#aka I made this one too but it didn’t feel so much like Swedish summer and yet I still liked the look of it 🙈

[bradshawsbitch]

an alternative summer moodboard that is perhaps more aesthetically cohesive than my understanding of summer

#aka I made this one too but it didn’t feel so much like Swedish summer and yet I still liked the look of it 🙈 #lewis pullman #rhett abbott #my moodboards #moodboard

[freeseafirefly]

Soulmates (RinHaru fic)

Set after the All-Japan Invitational. Albert invites Haru to hang out, and Haru drags Rin along. Rin is stuck with two mackerel obsessed introverts and has to communicate between them. Except he doesn't really need to, not when they get along so well regardless of the language barrier.

Canon compliant, pre-relationship. A bit of angst and cracky fluff. Albert is a dork. So is Haru. Rin is a drama queen. Will be 2 parts (probably? maybe 3).

Read on AO3

Part 1

“Why don’t you get your AC fixed?” Rin whines as he sprawls on the wooden floor, limbs slack from racing all morning, glistening with fresh sweat after their short walk from the pool. He looks a lot like the eleven-year-old boy Haruka met at a tournament, panting on the poolside tiles and goggling at him while pretending he’s not. The scorching afternoon sun breaking through the shutters casts burning stripes across his skin, laser-beam red where they touch his hair.

“I had no time for that. It dries up the air anyway,” Haruka says and flicks on the fan. Ignoring Rin’s grunting about his water obsession, he pulls his T-shirt off over his head and walks over to the fridge. There were some sodas left since Asahi’s visit about a month ago.

Rin follows his example, rising to peel off his T-shirt and dropping back down, this time closer to the fan. “Ah, the steaming hell aka the Japanese summer… I surely didn’t miss that.”

Haruka scowls. It’s Rin’s fault he wanted to race him so bad today; Rin’s fault he came second yesterday on their 100 meter free race; and it is definitely not Haru’s fault that it is winter now in Australia, a divine chilly winter Rin will mention ever so often, only worsening his own suffering.

Haruka throws a can at him. Rin catches it with “Hey, how am I supposed to open it now?” but cringes as soon as he sees the neon-bright fruit mix printed on the side. “Whatever, it’s better like this anyway…” he mutters, pressing it to his neck. His Adam’s Apple bobs as he lets out a satisfied moan.

“Go take a cold shower,” Haruka says.

“I just did.”

“Wanna go back to the pool?”

“Not agaaain. I swear I reek of chlorine even though we took like a dozen showers today.”

Haruka flops down beside him and pops his soda open. He swallows a You smell of your fancy toilet water along with the gulp of the icy liquid, for a moment feeling blissful. Until the acid sweetness assaults his receptors all at once. Choking, he puts the poisonous drink down.

The humming of the fan almost drowns out Rin’s quiet chuckle Told ya so but not the cicadas going mad in the tiny park between the apartment blocks. Somehow, the relentless chirping sound makes the heat even thicker.

“Want water instead?” Haru offers.

“Nah. Too much water. Water everywhere. Even the air is water,” Rin complains, rolling his can up his cheek and pressing it to his forehead.

His eyelids flutter shut as a streak of the sun that is beginning to descend on the west crawls slowly up his nose, illuminating the normally unnoticeable freckles. Rin scrunches up his nose and shifts a bit away from it, a bit closer to Haru. The skin on his chest is glittering with the tiniest beads of sweat, goosebumps popping up every now and then as the fan sends a thick wave of air their way. His small nipples harden underneath the chilly caress, dark-pink against his pale skin. His shoulders are broader now, his pecs even more prominent.

Haruka stirs to stretch his legs out. There is a buzzing strain in his body but not the kind he could stretch away; not even from swimming. He should have made plans, come up with something to spend their first day off. He really didn’t have time, though. It was a spur of the moment exchange in Asahi sister’s cafe: “Want to sleep over tomorrow?"—"Sure” when they finished their celebration dinner with the rest of the gang and were about to part.

Haruka just felt a sudden urge. The dinner wasn’t enough. Their long car drive for the high school Nationals and back hadn’t been enough either. There was still a lot they had to catch up on. To talk about. To do. Haruka didn’t know what, though. And that was exactly the problem. He had Rin all to himself for another 24 hours, and he didn’t know what to make from it.

Rin hasn’t been helpful either, so uncharacteristically lacking plans and urgent things to do and new sights to show him, seemingly content with just spending an ordinary day together as if they were going to hang out like this regularly, as if they did it countless times.

They did, but in Iwatobi; in their high school days, before they left on their own journeys, before they changed—once again—apart from each other.

Haruka leans back. The wood presses hard into his elbows. He sinks down until he’s lying flat on his back beside Rin. Takes a long breath, wishing the strain away. Closes his eyes. Rin’s perfume, unfamiliar yet similar to his usual kind of breezy and a bit spicy, carried over on the musky scent of his body—not too strong, totally familiar—transports him to the Sydney beach. Foaming waves and salty wind and seagulls squawking. Sparkling blue infinity. Haruka wonders if it’s him who is reeking of chlorine instead, but he can’t smell himself this close to Rin. Rin who is the same Rin from elementary school and at the same time not. He has changed, indeed, and at the same time he hasn’t. He is too much and too not enough. It doesn’t make sense; Rin doesn’t make sense.

Except he does, somehow. Maybe enough for Haru to give him that something he has been keeping in his closet since last autumn.

Or maybe not. He has the rest of the day to figure that out.

…This morning, Rin rang his doorbell with the first licks of dawn on the rooftops across the street, in that annoying impatient way of his that once shook Haru from his nightmare and sent flying to the other side of the ocean. Haruka, a night owl he was, complained all the way to the pool as Rin literally dragged him through the chilly morning shadows, his grip strengthened by unshakable resolve. “We are racing now! I’ll show you those milliseconds were just a fluke!”

“You’re taking advantage,” Haru mumbled, his tongue still numb from sleep. “’m not even awake.”

“You’re not fooling anyone here, I know you only need to touch the water to grow a tail!”

“No I don’t. It was just a weird dream of yours.”

Rin stumbled a bit. “You’re really out of it in the morning,” he muttered, his cheeks red. “I meant figuratively.”

…Of course, Rin was right about him touching the water, though figuratively. And of course Haruka won all of their races, even if Rin insisted they tied in one of them and another one didn’t even count, since Haru suddenly started to laugh on the starting block at the way Rin routinely snapped his goggles strap, to fucking laugh like a weirdo, according to Rin, and thus treacherously ruined his focus before the dive.

Haru was just amused that some things never changed. He felt giddy and lightheaded and a little bit childish having Rin by his side, finally having Rin by his side again.

They were completely spent by noon, and had to make it home in the midst of the deadliest heat after finishing their katsu curry in the sports complex diner (it never had mackerel on the menu.) There was nothing interesting in Haruka’s neighborhood to drop by. Maybe they should have taken a ride somewhere. But Haruka had never been good at these things, like coming up with the ideas of where to go and how to spend time with someone, and Rin’s focus was still on swimming, national team, can you fucking believe we made it??, world championships, medals. Maybe cooking, too. He wouldn’t shut up about proving his skills and his recipes superiority to Haru as soon as they had a chance.

Well. That is at least something.

Haruka cracks an eye open. “Let’s go to the supermarket to fetch something for dinner.”

…Because there is an echoing void in his fridge: Haruka hasn’t been home enough recently to keep something edible there.

The idea doesn’t seem to bring Rin back to his usual energetic self, though. He just says absentmindedly, “Yeah, whatever, I need some AC right now or I’ll melt down and ruin your floor.”

This is when Haruka’s phone buzzes and bursts into a loud rendition of the default ringtone, startling them both.

“Huh? So that thing of yours can actually ring?” Rin arches an eyebrow curiously, propped on his elbows.

Haruka tsks at him—he did pick up Rin’s rare calls, except for the weeks in the training camp after racing Albert, which Rin was still salty about—and crosses the room to fish the phone from the bottom of his bag. The number is unknown. Probably a spam call, but there is a chance someone from the National team wants to contact him about the upcoming training, so he answers it.

“Hi! It’s Albert.“

"Eh?” Of course, Haruka recognizes him immediately, but the idea of hearing the Swedish swimmer on his phone seems rather surreal. “Oh. Hello,” he answers awkwardly in English.

Rin shoots him a bewildered glance and rolls over to sit up.

“Some guy from your team gave me your number. Congrats on your win yesterday! It was amazing. Even through the screen, I could feel how free you were in that race.”

Haru frowns at himself; he has been sure he made quite a progress in English but as always, a real conversation with a real human proves him wrong. It takes him a moment before the meaning sinks in.

“Ah. Thank you.”

Haruka feels a pleasant tingling spreading all over his skin. It’s not like him to get flustered at someone praising him, but Albert has been on his mind ever since they raced. A blinding light of the global level. A goal to reach. A wall to overcome. A shy guy who had trouble dealing with Japanese specifics on every corner but learned in no time.

Just as he had learned how to swim, probably. A powerful, untamed freestyle.

Albert continues, in his casual fluent manner but a bit faster than Haru heard him speak before, “I somehow managed to escape from my coach and ditched Ralph at some traditional Japanese spa, since I’m not really into hot water. How do you not get lost in this city? I wondered if you could show me around and we could have some amazing Japanese mackerel again.”

Haru catches some words, like spa and city and japanese and mackerel, but Albert sounds hasty, as if he's a bit nervous, and Haru’s brain fails to quickly connect the words together. It’s strange. He didn’t struggle to understand Albert before. Maybe because they were doing something those times, actions backing up the words. Or maybe because in the corner of his vision, Rin keeps staring at him questioningly which is kinda distracting.

Oh. Rin.

Exerting an effort to pronounce the words as good as he can, Haruka asks, "Sorry… can you repeat?”

Albert agrees with the same easy kindness that never leaves his voice just like his smile permanently hides in his eyes, “Sure. So, I was saying…”

Haru quickly turns on the speaker mode so that Rin can hear, and sends him an expectant look. Rin frowns at first, confused, and when Haruka mouths Albert Wahlander his eyes go round. By the end of Albert’s talk, his face smoothens quickly back to normal. Bored even.

“So, basically, he’s inviting you on a date.”

“Eh…? Seriously, Rin.”

“Whatever, just say ok”, Rin sighs, clearly pissed.

“But we—”

“Didn’t have plans anyway.” And he adds in a heated whisper, “Oh come on, it’s the fastest guy in the freaking world, Haru.”

Haruka catches a fiery glint in Rin’s eyes before the latter averts his gaze.

Better than a supermarket, he concludes.

“Uhm, ok,” Haruka utters in full voice. And squints at Rin, who has found a sudden resolve to open the dangerous can and is dramatically pouring the fizzing liquid into his throat. “Do you mindo ifu I take a… furendo with me?” he adds.

“Sure, I’m fine with it! Does he love mackerel, too?”

~

Tbc. The next part will be from Rin's POV. Poor baby.

#free! #free! fanfiction #rinharu #harurin #rin matsuoka #haruka nanase #albert volandel

[adultswim2021]

Robot Chicken #25: “Federated Resources” | April 9, 2006 – 11:30PM | S02E02

Man, I hate this show. I was sorta prepared for the idea of getting won over by it a little bit, or being able to discern an improvement from season one, but so far I find it as abrasive and shitty as ever.

There's a running sketch called “Dicks with Time Machines” where a jerk travels back in time and tampers with history in various rude ways, like feed J.K. Rowling false intel about her future success writing a children's novel about a farting raccoon with an afro, painting a Looney Tunes style tunnel on the side of a mountain for Paul Revere to crash into, and tampering with the ten commandments. This ends with him pranking Hitler by showing a video of him having diarrhea at one of his rallies, causing him to be labeled a HERO with a Time Machine. Bad sketch now that we know that J.K. Rowling is literally worse than Hitler.

There's a sketch where the Thundercat guy winds up on modern day Earth and has been trapped at the pound, only to be adopted by a little girl who treats him like a regular housecat. Then there's one where Clifford the big red dog is rambunctiously destroying the neighborhood so they get him neutered. This is sorta the same premise when you think about it, but what are you gonna do?

There's a sketch that I distinctly remember seeing before, where the Swedish Chef from the Muppets is going about his day and he sees a bunch of stuff that rhymes with “bork” (Bjork, Mork, Peter Tork, etc), and pointing them out and saying them. This sketch in particular really grated on me, and the only thing separating it from an actual children's television sketch was a violent flourish at the end involving an Orc. The punchline is that he goes home and yells at his wife in a different, more coherent voice. I don't know why but I just feel like I'm having keys dangled in front of me with this shit.

The last, lengthy sketch involves Corey Feldman and Corey Haim rescuing the Bush twins, who were in the news frequently for partying too much. This is a convoluted premise that doesn't even make sense, and is almost tailor-made to flatter the celebrity stars that they rope into voicing themselves. Here they are sorta adventure heroes, and the jokes that dig at them aren't really that caustic or personal. This also failed to make me feel anything, really.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

Upfront 2006 Showcase (April 2, 2006)

On this night, Adult Swim, to make up for the April Fools stunt, presented a bunch of previews of upcoming shows. I sorta scrubbed through the above video, but I saw the following:

Frisky Dingo! Formally referred to as Whiskey Tango. Advertised as coming in September, but it came in October instead. From the twisted minds that brought you Sealab 2021.

Metalocalypse! From the twisted mind of one of the guys who brought you Home Movies. Advertised as coming in August, and it did!

That Crook'd 'Sip, aka That Crook'd 'Sipp. Advertised as coming this Fall, but the pilot didn't air until 2007 as part of the Night of 1000 Pilots event. If I recall correctly the animation looked slightly different from what we see here. The whole thing got scrapped and turned into Freaknik: The Musical, which was much better than the pilot we saw.

Assy McGee! I remember seeing most of these promos, and I especially remembered this one for how different it looked from the final product. The clip we see also features Jon Glaser which I don't think the actual series did at all? Billed as coming in December, but it came a little earlier than that.

Korgoth of Barbaria! Look, I scrubbed through the video so I'm not sure this was formally part of the preview event, but we did get a promo for Korgoth, which I think aired in the summer.

Lucy: The Daughter of the Devil, billed as coming soon, but it only used clips from the already-aired pilot. The series proper doesn't actually start until September 2007

Saul of the Mole People! Later retitled as Saul of the Molemen. Billed as “pilot coming soon”, and I remember it looking very fun. The pilot never formally aired. If I recall correctly they packaged a bunch of clips from the pilot that weren't used in the first episode and threw them on the website for a brief period of time. The first episode aired in February of 2007 and premiered alongside Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! As the first live-action shows formally introduced to the block.

MAIL BAG

Here's where we're at with chuck norris humor: there's a brewery in my city that has multiple stickers saying "chuck norris would wear a mask." Uh, he probably wouldn't

Very true. He’d probably give covid a dirty look and send it packing back to Wuhan!!!! He’d probably drop an atomic bomb on China and kill all the guys there! He’d probably commit genocide.

" And Harlem Globetrotters got matched up with Boondocks because I don’t wanna say why out loud." / Okay, I will say right now. The Harlem Globetrotters is an all-black basketball team and the Boondocks is a show with a mostly all-black cast. That's why you did it. Even though Riley and Huey don't present an interest in basketball you did it. You did it because you could. Lucky for you, there is an episode in season 2 all about baskeball, so I'm bailing you out of this one. You're Welcome!

Please let me be racist in peace. I don’t have friends, or money, or happiness, or success. I am tired of life and being alive. This is all I have.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #robot chicken

[lillamolntuss]

Lover songs rated from least to most likely to be written by 1800s fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen

18. Paper Rings

i don’t see it i really don’t

17. Soon You’ll Get Better

won’t go there

16. ME!

i know they cut it from the album but hc would NEVER say “hey kids spelling is fun!” you can’t spell awesome without me? HE WOULDNT KNOW HE CAN’T SPELL

15. False God

too horny, “remember how I said I’d die for you?” is the only valid lyric because of this hc quote from a letter: “my darling Henrik … you whom I believe I could many times feel inclined to sacrifice my life for”

14. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

i mean i guess this could be about swedish opera singer jenny lind aka like the only woman he had genuine feelings for, cause shes the only one who could really bring that camp riverdale energy, but “its you and me”? not realistic

13. Daylight

hc finding “good” love did not really happen but the “i wanna be defined by the things i love” part gets to me

12. Death by a Thousand Cuts

when she said “but if the story’s over, why am I still writing pages?” hc felt that, when she said “my heart, my hips, my body, my love/tryna find a part of me that you didn’t touch” hc could not feel that, our incel king cannot relate

11. I Forgot That You Existed

everyone of taylors anti-hater songs hits maybe too close to home for hans christian, but this one is maybe too unrealistic, he would never forget :-( schoolyard part is very real though, in my feeling more than Drake so yeah

10. I Think He Knows

ahhh that eduard collin denial… like edvard absolutely knew what hans christian felt but im sure he didnt feel the same way, could also be about jenny lind lol

9. Afterglow

Andersen writes maybe too many love-letters to Edvard -> Edvard gets mad and ghosts him -> Andersen writes Afterglow. repeat.

8. London Boy

if we consider hcs comically limited knowledge of the english language, this song makes a lot of sense

7. Cornelia Street

since hc died a bachelor, didnt have a family and traveled a lot he never really had a permanent home instead he usually stayed at friends or rented places so i could so see this… also i think this would be about harald the ballet dancer but i know that that doesnt say very much hdjghdjfgj

6. You Need To Calm Down

@søren_kierkeegard shade never made anybody less gay

5. It’s Nice to Have a Friend

king of all friendship is romantic, “call you “babe”” = “lets use informal pronouns with each other lets say du instead of de”

4. The Man

thinking about hc writing this is making me black out… literally my mom didnt know how to raise a boy literally weird ideas of being a man literally kierkeegard calling andersen out for being a weak effeminate homo literally bitches and models literally if i was a man

3. Lover

ok for you who don’t know your herstory this is about his german duke boyfriend carl alexander… “ive loved you three summers” - literally he went there on his summer vacations, he can only take this magnetic force of a man to be his lover because carl alexander was married, “at every table ill save you a seat” - “At a banquet hosted by the old grand duke, Andersen was seated next to Carl Alexander, who gave the author’s hand an intimate squeeze under the table.” - Hans Christian Andersen: A New Life, I’m just SAYING

2. The Archer

I NEVER GROW UP, ITS GETTING SO OLD who could stay bitch who could stay

1. Cruel Summer

OH GOD this is about edvard…. this is about the mf prince from the little mermaid… I LOVE YOU AINT THAT THE WORST THING YOUVE EVER HEARD

#this is for the peachcule so unfollow me if you want dhgjdshjgd #hans christian andersen #you caught me clowning thats on me #taylor swift

[thelivesoftargaryens]

Tagged by @chillyravenart . This looks like a fun challenge so thanks for the tag :)

Rules: Answer the 10 questions below. Then make up 10 of your own for the next person to answer, and tag people. 

1. What are your top 3 favorite houses in Westeros? 

Well... Of course the Targaryens are my all time faves, but the Velaryons come a close second, and i’ve always loved the Martells. (Sorry I just have to add in the Daynes here too!) 

2. If you could live during one era in GRRM’s universe, what era would it be? (Age Of Heroes, Valyrian empire, Conquest of Westeros, Dance Of Dragons, etc.) 

As much as i’m the biggest fan of the Valyrian empire... They’d most likely have me as a slave (But let’s hope i’d be born into one of the ruling families and get to have a lil’ dragon of my own :) ) I will have to say The Dance Of Dragons though, because even though i’d probs not be highborn enough to get within Daemon’s vicinity, a little bird told me he liked to hang out in Flea Bottom too, so i’d most likely search this badass up and just ask him to adopt me or take me to wife, mistress... whatever works for him. Y’know, I ain’t picky-- Just make it happen. 

3. What is your favorite episode/scene from the Game of Thrones series?

My favorite episode will have to be when Dany is in THOTU to retreive her stolen children and she sees all these forebordings. My favorite scene is stuck between the scene in the same episode where Dany meets Drogo again and Rhaego (it just hurts the soul, man.) and the scene where Bran tells sam that Jon is Rhaegar’s son. 

4. What ruler do you think brought the most change in Westeros, be it good or bad? 

This is one tough cookie, but i’ll have to say Fat Aegon (aka Aegon the unworthy, Aegon the fourth) Because this absolutely thick, dumb fool thought it would be a great idea to legitimize all of his bastards and then fuck up the line of succession, leading to oh, so many rebellions and wars. Absolutely idiotic. 

Honorable mentions go out to Viserys I, the one who couldn’t make up his fucking mind and declare the heir who’d be succeeding him once and for all, and Jaehaerys (father of Aerys) Who thought it would be a great idea to marry his son and daughter to each other, because some randy dwarf that his brother’s peasant wife had brought to court (thinking it was a child of the forest) said so. (No hate to Jenny though, she seemed swell) Though I can’t say that I wouldn’t have seen Aerys and Rhaella wed, because then we wouldn’t have gotten Rhaegar the hot sad boi™️ 

5. If you could ask GRRM one question, what would it be? 

Ugh... I have so many, yet now I can barely think of any. I won’t ask the obvious but I would ask ‘’Why is it so dangerous to travel to Valyria after the doom and why did so many go missing?’’ It was trademarked like we’d get to know this in Fire & Blood, but either I must have completely missed it or it was fake advertising hmmm.... I still want to know, i’d love to know more of the Valyrian freehold. 

6. If GRRM could write a short novel/series about one other family or historical time (besides the Targaryens) in this universe, what would you want it to be about?

Personally, I’d want it to be about the Daynes and how they gained their Valyrian features (silver gold hair and purple eyes) without being of any kin to the old Valyrians and Targs. (I know Maekar married Dyanna Dayne but their kids didn’t marry back into the Daynes, so they didn’t gain the features from that one wedding.) It would also explain why Dawn is such a badass, superior sword (even toward Valyrian steel.) 

7. What was your first introduction to ASOIAF/ Game of Thrones? Did someone tell you about it, did you see it online or did you come across it at a store/shop)

Well... I first came across the series after it was broadcasted on TV and my dad told me that Tywin hated Tyrion, though more of a direct quote would be ‘’Look at this show, that one hates his son who’s a dwarf.’’ And then I binged it all but forgot about it for a few years. Then I randomly started to watch it again after it was hyped up, but i’d say I discovered the series like 5 years ago. 

The books came a little later, however and It was during a Swedish class that I discovered the book (we had quiet reading time and i’d forgotten my book, so I got to choose a random one and thought ‘A Game Of Thrones ‘ looked interesting. It was in swedish though and I only read Dany’s chapters because she was the only character that I knew for sure, who she was. 

After reading her chapters, I forced my friend to come with me to the library and I borrowed all of the books and read them during the summer. 

Fun fact: After I finished them all (circa 6 months) I began rereading them again because so much had passed since the first book and I for some reason wanted to jog my memory. This was around 2-3 years ago. 

8. What was the one thing that bothers you about GRRM’s series? 

As @chillyravenart put it, the women dying in childbirth all the time irks me a bit, because i’d wanted characters such as Laena Velaryon and Joanna Lannister to have lived and even though dying in childbed was common back in the days... That the child they’d birthed almost always died, seems a bit overused too. 

9. What’s the one thing you unbashedly love about GRRM’s series?

The Targaryens and Valyrians beeetch. I’m a sucker for that light hair and purple eyes (and inhumanly sexy, might I add, features.) They’re basically gods to me. Yet I love how he also shows us the rawness of characters and the human heart in conflict... There’s not really black or white, a lot of things come in varying shades of grey (except like Joffrey, fuck that little shit) and I love the way he describes everything, it’s all sex, sweat and regret--Passion, heartbreak and the ugliness of war.

10. What are your feelings about the prequel series in development at HBO right now for the Long Night?

Unpopular opinion, but i’m not tooo excited. I mean i’ll watch it but I really wanted one about the Valyrian freehold. I’m still hoping for it though. The long night ain’t really my cuppa’ tea. 

Now for @chillyravenart ‘s questions...

1. Which Westerosi castle would you like to live in? 

Hard question but i’m stuck between Dragonstone and Starfall. Probably Starfall since Dragonstone would be a little too cold and damp for my taste. 

2. Would you rather be a rich and influential lord, born into wealth and privelege, or would you rather be someone who wields power from the sidelines, like littlefinger? 

Tbh i’d probably like to be born as a rich lord because life just seems to be easier if you’re already at the top... Idk if i’d be clever enough to be as smart as littlefinger lol. Make me a Targaryen princess and i’ll be content. 

3. Pick one: Platinum hair or purple eyes?

This is a really tough one but definitely purple eyes. I can just color my hair platinum but purple eyes are rare and ethereal and I just love them sksksk.

4. Based on a tag I made once, based on your physical features, which part of Westeros/which house do you belong to? 

I’d probably say the Martells.

5. Who do you think will actually defeat the Night King?

Oh, a hard one. Probably Daenerys and the other two unknown dragonriders. In the series; Jon and Dany. 

6. Three people you think will die in season 8?

Tyrion, Cersei and Euron. 

7. What would you name your dragon/direwolf?

Well I’d probably name my dragon something like ‘’Valerion’’ and my direwolf would probably be ‘’Viséa’’ idk why lol. 

8. How must Ser Pounce be avenged?

Do what Cersei did to Ser Pounce, twice to her. Honestly reading the articles about Ser Pounce’s death was horrible for me, since my favorite animal are cats. I’d make Cersei suffer. 

9. Whose POV chapters are your favorite?

Dany’s are a hard favorite but Cersei’s come a close second. I always fancied Arianne’s chapters, too. 

10. Your favorite ASOIAF/GOT antagonist?

Don’t lynch me but I love me some Viserys. *Shouts from the rooftops, hidden behind a bench* He was misunderstood, okay? 

Here are my own questions; Sorry if they’re shit in advance haha.

1. What do you think about Arthur Dayne?

2. Do you think Rhaegar truly loved Lyanna, or was he fueled quite a bit by his obsession for the prophecy of TPTWP?

3. Why do you think Ashara Dayne killed herself?

4. Do you believe that Young Griff is the real son of Rhaegar and Elia Martell, or a fake?

5. What do you think will happen to Daenerys in season 8? 

6. What are your thoughts on Cersei? 

7. Do you think Tyrion will betray Daenerys in season 8? 

8. Who do you want to sit atop the iron throne and rule the seven kingdoms? 

9. List your top 5 characters and a short explanation to why. 

10. Thoughts on Fire & Blood? 

I don’t really know who to nominate so i’m nominating random people I follow, sorry lol. @mhysaofdragons @eliaamartell @where-is-the-winds-of-winter @rhaegardaily @wolvesofspring @ladyofdragonstone

And... I hope whoever reads this found my answers mildly interesting, even though no one will probably see it. Also, Tis my first post. YAY!

#asoiaf #targaryen #house velaryon #valyria #house dayne #house martell #housetargaryen #asongoficeandfire #GRRM #challenge #thelongnight

[mannentilminkardemomme]

Dear Mutuals,

This gif set is for you.

I haven’t been online since Friday 23rd, which is quite poopy of me, since I haven’t answered your kind messages and reblogged your posts, which I really enjoy doing. I’ve had a self-induced SKAM hiatus. I feel really happy when I see a fellow mutual post a gif set, text post or a piece of art they’ve created for this wonderful SKAMily. I’ve just been in my emo state and closed myself off from tumblr and the world of SKAM (which you can see from my unupdated blog). I didn’t know how the reaction of it all ending would be here on tumblr, and since my cat has started to refuse being a cuddly ball of fluff in which I bury all my tears in, I didn’t have anyone to be around with physically (except for my cat and horse, but they don’t really understand when I go all emo on them) to help solve my many personal emotions that were raised with the last clip and all of the seasons of SKAM. But I’ve revived myself, and can see myself staying here on tumblr until the foreseeable future. I’ve made too many friends to just shut myself from tumblr for much longer, and I’d really like to continue being in touch with you all.

This gif set is each clip that Evak kissed<3 Sorry for not being online, sorry sorry sorry.

@br1skeby Faen Johanne, min Guru. I hope you know what you mean to me, so I’ll spare you a huuuugee multi-chapter piece of writing to show that (unless if you need a sudden boost of happiness, then dm me and I’ll be on it like a car bonnet)<3 Your writing metaphorically kills me each time you drop a new bomb ass chapter. I’m really happy I’m able to fangirl with you, be it over Evak, Yousana or Levi ;)

@beanievaltersen Hehe :3 As long as you’re happy with your new mattress, Evak and I am happy too :D  You must know what you mean to me too, but we need to revive our crazy theories about what all the Skam Squads are up to! Also, it’s an absolute honour to beta-read your artistry works!! kdjfakd I have no chill about how much I love it!!!

@du-er-ikkealene Elise, you will forever be my soup-bro :D (I really hope you remember why I’mma call you that, if not, I’ll remind you!) Taakk tak tak tak for introducing me to Kensington! They, and you, have inspired me to make cool gif sets of their beautiful, meaningful lyrics, and you will also forever continue to put me in awe of all the various, creative names you make up for Noorhelm :P  (Plus, ily)

@isakschili I’m now listening to Kent on a daily basis, thanks to you, crazy Swedish music-loving girl :*  And you neeeeeed to drop the second chapter of your fic ASAP!! You can’t just leave me hanging on an ending like that-- you’ll end up making me even more mad for your fic than I already am ;)  And, in my lil head, you’re my musician buddy! Once a musician buddy, always a musician buddy.

@julieseven Daaayyyyyaamnnnnnn Sue. You must also already know what you mean to me. But seriously tho... If you don’t, then open whatsapp later tonight, and you’ll find out fo sure then.

@levok I’m on the countdown for roasting the new US Skam with you! That’s the only reason as to why I’m probably going to watch it!! And you have contributed to me writing better Danish and thinking outside the box in regards to theories and all, which is really ace! Tak, tak tak tak!! And you’re a bloody wonderful person to talk to! You never fail to make me snort air out of my nose, which basically counts as a laugh.

@prinsenimittliv Tenna I promise I’m going to write that headcanon for you! I feel really bad that I’ve left it so long, but it’s given me more time to think about different angles I can take it from<3 For every beautiful piece of art you create, I will in return write you especially a headcanon! Alt for dig, girl! Plus, dayyYYYAAAmmmMMMMmmmmm your haircut looks hella fine! :*

@chillerhjemmeisak I keep on saying it, and I’ll say it again: GOOD LUCK ON YOUR A-LEVELS!!!! :D  I promise you that with the power of The Biology Buddies, you will ace them! And that’s a promise! In an AU, we’re running around London in crazy Chris-inspired outfits.

@loooreleii Heyyy youu<3 I also hope you know how kind and sweet and funny and just all the lovely adjectives you are. Your artwork kills me (metaphorically) everytime! I’m so grateful that you share it with us<3  I really would like to keep in touch with you, also so that I can update you with how my new life in Germany will be (Update: I’VE FOUND A FAMILY TO LIVE WITH!!! IN STUTTGART, well not in Stuttgart, in a little town outside of it, but still!) Ich liebe dich<3  Plus, I’m buzzing with all sorts of ideas for the 5 different kisses drabble idea you gave me! Can’t wait to write it for you!

@asflowerpot1 You were the first person I spoke to on this crazy site! If you hadn’t reached out to me so that we could fangirl together, I probably would’ve stayed alone and quite in my own lil fangirl bubble :)  I love how we can literally feel each other’s emotions through the use of caps lock and I just really connect with you! I look forward to continuing our crazy long messages and emo feels together!<3

@eivseank Diana, promise that you’ll remember this: Du. Er. Ikke. Alene. I will be there for you to share our happiness between us, and our sad times. Because that’s what friends do. Please, please remember that<3  I love our long messages about travelling the world and eating 100% cocoa chocolate! :P  Make sure to sleep really well this summer, and to eat loads of ice-cream!!

@isaksredscarf Gael, you da BOMB!.com  Thank you again, endlessly for bringing me into the skamfwn- it’s really boosted my confidence in writing, and everytime I published some little drabble, I always knew I could count on you to tell me how it was!<3 I’ve got an AO3 now, where I’m called tacha_bacha because I thought ‘mannentilminkardemomme’ would be quite long :P  so, yay! This past week I’ve been slowly easing my way back into the wonderful, glorious SKAM world by reading and writing fic, which has definitely lifted my m00d by 110%, no doubt about it. Say ‘hi’ to your fuffy, adorable cat!

@sweetevak Ayo Emotional Overload, let’s keep sending dank memes of Honk vs. Cat in sunglasses :D  Also, I’ll literally never let you forget that you were the one to get me into writing!! You’re a godess! (At least, you’re my writing godess). I miss when you’d send seriously cute lil headcanons of Evak- they were pure and sweet, and just what every single hc in this crazy world should be made of<3

I’m going on holiday to The Motherland (aka. Denmark) this Tuesday for 11 days with my friend who has never been, and I’m not bringing my laptop, so writing any drabble will be harder on my phone, but I will do it for you all!! Because I love writing for you and seeing your sweet reactions in the tags and comments. I’m also bringing a notepad along, so there will definitely be a lot of inspiration coming to me! I’ve already started thinking about writing an AU -whaaaaaaattt???? This is new territory for me, but I’m so excited to be doing it with all of you, both my beautiful mutuals and followers (AND BEAUTIFUL ANON, IF YOU’RE READING THIS THEN REMEMBER THAT YOU PHYSICALLY AND LITERALLY MAKE ME SMILE!!!!! WHICH IS ONE OF THE BEST EFFECTS ONE CAN HAVE ON A PERSON!)

Jeg elsker dere alle! Have a wonderful summer. I really look forward to reblogging EVERYTHING I see! *sends an infinite amount of kisses*

Love from,

Natacha :o)

#damn you are all so beautiful #I don't want to look at my activity log after my self-induced hiatus #it's going to be horrendous lol #my post #beautiful people #mutuals #br1skeby #beanievaltersen #isakschilli #julieseven #levok #du-er-ikkealene #prinsenimittliv #loooreleii #chillerhjemmeisak #asflowerpot1 #eivseank #sweetevak #isaksredscarf #skamfwn #skam #gif set #evak #isak #even #s3 #s4 #skam s3 #skam s4 #kysser

[kostovas]

my diary post about my feelings before going to college

august 22, 2017, 10:06 pm, my room in El Paso

The way that I tend to deal with my problems/worries is that I don’t think about them and ignore them and keep ignoring them until they get so big that I’m forced to think about and deal with them.

That is basically what I have been doing this entire summer. I don’t even remember the last time I wrote in my diary and I’ve decided to start typing it out instead since I’m afraid I won’t have the motivation to literally write out my diary in COLLEGE, aka, the problem/worry, which branches out into a bunch of other little problems/worries (I’m going to be living 10 hours away from home, what if I mess up while doing the laundry, what if the work is too hard, my parents are going to be sad,) that I have been pushing away

Although to be honest about 90% of the summer consisted of me in my room writing fan fiction or watching Netflix or scrolling through twitter, I still really didn’t think much about it…

Orientation? Did I even write about it? It was fine, it was good, I instantly clicked with my roommate sara, yes, same name as me, and my orientation-roommate was nice but I have a weird after-taste about her because she told me she was Latina because although she is German Swedish Irish french Spanish insert a billion other super white ethnicities here, her mom is from New Mexico!

Orientation just felt like a more cramped, panicked version of NSLC camp which I went to last year. NSLC was like, a random pocket-universe where I met new people who I spontaneously had a lot in common with and thought about my future in entertainment business with just for fun. Orientation is where I met new people who I very un-spontaneously had at least one thing in common with, starting ut, and thought about my future for real.

I feel like I’ve got some things down, aka my class schedule and what music I could potentially listen to while walking around campus (my Austin playlist is a lot of vampire weekend and sza and I know that sounds like a weird combo but it feels insanely fitting) but for the most part I still very much have ABSOLUTELY ZERO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING!

I…. AM PANICKING BIG TIME RIGHT NOW… I CRIED LIKE A MINUTE BEFORE I STARTED WRITING THIS�� WHICH I HAVE NOT DONE (at least not over anything that wasn’t a book or a tv show or a movie) THIS ENTIRE SUMMER!!!

This summer, although filled with a lot of nothing and empty spaces, felt so perfect and so teenage-me. Maybe not truly me, truly what I would have done in my perfect world, but just… what I would do as a teenager. I know I’m still technically going to be a teenager for at least awhile in college, but, not like this. Not the El Paso bred high school boredom tennis court by Lorde Gilmore girls crying teenager. I’ll be something else, whatever it is, and I have no idea what. I am afraid to meet her. I am excited I am scared I am going to vomit all over this new computer I bought for college

I went to a lot of movies this summer, mostly with nicole and mostly at the Alamo draft house and mostly before they came out (baby driver, good time, which I both liked but baby driver way more).

I got my drivers license and I passed the test by literally oNE POINT

I drove by myself to nicoles apartment and we had weird conversations about our psychic feelings and premonitions about our own lives and deaths. That was the first time I drove by myself and it was for about five minutes and I sung out loud to dua lipa the entire time because I feel like falling asleep any time I go in a moving vehicle and theres no music and my dad drove me back later because it was raining.

I also drove to pick up alondra the Friday before she left for college. Her first day of school was today and she left like a week early. She’s in South Carolina at college of Charleston and I’m even scared for her. We got chick fil a and went home and talked about da Vinci and being Latina outside of El Paso and random memories and feelings and nothing and everything and nothing again

I hung out with my grandpa a lot, who has been staying here all summer. Yesterday he showed me a picture of my great grandpa who I had never seen before and I was so shocked, he looked like a real Mexican movie star cowboy, I have no idea what John Wayne looks like but he should look like my great grandpa, panfilo vela. Yesterday in particular my grandpa worried about pregnant women because the solar eclipse was happening and they were not wearing safety pins, a latino superstition he said so firmly as a scientific fact that I was really confused and briefly wondering if there was some sort of pregnant women’s medical pin. My dad said ‘that’s part of his charm’’ believing things so intensely, I guess. I think I got some of that from him

I went to San Antonio last week with tia 1 and valerie and Abuelita and my family. Tia 2 is usually the one to go on vacations with us, but she has this new best friend who she is in a two-person cult with, with her BFF/Bestie/Twinsie (yes, she is a 40+ year old woman, who calls her that) being the leader and her being the devout follower, paying for all her tickets to schiltterbaun and the movies and everything she buys while shopping and all her food and yelling at her employees for getting mad at her for something to do with a water bottle I don’t know but it’s definitely throwing off the balance of the universe.

But it was fun, tia 1 is very loud and charismatic and doesnt give any fucks and now I like to say “no mas mis chicharrones truenan aqui” also I am mad I am not more tan

I learned how to make crepes I have made at least 7 successful ones

Okay. so. crying. Here’s a text I sent to the vampire weekend group chat earlier:

(redacted) I really feel like my dad raised me mostly and he just took me out to the fanciest dinner of my life as a “father-daughter dinner” before college and he ran into some friends who were older than him and they were like “ur gonna miss her it’s gonna suck!” And I think my dad almost cried and we talked about heaven in the car and now I’m home and there’s boxes in my room and I’m staring at them and crying

end text

My dad put together those boxes for me with longhorn tape. Burnt orange duct tape with white longhorn shapes on them, literally That’s where my arts and crafts related headassery comes from

I’m going to be staying in a dorm at UT with my own restroom and now I’m thinking do I even really know how to clean a shower NOT REALLY

I’m gonna end up googling it while I’m there

I feel like I don’t actually know how to iron like I’m doing it wrong for sure

The restaurant was called cafe central it’s in downtown El Paso which I think is really truly beautiful even though objectively it’s ugly I’m super emotional and so I think it’s extremely beautiful and it’s just. I feel . It’s just how I feel.

I feel so in touch with the El Paso city it doesn’t even feel real. I feel like all the abandoned buildings are just cardboard cutouts and I have the power to knock them over with my fingertips. the homeless guys there don’t even scare me that much even though they probably should, not even the old lady with the bandaids all over her hands who stole Isaac’s hot dog once

god. That dinner was so fancy and I kept thinking about all these early 2000s chick flicks where a girl eats in a fancy restaurant for one reason or another and I kept thinking about how I love my dad and I kept thinking about how why do we need four different knives and I kept thinking about how that place started in 1918 so it probably wouldn’t have allowed someone who looked like my dad in there for awhile but there I was sitting with my dark brown dad eating food with names and ingredients I have literally never heard of and the chocolate cake melted into itself and chamomile tea is a gift from god

I read a lot of matt Murdock fanfiction today.

How am I 18 years old? I don’t want to… do anything ever… I want to read fan fiction and lay face down on the floor, but not even those two things can be accomplished at the same time.

NOTE: (redacted) means I took something out in case some certain irl people read this, maybe I should’ve taken the thing about tia 2 out but, well, I am somewhat at peace with death

#personal #me18 #writing #mine #diary

[thefirsttimpressions-blog]

The Daily Listen: 4/17/19 + 4/18/19

The Daily Listen. Sparse days so let’s do a 2-for-1.

4/17

Silversun Pickups / Swoon (2009)

Missed this record’s 10th anniversary on the 14th so I had to double back around and give it a spin today. Swoon was my favorite album of the year back in 2009, though if I’m being honest, I think a re-evaluation might change that today. That said, much of this record still bangs and is ultimately Silversun Pickups at their best. “Panic Switch” is a track that 10 years on still needs to blast from your car’s speakers during the spring and summer, as is “Substitute.” And let’s not forget “Catch and Release,” which is one of my personal favorite SP tracks. The band has a new record on the way in June, but sadly based on their new single, they seem to have lost the thread that made records like Swoon near-modern classics.

4/18

Beyonce / Homecoming: The Live Album (2019)

If Beyonce didn’t invent the surprise drop, she’s definitely perfected it and her latest is the soundtrack to her Netflix concert film Homecoming. Everyone’s been going gaga over this thing and while I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, I did listen to this soundtrack and my first impression is that it must be something that plays better visually than it does as an audio-only performance. Being honest, big pop-star live productions aren’t my thing. They’re too... artificial? And that’s the feeling that I get from this set. It’s all spectacle and too little from a vocal standpoint. It’s also very long and very much “watching your watch” as it plays, going on for 40 tracks with only a handful of them standing out to me. Will definitely give this at least another chance, but I think I’ll be sticking with Bey’s studio work over this.

The Tallest Man on Earth Essentials Playlist

The Tallest Man on Earth (aka Swedish folkie Kristian Matsson) has a new project out tomorrow that kind of snuck up on me, so since there’s no time to work through his catalog, this is one occasion where Apple Music’s Essentials playlists come very much in handy. To me, TTMOE is a super underrated artist with a very chill vibe that’s almost Dylan-esque in its atmosphere, not to compare him fully to a legend like Bob Dylan, but just that the vibe is similar. This playlist serves as a good overview of his career for the uninitiated, with “1904″ in particular standing as the perfect encapsulation of his sound.

[listoriented]

Bob Came in Pieces

and not an ejaculation joke in sight 

When/Where/Why: Working out the origin of this one gave me a bit of a headache. Turns out I got it in something called “Northern Lights Indies Summer 2010”, a five game bundle that also came with Crayon Physics Deluxe, Saira, Plain Sight and Blueberry Garden (of last week’s fame but already owned). I paid US$20 for this bundle in July 2010 and let this be yet another reminder that ideas of what was considered a “deal” have changed significantly since. It’s frankly astonishing that anyone still makes money from games.

At the same time I also apparently bought Beat Hazard, which we’ve been over, and two packs of DLC for Borderlands, which we’ll get to, like, soon enough, because oh it’s the next game, how’s about that.

What/Who: Bob Came in Pieces is a 2D physicsy puzzle-platformer. You play as Bob, an alien call-centre worker who accidentally crash-landed on earth. Bob needs to find a particular piece of hardware in order to get home, a hyperdrive somethingarather, so you fly Bob from place to place in their little spaceship, looking for it. The game is divided into chapters, each of which (after the first couple) requires you to do some amount of envionmental puzzle solving in order to get to the exit. Each chapter also contains five other spaceship parts which you can collect (sometimes themselves hidden or requiring extra puzzle-solving to get to). The kicker is that these spaceship parts can be tacked on and off Bob’s spaceship at numerous spots throughout each level - pretty much at any time you have to solve a different puzzle, actually - so you have to kind of build and dismantle the spaceship as the situation changes.

It’s by Ludosity [official site], who are frommmm Sweden! (Fun Fact: this is the third game in a row by a Swedish developer, and the game before that sort-of pretended to be made by a Swedish developer. What does this tell us about Sweden, games and this part of the alphabet? Almost certainly nothing.) Ludosity have made quite a few games by now. I haven’t played any of the others, but I have heard of Card City Nights and Ittle Dew (heard of them, in fact, because I apparently own them). Bob Came In Pieces was Ludosity’s third game, and it came out in 2009.

Prior exposure to pieces: Never installed.

Duration: 4ish hours.

Finishment: I finished the 14 chapters that constitute the games normal adventure mode, hooray for me! I didn’t bother trying to speedrun any of the levels or to collect all the extra optional space-ship parts though. This game has a heap of achievements, probably for these very things. I only have 17 out of 81 of them.

Whole-some fun: Here we are, game number fifty, List Oriented’s half-century, and I feel blessed and lucky because this old indie was, despite my expectations, both enjoyable and doable.

Out of the blocks it looks a bit rubbish, dominated by large angular polygons and not a lot else, that awkward style that is neither old nor new, here nor there, suffering with time rather than retro chic. But by the end I came to be quite fond of the game’s environments and the shitty graphics that house them, having gone from wooded to slightly industrial to subterranean to snowy, all occasionally dotted with endearing background doodads, stick-figure cave drawing, homely nooks and crannies amid the large puzzle contraptions, other little splatters of personality. Maybe it’s the colours or lighting, I don’t know, but it often seems suggestive of warmth in what might otherwise be quite cold, lifeless, mechanised settings, and this warmth reaches deeper than you’d expect.

This is helped exponentially by the music, which is understated and simple but honestly pretty great. It’s all floating ambient synthwave, high notes climbing for the sky, yearning and optimistic. I mean, I -probably- wouldn’t play the game just to listen to the soundtrack, but it works well because it’s not easy to get sick of and the loops aren’t super obvious (at least, not in passive listening terms).

And then there’s the platforming AKA flying a tiny spaceship around, which is surprisingly stupid-good fun. Gravity and (ahem) thrust have been worked out so everything has a real weight to it, but given enough space and power the ship can build up some real reckless and joyful speeds. Needing to augment your ship with parts for different puzzles is less tedious than it sounds, too, with a lot of the extra parts being superfluous flotsam that really just seems to be there for the extra collectables rather than the practical utility, so you’re only really changing out a couple of main attachments and occasionally building like, e.g. an extra-long arm to solve a puzzle where you have to reach for a thing through a small gap.

Because of the physics, the ship becomes a lot harder to control when you start adding extra random parts on, which is discouragement enough from overcomplicating things. Some of the puzzles from the mid-game onwards require the use of a gravity ray, which is perennially awkward to use, with heavier items physically very difficult to pick up and manoeuvre into the small spaces the game sometimes demands. I found this annoying at first, but it’s one of those “the more you learn” situations, and it was eventually pretty satisfying when things did go according to plan.

I also enjoyed that the puzzles were on the easier side, at least so far as progression went (obviously I didn’t get all the collectables so there’s a lot that I didn’t solve and therefore can’t say much about). I won’t deny it. Sometimes it’s just nice to get things done. The levels themselves are pleasingly bite-sized. The game has a nice casual rhythm where you can jump in for half an hour, get a couple of levels done and then go do something else for a bit, until there’s no more game left and it’s time to write your blog post about it (or whatever).

Anyway: Fifty games! A little milestone for you and I. There’s still a long way to go, but we may as well pause a little here and observe this moment (much like how in cricket a batsman raises their bat when they reach fifty runs), because due to the longish nature of the next game and some other plans I have in the interim it might be a few weeks before I get to post again.

Two more things unrelated to this game or even games in general: One is that recently I put together and edited a bunch of music I recorded back in 2010 into an album, which I released last week. It’s insular, lo-fi bedroom pop and I understand that’s probably not your thing, but feel free to check it out if that is your thing. Sales so far suggest my music career poses no threat to my writing career, so don’t be too concerned.

The other thing is that Octopus Pie came to it’s conclusion today. Octopus Pie has been my favourite webcomic pretty much since I started reading it in 2007, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone. It portrays a lot of very relatable experiences of life as a twenty-something in subtly poignant and funny ways. I’m very sad that there won’t be any more of it, and excited to see what the author does next. Borderlands is next on the list.

#game50 #northern lights indies summer 2010 #ludosity #sweden #bob came in pieces #2009 #puzzle platformer #physics #2d #cold noodles #octopus pie

[andrea-cristina-travel-blog]

From Rome to Lapland – Here’s what we’ve been up to lately

Each month, we jot down a personal wrap of our travels, life updates, and general happenings in the life of The Common Wanderer. No bullshit, just our honest thoughts. It’s been quite a while since we last did a wrap up on here (about 5 months!), and it’s safe to say that life has been so busy it’s borderline insane lately! In fact, sometimes when we look back at what’s been happening since our last update, our head spins and we need to lie down for a while. There’s been lots of travel (despite “slowing down”), and some pretty massive life changes for us both. Here’s exactly what’s been happening in the world of The Common Wanderer lately… FROM ROME TO LAPLAND AND BEYOND – HERE’S OUR OCTOBER 2017 UPDATE WE MOVED HOUSE When we first arrived in London, we moved into a sweet terrace house overlooking a park in Surrey Quays. The room was beautiful and h-u-g-e (even taking London’s shoebox standards into consideration!), but there just wasn’t much happening in the area. No nightlife, no good restaurants, and not even a cute cafe down the street to grab a coffee from on the weekend. Obviously, this isn’t the kind of expat experience we were after, so we’ve now made the brave decision to go where no Aussies before us have ever gone (lol jk – it’s the only accent we ever hear now) and moved to Clapham in South West London. We’re in a bright, light, ground floor apartment with one other housemate, and slowly feeding our addiction for indoor plants and IKEA furniture, and cool homewares that we really don’t need. MIM WENT FREELANCE AND MARK STARTED A NEW JOB When we arrived in London in September 2016, I (Mim) started managing Content for a well-known global travel brand just 4 days later, while Mark managed the blog and our business full time. Since then, I’d been balancing a double life: weekdays at an extremely busy 9-5, and evenings, weekends, annual leave, and any other random snatched moments working on our freelance projects. If that sounds exhausting, well, it was. Eventually, running between the two became too much and quite frankly, I was burnt out. Meanwhile, Mark recently started working for an amazing travel brand, so we decided to change things up a little. With my professional experience as a writer, the blog growing pretty quickly, and an increasing number of opportunities coming our way, we decided it would be better for me to focus solely on growing our freelance business moving forward. It’s been 4 weeks now and I have to say, I am loving working on our business from the comfort of home. Ps. if you’re reading this and have a business in need of some help in the word-and-picture department, well, holla at ya girl! WE CELEBRATED A YEAR OF LIVING IN LONDON On August 30, we celebrated an entire year of the expat life here in London. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since we first stepped off the plane at Heathrow, bleary-eyed (it was 7am!) and excited for a new adventure. In many ways, it feels like we’ve only just arrived. In 12 months we’ve lived in 3 houses, survived an English winter (and an English “summer”), complained about the weather daily, gained two jobs and quit one, travelled to 8 countries, been squashed against the tube doors 348209348 times, enjoyed some major blog wins, feasted on many a grand pub meal (but never an English ale), and most importantly: landed amongst an incredible group of people we’re privileged to call our family and friends. It’s certainly been a ride! READ MORE: HOW WE SAVED TO TRAVEL THE WORLD, AND YOU CAN TOO WHERE WE’VE BEEN TRAVELLING TO LATELY The last few months have been an absolute whirlwind of travel for us both (so much for slowing down!). Here are some of the places we’ve been wandering to: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA  Back in May, we spent some time in Bucharest for the Experience Bucharest project and absolutely loved it. We really didn’t know what to expect from Bucharest (or Romania more generally) prior to going, nor had this part of the world ever really factored onto our ‘future destinations’ list. Turns out, we’d really been missing out on one of Europe’s trendiest and most fascinating cities. Touted as the ‘new Berlin’ for its hipster vibes and grungy feel, Bucharest is cool. Really cool. We spent our days getting better acquainted with its heady mix of charm and decay, latin spirit and Balkan passion, great food and brilliant coffee, and can’t wait to return again someday.  ATHENS, GREECE From Bucharest, we jumped on a flight to visit Mark’s granddad who lives in Athens. Now, Mark has been to Athens more times in his lifetime than he can probably count and he doesn’t rate it too highly (read: he hates it). But I’ve never been, and I had really high hopes for this ancient city that cradled the birth of modern ideals.  I really wanted to be able to love Athens. To see past its recent economic woes. Or at the minimum, just to find a way to prove Mark wrong. But the truth is, I just didn’t. There were riots every day we were there, the ruins were terribly maintained, and basically, we just didn’t get a good vibe from being there. That said, being able to spend time with Mark’s Opa (aka the coolest 90-year-old you will ever meet) was extremely special, for us both. MENORCA, SPAIN  After a mad rush back to London and one night to repack our bags, we found ourselves on another plane, this time bound for the Spanish island of Menorca. This was our first jaunt to the Balaeric islands, and we were there with 50 other top UK influencers for the #MustSeeMenorca Mini-Conference and press trip. If you haven’t been to Menorca yet, we suggest you book that trip pretty quickly. It’s absolutely stunning, far less tourist-trodden than its neighbours Ibiza and Mallorca, full of charming cobblestoned streets, and outdoor activities for everyone. And the food and wine? Ridiculously good. Honestly, we loved this little Mediterranean gem so much that we’ve been looking at island property prices ever since… SANTANDER, SPAIN Spain seems to be the flavour of our 2018, because next on the list was a weekend in Santander – although Mark flew solo for this one!  Cantabria’s capital isn’t about impressing you on a first glance. It doesn’t have the old-world charm of other Spanish cities (much of the old town burnt down in 1941), but the coastal town definitely makes up for it in character, natural beauty, and tasty, tasty tapas.  Mark can also lay claim to being the first blogger to walk through the halls of the newly opened Centro Botin art gallery, having visited on the opening weekend! Designed by the same architect who created Paris’ Centre Pompidou, the gallery is a masterpiece both inside and out. PORTUGAL, SPAIN, MOROCCO WITH INTREPID TRAVEL Another trip, another solo adventure for Mark. This time, he doubled as talent for a new video of Intrepid’s Spain, Portugal and Morocco tour, as well as the photographer and social guy. For two weeks, he feasted on all the delicious tapas, tagines, and churros, danced with locals in Lisbon, and explored the winding alleys of the Moroccan medinas – all while documenting it all on his camera! See everything they got up in this awesome video, produced by the legends at Betty Wants In ROME, ITALY  Mark’s third solo trip this summer (I’m definitely overdue some travels!), a quick jaunt to Rome to catch up with a friend from home. This was a rare opportunity to be a real tourist for the first time in a long time. In an effort to see Rome without the tourists, Mark and his mate Ryan would be up before the crack of dawn each day, exploring the beautiful ancient streets as they awoke for the day ahead. Afternoons were for siesta time, while evenings were spent eating great food and enjoying a few too many beers. The perfect break before returning to full-time work again!  2018 TRAVEL INSPO: OUR PICK OF DESTINATIONS TO VISIT IN 2018 SWEDISH LAPLAND Lapland had been sitting at the top of our bucket list for a looooooooong time. We’d almost come to view it as the holy grail of our travel and blogging lives; a wintry wonderland, raw and untamed wilderness, and a way of life so extremely different to our own upbringing. Sprinkle in some reindeer herds and the northern lights, and you basically have our ultimate trip. So when our inbox pinged with an opportunity to spend a week exploring Swedish Lapland in Autumn with Visit Sweden, my fingers could barely type a frantic ‘check email check emaiiil CHECK EMAIL’ message to Mark from sheer excitement. In early October, we spent a week exploring the region, going hiking, foraging, fatbiking, and getting to know the local culture – under Autumn skies and surrounded by crisp forest air. And you know what? This is one place that totally lived up to the hype. It was utter magic, and we’re absolutely keen to go back in Winter, Spring, and Summer to find out what it’s like then too. We’ve got a whole lot of posts almost ready to go live, so watch this space! And that’s a wrap! We plan to start doing these more regularly, and they’ll be full of all the good, bad, ugly and otherwise happenings of our travels (and lives) – so watch this space this time next month. Travelling soon? Why not use our AirBnB code and get yourself up to £30 off your next booking! FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST JOIN OUR TRIBE & WANDER WITH US Join 30,000+ people and receive travel stories, tips + hacks, and stunning photography to inspire your wanderlust. Straight to your inbox We hate spammers. We'll never be those people.   The post From Rome to Lapland – Here’s what we’ve been up to lately appeared first on The Common Wanderer.

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#Personal #Bucharest #freelance #Intrepid #life update #London #London life #travel #update

[andrea-cristina-travel-blog]

The Common Wanderer update: October 2017

Each month, we jot down a personal wrap of our travels, life updates, and general happenings in the life of The Common Wanderer. No bullshit, just our honest thoughts. It’s been quite a while since we last did a wrap up on here (about 5 months!), and it’s safe to say that life has been so busy it’s borderline insane lately! In fact, sometimes when we look back at what’s been happening since our last update, our head spins and we need to lie down for a while. There’s been lots of travel (despite “slowing down”), and some pretty massive life changes for us both. Here’s exactly what’s been happening in the world of The Common Wanderer lately… WE MOVED HOUSE When we first arrived in London, we moved into a sweet terrace house overlooking a park in Surrey Quays. The room was beautiful and h-u-g-e (even taking London’s shoebox standards into consideration!), but there just wasn’t much happening in the area. No nightlife, no good restaurants, and not even a cute cafe down the street to grab a coffee from on the weekend. Obviously, this isn’t the kind of expat experience we were after, so we’ve now made the brave decision to go where no Aussies before us have ever gone (lol jk – it’s the only accent we ever hear now) and moved to Clapham in South West London. We’re in a bright, light, ground floor apartment with one other housemate, and slowly feeding our addiction for indoor plants and IKEA furniture, and cool homewares that we really don’t need. MIM WENT FREELANCE AND MARK STARTED A NEW JOB When we arrived in London in September 2016, I (Mim) started managing Content for a well-known global travel brand just 4 days later, while Mark managed the blog and our business full time. Since then, I’d been balancing a double life: weekdays at an extremely busy 9-5, and evenings, weekends, annual leave, and any other random snatched moments working on our freelance projects. If that sounds exhausting, well, it was. Eventually, running between the two became too much and quite frankly, I was burnt out. Meanwhile, Mark recently started working for an amazing travel brand, so we decided to change things up a little. With my professional experience as a writer, the blog growing pretty quickly, and an increasing number of opportunities coming our way, we decided it would be better for me to focus solely on growing our freelance business moving forward. It’s been 4 weeks now and I have to say, I am loving working on our business from the comfort of home. Ps. if you’re reading this and have a business in need of some help in the word-and-picture department, well, holla at ya girl! WE CELEBRATED A YEAR OF LIVING IN LONDON On August 30, we celebrated an entire year of the expat life here in London. It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long since we first stepped off the plane at Heathrow, bleary-eyed (it was 7am!) and excited for a new adventure. In many ways, it feels like we’ve only just arrived. In 12 months we’ve lived in 3 houses, survived an English winter (and an English “summer”), complained about the weather daily, gained two jobs and quit one, travelled to 8 countries, been squashed against the tube doors 348209348 times, enjoyed some major blog wins, feasted on many a grand pub meal (but never an English ale), and most importantly: landed amongst an incredible group of people we’re privileged to call our family and friends. It’s certainly been a ride!   WHERE WE WENT The last few months have been an absolute whirlwind of travel for us both (so much for slowing down!). Here are some of the places we’ve been wandering to: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA  Back in May, we spent some time in Bucharest for the Experience Bucharest project and absolutely loved it. We really didn’t know what to expect from Bucharest (or Romania more generally) prior to going, nor had this part of the world ever really factored onto our ‘future destinations’ list. Turns out, we’d really been missing out on one of Europe’s trendiest and most fascinating cities. Touted as the ‘new Berlin’ for its hipster vibes and grungy feel, Bucharest is cool. Really cool. We spent our days getting better acquainted with its heady mix of charm and decay, latin spirit and Balkan passion, great food and brilliant coffee, and can’t wait to return again someday.  ATHENS, GREECE From Bucharest, we jumped on a flight to visit Mark’s granddad who lives in Athens. Now, Mark has been to Athens more times in his lifetime than he can probably count and he doesn’t rate it too highly (read: he hates it). But I’ve never been, and I had really high hopes for this ancient city that cradled the birth of modern ideals.  I really wanted to be able to love Athens. To see past its recent economic woes. Or at the minimum, just to find a way to prove Mark wrong. But the truth is, I just didn’t. There were riots every day we were there, the ruins were terribly maintained, and basically, we just didn’t get a good vibe from being there. That said, being able to spend time with Mark’s Opa (aka the coolest 90-year-old you will ever meet) was extremely special, for us both. MENORCA, SPAIN  After a mad rush back to London and one night to repack our bags, we found ourselves on another plane, this time bound for the Spanish island of Menorca. This was our first jaunt to the Balaeric islands, and we were there with 50 other top UK influencers for the #MustSeeMenorca Mini-Conference and press trip. If you haven’t been to Menorca yet, we suggest you book that trip pretty quickly. It’s absolutely stunning, far less tourist-trodden than its neighbours Ibiza and Mallorca, full of charming cobblestoned streets, and outdoor activities for everyone. And the food and wine? Ridiculously good. Honestly, we loved this little Mediterranean gem so much that we’ve been looking at island property prices ever since… SANTANDER, SPAIN Spain seems to be the flavour of our 2018, because next on the list was a weekend in Santander – although Mark flew solo for this one!  Cantabria’s capital isn’t about impressing you on a first glance. It doesn’t have the old-world charm of other Spanish cities (much of the old town burnt down in 1941), but the coastal town definitely makes up for it in character, natural beauty, and tasty, tasty tapas.  Mark can also lay claim to being the first blogger to walk through the halls of the newly opened Centro Botin art gallery, having visited on the opening weekend! Designed by the same architect who created Paris’ Centre Pompidou, the gallery is a masterpiece both inside and out. PORTUGAL, SPAIN, MOROCCO WITH INTREPID TRAVEL Another trip, another solo adventure for Mark. This time, he doubled as talent for a new video of Intrepid’s Spain, Portugal and Morocco tour, as well as the photographer and social guy. For two weeks, he feasted on all the delicious tapas, tagines, and churros, danced with locals in Lisbon, and explored the winding alleys of the Moroccan medinas – all while documenting it all on his camera! See everything they got up in this awesome video, produced by the legends at Betty Wants In ROME, ITALY  Mark’s third solo trip this summer (I’m definitely overdue some travels!), a quick jaunt to Rome to catch up with a friend from home. This was a rare opportunity to be a real tourist for the first time in a long time. In an effort to see Rome without the tourists, Mark and his mate Ryan would be up before the crack of dawn each day, exploring the beautiful ancient streets as they awoke for the day ahead. Afternoons were for siesta time, while evenings were spent eating great food and enjoying a few too many beers. The perfect break before returning to full-time work again!  SWEDISH LAPLAND Lapland had been sitting at the top of our bucket list for a looooooooong time. We’d almost come to view it as the holy grail of our travel and blogging lives; a wintry wonderland, raw and untamed wilderness, and a way of life so extremely different to our own upbringing. Sprinkle in some reindeer herds and the northern lights, and you basically have our ultimate trip. So when our inbox pinged with an opportunity to spend a week exploring Swedish Lapland in Autumn with Visit Sweden, my fingers could barely type a frantic ‘check email check emaiiil CHECK EMAIL’ message to Mark from sheer excitement. In early October, we spent a week exploring the region, going hiking, foraging, fatbiking, and getting to know the local culture – under Autumn skies and surrounded by crisp forest air. And you know what? This is one place that totally lived up to the hype. It was utter magic, and we’re absolutely keen to go back in Winter, Spring, and Summer to find out what it’s like then too. We’ve got a whole lot of posts almost ready to go live, so watch this space! And that’s a wrap! We plan to start doing these more regularly, and they’ll be full of all the good, bad, ugly and otherwise happenings of our travels (and lives) – so watch this space this time next month.   FOLLOW OUR ADVENTURES ON FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | PINTEREST JOIN OUR TRIBE & WANDER WITH US Join 30,000+ people and receive travel stories, tips + hacks, and stunning photography to inspire your wanderlust. Straight to your inbox We hate spammers. We'll never be those people.   The post The Common Wanderer update: October 2017 appeared first on The Common Wanderer.

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#Personal #Bucharest #freelance #Intrepid #life update #London #London life #travel #update