#all of these villagers were on my island at some point except rosie... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

floraisann · 4 years

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ateez reaction: you’re addicted to animal crossing: new horizons

➣ requested? ✓

➣ genre: fluff, humor

➣ masterlist

sorry that some of these are kinda dry 😔 i am try

❅♩♬♩❅――

❥ kim hongjoong:

lets you do your thing tbh

you’ll probably just be vibing in the living room with the switch hooked up to the tv and everything’s great when hongjoong just,,,, moves his work over without saying anything

you’re just ???? and he’s just :)))) the “just another tuesday” grin, you know?

after long enough if you ask him why he moved, he just says he “likes the soundtrack” like bro we do be bopping to the animal crossing ost out here in this quarantine joint

watches you play, only making comments when a villager says something REALLY cursed

really likes marshal— he’s funny

not the type to hate villagers either except chops, fuck chops

once yunho shows him how the custom qr code outfit designs work you’re about to have the most stylish lil mayor that ever roamed the earth

probably also borrows your switch to make your town jingle

overall is just confused by the game dynamic, but likes the music and how happy it’s making you :)

you’re gonna have to put the switch down on your own honey, he’s too caught up in bopping to the music while doing his own work to realize you’ve been playing for eight hours

❥ park seonghwa

has the game too, probably bought it for you so you could build “couple islands” and be THAT cute gamer couple

still probably nags you for gaming too hard if too many hours pass and you’re ignoring basic needs to like,,,, get lolly on your island or something of the sort

but lolly’s cute give him 5 mins to fall in love w god cat

sends you cute in-game love letters when you’re headass six feet away from each other in real time

but it’s ok they’re cute and he likes making you blush

brings his pretty flowers to your island he also steals yours but that’s okay

dumbfounded by your blatant aggression towards certain villagers

offers to “trade” villagers with you to make you happy and marshal scares him please take marshal from him

yes he’ll bring you cute snacks as if you were studying

overall happy that you found something you enjoy together, but will make you take frequent breaks so you don’t put off whatever you actually have to do too much

❥ jeong yunho

didn’t get the hype at first. bought the game since he thought it had to be super fun if you were ignoring him for hours at a time to go bug catching LMFAO

yet when he downloads it there’s a catch

mr epic gamer, unlike you, has the luck of a god and generates an actual island paradise and probably gets a ton of shooting star fragments too 😔✊🏻

you’re the one stealing from his island, but it’s okay he loves you 💕

and he doesn’t quite understand the game yet

gives you star fragments because you can’t get any and he doesn’t want you all sad because you can’t make a wand!!

has all the cute villagers, but if any try to move will give them to you

pays off your tom nook debt because with his luck it probably takes him less than an hour to get filthy rich in game

also figures out the qr code outfits early on. yes he’ll try to make you one, yes he’ll make himself match

overall, he gets the game because of you but does it better because it’s yunho why wouldn’t he xoxo

still makes sure you’re doing what you need to before you go off to work on your island for six hours; the type to offer game rewards he magically obtains as a prize for you after you finish your daily work

oh to be jeong yunho

❥ kang yeosang

the president of the epic gamer club

probably persuaded you to buy it with him so he could rob your island of all your goods

makes you both reset the game until your islands both have good items but are different

so he can steal your fruit :D

“y/n, you— no, restart. you can’t have peach trees, i already have peach trees!”

“dates” where you guys lie on his bed with your consoles, literally just exploring each other’s islands

y’all practically end up sharing two islands. that’s how much you play together

invites you to go raid the other members’ islands

cursed humor carries into the game; like he’ll send you crackhead mail when you least expect it and the content WILL be something that’s only funny because it’s Yeosang

“you make me so incredibly happy, y/n. almost as happy as when tom nook first handed me my nookphone. almost”

celebrates with you when you’re both rid of the ugly villagers

overall impartial to your obsession, rather he’s glad he has someone to steal from share with

still will make you take breaks with him. he loves that you’ve got a pretty island but you need to take care of yourself sweetie

if you don’t listen he will randomly come on your island to beat you up with a shovel xoxo yeosang luvs u 😘

❥ choi san

would not mind the game at all if it weren’t making you IGNORE HIS NEED FOR CUDDLES >:(

tbh san would probably whine about being attention starved for an eternity 15 mins until he realizes his whining isn’t working, and he has no choice but to cuddle up to you while letting you do your thing

by that i mean he’s backseat gamer all the way, no i do not accept criticism

he’d probably just plop down next to you and cuddle into your side or lay on top of you— just positioning himself in some way that he can see your gameplay

the type to cling to you while you play while bothering you until you accept his game opinions as fact

can and will make you kick out the villagers he thinks are ugly

“i just want you to kick that smelly limberg out, is that really too much to ask?”

probably spent 10 minutes absolutely losing his shit over the animal crossing language

“WHY ARE THEY TALKING IN KEYBOARD SMASH?”

takes the next half hour to learn how to speak it

so next time you play too long and ignore him, will shut off your switch then lay down on you and scream acnh villager language gibberish in your EAR

"you didn’t have a problem with that voice three hours ago when you were talking to that cat rosie!!” :(

if you really ignore him and never stop playing NOTHING is stopping him from being dramatic and saying smth like “y/n, i can’t take this anymore! choose, me or him!”

“him” is tom nook

why the fuck would you pick tom nook

❥ song mingi

knows the game is popular but wasn’t bothered to try playing

so when he sees you, curled up on the couch in the same position he saw you two hours ago just with one less family sized bag of chips, he quietly sighs to himself and sits next to you

“is the game really that interesting?”

when you nod, he ends up like san and kind of chills with you, backseat gaming mode

except he isn’t yelling at you to kick out the ugly villagers, he can already see you trying on your own

gets shocked when the first tarantula appears and you get bitten

occasionally gives input on what he thinks you can do to have a better island

makes you go on an island tour so he can see what you headass just spent the last week making

actually is impressed by how much work you put into your virtual island

congrats! you’ve unlocked an achievement! : gaming livestream date for song mingi

will decide for himself who the cutest villager is then act cute and ask if he looks like them. it’s probably gonna be kid cat. tell him he does. please, Tell Him he looks like kid cat

basically i don’t think he’d be that put off by you getting addicted to the game because!!! acnl is the most relaxing game ever he likes to watch you while he unwinds after a long day

if you play too long though he won’t really say much, just sit by you pouting like :(((( “lov me”

pls love him, the big babie 🥺

❥ jeong wooyoung

another member that probably has the game, but isn’t as obsessed as you

will beg you for shooting star fragments if you get any though. please get this man a wand

does not get WHY you’re trying so hard on your island layout. literally only wants one villager, his island can go to shit so long as he has that one villager

that one villager is probably gonna be molly or something

another member who learns how to imitate animal crossing speak, except his voice is already in the correct pitch

makes fun of you complaining about a villager you hate but it all comes back to bite him in the ass once moose shows up on his island and he gets it

you guys are having a competition to see who can get sprinkle on your island first

spoiler alert: he wins, he stole her from seonghwa

(he steals a lot from seonghwa)

overall happy with the fact that you guys have a game to play together

but if you grind too hard on your own and ignore him for hours at a time can and will invade your island to steal your fruit and trample your flowers. AND send you spam mail

sorry

❥ choi jongho

doesn’t care for the game, and he’s mostly chill too so he’ll probably just vibe in the other room while you play, waiting for you to finish so he can do something with you

comes out a few hours later when you’re (still) lying on the couch, angrily button mashing while muttering curses to yourself

he’s really confused tbh, he’s seen yeosang play, he knows you don’t gotta go that hard to be a successful mayor, so he HAS to ask what the fuck you’re so mad about

“i’m TRYING to catch a blittering at the moment, but i keep getting these stupid carps!!! i have a debt to pay off, god!!”

becomes infinitely more amused with the game after that point

he thinks its so funny how someone could get heated while playing through probably the most relaxing game ever

watches you fish; he enjoys the puns and seeing you get frustrated when you keep catching those goddamn carps

probably takes the switch from you at one point to try his hand at it and catches a koi fish in his first five minutes

“i guess you just suck at fishing, y/n”

overall pretty unbothered by your love for the game until you start ignoring him

then he will threaten your in-game apples, saying he’s .2s away from stealing one of his members’ switches just to brawl with your trees

and we all know who’s gonna win between jongho and apples

#ateez #ateez reactions #ateez imagines #ateez headcanons #ateez scenarios #ateez writing #ateez x reader #ateez fluff #ateez humor #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho

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ghostmartyr · 4 years

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SnK 124 Thoughts

Have some faith, Reiner.

As if we’d ever forget Han Solo.

The only nice thing about what’s happening now is that it’s forced the right priorities on people. Despite Eren saying, way back in Trost, that people all uniting to face one enemy is too rosy an idea to have a place in reality, for this one island, in these final, traumatic moments, no one wants all these people to die.

With various faces painted on it, most of our main cast on either side has always been focused on one thing: survival. Now Eren rejects that entire concept for the protection of one group. In the barest of bones, that is what every single villain of this manga has always done. Of course the only option is to reject him.

And of course Gabi, who has always been compared to Eren, who has had the most traumatic series of experiences of her young life, stands up and starts fighting.

(One in shadows, one in light. Winning all the high school book reports here.)

This is the best of Eren, in a child who has been ruined by this world just as thoroughly. Gabi will bring back her friends.

Eren chases after slavers to save a girl he doesn’t know.

Gabi runs into streets full of monsters and saves someone who hates her.

I’ve always enjoyed Eren as a protagonist (his dip into antagonist, not so much). In Trost, he takes on the burden of being a symbol of humanity’s hope, but I’ve always felt that his true symbolic nature is that he’s the one who lays claim to humanity’s outrage.

There are things in this world that are simply wrong. Righteous fury without limits is a satisfying reaction to that, and at the start of the manga, it’s something that all of Paradis has basically lost. They’ve grown complacent with their lot in life. Even when the titans invade, they don’t dream beyond reclaiming the territory that they’ve always known.

Eren’s status as a rage monster is very much a meme, and he’s very much more than that, but it has always been fitting that the main character is a bonfire that lights the sparks of the rest of the cast. Eren inspires motion. Before he has any touch of competence and plot magic, he talks and his comrades find themselves listening.

Gabi takes up that torch here.

Reiner is done (again. sorry, Reiner). The world is probably done. Gabi has spent this whole arc being some kind of done.

Gabi gets up, and goes to look for her friend. Falco follows her onto an airship; she follows him into hell.

Gabi gets up, and protects the girl who wants her dead. She faces down a titan with a weapon not meant for the job, and she wins.

Just like the young woman she murdered.

Sasha joins the Survey Corps after Trost. She comes face to face with a titan, and she falters. She fails to kill it, and it comes after her, and she’s scared. She wants to leave. She considers leaving.

Dot Pixis’ speech reignites her will.

Sasha stays, and a month later she saves her little sister.

Her little sister protects a pair of enemy child soldiers.

One of those child soldiers saves her life.

Paradis begins without a spark. Even the people who are signing up to be soldiers are mostly doing it so they won’t be seen as cowards, or so they can go further into the walls as Military Police. People who want to go outside and kill the titans are nuts. The Survey Corps is nuts. They’re a waste of taxes, and anyone who wants to join them is a suicidal idiot.

Enter Eren. Enter enough fury and impact that the fire can’t be contained in one person, and the sparks start spreading. The people who have been left to tend their own fires for years are given kindling. The people who don’t know what it’s like to not be freezing cold are given a taste of warmth.

For a series that begins in stagnation, a protagonist devoted to movement is going to inspire the most change.

Then he decides to commit genocide and ruin everything, but hey, look at how much that’s inspiring people to get along!

Eren, you’re a fucking disaster.

Niccolo basically hands us the series’ thesis on a silver platter, so I’ll refrain from trying to fit his quotes into anything resembling a paragraph.

Niccolo is not Eldian.

Eldians are the one with the ability to literally transform into monsters. A physical manifestation of the horrors all humans are capable of if you take away their reason. That’s why the world calls them devils. They’re all a bunch of ticking time bombs just waiting to go off; why wouldn’t the world condemn, hate, and fear that?

Those ticking time bombs always take at least one more person willing to start the timer for them.

In the current era, Marley has been the force happily strapping bombs to children’s chests.

Niccolo hits on the truest point. From someone who is not Eldian, who cannot physically manifest the horrors all around them that could not exist without certain genetics--

Niccolo has a devil inside of him, too. He’s given in to it. He has been a monster, so lost in his despair that he’s willing to kill children.

The true enemy of this world is not titans. It’s falling prey to the demons every human carries inside. That is the universal human experience, and everywhere people fall in that fight, evil follows.

Titans exist because a man rapes a slave and has her children eat her.

That evil is a fault of human nature, not blood.

Niccolo and Gabi have been the monsters.

Unlike most titans, they have the option of coming back. They’ve had the fortune to live long enough that they can come back. Hell, it might be because she hits the bargaining phase, but even this chapter Gabi goes from suggesting killing Eren to talking to him and using his power for something actually useful.

-pats Gabi on the head-

Not bad, kiddo.

To the left, we have Jean and Connie.

Hell.

Connie’s simplest (as well as the most exciting, because he’s running off to Wall Rose territory with Falco, who has Ymir’s memories), and rather devastating. For four years, his mother has been a titan. Unable to move. She’s his only remaining family. Everyone else in his village, Connie spent their last night alive praying that they would die. He’s one of the three people left who remember Utgard.

Being trapped on a tower in the middle of the night, being hunted for sport by people he’s known all his life.

On Zeke’s command.

The man Paradis is forced to consider an ally. The man Connie is not allowed to touch. The man who is still, years later, turning people into titans. The man one of his closest friends ostensibly betrays them for.

After all that, his friends have someone who can save his mom, and they try to tell him no. Because that might hurt the feelings of their enemies. People like Reiner, for instance. The guy Connie still cries for in Return to Shiganshina.

Don’t worry about your mother, Connie. Worry about the feelings of everyone else.

Also Sasha is dead and this kid’s bestie pulled the trigger.

But seriously Connie, chill.

[chill not found]

Connie has, frankly, done a fantastic job holding everything together. The fact that he’s only snapping now speaks greatly to his character, and leaves me not too concerned about Falco. Connie ranks as one of the lowest on who’s left of people who would be willing to kill a child. Even if it’s for his mother, if Falco’s awake, I don’t think Connie can do it.

...If he can, the manga will have actually found a way to get even darker, which, if we’re being honest, I sort of thought we were beyond at this point, so flip a coin I guess.

Jean likewise has some of my favorite material in this chapter. He’s grown into a far better commander than he was at Trost, and having the terrain duplicated so well only emphasizes it.

But as ever, the true entertainment comes from Marco.

Who is also dead.

Yes, still.

“You’re not a strong person... so you can really understand how weak people feel.”

Jean is not wrong that destroying the rest of the world sort of fixes Paradis’ main problems. The issue is that it’s horrifically immoral, not that it wouldn’t be effective (until a civil war breaks out).

Because everyone spent all their time hating them, their only protection was murdering them all. And it’s all on one person’s decisions. They’re hardly involved, aren’t they? If they sit back and do nothing, it’s just karma, right? What could they possibly do at this point?

“But you’re also good at recognizing what’s going on at any given moment. You know exactly what needs to be done. I mean... most humans are weak, including me... But if I got an order from someone who saw things like I do... no matter how tough it was, I’d do my damnedest to carry it out.”

Jean’s right. They do reap the benefits of this horrible choice. No more complicated politics. Just a blank slate to do better on. Everyone on Paradis gets to live. Without putting too fine a point on it, that’s an argument we’re probably all familiar with, and here a character is, pointing it all out.

This fixes all their problems. Good, right?

No.

Because standing back and doing nothing while genocide is committed is fucking wrong.

That’s a question this series has grappled with from the beginning; which is more important, survival or doing what’s right?

In the start, we have a protagonist who is fully comfortable throwing his own life away in the name of doing what’s right. At the moment, he’s giving every appearance of being fully comfortable throwing away everyone else’s life in the name of keeping the people he cares about alive.

This chapter, we have Connie arguing for his mom’s life over someone more politically relevant’s.

Bringing back another fandom favorite, Serum Bowl pretty much locks these arguments in a cage and pokes them gently with an assault rifle.

Survival says Erwin. Armin doesn’t matter, except to Eren and Mikasa. Erwin matters to Levi in a way he doesn’t to them. What’s right falls to the floor except to be brandished like a machete against the other side’s wants. Hange has to swoop in and pick it up, and by then Floch’s involved and clubbing everyone over the head with his newfound fanaticism.

Once it’s gotten to that point, humanity’s continued survival still says Erwin.

It’s still saving a man’s life.

A man who will die without this intervention.

For the reason of bringing him back to life to suffer in everyone’s place.

It’s pragmatic, and it truly is best for humanity’s survival beyond the walls.

It is also deeply unkind.

Send these thousands of people to their deaths so the rest can live. Eat each other. Die, die, and die until someone can live. Anything that promotes survival is, in fact, the right choice.

In the Female Titan arc, when Armin and Jean are watching the full extent of Erwin’s plan in front of their eyes, Armin says that Erwin might very well be evil for it, but given where they are, that’s a good thing. That someone strong enough to be that measured with their few remaining lives is in control--even if he’s committing a moral evil, he’s protecting something more important.

It is the preliminary version of Floch’s eventual conclusion.

They need a devil to ensure their survival.

Levi ultimately rejects that.

He doesn’t bring a man back to life so that he can bear their burdens.

It’s one of the smaller goods of the series. After a life of suffering through what is necessary, Levi chooses to release Erwin from it, even though he’s still tactically essential. Again and again people have discussed how much it would help if one more strategist was out Paradis’ table in these times. Levi’s decision is what prevents the most experienced from taking a seat.

Levi picks to be kind over making the choice that more properly secures survival.

Because the survival of what? More choices leading down the exact same road? The endless cycle of sacrifice that’s turned human bodies into resources instead of recognizing them as people?

Titanization at its core?

In the Serum Bowl, Levi doesn’t choose who he wants to survive. He chooses what. He chooses to recognize a man as human instead of a commodity. Something the two brats screaming at him couldn’t let go of. Something he couldn’t let go of.

Do you want to survive, or create a world worth surviving in?

Eren’s actions will destroy the world beyond the walls he always wanted to see. Indiscriminately. Some of it deserves destruction and worse. The parts that don’t will be swept away all the same.

This plan creates the world the First King told them they all lived in; there is Paradis, and nothing beyond it. The rest of humanity is dead.

Thanks to forfeiting all humanity.

And I guess if anyone on the island has a problem with it, kill them too. Also anyone who encourages anyone to have a problem with it. Just set up your secret task force, give the names, and keep those named living in terror for a century until one of them becoming a serial killer in response seems perfectly reasonable.

For those in need of the reminder, Karl is a douche.

Karl thought genocide was such a bad thing that he committed genocide over it, but it’s okay because his genocide was smaller.

Eren thinks genocide is such a bad thing he’s set up to commit genocide over it, but it’s okay because his genocide is going to be so big it’s going to end all genocides. Until Floch remembers he has a gun, probably. Which seems to be always. In which case this genocide will lead to a series of smaller genocides, eventually leading to not enough people being alive for genocide to be committed.

Curing the world of genocide once and for all.

Yay.

What I’m saying is that genocide is bad.

Full stop.

Genocide is bad.

-draws underlines-

-draws angry grrr face-

Bad.

Perhaps maybe these people should stop doing it.

For all the moral reasons, sure, but since we’re clearly beyond that point, maybe someone could just quietly suggest with the force of the world ending that maybe imitating the exact behavior that led to literally all of our cast’s problems is not the best move.

Also, Floch shouldn’t get to point a gun at Yelena’s head. Only Yelena gets to hold guns to people’s heads. She makes it cool. Floch makes everyone wonder why Floch still hasn’t died, only to remember that ah, yes, of course people like Floch don’t die.

BUT HEY, AT LEAST THEY KILLED ALL THE TITANS THAT USED TO BE THEIR COMMANDING OFFICERS. I’M SURE THAT’S NOT RELATED TO FLOCH’S GOOD MOOD AT ALL.

You know, it’s not that things are continuing to get worse. They are simply following the roadmap of horror we were handed in the brochure for this arc. None of this is new, it’s just now in play. So it’s not getting worse, it always was worse.

...Yelena, just take the gun and shoot Floch before you die. I feel like that’s the fastest path to something good happening.

Let’s see... points to all our kidlets being a dominant force against titans now. Them Trost Redux feels. Points to Jean realizing that Eren has power of friendshipped himself into villain status (allegedly). Points to Armin remembering how Pixis gave the humans of Paradis their first victory. Points to all of Sasha’s family because I like them.

Then that’s the chapter.

HOW YOU FEELING, ANNIE FANS?

#Shingeki no Kyojin #SnK 124 #Gabi Braun #Connie Springer #shingeki no spoilers #SnK spoilers #spoilers #tl;dr #chapter post

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emberbent · 5 years

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Book 1: Fire | Chapter 6: The Dragon

What little resolve Shinza had managed to muster after the test had washed away with the rain. The memory of Chief Mongkut leaving her hanging was still fresh, and each time it replayed in her mind, it made her more uneasy. In an attempt to calm herself, she’d brought a pot of jasmine tea to the covered rooftop of the little villa she’d called home for the past ten months. Cradling the hot ceramic cup in her hands, she focused on the sound of fat raindrops on stone, on dirt, on the canvas canopy above her; through the downpour, she saw the village through a gray filter, watching vendors closing up shop, adults running for cover, and children splashing in the puddles along the main path.

She had no idea what to expect when she first came here, and she was a little surprised to find she wasn’t homesick. Not for Republic City itself, anyway: she preferred the quietude of the village and the friendliness of its people, even if she couldn’t escape the smog of the mainland’s industrial endeavors.

Nero crossed her mind often. Shinza should have written her a letter a long time ago; it would have been the least she could do, after her the shock of seeing her friend essentially dragged away. They’d never even gotten to say goodbye, and the guilt she felt for not having written to Nero was palpable. But a small part of her had been anxious to extricate herself from her life in the city, and from the people she knew, with the hope that whatever came next would lead her to what she’d always felt was missing.

Another memory that stuck to the forefront of her mind was her mother calling to her down the hallway after she’d come to say goodbye: We love you, Shinza. No matter what. She knew that, though, and she’d never questioned it. What she’d needed to hear was that they were proud of her. Would they be proud of her now that she was a firebender? Did they respect her now because she was the Avatar?

She didn’t know, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

Taking in the fragrant steam of her tea, she took the first hot sip and rested the cup on the table, turning on the little radio in front of her and tuning in to Republic City’s main station. The signal was choppy at best, but if she pointed the antenna east, she could make out the announcer’s familiar voice: “...And if you’re tuning in just now, thank you for joining us. Republic City officials today have confirmed the identity of the new Avatar. Supporters, devotees, and fans alike have awaited this announcement for almost three decades; after the tragic, untimely death of the child Avatar Yeong, the world rejoices at this new emergence. Officials are withholding the new Avatar’s identity in the midst of protests by The Organization, taking place in the city this week.”

A fresh wave of anxiety rolled over her, in time with a heavy sheet of rain that battered the uncovered portion of the rooftop patio. She turned the dial in search of something less troublesome and settled on the crooning of a familiar artist - famous for having gone from working at a dingy lower-ring club in Ba Sing Se to overnight sensation - who sang about the troubles of her neighborhood and her real-life addiction to opium. Shinza listened for a while, and then sang along, harmonizing in her silvery, resonant lilt, until the song came to its doleful conclusion.

“Hey,” said a voice behind her. Shinza leaped out of her seat, finding Amrit standing in the doorway, hands up in submission. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I knocked, but I don’t think you heard me over the rain.”

Shinza waved it off and gestured to the seat across from her. “It’s about time you came around. Want some tea?”

Amrit came to sit and watched as she gracefully poured him a cup. He took it with gratitude and waited for it to cool down, feeling Shinza’s eyes on him, no doubt wondering why he’d chosen this moment to come over.

Looking deeply proud and gravely serious, he said, “You passed.”

The color drained from Shinza’s face. She set her cup down and scrubbed her hand over her mouth, taking in the news and swallowing her rising emotions. “Okay.”

“The council sent word to the Eastern Air Temple. They’ll be expecting you.”

She nodded slowly, thoughtfully. Then she asked, “Why did it take so long for them to make a decision?”

Amrit took a deep breath and released it. “Chief Mongkut didn’t want to pass you at first. He thought you were too hesitant. But the rest of us vouched for you. You defend yourself well, your technical execution is flawless, and you display an exceptional understanding of the origins of fire. It took him a day or two to think about it, but he came around.”

Shinza quietly took that in and stared down at the table, as if scanning some invisible book.

“Hey. What’s on your mind?” he inquired, leaning forward. He knew her to be reserved, but in a circumstance like this, it worried him to see her simply not react. “You don’t have to keep it all in.”

“Yes, I do,” she blurted, puzzled at why she’d said it. She felt it was true, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.

She sighed. “Okay, fine. I’m ecstatic that I passed, but I’m disappointed it wasn’t with flying colors. I’m terrified and excited at what comes next. I’m devastated because I’m going to have to leave you, and because if I move on and I learn how to airbend, then there’s no turning back. There will have been no case of mistaken identity, and I’ll have to shrug off this denial I’ve been living in. And I’ll have to face the fact that there are people who want me dead.”

Amrit took that in. He wished he had some sage advice to give, but all he could do was chew the inside of his cheek. “That’s rough, buddy,” he said in defeat.

Shinza scoffed. “Helpful.”

“Can I have this?” Amrit gestured at her hand.

“Yeah.”

He took her hand in his, studying the taut skin of her elegant fingers and the thick scars over her knuckles. No part of her hands were unmarked. “I think you’re going to be an incredible Avatar,” he said, finally looking up and pinning her with his night-sky gaze.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because you care so much.”

Shinza squeezed his hand, feeling flooded with warmth. People in the city didn’t care about each other like this; no one made eye contact or spoke to anyone else unless it was to shout at them to get out of the way. In a place populated by millions of people, she hadn’t realized how alone she’d been.

“I believe in you,” Amrit murmured, sandwiching her hand between his. “I wish you’d believe in yourself.”

She gave him a little half-smile. “I’m working on it.”

A familiar, comfortable silence fell over them; the rain stopped and the storm clouds rolled by to reveal the sun, which summoned back the fallen rain in the form of an oppressive steam.

“I didn’t know you could sing like that,” Amrit noted, trying his hand at being casual, although he couldn’t stop a coy smile from breaking over his face. He’d never forget the sound of her voice.

Shinza gave her own fond smile. “Yeah. You know, at one point, I wanted to be in a metal band.”

“I can see that.”

“Actually, that’s what I was doing just before all of this happened - performing. My friend and I were playing at this empty tea house. No one was even listening, except for one person, bless him. At the time, I thought that was what my life would amount to, but now I can’t imagine going back to such a simple time.”

Amrit nodded lazily. “No Avatar ever led a simple life.”

_________

The next morning, Shinza made her way up the cliff that overlooked the beach - the place Amrit had asked her to meet him before he saw her off to the Eastern Air Temple. The sun rose in the east, awakening the island with gentle, rosy clouds. With a small pack filled with the few belongings she’d accumulated on the island, she reached the summit, finding him waiting for her.

“Morning, sunshine,” he greeted her, handing her some water. Gratefully, she took the cup and gulped it down. The sun glinted off the clean-shaven sides of his head; the edges where his long, black hair started were sharp and perfectly symmetrical, cut into a cat-eye shape that started at the crown of his head and ended somewhere just above his neck. A gentle wind roused his ponytail. She’d never gotten over the urge to punch him for being so handsome.

“Morning. How do I look?”

Shinza gestured at herself. She wore the traditional airbender clothes the temple had sent over by courier: brown pants, the hems of which were tucked into knee-high, fur-trimmed boots; a turmeric-colored band of fabric wound around her chest, and an orange sash draped diagonally over one shoulder, held in place at the waist by a leather cord. Shinza happened to know that each piece of the outfit derived from animals had been painstakingly and reverently garnered from the bodies of already deceased creatures. Noting the fine stitching when she’d first received the clothes, she’d gushed for half an hour at the craftsmanship. The clothing suited her long, lean form, accentuating her musculature and her gentle curves.

Amrit gave her a once-over, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe she was real. “Incredible. Like an airbender.”

He approached her, furrowing his thick brows as his eyes narrowed at the crown of her head. “Did you grow?”

She grinned. “I think I’m just standing a little straighter these days. I can see the top of your head. Oh! I have something for you.”

Shinza shrugged off her backpack, untying the knot at the top and gingerly removing what looked to be a piece of wood from it. She turned it around and presented it to Amrit: it was a woodburning, displaying him in a full-body pose - the way she remembered seeing him the day of her test in all his regalia - and a three-quarter profile of him at the bottom right, donning his famous dazzling smile. The fine detail was impossibly intricate, and its likeness to him was astonishing.

“Shinza,” he breathed. “You did this?”

“With firebending. Yes. I wanted to make you something to show my appreciation.”

“This…” he hugged the piece against his chest, careful not to warp the wood. His eyes glimmered with the suggestion of tears. “This is my favorite thing in the whole world. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Amrit,” she replied. “You helped me find my flame, and you stuck with me all the way through. Even on the very first day, when you didn’t even know me yet, you showed me more kindness and patience than I even knew was possible. I’ll always be grateful to you.”

Amrit looked at her, biting the inside of his cheek, and then stared for a few more seconds at the piece before bringing it close to his heart again. “I have something for you too,” he said. “It’s a parting gift, but also kind of an early birthday present.”

Shinza’s brow twitched as she realized how much time had passed, and that she would be twenty-eight in a few months. “Okay.”

He stuck his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, emitting a long, loud, high-pitched whistle into the sky. A few moments passed, and nothing happened. “Come on…”

Just as Shinza started to speak, a dragon came ribboning out from the clouds, small and far away at first, but rapidly gaining immense size as it approached. Speechless, she leapt back as the enormous creature finally came to land on the clifftop. If the sheer size of it was difficult to comprehend, its beauty was impossible. It locked onto Shinza immediately, pacing several feet with its snake-like body. Its talons gouged the rock beneath them with each step. Shinza could see her whole face, awe-stricken, in the reflection of the dragon’s golden eyes.

“Hi, beautiful,” she breathed. Even the small action of the beast’s breathing was startlingly loud. The air around them rippled with heat. It inched closer, slowly enough not to scare Shinza, who, after a moment, realized it was asking to be touched.

She carefully outstretched her hand, planting her palm between the dragon’s eyes. On a whim, she knew, it could exhale a devastating blaze of fire. The creature blinked slowly.

Shinza turned carefully to Amrit. “You got me a dragon?”

“Well, she’s not a pet,” he answered. “More like a friend. I’ve been working with her since she hatched, so she’s tame. She’ll take you wherever you need to go. Just know that dragons move on their own time.”

“What’s her name?” Shinza murmured, entranced by the iridescent scarlet scales that adorned the dragon’s skin.

“I don’t know,” Amrit replied. “She hasn’t told me. Why don’t you try asking her?”

She did. The dragon inched even closer, placing one prehensile whisker in the center of Shinza’s forehead. Immediately, she understood the beast’s name and felt a sense of warmth and love.

“Xia,” Shinza translated breathlessly. “Her name is Xia. Because she loves the pink clouds of sunrise.”

Xia encircled the two of them and constricted herself so that Amrit and Shinza were forced to stand closer to each other.

“I hope she reminds you of your heritage,” he said. “And the origin of firebending.” And I hope she reminds you of me, he thought.

Shinza slid her arms around him in a fierce embrace, finding herself ensnared in his own strong grip. Each time she squeezed him tighter, he squeezed back all the more fervently.

“Hey,” she whispered. “Are you crying?”

“Yeah, fuck off,” he sniffed.

Shinza pulled away just enough to wipe the tears off his cinnamon skin. “I miss you already. Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“We’ll see each other again,” he promised. Then he released her with reluctance. “Good luck. And be careful.”

Xia nudged Shinza’s shoulder with her snout. She climbed onto Xia’s back, hooking her feet just below the elegant, fleshy spikes that shrouded the dragon’s ears. Her heart raced as she suddenly realized she’d be bulleting through the air, gripping Xia for her life, in a matter of seconds. “Be gentle,” she implored her new friend, who seemed to understand perfectly. The dragon took a couple easy steps back and then started at a smooth, loping gait before hurtling off the cliff, catching the wind and making one generous loop back around for momentum before rocketing off toward the sun.

Shinza closed her eyes until the movement evened out, too stricken by exhilaration to even scream. Then she chanced a careful glance behind her, finding Amrit was bowing to them as they disappeared into the clouds.

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Fuerteventura. Sun, sea & sand. Pt 2.

Written by Rosie

If staying in one place isn’t for you there are plenty of car hire places around Caleta, but it’s worth noting that some can come with hidden fees. Asking a receptionist at a hotel, for example, can be handy as they have local knowledge of the better (and cheaper) companies to hire from. One car hire for a full 24 hours cost me a mere £30 and I was asked to return the Vauxhall Corsa with the same amount of fuel that I had received it with. But I was told I could go anywhere on the island except for Cofete. More on this later...

Puerto Del Rosario is north of the airport and an easy drive to reach. As Fuertaventura’s capital it can be very busy and not many tourists can be seen in the centre compared to other towns. A number of chain shops, food outlets and unique to the island places can be a great location to pick up some more interesting souvenirs and the bonus is that parking around the island is completely free, so there is no rush to hurry your shopping!

Hiring a different car we decide to upgrade to a 4x4 (with some unfortunate hidden fees as we had booked online). Happily, we were given not the SUV that was advertised, but a Mitsubishi Outlander which had a little more off-road capability. Deciding one day to take a tour of the island, we started off by heading south.

Taking a detour from Casillas De Morales to Tiscamanita I tired some off-roading which was actually more of a real road as most of the tarmac roads are relatively new due to the tourist trade. It’s worth remembering that some hire companies don’t cover driving off tarmac roads, so its always worth asking before you go. The local roads tend to be little more than a trail in the dust and we followed one rocky road that would lead us past some inactive volcanoes. It was at this point I found that my travelling companions didn’t like being away from the tarmac which caused some upset. Whoops! But the views were worth it.

It needs to be noted that such roads can be very rough to drive over, and unless you are a driver that has done such driving in the past, has lots of experience and is a confident diver, these roads are not recommended as getting stuck in a hire car can probably land you with a big fine from the rental company!

Finally crawling our way up the last slope we reached tarmac (which left my travel companions relived) and we head through Tuinje, past Tarajelejo and the Oasis Wildlife Zoo at La Lajita and through Costa Calma. Costa Calma is another popular tourist town, but the drive from the airport directly down the highway can be quite long and the locals can be quite speedy trying to avoid the tourists which can lead to some hairy moments! A transfer coach or taxi is definitely recommended if you don’t want to drive on holiday.

Sadly we didn’t stop at Jandia on our journey around the island as I had been told that Jandia has some of the best natural beaches around the island and that Playa de Sotavento de Jandia is very popular.

Driving past a few more towns we finally hit Morro Jable and parked up, stretching our legs and taking a little walk around. Talking only a brief walk to the beach at Punta del Matorral O de Morro Jable we found a few windsurfers but as the wind was good for them, it kicked sand up from the beach so it wasn’t long before we returned to the car. Carefully following both the road and the sat-nav, we finally found the sign we had been looking for just off the FV-2 highway. Cofete. This car hire company had said nothing about the mysterious place, so we thought we’d give it a shot.

Oh my. The tarmac road quickly gave way to more loose rocks, the kind you find lining railways. The car slid on corners and some locals, or those braver than I, overtook us and tootled along at a happy 25+ mph. If I recall, we stuck at about 15mph to be on the safe side and occasionally slowed to 5mph on some of the sharper turns. The views of the sea on our left were almost unreal. A deep blue sparkled as far as the eye could see and the air con in the car was most welcomed as the sun blazed down on our car. Reaching a junction there were two options, continue west to pass Puerto de la Cruz and reach the tip of the island where sits nothing but a lighthouse and unspoilt views, or turn north toward Cofete. We went north. A steady ride and a snake of a road twisted up the mounts with few barriers continued until we reached the mountain pass at Punto de Vista sobre Puerto de Montaña and I decided to take a quick selfie. I wasn’t expecting the monstrous winds that whipped fiercely through the pass though! I could barely stand at the little car park and my friends laughed as they sat comfortably in the car. The views over the North Atlantic from the towering mountains may have been impressive but they were just as nice to experience through the car window.

If I thought the drive to that point was awkward, I was in for a shock. With the mountains on one side and steep cliffs to the other, I hugged to the mountain wall on my right and dared not to glance at the severe drop just feet away from the car. Oncoming traffic in the distance was easily seen snaking its way around the road and several times we stopped and waited for them to pass us. I dread to think of trying to squeeze past one another on a more narrow stretch or worse having to reverse to a safer spot. Finally levelling out we arrived in Cofete. A shanty town filled with locals relying on their own little community rather than driving into the town and cities constantly.

There is one small cafe in the village that takes cash only and I presume they have toilets but I cannot be certain as we didn’t visit the cafe. Instead, we had packed a small picnic to take with us as we were unsure about finding somewhere to eat, and luckily we have strong bladders!

Parking up by the beach we grabbed our belongings and headed for the water but one small curiosity caught my eye. A cemetery on the beach! (Pictured below) Cementerio del Cofete is mostly hidden under small sand dunes but its a small, quiet place nonetheless.

If you are not driving, there is also a fairly frequent bus that runs from Morro Jable to Cofete and stops at the car park near the cemetery. There was also a regular 4x4 convoy of white Land Rovers that accessed the village and I believe they are part of a tourist day trip. So it’s worth keeping an eye out for that!

The beach itself spans for miles and slips away from the mountains into the North Atlantic. It's certainly not a spot for swimmers as the waves unbuffered can be quite large and strong. Paddling in the shallows as the water laps the beach is welcomed enough and the beach is a perfect place for sunbathing provided you have good sunscreen applied. Being such a difficult place to arrive at, we found the beach had barely anybody on it and we sat alone for hours enjoying the sun and sea. With the beach facing out to the west, I can only imagine watching the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean, but the thought of driving back to Morro Jable along the Cofete road at night is not for the faint-hearted.

A little history lesson: Villa Winter (pictured in the distance in the photo below) sits on the mountain slopes above Cofete and was built by a German engineer during WW2 and some of the 'roads’ around Cofete were laid then too. Some conspiracy theories state that with Fuertaventura being so close to both the African coast and Spain, it made a prime spot for Nazi boats and that the engineer responsible for the building was a sympathiser. It is easy enough to walk or drive to the villa, but as we were unsure if it was a residence we decided to politely keep our distance.

Returning back from the beach we had unfortunately found the mid-day sun to have baked the sand and we ended up doing some peculiar towel-hopping and running across the beach as we had left our shoes in the car! The drive back along the mountain road was no different and with the sharp drop now on ‘my side’ of the road, I had opted again to wait at a few passing places and have the more experienced bus drivers and excursion groups pass me than trying to slip past one another in tighter spots. Finally reaching beautiful smooth tarmac one more, we took the scenic route back to our apartment turning north at Costa Calma through La Pared and along the FV-605.

Here I would also like to mention a very worthy place to visit via car. Among the mountains on the FV-605 road itself as it meets the FV-618 you will find at a small lay-by. Parking here you can hike the steady climb up the mountain top to Mirador Astronónomico, a natural observatory! In the day it offers wonderful views over the sun-baked mountains and at night you can read star maps etched into the stone-work and on information boards. It’s an easy enough place to reach on foot but trainers or other footwear (not flip-flops and sandals) are recommended. Eagerly studying the weather I found a night where no clouds were in the sky and one friend and I (the other opted to stay behind) drove at midnight to the observatory. Sadly the weather is a fickle thing and we saw nothing aside from clouds sailing through the darkness. Next visit to the island we will try again!

Continuing on past Pájara, Tuineje again and on the highway this time to Tiscamanita we stopped eventually at Antigua and took a walk around. Wanting to see a typical Spanish church we tired the doors of Iglesia de Nuestra Señora but found them locked and realised that it was siesta time. Grabbing a quick Spanish style lunch at one of the few open bars (sadly I can’t recall which) we then headed back down the FV-413 to Caleta De Fuste. An avid traveller could drive the entire island in a day, but to take in all the sights would be a very hasty stop at each location.

Another day we deiced to take the road north to Corralejo which we found more of a cooler climate than the south of the island. Coming up the FV-1A highway we passed through Paque Natural de Corralejo, the natural sand dunes. While being an extremely scenic spot and convenient to pull over at the roadside for some snaps, it seemed all the other tourists had the same idea and hordes of people stood around taking group photos, selfies and photos of the sand dunes themselves. We didn’t stop.

Most of the Corralejo is centred around the docks and there are lots of places to eat and shop. My favourite being Cebra Culture located at The Bell Tower, Local 44, 35660, which is filled with some beautiful bohemian pieces of clothing and accessories. They also have a shop in Puerto del Rosario. Walking the streets and taking in the local culture we hopped back in the car and drove past a spectacular sight: Volcano Bayuyo. We put it to a vote if we should take the half-hour to one hour climb to the top but we decided that we were too exhausted from that days antics and we would try it another time.

All in all, Fuerteventura is a wonderful island, with plenty of beaches and things to do all year round, fantastic scenery and it features lots of great nightlife and a friendly atmosphere as well.

------

Pros: The island is an UNESCO nature reserve, constant pleasant winds that cool the air, lots of beaches, great scenery, plenty to do.

Cons: Can get very quickly sunburnt without realising, can get very busy with tourists, not a lot of easily sign-posted public transport, hardly any English speakers outside the main tourist areas.

Missed the first part? Part 1.

#july 2016 #sun #sea #sand #fuertaventura #island #canary islands #cofete #calete de fuste #travel #traveller #eplore #friends #holiday #vacation

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