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#love these two so much.... licherally made 2 be
peterpanwandering · 3 years
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tfw your bf hugs you and it's great but you're also really worried about spilling your hot drink 😨💓
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outgrowings · 3 years
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omg i saw u posting abt hating sak*atsu a few times n at first i confused the names n thought u meant suna x atsumu but then i was like wait u got the names wrong @ myself n now im just like ???? why is sak*atsu so popular i dont understand 😭 (also sakusa is like literally the only hq character i dont rly like i dont get the obsession w him jdndnd) its rly the kinda gay ship for straight ppl huh (also sorry for like randomly dropping by w this ive just saw ur posts abt the ship discourse n it reminded me of this situation again fjdjsn)
HI ALAN!!! naur its fine to ask! i never realized i bashed s*kuatsu so much in here lol but based on my very limited yet chaotic experience in lurking through hqtwt (since it was popularized in twitter), its popular because
1) its licherally imaginary yet spread by f*jos (like how christians try to ask you to join their bible study even though you're uninterested) since they find the appeal of two bantering assholes "hot". even though those two barely have any meaningful interactions in the manga. they didn't even talk in the u19 chapters.
2) shippers love the appeal of "enemies to lovers" that s*kuatsu exudes except the only thing they did is banter for less than 10 panels out of how many chapters during the msby vs adlers match (im pretty sure 2 panels of them interacting is sakusa ignoring atsumu). one time i saw someone compare them to sasunaru. i was about to bite someone bc of that.
3) they're both "handsome" and jerks and atsumu gave sakusa a nickname which means that it's OBVIOUSLY real and not made up and there's TENSION between them as rivals, when the only thing they have in common other than being in the same team is that they went to the same volleyball camp in high school that happens like. once a year. and it's canon that sakusa is OBSESSED with ushijima and their rivalry as spikers and barely cares about atsumu so. checkmate s*kuatsus.
4) blonde jock x emo nerd trope. thats it.
5) ok so WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED was that before s*kuatsu got popular (since it only happened after sakusa's chapter dropped, and atsukita was the main atsumu ship for years), ppl actually paired komori and sakusa together and there were many fanarts of them since nationals arc, until it got revealed that they were COUSINS because it was never indicated pre-brazil arc that they were related. so instead of leaving the man alone, the sakusa fans were like "we need to find sakusa another man NOW!!!" and saw atsumu. thats how s*kuatsu was actually born
6) the rest of the shippers don't actually read hq but got convinced by the fandom moms that they did interact
the thing is s*kuatsu would be fine as a crack pairing bc it had no in-text foundation but good god. it now has almost 5k fics based on content from nothing and on mischaracterization of two characters, most of it is written by horny ppl (f*jos), and most of the stans are annoying and love to ignore how much inarizaki meant to atsumu. although i think the pairing is more frequent with the more western/english-speaking side of the hq f*ndom? since atsukita still remains the dominating atsumu ship in east asia after the care package scene in the inarikara match and when atsumu had a flashback of kita in ch. 391. but if they seriously wanted a tall, cool, dark-haired spiker who also lives in osaka for atsumu, aran licherally exists. thats as far as i remember for extensive s*kuatsu origins tho! omg im so sorry you have to read all this
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rahleeyah · 3 years
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The thing I don’t really like about OC is how they portrayed El’s marriage so far. Like this perfect marriage. But that’s not how it was on SVU? Like I’m not saying he didn’t love Kathy he did but SVU made it seem they stayed together more for obligations than love especially in the end. Hell they were separated for like 2 years, El was finally ready to let go of his sense of obligation and guilt and also his fear of not seeing his kids and was ready to give Kathy the divorce she wanted. When she asked him to come home because she’s pregnant again. And it’s not like he was super happy about that right? I didn’t imagine that? He went home of course because that’s what he does but yeah. And Kathy nearly left again that one time when Eli was little and El just went undercover without telling her (what season was that?) but Liv talked out of it. And so far OC makes it seem like they had this great marriage and were super happy but that’s not really true?
Kathy licherally asked Olivia to get him to sign the divorce papers and Olivia licherally talked her out of leaving his ass when he was undercover (idk the season but I know the episode is wildlife) like yes. They had their problems. From like the jump!!! Kathy didn't understand him, he wasn't around enough/communicative enough, "did you talk to Olivia about it", etc.
But here's the thing.
They had ten Olivia free years, when he wasn't in svu any more - and so, maybe, wasn't quite as invested in his work to the detriment of everything else. They had ten years of just them and Eli, not them chasing after four kids at once which would run anybody ragged. Like yeah obviously they are still involved with the older four but those four are grown by the time Eli hits kindergarten. It's a totally different vibe. Maybe they were, actually, happy, without all those extra stressors.
Or.
Maybe Elliot is doing what a lot of people do when someone close to them dies. He is remembering the good parts. He is feeling the loss of the good parts. Something terrible and unjust and incomprehensible has happened to him, and to his children, and to his wife, his wife of nearly forty years. FORTY!!! This man has been with this woman since he was a child and yeah they had like two years in the middle they were apart but they were still co parenting, still part of each other's lives. He is probably spending a lot of time thinking about all the times he wronged her, and probably not thinking so much about any slights she may have passed his way. She is dead, and she is a victim, and he is passionate about justice for victims. She is the mother of his five children, and that is a profound connection.
Maybe if she'd died of natural causes and he'd had a minute to prepare himself for losing her he could sort of admit to himself that their marriage wasn't perfect. But Kathy died a martyr's death and it's gonna be a long time before we see him acknowledge the bad parts of their marriage I think.
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im-the-punk-who · 3 years
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Hi, I dont know if you read or know anything about Macchiavelli's "Il principe", but I am studying it in school and I cant help but compare it's fundamentals to how Flint leads. I'm just curious about what you think
Eekekekekekekekekekekkek okay so first off Anon, you are absolutely, 100% right to be getting those vibes. If it’s not actually textual it is at the least meta-textual that Flint ascribes to a very Machiavellian type of leadership. His whole ‘never was there a Caesar who couldn't sing the tune’ speech is...licherally a direct reference to Machiavelli's philosophy that leaders cannot retain their leadership without sacrificing some level of ethical behavior in order to manipulate and deceive their subjects into following them.
And, Flint owns at least two books from thinkers who drew directly on Machiavellian thinking in their texts: De Jure Belli Ac Pacis by Hugo Grotus and The Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes are both visible in Flint’s cabin, and both drew heavily on the type of leadership principles established in books like Il Principe. 
(Also, my eternal quest for the book that sits *under* The Leviathan in that scene remains. Y’all I will literally pay someone for this knowledge. My best guess is Plato’s De Republica.)
In fact, the whole system that Flint’s world was operating under at this time was very machiavellian in influence. 
Henry VIII, who converted to Protestantism and who would eventually lead England in the conversion from Catholicism to Protestantism that would then in turn eventually lead the country into the War of Spanish Succession(the war being fought during the London 1705 flashbacks), was a student of Machiavellian thinking. He took the teachings of Il Principe to heart and used them to transform his country. Over the next hundred and fifty years, England would change from an entirely Catholic country to a Protestant one. Of note, Catholic scholars generally disagreed with Machiavelli’s principles on the grounds that it did not support the Divine Right of Kings.
As well, the Enlightenment thinkers that influenced Thomas Hamilton(and Flint himself) were starting to argue more for personal liberty and choice of the governed, both concepts presented in Machiavelli’s writings. (For those following along, this approach was also being used to justify slavery, as what was ‘good for the state is good for the man’ was used as justification for everything from impressment to colonization and slavery. Men were willing to set aside their morals for what they justified as good for the state. Shrug emoji.)
As James says of England when he and Thomas view the hanging in London:
“You think Whitehall wants piracy to flourish in the Bahamas?”
“No I don’t think they want it but I think they’re aware of the cost associated with trying to fight it. And I think that that sound travels.”
Here we see that Flint knows what Thomas doesn’t or does not want to accept: that England is willing to sacrifice some morality and some amount of lives(both of pirate-prisoners and the ships they take) in order to save themselves the financial burden of rooting out the causes of piracy. The justification for piracy was that it is too costly to fight, and that the nation ultimately benefits from a bit of strife as it drives prices up and allows England to place within the sights of its citizenry an identifiable enemy. (Note that Blackbeard also argues the same of Nassau, that prosperity ‘made it soft’.)
Even as he is changed by Thomas’ line of thinking, this lesson will stick with Flint and we’ll see it over and over again as he deals with the men’s hatred of himself by redirecting them towards other avenues(Vane, Hornigold, England, etc.)
And in actuality, this is what sets Thomas very much apart from his political brethren - he was *not* willing to sacrifice his morals in order to achieve a ‘more effective’ victory. Once he realizes that moral deficit shown by England, he creates the pardon plan to argue directly for a more moral and just way of governance. His whole premise for the pardons was to show England that an approach that considered the needs and wants of the governed was ultimately more effective, both in cost and in gaining the genuine good will of the people. And again, this is another likely reason why Thomas was then targeted by Peter Ashe and his father. Railing against the entire system of government was dangerous. Particularly if one was railing against the government in a way that could be seen as support of an opposing system of religion and political rule(remember how I said before that Catholics were generally against the Machiavellian systems?) Put plainly, Thomas’ rejection of Machiavelli’s leadership tactics would have been yet another argument for his treason against the crown.
Interestingly also, Marcus Aurelius - Thomas Hamilton’s homeboy - is said to be one of Machiavelli’s five “good” emperors, of whom Machiavelli wrote,
“[they] had no need of praetorian cohorts, or of countless legions to guard them, but were defended by their own good lives, the good-will of their subjects, and the attachment of the Senate.”
How we tryna be.
And so we see that Flint has - not so much fallen back into England’s line of thinking but perhaps that he never really fell out of it. And that this is actually a rift in his potential ability to conform to Thomas’ line of thinking, assuming we see that line as more morally correct. We do see Flint, gradually, throughout the course of the show, move more away from this Machiavellian line of thinking, especially once he meets Madi and the Maroons.  And to me at least it’s one of the most important character shifts we see - in contrast to the trajectory of John Silver becoming Long John Silver  - throughout the series. Just as Flint is finally starting to really value the lives of those around him, Silver has learned how effective those tactics can be in achieving his goals. As Hands says - ‘I wonder if he knows how much you learned from him.’
And in fact, Silver almost directly quotes Machiavelli at one point when he talks to Flint about their different leadership styles.
“I once thought that to lead men in this world, to be liked was just as good as being feared, and that may very well be true. But to be both liked and feared all at once, is an entirely different state of being in which, I believe, at this moment, I exist alone.” 
Whereas Machiavelli in his chapters addressing cruelty and mercy writes
"Here a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved." 
This is clearly the approach Flint has taken - he is the most feared captain on the seas. Certainly in the colonial world and on Nassau, too, his name brings a certain amount of fear with it. Because of this he has been safe from rebellion for quite a long time - however he is also not unaware that his power comes from the people. In the very first episode he talks of his plan with Gates to “position people in all the right places so the crew would never turn.” He has, for an unknown amount of time but I would suspect from the very beginning, been manipulating the crew’s opinion of him to keep them happy. Gates himself, and Silver later, are prime examples. 
Both of them; Gates for the first ten years or so and Silver in seasons 2+3 act as a go between - being the ‘liked’ to Flint’s ‘feared’. They convince the crew - the ‘people’ in this case - that Flint’s plans are in their best interest and not truly the act of a tyrant. It is only when Flint forgets - or neglects to respect - that the will of his crew is how he keeps his power, that he really starts to fail. And, later also, that now he has a rival - Silver. 
Now, I do want to point out that personally I don’t think Flint is a needlessly cruel ‘ruler’ in the sense the crew sometimes thinks he is, nor is he trying to be as a king is to english subjects. He has power, of course, and he does manipulate, lie, and kill if necessary to maintain his power in accordance with Machiavelli’s principles, but he does not do so ruthlessly or to a degree that is unnecessarily violent, nor with only his own advancement in mind. His goals genuinely are in service of the people he leads, even if the tactics he uses sometimes put them in danger for it. Moreso, I would argue that Flint is a prince who created his own princedom. He took an existing power structure(the pirate council in Blackbeard, Hornigold etc) and took most of the power for himself, either through luck, violence, or political maneuvering. And then he kept it through skill and tactical advantage.
Silver, in contrast to Flint’s new princedom, is truly a ‘prince of the people’. He comes to power through convincing the other pirates that he has their interests at heart - even when he doesn’t. But Silver soon learns that being a well-loved leader is difficult. It isn’t until Silver kills Dufresne and Billy uses that fear to build a legend that ‘Long John Silver’ the pirate king comes into being. Silver learns, just as Flint knew, that in a world or corruption, often leaders need to make sacrifices of things they would have once deemed important. 
(I think it’s also important to note for Silver that his main goal is actually one Machiavelli writes of as being ‘a will of the people’. Silver’s main wish is not to rule, not really. His biggest motivator is ‘to be free’. To not have to make choices based on the will or subjugations of others. And so, he attempts to make the leadership forced upon him into something that frees him - unfortunately for him, Madi is right when she says that the ‘Crown is always a burden’ and it would be truly impossible for him to find the kind of freedom he wishes for while wearing it. Which, honestly, is part of why he ultimately fails in that regard as leader of the revolution.)
In the later seasons we see Flint go through this change in philosophy after he meets Madi and the Maroons. He begins to actually value the lives of the people he leads. When put to the choice of going through with the raid on the Underhill estate despite the risk it poses to the slaves on other plantations, Flint resists the idea. As he tells Madi - it would have cost them far more to ignore the ‘will’ of those people he hoped to lead - the slaves - than it would gain them to go through with the plan. And later, even though he can’t be blind to Max’s sway with Eleanor and the others, unlike Billy (and oh how the mighty have fallen, Mr. Bones!) he doesn’t even seem to consider keeping her rather than trading her for the lives of his other men. He no longer wants to trade a potential political victory for the suffering of those he leads. So, too, when he attempts to trade the cache for the fort, he is doing so with the goal being to not have to put those under his power in danger if there is another option. It is, at least to me, an incredibly moving character arc and one that is so very understated. 
And honestly, I think it’s what *needed* to happen before he could move on from his rage-hate bender and begin to find the sort of peace that one might argue those ‘good’ rulers had. Machiavelli’s principles tend to get in the way of your ability to connect with other people: when you see them just as pawns in a game, friends and foes lose their intrinsic value of just being important on an emotional level. It is only through learning to truly value his partners that Flint can learn how to be a better and more just leader.
Also, this passage in chapter 15 absolutely KILLS me in regards to both Flint, and Thomas Hamilton:
“Men have imagined republics and principalities that never really existed at all. Yet the way men live is so far removed from the way they ought to live that anyone who abandons what is for what should be pursues his downfall rather than his preservation; for a man who strives after goodness in all his acts is sure to come to ruin, since there are so many men who are not good.”
Like bitch!! We get it!! Too much sanity!!! Shut up!!!!!
Anyway, all this to say that you’re absolutely right in seeing parallels between Flint’s style of leadership and a Machiavellian prince - he is absolutely written as a prince-like leader. As are Silver, Rogers, even the Maroon Queen(and Scott and Madi as extensions of her) can be compared to certain rulers in Machiavelli’s archetypes. Even Thomas, who models himself after one of those ‘good emperors’ engenders a type of political leader Machiavelli writes about.
(Also lastly, i want to very quickly point out this guy, Cesare Borgia:
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Who was a prince of ‘fortune’ who lost his princedom to trusting the wrong person. What a beard, amirite? What a face. He’s even got the rings! I’m sure this means nothing.)
So basically yeah, Flint is absolutely a Machiavelli bitch. 
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euphorieds · 4 years
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oh finally ur here bitch u got a dollar ?? so i can go buy some LOVE AND AFFECTION ,, open ur purse i kno u hav it !!! anywaysjkhskehjks tiktoks literally making up my entire identity aside ,, hi ! i’m mira , im 19 nd its so nice 2 meet yall !!!
♡. jung haein. cismale. he/him. — there goes ARTHUR KANG, who appears to be a TWENTY-NINE year old VAMPIRE. word is the ELEMENTARY TEACHER was born in 1991 and has been in town for A YEAR. you might know them as + SINCERE  and - RETICENT. stray paint on his cheek, smiles dipped in sunlight & gold, late nights through winding streets, polaroids of anything & everything covering walls. 
life b4 the vampire stuffz
so arthur was born to a Human single mom nd had a little sister younger by 9 years who he adored Very Much , and they lived in a small apartment above his mom’s restaurant . they weren’t like ... Totally Rich ? nd they had their struggles,, but arthur was always v content nd happie w his life bc he had his mom nd sister nd thats what rly mattered !!
he was popular in school bc of his ~good looks~ nd also bc he was just a rly friendly nd dependable person !! nd he had his Fair share of confessions from both guys nd girls but he was always like “no sorry!! im not v interested in dating” nd then he’d go home to his mom nd his little sister nd when he was done w all his schoolwork, he’d help out at the restaurant
his mama always complained abt the Swarms of fans that hogged tables at the restaurant nd it was in good nature !!! but arthur had to go convince his fans 2 buy smth so his mom wouldnt throw a towel at him
arthur graduated high school nd decided to get into teaching bc he just loved being able to see the way his sister’s eyes lit up when she understood what he was teaching !! he thought it was v sweet nd endearing :( <3 so when he wasn’t studying, he was working at his mom’s restaurant even tho she always told him to go away nd live his life JHHDJK
so . in college . while he was drinking w a few friends . he also realized he was Very Much Bisexual when he was looking at his guy friend nd was like oh thats rly nice nd then told his mom nd she jus patted his cheek nd said good job . 
anyways JHGHDK he graduated college , got that slappin degree nd got into teaching at a local but private elementary school !! so he was getting that coin !!! and this is the part where his life got turned upside down !!!
arthur met june when he was 28 . they had come 2 the restaurant and eventually, the pair struck up a friendship (mostly bc arthur was Intrigued that a vampire would eat normal food like he knew they could but he was like ... why tho ) . and june jus kept coming to the restaurant everyday . they became close, hung out after hours all the time, nd arthur was rly thinking like ... did he have feelings or is this jus a good friendship ?
anyways those feelings backfired bc the whole time arthur had known june,,, they’d been slowly exchanging their blood w his in hopes of turning arthur . why ? we dont know (it was for fun nd bc they Could)
so arthur . he turned bc eventually the magic took hold , nd june disappeared . in response , arthur locked himself up in his room nd tried to jus . undo what june did . bc he didnt want to live forever, but he didnt want to die either bc he still has friends around, and his family .
after the vampire stuffz ...
arthur was So Scared of hurting the ppl he loved , nd he tried to last as long as possible w/o feeding on animals or ppl nd isolating himself, but it just . didnt work . so arthur took himself out of his confinement, packed all his things nd left home for coeur cove . he never told his mom or his little sister , nd he feels Immense Regret for not saying anything .
a year in coeur cove meant that he took up a job teaching at the local elementary school, nd it was one of the few things that rly made him smile !! he also bought a polaroid camera , nd has a habit of just taking photos of everything that makes him happy bc hes licherlaly just terrified of living for a long time nd not being able 2 remember the small things
honestly he still hates the fact he’s a vampire but he jus doesnt think abt it .... arthur: we are Compartmentalizing laidease ... we do not See .
now hes just ?? hes jus vibing . hes still as sweet as he was back then but hes definitely a lot more ?? secretive abt a lot of things . he doesnt talk abt who he was b4 Turning :( bc hes scared to .. hes jus baby .. 
wanted connections
a frIEND .... listen these are limitless i want him to have FRIENDS but its just gonna be like ... no one knows Anything abt him before coeur cove nd he keeps it that way . but hes someone who will listen 2 ur problems and also get into the weirdest positions to take a good fuckin photo of u !!! (unLIMITED spots ....)
give him an Almost Romantic Relationship ... but they fell out bc he just never opened up JHSSJKSHJKS listen the DRAMA of that .. very sexy . (1/1 w/ katherine carter)
close friend .... this is the One Person . Or Two People . in all of coeur cove who know abt his past ... like . these are the ppl he’d consider a True Ride or Die . there’s som MAJOR trust for these ppl bc he liCHERALLY jus says nothing abt who he was (0/2)
neighbor(s) who put(s) up with arthur and the occasional loud noises that come from his apartment but no he aint smashing hes just very clumsy and has too much knockable furniture in his place 
give me like .... ppl who he Parents unintentionally . hes been taking care of his little sister his whole life,, hes an elementary school teacher .... ppl who hes gonna say “say bye bye bus” out loud to and then be Mortified for the rest of his life . but if ur ever sick he shows up w soup nd is like ‘hoW could u get sick do u not eat ur vitamins ??’
also u know what would be absolutely sexy . give me june . i actually should put a wanted connection for this but can u imagine the absolute DRAMA of arthur meeting the person who ruined his life . i think that’d b VERY sexy . anyways . im keeping this in mind 4 later jHSJHSHSKSJ
going off from the top one give me like . an enemy .... or like they jus cant fucking stand each other for some reason nd its like .. arthur when he sees them: oh :) . hello :). would u like 2 be dropkicked :) ?
anyways gOD ok my brain tiny but like.... lms if u wanna plot... u better lms or i’ll aggressively renegade on dash...
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flight2806 · 5 years
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2 4 6 8 12 !
THANK YOU MAXIE!!!! I LOVE U
2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs? 
I honestly just feel disdain for all of my OCs because I have to personally know every mistake they’ve ever made and it was kind of just the attitude my old friends and I shared toward our own OCs so it’s hard to say I have a favorite but uhhhhhh hmmmm OH I like my OC Finn Silva! He was one of the first I ever made and I projected a lot onto him lol. I don’t use him much anymore because he was very beginner level but he’s a gay farmer in Ohio! He has a hook hand because his bullies accidentally stuck his hand in a combine or something when they were young YIKES. He wants to be a director and he’s really good at crying on command! He had a crush on his childhood friend Anita and originally that ended very Hayloft Mother Mother, but I loosened up and let them be gay boys together...I love him a lot actually he’s pretty well developed now in my head...Also his full name is Phineas lmao ugly ass.
4. A character you rarely talk about?
FRY LAND! I made him before Stranger Things came out so do not call me out but he was kind of a government experiment kid very much like Eleven. ST stole my OC. He was eventually discovered by ghost writer turned makeshift detective Atlas Rumer and taken away from the facility he was in! He didn’t have a name so he was harassing Atlas about the fact that he needs a name while Atlas was licherally in a car chase away from some spooky Men in Black type guys. Atlas was like BROOOO IDFK UHHHH (looks at the nearest restaurant) FRY LAND. And that’s that! He’s also undead!
6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?
CHANCE AND CALUM. It’s mainly because they’re both white but they look like each other’s bastard cousins. (this art’s bad and old don’t look at it for too long). Chance normally has longer (to his chin) and fairer hair, though! Calum’s a lot more pale and sickly and I hate him.
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8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!
I DO I love RPing so much! I don’t do 1x1’s but I love group RPs on Discord! I’ve been doing that for um...4 years now? I use all the OCs I’m talking about to RP so : )
12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot.
*RUBS MY FRIEND LOVING HANDS TOGETHER* I absolutely adore my friend Jude’s OC Oliver Ohlen! He’s dating my OC Noah and they hunt ghosts together...get into trouble. He’s really a sweetheart but he’s not a softboy and he’s constantly stressing about everything. One time he had to punch a ghost in the face while Noah steered a haunted trolley down an empty street. I love him so much he’s like a gay asshole mom friend. Also I love my friend Archer’s OC Haster! He’s also a bitch and he’s a vampire and he has naturally bright red hair and I love him so much. He got in a knife fight with someone’s OC for my OC’s honor once. Haster I love you so much you never know what to say unless it’s to piss someone off. AND I LOVE MY FRIEND ROX’S OC JUPITER. SHE’S SUCH A SWEETHEART!!!! She’s been through so many hardships and I always smile thinking about where she is now I *hugs her*. AND MY FRIEND MEG’S OC AYA she’s a robot and she’s so fucking kind she’s made me cry like 4 times I’m literally tearing up thinking about her. She has such a good backstory and had such good development I aaaa!!!! AND OFC MY FRIEND ERIC’S OC STEPHEN THE WEREBEAR HE AAUWWUGUOHAAUH
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rogertaylcr · 5 years
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its alright if its long! i asked bc i was curious, id love a long answer
OKAY HERE IS THE SUPER LONG ANSWER, it’s self indulgent and, dare I say, Boring as shit -- but it’s the full answer to how/when/why I started drumming -- it is also 1.5k words long so it’s under a read more
so I started like drumming in a serious way i would say like a year and a halfish ago which isn’t a super long time I know but theres a tediously long story behind it which you asked for so don’t blame me for how long this is cause dude i know it’s long
The why of it is actually pretty short though. So my house is a music house, my mom plays a bunch of instruments and sings and my dad listens to a bunch of music so theres a lot of musical passion (even when theres no talent necessarily). As a kid, like 3-4 like EARLY memory, I remember listening to bohemian rhapsody and hearing the drums specifically, which idk if this is universal but for a lot of songs for awhile i just didn’t hear the drums as like part of the song really, and with bohemian rhapsody they were just so clear, like i could hear the heartbeat of the song. (this was the first song I felt that with but definitely not the only one, baba oreilly was another one that i made me realise the life of the song comes from the drums) When I was .... like 6-7, a beatles doc came on MTV and I saw Ringo drumming during the early beatles years and he was standing and stomping the hi hat and bass and there was just so much movement and power behind it and so much more fun in my opinion than the other instruments and i was like “i wanna be the one giving songs their heartbeats”. The more i got into a bunch of other, new and old, bands the more i was like This Has To Be Me. I had always been a fidegty person who was drumming to shit anyway but like the idea that that could translate into like something palatable and musical and entertaining and LOUD was News™ to me and I wanted to do that, but at the time I only knew a bit of piano and like a single chord on guitar and, like a lot of people’s parents, my parents saw creative fields as really unstable/unrealistic so I was like “well obvious it would be nice to be a loud drummer but I’m going to be a business person” (this is how cynical i was as a child).
the WHEN of it is a longer story, like it isn’t actually cause the actual answer is that i’ve been seriously drumming for about 1.5 years but theres like more to it imo
When i was in the third grade, instruments were compulsory at school so we all had to choose and buy one to learn on as well as basic piano lessons. I wanted to play the drums as “my instrument” at that time BUT my school didn’t have the budget or the space really to accommodate that (i would've had to buy my own kit and haul it to and from the school which didn’t make sense for me to do for someone who hadn’t ever touched drums) AND they didn’t have a teacher that could really teach drums, our percussion section was just a xylophone and some cymbals it was a school of like 2000 kids so :/
So I learned clarinet and then when i was 10, in the fifth grade, my older sister’s friend stopped playing saxophone and got permission to bring her drums in. We only had an orchestra so our teacher had to write her music for/with her which was cool but anyway. She left her drums at school and i knew her and so while i was supposed to be in the practice room playing clarinet i was trying semi-fruitlessly to drum. I knew i wanted to drum by any means necessary but like I was 10 and since i had no guidance (and no proper sticks i was using xylophone mallets) I didn’t think I was “good” at it and when we moved away I took that as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be.
When we got to america I joined school bands (as in orchestra/concert band) as a clarinet player once again, I still wanted to be drumming and i was in a public school by then so i had access to like “school drums” but I was so far behind the not-self-taught drummers in the actual band that I just like decided I had to focus on what I was already good at which was my art and dove into the upper level art program which like GOOD cause that made life worth living but it also meant the only time I could drum was when I was at this one friends house or had access to the band hall and like I just couldn’t keep the improvements i’d made, like i’d perfect a song and then have zero access for a couple weeks (except to like stand alone snares but :/ ) and i’d have to start over essentially and it was SUPER discouraging and it made me feel like I wasn’t making any progress
In the meantime I was trying to get my musical fix by learning guitar/piano and piano came back to me pretty quickly (its gone again now) but guitar like.....you can’t hit it lmao, piano i could slam the keys how i wanted to and get that really great loud resonating sound and i could stand to play and get more movement out of it but guitar is tedious in a way that other instruments aren’t imo, like the sound is loud but the movement is very precise and i never had the patience for that
when I got to college I really had to focus on my art especially the first two years, I literally lived in the studio (im not exaggerating, the students in my major and I had a janitorial bathroom set aside for showering) so pretty much all of my hobbies got tossed aside those two years it was grueling, fun but also hell
Junior year came and i had like 30% of my time back and i was like considering switching majors. I knew i didn’t want to do animation but also you can’t just switch into music at a university, you have to be pretty accomplished already and percussion at my school is HUGE like i would’ve had to be roger himself to have a chance of switching in. On top of that the degree isn’t super useful so I now have my Bachelors of Science. But by junior year i KNEW i didn’t wanna do that, I knew i wanted/i want to drum so I.... licherally................went to the library and printed like 50 pieces of paper each with three flyers on them and cut them up and put them up ALL over campus essentially begging for access to a drum kit. I could only afford like a couple hours on this one guys kit every few weeks for one semester (and then the following semester i did a semester away, they had drums at the school there but i only got access like a total of 5 times) so when i came back to america I did the exact same thing, I put up flyers in the music building and eventually i found a girl who let me use her drums for free all year, she gave me access like last august? I think? and just now has packed them away in the last month or so, and i would literally go into this tiny stuffy unairconditioned room (that had an automatic light timer so i’d be in the dark halfway through a song ahsdkhajkda and a couple times the heat got to me and i had to go outside and sit in my car w/ the AC before coming back in ahdjkahdjkasdjka) and drum for about 6-8 hours MWF and maybe like 3-4 hours T/TR which i know isn’t as much as some people but like I had school work still so I couldn’t do too much more. (it worked out great cuase i only took 7 hours my last two semesters so it was like something i could do while all my friends were in class and they weren’t open on weekends so my social life didn’t get fucked up) and like i know i haven’t been drumming drumming that long comparatively to like normal people who start at age -2 and are born with a snare in their laps but you spend that much time each week doing something and you’ll get good you just like… have to and I like where I’m at right now, I think I’ll always have super severe imposter syndrome abt my skill level b/c of how long it took me to get here and being an overcritical perfectionist doesnt help but yeah
i really dont think its a coincidence that my coming out (to myself) coincided with when I said “fuck it im gonna play drums come hell or high water” but SUPER LONG AND OVERLY DETAILED story short, I heard roger drum and said “if i dont do that ill die” and then when i finally had the resources i drummed myself into multiple heat strokes and i recently saw roger live so the universe rewarded me for all that shit
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kyungsoopilates · 5 years
Text
THIS TOOK WAY TOK LONG I’ve been working on this for like 3 days i keep GETTING SIDETRACKED
85 Questions
Rulserinos: Answer these 85 statements about yourself and tag 20 people. (das a lot)
I was tagged by @vroomvroombaek 😭 i lOve you too wow hI 👋🏾
Last...
1. Drink: Kiwi strawberry Sparkling Ice (gud shit right here im telling you)
2. Phone call: my momma
3. Text message: a friend
4. Song u listened to: Cherry Bomb 🍒 💣
5. Time you cried: uhhh like two weeks ago
6. Dated someone twice: I m pure ive never dated anyone
7. Kissed someone and regretted it: ^ see the last one
8. Been cheated on: ^ 🤷🏾‍♀️
9. Lost someone special: 🤔 don’t remember
10. Been depressed: not to be depressing but depression is a constant thing 🏃🏾‍♀️ can’t get away from bitch shes clingy af
11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: ooooooh boi I love a good margarita, never got piss faced enough to throw up tho sorry
Fav Colours..
12. LavENDER
13. ROYAL BLUE
14. whiTe and just pastel soft colours
In the last year have you?...
15. Made new friends: yah
16. Fallen out if love: nope
17. Laughed until i cried: i laugh until I can’t breathe never cried 😂
18. Found out somebody was talking about you: nobody but my momma
19. Met someone who changed you: not in the last year more like last 3
20. Found out who your real friends are: ^
21. Kissed someone on your facebook list: did i mention im p u r e
General...
22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know irl: like 75%
23. Do you have any pets?: no :(
24. Do you want to change your name?: kinda... nObody calls me by my real name except my parents occasionally
25. What did you do for your last birthday?: i think i got drunk i forgot
26. What time did you wake up today?: 11am
27. What were you doing at midnivht last night? Sleeping 😂 scandalous
28. What is something you can’t wait for?: my next pay check 🤭
29. What are you listening to rn: my shower 🚿
30. When was the last time you saw your mom: half an hour ago
31. Ever talked to a person named tom: yep yep i have a friend named Tom
32. Name something that gets on your nerves: people who fail to realise how much their words and actions can affect other peoples spirits 🌞
33. Most visited website: tumblr 🤷🏾‍♀️
34. Hair colour: dark brown
35. Long or short hair: my hair is short but i like it long
36. Do you have a crush on someone: nope
37. What do you like about yourself: myyyy mental strength?
38. Want any piercings: i want my nostril redone, Kinda want a medusa as well
39. Blood type: A+
40. Nicknames: from my family its Bird 🦅 and my friends call me Stan/Stanny
41. Relationship status: single
42. Zodiac: Aries sun, Pisces Moon and mercurY
43. Pronouns: she/her
44. Fav tv shows: Stranger things, any kind of space documentary or those horror ghost story shows
45. Tattoos: i have a cross on my wrist, im not super religious just cause. Hoping to get a sternum tat eventually
46. Right or left handed: righty
47. Surgeries: had one last year in October, had my gallbladder removed
48. Piercings? My ears and my septum :)
49. Sport: gross, tennis is cool tho
50. Vacation: 😤😔 I don’t GET VACATION I HARDLY LEAVE MY H O U S E
51. Trainers 👟: Puma or Nike mostly ooor Adidas I really want some Fila Disruptors 😭
52. Eating: none
53. Drinking: watahhh
54. Im about to watch: myself be locked out my house for an hour (I DONT HAVE MY KEY IM AVTUALLY IN MY C A R)
55. Waiting for: CHRISTMAS 🎄
56. Want: to move outta my family apartment
57. Get married: yus
58. Career: something related to art or graphic design
59. Hugs or kisses: h u g s
60. Lips or eyes: lips and TEETH im awful at eye contact so beware of your teeth and breath 😂😭
61. Shorter or taller: i guess taller but not TOO tall
62. Older or younger: 😈...jk definitely older i cant deal with the youngins now a days
63. Nice arms or stomach: if you can’t snap my neck with your bare hands I don’t want chu🤷🏾‍♀️
64. Hookup or relationship: relationship
65. Trouble marker or hesitant: hesitant for the rest of my life 😔
Have you ever...
66. Kissed a stranger: uhh
67. Drank hard liquor: yep
68. Lost glasses: lots
69. Turned someone down: no
70. Sex on the first date: im p u r e
71. Broken someones heart: probably my parents tbh
72. Had your heartbroken: mmm kinda
73. Been arrested: not yet
74. Cried when someone died: yep 👍🏾
75. Fallen for a friend: 🙃
Do you believe in..
76. Yourself: 😃 to an extent yes
77. Miracles: yayaya
78. Love at first sight: nah
79. Santa 🎅🏾: the concept is nice but no
80. Kiss on the first date: cheEk kiss 😙
81. Angles: sure
Other...
82. Best friends name: Lamiae (Don’t ask me how you pronounce that because its been 3 years and a still canNot)
83. Eye colour: brown
84. Favourite movie: not a huge movie person but i gotta say 형 one of the only movies ive sat and watched more than once
85. Favourite actor: 제 아이가 도경수 😭 my baby b o i
And i ill taggggg
@cherrysooda @monicaexol @kyungsoobery @kyungsoorose @spicydyo I Licherally blanked as soon as it was tome to tagged so everybody else yall do it too.
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Chile - a land I fell in love with
CHILE - a country I thought I was going to spent 1 week but ended up staying almost a month. Land of deserts, of cities, of volcanoes and of Patagonia. Land of beauty, of Nobel prize winners, of culture and much more.
SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA
Day 1. (23.10). After border control it was a 45 minute drive to San Pedro de Atacama. The views were stunning. Chile is an hour ahead of Bolivia so we arrived at 12ish noon. I headed to Laskar hostal. After check in we headed into town to get money and exchange money. The town only has a few ATMs and all charge so take out a bit of money at once instead of a bit at a time. Then we rented bikes from Rutas Atacama that is on Caracoles street inside Licher - its like a stand. They do 3,000 pesos for 6 hours and double for 12hours. We then headed at 3pm to the Vale de la Luna. It's stunning but I would not recommend cycling as it's all uphill and it's quite a bit of a way. Either give yourself a lot of time and take a lot of good and water or take a tour. The entry is 3,000 pesos. At night I decided to cook and by the hostel there is a cheap supermarket and Vicents supermarket on Licancabur street is also a cheap option. For fruit and veg the agro market is a good option.
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Vale de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama
Day 2. (24.10). Wake up at 8am and went to get bikes at 10am. I headed towards Pukara del Quitor but first I headed further into the Catarpe National Park on the other side of the river. Inside the park I cycled to Los Túneles, the Quebrada del Diablo and a white church at the end. Do the Túneles first then the Quebrada then the church. I got there for just before 10:30 and left around 1pm. It will take you around 3 hours to do the whole park comfortably. It costs 3,000 pesos to get in. Then Pukara de Quitor; the ruins of a fortress over 2,000 years old from the atacama civilisation. Here you will find the ruins, various miradores (1.7km walking to the furthest out) and a face sculpted into the rocks. It is also an awesome place. I had lunch around 2pm at the top of the mirador and was done for around 2:30pm and back in town for just after 3pm. The whole day took me just over 5 hours. Again make sure you take plenty of water and potentially consider doing the two places on separate days for a more chilled day.
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At the last mirador of Pukara de Quitor
Day 3. (25.10). Today I booked a tour through Desert Adventures - based on one of the corners of Caracoles street in San Pedro. First stop is the Chaxa lake (2,500 pesos). Here you can find the salar of Atacama which unlike the Uyuni salar it was made during glacial times by the minerals dragged off the volcanoes. It hosts three flamingo types- the Chilean flamingo (pink and dances to displace ground for food in a step step motion), the Andean flamingo (black tail) and the James flamingo (yellower beaks). Then to the red stones (iron minerals) and it's lagoons and lastly a little town called Socaire and Toconao.
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San Pedro Salt Flats
Day 4. (26.10). On my last full day at San Pedro de Atacama I went off to the Puritama springs (Los Termales de Puritana). The trip started at 8am and I was back at 13:00. Super amazing and relaxing!
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Puritana Spring
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CRIBSHEET OF SAN PEDRO:
Hostal: there are many hostels in San Pedro. I stayed at Laskar.
What to do:
Vale de la luna - by bike: 1 day; with a tour: half day. If you do this by yourself take at least 2lt of water per person, a head torch (which you can get when you rent a bike); a bike; sunscream.
Pukara de Quitor Ruinas - I would recommend you do this with a bike as its so close to town. Make sure you take cash with you, water and sunscreen. You will have to leave bike behind and walk around the archeological site but that’s super doable in 1-2 hours.
Valle de cantarpe. If you decide to do this do it before Pukara as its further out and more tiring. Make sure you set out a good 4 hours and bring plenty of water, food, sunscream.
Tour de las estrellas. Book a tour to do this. I did not manage to do this as during my time there it was full moon so make sure you check the moon as a full moon won’t allow you to see the stars.
Alicancabur. This is the name of the volcanoes that borders Chile and Bolivia. You can do tour to the laguna verde y carácter.
Hot springs - Terma de Puritana tour. Either rent a car and go or go with a tour. I did it with a tour and its either in the afternoon or morning. So half a day.
Tebichinki
Laguna artiplanas y piedras rojas. This is a full day’s tour where you stop at the San Pedro salt flats and another two lagoons
Salt Flats. You can also to do the salt flats from San Pedro either dropping you off at Uyuni or coming back to San Pedro.
Rental bikes: Rutas Atacama
Tour company: Desert adventure ——————————
SANTIAGO
Day 5. (27.10) Today was a chilled day. Waking up breakfast and going round town for a bit before lunch and heading to Calama airport. I flew with Sky airlines. Landed and headed to the exit. You can get taxis or you can get colectivos for a bit less that leave you outside your hotel/hostel. These are outside the duty free before you exit the baggage area. Super easy and range between 6,000 and 8,000 pesos compared to an Uber at 14,000 and taxis a bit more. I got one named Delfor that dropped me off in front of the hostel. I stayed at Providencia hostel in Santiago.
Day 6. (28.10). On Sundays many streets are closed for the cyclists and runners. So its quite pleasant to walk around. I headed in the morning to the Santiago teleférico and went all the way up had this Santiago drink with durazno and maiz and lunch at belas artes followed by some yummy ice cream called Rosa nearer to the hotel.
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View from the top of Cerro San Cristobal
Day 7. (29/10). I used this day for planning. You could look into heading to the Maipo maintains. I ended up not doing it. At the Providencia hostal you can find someone selling these tour.
Day 8. (30/10). I headed very early to Valparaiso. I would recommend waking up at 6am and being out by 7 ish. I left around 7:30/7:45 and made the 8:20am bus with Turbus to valparaiso. I bought the ticket at the station. Buses leave from station Pajaritos (line1/redline). Price varies but I paid 5,600 chilean return. The way back is an open return so you can show up and get any return and they leave every 15 mins. When you get to Pajaritos metro just get out of the metro and the booths to buy the bus tickets to Valparaiso are right there. Just ask around for the cheapest. They have two main bus companies: Pullman and Turbus. The trip to Valparaiso is around 1.2 hours. I got there around 9:40am and just made it for the 10am walking tour that leaves from Plaza Sotomayor. The guides of the walking tour are dressed in “where’s wally” like tops (red and white stripes) so its fairly easy to locate them. From the terminal de buses to the centre is a good 30 min walk. You can privately get a bus or taxi in. The am walking tour takes you up to the old prison and cemetery so it's an alternative route and I quite liked it. I then did the old town int he afternoon by myself but you can also get the same walking tour in the afternoon.
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Streets of Valparaiso (Calle Uriola)
The afternoon tour goes to the German church luterana, and several viewpoints. I did it my myself starting at calle Uriola where you will find a bar and cafe called Al Alba that is super sweet. Walking up you get awesome street art. At plaza Sotomayor there is also a good café called 504. And for food near the port there is Buenos Aires restaurant that does good menu del dia. Other restaurants are Lupita, Pizzeria Ecuador - all at calle Ecuador. Be aware that Calle Ecuador is no longer the historical centre but according to my guide the area is still known as the bohemian side of town but its not too safe so be careful.
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Rooftop space at Cafe Al Alba (Calle Uriola)
Day 9. (31/01). I quickly headed to the Universidad de Santiago station (red line) to buy tickets to Pucon with Turbus. I then headed back to the city centre - first to the Moeda station and the museum of lá moeda which is free until 12 noon. Then walk to the Precolombiano Art Museum and Plaza Mayor, up to el mercado and back down. Then I headed back to the hostel through Lastaria area and stopped at the park with the fortress at the top. I read a book there for 4 hours and then back for dinner and Halloween night out.
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Day 10. (1/11) day of rest, home comfort and cinema. A family friend took me for coffee lunch and the cinema as well as dinner. Blessed to have been taken care of like that and enjoyed a nice family rest. You can also chose to go to the many wineries around Santiago on this day. You just get the underground a couple of stops and you can arrive in one of the many wine houses one of which being Concha y Torro.
Day 11. (2/11). After breakfast and a rest we headed for an early coffee at Lastaria. I then headed out on the red line to the Santiago Artesan Market further out round the corner. It was a pretty market and we had some food there. I was back at the hostel for my last night in Santiago.
Day 12. (3/11). I woke up and did the check out before heading to breakfast. We headed into the city and walked to Lastaria to get a coffee and then decided to walk to the Human rights museum. The walk was far - about one hour but there was always the green like tube straight back near the hostel. Later we did a trail up Cerro San Cristobal to watch the sunset. It took us over an hour to climb as we took the road instead of gravel route by mistake. We took the gravel route on the way back. We were at the bus station for 10pm as our bus was 11pm. Ways to Pucon: flight or bus. The flight is to Temuco or Calama and bus from Univesidad Santiago (10hrs).
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Sunset at Cierro San Cristobal 
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SANTIAGO CRIBSHEET
Hostel: Providencia Hostel
Things to do:
Lastaria area
Walking tour either by yourself or with one of those free walking tours (get info at the hostal)
National Museum
Precolombian Art Museum
Cerro de San Cristobal
Maipo treking
Wine tour at Concha y Toro
Mercado central
Valparaiso and Vina del Mar (get there with Turbus or Pullam from Universidad Santiago station)
Bellavista (especially during the night cool bars)
Restaurants:
Mercado central
Chipe Libre
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PUCON & PUERTO VARAS/MONTT
Day 12. (4/11) after arriving in Pucon and finding the hostel we had a nice chilled morning. The hostel (Chilli Kiwi) by the Poza was easy to get to. From the bus terminal (right out and on the main road right) or the city centre just follow O’Higgins road all the way down until you hit the lake (they call this part of the lake the Poza; in Spanish it means the puddle). Then when you hit the lake turn right and the hostel is right there. It has a beautiful view of the lake. Unfortunately, in November, the time we were there, it meant that the sunset was behind the buildings on the left and not straight across from the hostel. Apparently a couple of weeks back (so more October time) it was more central. The weather was very rainy so bought food and chilled at the hostel kitchens. Staying at Chilli Kiwi was an awesome choice as its by the lake. The rooms are clean and good and your rent can range from 9, 6 or 4 bed dorms. They also have a 2 bed dorm for walk ins as well as a 3 bed Harry Potter room, the caravans (20-22,000chl) and the tree house (32,000chl).
Day 13. (5/11). Woke up and headed out around 10:30am to Salte del Claro. Make sure you ask the route at Chilli Kiwi as they have a pretty comprehensive map. Here you walk towards a waterfall. Its beautiful and it will take you around 4 hours round trip. We got to the waterfall just after 12. Its stunning and even better due to the strong rains the day before. The path is fairly well signposted but if in doubt bear right when going through the forest at the end and have the river to your right. On the way back we got a ride back which sped up the trip.
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Salte del Claro 
Day 14. (6/11). Chilled in the am at the hostel and kayaked the lake from 1-3pm. It's 5,000chl per person and 4 hrs on the lake max time. Then back for my last night. During the am day bought tickets at JAC terminal, just off O’Higgins road, to Puerto Varas. As a rule, stay at Puerto Varas (at Maguoy Patagonia) and not Puerto Montt. Buses leave frequently from Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt.
Day 15. (7/11). Bus at 9am (9,500 chl) to Puerto Varas. I found out that Juan was also heading the same way as me so I glued onto him. Funnily enough we were to trek the next day together and meet again in Buenos Aires for some typical Colombian food - and who said you can’t be international in every sense of the word?!?! The trip took 4/5hrs. I then headed to the hostel (Margouya Patagonia (see leaflet below)). Then I went for a wonder round the town and bought food.
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Day 16. (8/11). Wake up early and headed to Petrohue Park. The bus left from town (if you are at Margouya turn right out of the hostel, then right again at the main road as if you are headed into town and then left at the bottom of the hill by the fish restaurant; its just down there) and final stop was the park. The bus fare cost us 2,500chl each way and took 1.5 hrs. The trek was 4 hours all the way round. The full round trip is quite exhausting as quite a bit of it was volcanic sand which is not a joke to walk on. We were back for 5ish. Early night as I had bought a boat fare down the Fjords to Puerto Natalie’s (southbound only leaves on Fridays and Northbound only leaves on Mondays).
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Petrohue park (me and our not so trustworthy but loyal guide - Rix!)
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PUCON & PUERTO VARAS / MONTT CRIBSHEET
Hostels:
Pucon: Chilli Kiwi
Puerto Varas: Maguoy Patagonia
**If you are by any chance going to: Valdivia, stay at Kauai central lodge; or Cochamo, stay at La Bicicleta Hostel; or Ancud stay at 13 Lunas Hostel; or Castro stay at La Minga Hostel or Palafito Waiwen (Chiloe).**
Things to do:
Pucon: climb the volcanoe; canoe on the lake; Salte del Claro other national marks/waterfalls. Make sure you ask at the reception at Chilli Kiwi and be around for the intro talk they do daily.
Puerto Varas:  Petrohue Park; waterfalls. Just ask at the reception at Maguoy Patagonia.
Restaurants: to be fair I cooked a fair bit in Chile so just ask at the hostel the closes supermarkets which in all had one a max 10 min walk and enjoy the very cheap and good selection of wines.
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PATAGONIA
**Just a quick note here. You have a few options to travel down to Patagonia. You can either fly from Santiago or another airport near Pucon to Punta Arenas and then get a bus up from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales; or you can rent a car around Puerto Varas/Montt (there are a few caravan companies around or if you rather bike it there are a few options too); or you can do what I did and get on a boat (called NAVIMAG at Puerto Montt which will drop you off four days later at Puerto Natales). Of course, if you want to stop more often you also have a few other options like getting a boat with TABSA that takes you from Puerto Natales to Caleta Tortel and other destinations. Equally if you are travelling northbound these options are still the same. However, please note that NAVIMAG boats only leave from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales on Fridays and from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt on Mondays.**
Day 17. (9/11). Woke up at 7 and got everything ready. Headed out around 9 ish and got the bus at the end of the road (Calle Imperial). The fare is chl900 and it takes 20 mins to get to Puerto Montt. So I got in for 10am . From the station I got another bus (just ask around for the Costanera Shopping Centre/Holiday Inn) or you can walk (its probably 20/30 mins) where the check in was which is just down the road meaning I got in for 10:30 ish (this second bus cost me chl400). It's also where the Costanera Shopping Centre was. The boat left at 3:30pm so I could have arrived a bit later. But still. We were on the boat for 4pm and only left the port around 8pm. The whole trip cost me USD350 for four days/three nights all inclusive.
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Sunset leaving Puerto Montt
Day 18. (10/11). I wake up on this boat and am surprised how well I slept. It's an interesting life on the boat but the bed, the showers and the amenities are very good. There are about 100 passengers and it feels full but not too crazy. Breakfast at 8am. Very well served the meals. The views are stunning. During the day there were talks of the route we were to take, a yoga class and materials around to colour in, knitt etc. The day went fast. There were talks about the route we were taking. The day ended going into the golf with a stunning sunset. The stars were even better.
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Sunset on Day 2
Day 19. (11/11). Second full day on the boat. At dawn we had just crossed the golf and were back in the Fjords. The golf was quite calm and I only felt the boat rock twice. We stopped around 3pm at the Eden village with 3,000 people where only four people of pure blood of previous native people of this area. There was a talk about Torres del Paine - three entrances, bus in and a few options for day treks. We went through quite a few narrow straits. We went through the Cotopaxi shallow where the Leonides ship sunk (legend says there is another ship below it as it lies quite high above the water). We went through 89 wide straights with meter tall granite rocks. The day ended quite cold and the night was overcast so no stars.
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Clear day through the Fjords 
Day 20. (12/11). Last day on the boat. We woke up to an overcast day. We had breakfast and I did a bit of exercise and headed to the bar to write. The day eventually cleared. We docked at 4pm and it took close to two hours to get out. I then headed to my hostal: We Are Patagonia. The hostal was really good! Super comfy beds although a bit more expensive than the usual. Included breakfast which was very good. I arranged as well a rental car and shared it with two other people. Ask at the desk at the hostal for more information as they have the numbers for the cars. It also depends if you want to do day trips to Torres del Paine or whether you will be doing one of the treks (3-day or 8-day).
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Leaving the boat (Navimag) at Puerto Natales
Day 21. (13/11). We woke up at 5am and headed out at 5:30am to Torres del Paine. The park is quite big and you can do the O in 8 days, the W trek in 3-5 and all of these need planning and booking if you want to stay overnight at the park. Although I was with some people who just winged it and did the towers one day, then the second drove to the middle to do the Britannia climb. The campsites have more flexibility as they may have last minute spots and you can rent tents at Puerto Natale’s from 2,000 to 5,000 for a 4 person and 3,000 for sleeping bags.
Getting to Torres del Paine National Park
What we did was rent a car and go very early to the Serrano entrance (there are three entrances). The Serrano is the most scenic route (the buses don’t use this route) with lakes. This road is not tarmacked but quite good. The entry to the park is 21,000chl and you can come in and out of the park up to three days. The parking is free. The day walks you can do are Torres (entrance on the east); the French valley and grey glacier (both entrances closer to Serrano). The last two start in the same spot so the guys I went to did grey and I did the French valley. For these two the Serrano entrance is the closest. You then park by Pahoe lake and get the ferry for 9am. Which gets in for 9:30am on the other side of the lake.
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River running next to the treck to Vale Frances and Britannico
The trek
As the boat got in at 9:30am on the other side I started treking at around 9:40am. The map says that the first section of the trail up to the bridge is 2.5hrs but in brisk pace I made it in 1.5hrs. The views were stunning. Crossing the bridge you are by the French and Italian camps. Here is where the W joins. Across this very wobbly bridge to the other side I went. From there through the forest I got to the French mirador within one hour. From the mirador Frances to the británico I took about an hour as well but that's because a lady told me that the top closed at 13:00. But when I got there there was no gate. Asking around I heard that CONAF could have a guide shutting the trail if weather was bad maybe. The views at the top were absolutely stunning. Breathtakingly beautiful and no picture does it justice. So I got up there for 13:00, lunch for one hour and headed down at 14:00 to get back before 6pm for the 18:35 boat. We got to PN at 10pm. It’s a long day so take plenty of water and food. Make sure you take clothes for hot and cold/windy weathers and be ready to sweat.
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The view at the top
Day 22. (14/11). Today I decided not to head out and do Torres del Paine as the Vale Frances was quite heavy and a full day. That's why I would recommend staying four day or three full days min in Puerto Natales so you can do Vale Frances one day and then do Torres on the third having a rest day in between. I then headed out for some food and chocolate. I was also recommended Patagonia Dulce (apparently best hot choc in PN) and La Gregario for coffee and chill. Also Pampa and Baguales as good bars. The afternoon went super fast catching up with people and resting. In the evening we sat round a table and chatted for hours. It was the best way of closing my Chile chapter. Thanks Chile!
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Just an awesome group of people I met (two faces missing) 
Day 23. (15/11). I was getting the bus to el Calafate at 7:45am. The bus ticket came to 20,000chl and the terminal was not crazy far. I travelled with Bus Sur and they were good.
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USEFUL INFORMATION:
Money: Chilean pesos
Hostels:
San Pedro de Atacama: Laskar Hostel
Santiago: Providencia Hostal
Pucon: Chilli Kiwi
Puerto Varas: Maguoy Patagonia
Puerto Natales: We Are Patagonia
Torres del Paine: book your stays with Fantastico tours or Vertice.
Info on Torres del Paine trekking options: -1 day - advise renting a car which goes at 40-45,000chl per day instead of getting the bus as with the car you can then get early for the first boat. You can then do Valle Frances one day have a rest the second day and on the third do Torres. I tried to do one after the other and it did not work.
- the W : 3-4 days. You must plan this in advance and book the campsites. In this case you will get in on your first day and do Torres or stay overnight at base and wake up early to see the sunrise and on that same day walk to the second campsite between Torres and the French/Britanico. On the second full day you will do French and Britannico to get to the third campsite by the boat. Your third full day you will do grey and come back on the 6pm boat, then bus back to Puerto Natales.
- the O: 8 days: Day 1 Get there in central camp at 11am and get there at 3pm. Stay at camp seron. Day 2. Set off at 9 am to camp Dickson. Day 3. Take easy morning. Short day and stay at perros. Day 4. From perros to grey. Start at 6am. Don't do Paso as with Conaf and need not book with three. Day 5. Walk down to grande or Frances and camp - Frances. Day 6 from Frances walk The Valley and come back pick up stuff and stay in cuernos. Day 7 walked to chileno or central - chileno no cooking. Day 8 do Torres for sunrise and go back get your bag and head down for the bus. Book in June for November and book meals throughout and for later stops so as not to carry too much food.
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