kirk, Janeway & co., we know that officers making captain after ten years in the service is possible and fifteen years is normal—and that's for kids graduating from the Academy as 22-year-olds with no life experience), and have been captain of the Shenzhou for several years before she meets Michael.

In this headcanon, when looking back over her life Philippa sees the value in her own path and is proud of it, though she's also a little wistful about not having had the “classic” Academy experience, and has faced some difficulties integrating with and relating to colleagues who had the “normal” Starfleet career trajectory. She tries to be especially welcoming and supportive to others outside the “normal” path, which is one reason she ends up being the captain who accepts Michael onto her ship when Michael joins Starfleet after attending the Vulcan Science Academy rather than Starfleet Academy.

Backstory Headcanon #4

This one is just a twist on Headcanon #3 where Philippa starts out (at any point in life) as enlisted personnel. (Give me a show with a captain protagonist who started as an enlisted servicemember, Star Trek. Give me that show, and have a flashback episode showing the Mars training base Memory Alpha says enlisted personnel train at. I WILL THROW ALL MY MONEY AT THIS, STAR TREK, PLEASE.)

So that’s my totally-not-excessively-long list of Philippa Georgiou backstory headcanons haha. Like I said, it would absolutely make my day if anyone wants to talk about these, or tell me about your own headcanons, or talk about Georgiou in any context, really :)

Just in case this is ever relevant, a note about credit...if you wanna use one of my headcanons in detail in a fanwork, I’d be thrilled, but please credit me! (I.e. I’d never expect credit for something basic like writing her as being in security track or having a bad time at the Academy, but would appreciate credit for using one of my backstory ideas as a whole, or for borrowing original details like Captain Cat). Thank you! :)

[we-steer-the-ship]

Tbh, while I am fond of you trying to promote body positivity, I feel you tend to go overboard, like with the Harvest Goddess story.

Thank you for your honesty, anon. And trust me, I do understand where you’re coming from. I do feel there is a bit of confusion in regards to the things I write and that’s definitely my fault for never giving a proper explanation to differentiate the two factors going on here in my little story telling experiments. So if you’ll indulge me, I would like to try and explain.

The two key elements at play here are: 1.) Body positivity. Specifically, fat acceptance. And let’s be real, the kfp franchise has built itself around that by having its main character being a fat panda who, among other things, was insulted for his weight. And, 2.) Feederism. A lifestyle that is pretty self explanatory but, for the unitiated, basically means that things like feeding/eating, fat, being fat, weight gain, etc…are things that make someone happy. And in certain contexts, it can also add to more adult-like stories (or as you guys like to call them: sin). (Side note: a person who lives a feederism lifestyle may not always be into all the things I listed as it varies from person to person. But generally speaking, these things are all aspects of feederism).

In the past, I’ve written fics that typically fall into one of these two categories, but there is often overlap as I try to fuse the two together. For example: “Living The Panda Life: Part 1” is more of a body positivity story. It’s a simple slice-of-life kind of tale centering on Po and Tigress celebrating their ten year wedding anniversary. The only significant change in this AU is that Tigress is now fat and she is also happy and confident in her appearance. But then “Living The Panda Life: Part 2” goes to the other category by focusing more on the Feederism aspect. Delving into things that were sort of hinted at in part 1 only now they get the spotlight. (Side note: I would like to point out that part 2 was really only written because I received several requests for it as many readers were curious to see a new type of sin fic).

But as you can see, there is a clear divide between those two parts as they each have a different focus. Part 1 focuses on their life and family and romance, it just so happens that Tigress is also fat. Part 2 takes a peek behind the curtain to spotlight the how and why Tigress is fat and showing how much she actually enjoys it.

Now, why do I do this? Well, as stated above, this is an experiment to try and tell stories that have both elements in them. For years within the fat acceptance community, people have argued back and forth on whether body positivity can coexist alongside feederism. Some say you can only have one and not the other, others say you can have both, it’s all over the place.

Me, I’ve always felt you can do both. And in the format of story telling, if done right, you can have both elements present in the story. Now, am I doing it right? I have no clue. I’m just testing it out and trying new things with it and seeing what comes of it. Whether it turns out good or bad, I at least want to try. And in the meantime, I’m having fun doing so.

So with a story like “The Harvest Goddess”, I’m attempting to merge the two into one. Body positivity is exemplified by the inhabitants of the cheetah village being accepting and loving of fat bodies. Feederism is exemplified by the introduction of Kora (and will be expanded upon once Lady Qwin makes her debut).

So again, I’m trying to do both. “The Harvest Goddess” is, at its core, a story about Tigress coming to discover herself in new ways and find answers to questions she’s always had. It just so happens this character driven drama (which will get more emotional and dramatic in upcoming chapters) also happens to be set in a place where fat is the standard of beauty and feederism is just a part of their collective everyday lives.

The women of this island are all fat to some degree. Some are only slightly chubbier than Tigress while others are bigger than Mei Mei. Then there’s Kora who is the biggest cheetah on the island. The women here love themselves and their bodies and celebrate the beauty they see in themselves. That’s where the body positivity comes into play. And as the story goes on, it becomes apparent that the reason all the women here are larger is because they openly indulge on an overabundance of food and have no qualms about whether they put on a few pounds or not. Some women though, like Kora, actively enjoy eating and gaining and are still openly loved and supported by everyone around them. That’s where feederism comes into play.

An attempt to blend these two facets together into a cohesive story that has drama, emotional stakes and all the other things people love about stories and fanfiction. Just wait until we get to chapter 6 and you’ll see why Tigress is so important to these cheetahs. From there, the story becomes more of a character driven drama with a few tear jerking moments, angst, happiness and love.

Also, in regards to me going overboard. That is also true at times, and is ESPECIALLY true with “The Harvest Goddess” and the will-probably-never-be-posted-even-though-its-been-finished-for-months “Living The Panda Life: Part 3”.

The overboard approach to certain elements is meant to appeal to a certain niche audience of followers I have who want these specific kinds of things in a fic. Plus, for me, it’s just fun to write and try to push the extremes and deliver fics that are vastly different than the other 99% of kfp fics out there.

I have had people ask me how such extremes work because its unrealistic and shouldn’t exist. First of all, this is a series about anthropamorphic animals that talk, do kung fu and use things like chi and even straight up magic (like in LOA). So, you know, it’s a fantasy. Its NOT meant to be fully realistic. But having said that, I still create realistic (or at least semi-realistic) reasons within the story as to how these extremes are possible anyway because it keeps the naysayers at bay.

For example, (and this will obviously be described in more detail in upcoming chapters) but you noticed how the cheetahs use a very powerful form of chi in “The Harvest Goddess”? Yeah, that’s an important plot detail that will come into play soon.

Even in my other stories that are currently in development like my Zootopia fic “A Growing Girl”; Xing’s extreme weight is caused by newly developed and untested experimental medicines that end up working too well and have rather extreme side effects on her. In my story “Heavy Hearted”, Juryo is so large because she was cursed by a witch (think Beauty and The Beast type of magic spell). And in “The Harvest Goddess”, the use of a new and more powerful form of chi is a contributor to these things. I always try to have these things make sense within the confines of the story I’m telling.

And lastly, if you think “The Harvest Goddess” is overboard now…well…let’s just say you are NOT going to like when Lady Qwin finally appears in the story. Fair warning.

Thank you for letting me explain myself. I hope this rambling has made sense for not only you, but anyone else who is reading this and has had similar thoughts or questions.

At the end of the day, these are just silly little stories about talking animals who do martial arts and sometimes some of them get fat. So let’s not take things too seriously and just let everyone here have fun in their own way. Some of my fics are aimed at a specific audience and are not intended to appeal to everyone, while my other more “normal” fics are meant to appeal to the general audience at large. So there’s something for everyone either way. I just enjoy writing what I write and greatly appreciate whoever finds enjoyment in them.

[tirsaroundtheworld]

North Vietnam

After our first few weeks of traveling through the South of Vietnam we had already grasped the country's diversity and contrast. The North did not fail to keep up. # Entering the North of Vietnam means crossing the former Demilitarised Zone, the DMZ, that buffered between North and South Vietnam from 1954 to 1975, ironically then one of the most militarised areas in the world. Most of the bunkers and combat bases that once marked this 5km strip of land along either side of the Ben Hai river have vanished a long time ago, but some results of its history of many many bloody battles can still be found. From Dong Ha we explored the area and visited the old United Nations office building which is now a memorial, the Lien Huong bridge which connects the North and South, Vietnam's largest cemetery Truong Son where thousands of victims of the war are remembered and the very impressive Vinh Moc tunnels. This network of shallow, dark tunnels at different depths under the ground was dug by the inhabitants of the heavily bombed Vinh Moc to continue life during the war. It shows the unbelievable strength and endurance of these people of which some are still alive today to share their stories. Definitely an impressive experience! # After a fantastic drive from Dong Ha higher up into the mountains, we reached Phong Nha Ke Bang national park. This huge and beautiful park is filled with limestone rocks, ancient jungle, wildlife and impressive caves. We spent a few days exploring the area by motorbike and our absolute highlights were the Botanical Garden, where we hiked and climbed along the waterfall feeling like true Bear Grylls' apprentices, and Paradise Cave, a huge, breathtaking underground world with a depth of 31 km of which 1 km is accessible by a fairytale-like lit, wooden walkway. ✨ # After Phong Nha we speeded up and only stopped for a night in Vinh and in Ninh Binh, in the latter treating ourselves to a night in an 'expensive' ($22 😂) hotel. Ooooooh how we enjoyed the spacious room with window, even overlooking the city, the comfortable, not rock-hard bed and the clean and modern bathroom. And don't get us started on the breakfast buffet! 😍 Just what we needed to recharge and make our way to Cat Ba island. # Apart from boasting a beautiful national park, Cat Ba island is a great and not especially touristy way to visit the famous Ha Long Bay. We spent one day hiking through the park and climbing the highest peak overlooking the island; we really love heights and views (too bad it usually takes pains of climbs though). The second day we made a boat trip into Ha Long Bay, including a kayaking trip through the many limestone formations, a swim in the bay and a visit to Monkey Island. A fun day! # After our lovely time on Cat Ba island we started our final trip, destination Hanoi. At least we thought it would be our final trip; before we left the island, in the middle of nowhere, our motorbike broke! Slightly fearing that the frame had broken under our huge weight, we walked a few kilometers until we reached a small village where we were approached by a local who said he could help us. It soon turned out that he just wanted to make a ridiculous amount of money on us so we passed, but we did manage to lend his phone for a short call to the owner of the hostel where we had stayed. The guy had us picked up with a truck, helped us to find a mechanic to discover that 'just' some spokes had broken and got us a room for the night; such a hero! The next morning we left with a fixed motorbike and a new friend! # We made it, we reached Hanoi! Proud and happy we got settled and spent four days in Vietnam's wonderful capital. We had some sort of a schedule as we wanted to sell the motorbike, fix the camera issue and get our itinerary sorted while visiting Hanoi's most beautiful sights, exploring its culture and taste the many different types of streetfood. And as the experienced travelers that we by now are, we managed to do it all! We visited the 3rd long-term dead leader of this trip, Ho Chi Minh, for who we had to wait in line the longest by far. We strolled around the old quarter, looked at the different arts and crafts, joined a celebrational ritual at a temple, went to the Vietnamese Women's museum, walked around the Hoan Kiem lake, admired the Tran Quoc pagoda, drove to Bat Trang ceramic village to score some beautiful tableware and made many tea and smoothie pitstops at some of the many many hip coffee shops along the way. We ate enough bahn mi, springrolls, potato coconut snacks, noodles and rice with all kinds of sides and fried stuff for the rest of our lives. We extremely coincidentally literally bumped into the guy who was just texting us about our motorbike and who bought it for a solid $225 (meaning we spent only about $100 in our journey all around Vietnam!). 👍 Though we actually were a little bit sad to say goodbye to the beast, it was meant to be. And then it was time to leave! We spent almost 5 weeks in Vietnam, during which we dove right into its various sights and characteristics. Some differences between the North and the South of Vietnam (apart from architecture, dialects and clothing) that we noticed: # The weather! Where we would wear the lightest possible clothes in the South (except for Dalat) to deal with the hot sun, the North was cold and wet. With maximum temperatures between 15 an 20 degrees Celcius and a near constant blanket of clouds and rain, it felt like a proper Dutch autumn! This is also why we had to cancel our plans to visit Ha Giang in the upper North to enjoy the mountainous views dotted with rice terraces: the temperatures there would drop even more, making driving on a motorbike significantly more unpleasant, and the clouds and rain would take away all visibility. Meh. The bright side: the difference in climate can partially be explained by the hight and mountainous surroundings in the North, which treated us to the most breathtaking scenic routes. # The food in the South is rather sweet and spicy, which changes to salty and sour while moving towards the North. There are also different typical streetfood dishes, which varies per city rather than North or South. # The people in the South are more open and hospitable than those in the North, where interactions between us and the locals were rather formal. # The communist character of the country is better to be witnessed in the North, where the standards of life seem to be slightly lower than in the more developed and wealthier South, where the quality of guest houses and hostels deteriorates the higher we get, just as the quality of the roads, where public speakers share news items and propaganda at certain times during the day and where propaganda banners, pictures of Ho Chi Minh and flags decorate the streets. # Apart from Hanoi and Halong Bay, we found the North to be more rural and less touristic than the South. # Unimportant but noticeable: there are less avocados in the North! 🥑 Some things that are just Vietnamese in general: # Vietnamese people are literally burning their trash everywhere. Where-ever we would go, we would not find a single bin but many piles of all kinds of trash at the side of the road that would just be burnt. All the beautiful sights, parks, cities and beaches: they are all littered. 👎 # Even more than their Thai and Cambodian neighbours; Vietnamese people are transporting EVERYTHING on their scooters. From foodstalls to meat to live animals to crops to kilos of plastic foam to ladders to wooden frames to building materials and what not, in the end nothing surprised us anymore. Not even 5 adult people on 1 scooter. # Conical hats make great scarecrows, and we have seen a variety of creativity in the many farmlands we passed! # Shops selling specific products are concentrated in the same area. Their would be an entire street with duct tape shops, the next with locks, the next with meat, the next with scarfs and so on. # Sidewalks are not for pedestrians but for parking scooters. # The highways are deathtraps for motorbike riders. On a motorbike you are of the lowest rank. Big trucks and buses are competing who goes first, cars try to squeeze through and no other driver considers you. We lost count of the times we had to hit the brakes hard because someone felt like crossing the road right in front of us, or someone from the opposite direction came our way from the side, or a third person wanted to overtake 2 overtaking people... # Related to the previous point: people in Vietnam have made a habit out of honking. Not as a sign of warning, but as a sign to notify their presence. When approaching a crossing, starting to take someone over, exiting or entering the road they honk like maniacs. Honking has become such a normal thing that reaction is numbed (just like our eardrums) and as a result people are upgrading their vehicle's honk!! Sometimes we heard a honk from behind and expected a big truck, while in fact a schoolgirl on an electric bike got on the road.. 🙄 Happy to have survived this adventure without a scratch, but slightly regretting it is already over we got ourselves to the airport. Next up is Laos, but not before a short stop in the Northern Thai Chiang Mai and Pai! Pad Thai, here we come! 🇹🇭