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betaofsokyodai · 3 years

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2016 in retrospect part 2

So I’d managed to successfully pass my classes, get admitted into a better college, and obtained a sort of feeling of independence at being able to go wherever I wanted with just my own two feet and not needing someone to drive me around everywhere. The summer that followed had even more stuff jam packed into it that necessitated its own post because of everything that went on.

Okay so I feel like one of the things that made this summer seem so special, even though it sort of was special on its own was the fact that I and everyone in my local friends group knew that I was no longer going to be around after the next two months were up. Had I not joined the marching band I’d have had maybe an extra week or so with them, but band members had (and still have to) report in a week early to prep their bodies for the physically taxing season of field show marching that they have ahead of them. So we knew that we didn’t have forever to hang out and shoot the shit and play around with stupid ideas anymore, so I think we all internally elected to pack as much of that into a single summer as was possible for three or four young adults in a mostly rural area.

Of these things, the most memorable in my mind was the emergence and smash instant popularity of Pokemon Go. May and June set the stage for July’s release of the game, getting us into a sort of habitual cycle of going to our weekly tabletop club meeting, doing a session, and then going out to eat at a crummy fast food restaurant afterwards. We loved hanging out outside of that, though, so we’d also occasionally go over to each other’s houses and just do whatever entered our dumb heads. This would also usually be accompanied with getting something to eat at a fast food place.

So naturally when Pokemon Go hit the scene, we all hung out even more. We were all playing the game, enamored by its newness and the novelty of what it presented, even though the game was pretty barebones at launch and there were definitely more than a handful of problems beyond simply being barebones. Like, for instance I can remember that local regional monster distribution was hot garbage and all you could ever find were the same like base couple of monsters and the occasional new one here and there, and refilling your supplies in rural areas was incredibly painful to do without paying exorbitant amounts of money because there weren’t a whole lot of places where people congregated. That being said, we had a lot of fun with the game despite its lack of polish at the time.

I can recall in particular, this very ethereal memory of going down to the park in the town I went to high school in on a hot and humid day in the middle of July with the same friend that I took up to St. Louis for the really terrible convention. That park is near a river, and as such you see a lot of dragonflies all over the place whenever it gets super humid. We went down there because I was tired of catching the same old monsters at home, and the friend who I took to St. Louis actually couldn’t catch monsters at home because he lived so far out from cellphone towers and from decent internet support. But when we got down there, the field was just absolutely abuzz with these dragonflies everywhere. I think that at the time, I was so enchanted by this swarm of insects that I don’t think I caught any of the new monsters that we were able to find at the park that day. And I’ll never forget that day because that was, I think for the first time in my life, that time is an unending series of these little vignettes and it’s up to us to make the most of them. I could have easily spent this time talking about how uncomfortable it was that day because it was incredibly hot and humid, or how I’m afraid of bugs so I was scared, but that’s not what I took from that moment. What I took was the dream-like vision of what had to be hundreds of these beautiful, iridescent insects flitting about the grass under a rich blue sky with only a few clouds in sight.

Another ethereal memory I have is one where we all went out to another park near the game store we used to have club meetings at after a weekly session and after it had gotten dark. I remember us just wandering around in the barely starlit night looking for monsters and talking about whatever random topic came to mind, and just... I don’t know, just sort of being friends that knew we weren’t going to be together for very much longer. That was sort of the thing that hung over us the whole summer, despite trying to make it seem extra special: We all knew that I was going to be leaving and none of us knew when I was going to be able to see them all again next. We attempted several things to try and keep the group together despite the physical distance, but they didn’t pan out for one reason or the other. I think we tried to start a podcast because that was the in thing to do at the time, and we definitely tried to start a group on the, at the time, gaming chat platform discord, but I digress. The end was near, and eventually did come, but first I need to mention one or two last things:

I have a couple of other memories that I would like to recall, but they are, in and of themselves, major adventures that I really don’t want to try and truncate in order to squeeze into this post. I’ll tell them another day, but to mention them in passing, during this summer I also went to one of the absolute worst concerts that I have ever been to in my life, and then about a week after that, I went to my very first gay pride event, where I realized my sexuality and had a handful of misadventures through terrible coincidence and poor positioning on my part.

Eventually the end of summer came, and I did leave for university. I left for Band Bootcamp (the initial week that gets your body ready for marching season) on August 14th, 2016. This week would have me get acquainted with the new marching director (who incidentally replaced the director I auditioned for and got the band grant from), and the trumpet section of the college’s marching band. It was a painful week because I had not marched in over two years, but it was not a major shock to my system because at the very least it was the same style of marching as I’d had in high school. After this came the Fall semester, which was... equally an adventure. This was sort of like the eye of the storm in terms of things that happened, a lot more went on in Fall.

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dearmysan · 5 years

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Wooyoung’s Notes.

Here’s only the smallest collection of all the things I have noted along our journey so far. Enjoy reading them, I’m sure there was some I have missed out on, but there definitely will be more to add along the way! ↷ San often gets shy when it comes to me. He says it’s because what he’s had with me was unlike anything he’s had with anyone before. I get what he means by that, as I also can’t help but to feel shy when I’m around him. What we have is really different and special to me. ↷ He’s into Overwatch as much as I am, probably even more! Recently he has found out how much of a god he was at Hanzo. He says his favorite player is Jjonak and he often goes to a lot of games. I hope to go with him one day. ↷ We played Overwatch together with a few of his close friends. I had a lot of fun! But there was one time where we met, I kind of panicked and killed him. It made him sad but not as sad as I was. It’s okay though because in return, he shot me right in the head. hM. ↷ I asked San if I could kiss him, and he said he wouldn’t ever push me away, He probably doesn’t know this but he is the most precious person to me, hence it took me awhile. I did it though, I kissed him and he kissed me back, now I’m afraid I may have an addiction. ↷ I always tell San how much I like him, so instead, I tried something different and I told him I loved him. He told me he loved me and though our intellectual sides were screaming, it’s really a day I don’t think I’d ever forget. ↷ I was busy one week, and in the end, I couldn’t spend as much time as I wanted to with him. I really miss him. ↷ IF SAN’S DIMPLES AREN’T THE CUTEST SHIT EVER WTFF. And can I just say, nice, nice jawline. What a pretty neck he has too. He’s just pretty in general, we may have a problem, I love him too much. ↷ Warning! San has found ways to tease me and make me jealous in return. Maybe I should cool down my teasing, maybe he’ll have some mercy on me. ↷ He had a dream about Yunho and Hongjoong, I sure hope that we meet in our dreams instead. But then again, he called me his dream come true and that just made me the softest shit ever. ↷ After our first time, I was surprised to learn about one of his risky kinks, I’m definitely putting it on my list of things to try with him though, how exciting! ↷ He’s so cute when he’s drunk. He literally sent me a whole spam of gifs that were all like, “I love you” & “I miss you.” It was the most precious thing ever. ↷ Since I first met San, there hasn’t been a day without spams of himself. I love seeing his cute face everywhere so I never mind though. It really reminds me that I need to get my lazy ass off to give him a spam as well. ↷ He’s so competitive and I can tell he get’s sad when people stop playing games with him. I hope everyone continues to play games with him even if he is always victorious! ↷ I took him on our first date. We had pizza and a ton of beer, we even played 20 questions and though we’re not currently done, I hope to continue soon as I still have many things to learn about him. ↷ We’re going on our first Vacation together, just me and him, alone. We’re travelling to the Maldive Islands. Though I’m sure it’d be beautiful, I don’t think it’d beat his beauty. ↷ San’s so honest. He’s probably the most down to earth person that I’d ever come across. He’s too sweet for his own good. I’ll protect him, no matter what it takes! I hope the greatest people come his way, always. A good person deserves good things, I hope only the best things come his way from now on. ↷ San gets easily stressed when things aren’t organized. Sadly, I hate how I can’t do much, I can only be here for him at the end of the day when he is done. San should take his medications with him always though, I want him to be safe and I want him to always feel content. He’s a really strong person and I admire him for that. ↷ He really has endless love for the people around him. ↷ He says he’s not a fighter, yet when it came to me, he couldn’t let go. I still find that so cute. ↷ San asked me to be officially his, he even blushed and boom, there went my heart again. The answer was too obvious though, of course I’d say yes. ↷ Our vacation was short lived, but extremely fun! We had a nice dinner and he even threw himself into the water. I hope we get to go again, this time, I’d like to take him somewhere nice. Also, we forgot Shiber, poor baby. ↷ So like, San asked me if it’d be alright for him to temporary cc to a girl. He’s so goofy, of course I’d be more than alright with that. Whoever he may be in the world, he’ll always be my one and only. As long as it’s him and no one else, I’d be absolutely content. ↷ I had one of my firsts rabbit sessions with San a week or two ago. I don’t remember how far back it was because at this point, we’ve had so much sessions! We watch scary videos, scary mazes and even disney things! I felt like I was there right beside him. It made me so happy to see him so excited over the things he likes. ↷ So, San put on a scary game play in the middle of the night when I was preparing to go to sleep. I couldn’t do it...and I left. I’m still sorry about it. Also, he couldn’t exit out of the video after I left and we started talking about how we’re cursed. ICB. ↷ Noted. San loves heavy metal. He’s also calls himself a nerd because he loves Star Wars and Lord of The Rings. So precious, I want to share his love for all the things he likes so, it’s definitely on my list to do so. ↷ Perhaps, does San love Winnie The Pooh more than me? I’m shaking. ↷ I’m shaking again because my little boy is growing so fast. Don’t tell me he’s going to get taller and taller and taller. ↷ We finally got a place to ourselves! It’s on the outskirt of town and it’s quite a beautiful little home. We still need to incorporate a lot of Mickey Mouse decorations in our home though, we specifically talked about the kitchen! I hope to get to that soon. ↷ I’ve been desperate to get tall so, I did it, I am currently Yunho. I think San likes it though. Now he can curl up in my chest all he’d like! May I also add that I am a fan of my blue hair. ↷ I’m starting to think he doesn’t realize how beautiful of a person he is. I’m dyiiiiiiing. ↷ Okay so, he had a dream about Han and I got mad. Then he had a dream about Han again but this time I was there to pull him away. He said it made him laugh, and it honestly made me super happy yet embarrassed! ↷ It’s his birthday today! I’m celebrating it with him for the first time. I couldn’t prepare much but I hope he enjoys his time today anyways. He deserves so much. Also, I shall add that we also reached our first month together as companions! ↷ Though my baby is a daredevil, he isn’t good with drop rides. I definitely have to protect him when it comes to those! ↷ San brought home a kitty! We decided to keep the baby and call the kitty Simba, our very own baby! ↷ Over the time span that we’ve been together, San has gone from Soojin to Solar to Yeeun and back to himself multiple times. I have even more fond memories of these people now. May I also say that he was beautiful every single time. ↷ So like, we went to the mall together. I bought a few suits and San/Yeeun wore the prettiest skirt. What happened after that was quite exciting. We even had a session in the car afterwards. I hope we have many more opportunity to share those exciting and rebellious times together, ↷ I finally got to watch San play some horror games. It honestly wasn’t as scary as I initially thought it was going to be so I’m quite glad. Not going to lie though, I closed my eyes a few time and sat pretty far from the screen. He’s so brave compared to me. ↷ We finished Pokemon XY & Z. I still remember when we first started. Man have I grown so attached to all the characters. I am real excited to fall in love all over again with the new cast of the Sun & Moon series we are watching. My baby even got us a netflix to try out so we could finish Lord of The Rings as well, especially after rabbit died off and made me real sad. ↷ A car trip came to mind with San. It sounds absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to set out on that adventure. It’s like we share the same idea of many dates and I find it absolutely adorable. I have somewhere I want to take him. ↷ San had started talking about Jeno ever since that Boom comeback. Something about an attractive undercut and headband. I’m kind of real jealous but it’s okay, I’m learning how to live with it. Pft. ↷ We played so much dating doors, it’s so fun to see how our choices differ and how they are yet so similar. I really didn’t want to play the NCT because of you know who but it’s alright, I had a great time anyways. ↷ My baby called me dramatic...a lot of things started making sense after that. I am indeed a over dramatic person. ↷ San has started work again. I really hope he learns how to take better care of himself. I don’t like seeing him in pain. Before when we were just friends, I know he had a lot of stress and it brought upon chest pains. Now San’s back is often sore as well. I just hope my baby is okay after an exhausting day. I believe that he’ll always do his very best. I just hope he doesn’t push himself to hard. ↷ I have started school. Not going to lie, I’m very upset about the fact that my time with him has been cut off shorter, like I’m super upset. I hope he knows how important he is to me and I hope to keep him by my side, always. ↷ I miss him, all the time. ↷ San is really my source of strength. He keeps me motivated and really pushes me to make good decisions. He says he doesn’t know how to offer words of encouragement but little does he understand that just his mere presence is enough to keep my spirits up. ↷ We betrayed each other in a game and I was really sad. Reminded me of that old overwatch days where we killed each other. I never want to go against him again, it’ll break my poor baby’s heart and my own. ↷ San seemed to really enjoy his Loki self. I got Nick Wilde, oh yeah! ↷ I believe we are exchanging gifts this year and I’m real excited for it. I’ll work hard so I can buy him meaningful gifts. ↷ There’s something I want to do, but I’ll keep it to myself until we have time.

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sage-nebula · 7 years

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Five questions you want to answer but haven't been asked yet! ;D

99.) Pokemon Cards, Games, or Show?

Despite my unyielding, unending, unstoppable love for Alan, the games will always come first for me. (Of course, he’s had a shout-out in the games as well, so … ;D) The games are the entire reason why I was interested in watching the anime in the first place. The games are the reason why I was interested in the cards. As much as I love the anime and have a lot of opinions about it, the games always have and always will come first for me. The games are where it all started. Without the games, we wouldn’t have any of what we currently have. Without the games, the anime wouldn’t exist. Without the games, the hundreds of manga series (because there are a lot, which is why I get so aggravated when people talk about “the” manga when referencing PokéSpe) wouldn’t exist. The games started it all, the games are the source of everything. The games will always come first.

After the games, though, I do pick the anime. And then the cards, I guess, but I haven’t cared about the TCG in a very long time, outside of still being salty af that my biological mother threw out my card album (that had, among other things, my holographic first edition charizard card, and sentimental value aside, those still sell for upwards of $300 on eBay; I wouldn’t sell it, but damn, she threw away something so valuable out of pure spite and stupidity, I just). So for me it goes games, anime, and … everything else, haha.

98.) Pokemon main series games, pokemon ranger games, or pokemon mystery dungeon games?

The main series games come first, obviously, for all the reasons started above and more. I love the main series games. While of course I have some criticisms about some of them, and while of course there are some things that could be done better, I still adore the main series games and very likely always will. I love most everything about them and I can’t foresee that changing.

But that said, I also really, really, really love the Ranger games! Or at least, I really loved the one I played, which was Guardian Signs. The gameplay was a lot of fun, I love the concept of the Rangers and the Ranger Union, and how they differ from ordinary trainers but still do so much good in their own unique way. I love how they “capture” pokémon by not actually capturing them, per se, but rather by using their capture stylers to convey their feelings to the pokémon, calming them or soothing them and then asking for help from them. I also love the instances where this is done when rescuing pokémon from the poachers / villains. They send pokémon out to attack you, as any trainer would, but instead of battling and knocking their pokémon out, you use the capture styler to soothe and convince that pokémon to stop attacking. You, in essence, help that pokémon see that they don’t have to battle for this awful person! To be honest, having a device that can allow you to communicate with a trainer’s pokémon like that could be used for nefarious purposes, if put into the wrong hands, but capture styling is not as easy as it looks and I imagine that Rangers have to undergo tests and rigorous training to be certified. Regardless, I loved all these aspects, as well as the overall atmosphere, the story (even the silly bits!), and the characters … and I adored the Sign aspect of it, how you could draw, well, guardian signs with your styler in order to summon legendary pokémon. Did you know, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs had Soaring long before ORAS! And you didn’t have to Soar on one of the Latis (though of course you could, and why wouldn’t you?), but rather, you could Soar on any flying-type pokémon you had bonded with during a “capture” session. It was great. And you could rampage across the countryside on Raikou, or Entei, or Suicune, just by summoning them with your styler. You didn’t own them, of course, they weren’t captured in a little monster ball, but you could summon them if you needed them for aid just by drawing their sign in the sky. (Or, er, if you wanted to get across Oblivia faster, but … >_>;; ) It was great, and that’s the kind of legendary pokémon partnership I’m okay with, rather than the utter nonsense of capturing one to use for battle.

Anyway, I really want to replay this game, and I might do that soon, but I really loved it! I wish we could get a new Ranger game sometime this century, but alas … T___T

(Meanwhile, I don’t see the appeal of the Mystery Dungeon games. At all. I never have. I tried to play the first one, I really did, but I was so bored I completely forgot I owned it after a little while. I’m glad people enjoy them, more power to them, but they’re not for me, and I wish we could chill out on getting new Mystery Dungeons to instead get at least one new Ranger game instead, but alas.)

97.) Gym Leader, Elite Four, or Champion?

I’m not entirely sure what this one is asking, if it’s asking which one I’d personally want to be, or which position I value more highly, or what. But either way, I guess my answer is Champion … but in the way I see it, rather than the way I think most people interpret it.

In all my years in this fandom / way of life, I’ve seen most people interpret “Champion” as simply “strongest trainer, gets lots of accolades, gets to sit on a throne and be cool all day”. And I can’t blame people for having that interpretation, because—in an effort to make this series accessible to kids, which is not something I am faulting—Pokémon has not delved very deeply into politics. Again, just to make it extra clear, that’s understandable; kids aren’t here to play a game that dives deep into policy and procedure, even though Gen V really toed that line and confirmed a lot of the beliefs and headcanons I already had, even without explicitly saying so. But either way, I refuse to buy into the idea that the Champion is just there to be strong and take challenges. A Champion is more than that. A Champion needs to be more than that. Setting aside that this world has to at least try to have some form of functioning government in some way, if someone is going to hold the position of Champion—if they are going to be the ones that people and pokémon look to in times of crisis—then they need to earn that. In my view, a Champion is someone who not only handles all the policy and procedure that comes across their desk as it comes across their desk (fulfilling the executive branch, as well as tapping into legislative and judicial when the time calls for it), but they’re also a protector. They’re the very tip of the spear that is used to protect their region and all of those within it. In How to Train Your Dragon 2, Hiccup says, “The alpha protects them all,” and that’s the Champion, in my eyes. If the Champion is the strongest trainer in the region—and that’s something that all Pokémon media seems to agree on—then it is the Champion’s duty—their obligation and responsibility—to use that strength that they have to protect all of those within their region who may not be able to protect themselves. Regardless of anything, regardless of the danger or crisis, regardless of whether the people and pokémon in that region love them or hate them, they have to protect them, it’s their job. “It’s not about what they deserve. It’s about what you believe,” Diana says in Wonder Woman, and that, too. That’s absolutely true of the Champion. The Champion, as the strongest there is, is the one who must put themselves between their region and any oncoming danger. They need to be the ones looking out for the people and pokémon. They need to be the ones fighting for them, both in terms of literal fights (battles) and metaphorical ones (legislation, politics, et cetera). That’s their duty, first and foremost, before anything else. They have to be ready, and willing, and able to do it.

So to try and sum this ramble up, in my eyes, being the Champion is completely empty, meaningless, and worthy of scorn of all it amounts to is praise for being The Very Best™ and adoration from fans. That’s not what it should be about. If the only point to being Champion is to sit on a throne and look pretty, then I’ll pass, thanks. Being the Champion should be about being the people’s and pokémon’s champion. It should mean protecting those who can’t protect themselves. It should mean fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. It should mean standing up, saying “no” when someone threatens innocent lives, and doing what’s right even when everyone else just runs away. (Thanks for letting me paraphrase you, Rose Tyler.) It should mean taking that skill and that strength you have and putting it toward what’s right, even and especially when it’s difficult, even and especially when you might not get thanks or recognition afterward.

Being Champion is not about accolades. It’s work. It’s incredibly difficult work, available only to a select few, but that’s what makes it so important and meaningful. That’s why I hold that position in such esteem, and also why I’m so selective about which characters I think could potentially do it, and do it well. It’s not just winning badges and tournaments. It’s so much more than that. So, so much more.

84.) Drought, Drizzle, Sand Stream, or Snow Warning?

And now for a shorter, less intense answer—Drought! Specifically, the Drought ability on my ‘Zard Y, which I then use to immediately Solar Beam any foolish water-types that thought they could take my dragon down. ♥

76.) Reshiram, Zekrom, or Kyurem?

Reshiram! In pretty much every single way, haha. Superior typing (dragon/fire), superior design, and I also prefer what Reshiram stands for (truth) over the others. Reshiram is right alongside Victini in terms of favorite Gen V legendaries. ♥

#pokemon choice meme #ryttu3k #if anyone ever wondered why Alan is such an obvious fit for Champion in my eyes #then reading this post is probably illuminating hahaha

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laureviewer · 7 years

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My Year in Pictures: 2016

Having realised I posted so little last year, it’s time to get back into it with a lovely little memory post - my year in pictures, once more!

So in January we had just got back from travelling and had Christmas back in England, so really very little happened as we were very tired and broke and searching for jobs. But we saw our lovely friends who we’d missed loads over the last four months - I will always be grateful for those who stick around for us to come back to.

Gacy? Storge?

In February, we did what we do every year - make sure we don’t go out on Valentine’s Day because of the ridiculous prices and busy-ness, and went out for dinner for an anti-Valentine’s instead. 2 for 1 cocktails are fun when one of you has to drive ;)

George, Stacey, James and I (AKA Universally Challenged) lost at the pub quiz in the Comrades Club, though we really won as coming dead last means you get FOOD.

Tash, Beth and I also met up for Beth’s birthday, when we went to Soton for the ultimate student night in Jester’s - that student club where you have to wear old shoes because God knows what crap you’re going to get from the sticky floors in there.

In March, I took THE PLUNGE. One I had been wanting to take for years. I got a tattoo!! My little Mantine is on my left thigh, happily swimming around like the manta rays we swim with in Fiji on our round-the-world trip (though he is a little smaller than the ones we met). It was sore but not as bad as I thought… though doing it on your ribs like I thought I wanted originally might be a different story. This is a photo of it on the day:

And how could George, Stacey, James and I pass up a Misugo’s and Creams?

God knows what we did in April, other than watching Eurovision with Alec… where a face swap meant that a celebrity turned up out of the blue!

In fact, April (or really March 30th) saw me start my new job with the Haulfryn Group as a Marketing Executive, where I still am today.

In May, Beth came up to see me, and we took a lovely summery walk around Virginia Water Lake.

Then James and I made sure we went to Comicon in London, where we finally got to meet our idols, the Yogscast & Hat Films! They really were lovely, especially their man man Lewis, who made sure to talk to us for ages despite the hours-long queue behind us!

In June, Stef and I showed our mutual love/obsession with sushi by having a sushi-making session (though I may have got a bit tipsy and got impatient with all the fiddly rolling!).

For those of you who remember (or care) the Queen turned 90 in June, so at work we had a ‘dress like a royal’ day. I won and my fellow Marketer/graphic designer Hannah (AKA Kate Middleton) came second!

July marks the second half of the year, and also when my year started to pick up. That always seems to be the case with me - I do so much more exciting things in the second half! Though nothing could top my 4 months travelling, I’m sure.

James and I took advantage of my company being the owner of holiday parks throughout the UK and took a trip down to Paignton, Devon, to stay in a luxury lodge, relax, and see his lovely cousins who live down there. We even had a hot tub!!

We also finally met his cousins’ hairless kitties, who are actually gorgeous and not weird like so many people think about hairless cats. They were so friendly, though it is a bit weird stroking something without any fur! The female with a little bit of fur is named Lumi, and the completely bald male is Kuro (photo credit to Elise Preston for the latter).

Those eyes though.

James and I also took advantage of the lovely scenery around us and the hot Summery days to play Pokemon Go, as it had only just come out then!

I was also reunited with my uni girls again in Shoredich (2 out of 3 of them) and we had a lovely time, eating delicious street food and catching up (dat oversized bag wow)!

My nephew also turned 1 on the 16th of July, so my sister had a birthday party for him.

In August I saw the girls (and Freddy!) again at a Hong Kong Drinking Team gig in London; perfect location for all of us to meet up!

I also took time off work to spend time with my little sister Harriet at the beach…

…had more sushi and plum wine with Stef at Mikado’s…

…and saw the girls (all of them this time) again in London!)

Also in August, James and I took a day trip into London to take advantage of Harriet’s Merlin pass!

We had crocodile and ostrich burgers at Shaka Zulu (a cocktail, burger and chips for £10 in the middle of London, whaaaat?) and then went onto Maddam Toussards - somewhere I’d never been, but had wanted to ever since seeing loads of them dotted around countries you’d never even think they’d have them on our travelling adventures.

We met loads of celebrities there too #blessed.

With that chaotic month over, September didn’t slow down that much, with our friends Rosie and Josh having a leaving party before they jetted off to South America to do some travelling.

See my Facebook timeline for an amazing video of Josh’s dancing!

My sisters and I also took my dad out for a late Father’s Day trip into London to again take advantage of Harriet’s Merlin passes - we went to the London Dungeons and the Aquarium! The Dungeons were brilliant, having not been there for ages, - of course my dad pointed out every inaccuracy, and Amelia being pregnant meant she couldn’t go on the little rides they had in there, haha!

Beth also came down to go to one of James’ gigs…

…and I was sad to have to move offices in September, as my commute would be slightly longer and I’d miss reading by the beautiful Thames on my lunch breaks.

October saw Stef turn 23, and we had a big house party over her’s, which was great fun! Sam debated heavily with her mum, we took some great photos, and I saw Laura again for the first time in nearly 2 years. ^-^

We also went back down to Devon to see James’ cousins again…

…went to MCM again and met Tomska, another of our Youtube heroes…

…and finally I went down to Soton to go with the girls to Oceana for Halloween! We had such a good time at predrinks together in our posh little hotel rooms.

Sadly, James’ gran passed away at the end of September. However, she very lovingly left her home to James, and so we had spent the whole of October and November doing it up, so that we could finally live together after 7 whole years of being together. It took weeks of painting and sorting and carpets and quite a bit of our savings, but it was totally, completely worth it, just to be finally living together after so long.

In November, our lovely neighbour, Joe, installed our shower for us and put up the beautiful splashboards that we picked in a stunning slate colour.

November marked our 7 year anniversary - can you believe it?!

So, at the end of the month we went to the Ice Bar and Winter Wonderland, both of which we’d never been to before, so it was lovely and a completely new experience, going around one of the biggest Christmas markets in the UK.

And what anniversary would be complete without sushi…

Weirdly, PM Theresa May came to our work on Friday to open our new Maidenhead offices, being the constituent for Maidenhead. She had her funky shoes on and looks suitably confused. This may be when one of our managers asked “Is Brexit actually going to happen?”

December was SUCH a busy month. Not least because James and I FINALLY MOVED IN TOGETHER!! My cats tried to sabotage our efforts however by camping in my last pile of dirty laundry…

We moved in on the 2nd of December, and due to our efforts of the previous couple of months, it very quickly felt homely and cosy. We bought 2 sofas from the charity shop, put up the Christmas decorations, and - most importantly - made sure both our computers fit in the living room for optimal gaming time!

Despite being pretty ill the first week, it was great.

Our good friend Lynne even made us this lovely moving in present!

After all that excitement, I had a very early birthday party on the 10th of December, seeing all my friends in the local pub, The Squirrels.

I also made sure to see the girls from uni one last time this year in London for dinner and drinks.

In the middle of December, Haulfryn had a Christmas party, which I could take James along to. It was really fun - it was a masquerade mall in Reading, with a three-course meal and wine, as well as acrobats and other acts to keep as all entertained, and a casino for James to try his luck! Having been at Haulfryn for almost a year now, it’s nice to be able to go to a big event like this.

For my birthday this year, James really went all out. I had no idea what he had planned - only that we were going to London, and I had to wear my Pokemon dress! So I donned it and off we went.

First he took me to Sticks ‘n’ Sushi in Covent Garden for a late lunch - and as all I seem to eat is sushi you’ll know how incredible that must have been!

Mmmm big decanter of sake.

Then afterwards we got on the tube to Hammersmith, where the London Philharmonic Orchestra were playing… and what were they playing? Pokemon!

It was incredible - they played music from all of the games, telling the stories of the games throughout, and showing a lot of the game footage on their screen. It was incredibly nostalgic, amazingly well done, and even if you aren’t a fan of Pokemon, the Philharmonic are obviously incredible, and so the music was flawless.

I couldn’t have asked for a better (or geekier) birthday. Thank you James.

On the 23rd, Hong Kong Drinking Team had been asked to headline the ‘best of the year’ show in the Facebar, and so I went along - and they didn’t disappoint. While most of the acts were heavy, James and his band dressed up as Christmas characters (James: Santa; Jack: Jesus; Dave: sexy Christmas pudding,#; Luke: Bongle the Bear from Rainbow (he thought it was a reindeer in the fancy dress shop); and Charlie: sexy elf). And boy, was Charlie a sexy elf. They did Santa Baby and Charlie was especially camp. My favourite gig of theirs for the whole year!

Christmas was incredibly special this year, as for the first time James and I didn’t have to balance our days - we were just together. As cheesy as it sounds, it was magical!

For Christmas Eve, we went to a onesie party up a the Squirrels to see in the big day.

Christmas Day saw us opening our stockings together, and then going to the Squirrels for Christmas drinks.

Afterwards we had a lovely Christmas dinner with the Skinners and a chilled out evening.

On Boxing Day, after seeing my Mum and Amelia, James and I had my dad and Harriet over, as my dad hasn’t had a family Christmas in a few years. It was great - we played Cards Against Humanity (which my dad loved!), I cooked, and James’ parents came over late afternoon.

The last few days of the year were just as exciting. On the 30th, it was the Squirrels’ landlady’s birthday, and so we had an 80s night up the pub!

James also met Jess’ South African boyfriend Adrian, and now I’m worried about us staying together… they have a proper bromance going on!

Seeing in the New Year was just as great, with karaoke, dancing, and lots of booze.

And lastly, as I put on a bit of weight travelling and got out of my fitness regime, I took up running this year rather than paying for the gym. It’s amazing how much more you want to exercise when you don’t have to travel as well! I smashed my distance goal for the year, and running has now become part of my lifestyle as well as an easy way to keep healthy.

Thank you 2016, it’s been an incredible year. Here’s to the next - the first one of me being a ‘proper’ adult, responsible for a home. Gulp.

#2016 #icebar #love #moving #yearinpictures #year in review #friends #life #personal post

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