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sombrasaiyan · 2 years

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Two | Alcohol and Arguments ♠️♣️♥️

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ IF THERE WAS ONE THING CAULIFLA HATED MORE THAN cold weather and piles of snow on the floor it was her brother Renso. Only a select few knew that fact, and because she hated him so much and wasn't legally allowed to leave his house until she was eighteen, she would drag out her nights. If she was lucky, he was shacking up some girl, drinking out at the bar with his buddies, or doing some stupid shit she didn't care about.

"So, how do you think you did?" Tarble asks, snapping her out of her thoughts as she sat up properly in her seat.

"From my perspective she was writing lots of notes down and nodding. She would ask me lots of questions based off my answers and she said she would contact me soon if she was serious with me being the nanny." Caulifla replies, stifling a yawn because that interview drained the morning stamina out of her.

Tarble catches her yawn and ends up yawning too, shaking his head. "Sounds like you did good! Hopefully all goes good and she does contact you. Let me know if she does."

"Yeah, for sure." Caulifla then turns to look at Tarble before clearing her throat, adding a couple coughs afterwards because she didn't know if she should even ask this or not. But, she asked anyway. "Anyways, ehmmm . . . Do you think Vegeta's gonna be home tonight?" Caulifla asks.

Tarble rolls his eyes as he quickly looks at her to give her a quick smirk. "You're so predictable you know that?"

"Shut up," Caulifla takes out 'the fuck' because she was actually in a good mood today. "Is it so wrong that I want to see him?"

Tarble shrugs. "No, but he's an adult now, and you're still a minor, so whatever sexy stuff you did in the past you have to wait until July to do it again." He stops at a red light. "You lost your V-Card to him, huh?"

Caulifla groans, slapping his shoulder. "We already talked about this, I am a virgin. And on my eighteenth birthday I will lose it to your brother." She sticks out her tongue and does raspberries.

"Alright bet. If you don't lose your V-Card to my brother on your birthday, then you owe me one hundred zeni and a whole day full of you taking me out and spending your money on me." He proceeds to drive, taking the route to his house.

"And if I win, you have to give me free rides for a whole month, and you have to take me out and spend your zeni on me." Caulifla crosses her arms against her chest, her nose stuck up in the air. "Since you believe it's impossible for Vegeta and me to fuck."

Tarble laughs. "Alrighty then, deal."

Caulifla always loved summers. Her mom used to say it was because she was born in July, so naturally she did have to love them. Maybe that's why she hated winter, because it paled in comparison to summer.

Every summer was always the same, and it made Caulifla look forward to those semi three months—sometimes they would arrive late May, and sometimes leave mid August depending on how school was let out that year. The trips always consisted of her parents, her older brother Renso, Caulifla herself, and the Vegeta family. For a good chunk of her childhood, it was only Vegeta Sr. and his two sons Vegeta and Tarble, until he ended up getting into a relationship with Fasha, someone Caulifla grew to admire the free spirit and carefree nature.

This was the second summer that Fasha shared with the families, and she noticed how Caulifla quietly pined for Vegeta. Fasha would always smile sweetly in their direction if they were caught hanging out together or she would wink at them.

"You're always following Vegeta." Her brother would complain as Caulifla would pout in his direction.

"So? He's my bestest friend in the whole wide world, of course I'm going to follow him!" She nearly screeches at her brother as her mother would eventually have to beak up the screaming sessions between them.

"Now, now you two. What did we agree on when it came to extending the vacation? That you two wouldn't fight." Their mother snapped.

"Well! It's true that Caulifla follows Vegeta all the time!" Renso points his finger accusingly at Caulifla as his little sister grows angry at his words again.

"So! I don't call you out when you're always trying to flirt with the girls on the docks and beach!" Caulifla retaliates as their mother glares down at both of them, silencing them before they could continue.

Caulifla sighed. Those summer trips to the beach house had become rare once her parents had died, and then after that, when Renso had to be the man of the house he too stopped going. In a very selfish way she was glad he stopped going, because she was given all the time in the world with Vegeta.

She swallows in anticipation as Tarble finally made it to the house. It's been since Thanksgiving since she's last seen them all together, but she hung out with Tarble quite frequently since they went to the same high school together. Vegeta, was a whole different story. Sometimes when she would come over for dinner throughout the duration of this year she would catch him, but he was too busy being the CEO of his father's company.

"Are you excited to see the rest of the family again? It's been since last month huh?" Tarble says as he throws off his seatbelt, turning to see his female friend in the passenger seat only nod as she took off her seatbelt too.

"I can already feel the frosty air . . ." Caulifla complains as she opens the car's door. Sure enough, it snowed more here than it did up in Seven Star City. It was barely snowing over there and the ground was only covered with frost. "Ughhh, I hate winter weather." She gets out of the car as Tarble mumbles something about her already saying that from the start of the day. It was barely noon, as Tarble and Caulifla headed for the front door, their shoes crunching softly with the snow beneath them.

Tarble pulls out his key to unlock the door as Caulifla stood a few feet behind him. She felt her heart pounding in her ribcage and that much sent shivers down her spine. Just the mere thought of seeing Vegeta did things to her. Finally, the door was swung open as Tarble declared loudly that he was home, and that he brought along a special guest.

"Oooh, ooh! Who'd you bring this time!" A voice chirps from the stairs, Caulifla automatically knowing it's Vegeta Sr. and smiles. "Let me guess, Cabba, Kale, that Gine girl you have a crush on, your brother, ummm . . ." He then descends from the stairs as he grins wide. "Ah! Caulifla! Welcome in, dear!" He opens his arms for a hug as Caulifla cautiously makes her way over, hugging him happily.

"Hey, King! It's been forever since I've seen you!" She squeezes him for added effect.

"Dad!" Tarble hisses from behind them, his face growing a radish red in embarrassment at the mention of his supposed girl.

His dad only stares at him with a goofy grin. "What, son? Does Caulifla not know that there's finally a girl who's made you all blue balls?" He releases himself from the hug as his smug smile comically pairs with the mischievous glint in his eyes.

Caulifla gasps, crossing her arms against her chest as she points a finger accusingly at Tarble. "You never told me you have a new crush! Who is she, does she go to our school or what?"

Tarble shoots a glare at his dad before turning to look at Caulifla. "I don't like her like that, she's just a girl I met at a couple parties." He explains to her.

"Surrrreee, go on and tell Caulifla all about the girl." Vegeta Sr. says as he winks at her. "Anywhooo! I'll be finishing up the last chapter of my novel until my beloved Fasha gets home and makes dinner! You two have fun catching up! Don't burn the house down!" He quickly disappears back upstairs.

"Does she happen to go to our school?" Caulifla asks before plopping herself down on the red sofa. Tarble swung himself over the armrest as he drops down next to her. He shook his head as he tosses his head back.

"No, she goes to one in Seven Star city." He explains.

"What! So like, a school in the city where I want to get a job . . ." Caulifla says.

"On that note," he turns to look at her as he sits up properly. "Any particular reason aside from getting far away from your brother as possible, for trying to get a job as Chi-Chi's nanny?"

Caulifla sighs, throwing one leg over the other. "No. Just that reason." She snaps out of her thoughts as her vehement eyes simmer into Tarble's. "Stop changing the subject and let's talk about your future girlfriend. When can I meet her?"

Tarble sighs, knowing he couldn't distract Caulifla with a question. "Actually, my parents are going out to this business trip that's for three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They probably won't get home until late Sunday or early Monday. So the house is free for a party." He keenly stares back at her with a blissful grin. "Meaning, you're invited to the party just like everyone else. Cabba, Kale, Gine . . ."

Caulifla leans a tad bit closer to Tarble, whispering lowly in a brisk and almost husky voice. "And what about Vegeta~?" Her prize, someone who her body shamelessly sought until they were both tangled into something twisted and dark. Just like her life.

"Of course I'm going to be at that stupid party!" A third voice intrudes, causing Caulifla and Tarble to snap from where they sat on the sofa. The two launched further from each other and sat closer to the arm rests. The sound of dress shoes enter the living room as the voice grunts at the pair sitting on the sofa like little children who were caught doing something stupid. "What? Are you two that embarrassed with your little conversation that you've shut up now?"

Caulifla stares at her shoes, not daring to look in his direction, for fear that her face was darkening with fifty shades of red.

"What the hell, bro! I thought you weren't going to get out until five!" Tarble hisses in his direction as he clung to the top of the couch to get a good look at his brother. He was absent of his purple blazer, a couple of buttons were undone as his tie was lazily done.

"Yeah, that's the usual time I get out, Captain Obvious. I got to leave early because my assistant finished her work." Tarble's older brother Vegeta then turns to look at the girl who was almost curled up in the couch out of embarrassment. "Long time no see, princess."

Caulifla got off the couch as she moves herself around it to stand a few feet away from him. It was only the two of them in her own universe and Tarble magically disappeared. In truth, Tarble already knew what direction their conversation would take and he was quick to quietly scurry himself away to his room. "Really? That's all you say to me? We haven't seen each other since Thanksgiving, no hugs, no 'Oh Caulifla why don't you visit us more often . . .'" She then leans herself closer to him, standing up on tiptoes to whisper, "Or rather, princess wouldn't you loved to be pleasured by your prince?"

Vegeta quickly took a look around the living room to make sure it was absent of his father and brother. He graba her arm and leans down to whisper back, "We are not having this conversation here, Caulifla. Come on, let's go to my room." He then quickly led her to the other side of the house where his room laid. Caulifla was already so excited that she was growing hot. Vegeta opens the door and pushes it open, quickly waltzing in as he locked the door behind him, sending chills down Caulifla's spine. She stands awkwardly in the middle of the room as he walks towards his bed and takes a seat, beckoning her to take a seat with him.

Instead of sitting next to him, Caulifla sat on his lap, her legs draping across the rest of him as she quickly cups his face, quickly locking her lips down on his. She kisses him again, with an ignited passion that was daring to devour her alive. Vegeta's hands awkwardly hover for a few moments in the air before wrapping around her back, pulling her down with him on the bed. He feels the soft tissue thin fabric of her cardigan before he rests his fingers on her hips. Caulifla was walking on air, feeling as viciously victorious as ever.

Before Vegeta could be caught in her seductive spell that she somehow managed to always get him in, he broke the kiss by moving his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back a bit, breaking the kiss.

"Princess, when I said we needed to have a conversation, I meant it." He sat up properly as she stayed sitting on his lap, stubborn as ever. When he stares at her long and hard, challenging her to get off, she just sat on him with a smug smirk. He sighs as he shook his head, knowing she wasn't going to make it easy. "Okay fine, brat. Stay sitting on my lap, but don't think we're going to keep playing that game."

"Come on Vegeta . . ." Caulifla whines as in a quick motion she snatches his hand and presses it down her stomach, nearing that particular area of hers that desperately desired him. "Please . . . We both know we want each other. Stop avoiding it and just give in . . ." She places her other hand atop his cheek and leans in, planting her lips on his again.

Vegeta groans, nearly being dragged into her trap again. "You're helpless, princess. We have to stop. You're seventeen and I'm twenty two." He bitterly reminds her as Caulifla begins to unbutton her skirt.

"It's okay, I'm eighteen in your eyes only . . ." She pinches the waistband of her panties and tugs on it, letting it go as it snaps on her skin deliciously, causing Vegeta's eyes to go south. "So go on, take me." Her hand then brushes on his pants, rubbing at his groin area in attempts to get him in the mood.

"I'm serious, Caulifla. You're a minor, I'm an adult. We can't fool around and do shit like we used to. As much as I want to, I can't do it with you. You have to get that through your head!" Vegeta hisses in her direction as Caulifla pauses in her motions to stare at him and sigh deeply in defeat.

"Okay, I understand." Caulifla slumps into his chest, unaware that her skirt was open up for Vegeta's eyes. It was hard for the man to not look down there as he forcefully wraps an arm around her shoulder and whispers into her ear.

"Even though you make it ridiculously hard not to touch you."

Caulifla stares at his eyes, the smolder in them further proving his statement as she quickly stands up and pulls down her skirt.

"Caulifla what're you—"

"We can still do other things." Caulifla says with a sly smile, shaking off her skirt as it piled down the floor, sitting right back on Vegeta and working the buttons down of his dress pants.

"Caulifla, if this is what I think it is, you need to stop." He places hands on hers and tries to shove hers away. She left him exposed enough to see his boxers as she grins, quickly mounting herself on him before he could halt her attempts.

"We can still do this . . ." She places her hands on his shoulders and grips them, beginning to move her hips back and forth, feeling his clothed member rubbing up against her core as it felt so good. Her breathing became rigid and the noises that were escaping her lips were almost too loud, so she buries her head into his neck and allows those little whines to release there.

Vegeta grits his teeth, feeling how amateur she rubs up against him, and feeling her moans down his neck made him tremble. He grips her waist and helps her with the grinding, moving her quicker on him as he moves his head to meet her face and kisses her over and over again to mute her moans and keep them in his mouth.

"He couldn't resist me even if he tried~." Caulifla thinks inwardly as she couldn't help but hum in delight, and before she could think of doing anything, she was spun around flat on her back. Vegeta quickly towers above her, tugging his pants down in a quick motion and aligns their secreted areas again to feel each other.

"Can you keep those pretty moans of yours quiet?" He whispers into her neck as Caulifla nods, clasping a hand over her mouth as Vegeta yanks her cardigan down to have better access to her neck. Immediately he peppers her skin with kisses, Caulifla arches her head back as her legs dance up and down Vegeta's waist. She squirms as she whimpers, feeling his wet tongue glide across her skin, attacking a certain spot to suck on.

She was a disaster and she wanted him to break her.

The empty glass sat there on the counter as the man was tempted to pour himself another shot of whiskey that his best friend had bought for him. Then again, it wasn't such a good idea since it would only upset his wife even more than she probably already was. She was always upset about something. He stretches before getting off the stool, then hearing her infamous heels click through the house.

"Goku! Where have you been?! Didn't you know what today was!" The woman screeches as her eyes then turn to the murky brown alcohol on the counter as her eyes light up with a newfound anger. "What the hell! You just had to buy whiskey didn't you? When did you start liking alcohol!" And there she goes, into a ranting rage again. One where he couldn't really speak much, or talk back to her.

He waited until she was done speaking to say, "I took Gohan to the park, Chi-Chi. Raditz wanted to see the little guy and then we went to get a bite to eat with the guys. Broly bought me the whiskey to try." He explains quietly, as Chi-Chi rolls her eyes, the man with wicked waves of black hair then notices how professional her outfit looked and continued, "D-Did you and Vegeta unify your guys' companies? If so, that's great babe!" He adds a little cheerful laugh afterward, only to hear her growls approach her more.

"Goku you idiot! That arrangement is buried six feet under! If you would've paid attention you would've known by now! And just to enlighten you, I interviewed the last candidate to be the nanny for Gohan!" She explains loudly as she groans, plopping herself down their wine colored couch as she crosses her arms. Of course he wouldn't listen. She half expected him to nervously waddle himself over to her and start to massage her back and shoulders, but instead he stood right in front of her with folded arms.

"What! Chi-Chi, I told you not to hire a nanny for our son! I'm perfectly capable of taking care of him while you work!" He groans as he runs a hand up through his hair, tugging on the strands. "Why would you go on and do something like this anyway? You don't have to make every decision!"

Chi-Chi glares up at him as she remains sitting on her sofa. "Because if I don't make the decisions, this family won't have order! Honestly, Goku you think you're so capable of raising my baby boy? The girl who's going to be our nanny will do an excellent job! And then you can go to the bars and do all the things you want to do with your friends." Chi-Chi almost slapped herself for saying that last bit.

"Whatever." Goku bluntly says, walking away as he heads for the stairs. "It's not like you ever listen to me anyway."

As the car parked at Caulifla's dullish grey apartment, Vegeta sighs, turning toward her and looks at her with almost pleading eyes. "You know, you can just spend the night at our house. You don't have to stay with your fucked up brother." He says as he squeezes her arm.

Caulifla sighed. "You already drove me here, and his ass is going to be wondering where am I. Not because he actually fucking cares, but because I have to be home. He's so paranoid one of the CPS agents are going to stop by at any given time."

Vegeta nods, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. "Call me if things get out of hand." She nods too, and before she could say any more, he surprises her with a kiss.

The plump man that made the couch crusty with the dust of his cheese chips and moist with the alcohol drippings of his beer stares blankly at the TV in front of him. Diving into his eighth bottle of the day, he slams it on the edge of the table before chugging it.

The living room was dark, the TV was the only source of light as Caulifla finally managed to get the stupid door open. Renso never went over and opened the door.

He lets a big wet burp out as he snorts in her direction. "What took you so fucking long? A job interview doesn't take that long you little shit." He says with a sneer.

"Tarble's family invited me for dinner afterward, and Kale wanted to go mark all the stores down for prom dress shopping." Caulifla says, scraping her shoes on the welcome mat to get any potential snow off of her.

"Pshh, like anyone's gonna take your broken ass self to the fucking prom. You're just going to suck dick and pop your fucking cherry like it's a thing to do! Probably nobody's asked you out." Renso says, cackling as he searches for his family size bag of cheese chips.

Caulifla ignored him. She was too good of a mood to argue with Renso. She makes her way to her room, locking it and brushing her furniture up against the knob like she always did. Ignoring the trash on her floor along with the pile of clothes, she skips herself over to her bed and slumps down, hoping she'd get this damn job.

#dragon ball #dragon ball super #dragon ball z #db #dbs #dbz #sombrasaiyan #dbs smut #dbz smut #chi chi #chi-chi #caulifla #goku #tarble #Vegeta #king Vegeta #Fasha #serial seduction series #serial seduction

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bananaofswifts · 4 years

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by Mark Sutherland

Back in July, when Taylor Swift dropped her surprise indie-folk masterpiece Folklore, Music Week noted that the pop superstar had put everyone else’s lockdown 'achievements' (baking banana bread, binge-watching Normal People) to shame.

Well, we can only hope you’ve been more productive since. Because first thing this morning, Swift dropped another indie-folk masterpiece with a title ending in ‘ore’ – the new Folklore sequel Evermore – and you know what? It’s another masterpiece.

Not content with saving summer and autumn, Swift is now here to rescue winter as well, with an album perfect for a season that, this year more than any other, will largely consist of staring wistfully out of windows at inclement weather.

It continues to mine the rich vein of authentic, acoustic music that she unearthed on Folklore (a record that has only been enhanced in the months that followed its release), again working with The National’s Aaron Dessner (the whole band also get a feature credit this time on Coney Island), Bon Iver and Jack Antonoff, and also drafting in alternative stalwarts Haim and Marcus Mumford.

In her notes, Swift says that, “to put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs” so they decided to “travel further into the forest of the music”. But if you were expecting Evermore to be some Folklore offcuts, you don’t know Taylor Swift.

The songwriting is as top-notch as ever, the musicianship as beautifully crafted, the lyrics possibly the greatest she has ever penned. “I’ll come back stronger than a ‘90s trend”… “We were like the mall before the internet/It was the one place to be”… Every song drips with so many pithy one-liners you feel Swift could probably single-handedly replace the writers’ room on most hit TV shows.

But, while clearly still enjoying the character studies that helped make Folklore such a winning departure from her usual confessional oeuvre, Swift also knows her way around real emotion like no other contemporary hitmaker. On Marjorie – a song about her late grandmother – she sings, heartbreakingly: “I should have asked you questions/I should have asked you how to be/Should’ve kept every grocery store receipt/’Cause every scrap of you would be taken from me”. You don't get that from anyone else.

And, having written many a song about leaving her smalltown/smalltime past behind her, Dorothea sees her writing from the perspective of those left behind by the hometown superstar. While Tis The Damn Season perfectly captures the home-for-the-holidays mix of fuzzy nostalgia and lingering regrets than anyone forced to decamp to their childhood bedroom during the festive lockdown relaxation period is likely to be well-acquainted with before New Year rolls around.

But there’s also plenty of fire. No Body No Crime is an old school country revenge blockbuster the like of which Nashville hasn’t seen in a long, long time, while Cowboy Like Me (featuring Mumford) also plays the Americana cards to devastating effect. Meanwhile, Closure’s unalloyed fury (“I’m fine with my spite”) with an detente-seeking ex could almost have stepped off Reputation, were its instrumentation not still in the woodshed.

It seems notable that – as Swift’s dispute with Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun over the sale of her back catalogue (now owned by Shamrock) rumbles on – Swift’s new home, Republic, already has half as many Swift records on their books as her former label. At this rate of productivity, who would bet against her having a full set of re-records ready to go by the time spring rides into town in need of Swift’s specialty season-saving skills?

The one question Evemore doesn’t answer is whether this is Swift’s life now. Will she stay in the woods making indie records that are much cooler than anyone else’s? Or will she return triumphant to her stadium-conquering pop stance when things get back to the old normal?

Either way, pop's greatest star shines ever brighter on Evermore. Whatever your festive lockdown plans, it’s time to get off the sofa and get involved...

#taylor swift #review #evermore

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vvaane · 3 years

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Evon

Hi, i’m Evon. Yea that’s the best way to start writing about a god damn serial killer, a proxy or whatever you guys call us. It’s late at night and you might be wondering why someone like me would write a book, dont i have people to kill? Cops to run from? Watch my back maybe? Nah man i used to do that before... that happened. Do you ever contemplate about your life? You know things like: what if i didn’t do that? what if i stayed silent? what if what i said once changed the whole story? Yea i know, a lot of what ifs. What can i say, i like to think. I may be a monster who kills like killing machine but i still have 'me' time.

I think i’m just rambeling now but yea another thing about me is that i like to talk, maybe too much sometimes. I wasn’t always like this though, as a child i was very quite and kinda depressed. Childhood isn’t my best memory to be honest, all i remember is wasting it on suffering and building up rage, until of course, i snaped.

Usually if someone asks me about that time of my life, i kill them without hesitation but in this case no one asked me so here we fucking go. Appriciate this because i’m not gonna talk about my shity life ever again. I was born on a beautiful day of summer, 4th of july 2000. I don’t have memories of my family, the only thing i know is that my mom commited suicide because of postbirth depression and dear old dad didn’t even bother to raise me or to even be in my life, good i killed him. Anyways, i spend my childhood at a church, raised in the name of this so called god, yea that place as holy as it sounds like, it wasn’t. Everyone feared the priest. What can i say, he was the best, always beating and torturing us many times even if we didn’t do anything wrong, my best and only friend was killed by this motherfucker. I myself got in trouble many times just because i 'wasn’t a man'. I don’t know how are you supposed to be a man at 13 years old but sure. You got 3 chances to 'go on gods way' if u didn’t make it you were send to a room that looked like an old basement of a castle. The room was dark and the only light you were seeing was from a little window, the door was big and scary honestly, when you first come into the room you would see a big statue of that bitch Mary. There the priest would give you 3 options: beat you, tie you in chains and not feed you for a week or put you in isolation for up to half a year. That guy was crazy and i’m pretty sure he hated children. Every kid would choose to be beaten because it lasted a short period of time compared to the other options. I was a maniac since i was little so i tried everything, being beaten till i was unconscious which isn’t that bad compared to the other things, i was beaten with everything you can imagine, chains, belts etc. I still have scars all over my body from that. Many kids weren’t strong enough and died. Their bodys were thrown in a room and from there they would be put then in the crematorium like they were nothing. Next i was tied and not fed, let me tell you, you get so hungry at one point you would even eat youself and i have seen one kid bite into his own arm somehow. Now the last and worst, isolation.I’ve been in isolation for maximum 2 months, i was put in a diferent room, this one had no windows so no light would come in, i felt like i was in a box, i had no bed, no nothing, i would eat once every 2 days half a bread. Many kids who went there didn’t come back. My friend was always send there even if he didn’t choose that. Dear Mike died when he was 15, i was 14 at the time.

Anyway, believe it or not that prepared me for what was next to happen. How do u think i survived the proxy training? That shit is hard but i will get there in a minute. After my friends death i felt like i wasn’t myself, i felt like some other me was taking control over my mind and body. When the priest found out about this change in my behavior he said i was possesd my some kind of demon and he performed this so called exorcisms on me that consisted in bathing me in holy water, tyeing me to the bed and saying many prayers. Useless. It wasn’t any of that. I actually had a second personality, a manifestation of my darkest and deepest thoughts and ideas. It was really hard for me to get used to this other me, over the time i even gave him a name: Devon. He became my best friend, he was the the only one who understood me. I faked being a normal kid so that the priest won’t try to take Devon away from me. I didn’t take any meds so day by day he was stonger and stronger, over the years we did many things, we destroyed a lot, first it started slow with plates and glasses but then i started to kill some animals around the church and the fact that i enjoyed it scared me at first. After i started doing this things i always felt watched, usually i was dizzy and sometimes i started to hear whispers even if i was alone in a room.

Years went by fast if i think about it, like if they were nothing, winters were the hardest because it was always cold and with all the tortureing sure it wasn’t the best thing. I was 18 when that event happned, i still remember every detail. It was summer, the weather was really hot, i was in my room when Devon took control out of nowhere, he wanted me to escape, to be free, to take revenge for every single thing they've done to me. He was right, i had to do something to get out and i wasn’t only gonna do that, i had to kill the priest and burn this place down. That church was what you guys call hell. If it’s hell then it has to burn. All day i wondered through every room in search of gasoline and matches, eventually at exactly 7:45pm i found what i needed, i stared at the objects like they were my saviours. Devon took control again and everything started, i poured the gasoline on every hallway of the church until the priest saw me, he wanted to hit me but i managed to fight him for a while, he was stronger than me so i ran away with the gasoline, i took a hatchet just to know i have something to defend myself with. I lit the match and threw it, i enjoyed the view of this place burning, i felt like i was able to dream again, i felt free and i didnt care who was still in there, the only thing that mattered was the fact that i got revenge and that im finally free. The view was ruined by the priest who was running in the woods. Of course i chased him with the hatchet until i lost him for a minute but then i heard a scream so i went in that direction. the adrenaline was overwheliming, i felt so powerful like i could do anything. After running for like a good 10 minutes i saw the priest dead with his killer getting off of him. The anger i felt in that moment is unimaginable, he stole my victim, the only person i wanted to kill with my hands, he took that away from me. I started running towards him with my hatchet. He stayed still like he didnt care, as i got closer to him i saw that he had the same weapon as me. I stopped and he smiled at me:

-You remind me of myself when i was little.

-I don’t fucking care what i remind you of, you just killed my victim!

-I’m Toby, Ticci Toby, nice to meet you...

- Evon, i said hesitantlly. Why are u doing this?Being nice.

-Thats a rule i have to follow, don’t kill or be rude to other killers.

Thats what changed everything, right after that i saw this faceless man behind Toby, he wasnt scared at all. This creature began speaking to me somehow.

-Child, i can give you a new home and i can let you be who you are, you don’t have to be afraid!

I didn’t have a place to go to so i accepted, i didnt know the training was gonna be so hard and long though. First i had to fight every proxy and that Masky guy left a scar on my face that went over my eye and my eye changed colour, from brown it went bloody red. Then i had to learn how to kill, how to survive, how to run from cops, it was hard for me but Toby helped me a lot. We got close and he took me with him every time Slends would give him a job. He was the youngest before i came in the picture. He told me his story, i told him mine. I had a friend after a long god damn time.

Now i’m 21 and i’m one of the best proxys Slender ever had. Toby is still the best of the best and to be honest he deserves the title. That’s my story. Now that you know it you should be prepared because i might come for u next.

#text #literature #creepypasta #creepy #revenge #short story #priest #church #personality change #ticcy toby #jeffery woods #jeff the killer #slender proxy #slenderman #masky #betrayal #grunge #murder

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maykonguyendaily · 4 years

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Need something to break you out of the winter/pandemic blues? Thankfully, Hudson & Rex returns on Tuesday, January 5 at 8/7c to Citytv for its third season. In Season 3, Detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon) and Rex, his intrepid German Shepherd partner, are back on the trail of St. John’s most devious criminals. Season 3’s caseload promises to present the Major Crimes team with some of their biggest mysteries yet. Charlie and Rex will need every member of the team, including Dr. Sarah Truong (Mayko Nguyen), Charlie’s closest collaborator, by their side.

Sarah is always lockstep with Charlie when it comes to solving cases, and their friendship grows even closer in Tuesday night’s season premiere. In it, Charlie brings Sarah along to a trip the past that details how his partnership with Rex began. Nguyen recently spoke with The TV Junkies about what Charlie’s gesture means to Sarah, as well as what lies ahead for Sarah this season. She also previews some great guest stars, including one that offers up a mini-Killjoys reunion for fans of the dearly departed sci-fi drama. Nguyen played Delle Seyah Kendry during Killjoys’ five-season run and looks back upon that experience with us as well.

The TV Junkies: What’s it like coming back for Season 3, especially when you had to film in such unprecedented times?

Mayko Nguyen: When all of this started going down in March, I just assumed that the entire film industry would shut down for a year. So to be honest, I just feel very lucky and grateful to still have work and get to be together in a room full of people. We were socially distanced and with masks, but I feel so fortunate to be with this family again. It’s been a nice mental break from COVID.

TTVJ: This is also your third season coming back and shooting in St. John’s. Has it really become like a second home? What do you love about being there?

MN: I’ll let you in on a secret, I’m someone that really likes to be in my home. I’ll go away but for a max of like three weeks. Particularly in the first season, I found it really hard to be out here for 16 episodes and six to seven months. The turnaround is quick so we don’t end up being home very long. The second season I got a bit more acclimated to being here, but now, we came in July and the weather was particularly glorious. There’s something that happened this season where it’s really become my second home. Having a new baby and a toddler out here is just so much easier and makes so much more sense.

TTVJ: From the screeners I saw, Sarah seems more confident than ever in her abilities. What’s her mindset like in Season 3 and what were you most looking forward to exploring with her?

MN: Not a ton has changed with Sarah. Year by year the group gets more and more cohesive, and coming from COVID and getting to be together again has been really nice. I think that translates to the show. The four of us become tighter and tighter each year. In terms of Sarah, her work is her life and there’s more references to that this season. She’s pretty reliable and consistent. You know what to expect with her. There’s always stuff happening with her and Charlie here and there. Those are the fun surprises but I can’t talk too much about that. [laughs]

TTVJ: A big part of the season premiere is that Charlie brings Sarah along on a trip to the past, chronicling how his partnership with Rex began. What’s that mean to her to be a part of that?

MN: I loved that episode and it’s quite a departure from how our episodes are typically structured. It felt really special and fun to be outside of the group. Sarah is the newer member to the department and this is a story close to Charlie’s heart. It’s all about how he and Rex started and developed their relationship. In the episode, I’m asked to join this annual tradition and Sarah feels incredibly honored to be a part of that. It further cements her feeling of being a part of the team and not so new anymore. It also makes her feel close to Charlie and their friendship is quite strong.

TTVJ: Hudson & Rex always seems to pull in some pretty fantastic guest stars. Are there any in particular that you’re excited for viewers to see?

MN: In the second episode of the season we have Allan Hawco from Republic of Doyle. I have a favorite, and I don’t think she even knows it, but it’s Cara Ricketts (Anne with an E, Street Legal). She’s on this season and so is Sarah Podemski. I really enjoyed her as well. We’ve had a bunch of really great people.

TTVJ: Because I’m a huge Killjoys fan, I loved that in the second episode of this season there’s a mini-reunion that happens when Gavin Fox, who played Gared, guest stars.

MN: Oh my gosh yes! We were so happy that we actually got to work together. I often don’t have much with the guest stars but we got to share scenes. He’s this big, imposing guy but is just a pure teddy bear. He’s so respectful, lovely, and warm. Just a lovely, lovely person.

TTVJ: Speaking of Killjoys, I wouldn’t be who I am as a person if I didn’t ask you about one of my all-time favorite characters, Delle Seyah. Now that you’ve had some time away from her, what do you think about as you look back to that experience and playing such a dynamic character?

MN: It’s interesting because I’ve found that it’s unfortunate actually because you get so caught up in the work when you’re in it. Of course you’re grateful for it and enjoying yourself, but it is also work. I went in and out of having challenges with her, in terms of keeping her based in reality, but then when you leave a show like that you just miss it. I almost feel like I didn’t appreciate how incredible that experience was when I was in it. I’m someone who broods over my work and has a hard time enjoying things. I always reflect back after the fact when it’s too late. I should’ve taken more time to really enjoy that experience and the people.

She was a really great character, and I had no idea when I set out to play her that she’d have the arc that she had. When you’re in it you’re just trying to do good work, and you’re anxious because you have no idea if what you’re doing is going to translate. To be honest, I don’t watch my stuff and I often questioned my choices as Delle Seyah. It’s not until hearing that people liked her and enjoyed that arc that it felt satisfying to me. I definitely miss her, and wish I had allowed myself to enjoy that experience more while I was in it, and not after the fact.

TTVJ: I was always so afraid she was going to be killed off, and I never wanted to lose her!

MN: She came close, right? Michelle Lovretta [Killys creator] is just so great, as is her writing and what she can do. When I got pregnant I just assumed that I was going to be done. The fact that they not only kept me in, but incorporated the pregnancy into the storyline, allowed it to go so far. She’s just incredible.

TTVJ: What do you think the Green Queens would be up to now?

MN: I feel like not too much. After all of that they’d just be arm and arm and lounging. [laughs]

Hudson & Rex Season 3 premieres Tuesday, January 5 at 8/7c on Citytv.

#hudson and rex #killjoys #mayko nguyen #interview

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bad-at-names-and-faces · 4 years

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Epilogue

chapter 34

chapter index

December 1st, 1864

Dear Inga,

I’ll be mailing this letter when we arrive in Portsmouth tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s December already. The weather is so mild this far south, though I never would have guessed we’d see any nice weather on this trip, as rough as the waters were in the North Sea. To think, there was already snow on the ground when we left Arendelle last week!

I would really like to stay in England long enough to see some of the country, but we’ll be booking passage on the first steamship out. I suppose I should look on the bright side, that we’ll be settled by the new year. A friend of Father’s has arranged for us to stay with his family for Christmas, so I don’t need to worry about doing anything for that. I hope the holiday preparations are going well in Arendelle, though I am very sad to be missing it.

With love,

Elizabeth

P.S. I just want to thank you all again for the wonderful party before we left Arendelle. I’m sure you’ll object again that it was mostly Halima’s work, but it was so nice to see everyone there.

Elizabeth sighed, looking out the porthole of their cabin at the distant lights on the coast of England as they sailed along. Normally, she didn’t mind sailing, but this trip felt so terribly bittersweet. There were so many possibilities where they were going, and she would see so many things that she had only read about, but she had really started to feel at home during those few brief months she had been in Arendelle.

“We’ll have an early morning,” Lars reminded her as he finished changing, “please come to bed.”

“I haven’t written to your mother yet,” she smiled. “I thought of some things I forgot to ask her to bring with her from Corona.”

“She’ll be in Arendelle for another month; you can write from the inn tomorrow.”

“I am feeling rather tired,” Elizabeth admitted, turning down the lamp as she walked to the bed.

***

Lars dressed and quietly left the bedroom. A cold sleet was coming down outside, but the kitchen was warm. It had been fairly mild when they first arrived in Boston more than a month before, and Elizabeth had been convinced there wouldn't be a real winter, but they had a thick layer of snow for Christmas, and the temperature had been below freezing nearly every morning for several weeks.

Susan, the girl they had hired to help around the house, had already arrived, and she had even prepared some coffee for Lars to drink before he left for the stable. It wasn’t that long of a ride to the office they had rented, but the sleet made every minute feel like an hour. There was almost no work so far, but the assistant keeping up the office in Washington had started forwarding all of the mail, which mostly consisted of a handful of applications for Arendelle travel visas. The previous evening’s mail had been brought in, and there were a few official notices, plus the bundle that had been forwarded, and finally he noticed a letter personally addressed to himself, and opened it.

January 7th, 1865

Dear Lars,

Inga told me that Elizabeth has been writing, and I realized that you’re only getting official correspondence from us right now, so I thought I’d fix that. I can’t say I’m as good at writing personal letters as my sister, but I hope you don’t mind getting another letter. I won’t bore you with official updates and announcements, since I know we send them to everyone.

There was a lot of snow last night, and everyone was outside enjoying it all morning, then we all packed into Hudson’s to warm up, then back out. Do you get snow there? I know it’s much further south where you are. If you’re not too busy, write back, because I’m curious what they actually have you doing there.

The week after Christmas was quiet, with no business and just the family at the castle. Things are picking up again this week, but Father is going to be taking me, Anton, and Peder up to the mountains for the first ice harvest in another week. We’ll only be staying a week or two up there, and then the rest of the winter I’ll have to spend most of my time with the tutors if I want to be allowed to do the naval training trip in the spring.

Stay well!

Frederick

Lars placed the letter in his bag. Elizabeth would like to read it, and Frederick hadn’t included anything that he would mind being shared, and he’d write back after dinner and send it out in the morning’s mail.

***

Elizabeth looked up. “A valentine? Lars, you didn’t have to get me anything!”

“There was a shop full of them, I couldn’t help it,” he laughed, sitting down next to her on the sofa.

“But,” she sighed, “I have nothing for you.”

“Of course you do,” he replied, kissing her forehead.

“What do you mean?” she asked blankly, then looked up at him and got his meaning. “Oh!” she giggled, lightly punching him.

***

Elizabeth looked up from the letter she was reading out loud, and sighed. “This is dated two weeks ago, so Inga must already be up North. She promises she’ll write to me when she gets back to Arendelle next month, but she didn’t say whether she’ll get any letters up there.”

Lars nodded. “It won’t hurt to write, if you want to. Is it any different from writing to your father while he’s at sea?”

“That’s true,” she smiled, looking out the bedroom window. She set the letter on the nightstand and started fastening the front of her corset as Lars began to help with the back. Today was the first day of spring. It was still chilly, and the locals said it was likely to stay so through most of April, but at least the sun was up early. Elizabeth had again started waking up at the same time as he woke up, so he no longer had to leave the house while she was still asleep.

“I got a telegraph from Mother,” Lars said as he gingerly laced the back of her corset, “and she’s on a steamship arriving next week.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” Elizabeth smiled, “she’ll be here for your birthday, too!”

“Yes,” Lars replied quietly, gently tying a bow at the bottom.

“Are you sure you can’t get it a little tighter?” she pouted.

“Absolutely not,” he chided her, holding her shoulders and kissing her cheek. “It’s not going to fall off, and…”

“I know, I know,” she sighed.

***

April 25th, 1865

Dear Inga,

How are you doing? I feel very restless right now, and I hope you don’t mind that I don’t want to talk about anything serious, because around here they’re only talking about the President’s funeral and all that horrible business.

On that note, Lars has carried the letters from your family on his trip to the capital. He’s missing his own birthday, though of course it’s perfectly understandable. It’s only me and his mother right now, though Susan still comes in during the day to help out. Lars should be back in a day or two, and we’ll celebrate then, but I do feel bad, since he’s twenty-one now. This evening I made his mother tell me stories about him as a child, and it sounded delightful. I tried to ask about the day he was born, but she said she was too tired and that I should be getting more sleep. Obviously, I didn’t mean about Lars in particular, just in general. I’ll need to know what it’s like eventually, right? She knows this, and I suppose she doesn’t want to scare me with details right now. I’m sorry I’m being so vague. But, she’s certainly right that I should get some sleep while I can. I hope everything is well with everyone there.

With Love,

Elizabeth

***

“Elizabeth, have we met a Mr. Curtis?” Lars asked, looking at the envelope that had come in the mail.

“No, you haven’t met him,” Elizabeth said casually, looking up from the sofa. “I haven’t met him, either, exactly, but I wrote to him while you were gone last month. He’s a ship builder, and you were talking about contracting with ship builders here.”

“Oh,” Lars hesitated, “I did say I would do that, didn’t I?”

“Do you mind that I did? I’m sorry I forgot to tell you, but so much was going on.”

“Not at all,” he said as he opened the envelope, “and it looks like he wants to have us over. You’ll need to come with me, of course, to keep me from looking like an idiot.”

Elizabeth smiled, looking out the window. “Oh, good, your mother is home from visiting Mrs. Wirth.”

0o0o0

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Lars asked as they came to the large lawn of Mr. Curtis’s house. “It’s rather hot today, and I really don’t want you-”

“Your mother is here, and there are plenty of seats in the shade. It’s not like I’m going to be on a train for twenty hours like you’ve been doing lately.”

“True,” he replied, “and I promise I won’t be away from you this summer. At any rate, please don’t feel the need to act as a hostess today. That’s for Mrs. Curtis to take care of. We’ve given them a contract for a new ship, and they’re throwing a party in honor of the Queen’s birthday.”

“So that’s already been approved? The contract?”

“It’s in transit. The sooner Mr. Curtis gets started, the sooner Arendelle can have the ship. We’ll worry about the details later.”

***

July 20th, 1865

Dear Inga,

We received the invitation to your birthday party next month. It sounds like a wonderful day you have planned. Obviously, we can’t be there, but hopefully we’ll be able to send you good news before then. As always, I look forward to your letters.

I wish I could travel back there for the summer. The weather last summer was so pleasant, but it has been so unbearably hot and humid here. Our neighbors all seem to be traveling to the shore or the mountains, but Lars is worried about being too far away from a doctor right now, and he assures me it’s worse in the city at his office, so in the meantime I’ve spent most my time in recent weeks in the shade in our yard.

With Love,

Elizabeth

***

The baby was cooing softly in Elizabeth’s arms when Margit Nilsen quietly entered the bedroom. The afternoon sunlight was peaking through the curtains, keeping the room from being completely dark.

“I have so many letters to write,” Elizabeth fretted from the bed, “as soon as the baby’s asleep, I want to get up.”

“You still need your rest,” her mother-in-law scolded her. “Lars will write to everyone, don’t worry. Nobody expects you to be writing letters yourself so soon.”

“It’s been three weeks,” Elizabeth sighed.

Soon, the baby was asleep, and her mother-in-law gently picked him up and set him in the cradle in the corner. “There, dear, now you should rest, too.”

“I’m going to get up in just a minute,” Elizabeth protested, closing her eyes for just a moment before falling into a deep sleep.

Margit quietly closed the door and sat down next to Lars at the table.

“You’re going to tell me I should sleep, too, aren’t you?” Lars sighed.

“If you’re tired, you should,” she told him, “but, no, that wasn’t what I was going to say.”

He looked up.

“You still haven’t told her about Anna, have you?”

***

“We missed your birthday, but we can have a party on your anniversary!” Lars’s mother announced as he returned home from his office. Elizabeth had dressed up and tried something new with her hair, which Lars thought looked rather nice on her, and the baby was asleep in the cradle.

“I hope you didn’t think I’d forgotten when you left this morning,” Elizabeth smiled.

“I... I’m going to pretend that I remembered what day it was today,” Lars laughed, coming over to sit next to her.

His mother went into the kitchen to check on how dinner was coming along, leaving the two of them alone.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Lars confessed, “I really wasn’t kidding that I forgot what day it was. I’m sorry.”

“You have a lot going on now,” Elizabeth reassured him, touching his cheek. “Remember, you can tell me anything.”

***

October 2nd, 1865

Dear Lars,

Sorry I haven’t written in a while, but Inga has been telling me that you’re all doing well. I know you’re probably tired, Mother and Father always are with a new baby. Everything is fine here, basically. We’re supposed to be getting another visit from a certain person from Corona in a few days, but I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you that. It’s not an official visit.

Anyhow, I said I wouldn’t bore you with official announcements, but you probably saw that they’ll be sending me to the naval academy in Corona at some point, but nobody can agree when. Our Admiral says he would be perfectly happy to set up an academy here, but obviously that would take a while, and there are only a few of us right now.

I’ll stop here because I’m sure you’re quite busy.

Stay well!

Frederick

***

Elizabeth sat with the baby in the chair by the front window watching the first snow of the season, thinking about how it was almost December again, and they had left Arendelle a year before. The baby was fast asleep, but she was comfortable and he was warm, and she felt no need to move.

Her mother-in-law brought her a cup of tea, then poured one for Lars, sitting down next to him at the table. They could hear Susan in the kitchen preparing something for dinner. Lars sat reading the evening paper, and finishing the front page, did his best not to make noise turning to the second page, since the baby would nearly always wake up if the paper rustled. He started to take a sip from his cup while he was reading, but set it back down abruptly and stared at the page, whispering something to his mother, who looked surprised.

"What is it, Lars?" Elizabeth asked, briefly glancing over, then returning her attention to the snow and the sleeping baby. Lars handed the folded newspaper to his mother, who brought it over to her.

Elizabeth took the paper, and skimmed over a few headlines about nothing astounding, then gasped, stopping herself before the baby stirred.

“Inga said there might be news soon, but nothing about marriage- did you know anything?”

"I thought I might hear something about their officially courting, certainly, or maybe even an engagement,” he muttered. “I suppose I’ll see tomorrow if any messages arrived since I left this afternoon, but they completely ignored any suggestions about getting a telegraph set up. I dropped the topic this summer since it just sounded like I wanted faster congratulations about the baby.”

Elizabeth stood up, handing the baby to her mother-in-law. “I need to write to her!”

***

Lars sat down at his desk, opening the diary to December 15th. He realized that it had now been one year since they’d arrived here. He was growing to like this office, but there was increasing pressure to move everything back to the capital now that things were settling down. He would need to consider that carefully: he could always spend time on the train, traveling back and forth, or they could all move South, and spend less time apart. But then he remembered the constant threat of malaria, and what if there was another outbreak of Yellow Fever? That wouldn’t do at all.

He heard someone ring the bell at the front door, and he got up to answer it himself. With all the uncertainty about whether this office would be permanent, he had never hired an assistant, but there were so few interruptions that it really didn’t matter.

Opening the door, he saw a young man in a heavy winter coat, thick hat, gloves and scarf, even though the weather had gotten mild again for the last week or two.

“Hello, I’m looking for the Ambassador.” The young man spoke through his scarf, looking directly at Lars with dark brown eyes that almost matched the bridge of his nose.

“I’m the Ambassador,” Lars informed him.

“Oh! I’m sorry… am I supposed to call you Your Excellency? I think that's what I read.”

“Just call me Mr. Nilsen,” Lars laughed, remembering how fastidious he had been with titles not that long ago. “Come inside. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No,” he said, coming inside. He rubbed his chapped hands after he’d stuffed his gloves in his coat pockets, “in fact, I only got off the train two days ago. First thing I bought was this coat. I’m not used to cold weather.”

“Where are you from?”

“Louisiana,” he explained, finally taking his scarf off, “and now you’re probably going to laugh at me for wanting to visit Arendelle if I can’t handle the cold.”

“It’s quite pleasant there in the summer,” Lars offered, “but you do have me curious.”

“Well, I’ve always heard stories about it, and I started saving up my money while New Orleans was occupied, doing any odd jobs that I could. And now, I’m ready for an adventure, just for myself. A few of my cousins went out west this summer, but I wanted something different.”

“I hadn’t realized the stories of Arendelle were that widely known,” Lars admitted, “but I’d be happy to get you set up with a travel visa, and answer any questions you have.” He motioned for the man to sit down next to his desk.

“Thank you, Mr. Nilsen,” he said, taking a seat, still wearing his coat and hat. “I found a few books at the library yesterday, but I’m sure they don’t tell the whole story. The books certainly told a different story than the ones I heard from the master’s family.”

“Oh?” Lars said, retrieving the papers from his desk. The man seemed amiable enough, and Lars was interested in hearing some more about his interest in Arendelle. He hadn’t even mentioned the fjords. The handful of people he’d seen so far coming in person for visas had talked about nothing else. Besides, Lars didn’t get much conversation when he was at work these days. “Were they…were they from Arendelle?”

“Oh, no,” he laughed, “in fact, I didn’t really hear any nice things about Arendelle from them, but that makes me all the more curious to see the place for myself.”

“It’s a beautiful place,” Lars said, half listening as he started to organize the paperwork for a travel visa. He glanced at the first space on the form. “I’m sorry, I realize I never asked you your name.”

“Right, you’ll need that,” he smiled, “John Westergard.”

Lars felt his stomach drop. It could be chance. It could be anyone. He needed to keep calm.

“Westergard?” Lars tried not to be obvious as he looked the other man up and down. There was no resemblance, not even some quirk of his nose or the shape of his earlobe, to any member of the royal family of the Southern Isles. But the name, still, the name must have an explanation. “That’s an unusual name…”

“I’ve been thinking about changing it. It’s not really my name, you know how it is.”

#my fic #kristanna #the young diplomat #epilogue

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draechaeli · 4 years

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Weather, Mountains, and Distance in China as Applied to the Módào Zǔshī Universe

I am a Foreign Teacher living in China and have been doing so for the last eight school years. For five and a half years I lived in Shandong Province, the same province as LanlingJin and I was a three and a half hour drive north of LanlingJin; a two to three-hour drive east and a bit south of LaolingQin; and a five to six-hour drive east and a bit north of QingheNie. For the last two and a half years I have lived in Jiangsu Province (barely) just two and a bit hours southwest of LanlingJin. But Jiangsu is the province of GusuLan and I am six hours north and a bit west of them; and not that anyone cares about MolingSu, but I’m four hours north and bit west of them. I have also travelled to every province, region, and territory that China says is China and most of those in January and February during Spring Festival Holiday. So from this experience I am going to discuss Chinese weather and a few other things that relate to the MDZS universe.

This ended up being way longer than I thought it was going to be. It was written to be read straight through. But as I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that cares and it goes through my thought process on the topic I have labelled each section so you can scroll down until you see the subheading you are interested in.

My Introduction to MDZS

My friend, told me about MDZS and the Untamed like 1 November 2019. I was at first skeptical as I have seen lots of Chinese shows playing in bars, at restaurants, or on long bus trips (the latter being where I’ve sort of had to see entire episodes and films) and generally Chinese TV shows are low on plot and have the same set character archetypes (not the point of this post so feel free to disagree, but I’m not here to argue). So honestly I was skeptical, but November is National Novel Writing Month, so even if I wanted to I hadn’t had the time. I also knew that I was going to be seeing said friend in Cambodia during Spring Festival Holiday and we would watch it then. Prior to going to Cambodia, I travelled with my Chinese friend Dean for eight days, but then he had to return home to spend Spring Festival with his family and I continued in my travelling.

I told Dean about how my friend was going to make me watch the Untamed and how it was based on a book and how it despite restrictions is still pretty gay. Dean didn’t believe me, but a couple days at home with nothing to do and plenty of wifi, and he had watched the Untamed before I could even meet up with my other friend!

Cloud Recesses in the Untamed - Mountains and Canal Cities

So that first scene where you see Cloud Recesses, I was like: oh I know those mountains! And my friend said that most of the places were really in China and sent me this map. As I continued watching well I was mostly caught up in the story but the snow kept bothering me, but there was never snow that stayed on the ground in the Untamed so I forgot it quickly. At a later rewatch I thought the Cloud Recesses mountains looked a lot like the mountains at ZhangJiaJie (the floating mountains that were the model for Avatar) in Hunan further west of where GusuLan is situated. According to the Untamed Wikipedia page the filming was done in Hengdian World Studios and Guizhou (also pretty far west). I am however a fan of climbing mountains and have climbed a lot of mountains in China, so I could be remembering mountains wrong.

Where the questions came up was fanfiction. And I have never stopped reading a fic because they talked about a lot more snow then I had ever seen in the particular area of China. And Cloud Recesses having towering mountains as they depict from afar in both the live action and the donghua. When I’m watching the mountain is a back drop, but often fics make the mountains or snow part of the plot and it’s too late because I already think of Gusu being Suzhou a very famous canal city south of me and we get like once a year two cm of snow that lasts maybe two hours. And the translator’s note at the end of Refinement Part 1 says that Cloud Recesses got its name from a phrase of Jia Dao’s poem, not the height of the mountains.

In general, I know that a lot of English fic writers just didn’t know the weather in China or perhaps hadn’t seen the map that showed you where everything in China was situated. And were using context clues like the disciples of YunmengJiang laying topless on floorboards in the summer heat in the extras from the book or the snow seen in both the Untamed and MDZS the donghua. And I had brushed it off as artistic license the height of the mountain of Cloud Recesses bugged me and made me do research for my own personal piece of mind.

I will admit I have not been to Suzhou, I skipped it when I was being a tourist in Jiangsu Province as the internet said it was a big tourist spot and could be very crowded, so I chose to go to a different canal town. Then I moved to Xuzhou in Jiangsu. And in Chinese the biggest thing is said first so I would have to say in Chinese when asked where I was moving to or later where I lived: Jiangsu, Xuzhou. The other thing I didn’t know despite having studied Chinese in college, that I learned from Dean when I complained about this problem is that all Yu (Yu, Yue, Yun, Yuan) and Xu (Xu, Xue, Xun, Xuan) no matter the tone are pronounced with a umlaut on the u so: Yü, Yüe, Yün, Yüan, Xü, Xüe, Xün, and Xüan. So, despite the fact that I pronouncing (disregarding tone for the following examples, and written by use of correlating English words and names) Xuzhou as Shoe-joe every Chinese person thought I said Suzhou (which I would say as Sue-joe). So, I heard a lot of: “Suzhou?! It’s so beautiful! And with all the water!” never anything about mountains.

Now, Guilin, Guangxi is a city that is absolutely gorgeous and has a lot of mountains, there is one called the Solitary Beauty Peak (152m), which is literally a vaguely rectangular mountain, with very sheer faces (and steep stairs carved in to get to the top), in the middle of a very flat expanse (behind the yellow building in the picture - January 2014).

Which means that similar mountains could be in Suzhou. And Gusu was named after Gusu Mountain so I did an exhaustive search with multiple map apps, google, and baidu to find the mountains in Suzhou and their heights. In the end the mountains in Suzhou are not very tall.

Practical Experience with Snowfall in China

My first year in China my city got snow in December, maybe about 10 cms, but it was cold enough that it didn’t melt; and so we had snow for pretty much the whole winter with a sprinkling of a couple more cms added here and there. That year, I went to the Great Wall in the winter and signed up to go to Mutianyu a section of the wall pretty far from Beijing (north of all places in MDZS), but we couldn’t get to it due to snow, so we went to another section, Juyongguan, which wasn’t snowed out and it didn’t have too much snow on it maybe just a couple cms of snow built up in corners of steps and the like. That was the last time we really got snow that stayed. A few years later we got maybe a few cms but not a lot of snow. When I went to Sichuan (in 2014; where MeishanYu is) I remember leaving the Chengdu airport in a car and looking out the window to see snow dusted palm trees, something I had thought I really wouldn’t have ever seen, but that was probably the most snow that I had seen for that trip. The 12th edition of the China Lonely Planet book does state that the canals of Suzhou are very beautiful covered in snow in December. But based on how I’ve seen less snow further north than Suzhou makes me wonder how consistent it is.

Temperatures on Mountain Tops in China

I went to Ürümqi, Xinjiang the very tail end of June in 2019. July is the hottest time in Xinjiang and the temperature while I was there was generally about 30-45°C. One day I went to Tian Chi a lake in the Heavens Mountain (Tianshan) range, the lake is below the Peak of God (Bogeda Feng) that according to my Lonely Planet is a 5445m peak. Which now that I’m looking at the book, I know I hadn’t before going to Ürümqi, because the book says to bring warm clothing and I hadn’t. I took a tour bus up to the lake (I think that is the most common option. And around the lake it didn’t feel as hot as it was down in Ürümqi and when I went to take the cable car most of the way up Bogeda Feng, I remember seeing winter jackets for rent. At that moment I thought it was strange and pointless in the warmest time for the area despite that it was definitely getting chilly enough that I put on the light jacket (that prior to that point was mainly for sun protection) on. When I got out of the cable car near the top it was definitely cold. Many of the other hikers were in winter jackets and as you climbed up to the peak your breath definitely misted like it was winter! But that is the only time that has happened to me climbing mountains in China. I climbed Huangshan a mountain in Anhui, west and a bit south of Gusu. It has an elevation of 1873m and I climbed it in May, and there was no discernible temperature difference between the top and the bottom of the mountain.

The Yangtze River – divider of whether your home is heated or not

The Yangtze River is what China uses as a divider of north and south China. In the present day this is seen as whether or not your home gets central heating in the winter. When I lived in Shandong province (north of the Yangtze), the central heating was turned on 1 November and turned off the 1 March (I think, I’m remembering that correctly). Each province decides how cold it is and for how long and has different rules for central heating. No matter what you don’t have control over the temperature of the central heating, and everyone has to survive with an AC/Heating mounted wall unit, and/or portable heaters.

Jiangsu is a province that the Yangtze cuts through, which means you might get central heating. I moved to Xuzhou, which is spitting distance to Shandong province, in May (I got transferred to cover a sick teacher). So I was put up in the teacher’s housing on the college campus, and it did have central heating, the flat also had screened in windows above the doors that didn’t have glass and therefore would be open year-round. When I said I wanted to stay in the city and teach for the next year I got an off-campus flat in a community maybe 1.5 kms down the road—no central heating. Fall 2019 my community was offered central heating, we would have had to pay to get it installed, and it would only be installed if enough people said yes because it would be done for the whole community at that point. If we got the central heating it would have only been turned on December-February, and as the Spring Festival break at the school was an entire month it wasn’t worth it. And that time I went to Sichuan (everyone says south, but I think it has a bit of the Yangtze in it) all the restaurants were open fronted with no solid doors at all. Though the AC/Heating mounted wall unit in my hotel room (a small hotel outside of the city proper with a squat toilet in the bathroom (I’ve only seen squat toilets in two Chinese hotels)) was the best heater ever. My hotel room was so much warmer than any flat I’ve had in China, because even if it was a cheap hotel the AC/Heating mounted wall units needed to work well in Sichuan because it was the only source of heat.

MDZS Cities on the Yangtze and Old Names for the River

So west to east the cities that are close/on the Yangtze are: Meishan - north, Kuizhou - north bank, Yiling - north bank, Baling - south bank, Yunmeng - north, Moling south (the Yangtze goes through Nanjing so maybe it has bank space), and Gusu - south (possibly in the delta).

According to the Yangtze Wikipedia Page, which I have kept open in a tab in Firefox for reference since I started writing fic—People in Ancient China didn’t realise that the river was a single river and therefore each section of the river, had its own name and was thought to be its own river (the following is mostly just copied from Wikipedia).

For Meishan, Kuizhou, and Yiling, the river through Sichuan and Chongqing Municipality was known as the Chuan Jiang (川江; Chuān Jiāng) or "Sichuan River." The Wikipedia page specifically states that Yichang modern day Yiling as the last/most eastern city to call the Yangtze thus.

In Hubei, this would be Yunmeng and Yiling, but Yiling followed the pattern of the places further west. And I’m going to assume Baling despite being in Hunan; the river is also called the Jing Jiang (荆江; Jīngjiāng) or the "Jing River" after Jingzhou.

In Anhui (which has no sects), the river takes on the local name Wan Jiang after the shorthand name for Anhui, wǎn (皖).

For Gusu and Moling, it was the Yangzi Jiang (揚子江; 扬子江; Yángzǐjiāng) or the "Yangzi River," from which the English name Yangtze is derived, is the local name for the Lower Yangtze in the region of Yangzhou. The name likely comes from an ancient ferry crossing called Yangzi or Yangzijin (揚子 / 揚子津; Yángzǐ / Yángzǐjīn). Europeans who arrived in the Yangtze River Delta region applied this local name to the whole river.

The dividing site between upstream and midstream is considered to be at Yichang (Yiling) and that between midstream and downstream at Hukou (Jiujiang).

Winter Weather in Terms of Whether or Not Long Underwear Should be Worn in Various MDZS Cities

Another way to think of it is in terms of long underwear. I wore long underwear in my city in Shandong province, the pants, and a long undershirt. Typically, three layers on top when indoors, maybe with a fourth sweater when the room I was in wasn’t heated and thick socks over regular ones. In Xuzhou I wore maybe the long underwear bottoms but not the top because my classroom actually has a heater in it, but I usually wore a sweater. When I visited Xi’an, Shaanxi (YueyangChang and 2hrs west of QishanWen), Nanjing, Jiangsu (MolingSu), and when I went to Chengdu, Sichuan (1.5 hours north of Meishan) I wore long underwear (though it was particularly cold that year in Chengdu). When I went to Hangzhou, Zhejiang (south of TingshanHe; Tingshan is hard to pinpoint), Changsha, Hunan (2 hours south of BalingOuyang), and Wuhan, Hubei (3 hrs north of BalingOuyang and 1.25 hours south of YunmengJiang) I had long underwear with me but didn’t necessarily wear it. I do remember in Wuhan this tree that had little pink blooms on it at the end of January. I didn’t have long underwear with me when I went to Chongqing, I could have sworn I actually went to Kuizhou Ancient City (or another Ancient City/Street) but I can’t find pictures from it. The city I visited before Chongqing, I visited an ancient city so I could be mixing these up. But I remember it being Chongqing and getting a foot massage in an open-air shop in an ancient street and being covered in blankets because it was pretty chilly.

Comparative Temperatures based on their North Parallels

I live in Maine in the US, so a place with lots of snow. When I first came to China my family and I were looking at the map and thought that Maine and my city in Shandong looked to be in a line so the weather would be similar—it wasn’t, but it is a good theory; and something I spent a lot of time thinking might be sound as Maine and Shandong province aren’t on the same parallels so I thought there was still a chance that it would correlate elsewhere. The two most northern sects QingheNie at 37°04’ and LaolingQin 37°26’, according to Wikipedia, which continues to tell me that other notable places on the 37th parallel. The 37th parallel separates out Utah, Colorado, and Kansas on the north side from Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma on the South. It also passes through the Mediterranean Sea; the Aegean Sea; the Caspian Sea; the Sea of Japan; the Yellow Sea; just south of Antequera, Spain; the island of Sicily, Italy; the island of Honshū, Japan; Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan/India; and through Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and South Korea.

I just moved to Zhengzhou, Henan (34°45′50″N), when I asked about the weather I was told it was comparable to Washington DC (38°54′17″N). I keep getting told that Zhengzhou is the centre of China and it is kind of the centre of where all the sects are: north 1.5 hours from YingchuanWang and 5.5 hours from YunmengJiang; south 3.5 hours from QingheNie; and east 6 hours from YueyangChan.

Conclusion for Winter Weather in Gusu and Summary of Chinese Summers

So, based on my experiences, any of the mountains in Suzhou just wouldn’t have a discernible temperature difference from the top of the mountain and the bottom of the mountain. And despite “Snow-covered views of the pretty canal towns of Suzhou in winter” I would assume that it doesn’t actually get that much snow.

So enough about how cold and snowy China is, summer-wise it is generally too, too hot. For the level of cold in the winter, I would have assumed there would be milder summers but where I have lived and visited that has not been the case. When I asked the teacher I was replacing in Shandong about the weather of the city I was told that it went from ‘freezing your pants off to fucking hot’ and it was true one day you’d be wearing a jacket and maybe for a week you’d be in jeans and a tee and then you’d be sweating while wearing the least amount of clothing possible. I’ve definitely seen 30°C days in May.

Rundown of the Climate, Average Temperatures, Rainfall, and Humidity for all MDZS Cities

So you don’t have to here is what Wikipedia says about the climate of the cities of the different areas so you don’t have to look it up yourselves (pretty much copy and pasted):

Baling – (is present day Yueyang different characters and city from the YueyangChang Sect seat). The average high for the year is 21°C/69.7°F and the low 14.9°C/58.8°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 2.7°C/36.7°F and an average high of 8.1°C/46.6°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 26.6°C/79.9°F and an average high of 32.2°C/90°F. Average humidity ranges from 73% in December to 79% in June (with a yearly average of 77%). The most average rainfall is in June, the rain heavy months being April-July, compared to the remaining months March and August also have a lot of rain.

Gusu - has a four-season humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and cool, cloudy, damp winters with occasional snowfall (Köppen climate classification Cfa). North-westerly winds blowing from Siberia during winter can cause temperatures to fall below freezing at night, while southerly or south-westerly winds during the summer can push temperatures above 35 °C (95 °F). The average high for the year is 19.9°C/67.8°F and the low 12.5°C/54.5°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 0.5°C/32.9°F and an average high of 7.7°C/45.9°F. July is the hottest month (by 0.1°C over August) with an average low of 24.8°C/76.6°F and an average high of 31.6°C/88.9°F. Average humidity ranges from 65% in November to 77% in July (with a yearly average of 71%). The most average rainfall is in September, the rain heavy months being June-September, April (102.3 mm) and May (114.5) are petty rainy too, May is still 14mm less rain then July (the lowest of the high rain months).

Kuizhou - has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), bordering on a monsoonal humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and for most of the year experiences very high relative humidity, with all months above 75%. Known as one of the "Three Furnaces" of the Yangtze river, its summers are long and among the hottest and most humid in China, with highs of 33 to 34 °C (91 to 93 °F) in July and August in the urban area.Winters are short and somewhat mild, but damp and overcast. The city's location in the Sichuan Basin causes it to have one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally. With over 100 days of fog per year, is known as the "Fog City" The average high for the year is 22.1°C/71.8°F and the low 15.8°C/60.4°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 6.2°C/43.2°F and an average high of 10.3°C/50.5°F. August is the hottest month (by 0.2°C over July) with an average low of 24.7°C/76.5°F and an average high of 33.2°C/91.8°F. The most average rainfall is in June, the rain heavy months being June and July, but May and August are petty rainy too.

Lanling - has a monsoon-influenced climate with generous summer precipitation, cold, dry winters, and hot, humid summers. Under the Köppen climate classification, it is in the transition from the humid subtropical zone (Cwa) to the humid continental zone (Dwa), though favouring the former. More than half of the annual precipitation of 833 mm (32.8 in) falls in July and August alone, and the frost-free period is above 200 days. The average high for the year is 19.1°C/66.3°F and the low 9.5°C/49.1°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -4.3°C/24.3°F and an average high of 4.4°C/39.9°F. July is the hottest month (by 0.7°C over August) with an average low of 23°C/73.4°F and an average high of 30.7°C/87.3°F

Laoling - The average high for the year is 19.3°C/66.7°F and the low 9.4°C/48.9°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -5.6°C/21.9°F and an average high of 3.4°C/38.1°F. June is the hottest month with an average low of 20.2°C/68.4°F and an average high of 32.1°C/89.8°F. Average humidity ranges from 52% in March to 78% in August (with a yearly average of 63%). The most average rainfall is in July, the rain heavy months being July and August by quite a margin. July has on average 90 mm more rain then June (the month with the third highest rainfall).

Meishan - The average high for the year is 21.3°C/70.3°F and the low 14.3°C/57.7°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 4.1°C/39.4°F and an average high of 10.1°C/50.2°F. July is the hottest month (though the record high temperature was in August) with an average low of 22.9°C/73.2°F and an average high of 30.7°C/86.5°F. Average humidity ranges from 74% in May to 84% in January, August, October, and December (with a yearly average of 81%). The most average rainfall is in August, the rain heavy months being July and August, June (144 mm) and September (130.4) are petty rainy too, June is still 87mm less rainy then July (the lowest of the high rain months) and September gets 42.5mm more rain than the 5th rainiest month—May.

Moling - has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and is influenced by the East Asian monsoon. The four seasons are distinct, with damp conditions seen throughout the year, very hot and muggy summers, cold, damp winters, and in between, spring and autumn are of reasonable length. Known as one of the "Three Furnaces" along the Yangtze River for the perennially high temperatures in the summertime. However, the time from mid-June to the end of July is the plum blossom blooming season in which the meiyu (rainy season of East Asia; literally "plum rain") occurs, during which the city experiences a period of mild rain as well as dampness. Typhoons are uncommon but possible in the late stages of summer and early part of autumn. The annual mean temperature is around 15.91 °C (60.6 °F), with the monthly 24-hour average temperature ranging from 2.7 °C (36.9 °F) in January to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) in July. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −14.0 °C (7 °F) on 6 January 1955 to 40.7 °C (105 °F) on 22 August 1959. The average high for the year is 20.6°C/69.1°F and the low 12.1°C/53.8°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -0.7°C/30.7°F and an average high of 7.2°C/45°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 24.9°C/76.8°F and an average high of 32.2°C/90°F. On average precipitation falls 115 days out of the year, and the average annual rainfall is 1,090 mm (43 in). The most average rainfall is in July, the rain heavy months being June through August. August (143.5mm) is the least rainy of the three and still gets on average 52.8 mm more rain then May the 4th rainiest month. July has the most days of rain (12.3), but both March (only 80.4mm) and August have the second most days of rain (11.8).With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 37 percent in March to 52 percent in August, the city receives 1,926 hours of bright sunshine annually. Average humidity ranges from 71% in April and May to 80% in July and August (with a yearly average of 75%).

Qinghe - has a continental, monsoon-influenced semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), characterised by hot, humid summers due to the East Asian monsoon, and generally cold, windy, very dry winters that reflect the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone. Spring can bear witness to sandstorms blowing in from the Mongolian steppe, accompanied by rapidly warming, but generally dry, conditions. Autumn is similar to spring in temperature and lack of rainfall. The annual rainfall, more than half of which falls in July and August alone, is highly variable and not reliable. The average high for the year is 19.6°C/67.2°F and the low 8.8°C/47.9°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -6.1°C/21°F and an average high of 3.9°C/39°F. June is the hottest month with an average low of 20.2°C/68.4°F and an average high of 32.1°C/89.8°F

Qishan - The average high for the year is 18.5°C/65.3°F and the low 9°C/48.1°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -3.5°C/25.7°F and an average high of 5.1°C/41.2°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 21.1°C/70°F and an average high of 30.9°C/87.6°F. The record high temperature from (1971-2000) in January was 20.7°C/69.3°F which is the lowest of the record highs. The highest was in August at 41.6°C/106.9°F. The most average rainfall is in August but had the most days of rain in September (the rain heavy months being June-September).

Tingshan - The average high for the year is 20.5°C/68.9 °F and the low 13.1°C/55.6°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 0.9°C/33.6°F and an average high of 7.5°C/45.5°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 25.3°C/77.5°F and an average high of 32.6°C/90.7°F. Average humidity ranges from 75% in April and May to 82% in September (with a yearly average of 78%). The most average rainfall is in June, the rain heavy months being June-August, March (121.2 mm), May (113.4mm), and September ( 109mm) are petty rainy too, March still has 34.2 mm less rain then August (the lowest of the high rain months). March also has the most days of rain (15.2), followed by June (14.8), then April and July (13.7).

Yiling - has a four-season, monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with cool, damp and generally overcast winters, and hot, humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 5.0 °C (41.0 °F) in January to 27.7 °C (81.9 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 17.08 °C (62.7 °F). The average high for the year is 21.6°C/70.9°F and the low 13.7°C/56.6°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 2.2°C/36°F and an average high of 8.8°C/47.8°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 24.3°C/75.7.°F and an average high of 32.3°C/90.1°F. Close to 70% of the annual precipitation of 1,160 mm (46 in) occurs from May to September. The most average rainfall is in July, the rain heavy months being June-August; May (124.4mm), and September (115.3mm) are petty rainy too, May still has17.8 mm less rain then June (the lowest of the high rain months). July has the most days of rain (15.1), followed by June (14.1), then May (13.5).With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 24% in January to 49% in August, the city receives 1,568 hours of bright sunshine annually, and summer is the sunniest season. Average humidity ranges from 73% in February, March, April and December to 80% in July (with a yearly average of 75%).

Yingchuan - has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with four distinct seasons. Winters are cool and dry, summers hot and humid, spring begins early and is warm, and autumn is mild and provides a reasonable transition. Rain mainly falls from May to September, as more than 70% of the annual precipitation occurs then. The city has an annual mean temperature of at 14.5 °C (58.1 °F), and its highest average monthly temperature is 27.1 °C (80.8 °F) in July and the lowest is 0.7 °C (33.3 °F) in January. Just over 700 millimetres (28 in) of precipitation falls each year, and there is on average 217 frost-free days and 2280 hours of sunshine per year. The average high for the year is 20.2°C/68.4°F and the low 9.7°C/49.5°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -3.6°C/25.5°F and an average high of 6.1°C/43°F. July is the hottest month (by 0.2°C over June) with an average low of 23.1°C/73.6°F and an average high of 32°C/89.6°F. The most average rainfall is in July, the rain heavy months being July and August; June (83.5mm) is petty rainy too, but June still has 38.2mm less rain then August (the lowest of the high rain months). July has the most days of rain (11.7), followed by August (10.6), then June (8.4).

Yueyang - has a temperate climate that is influenced by the East Asian monsoon, classified under the Köppen climate classification as situated on the borderline between a semi-arid climate (BSk) and humid subtropical climate (Cwa). The Wei River valley is characterised by hot, humid summers, cold, dry winters, and dry springs and autumns. Most of the annual precipitation is delivered from July (on average has the most rain) to late October with September having the most days of rain. Snow occasionally falls in winter but rarely settles for long. Dust storms often occur during March and April as the city rapidly warms up. Summer months also experience frequent but short thunderstorms. The average high for the year is 19.5°C/67.1°F and the low 9.7°C/49.5°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of -3.3°C/26.1°F and an average high of 5.1°C/41.2°F. July is the hottest month with an average low of 22.3°C/72.1°F and an average high of 32.4°C/90.3°F. Average humidity ranges from 61% in June to 77% in September (with a yearly average of 68%)

Yunmeng - The average high for the year is 21.1°C/70°F and the low 12.8°C/55.1°F. January being the coldest month with an average low of 0.2°C/32.4°F and an average high of 3.9°C/39°F. July is the hottest month (by 0.2°C over August) with an average low of 25.2°C/77.4°F and an average high of 32.2°C/90°F. Average humidity ranges from 75% in December to 83% in July (with a yearly average of 79%)

Dafan Mountain and Phoenix Mountian

That being said, I was trying to find Dafan Mountain on a map for a fanfic I was writing. I have a Chinese copy of MDZS and I was originally having trouble finding the characters used for Dafan Mountain. When I did, Baidu was not at all helpful every webpage was for MDZS and/or CQL. So I asked Dean who replied that he didn’t know, as the places in the book are all made up, at which time I sent him a copy of the map that my other friend had shown me with the actual names of the present day cities for the five main sects. And I did a search for “where is Dafan mountain” which worked for things like: “where is Moling”, for the Dafan search the results were things like which chapter/episode is Dafan or ‘where was Wen Ning before Dafan?’ My confusion came from the fact that the town below Dafan is called Buddha’s Feet—and I have been there. In Chongqing there is a district called Dazu (大足), Buddha’s Feet which had Buddhist cave paintings so there are also mountains. Edit: I went back and looked for pictures, it’s not actually very mountain-y and is named for some giant footprints.

It took longer to find, because as I had learned there is just too many ways that you could write Buddha’s Feet in Chinese and have it interpreted as Buddha’s Feet. In the book it is called 佛脚镇 (Fójiǎo Zhèn) or Buddha’s Foot town, which isn’t a real place in China according to Baidu. So for my own fic purposes I decided that it was going to be in Chongqing. And then later, when I was actually putting together a map on Google I double checked for places like Dafan and found one. 大梵山 Dafan Shan (same characters and everything) is a 207m mountain in South Korea called Keun Beom San (?) 큰범산.

Phoenix Mountain was another one that I had a hard time looking for in the book as there are multiple ways to say Phoenix in Chinese and it is generally a compound word including Feng (风) which usually means wind and the name of the mountain in Chinese is 百风山 (Bǎifèng shān) and could also be translated as the Hundred Wind Mountain. And all though it sounds like a very good mountain name ‘phoenix’ or ‘wind’-wise there is no such mountain that I could find.

My Own Map Making Explained

Before I made my own map I looked for other maps online, ones that talked about the smaller sects. For the purposes of my fic I needed to know where the YueyangChang clan was situated, and where Xue Yang would be, or coming from, or going to. I found this map online. It is a very good map but it uses the present day name instead of the book names so I got super confused. For example that map has a Liyang, Leling, and Yueling, none of which I could find on the MDZS wiki as being connected to a sect.

What I ended up doing is writing the names of the cities into Pleco, a Chinese-English dictionary app, so if I type in yueyang the first three are: Yuèyáng (岳阳) a prefecture-level city in Hunan; yuèyáng (越洋) a verb meaning cross the ocean; and yuè yáng (栎阳) a place in Shaanxi Province. I took the place names and searched for them in my Chinese copy of the book and hit on 栎阳. Then I put it in Baidu, Baidu Maps, and Apple Maps to see where it would turn up—it turned up in Xi’an. Well, Liyang from that second map is also 栎阳. And when I look at the map apps with pinyin the section of Xi’an in question is also labelled as Liyang.

Leling was harder—or easier I guess it depends on how you look at it. I ended up looking it up straight from the second map Pleco suggested 乐陵 the county level city in Dezhou, which I found in the book 乐陵秦—LaolingQin. This I don’t understand at all 乐 is lè or yuè and yet we call them LaolingQin. So there you have it. Edit: while writing the weather section (which I did after this though it comes first in the post) I A. realised I’d been writing Yaoling instead of Laoling and B. that the Laoling County-level City Wikipedia page said that Laoling often gets mispronounced as Leling because the character 乐 is only ever elsewhere lè or yuè.

Tingshan was the last one that gave me problems. It is written 亭山 and there are actually a couple mountains called Tingshan, with the same characters one near Qufu in Shandong province, and two in Zhejiang province one north of Hangzhou and the other sort of south of Hangzhou, in Shaoxing (the one that comes up the most often in Baidu searches). Then I found a Chinese site discussing the ancient city of Tingshan City which is “In today's Zhejiang Deqing County East 24 Li (1 Li = 0.5 km)” so I put Deqing county on my map and then realised that the same site says that Tingshan is also 200 paces southwest of the county and then mentions a Wuxing ji (吴兴记) but I could find a Wuxing District (吴兴区) of Huzhou City the same city as Deqing county. Wuxing was north east of Deqing and that was when I realised that the two possible dots of Tingshan on my map were close to the dot of Yueling on the second map I had found. And I found a Yueling (越岭) in Huzhou and it was southwest of Wuxing (not sure about 200 paces or not), so I differed to the wisdom of that second map.

I have made my own map with the labels of all places I could find on a map. I labelled them with the sect names or if they had no sect associated with them just the city name. Sadly Baixue Temple, Phoenix Mountain, Dust Creek Mountain, Mo Village, and Dafan Mountain/Buddha’s Feet (though my map does include Dazu in Chongqing, as a point of interest) could not be found and added to the map. And of course we have no clue where Sect leader Yao came from and I kind of wish we could send him back off into the nothing, but he is there to add strife I suppose.

River Travel- Lotus Pier wasn’t the closest Sect to Yiling

I got to a part in my own fic where I needed them to take a bout between Yiling and Yunmeng and realised that while Yiling is on the Yangtze, Yunmeng is not and instead is on a tributary of the Yangtze. I did a cursory search for ancient river boat speeds and found an archaeological paper that tested seven ancient boats one of which was a Singapore Sampan it wasn’t very fast. So I just decided to write it off as cultivating boats get people there faster.

Even though I had already wrote the boat scene of my fic when I was looking at my map I noticed Google’s measuring tool. So for fun, I used the Google Maps measuring tool to measure river distance between Yiling and Yunmeng after I put all the city markers on. Yiling is on the Yangtze and Yunmeng has a couple Yangtze tributaries that run through it that meet up in the Wuhan area. The Yangtze dips south after Yiling and then goes back up to Wuhan. Yiling to Yunmeng is 444 km by river if you leave the Yangtze by Jingzhou and travel through Chang Lake (I cheated and connected to Hanshui River with what looks like a manmade river, maybe, it is very straight and appears to cut through the lake) then it is a lot of small rivers to get to Yunmeng. I thought maybe even though the Yangtze goes further south and Wuhan is further east than Yunmeng since it is a bigger river it might still be shorter. However, 397 km east of Yiling following the Yangtze in Baling! I remember in CQL Sect Leader Yao suggests Lotus Pier after the second siege of the Burial Mounds (I might be remembering wrong), but well he appears friendly with Ouyang, and they are a smaller sect.

Conclusion

So, while the sects live in actual places, today they are generally just districts in larger cities, because the urbanisation of China has resulted in many villages becoming districts of bigger cities. And while some of the places in the book are made up (Yunping City being another one that I cannot find anywhere) they are reasonably named that they are not far outside of the realm of possibility. Also China is a large country that discourages people from moving around, as you always have to return to the place of your birth (or your parents’ birth) to get paperwork and the like for visas, etc. Therefore, I believe perhaps inside China the knowledge of where these places are or the height of their mountains or their amount of snow is not something that is thought about by people as much as I think of these things.

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #china #weather #maps #mountains #yangtze river #mo dao zu shi #cloud recesses #geography

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food-truck-guide · 4 years

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HOW MUCH IS IT TO RENT A FOOD TRUCK

Different food truck cuisines, locations, number of people attending the event and time of year are all areas which will determine the price on how much it is to rent a food truck for your event.

How Much Is It To Rent A Food Truck

Are you curious how much it is to rent a food truck? This is actually a common question which people ask all the time. In this article, I will explain everything you need to know about renting a food truck so you can make the best choices. There are many different factors you should consider BEFORE reaching out to find a truck. These areas consist of type of cuisines, the number of people who will be attending, along with many other contributing factors. Its ok though, you don’t have to know every mundane detail. I will walk you through the basics, so you can get the perfect truck to your gathering! Looking for a food truck online can be a bit of a pain. There are many websites to look at and research. Word of mouth is a great way to start, but ultimately you will want to research food truck websites, social media, and make some good old fashioned telephone calls to get all the information you are looking for. This can be time consuming. To save you time, a tip is to check out directory websites that deal with food trucks and restaurants only. One of these recommended sites are https://savannahstreetfood.com. They have a nice list of food trucks which you can read about, gather information and start contacting directly from the website. We will talk about this more in a few. Being a former food truck owner, I know what trucks like to hear and what trucks sort of don’t like to hear. I know what will make them jump to your event instead of just merely accepting it. Remember, food trucks are a business just like restaurants, just mobile. They are looking out for their business just like any other business out there. Truckers try to be fair with their pricing, but also need to ensure they turn a profit.

Why Cuisines Help Determine How Much It Is To Rent A Food Truck

Let's face it, you want the best food truck for your party and/or gathering there is at the best price. There is one little problem, which do you choose? There are a lot of different food options from burgers to seafood to grilled cheese and everything in between. Which will benefit your gathering? You wouldn’t call a Seafood truck to do burgers and vice versa, so it is important to nail down what sort of cuisine you want. Determining Cuisine Determining the type of cuisine is SUPER important before starting your search and contacting any trucks. Trust me, as a former truck owner, there is not much worse than a customer coming to the window with no idea what the truck even serves. This usually ends in disappointment. The customer either feels like it was a waste of their time to talk to the truck or they settle for something they didn’t want leaving them with a bad taste for the truck (no pun intended). You can easily eliminate this issue by deciding what type of cuisine you would like ahead of time. Food Truck Websites There are many of websites which can help you choose your cuisine. This requires knowing what terms to search for and clicking around to find what you want from each and every food truck owner’s website (assuming they have a website). As mentioned earlier, if you are in the Savannah GA area upi can look into a directory Like Savannah Street Food. This type of site allows you search by whatever you are looking for directly from the home page. Whether it be the cuisine, location or business name, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. There are many other websites that can help you with finding trucks in your area as well. For example, Roaming Hunger or Foodtrucksin. These sites cover locations throughout the United States, not just the Savannah and surrounding areas.

Cuisine and Pricing

Don’t forget to think about pricing when going with a cuisine. As we all know, a lobster roll will be much more expensive than an empanada, so just make sure you are comfortable with that. Those few dollars per person extra could throw off your budget completely!

Food Truck Options

Alright, you have your cuisine picked out? Great! Moving onto the selections of different options per truck. Let’s say you decided on a taco truck. Now, it is time to pick what sort of menu items you want for the party. Food trucks usually offer your choice of a main menu item, a drink, a dessert or a mix of them all at different costs per selection. The normal item of a taco would be one price. Now if you want a drink, that would be more and a side a few more dollars. What about dessert? Does this truck do desserts? That is another good question to ask while finding out cuisines as well. If they happen to have the dessert you want, great, but that will raise the overall price per guest cost so just be sure to check. Food Truck Minimums To help maintain an overall worth, a truck may have minimums in place. Other trucks may have contracts to be signed to ensure the truck makes a certain agreed amount to prevent any loss in revenue. Because we all have that friend who says their coming, but never shows up! There is also a final option. You can have the guests pay for themselves. In this case, the truck may require a small fee to ensure they cover their costs of driving out there. In this instance, its everyone for themselves just like it would be if you went to a festival and decided to get food from a vendor. You would need to pay for whatever food you want. Shop Around Don’t be afraid to reach out to other businesses to get pricing as well. Sometimes a cuisine might be great, but a bit too expensive. This is where you can shop around to find the right foods for the right price. Usually you can find many different trucks of the same cuisine.

Location

Another major factor to consider when renting a food truck is location. Obviously, a big city truck will be more expensive than a smaller truck as there may be more demand for the big city truck. More demand equals more money. Parking And Permit Costs Every location has different rules and regulations pertaining to food trucks as well. Some municipalities have multiple fees and/or permits. Those fees sometimes can be incorporated into the operation of the truck, meaning a few more dollars. A food truck permit in Savannah, Georgia is around 200 dollars whereas a food truck permit in New Jersey would be more. Knowing your location can have a definite impact on some pricing. Mileage Fees There are trucks that may charge mileage. This fee is usually not the case, but it is worth reading the fine print to ensure you are not being charged for any mileage. Most trucks will not charge a mileage fee unless it is very far away, but this fee may be roped into contracts or minimum payments so read carefully.

Number Of Guests

The main contributing factor for how much it costs to rent a food truck would be the number of people attending your event. It simply costs more to accommodate 150 people versus 75 people, because more is involved; more product, more help, and more fuel. How Long Do You Need Your Truck? How long are you looking to have a truck at your event? If you are planning to have 175 people attend your event, you will need to have the truck present for longer than 30 minutes. Otherwise, there will not be enough time to server everyone. From my experience, trucks usually operate on a 2-hour time slot with extra hours costing a reduced fee per hour. For example, let's say you want to book your taco truck and you have 175 people attending with the event lasting around 4 hours. The truck may say that it is 20 dollars per person for 2 hours and every additional hour is 10 dollars per person. Depending if the party is big enough, the truck may simply waive the additional fee for extra hours. Multiple Trucks Using the scenario above, having a guest list of 175 attendees could end up being too much of a strain on one truck. In this case two trucks would be needed to cater to the amount of people attending also raising the overall cost per person.

What’s The Weather Outside?

Alright, you have cuisine, menu options, and headcount/timeframe all complete and are ready to book your food truck for the party. Awesome! However, there is one teeny tiny little thing to consider when renting a truck. Weather! Mother nature sometimes has a mind of her own and can make your party go from great to non-existent in a flash. Keep up to date with weather predictions and have a backup plan if the weather is not so great. Also, be sure to ask the truck if they operate in rain, snow, sleet, or hail, because they may need to cancel if the weather is not ideal. If that is the case, there may be a nonrefundable fee associated with that. Just ask.

What Time Of Year Do You Need Your Truck?

You may be booking a truck for your fourth of July wedding party. Super! However, note that the time of year can play a big role on pricing. It may be more expensive in summer months opposed to winter months (if the truck even operates in the winter). It will also depend on the truck and what their schedule is like. Cost for renting a food truck may be lesser in the winter months over summer months as the demand is not as high. After reading this, I hope you have a better idea on what is all involved in renting a food truck for your event. All the information you need to make a seamless booking of a food truck is provided above. You know what to expect for cuisine, menu options, headcount, time-frame, and lastly weather. It may seem like a lot to digest (once again no pun intended), but really it is just ensuring you have all the knowledge to throw the best party and have the best food truck there to help you. We all have to eat, why not make it fun and delicious too? Don't you just love food trucks? Check out our events page for a list of events happening around your area and feel free to contact us if there is an event that you would like added to our calendar! Read the full article

#FoodTruck #FoodTruckCost #RentFoodTruck #SavannahGA

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thisselflovecamebacktome · 4 years

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My personal connection with Taylor’s discography, part three: Evermore

Basically this is just a series I’m doing where I write down my feelings on what each of the Taylor songs means to me personally. Part one was my relationship with It’s Time To Go, which you can find here and part two was Right Where You Left Me which you can find here.

Before we get started I want to give a quick trigger warning that this particular post is going to talk about sexual violence, suicidality, and revenge porn, so please keep that in mind if you’re someone with a history of those topics.

Anyway, with that being said, this is how I personally relate to this song.

Evermore

As a whole, this song feels like a recollection of all of my darkest times as well as a reminder that even though it felt like those moments would define the rest of my life, I have reached a point where they no longer do. It is also a good reminder that timing and love are such important aspects in life and sometimes you have to trust and rely on them to get you through the rough times, even when there’s no solid evidence that it will work out, because that’s all you have.

Gray November, I've been down since July

2011 was an absolute shitshow for me. It was my final year of high school (year 10 where I live) and two of my closest friends had just moved across the country. Likewise, I had two friends die in the space of a month, one from a brain tumor and one from a suicide that I witnessed. And to top it all off, it was when my family issues really started ramping up. Just when I thought that I was moving forward and starting to recover and find my footing from all of that, July 3rd happened. In short, on July 3rd, I non-consensually lost my virginity, a concept that was very important to me at the time as a Christian teen, to multiple men. As a result, I spent the next year and a half in a depressive and suicidal state over the events of that night and regressing the progress I had made from the other bad things that had happened in 2011.

Motion capture put me in a bad light

A few weeks after the events of July 3, I had found out that those events had been filmed and distributed on porn websites. It took almost a year and a bunch of legal action to get it down and I remember going to school each day in fear that one of the boys were going to announce that they watched it, or worse yet, I would be called to the psychologist’s office because one of the teachers had seen it, and the one area that I could be “my usual self” was going to be taken away from me.

I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone trying to find the one where I went wrong. Writing letters addressed to the fire

This line feels very reminiscent of my relationship with my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in general to be honest. Like through triggers, nightmares and just general feelings of not being able to move past it, I was forced to consistently revisit both the trauma of my friend’s suicide and the gang rape. As a result, I used writing, both fictional and not, as a mechanism to discover and express my emotions and try to figure out how a “good girl” (yes I did have a lot of internalised misogyny issues at the time before someone says it) had gotten herself in that position. At the end of the day, all of the pieces I wrote ended up as unsaved drafts on my first laptop, but it was a very therapeutic and “healthy” way to figure out what had happened and how I felt.

And I was catching my breath staring out an open window catching my death

The events of July 3 made me agoraphobic to the point of not leaving my house for the remainder of the holidays I had and only leaving when I did because my parents forced me to go back to school. It took another two years to feel comfortable outside my home and to this day, certain environments (loud places, night times etc) still make me very anxious. It genuinely felt like I was going to die in that room, and though unhealthy, feeling the icy cold breeze of Winter nights on my skin was the beginning of my deliberately unhealthy habits as it felt like the only time I felt anything at all. This later translated into actions like excessive drug/alcohol use, self harm and forming bonds with people I know weren’t good for me so it also reminds me of sticking my head out of car windows if I’m honest.

And I couldn't be sure I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be for evermore

This is pretty self explanatory. At the time it really did feel as if that pain was all there was of my life anymore, and as a result, I almost ended my life at seventeen.

Hey December, guess I'm feeling unmoored. Can't remember what I used to fight for

Moving forward in my life, this line reminds me of the destruction of my family. Yeah, yeah, it always comes back to this I know. A warning for anyone who is already sick of me talking about my family in these posts, all up there are 39 songs in Taylor’s current discography that remind me of them so it’s going to be a very common theme and you should leave now if it bugs you. But as I was saying, this line basically encompasses what I feel about that whole situation and the damage it did now. Like there’s this part of me that feels like I don’t have a good, stable place in my current reality and just feel disconnected because like fighting to keep us together was literally 23 years of my life and now it’s just not because things didn’t work out. And because things didn’t work out and somehow (barring my mother) everyone is surviving just fine from what it seems, it just feels like that fight was not worth it and I can’t see why I stood my ground for so long anymore.

I rewind the tape but all it does is pause on the very moment all was lost

Despite knowing the signs of my family falling apart were present long before we fell apart in 2015, and certainly more before I accepted it in 2017, it is still impossible for me to comprehend that. All I can think about is that moment when it hit me that I was going to have a future without a family of any kind. Like none of the signs leading up to that live rent free in my mind in the way my father’s last words to me and the devastating realisation that I had been delusional for ever thinking things would work out does.

Sending signals to be double crossed

Basically just a reminder that my family fell apart not because I didn’t try hard enough or didn’t voice myself enough, it was because those signals weren’t received because the people who were meant to receive them didn’t want to and sent them out into the abyss in order to fulfil their objecting desires.

And I was catching my breath, barefoot in the wildest winter catching my death and I couldn't be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar that this pain would be for evermore

When I cut off my father in late 2017 after accepting him, my sister nor extended family wanted to reunite with my mother, brother or I as a family, I was in a moment of time where I didn’t have time to fall apart. I was in the middle of a university semester, dealing with a manipulative acquaintance tearing apart one of my friendships, and dealing with my mother’s far more concerning suicidality. But as a result of continuously trying to fake it til I made it, I fell apart and 2018 led to almost a full year of me feeling as suicidal as I had in 2011. And while I was now better equip to deal with that thanks to therapy, there was definitely an overarching feeling of “well if I can ‘recover’ and feel great just for this to come back years later, what’s the point of getting better? I’m never going to recover from this” for the better part of the year.

Can't not think of all the cost and the things that will be lost. Oh, can we just get a pause? To be certain we'll be tall again

After my family fell apart in 2015, nearly every moment of my time was dedicated to three things; my mother’s mental illnesses, working to make sure we didn’t become homeless and my university degree. As a result of that and issues my partner had to overcome, the relationship fell through, But as part of that, we ended up meeting up a few months after and discussing the idea of getting back together. However, while there was nothing more that I wanted at the time, realistically I knew that it wasn’t the time. The same issues were still occurring and unlikely to change in the short run and I knew deep down we’d end up resenting each other if we went head first back into a romantic relationship without resolving those issues. And quite frankly, after everything I had lost, I felt like I couldn’t lose him too. So I asked him to wait to give us our best chance at a future together.

Whether weather be the frost or the violence of the dog days. I'm on waves, out being tossed. Is there a line that I could just go cross?

There are two scenarios I think of when considering this line.

Following the above, the first I feel like this was pretty much how my partner felt after my family fell apart. He was suddenly thrown into a rough (potentially triggering considering he lost his family too in his childhood) situation where he was barring the grunt of my reaction to the situation without any type of benefit given I wasn’t even spending any time with him or considering his feelings because I was so wrapped up in my own. And in that, he was just trying to find a point where he could help me and our relationship would be on good terms.

And then, again, it feels like 2018 for me personally over again. Like I spent every day feeling like I was drowning and just trying to get through to the next and just trying to find that one switch that would make me feel non-suicidal again.

And when I was shipwrecked I thought of you. In the cracks of light I dreamed of you. It was real enough to get me through. I swear, you were there

Throughout 2018, there was nothing physical that I could hold onto to get me through the days. Instead, I had to really lean into my friendships, many of which didn’t live in the same city I did so couldn’t be physically present, and the hope that one day this would all pass and I’d be living my imagined best life with my partner. And it did, and I thank god everyday that it did.

And I was catching my breath, floors of a cabin creaking under my step and I couldn't be sure, I had a feeling so peculiar this pain wouldn't be for evermore

November 2nd, 2018. Perhaps some of you recognise that date as a certain Reputation Sydney show date, as you should. Look, I’m not one for saying music saves lives. I find that far too simplistic and takes away from the effort the person made to save their own life. But my god did that night make me want to save my own life. After almost a full year of feeling suicidal, something clicked in me while watching one of my closest friends (who ironically wasn’t meant to be there, another friend dropped out) screaming out to lyrics to the Long Live/New Year’s Day mashup and 22. And for the first time in a very long time, I felt loved and appreciated to the point where I stopped missing everyone I had been missing and overall just felt happy. It was genuinely as if I had found that switch and from that day have bounced back and not felt anywhere near as terrible as I did in 2018 or 2011. And you know, while those days will probably come back, after defeating them twice, I know that any days like it that are in my future won’t last and ultimately I will be happy.

#evermore album #evermore #taylor swift #about me

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yeet-or-be-hawed · 4 years

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OC Interview: Fletcher

Name: “Fletcher.”

Are you single: “By choice, yes.”

Are you happy: she shrugged, “guess you could say that.”

Are you angry: “probably angry more often than I am happy if’n I’m bein’ honest.”

Are your parents married: “died married, I’m sure. They died when I was real young, but from what I remember they seemed happy together.”

Nine facts

Birthplace: “A small town at the base of the Appalachian mountains, Far East of here.”

Hair colour: she twirled a strand around her finger, “brownish-red?” She chuckled. “In the summer it tends to lighten up to a redder tone but for now we’ll just say brown.”

Eye colour: “Blue.”

Birth date: “July 5, 1874.”

Mood: “right now?” She rubbed her neck and sighed. “Right now I’m tired, tired and sore. Runnin’ those delivery wagons for Cripps ain’t always the easiest. We ran a pretty long run today, even had to deal with a coupla carpetbaggers on the way. Now I’m just ready for a hot meal and a soft bed.”

Gender: “Female.”

Summer or winter: “I keep on the move pretty consistently, and I tend to agree with warm weather the best so we’ll say summer.”

Morning or afternoon: “Morning. Sleeping in ain’t an option when skins make your livin’. Even on the occasional morning I don’t have to hunt or help Cripps ‘round camp Im still up around dawn.”

Eight things about your love life

Are you in love: “I...was.”

Do you believe in love at first sight? “I believe some people are drawn to you more than others, and I believe in infatuation at first sight- but love is patient and takes work. So no, guess not.”

Who ended your last relationship: She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Neither of us ended it, per say. She came between me and a nasty group a bounty hunters.” She spat on the ground, her expression hardened. “So you know what happened next.”

Have you ever broken someone’s heart: “Oh, I’m sure I have. I don’t stick around one place long enough to form actual relationships-it’s for the best.”

Are you afraid of commitment: She sighed, “sure are gettin’ grilled tonight huh?” She laughed weakly. She tried to ignore the heat in her ears, her attention focused on her boots. “Guess you could say that. After Sable passed I... I can’t put myself- or anyone else for that matter- through that again. I loved that girl more than myself and she just-“ she exhaled and closed her eyes. “Sorry, back to the question. The commitment ain’t as scary as the inevitable, so I tend to avoid both.” She paused, then cleared her throat. “Next question?”

Have you hugged someone in the last week: She sat in thought for a moment, “No, I don’t believe I have.”

Have you ever had a secret admirer: “Well, if I knew bout ‘em how would they be secret?”

Have you ever broken your own heart: “Course I have, more times than I can count. I learned a long time ago about what happens when someone like me allows themselves to love and it ain’t pretty. There’s been a feller here, a lady there and we’ll get...cozy but I never stay long, it’s for the best.”

Four preferences

Smile or eyes: “Eyes. You can hide a lot behind a smile, but the eyes are honest.”

Shorter or taller: She shrugged. “I’ll take ‘em any size.”

Intelligence or Attention: “A younger me would’ve told you attention, but intelligence is a rare trait round these parts. I may not be very intelligent myself, but it makes for good conversation.”

Hook up or relationship: “Hook ups. Just cus I swore off relationships don’t mean a girl ain’t got needs. I usually hit up the saloons first thing in a new town- check out the working gals, get a feel of the men, and have a drink of course. Hook ups keep everybody safe, so it’s the only option.”

Six Choices

Love or lust: “Workin’ off that last question, lust.” She looked up at the sky, “it would be nice to let myself love again but,” she shrugged again. “What can ya do?”

Lemonade or ice tea: “Lemonade.”

Cats or dogs: “Dogs I reckon, I ain’t been too successful in keep in’ a cat round camp. They tend to run off or...worse.”

A few best friends or regular friends: “a hand full of best friends, but I only got a coupla friends anyways.”

Wild night out or romantic night in: “I’m always down for a wild night out, just know I tend to get a bit rowdy when I drink, so be prepared to throw some fists or rob a stage.”

Day or night: “Day time is reserved for work, so night time is really the only time for me to get some me time, ya know? Everything is so much quieter, more peaceful. It’s nice to look up at the night sky and be able to hear yourself think.”

Four have you evers

Been caught sneaking out: She let out a hardy laugh, “course I have! Most commonly being caught gettin’ outta bed after a one night stand, or caught tryna sneak outta camp while Cripps works me like a dog, even got caught sneakin’ out the back window of a bank!”

Fallen down/up stairs: “Both directions, both intoxicated.”

Wanted someone/something so bad it hurt: she only nodded and took a swig of her flask. All this talk of love and wanting was unearthing a lot of buried feelings.

Wanted to disappear: “Course I have, haven’t we all?” She took another swig of moonshine from her flask. “This life ain’t easy, it does somethin’ to the mind. Sometimes I feel incredibly lonely in a bar full of people, it’s strange. Maybe it’s just me.”

Friends

Do you secretly hate one of your friends: “Course not, if I hated them we wouldn’t be friends.”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends: “You mean all three friends?” She barked a short laugh. “Sure.”

Who is your best friend? She smiled, “Sadie Adler, ain’t never had a friend quite like her. She’s loyal, and loves fiercely. I don’t get to see the Adlers as often as I like, they live far up North in a small cabin out past Colter. I make time for them when I can, the hunting up near there is fine but the winters are brutal- cain’t get my horse up there between October and March.”

Who knows everything about you: “Honestly? As often as we’re at each other’s throats I’d say Cripps. The old man has grown on me, even though I’d never admit it he’s become a good friend.”

Do you and your family get along: “Well, ma and pa died when I was real young and I never had siblings. Met a cousin bout ten years back, last I heard she was runnin’ shine in the Appalachian mountains. We got similar dispositions so I don’t hear from her, she leads a dangerous life so I try and tell myself she doesn’t write because she’s busy, not because she’s dead.”

Would you say you have messed up life: “Messed up? Guess that depends on your definition of messed up. This is all I’ve ever known, so it’s normal to me. Every now and again I’ll open up to someone at the bar or between pillow talk and they just...they give me the saddest looks. Maybe some people would say my life is messed up, but it’s just another day to me.”

Have you ever ran away from home: “When my folks died some of the locals tried to get me to stay at an orphanage, ran away from there. Too many rules, too many people.”

Have you ever got kicked out: “Sure, I been kicked outta bars plenty a times. I try to keep better standards at hotels, I enjoy a soft pillow and a blanket.”

#fletcher #oc #oc interview #rdo #rdo oc #rdr2 #rdr2 oc

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fatathlon · 5 years

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IRONMAN 70.3 Indian Wells – La Quinta – Race Recap

* A video version of this race recap can be found on my YouTube channel here.

A triathlon is a game of contradiction.

You spend hours, weeks, months training for something that lasts moments of your life. Improve at one sport by mastering three. Train slower to race faster. Race slower to race faster. Do it alone, surrounded by people. Never see a finish line as the end.

One of the most challenging contradictions is the trap of identity. To do well, you have to immerse yourself in training for long periods of time. It can become you; consume you. And then what is objectively a meaningless act of physical exertion assumes a station in your life that it never deserved. And you are left with nothing but finish times and medals, to gather dust because nobody cares.

I thought about these contradictions a lot during my training for my first Ironman 70.3 race in Indian Wells – La Quinta California. It seemed fitting in this vein of contradiction that I would train in the cold and snow in order to race in the warm desert. I hoped that by recognizing the contradictions inherent in what I was doing, I could avoid that most challenging trap, and come away with an experience, rather than just another race.

After Musselman in July, I took a break for a few weeks, and then started training again. I had a few minor injuries, which were challenging, but for the most part my training was consistent. I did some bike fitting and got a set of aerobars on my bike. Winter arrived early in Vermont; we had snow on the ground before Thanksgiving. So most of my riding was indoors. I ran outside as much as I could. And weather doesn’t matter in the pool, of course.

Swimming was a major area of focus for me this fall. I got a second swim analysis and really worked on my technique. I was able to take another ten seconds off my 100-yard time, and by December I was swimming faster on average than I ever had.

I had also been trying to eat smarter, both to be healthier and to drop extra weight. With the help of a friend, I definitely had some success here, though it added some stress to our family routine. Kids like what they like.

I was a little concerned about flying my bike to California, because I had only done it once before and I didn’t have to assemble it myself when I arrived that time. So I broke it down and packed it up at the bike shop so I could get guidance with questions that I had and hands-on help from Darren, my friend who owns Vermont Bicycle Shop. I felt a lot more confident once it was all ready to go.

The flights were pretty uneventful, and we made it to San Diego in one piece — including my bike. One of the first things I did was put it back together; I wanted to make sure I would have enough time to solve any problems that came up. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any and the assembly went pretty smoothly.

The Catamount, my custom Orbea Terra, ready to ride

We spent a few days with my brother’s family in San Diego, hiking at Torrey Pines and playing on the beach. It was a nice way to get acclimated to the environment. It wasn’t as warm as I thought it would be, but it definitely was a lot warmer than Vermont. Locals on the beach were dressed in winter coats and hats, but our girls thought it was the perfect weather for swimming in the Pacific.

Before long it was time to drive to Indian Wells. The amazing scenery on that drive took us all by surprise. We stopped for a moment but the day before the race was very busy so there wasn’t a lot of time for sight-seeing.

After getting the family settled at the hotel, I had my first Ironman athlete check-in experience and got to see the pro panel, which included the eventual race winners Lionel Sanders and Paula Findlay. I checked my run gear in to T2, a little overwhelmed by the enormity of the transition area. Then it was time for a half-hour drive to the swim start and T1, to see the swim course, check in my bike and decontaminate my wetsuit before hanging it on the racks where it would stay until race morning. I made sure to mark it well so I wouldn’t have any trouble finding it.

My day would have gone quite differently if it hadn’t been for my teammate Lacy. She and her husband gave me a lift to the shuttle buses, which was already a great help by itself, but when she mentioned her water bottles I realized I had forgotten something at the hotel. Specifically, all of my hydration. It was still sitting in my refrigerator. They drove me back so I could retrieve them and I was so grateful. Luckily we were up early enough that it didn’t affect our day — we got on a bus with no waiting and were off to the start area.

I knew the water would be cold. The reported temperature that morning was just under 59 degrees. There was no warm-up swim. We stood in line at the rolling start for a long time before finally getting into the water. And then, finally, after everything, I was racing.

The first one or two hundred meters were tough. I was hyperventilating from the shock of the water temperature and struggling to relax and find my rhythm. I expected that, but it didn’t make it any easier. Finally I settled in, though, and found my zone. It was clear pretty quickly that I should have seeded myself further forward; nobody around me was actually swimming at the pace they lined up for. I was crawling over people all the way. My goggles half-filled with water but I ignored it since I could still see. When I finally crawled out of the lake, I had a personal best time of 34 minutes. By my watch, I had swum ten seconds per 100 yards faster than my first 70.3 in July.

As I mounted my bike, I readied myself mentally to face the biggest contradiction of the day. I had programmed the wattage target my coach and I agreed on into my bike computer, and I was going to stick to that number like superglue. The paradox of my plan was that the number was low. It was lower than I had expected. It was lower than it was at my first 70.3, and it was low relative to my power profile. It was so low that it meant I’d be doing what amounted to a zone 2 ride for the entirety of the bike leg.

The plan was predicated on the knowledge that the course was pancake flat, and that triathlons succeed or fail on the run. We would conserve energy on the bike, allowing my inertia to do most of the work, and hopefully get off the bike with enough in the tank to really drop the hammer.

So what the bike ended up being was a test of patience, rather than fitness. My heart rate stayed low, peaking only at the very start during the excitement of transition and climbing a tiny hill out of transition. I spent a lot of the time focused on avoiding drafting as much as I could, but it was pretty difficult considering that the roads were absolutely packed with riders. That forced me to surge occasionally, but it was okay because the course was so flat.

The first 20 miles flew by so fast that I was actually surprised when I saw the mile marker sign. At 30 miles I felt no worse; very comfortable and just cruising along. It was a strong contrast to my last race, where the 30 mile marker saw me doing pretty solid work. I began to get excited about the paradoxical plan as evidence in its favor continued to build. That naturally inclined me to want to push harder, but I redoubled my efforts to stay focused and in my target zone.

The highlight of the bike course by far was the Thermal Raceway, which is a private racetrack for cars that we got to ride around on. My watts went up on that section for sure, but it was a match that was worth burning. It’s a unique experience to ride your bike around a banked track with perfect pavement, designed for million dollar super cars. I had a lot of fun there.

The rest of the course was technically uphill but the gradient was so gradual, I barely noticed. I rode into T2 just 2 watts over my target. My family was cheering at the dismount line, which was a nice boost going into the start of my run.

After racking my bike and strapping on my running shoes, I started out on the final leg, to see if the contradictions would be resolved. Here I was, running in the heat and sun after training for months in the cold and snow. Here I was, having biked slowly on purpose to see if I could do a faster race. And here I was, after weeks of training at a jog, pushing my legs to go fast, and stay fast.

I have always run fast out of transition, because it takes a mile or two before my legs really feel normal and I can tell how my body is actually doing. At my first 70.3, I slowed that pace after the first aid station, feeling that I would have to conserve energy to make it through the run without shutting down. This day, though, I felt strong. I felt no such impending decline. I felt like I could hold the pace. So I didn’t slow down.

The run followed asphalt roads for a couple of miles before turning off onto a golf course, where it tracked around the greens on a winding, undulating path that was a mix of concrete, dirt and grass. There were no long straightaways, no places to hide from the course. It was highly dynamic and constantly changing.

A conclusion I had drawn from my first 70.3 was that I had been underfueled. This time, I ate and drank everything I could get my hands on during the run. I think I probably ate two or three whole bananas, a half at a time, plus several gels and all the coke, gatorade and red bull I could grab. I didn’t slow down during the aid stations; I didn’t want to lose my inertia. At one point I took a cup of ice, dumped it in my hat and packed it onto my head. The contrasts had never been more stark — at home I had been wearing winter hats to keep the snow off my head; today, I was deliberately packing ice onto my scalp.

It was a two-lap course which meant that I had to run agonizingly close to the finish line at around mile seven, only to have to turn around and do the entire thing one more time. Now I knew what to expect, though, and I knew where to push and where I could relax. Now all I had to do was hold my pace.

When the second lap of the course started to beat me, I focused on my family, waiting for me at the finish, and steeled myself in the resolve to make this all worth it. What was the point of asking so much of them, to support my training, to spend an entire day of our vacation standing around, if I didn’t make it worth it? I wasn’t going to slow down for anything.

The last couple of miles were hard and my pace started to slip a little bit, but I was still moving faster than I had ever really expected. I found my family just before the finish line, gave everybody high-fives, and then took it over the line. It was a personal best by a long margin, with personal records in every part of the race. I almost couldn’t believe it, but there it was.

If there’s one thing I learned from this race experience, it’s that you can’t always see contradictions as obstacles. Sometimes, they are puzzle pieces in a larger pattern that you can’t fully recognize until you’ve put it all together. You can’t always resist the things that don’t make sense; sometimes, you have to lean into them, make them part of your plan and see them through to the end. And that’s when you can find clarity.

We closed out our trip with a drive through Joshua Tree National Park, marveling at the natural beauty of the desert before boarding our plane to fly back into winter. With California behind us, it was time to look forward to a new year, and new contradictions.

Watch the video version of this race recap:

youtube

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darlingvita · 5 years

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thinking about how when i was a kid the weather was pretty consistent (give or take, for england) like the autumn and winter would be pretty cold and we’d maybe get a bit of snow in late november/december then it would get warmer for spring then we’d have perhaps a really hot week during july or august but otherwise summer was always moderate, but now we get snow waaaay later, going into march and even april the past 2 years (with a random hot week in february this year which felt completely wrong), skipping spring entirely going from a long winter to an abnormally hot summer, and we cycle from boiling days to cold rainy days, it’s so erratic and it’s scary.... i’m only 21 and i can feel how the weather is changing 🤪

#maybe my memory of it is skewed but idk it just feels noticeable and i don’t like thinking about it but with the news and heatwave #it’s pretty unavoidable #k.txt

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alltheswift · 5 years

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A Statistical Prediction of TS7′s Release Date and Start of Tour

Okay so I’ve spent some time doing a statistical analysis to try and figure out when Taylor is going to release TS7 and start to tour. For the previous six albums, there has been some consistency with timing which I am using to base my predictions off of. That being said, she could totally be shaking things up this era and not following any of the timelines that she has in the past.

Alright, so there are two basic prediction styles that I used. The first method assumes that Taylor is using the same spans of time regardless of the time of year (so since she released the single in the spring rather than in late summer, all of the dates will be moved back by about four months). The other method assumes that this first single is an outlier in the lead single timeline and the album will be released sometime around her previous releases (fall). I think the first method is more likely as the colors and style of the ME! video seem to imply that the album will have some summer themes.

Anyway, on to the predictions!

Album: Method 1: Friday, July 12, 2019 Using the average span of time from the lead single to the album release of 81 days, that brings us to July 16 which is a Tuesday. Since albums are now usually released on Fridays, I rounded down to July 12 but I also could have rounded up to July 19 which is another possibility. The sweepstakes for the secret show in New York are July 10 so I am thinking that maybe this corresponds to an album release nearby (or maybe just the album announcement).

Method 1 (using only the last three albums): Friday, July 5 2019 If we are to assume that the most accurate timeline for Taylor’s albums follow the trajectory of her previous three albums (as the first three have fairly different timelines), the average lead single release to album release is 73 days. This puts us at July 7 and rounding to the nearest Friday gives us July 5. This also would fit with the July 10 concert as she may release the album and then do the secret concert the next week. This also could just be an announcement date with another few months of waiting leading to a release around the beginning of fall.

Method 2: Friday, November 1, 2019 I don’t think this is that likely but if you take the numbers in 11/01/19, 1+1+1+1+9 = 13 so there’s that. Also if we are to believe that Taylor releases albums in the fall because of the Grammy submission period, this date follows with that.

Start of Tour: Method 1: Friday, December 13, 2019 On average, Taylor starts touring 228 days after she releases the lead single. This corresponds to December 10 which is only three days away from her birthday which is also on Friday the Thirteenth this year. Since it is also her 30th birthday, I could see her kicking off her show and doing something big on that day. This was too much of a coincidence for me to ignore.

Method 2: Sometime in Spring 2020 My statistics predicted April 5, but honestly it could be any time in the spring if she releases in the fall. Previously Taylor has started all of her tours between the months of February and May. If we are to assume that she will be touring in stadiums again, likely those will need to be in the summer so the weather is nice. But the beginning stages of the tour could also start in winter and carry over into summer as her tours usually last seven months to a year.

Alright, folks, that’s about it. I’m so stoked for TS7 and just needed to do something to try and figure out when the heckity heck we’re getting new music.

love love love, mad

#taylor swift #ts7 #lemme know if you find any errors or problems i wanna be accurate

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cutiecrates · 5 years

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Cutie Reviews: YumeTwins July 19

Hello~ Welcome to our review :3 today we’ll be looking at the July YumeTwins. For anyone curious, my mom is doing very well and they said she could leave later today (Sunday).

“It’s finally summer time and with the weather heating up we hope you’re looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the sun! We had exactly that in mind when we put together this month’s selection of goodies for you. Isn’t it funny how when the sun comes out it somehow magically brightens our mood? We hope you’re feeling motivated and excited to get together with friends for a fun day in the sun or a Pool Party! Don’t forget to bring along your kawaii pool party items from this month’s box! Are you excited yet? We sure are! We hope you enjoy!“

(Just pointing this out for anyone new... I know people like sunny weather, but my mood improves when it’s rainy and cloudy out.)

Photo Contest

This month the winners and runner-ups could look forward to an adorable My Melody plush and chocolate-shaped pens!

Yume Prize

Meanwhile, Rilakkuma is our featured character in the special Yume Prize box. With several items perfect for bringing to a pool party.

Gudetama Sticky Notes/Pokemon Stickers

I know, you’re probably wondering “there’s no Gudetama though“, and I have a good reason for this. The booklet lists Gudetama Sticky Notes, but as you can see I didn’t get them. If I recall, this is because something happened and they had to replace them for some boxes... I’m not 100% sure, this was back in July when I looked into it.

Keep in mind things like this usually don’t happen- and since I can’t exactly remember why it did, I won’t fault YumeTwins for it. With that, let’s take a look at this cute sheet of puffy stickers I did get instead. There are 65 in total, featuring a variety of Pokemon and some pokeballs. They’re a bit on the small side, but that just means you can use a lot more :P

Although I don’t like tiny stickers, I do admire all the detail you can see in these. However, I noticed some of of mine have little itty-bitty smudges or markings, they’re also pretty hard for puffy stickers.

Kawaii Character Pouch

Our next item is a cute little pouch, which would come in handy at the pool for storing small items you can keep nearby. There was a variety of fun prints and Sanrio characters available. The one I got is an adorable Sumikko Gurashi pouch, featuring a pastel floral background and black details surrounded by the series name and writing that says “Day after day we have fun in the corner.“. There is also a light pink ball chain connected to this, giving you the option to attach it to various items.

Although I’ve gotten numerous pouches like this, I think this would be one of my most favorites. I love the floral background on it~ It’s well made, it feels nice on both the inside and outside, although I did notice its on the thin side, so I’m not sure it could handle a lot of abuse, or getting wet. Not sure.

Key Chain and Strap

To go with the pouch, we also get this adorable chain and strap piece that can be used as is, or you could split it into two portions and use both pieces separately if you wanted. You could even “cross swap“ the chains, so you could make the rubbery piece into a phone charm if you wanted. Like the pouch, these consist of various Sanrio characters partnered with various items they’re often found with, for example, besides Hello Kitty and her bow, there’s also Gudetama with an egg.

I love Hello Kitty, so I’m always a little disappointed when I don’t get her for items featuring various Sanrio characters~ Which happens a good amount of time! But this time I got lucky x3 I’m especially fond of Hello Kitty phone charms because back when I had a phone that could have them, I used a vampire Hello Kitty charm I loved more than anything. I still have it (and a Hello Kitty Frankenstein too, it was part of a Halloween series) but I can’t use it at the time.

As you can see in the picture, the details are perfect, the lines and colors are smooth and crisp, the figure is especially extremely well done for something its size and has a lot of details on it. The pose and item are obviously on the generic side, but I think in this case it actually works for the line.

Handy Mist Fan

A perfect summers item (and probably really fun at a pool :D), this adorable Sanrio hand fan comes in the shape of a star wand and is available in this hot pink and red various Sanrio mascots, or there is a pale colored Sumikko Gurashi one. Besides being a cooling hand fan that requires no batteries, there is a special feature that makes this one even more fun; it has a water mist function!

Initially I didn’t know that. but I did see the hole the water comes out, and had been wondering what the side tab did. I never really looked at the description until I began writing about it, and as it turns out you just unscrew the bottom and fill it with water. The tab on the side is for controlling this feature, and the water will mist out while you’re using it. There is also a long string you can use to hang this from your neck or various items.

This is actually a lot of fun! I usually don’t get that excited by hand fans because while they are cute, I find they either work or they don’t (or the breeze is so small you can barely feel it) so I wasn’t very sure I’d be satisfied. But it works really good, I was surprised by how cooled I felt while/after use, and the misting function is really strong, to the point you get water all over you. I can’t see this being an ideal winter toy, but it’s perfect for late-spring and summer!

Sailor Moon Jar

Next up is a pretty KiraKira Canister inspired by Sailor Moon that was available in 2 colors (pink or purple), both featured alternate images. But otherwise they have the same physical appearance. The jar has a diamond tile etching you can feel on the inside, and on the top of the lid is a gem. It’s also a decent size and the booklet suggests using it for things like candies, hair accessories, and cosmetics; which I think I will do. Lately I’ve been putting all my unique lip products from the boxes in the Sumikko Gurashi container I keep my earrings in and I ran out of room <3<

This is a pretty item that could come in a lot of handy in numerous cases, it’d also be the perfect gift for a Sailor Moon fan x3 The details make it extra-special, I like it a lot~

Kirby Inflatable Ball

This is our last item of the box, an adorable Kirby inflatable that also serves as the featured item this month!

This airy toy makes for a lot of fun at the pool or just as an inflatable yo-yo :3 it’s very fun to play with and was surprisingly easy to blow up for me -and I have asthma- although my cheeks still felt a little sore afterwards~

There is one downside I noticed, and I don’t know if its just mine, or if they all have this issue. I noticed over time Kirby seems to lose some air, and I don’t know if it has a hole somewhere -despite being kept in its packaging until I took the pictures- or if its meant to do that. It’s still playable of course, but it’s a minor concern.

♡ Cutie Ranking ♡

Content - 5 out of 5. We got some good, quality items this time! I didn’t notice anything messed up or sloppy (besides a couple Pokemon stickers), each piece was detailed and very cute/pretty and individually I essentially liked all of them.

Theme: 2.5 out of 5. Honestly this is where they fell a little short I thought... I mean, we only have 2 really obvious pool-based items in the box- but you could use them in multiple locations too, which is good. But while you could store small items to bring with you in the wallet and jar, who would actually bring these to a pool? Maybe to a poolside locker or hotel. The stickers/sticky notes and charm kinda don’t work for me theme wise, and all they suggest is using the charm as an accessory to the pouch. They could have just as easily included a water-filled charm or something to add more of the pool touch to it.

Total Rank: 7 out of 10. I really did like this box, would recommend, the only thing I had a problem with was that I felt like the theme could have been better. The theme suits summer strongly, it was just the items didn’t fully meet the theme in my opinion.

♡ Cutie Scale ♡

1. Sailor Moon Jar - I love, love, love it~! It’s so pretty looking and it’s a decent size so I know it will come in handy regardless of what I choose to do with it.

2. Hand Mist Fan - Great for cooling down when you feel particularly warm or just want to have some fun~

3. Character Pouch - I got tons of these, I didn’t need another one; but I love how it looks! Definitely in my top 3 of pouches I own, I’d be very likely to use it.

4. Kirby Inflatable Ball - As precious as Kirby is and as fun as this is, I’m worried over the air draining out of it, but I couldn’t find any holes. I’ll probably hang it up somewhere safe to make sure it doesn’t get one for now.

5. Keychain and Strap - I’m very happy I got Hello Kitty!

6. Pokemon Stickers - I don’t like repetitive sticker sheets, even though they do have their good points. And because a few of them got messed up I can throw them away with no remorse.

#cutie reviews #yumetwins #sailor moon merchandise #kirby merchandise

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