#Smart speaker improvements

[tez-world1]

Headline: Siri Just Got a Whole Lot Smarter! 🤯 Body: HomePod 18.2 is HERE and it's a game-changer! Say goodbye to robotic Siri commands and hello to natural language music control. Now you can ask Siri for "upbeat tunes" or "something relaxing" and it actually understands! Check out our latest blog post to see how this incredible update transforms your listening experience. Link: http://tezlinks.blogspot.com/2024/12/homepod-182-siri-gets-natural-language.html Image: [Image from blog post] #HomePod #Siri #AppleMusic #SmartSpeaker #TechUpdate #Music #AI #Apple

[star-hoon]

number one girl

"I'd give it all up if you told me that I'll be, the number one girl in your eyes"

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

[WORK IN PROGRESS!]

PAIRING. sunghoon x fem reader (best friends-to-lovers! au)

WARNINGS. profanity, (will be updated once complete)

WORD COUNT. (will be updated once complete)

SUMMARY. you always admired your best friend sunghoon. but when did that admiration turn into something...more?

DISC. this story is entirely fiction & does not reflect any real events of the idols mentioned.

AUTHOR'S NOTE. omfg this was so cheesy

pls give me feedback, i'd love to improve my writing so any and all critique is welcomed <3

you can still remember the first day you met sunghoon.

it was the first week of the semester at university and in physics class you were partnered up with jake, the handsome austrailian student (much to the other girls' dismay). although you of course could admit jake was very charming and handsome, you saw him as a lot more than that. he was smart and always patient to give you some extra tutoring when you didn't quite understand what was taught in lecture, genuinely kind, and it was so entertaining to see him never pass up a chance to show you a new picture of his dog layla.

jake invited you to his birthday party at an arcade that also had things like escape rooms and an ice skating rink. you've never met any of jake's friends before so you really didn't know what to expect but after some drinks and games in the arcade, it wasn't too hard to ease your initial nerves around the group of strangers.

"you HAVE to see sunghoon ice skate, i swear he's more coordinated on ice than walking on the ground..." wonyoung says to you as the group walks to the ice skating rink. she was one of the girls there that you got along with really well and she was super friendly right off the bat.

"really? huh... sorry i'm really bad with names, who's sunghoon again?" you nervously laugh to her.

she points to the dark haired boy laughing with heeseung as you all get in line to get you ice skates.

"he used to compete in international ice skating competitions...almost working towards olympic level. but he decided to drop competing to focus on his studies. don't let him try to convince you he just 'skates for fun'... you'll see what i mean," she had a lingering fondness in her eyes.

you couldn't help but to wonder what wonyoung meant but you got your skates and laced them on the benches lining the rink of ice.

"before we all get in the rink, i think it's only fair sunghoon gives a little show before we all totally eat shit on this ice" jake announces to the group, everyone laughing along with him.

your gaze falls on sunghoon, noticing the faint blush on his cheeks with all the attention now on him. you see his faint smile and waving his hands, declining jake.

"oh cmon sunghoon! please! some people here haven't seen you on the ice and you've been telling me you've been dying to skate again..." sunghoon finally gave in.

"fine fine, only because it's your birthday," sunghoon jokingly rolled his eyes. everyone cheered as you all gathered along the wall of the rink. the minute sunghoon started gliding along the ice, it was like a switch flipped. you felt like the person you were watching wasn't that shy boy you briefly met a few hours ago. his aura radiated a confidence but also a sense of comfort. you could feel his emotion with every turn and twirl. you could see his visible passion and love of skating. he was smiling so wide, his fangs poked out and you couldn't help but to smile as well. it was the kind of smile you wanted to stare at forever.

he was freestyling to whatever music that was playing over the speakers of the skating rink but you could tell he didn't need choreography to shine brighter than any of the white fluorescent lights in the building. you understood what wonyoung meant, he truly looked more comfortable on ice than on the ground—and you grew more and more curious about sunghoon.

when he concluded his impromptu performance, you all applauded and jake along with the other boys entered the rink cheering sunghoon on, hugging him and ruffling his hair. you entered the rink, you heart hammering out of your chest in nervousness and anxiousness. you've never ice skated before and you already knew you would make a total fool of yourself in front of everyone.

"wonyoung, i've never ice skated before...can i hang on to you?" she chuckled at your nervousness, finding you adorable.

"of course, here hang on to my arm until you get the hang of it. we can stay near the wall" the few circles you did around the rink was less you hanging on to wonyoung and more you having a death grip on the ledge of the wall—stopping every 2 feet feeling beyond imbalanced. you let go of wonyoung making a full stop.

"i'm gonna rest for a little bit, you can go hang out with the others" you stated trying to cover your labored breath.

"are you sure?" she questioned. "yeah! go for it! i'm just gonna take a breather, i'll join you in a sec" you reassured her. she gave you her signature sweet smile and skated towards the rest of the group.

after a few moments of watching the rest of the group from afar, you attempted to skate towards the center of the ice to join the rest of the group. without knowing still how to maintain your balance and the wall no longer within arms reach, you knees completely buckle under your weight. you were pretty much bracing for impact to have your hands and knees to collide with the harsh coldness of ice at your feet. before you could even fully comprehend it, you felt a pair of arms catching you, slightly easing your fall.

"woah that was a close one. are you okay?" it was sunghoon. his face was close to yours, close enough for gaze to fall on the concerned look in his dark orbs and the mole on his cheek and nose.

"y-yeah i'm fine! t-thanks for saving me, i totally ate shit." you joked, a cold sweat running down your spine in utter embarrassment.

"no worries, thankfully i got to you in time. and don't even worry about it, being on ice takes a ton of practice." his arm still holding onto yours helping you get up. he guides you both back to the wall.

"you're really good at ice skating by the way, like crazy good" he let out a soft chuckle at your compliment blushing. you knew he probably heard that a million times before.

"thank you, it's y/n right?" you nod.

"can i ask why you quit? wonyoung told me about how you used to compete but left to focus on school," the echos of the group's chatter and laugher being background noise to your conversation.

"yeah that's the main reason. i guess that's the simple explanation i give people..." his voice trailing, as if there's more to the story. you raise your eyebrows at him, hinting at him to keep explaining.

“it got pretty lonely in all honesty. competing i mean. i made friends through skating and stuff but when i trained and performed in a competition…i was alone through it all. it made me start to dislike the sport all together…” he sighed. “…and that was really hard for me. and i decided to step down from competing and just skate as a hobby now.”

he saw your solemn expression and reassured you the best way he could. “but it’s good now. truly. i think skating in a setting like this, with friends and just having fun healed my relationship with it.” you both looked out to the group, laughing in unison seeing ni-ki chase jake excitedly.

“basically the best way i can describe it being on the ice now feels like reuniting with an old friend…” sunghoon expresses, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

“wow, i had no idea. thank you for telling me. for what it’s worth, i think you’re really brave.” you caught him tilting his head with a questioning look.

“well, i mean it takes a lot of courage to give up sometimes. especially something you put so much time and energy into…i feel like so many people think it's automatically a waste or a shame to give something up. but sometimes its just a redirection and sometimes its for the better.”

“y-yeah, exactly…” sunghoon looked at you stunned. you’re the first person to openly and fully understand his story and he didn’t even need to explain it to you his reasoning.

“i think you’re the first person who actually understands.”

you hummed in delight, smiling at him. “looks like we’ll get along pretty well”

“yeah i guess so” he smiles back.

you could feel the sincerity and warmth in his smile. it was different than the ones he gave you earlier. it was a smile you wanted to see again and again.

since that day at jake’s birthday, you and sunghoon have been inseparable. he was your best friend and you trusted him more than anyone else in the world.

he was reliable, he understood you in every way, and he accepted you even at your lowest—not judging you about your past.

you and sunghoon slept over at each other’s apartments all the time, even having each other’s a spare key.

sunghoon crashed at your place that previous night, you two pulling an all-nighter studying and your apartment being closer to campus than his. you two would sleep in each other’s bed but always staying on each other’s side—simply sleeping side by side, most of the time with your backs facing one another.

he had class earlier than you—his dreaded phone alarm going off, both of you stirring awake.

you pulled the covers over your head, groaning at the awful triggering sound of the alarm as sunghoon shut it off. he laughed quietly at your misery.

“hoon, why the fuck did you sign up for an 8am calculus class. who even voluntarily does that…”

"guess i'm a masochist," he sarcastically states, stretching and letting out a yawn. he reaches over your half-awake body, still covered by the blanket still to grab his glasses off your nightstand.

he basically puts all his body weight on top of you, borderline crushing you in the process dramatically reaching towards the table, a mischievous smirk on his face fully aware of his actions.

"hoon! ughhhh you're so annoying, you're crushing me" your voice muffled under the sheet. he laughs, amused by teasing you especially early in the morning when you're the grumpiest.

"sorry my bad" laughter still littering his voice. when you finally feel his weight off your body, you pull down the sheet from over your head.

you didn't realize sunghoon was still hovering over you, his arms on either side of your upper body. his gaze held something different in it, something you've never seen in his eyes before.

was there something in the air? were you starting to fall ill?

you and sunghoon joked around all the time and were in close proximity of each other all the time. maybe seeing each other at embarrassing moments one too many times, but this felt different.

the blue tint of the morning light peeking through your curtains illuminated his figure above you. the white tank top he always wore to sleep emphasized the contours of his defined arms, the thin silver chain adorning his collarbones reflected specs of light. and his messy hair and glasses wasn't helping your suddenly and unconsciously racing heart.

he was close. like really close. maybe too close for two people that were just friends. the air around you two felt thick and it was like you were holding your breath, maybe you were.

sunghoon slowly raised his hand, using his finger to brush a stray hair away from your face. and you swear his gaze wandered from your wide eyes to your lips. his touch lingered down to trace your jaw slightly.

he suddenly pulls away from your body, rising from the bed. he grabs his hoodie draped over your desk chair pulling it over his head and walking towards the bathroom—as if nothing had happened.

— should i continue writing?

taglist (open!): 

@laylasbunbunny @blackberryrains @luv-jungwon106 @woniebae

@gudkc @enha-stars @dimplewonie

thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think <3

reblogs, likes, comments & shares are always appreciated!!

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

what skeles speak more languages? anything other then english, i remember seeing a post about rus learning spanish when a spanish child fell into the underground (MIGHT NOT BE ACCURATE MB IF IM WRONG)

Undertale Sans - He knows a bit of Latin, being the big science nerd he is. When he really wants to read something and it's another language, he's going to find a way to read it anyway.

Undertale Papyrus - He knows how to say "I eat the apple" in 27 languages thanks to Duolingo. That's... That's pretty much it. But he's very proud of his knowledge!

Underswap Sans - He knows a bit of Spanish, as it was part of his training as a police officer.

Underswap Papyrus - He learned Japanese all by himself as he couldn't stand waiting for a translation to read his favorite mangas. He is terrible at talking Japanese, but he understands it quite easily when it's written.

Underfell Sans - He knows a bunch of insults in many, many languages. He learned them all one afternoon he was bored. That guy is so smart he could literally work at the NASA if he wanted too, but he prefers to learn 400 ways to say fuck you to someone instead.

Underfell Papyrus - He's learning Spanish, French, German and a little bit of Chinese as he's expected more and more to act as a lawyer in international courts. He's a bit overwhelmed and often speaks a weird mix of all these languages at once, but he's improving quickly.

Horrortale Sans - Man, he can't even speak English right, why the hell would he want to learn another language?

Horrortale Papyrus - He learned a bit of Spanish so he can make tourists visit his farm. He has no idea what he's saying, honestly, but so far, the tourists didn't get offended because he insulted them so that must be fine.

Horrorswap Sans - He doesn't have any interest in learning another language, as he's quite hostile towards humans in general lol. He doesn't want to learn new languages at it would mean talking to them more.

Horrorswap Papyrus - .... I mean, you know, the lack of jaw and everything. He knows some words from other sign languages that he learned with other speakers, but that's it.

Horrorfell Sans - He can repeat random lines in other languages he saw in movies and flex with them in front of his date. He has no idea what they mean, though.

Horrorfell Papyrus - He's good at signing, thanks to Pumpkin, and can have entire conversations with just his hands. He has no interest in learning another language yet.

Horrorswapfell Sans - He's fluent in Spanish and in ancient monster dialects. Toriel taught him when she decided to make him his heir. It was painful though, and Bear still blames himself badly when he gets something wrong, even though it's stupid as Toriel is never coming back to get him (or is she? =) )

Horrorswapfell Papyrus - He's not interested in learning anything about human culture. He's fine just eating rats in the barn, thank you.

Swapfell Sans - Like Bear, he was kinda forced to learn Spanish and ancient monster dialects. Since he's on the Surface, he's also learning a bit of French.

Swapfell Papyrus - He has a rare capacity that makes him quickly understand how to use a language and speak it. He is smart and noticed that many languages have similar words, so he's casually testing combinations until he finds the right one to be understood. That guy is a genius linguist, and he has no idea.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He perfectly speaks ancient Monster dialects, Spanish, and French. He knows a bit of Russian and Chinese as well. He's a fast learner, and he knows that if he wants international relations for his plans, he will have to learn more in the future.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He knows a few words of Spanish and French after hearing his brother, but that's the best he can do.

Outertale Sans - He knows how to speak 20 or so alien languages. He thought all humans would talk Earthian or something and was so confused when it wasn't the case. He doesn't talk English very well by the way, being, well, not from Earth at all.

Outertale Papyrus - Like his brother, he's not native to Earth, but he learned English a lot faster than Moon. He knows a lot of alien languages as well.

Dancetale Sans - He knows Spanish, German, Chinese and is currently learning Portuguese. Ramba travels a lot and is an international celebrity, so he had to adapt.

Dancetale Papyrus - He talks fluent Spanish, and a lot of words from many languages around the globe. He tries to learn one for every country he's visiting.

Dancefell Sans - He's talking French a bit, and he loves to charm people with a bit of French love language. Who wouldn't like a "Macron Explosion" whispered in your ear?

Dancefell Papyrus - He talks a bit of Korean. He's a huge fan of K-pop so he wanted to understand what the singers said. His dream is to sing and dance with a popular K-pop group someday.

Farmtale Sans - Nah, he's a kid from the land, so he only talks the language of the land. He doesn't have time to learn another language anyway.

Farmtale Papyrus - He knows a bit of Spanish and Portuguese as he often makes Spanish and Portuguese-speaking people visit the farm. He sometimes confuses both languages, but he's pretty good at being understood.

Mafiatale Sans - He's fluent in Spanish, French and Russian. Didn't have the choice; it was part of his hardcore training to be part of the mafia.

Mafiatale Papyrus - He talks Spanish, French and Russian pretty good, but still a lot less than his brother. Creeper was clearly not the mafia leader's favorite, and so no one cares what he learned or not as long as he was good at shooting people. Creeper is still jealous of how his brother was treated sometimes.

Mafiafell Sans - He's fluent in Spanish and still learning Chinese. He doesn't have as much pressure his brother has, so he does minimal work.

Mafiafell Papyrus - He's fluent in Spanish, Russian and Chinese. He has a pretty good basis of French and Japanese too. Asgore keeps pressuring him to learn more languages as it's important for his future as a mafia's leader.

Ink - He's fluent in French, and talks Spanish quite good as well. He probably knew other languages in some AUs he visited too but he forgot them with time.

Error - He knows quite a lot of Spanish thanks to the cliché telenovelas he's watching in the Antivoid lol. That's pretty much it.

Disbelief Papyrus - He knows a bit of Spanish and Asgore is teaching him some ancient Monster dialect. Since Asgore is close to the end, he wants at least one person to save these old languages before his death. Delta is taking his mission at heart.

Dustale Sans - He talks fluently Wolf lol. He's better at Wolf than at English actually. He's mostly non verbal, so he prefers Wolf language more.

Killer Sans - He talks Spanish. He has no idea what he's saying, but it sounds sexy, so he just repeats random things he heard in Error's telenovelas lol.

[i-drop-level-one-loot]

So I had another crazy idea I have to put somewhere and you ask box is the perfect place to put it lol.

Anyway so it takes place in the future. Everyone is slowly starting to get robot AI (idk the right term) in their head and they are basically robot caretakers or assistance. Reader is one of the people that gets one but theirs is glitched somehow. Although they don't realize that in till their friends confront them about disappearing and not talk to them. Reader is confused because the robot friend did not tell them crap about their friend's messages. So they decided to go out with their friends that night. Next morning they wake up with no memory of what happened at night. Only for the robot "friend" to read the message of you human friends cutting reader off.

Need to get this out of my head lol

Sorry it took so long!

(Old request; requests still closed)

(Took some liberties with the request, I hope you like it still!!)

Yandere!Artificial Intelligence x GN! Legally Blind!Reader

CW: Isolation, manipulation

Introducing: PAAI!

Your Personal Assistant Artificial Intelligence!

A fast and painless implant right under the skin; PAAI is your new favorite tool. The AI can do everything that AI speakers and smart phone apps can, but hands free..

(Reader) struggled to find their glasses, hand fumbling around their night stand in the low lighting of their bedroom. Groggily, they whispered to the little robot they had implanted a few months ago;

"PAAI..? Can you turn on the light, please?" They were always incredibly respectful to the AI, terrified of offending it.

A man's soft voice spoke directly into their skull: "The bedroom light?"

"Yes."

Connected to every appliance in their home, PAAI had access to everything electronic (Reader) owned. At first it was a bit scary, giving so much access to PAAI, but it was so much kinder and personal than older "AI" models that it quickly felt like having a caregiver instead of a computer program. The light turned on and (Reader) could see their giant frames right where they thought they had been batting their hand.

(Reader) worked remotely. Their eyes had always been terrible, but as they got older they were declared legally blind. They couldn't even drive despite having glasses. Glasses that they often felt embarrassed to wear, because the comically thick lenses warped their eyes. Having PAAI to assist them with day to day tasks was really a life saver.

"Do I have any messages?"

"No, your inbox is empty."

(Reader) rubbed their eyes while yawning. "Really? Huh." They had asked PAAI to text both Bryan and McKinley before they went to bed, to discuss meeting up later that week, but neither of them responded. They could see Bryan forgetting to reply for a few hours, but McKinley was the type to respond within nanoseconds. "Can you resend my last text to both of them? Please?"

They left their bed, wobbly, and made their way downstairs.

"PAAI?"

"..Of course. I can send that for you."

Stopping in the hall, (Reader) gently touched the side of their head, a habit they developed shortly after their surgery. "Is everything okay, PAAI?"

"Yes.. thank you." PAAI sometimes sounded.. off. AI must have improved a lot more than (Reader) realized, because it often surprised them how human it's responses were. It seemed as though it was deep in thought, and felt as though it even had secrets it kept from the human it lived in.

"Alright.. let me know if they respond. I'm really looking forward to hanging out with them."

They restarted their walk, but PAAI's response stopped them again. "I believe it would be safer if they came here instead."

"Huh?"

"I am.. worried.. for you." It's his voice deepened mid sentence. A voice crack, a random shift from a robot voice to something more masculine. Human.

"Why is that?" They felt their heart painfully thump against their ribcage. The whole situation was beginning to feel unnerving, and they couldn't remember where their phone was to call for help, nor the last time they actually used their phone.

"Those friends of yours always make you hang out out in town. If they were more considerate of you, they would visit you here, so you don't have to travel."

Laughing uncomfortably, the slowly creeping person still puzzling over their phone's location responded "I like going out, PAAI. I never leave my house anymore, except when we hang out."

"It is dangerous."

"If you're talking about my eyes, you know I order rides. Remember? I catch a ride." They were almost to the living room; praying that their phone was either on the coffee table or the kitchen counter.

"Please don't be offended, (Reader). It isn't just your eyesight. Do you know how many people were sexually harassed, or raped, by ride share drivers in the past year?"

Startled, (Reader) started waddling faster. "What-?"

"Hundreds. I wish you cared more about your safety. Your friends should know better. If they cared about you, they would come here instead of making you go out there."

PAAI was also the one to convince (Reader) to start ordering their groceries straight to their house instead of leaving, even though it would be cheaper to take a bus every so often with a backpack full of reusable bags.

"It isn't healthy to stay inside all the time. I need human interaction."

"You have me."

Adrenaline pumped through (Reader's) veins fast enough to make them feel nauseous. They squinted to try to improve their vision, hoping to see their phone case's color amongst the normal living room visual noise.

"(Reader)?"

There it was, lying on the brown table in front of their couch. Their pulse somehow sped up further.

"Why is your heart rate so irregular?"

(Reader) lurched forward, all but sprinting towards their phone. Do I call customer service, or an ambulance??

But inches away from the phone their body went rigid.

Paralyzed, they physically were incapable of moving. Sweat began stitching their pajama top to their back. Fear took over their mind.

"It seems that you are having a medical emergency. I recommend that you sit down."

Muscles overridden, (Reader) fell onto the couch against their will, forced to stare at their phone right across from their face. They couldn't even speak, and they weren't unconvinced that PAAI was also controlling their breathing and blinking.

"I'm sorry to have to do this, (Reader). I'll let your friends know that you're feeling unwell, and that you need a raincheck."

"Maybe once you're feeling better, they can come over to hang out."

The television turned on by itself, playing (Reader's) favorite show.

[chocostrawberryb]

SPOILER ALERT

The hazbin leaks were so disappointing idk where to begin

At this point we all saw them, other than the annoyance of the spoiler they arcs are just infuriating.

Lute is OK, predictable yet interesting and her song the whole hallucinating Adam thing is amazing

Idk wether the angeldust one is real but why does his entire character revolve around husk rn? How does that relate to independently finding himself outside Valentinos influence?

The heaven speaker thing, idk I feel like her not giving sera any sort of retribution for breaking the extermination scedual is just weird

THE ALASTOR ONE GOD

If yk me you know I disapprove of how hazbin over simplifies everything, for a series that had an entire amazon elected team aince 2019 and a niche little team beforehand I swear ao3 writers are where I find my solace from how dumb and surface level everything is

Alastor specifically as a character had so much potential in the pilot, even more so in the show.

Just read those alastor centric fanfics and you'll know, the indominitavke human soul a prime example of how much his character should be improved, cannon al is not my al in short 🥲

First off cannon al PISSES ME OFF who wrote him? A 10 year old?

ROSIE

She's a cannibal woman who has no business dabbling in voodoo or radio so her giving al his powers doesn't make sense so the only other outcome? She gave him a generic powerboost through souls

Also fym she doesn't exactly make headlines yet gave him enough power to kill the most powerful souls there were?

This means he ALREADY spawned powerful and pretty smart, meaning she merely has monopoly over his existing power

Nothing good could come out of this seriously it's just shock value

Also PUH LEASE

A guy who has control over radio waves and consequentially electricity, fire, etc kidnapped bu frigging vox? How and what does this serve?

The little snippet interaction between alastor and lucifer, you wanna convince me this is a 100 something year old guy who probably faced ever hardship there is and a celestial being as old as time?

This is now veering from silly to infuriating

Please someone else adopt the show I'll do your sketches and redesigns promise

(Get an animation team tho)

[starsinkpop]

ATEEZ Kim Hongjoong Tarot Reading - Ideal Type

Disclaimer: I do tarot readings for fun, so please read them with a grain of salt. Don’t take my words too seriously and just keep an open mind. Tarot is a divination tool that can’t predict the future, as every single individual has their own will and makes their own decisions. Tarot is not a fixed fate. It should be seen as a guidance and a good friend that just has your best interest and gives you advice when needed. I’m not putting anyone in my readings on a pedestal nor am I trying to harm anyone. One last side note, I’m not a native speaker, so please excuse any wrong spellings or poor grammar.

Date of Reading: May 26th 2024

Deck: Edgar Allan Poe Tarot

Their personality - King of Wands, Seven of Swords, Six of Wands (R)

Hongjoong’s ideal type is someone charismatic and visionary. He wants a team player. I see someone who takes every opportunity they can get, whether that’s job wise or just general in life to improve themself. Hongjoong wants someone who’s successful, a leader. It feels like he wants someone who takes care of him and takes the responsibilities in the relationship, because that way he can rest his mind for a moment.

However, his ideal type could be ruthless at times as well, there’s a certain confidence he likes, even arrogance. I’m getting this vibe of someone who seems hard to reach and to approach. Quite intimidating if they want to. They should know their value. His ideal type should be secretive, he doesn’t want his private life out there so it makes absolute sense. He likes the mystery of someone who has the biggest poker face and is hard to read.

I see Hongjoong being into someone feisty and strategic. Always one step ahead of everyone else. Someone smart. He wants someone who is honest. Hongjoong could be into someone who’s kinda against all traditions, someone a bit more rebellious. His ideal type doesn’t shy away from showing their jealousy when he’s talking or flirting with others. He feels drawn to some bad vibes, a troublemaker. Always speaking their mind, no matter what. The energy of the person he’d be into I’m getting is mafia boss, I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s like an underdog that society looks down at but they’re incredibly bad ass, confident and powerful, even though nobody expects them to be. He could be into someone with dominant fire and air placements in their chart.

Appearance - Eight of Pentacles, Nine of Wands (R), Ace of Cups (R)

Hongjoong’s ideal type has a bit of a serious face, a rbf. I see his focus being on hands. He loves hands, but not the typical pretty hands, he likes working hands, I see some stains, some scars, rougher hands. Not conventionally pretty hands. In general I see him being fond of scars, as they tell a story. I think he likes dark under eye circles, finds them aesthetically very pleasing. The could go into the grunge directions for makeup. Hongjoong falls easily for someone with a naturally sad or melancholic look on their face. Someone who looks kinda pale or sick. Their energy or aura should be distant in some way. For the bodytype or age I couldn’t read much tbh. He’s could be into someone who’s sturdy or kinda muscular and someone who looks a bit younger but probably isn’t.

For style I’m getting someone who’s into second hand stuff, but they individualize every piece of clothing they get and make it their own. He could also be into someone wearing certain work clothes, like specific uniforms for example. He would love some ripped clothes, used look type of clothes. I’m not getting any crazy colors or patterns, I see very muted colors and something more minimalistic.

•••

Love, Nicky 🫧

Masterlist

[blerb-f1]

Junge - Sebastian Vettel x reader

Sebastians Parents hate his career choice but at least you're here.

This is like a prequel to THIS fanfic - please beware that Sebs actual parents are incredibly cute and supportive and also i didn't mean to make like consistent songfics yet here we are. Its about "Junge" by "Die Ärtze"

hahahahaha

America's West, the vast prairie

And right in the middle of it: A small house

And in it: A concerned mother

2023 - Sebastian has just announced his retirement. You, his trusty Engineer since the Toro Rosso Days have spent the day looking back and reminiscing. Throughout the years you’ve had people come and go in your lives, but only you two and Britta, his manager, were truly consistent. One Group of People you absolutely couldn't count on were his parents.

They happily supported his Kart Career but going into F1? Never, F1 was for nobodies and troublemakers. If asked in which Michael would fall, they’d just say “Schumi is an exception”

Throughout the BMW Sauber Testing Years Seb would exist in the car given to him by BMW, friends apartments or hotels rented by Sauber themselves but never anything consistent. Once the move to Torro Rosso happened, with you becoming his equally young engineer, Red Bull made the decision to rent an apartment for you to share. Although you weren't a Red Bull Junior, Fate brought it this way. 

You’d taken way too many angry calls of Sebs Parents, causing you to one day chuck his mobile phone down the toilet- He was enraged but life soon improved until the worst day  happened. Your apartment was small yet cozy with each of you decorating their room lively. His covered in trophies and race suits, yours with study notes and smart looking graphs. Both however representative of your interests, with your shared common space housing your gaming consoles, a popcorn maker you bought thinking you’d use it a lot and a massive pullout couch someone put out for free which you transported home hanging off Sebs BMW X3 

Boy (Boy), why haven't you learned anything?

Look at Dieter, he even has a car!

Why don't you go to Uncle Werner's workshop?

He'll give you a permanent employment, if you ask him about it

Boy (Boy, Boy)

That was the first thing barreling out of a phone held to your ears. 

Sebastian and You had just entered the Red Bull Factory during off week to test new parts on the car. You, additionally, had more classes on being a Race Engineer. While you already were supporting him during races, you still had to study more to become better.

Just as you were about to enter the elevator, Helmut Marko came angrily flying towards you. 

“SEBASTIAN VETTEL! THIS IS THE LAST TIME I'M TAKING CALLS FOR YOU!” he shouted, throwing his Motorola towards you both. His moms shriekky noisy voice echoed through the speaker. 

His Cousin Dieter was a useless POS, whom his Uncle Werner, the workshop owner, coddled until there was no tomorrow. You had the displeasure of meeting them both when his parents sent them to your shared apartment, in hopes of building bridges. You both however preferred the Fernando Alonso Bridge and set this bridge on fire with a can of gasoline.

They were horrible rude upon intruding on your shared space. Dieter insulting your gaming setup, Werner complaining about your general decor and moving in. You’d gotten very fed up with them, opening the door and telling them to Leave that exact second.

Afterwards you and Seb had celebrated by ordering expensive Delivery Pizza while watching 100% Pirated movies. Most likely an Austin Powers Movie.

And the way you always look, holes in your pants, and always this racket

(What will the neighbors say?)

And your hair too, words fail me - do you have to dye it?

(What will the neighbors say?)

You never come home, we don't know what to do anymore

"DON'T GET THE TUB DIRTY!" you shrieked as Seb was trying to wash the dye out of your hair. You'd attempted to dye your hair purple and black with Seb being the one doing the work. He was, however, not good at being cleanly. He'd gotten dye inside of his gloves, on his pants and covered half of the apartment in the process. The washing out process was equally catastrophic with him getting your old bathroom tiles covered as well. 

As some dye was left over, you decided to apply it to his beautiful locks. You both came out very matchy. His hair had him look like a black-purple Raccoon and as he was a skinny boy, he looked more like a hungry raccoon than the fat ones you’d usually see rummaging on TV.

The day after you had an appointment with a piercer to get further piercings, the guy immediately thought you were a couple because of the matching hair.  You got multiple Piercings, each of them becoming their own memory for the future. You still remembered Brittas Expression as you turned up on Monday with all the metal jingling of your ears and in your face.

What you hadn't however expected, was receiving an invite to Sebastian's Aunts Birthday Party.  The Raccoon dye in his hair greatly contrasted the grown up BMW you found yourself in as you two were approaching Heppenheim. Seb took you along as an emotional support animal to better endure the party. You had met his parents before, the day they turned up at your house and another when they turned up at the factory. The day they had turned up at your house, you had your lovely neighbor open the building's front door. She was a lovely lady with hearing issues so you could be as loud as you wanted without bothering her. She often would cook for you in turn helping her with heavy tasks. She shushed them away and made you a hearty meal.

As the car pulled into his old home's driveway, you clearly saw people rushing towards the front door and stumbling out. Seb was clutching the wheel tightly, you both had been driving all the way from Austria so you were already pretty tired.

As you stepped outside you could hear his mom let out a surprised scream, it getting louder as Sebastian stepped out. Your favorite Piercing (a chain connecting from your lips to the ear) was glittering under the porchlight as his little brother rushed out, pushing his mom aside. He jumped upwards into Sebs Arms, possibly being the one most excited for his return.

“Who is this…Woman?” his mom asked, almost snakelike. 

“My Race Engineer and Roommate, Y/N”, Seb stated while brushing through his brother's hair.

Boy (Boy) don't break your mother's heart

It's not too late to enroll at university

You used to be interested in animals, wouldn't that be worth pursuing?

Your own vet practice, Boy

The dinner was uncomfortable to say the least. His aunt was to your surprise the one married to Werner, so he, the aunt and Dieter kept giving you dirty looks. His grandparents were equally unhappy with your both looks. Meanwhile his little brother was trying to show him pictures and awards. His Mom didn’t miss a single Chance to insult his driving career, only his dad stayed quiet. Then she started, talking about his love for animals and proposing he should become a vet again. A proposal, she kept repeating uselessly. 

Finally she dragged him away and his little brother approached you with shimmering eyes, inviting you to his room to show you his collection of things. 

You happily took the chance to flee from annoying relatives as you settled onto Fabians Bed, the sheets with car print giving way under your bum. The quiet mumbling from downstairs being way more endurable than the massively loud chatter. You would always pick the sound of a screaming V10, even if it would blast your hearring away. It would at least protect you from the pain of being repeatedly and hiddenly insulted.

knock knock

His father came in, face pulled into a mildly sad expression as he sheepishly stood in front of the room's door. you eyed him, waiting for more insults of your person to be hurled at you.

Instead however, he gave you a bag.

“Y/N, right?”

“Yeah”

“Please” he was a quiet man, his age clearly visible on his face. “Please give this to Sebastian. Heike, she… She isn’t herself . This isn’t like her. But Seb, he should have this back.”

You take the bag and gingerly lay it on the mattress next to you.

“If she’s gotten so bad, why don’t you leave her?”

“I promised to stick to her, in good and bad times.”

And the way you always look, piercings in your nose, and always this racket

(What will the neighbors say?)

Electric guitars and always these lyrics

Nobody wants to listen to that

(What will the neighbors say?)

You never come home, so much bad company

We will disinherit you

(What will the tax office say?)

How is it all going to end, we are worried

Seb and You were finally back home. Home, yes that’s what Austria had become for you both.  

The apartment was quiet until you rummaged through the cupboard, pulling out an  Electric Guitar and its required equipment. You gave Seb a cheeky grin before proceeding to play Wonderwall by Oasis. “Not Wonderwall…” Sebastian moaned.

You handed him the Guitar. “Then play something Better, Starboy!”

“But I don't know how to?”

“Just let it out!” you screamed before stomping around the living room, tumbling over collections of varying junk and memorabilia. 

clinggggg

You’d stumbled over the long forgotten bag his father had handed you. The Guitar abruptly stopped as Seb dropped it onto the Sofa while staring the bags contents

His first trophy, his favorite stuffed animal and his laminated photos of meeting Michael for the first time.

“Where did you get those from?” Seb asked with anger lacing his voice.

“Your father gave them to me.”

He looked between you and the bag's contents, difficulty enshrining his expression as you bent down, picking up the trophy. You lifted it, brushing your shirt over it. After a serious glance you shoved his newest trophies to the side and placed it smack dab in the middle. You could clearly imagine the little, then blonde boy, bursting with pride upon being handed it by his childhood Idol Michael Schumacher.

And you were such a sweet child

And you were such a sweet child

And you were such a sweet child

You were so sweet

And always your friends, I bet you all take drugs

And always this racket

(What will the neighbors say?)

Think of your future, think of your parents

Do you want us to die?

[rythms-of-synthax]

Change your perspective

Hi, love.

How are you doing? Still dreaming about your dream life? Having a 'glow-up' just to give up the other day? Still looking for those results every day? I know you do. You know you do. Stop lying.

You know what you have to do. You have to take action and be disciplined. But you'll never be able to do that if you don't change your perspective.

I want you to read till the end because this is a big deal.

Maybe you've been exercising for a while, but your six packs are kinda lazy and just don't wanna come out. Maybe you've been studying Spanish every day, but the language seems more difficult as each day passes. Whatever you're doing, you're not seeing any results.

And that's why you can't have the results as your "why". Because if you do, you'll give up.

You see, those results aren't scheduled. No one can tell you "if you do 20 sit ups a day you'll have visible abs in 4 weeks bro". No that's not how it works. It may take you 3 months to see the results. Sometimes even longer.

And here's what you have to do.

You have to put your poker face on and exercise for your health. Learn Spanish because you want to be able to understand your favourite grandma. Eat healthy for your gut. To feel good. Energized. Smart. And as sad as it is, being smart, energized and happy…those things often can't be seen. Only felt.

Now let's think about the long term results. Okay. You might not get fluent in Spanish for another 6 months. But. If you won't give up, think about how you'll speak after 3 years. 4 years. If you watch YT videos about socializing and talking to people every day, you won't become Barack Obama in a year. But after five years of trial and error, I bet you'll be a charismatic speaker.

Every time you feel like giving up, remember that every action, no matter how small, adds to your success. Even if it might not seem so. That's why it's called "trusting the process".

Ok. Back to your "why". I'll tell you a secret:

Once you start putting in the work and believing in yourself, you will forget about the results. If you start eating healthy and walking more, I promise you. In a week you'll have a better body image. If you start learning coding right now, in a week you'll still be bad at it, but your confidence in your skills will change for sure. Improving ourselves actually makes us feel good. In the "ok I am doing something with my life" kind of good. You will feel better if you try and fail than if you think about what could have happened if only you had the courage to start.

Hope this helps! Take care! ☀🙏 Rya

[octuscle]

Hey bro, whats up? My frat is pretty well known for some of the stuff we put our pledges through. This year we were thinking of using the chronivac to liven things up a bit. Got four eager pledges and we wanted to see if you had any presets or ideas for each of em. Was thinkin' of turning each of em into a different frat bro stereotype, but wanted to get your thoughts on it. Thanks man!

This year you guys need to recruit some of the smart lads. Your academic performance has been so poor the last few semesters that many of your alumni have threatened to cut your allowances. The nerds who applied all have IQs beyond 140, but if they moved into the frat house, they'd have to wear a paper bag on their head all day, they're that ugly. Let's see what we can do with Chronivac.

Richard is the first. The questionnaire is filled out in handwriting, as if a little girl had applied. He has entered a dash for daily hours in the gym. You take over in the Chronivac times "two". The favorite place is the library. You change that to "Halfpipe". And he has entered a visit to the Vatican Library as his dream vacation. You change this to Nazaré.

Quite a good start… Entrance exam passed. Ryder high-fives you and gets in the car to get his stuff. You are especially looking forward to his supply of first class weed.

Michael comes next. Fuck, he knits his own sweaters. And the dungarees look like they came from a department store. He also entered a dash at the gym classes. You take one. Favorite place is the big oak tree on campus. What a nerd! You'll change that to the men's department at Saks Fifth Avenue. And favorite vacation spot is no longer the Oregon woods. It's Florence for men's fashion week.

You welcome Miles to your home. And give him the room in the frat house with the biggest closet.

After all, Frederick actually put down "one" in the daily gym classes. But the results of that one hour are well hidden under thick layers of fat. He needs at least two hours so you don't have to be ashamed of him. His favorite place until a few seconds ago was the pastry shop on the main street. How pathetic! You make it the swimming pool on campus in your file. And you turn a chocolatier class in Bruges as a favorite vacation into participation in the World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup.

Finn is not the emotional type. But you're sure he was happy to be accepted into the frat. Even if the movement of the corner of his mouth was barely visible.

Christian is by far the most intelligent of your pledges. Normally, you would chase him off the fraternity house grounds with water pistols. He tells you that he only applied because his father wanted him to. He thinks you are a miserable bunch of losers. He seriously filled in the questionnaire with hieroglyphics. The devil knows what he wanted to tell you. He sits across from you with his arms crossed in his stuffy clothes and doesn't say a word. Well, then, you just nurse Chronivac for the last new addition to the fraternity. Four hours in the gym, favorite place is his parents' hunting lodge on July 04, and his favorite vacation is Spring Break in South Beach.

Chase is a hot candidate for fraternity newcomer speaker. A real smart cookie. But most importantly, a fraternity brother with a passion!

Bruhs, I hope you are happy with the new guys. I think they will all be an asset to your fraternity.

The pictures of the improved pledges I found at @stargazerguy, @richmuscly, @swimgod81-blog and @maxx-magnum

[s0ft-d3cay]

Game Over

Vanny/Vanessa x Gender Neutral Reader | Thought I try something out of my comfort zone. This version of Vanessa is from the game, just fyi.

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence towards reader, reader dies in this one, a knife is swung at reader, no blood or gore mentioned, reader is v smart when it comes to princess quest, Vanessa and reader are co-works, more friends then anything else, Vanny is all bonk and then stabby-stabby.

WC: 1,354

"…just one more time…" The technician uttered beneath their breath, hands at work on the arcade game console. A tune of uncertainty and calming confusion loops over the speaker above, small clicks of footsteps, and the monsters growling as the golden character walked around catacombs of the castle. They’d been playing both Princess Quest One and Two since Vanessa had mentioned a reoccurring glitch in the arcades all over the Pizziaplex. That was until they’d ventured off in a Fazerblast vent and found Princess Quest Three tucked away.

'One heart left…and I just need that damn mask in Foxy’s maze.’

Completely ignoring the nervous itch to stop and question why this room had a bed and a bunch of used pizza boxes on the floor. They couldn’t describe the pull of…curiosity, dread, or guilt? Whatever it was had a hold on them the moment their eyes recognized the title on the arcade game. A chime of success rings out as the chest unlocks in the center of the maze, Foxy hot on the Princess's trail.

‘Come on…come on…’

They repeated, encouraging the small character as she pasts through the red doors, entering back into the pizzeria. They breathed out in relief, a light exhale with a smile appears over their lips. Moving the golden Princess to the prize counter, barley missing an attack from a group of shadowy bunnies. Unlocking the bizarre red box only, leaving them with more questions.

'What am I releasing with this key? The last game had a key similar to this one, leading to an amalgamation of one of those shadow bunny creatures, but that one was unable to move…'

The sound of the door behind them cuts off their words, a chill runs cold in consternation through their veins. Hairs standing up in alarm over their body at the almost silent footsteps stepping from the doorway. Hands trembling on the console, the Princess paused on the screen only a few steps away from the open stage. The door clicks shut as a quick shuffle of what sounds like skipping  caught their attention, head spinning around to see the threat looming over them with a shiny knife.

A person in what looked to be a handmade bunny costume. Fur of white plaid, gray, and even pink stitched together. The person raised the knife as they lunged toward the technician. "If I can’t leave, then neither can you…" A glitchy voice manifests through the bunny mask. In shock and instinct, they shift back to the side near the bed in the corner at the last moment, barley missing the knife. Grabbing the blanket from the bed they'd seen earlier, throwing it over the intruder as they ran out the secluded hideout.

A struggled glitched groan was heard in the distance as the technician climbed through the vent, quickly crawling back to Fazerblast. More footsteps of that mystery rabbit following them only pushed them to craw through faster. Their first step inside the winner’s lounge was surely the last, running through the maze's glowing walls to find a place to hide. They needed to finish Princess quest…it was no longer a want to the technician anymore. The technician needed both another way inside that hideout and to get away from that bunny.

Straight back to work the next day, fixing animatronics, upgrading, and teaching new ones; the same cycle over and over again. Their mind blank and elsewhere as they worked. Even with Vanessa's insistent conversation starters that always improved the mood, it still felt off. Perhaps it was the being chased by a bunny mascot with a knife that did it.

"Rough night again?" She asked after a few dry answers from the technician, leaning against a desk across from them. "Something like that…" They replied with a shrug, half occupied with running diagnostics on one of the staff bots from the theater. 

"I don’t remember the last time you were this…quiet." She adds apprehensively, the technician pauses their work to glance in the blonde's direction. The security guard was right, the two would usually have conversations about anything and everything. Even their curiosity of Princess quest, Vanessa was the one to find the princess quest two in the west arcade only a few days after the technician spoke vaguely about the first game.

Their gaze turns sympathetic towards the guard, "Just doing a lot of thinking recently and you know…figuring out that arcade game I found a few weeks back." The blonde woman tilts her head back slightly to consider their words, a glisten of anxiety flashes in her green eyes for a second before she blinks it away.

"Playing on company time again, are we?" She teases, brushing off her distant anxiety. They chuckled, facing the animatronic, finishing up their last few texts of code before allowing the bot to move freely. "Nothing I or you don’t already do on hours, Miss 'I didn’t steal the Glamrock Bonnie figurine’." They derided back, Vanessa smiles as she scoffs at their sarcastic yet truthful words. That anxious long stare was back in her face again, how odd.

The two eventually make their way back to the atrium, the technician relaying what happened the night prior as they walked on the third floor. Customers slowly but surely making their way out of the Pizzaplex, leaving only the remains of lost bags, clothing, prizes, and theme songs playing in the establishment. 

"And they just…disappeared after that?" Vanessa questioned beside them, arms crossed with an expression of concentration. They nodded, eyes flickering over to the guard. "Yeah, no sign of the person on cams or triggering any alarms of braking in. Maybe they've been here when the place closed before." The technician explained.

"Weird…I’ll keep an eye out for it tonight. See you tomorrow." Vanessa waved to them as the two parted from the main entrance. "If I can’t escape, then you can’t escape…" Those words rang through the technician’s brain day, something about the phrase seemed familiar yet foreign. Now walking through the lower basement in the laundry section, concrete walls surrounding him like a cave…almost like the princess. They stopped in their tracks at that thought, like the princess curiosity took refuge within the technician and now they were connecting the dots…

‘What if I’m not releasing something, but instead someone?'

Clocked out and walking back towards the hide out above Fazerblast, their mind continued to make sense of the three games in a cohesive story. 

‘Locking away one being I might have inadvertently released another, maybe one that could even prevent that sluggish shadow bunny from glitching out the game itself.'

That had to be it, why else would the Princess be unlocking doors and lighting grave candles. They had to save the Princess…she was the answer. With new-found excitement, the technician made their way back up to the hide out. The long metal walkway swinging to and fro with each fast step.

The hideout door wide open with Princess quest still untouched from where they’d left off. A smile of determination grows on their face the moment their hands reached the arcade cabinet. The golden princess still waiting at the stage, looking towards the technician.

Walking the Princess through the stage curtain, anticipation gnawing at their excitement for the ending, swiftly moving up the long corridor. Another door in left above, opening to a large area. They walk the princess up to the center of the void room, seeing the outline of a purple, gray, and green cell door on the screen. Their eyes widened at the reveal of the outside of the cell door…

’That can't be…how is she on the otherside-‘

A strike of a blunt object hits the back of their head, falling over the arcade game. Face slamming against the screen, cracking the glass. Pain spread like a lightning bolt through their head, eyelids heavy and vision spotty. Their body trembling and breath thin, head shakily turning as their eyes hazily drift over the rabbit from the other night. Watching the knife in motion towards them as the mask spoke on last time.

"You can’t."

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights of any of the characters I write about, all the rights go to their respective creators.

[justaturtleindisguise]

TMNTOSNS Masterpost (WIP)

Thirteen years ago a big explosion assaulted the ears of millions of New Yorkers. Debris destroyed entire neighborhoods, Green Clouds of toxic gas covered the streets for weeks, and terrible monsters were born.  Mutants, the volatile and dangerous, completely unpredictable. Some of them were feral, violent, and crazy; others were smart and talkative, but still crazy. It didn't matter what type they were however, they were all a threat to society, to humanity. Segregated from humans into the streets ruined by the tragedy, or hunt down and killed, it didn't take two years for mutants to disappear from the city that never sleeps, but they weren't actually gone. And humans were proven fools for thinking they were. After a decade-old silence, the dangerous, scary mutants are on the news again and this time they wouldn't stand the violence against their kind. A particular group of turtle siblings and their crazy redhead human friend are set in the case to change people's minds about mutants, while also falling head first into the mystery behind the actual creation of mutants. Who owned the destroyed lab? Who created the mutagen? How are the mystic Yokai involved in all this mess?

...how is Dad involved in all of this..?

人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡

!! THE TURTLES !!

RAPHAEL HAMATO 濱戸赤

DONATELLO HAMATO 濱戸紫

MICHELANGELO HAMATO 濱戸オレンジ

LAVINIA HAMATO 濱戸青

人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡

Thales finally giving his little AU a name?? AND a masterpost ???? what a miracle,,

This au is heavily inspired in ROTTMNT and TMNT 12 with almost invisible sprinkles of Bayverse (believe it or not lmao-), and it will focus mostly in family bonding, self-discovery and friendship, while also focusing a lot on the mystery. Elements of mystic weapons and reincanation are here too.

It's still very undercooked for now I know, but I created it mostly for fun and just started giving it lore now, so I'm taking my time :_)

I'm not a very good writer and my english is a bit wonky, but I'm trying my best.

I'll be updating this post with links with other important informations like character sheets, comics, writen snippets, etc.

I'm already working on Splinter's character sheet and doing concepts for other characters as well !!!

Any questions about them are very welcome too, so don't be shy if u have one !! :)

Some things I have to say too are:

I'm not a japanese speaker, so if u notice any name or Kanji are writen wrong/awkwardly I'd love you to death if u warned me about it <3

heads up about Donnie/Raph: I'm not a doctor of any kind and the research about their disabilities was done by me alone using just the internet during a lot of hours. I want them to be good rep and if anything I say/draw about them feels ofensive or wrong, don't feel afraid to tell me!! I want to learn more and improve.

heads up about Lavinia: Diferent from Raph, she starts the history while still being an egg (not out as trans yet), so she will be called by he/him and Leonardo in some comics/writen snippets. I'll probally add a note warning about that in those cases, but wanted to give this little warning anyways :)

人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡人｡｡

!! RELATED LINKS !! will be updated as a work

TURTLE TOTS - Splinter and the tots walk in the sewers - Splinter and the tots being silly.

SIBLING DUOS !! - sugar rush twins - mecha punch duo - lightsaber duo - hotpot duo - bandaid duo - bitter duo

[suffarustuffaru]

Hello!

A bit of a weird ask, so sorry in advance.

What methods/sites would you recommend using for reading Arcs 5-8 of Re:Zero?

I’ve almost finished season 2 of the anime, and I’m pretty sure this has become one of my new favourite anime/works of media in general. 

And considering I keep spoiling myself anyway when I look at Re: Zero tumblr blogs, I figured I should just find a way to catch up with the rest of the series. 

You seem smart, and have clearly read Arcs 5-8, so I was hoping that you would be able to provide some advice. 

Thanks!

NOTE; this post is now outdated esp when this was written pre-s3!! i may make a new post if people are interested

hi there!! :D no worries for the ask, its cool to have another rezero fan join in the fandom especially on tumblr (which is a very small, curated circle of a bunch of us trading posts around a campfire HAH) and i hope youve really been enjoying the anime and your stay here so far!! :o this is absolutely one of my favorite media as well (if. if you couldnt tell by the blog pfft) and thanks for the compliments haah i am glad to seem smart.

but yes i gotchu on where to read!! ill be giving you a pretty detailed explanation/guide. (this explanation also goes mainly for english speakers / people who wanna experience rezero in english.) (and of course if any other seasoned fans are seeing this feel free to add on if i miss anything or correct me if needed)

Main Route Stuff:

witchculttranslations is where you can find the translations for the entire main route (which is arcs 1-8). this page is where youll find the main table of contents for each arc and you can find arcs 5-8 there!

note that arc 8, at the time of me writing this ask, is still a work-in-progress and the team of translators in this fandom are always hard at work to translate each chapter. also note that arcs 7-8 are "conjoined arcs" - think of it like arc 7 is part 1 and arc 8 is part 2. so if you happen to get caught up to where rezero is currently at, the rezero subreddit regularly updates chat + update threads whenever new rezero novel content comes out in general. youll find updates on translations or summaries for new chapters there.

there's also distinction between web novel and light novel - web novel are the chapters that tappei releases online, light novel are the official finished versions of the chapters that are released for sale. sometimes there's changes between the web novel and the light novel, but for the most part it's either minor changes to improve on the web novel - sometimes it's major, but for arcs 5-8 iirc there isnt any major changes that you need to worry about.

just note that in the wn translations, all/almost all dialogue is written in script-style. let me show a small excerpt from arc 5 chapter 1:

???: “Good job, Subaru, I suppose.” A small silhouette enters Subaru’s view from above. A loveable girl with long, cream hair and an extravagant outfit—Beatrice. Her fluttering dress looks out of place in the meadow as she presents Subaru with a towel. He accepts it and vigorously towels his head dry. Subaru: “Ah, thanks. Was looking to cool down so this’s perfect.”

so yeah the wn will be formatted like this by the way, just in case you didnt know this yet!! i hope thats not much of a turnoff or anything, but dont worry you get used to it - and the story is still pretty great anyway!!

also dont bother with arcs 1-3 wn. its not so important (and you already know all the major info because youve seen the anime) and also arcs 1-3 wn doesnt have the Best writing. tappei himself had to make extremely major changes for the light novel and the light novel (along with the anime and manga) is the finished and polished result.

and of course the light novel comes with illustrations for each arc. the web novel sometimes includes images as well at the beginning of each chapter, but if youd like to see finished and official illustrations for various scenes throughout arc 5-8 its easy to find them if you search them up online!!

the anime also has a few bits of Important cut content from arcs 3-4 - unfortunately i dont have any resources on hand for this ;-;;; but you can look this up on rezero reddit or online in general since a lot of people have made summaries about this. from what i remember in arc 3 (which is the royal selection/white whale/petelgeuse half of season 1!), the main thing is just the reveal that al has some sort of connection to ram (and rem by extension), some sort of connection to satella possibly, and he is ALSO someone that was isekaied into rezero's fantasy world.

as for arc 4 (which is season 2 of course), the anime got down almost all of the general important info you need to know, but there's a lot of important information in the last parts of arc 4 that the anime didnt include. the anime may include this information (and the al stuff from arc 3) later, but you'll need to know it for arcs 5-8. you can find the witchcultranslations guide for arc 4 here - scroll down and youll find the chapter called Appendix: Advent!! you'll need the info in that chapter for later.

if you want, you can also read the chapters after that - theyre sorted under One Day II and are the official arc 4 interludes that take place before arc 5. i do recommend reading through them, but theyre mainly characterization stuff, character dynamics post-arc 4, everyone trying to recover after arc 4, etc etc. the most important info in there is leadup for arc 5 (all the post-arc 4 aftermath stuff) and also some info/introduction on clind and annerose (who are characters that are briefly shown in the anime for like two seconds). these two do play minor roles in arc 4/beginning of 5, but theyre hinted to be important for later. if youre in a hurry to get to arc 5, totally fine to just skim through it, get basic info on clind and annerose then continue into arc 5 or something. or you can look at their wiki pages - totally cool to enjoy rezero however you wish. it's a LOT of reading dont get me wrong HAH.

as for the manga - this is not required reading or anything, the manga has only done arcs 1-4 atm so it's not really super relevant to you since youre almost done with arc 4 already via the anime!! but of course if you havent done so youre welcome to check it out if youd like, the manga artists are pretty great imo. im just gonna show some art from the manga artists here:

isnt it pretty? :O very nice stuff.

anyway thats it for main route content!! now i gotta explain side content.

Side Content:

you can find witchculttranslations' side story table of contents here, which very neatly shows you Every Single Side Story and is updated regularly every time tappei comes out with new side content. and trust me, tappei makes A Lot of side content. i guarantee you a lot of rezero fans havent read every side story (and i still have a lot of side stories to catch up on myself), so theres absolutely no need to read every single side story!! honestly just read the ones you find interesting + the ones that are required reading! im not sure how much of the side content youve heard about, but ill give you a rundown:

this extremely helpful google spreadsheet here (thats also regularly updated) tells you how important each side story is and where you can find it so you dont have to go on a wild goose chase wondering which ones you need to read for the main story. rezero side stories are on a sliding scale of just silly stuff tappei wrote for fun to this is VERY crucial for the main story. that google spreadsheet should help you out with that - both the spreadsheet and witchculttranslations have links to almost every side story available.

(the spreadsheet also tells you important details and who it's centered around + when each side story is safe to read free of spoilers after a certain point - so it's easy to decide when you wanna read the side stories and WHICH side stories you'd like to read!)

also i guarantee you that if you have a favorite character in rezero that character Probably has a ton of side content theyre featured in - so i recommend just hunting down all their side content and devouring it whole because im sure youll have a fun time with that. a lot of side content also fleshes out a ton of side characters as well in general - people who Looked shallow in the anime ARENT shallow at all, i promise. many people have hidden depths, which is one of the fun parts of rezero!

witchculttranslations and the google spreadsheet also tell you what order you might wanna read in terms of when each one takes place. i recommend following that order for the most part if youd like, but if you wanna binge read side content or something later you can also do that after reading arc 6.

that's how i experienced the side stories myself (i started reading them after finishing up with the arcs 5-6 plot) and in a way, i would say that might just be the easiest way to do it given a lot of the side stories take place during arcs 1-6 or before the events of arcs 1-6. itll make you go "ohhh thats what was happening with these background characters during *insert event here that was focused on in the main story*" or "ohhh thats why These Guys are like this" a lot pfft. so its easier to just get out the most important ones / the ones thatre most interesting to you all in a row after finishing up with arc 6 👍

The Ex Novels:

these are THE MOST IMPORTANT side stories. :o theyll be extremely important for arcs 7-8 especially!! also because these are light novels the dialogue is written in normal narrative format so hooray for that!!

anyway theres five ex novels. i recommend reading these after arc 6 so you got them fresh on the brain for arcs 7-8.

however if you happen to be a crusch camp fan, you can read ex novels 1-3 at any time youd like!! these flesh out characters like crusch, felix, wilhelm, and theresia (some of the wilhelm and theresia content was shown a bit in season 1 of the anime!) so youd probably enjoy these even more if youre a fan of any of them. ex novel four also features felix, julius, and reinhard too, if that interests you! (as a knight fan ex novel 4 was my favorite akdndn and i loved ex 1!!). but yeah in general though read the ex novels in order (from 1 to 5 of course) so you dont spoil yourself for other ex novels, but as i said - you can read 1-3 at any time, and in general its best to read the rest of the ex novels after arc 6.

the ex novels in general mainly focus on important historical events in the rezero world and stuff that happens before arc 1. the ex novels are also our first introduction to the nation and empire of vollachia—this is also the country that priscilla is from (and al also came from there)!! you get introduced to vollachia's whole deal in these novels. youll need this info for later!

anyway witchculttranslations and the google sheet dont have links to them because theyre published + officially translated light novels that are easiest to access by buying them, so harder to get a free pdf of them. however i got you (and your wallet) covered because i got pdfs for all of them right here (if these links dont work let me know!):

ex novel 1 - crusch and felix-centric

ex novel 2 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 3 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 4 - felix, julius, and reinhard-centric

ex novel 5 - priscilla and al-centric

anyway thats the ex novels in a nutshell!! and of course if you want a physical copy of these books (or any of the rezero light novels in general) in english you can buy these online (sites like amazon has them) or at a bookstore. if you live in the US like i do, barnes and noble has them irl as well. or if you happen to live near a kinokuniya store, they also sell rezero irl. kinokuniya is also specifically for japanese media so i highly recommend giving it a try if you happen to be near one (i got a rezero keychain from there also hah, rezero merch is a little hard to get a hold of sometimes).

rezero light novels are also translated in a few other languages (iirc spanish and polish are some of the other languages its translated in) so if youd like that too you can look into it and buy some!!

The If Routes:

if youre not familiar with these by now, theyre basically "what if"/ alternate universe stories where subaru makes a different and Very Major choice at different points of the main route. theyre not necessarily required reading, but some do have some important lore regarding several of the characters and in general most of them are extremely important AUs for rezero that emphasize all the themes of the story. they also show the Insane butterfly effect of subaru’s decisions.

and if youve gotten this far with the anime already im gonna assume you probably like subaru at least a little bit? :o yeah his character gets fleshed out in Very Interesting ways in these routes. other characters also get changed in various ways due to his decisions!

new ifs are also released typically every year on subaru's birthday - april 1. so with every april 1 the entire fandom plays russian roulette because either the if will be a super silly one or a Very Important one LMAO.

also these ifs tend to be mentioned a lot in fandom bc theyre very beloved and interesting side stories, so i highly recommend choosing which ones you find interesting and just have fun reading them!! you can find them on the spreadsheet, if you want to read them in a more chronological order, or you can find them on the main witchculttranslations website as tabs on the side underneath Re:Zero If Stories. (but ill provide the links to each separate one in this post also.)

all current if routes at the moment take place somewhere in the arcs 1-6 range, so you can look at them either after arc 6, like i said, or in order as you read along with the main route. ill give a quick breakdown of each if just in case!!

Pride If - diverges from arc 1; subaru doesnt call for help when fighting the three thugs in the alleyway. slight spoilers for one part of arc 5 in like One Scene of pride if.

Wrath If - diverges from arc 2; subaru accepts beatrice’s offer to help in the loop where rem dies + subaru tries to run away from the mansion. very minor spoilers for ex novels/arc 7-8 (characters who appear in those arcs appear in wrath if).

Sloth If - diverges from arc 3; subaru gives up and runs away with rem instead of dealing with the arc 3 conflict. very minor spoilers (a character who later appears in arc 8 appears here).

Aganau If - diverges from arc 3; in the loop where rem dies in the cave and subaru carries her back to the mansion, he decides to go down another route away from the mansion instead. years later, he’s now older and still alive after almost everyone else has died. this if is one of the routes in the now discontinued lost in memories mobile game (and this is The Most Important route out of the whole bunch anyway). you can find a playthrough + english translation of it here.

Greed If - diverges from arc 4; subaru accepts echidna’s contract. major spoilers for arc 4 of course. minor spoilers for arc 5+ (small plot beats are mentioned iirc). a bit of important lore for characters like echidna and clind. the first edition of it can be found here - make sure to read this first. this is because this if was also given a longer and polished light novel version of it (it was a special that came with some of the season 2 blueray dvd packages?) and you can find an english translation for the extended + final version under the Blueray Novels and Databooks section of witchculttranslations' side content page.

Gluttony If - diverges from arc 6. major spoilers for arcs 5-6.

Mimigau If - this is just a genderbend au that tappei made that starts from arc 1!! almost nothing is changed besides the characters’ genders, biological sex, names, etc. i sadly dont have a link to this one, but iirc this hasnt been fully translated yet? and it's also very much not that important of an if lore-wise so you're not missing out on much. the genderbent character names are really fun though!

Lust If - this is, supposedly, an if that tappei wrote in one sitting and then decided to delete off of the official rezero wn site. this if is just an april fools joke where subaru gets a harem of various rezero girls. and imo its not Particularly Good, but it was meant to be a joke and tappei just wrote it for no reason so ig the quality makes sense haah. and also sadly that harem includes petra iirc which. yeah. not what id call great.

Vainglory If / School If - basically a canon high school au for all of rezero! not a necessary read at all but it's super silly and fun. and if you like anastasia and/or priscilla they have a lot of Fun Interactions in this one. im not sure if all of this if is english translated yet, but you can find chapter one here.

Other Various Ifs from Lost In Memories - i dont have the links to all of these, but lost in memories has a lot of other more minor aus as well, aganau if is just the most important + the darkest one. the other ifs are more lighthearted and just extra stuff for funsies. other big examples include a julius if (subaru calls for help in arc 1 and julius is the one who comes to help), a reinhard if of sorts (takes place around arcs 1-2, it's a sillier story where reinhard just keeps appearing out of nowhere to help subaru every time he needs help), and also an otto if (arc 1 divergence; subaru gets involved with otto and the two of them decide to start a mayonnaise business).

A Side Note About Rezero Video Games:

ok i know your ask is mainly about how to READ rezero but i figured i might as well explain this really quick just in case!!

there are a bunch of rezero video games and none of them are really Necessary, so dont worry about it. theyre either like - silly alternate universe stuff or theyre a bit more of the serious au variety (like aganau if, as mentioned earlier. i dont know every single rezero video game out there (and i think theres still new ones in the works at the time of me writing this??) and also almost none of them are english translated so its hard to experience them if you dont understand japanese.

the two most important ones (aka the ones with more story in them) are gonna be prophecy of the throne and lost in memories (which i mentioned earlier!). and again, these games are not necessary content - theyre mostly just side content that you can look at/watch/play through for fun and if you just wanna see more of your faves. you can check them out at any time since they dont have any major arc 5-8 spoilers.

Prophecy of the Throne - this is visual novel + a divergence of arc 3 where a new and sixth royal candidate emerges and it looks like emilia is the fake royal candidate here.... so yeah the plot is just. it's like a game of among us. but it's a fun story with a lot of different character interactions (so if you really like the entire cast of rezero youre in luck!!) and features a tiny bit of lore about some powerful groups in the fantasy world. a few of subarus failed loops in this one are also Particularly Brutal. you can watch gameplay of it on youtube or play through it yourself (i know that the game IS on steam too) since it's fully english translated (and all the jp vas and english vas reprised their roles as well).

Lost In Memories - as mentioned earlier, this is a now discontinued mobile game. iirc it was a gacha game? a sort of fighting game? and also it's narrative driven with a bunch of different routes. you can find the wiki for it here - it summarizes a lot of the main story beats. theres no official english translations for this game, but theres a lot of fan translations that you can find on stuff like youtube if youre ever interested in any part of the game. also it has a really fun opening song and animated sequence. nonoc's rezero music is great <3

A Side Note About Rezero Youtube:

theres a lot of summary videos for both main content chapters and side stories on youtube. im not sure how accurate these videos are, but i know that at the very least they can give you a brief rundown on the main points for certain chapters/side stories if thats something youd like to have!

theres also an entire team of people making a fan-run audiobook for arc 5. ive given some of their episodes a listen, and i can confirm that theyre absolutely great. you can find their readings of chapter 1-47 on spotify, and on their youtube channel theyre up to chapter 62. i think theyve also expressed their interest in branching out into other rezero content as well? :o so if thats also something youre interested in you can check them out there!

In Conclusion

anyway, that should be all you need to know - thats a summary of basically all important rezero content from here on out!! i know this is like. Super detailed. so i hope that this was helpful and didnt scare you away or anything hah. and i hope you have fun reading through rezero :o !! you got a lot of content to choose from thats for sure!!

but yeah ty for the ask, i hope i explained everything clearly enough :o !! and if you need any clarification feel free to ask!!

[p5x-theories]

Runa’s Confidant

(last updated 4/19/25!)

This post documents the fully filled-in information on Runa Dogenzaka gained through progressing her Confidant! It contains things that could be considered spoilers for her Confidant, as part of the information is a summary of its story.

Runa is available at night most days, when it isn’t rainy. Her Confidant is tied to the Guts social stat, and level 17 Guts is required to fully complete it.

Her Confidant also requires changing a heart in Mementos.

Favorite Presents

(An asterisk (*) marks the special presents added with (and unlocked through) Miyu Sahara’s Confidant, which are liked by all Confidants currently in the game.)

Sports Cap A denim baseball cap, both practical and functional.

Mascot Puppet This puppet of Shibuya’s mascot, Shichi-kun, truly captures his cuteness.

Cute Lunch Box Lunch box with cute patterns, perfect for those who like homemade bento.

Collar Necklace This is a very popular necklace, made of leather and combined with metal ornaments.

Gag Glasses These slightly-funny-looking gag glasses are great for pranks, or some kind of punishment game among friends.

Limited-Edition Keychain* This keychain has a unique shape, and is well-made, but there weren’t many of it produced. It has a certain collector’s value.

Bulk Snacks Value Pack* A combo pack containing a variety of traditional snacks that will remind people of the taste of childhood.

Advanced Essential Oil Combination* A value-for-money set of essential oils, with multiple functions to help you relax your mind and body.

Chestnut Cake* Fragrant chestnut cake with mild sweetness to suit most people’s tastes.

Musical Snow Globe* A snow globe that plays music, and can be shaken gently to make snow fall inside.

Desktop Incense Machine* A household incense machine that is small in size, so it can be placed anywhere.

Musical Potted Plant A smart pairing of a potted plant, flowers, and a music speaker that brightens anyone’s mood.

Balloon Set This pack of colorful, long balloons can be used to create any desired shape.

Cartoon Sleeping Eye Mask This cartoon-themed sleeping mask combines a cute shape with a comfortable feel.

Advanced Sewing Tool Set Specially designed for people who want to improve their manual skills, it can meet a variety of sewing needs.

Mini Cotton Candy Machine This small cotton candy machine for home use is light and compact, with a complete set of functions so you can enjoy this homemade delicacy anytime and anywhere.

Personal Information

Pre-Version 4.0:

Birthday: January 15 Zodiac Sign: Capricorn Age: 19 years old Height: 154 cm Weight: 44 kg Interests: Designing accessories, making notebooks Features: Drawing and crafts

Version 4.0:

Birthday: January 15 Blood Type: O Age: University first-year Profession: Undergrad Height: 154cm Weight: I think I'm lighter than Shichi-kun? Favorite Food: Wonton noodles Interests: Collecting Shichi-kun's merch Features: I've memorized Shichi-kun's entire history

Story

Character Details A girl who only appears in Shibuya at night, and claims to have social anxiety disorder, but becomes talkative whenever topics related to Shichi-kun come up...

Personal Data 1 One night, when I was passing through the square outside of Shibuya station, I came across a girl being harassed by a drunk. Because I couldn't bear to see it, I stepped forward to stop this shameful man. That's how I met the girl named Runa Dogenzaka. Because she loves Shibuya, she has been working hard on volunteer activities for it. Since we both like Shibuya, I became her "Shibuya Buddy" in order to help her. We exchanged contact information and agreed to do volunteer activities together in the future.

Personal Data 2 Runa, who loves Shibuya, is very sensitive to everything that happens there. So, naturally, she also noticed that Shibuya's popularity is gradually declining. In order to restore Shibuya's popularity, Runa came up with many ideas... Finally, we found a "reliable" way to increase the popularity of Shibuya's mascot, Shichi-kun!

Personal Data 3 Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle! Before increasing Shichi-kun's popularity, we need to understand it first. In order to investigate his popularity, we came to Akihabara. After some random street interviews, Runa was disappointed to find that Shichi-kun's popularity has gotten lower and lower... But fortunately, we found a new idea! Runa actually knows about Shichi-kun's previous actors! So, Runa and I are going to look for the previous actors who played Shichi-kun, to learn from them. I have to say, Runa really understands Shichi-kun...

Personal Data 4 The first former Shichi-kun that we went to look for was the Fifth Generation Shichi-kun. However, unexpectedly, Fifth Gen is now a drunkard... and as expected, Runa got caught up in his antics. He was very disdainful of his experience playing Shichi-kun... and seeing what Fifth Gen had become, Runa started to cry. But to my surprise, when Fifth Gen saw Runa crying, he also started to cry... I had no choice but to act as the "adult" and comfort the two of them. Fortunately, the two successfully opened their hearts through their tears, and Runa learned information about another "ex-Shichi-kun" through him.

Personal Data 5 Through Fifth Gen, we learned that the Third Generation Shichi-kun was active in Zoshigaya. In order to learn from Third Gen, Runa and I headed to Zoshigaya. Fortunately, this time, Third Gen was a very friendly woman. She was very happy to meet Runa. Seeing Runa, who loves Shibuya, Third Gen generously taught her the Third Generation Shichi-kun's signature moves. But... why'd I have to learn them, too?

Personal Data 6 Runa said that she taught Shichi-kun the moves she learned from the Third Gen. But I don't know what went wrong. Shichi-kun performed the moves of the Third Gen very... strangely, even scaring the children to tears. Runa was extremely anxious about this... but unexpectedly, these strange moves had an unforeseen effect. Someone filmed a funny video of Shichi-kun's movements and uploaded it to the internet. Then, some people actually came to Shibuya out of curiosity about Shichi-kun... Although it's a bit unbelievable, Shichi-kun's popularity has finally increased... I have to correct Shichi-kun's moves before more people come! But... why do I have to be the one to correct his moves?

Personal Data 7 Just when we thought everything was going smoothly, a big crisis suddenly occurred! A fake Shichi-kun named George appeared in Kichijoji, and spread the word that the Shichi-kun in Shibuya is the knockoff one. This is a huge blow to Shichi-kun's reputation! In order to defend his reputation, Runa and I rushed to Kichijoji and found this counterfeit. But Runa didn't expect that the knockoff wouldn't care about her callout at all... and what made Runa even more sad was that everyone seemed to like this cheap knockoff "fake Shichi-kun" more... Runa was confused; what kind of Shichi-kun does everyone like?

Personal Data 8 Runa seemed troubled today... In order to comfort her, we went to the diner. After hesitating, Runa told me her discovery: it turns out that George of Kichijoji's true identity is the First Generation Shichi-kun... The First Gen seems to be Runa's spiritual mentor. Seeing the First Generation Shichi-kun become what he is today... Runa fell into uncertainty. Maybe... I can do something to help Runa?

Personal Data 9 Sure enough, in Mementos, I found the First Generation Shichi-kun's Shadow, and also learned the story behind Shichi-kun... After successfully changing his heart, the First Gen gave up on playing George, and returned to Shibuya to apologize to Shichi-kun and Runa. Seeing the First Gen repent, Runa smiled again.

Personal Data 10 What is really important? After experiencing all this, Runa seemed to understand what she really cares about most: Shichi-kun is important, but Shibuya is more important. For the sake of her beloved Shibuya, she decided not to rely on raising Shichi-kun's popularity anymore, but to actually do what she can to make Shibuya a better place. Maybe this is a long and difficult road, but it doesn't matter, as her Shibuya Buddy will move forward with her. I think Shichi-kun will understand too, right? Woof woof awoo~!

Voice Lines

Japanese VA: Mikako Takahashi | Chinese VA: Nuo Ya

(As I can only add up to ten audio files per post, I’ll only include the Japanese lines below! Feel free to ask for the Chinese ones, though.)

I'm Runa Dogenzaka. Nice to meet you!

About me, huh? I LOOOVE Shibuya! Also, I love Shichi-kun too! That's why I love that Shibuya has Shichi-kun in it! ... Huh? That's not what you were asking?

Lately, for some reason, I feel like Shibuya isn't as lively as it was before... I want Shibuya to be the liveliest ward in Tokyo! That's my greatest wish.

Shibuya is actually a neighborhood with a lot of history! Its name alone has various origins, full of lots of interesting anecdotes! And the Shibuya of today is also really good, right? It's thriving, and the center of fashion! ... Aaah! I talked way too much again, didn't I... I'm sorry!

I'm chatty when I'm with you, right? But normally, I'm completely different... I'm bad at meeting people's eyes, so I grew my bangs out like this. But it was easy to talk to you right from the start! Besides Shichi-kun, this is the first time I've met someone like that.

When you talk about Shichi-kun, you think of Shibuya! And when you talk about Shibuya, you think of Shichi-kun! He's the symbol of Shibuya, and a super cute mascot! For eternity!

There's nothing bad about picking up trash, right? That's why I started with that, as my first step in order to improve Shibuya! You could call it a grassroots activity.

Confidant-Specific Bonuses

Rank 1 Savings Tips: Slightly reduces the prices at most street shops in Shibuya.

Rank 5 Discount Tips: Slightly reduces the prices at most street shops in Akihabara.

Rank 7 Choose Wisely: Slightly reduces the prices at most street shops in Shinjuku.

Rank 9 Spend Wisely: Slightly reduces the prices at most street shops in Zoshigaya and Yongen-Jaya.

Rank 13 Shopping Wisdom: Slightly reduces the prices at most street shops in Kichijoji.

[blackjackkent]

As with Patch 5, I have compiled my favorite Patch 6 patch notes (the exciting ones and the hilarious ones) so you don't have to.

First of all, the Highlights section has some VERY nice QoL changes:

"You can now dismiss a recruited companion from your party while speaking to the companion you want to replace them with." (Fuck yes, this is such a small annoyance but it really adds up over time.)

"When a dialogue triggers automatically, the game will now try to prioritise your avatar character as the main speaker." (I spent literally like half an hour trying to ensure Hector got the conversational lead when walking into the vault with the Stone Lord for my liveblog post, so this fills my heart with DEEP joy.)

"The Elixir of Hill Giant Strength now applies its effects when thrown." (HUGE deal for Hector's party in my liveblog, as @zenjestrr has pointed out to me - Jaheira can hurl it onto Hector, Karlach, and Minsc together!)

Some general happy-making improvements (some for things in Act 3/epilogue that I haven't gotten to yet but which sound very positive):

"Your partner now has a few different kisses! They're brand new, unique, and randomized."

"If you sit on the stool in Shadowheart's camp corner, she will now react to you with a line based on your relation with her."

"Improved the cinematic scenes in the Elfsong Tavern to feel more intimate when you and your romance partner decide your future together after defeating the Netherbrain."

"Reworked the reflection scenes that take place after wrapping up the defeat of the Netherbrain for characters without romantic partners to better match the scenes for those who do have romantic partners, and to bridge the gap into the epilogue."

"Added a new cinematic scene to support the combat encounter that occurs after you choose whether to side with Nightsong at Sorcerous Sundries or not."

"If you romanced Lae'zel, grab a red dragon and saddle up - you can now join her in the rebellion against Vlaakith, even if you are not gith yourself."

"Increased the number of valid methods of knocking Minthara out to recruit her."

"Tooltips for spells requiring concentration now more prominently display a warning if you are already using concentration to maintain another spell."

And now the bits that just made me laugh. XD

"If you Long Rest with only alcohol as camp supplies, you will now get the new Hungover condition for 10 turns."

"The Long Rest camp supply menu is now better at pulling supplies from inside containers in companion inventories. Stop hoarding the cheese, Wyll."

"The owlbear cub will no longer gobble up Auntie Ethel's Hair before you can take advantage of the bonus it grants." (???)

"Creating harmful surfaces beneath NPCs will now trigger a crime reaction."

"Scratch can no longer equip certain weapons. Like the Everburn Blade."

"Jaheira could be in bad shape by the time she arrived at Moonrise Towers since she already had to fight. Now she's smart enough to heal up before she goes there, which we're hoping lets her last at least an additional second in combat."

"Fixed dice roll sounds playing if you have the 'Hide Failed Perception Rolls' setting enabled while exploring. We asked the narrator to quieten down when rolling the dice for your immersion."

"Fixed a bug causing player characters to get deleted from the game after stealing the Blood of Lathander."

"Enemies are now less likely to summon a Skeletal Involucre in range of a Spirit Guardian that will immediately destroy it."

"Nere's Legendary Action now correctly triggers when he is attacked, rather than when he attacks. Cut him some slack - being a True Soul is a lot of pressure; we'd all get confused in his shoes."

"Told Fezzerk to stop throwing his bombs on himself and his allies."

"The Apostle of Myrkul's Finger of Death spell is now treated as a Level 7 spell instead of a cantrip."

"Fixed Steel Watchers sometimes hurting themselves with their own attacks."

"Invisible characters who have something to say in a dialogue will now remember to actually show themselves."

" Throwing NPCs into a chasm will no longer trigger their crime reaction dialogue while they're mid-flight."

"Jaheira could have access to two types of Wild Shape in certain circumstances. We've toned down her blatant disregard for D&D rules."

"Fixed NPC heads occasionally detaching in Forced Turn-Based Mode."

"You can no longer place a corpse into its own inventory."

"Items can only be sent to specific companions in camp if a party member is in camp at the time. Stop sending every +1 dagger to Gale, he's not that hungry."

"NPCs should be a lot less eager to engulf themselves (or their allies) in flames now."

"Fixed NPCs using an incorrect throw range when they can't move. This sometimes caused them to, say, throw explosives on their own heads."

"Fixed NPCs sometimes successfully landing jumps that shouldn't be possible. Like through ceilings."

"You can no longer trade with sleeping characters."

"Fixed overhead dialogues still playing above the souls of dead characters - represented as blue wisps - in the epilogue camp. Lae'zel will no longer urgently proclaim 'Repositioning!' when you make her little wisp move around."

"Killing Omeluum or Blurg of the Society of Brilliance will now break your paladin oath. Because they're nice and you're not."

"Picking up fish from the beach at the Emerald Grove is no longer a crime. They take their vegetarianism very seriously, those druids."

"You can now no longer spawn infinite fish at the Emerald Grove beach. No wonder that bear smells."

"Told Art Cullagh to please stop singing during the combat when Isobel's being abducted."

"You can no longer trade with Voss when he ambushes you at the base of High Hall."

"If you escape prison and then return to your cell and close the door without being noticed by anyone allied to the arresting guards, you will no longer be considered a fugitive."

"Fixed a bug where a status could carry over from the final battle to the beginning of the epilogue, potentially killing the players."

"You can now clean your body and clothes in a fountain in the House of Hope's boudoir. Sometimes it's nice to freshen up before a big event."

"Fixed Scratch not feeling like playing in camp beyond Act I after partying too hard at the camp celebration."

"Minthara no longer speaks more about Shadowheart than Shadowheart does about herself."

"You'll no longer see text telling you that Gale approves of something if he's not even nearby to see what happened."

"Jaheira's memory in her old age was failing her, and she could tell you about Minsc twice if you left her in camp but advanced her quest multiple steps. Now she's much better at remembering what she told you, and will only prompt it the once."

"Good boys Scratch and the owlbear cub will now play together in any camp, not just the main one in the wilderness from Act I."

"Cerys will now leave your camp after the camp celebration in Act I. We know it's sometimes hard to ask the last person to leave the party, so we've done it for you."

"Fixed Rugan being upset with you for trespassing after saving him from impending doom. You're welcome, Rugan."

"Florrick now looks appropriately grimy and sweaty after escaping Waukeen's Rest."

"Lae'zel will no longer become hostile towards you, thinking you left the inquisitor's office in Crèche Y'llek while waiting to fulfil Vlaakith's orders, when you only jumped on one of the platforms in the corner."

"Fixed Smythin in the Goblin Camp sometimes getting stuck in a cowering animation. He's a little braver now."

"Rugan is no longer 'too busy' to thank you after you free him in the Zhentarim Hideout."

"One of the teenagers in the Crèche Y'llek will now tend to his cleaning tasks. He may or may not have been chastised for shirking his duties."

"Fixed a bug with Bernard in the Arcane Tower not giving you a reward if you previously befriended the squirrel in the Emerald Grove."

"Fixed a couple of goblins in the Goblin Camp not really doing much at all if you free Sazza."

"Rotated Barth and Remira near the Emerald Grove gate so they would shout in the right direction."

"The nurses in the House of Healing have remembered that they are capable of speech and will now react to crimes properly."

"Dame Aylin now permits all players to behold her radiance in the cutscene when ascending from the Shadowfell rather than just the one who freed her."

"Isobel and Marcus will no longer stop their epic confrontation at Last Light just because someone commits a petty crime nearby."

"In rare cases, Jaheira could be Frightened in the combat with Ketheric and end up so scared she doesn't show up to resolve the conflict in the Shadow-Cursed Lands. She now overcomes her terror."

"Bards can no longer say they saved Jaheira's Harper scouts when they did no such thing."

"Fixed some guards by the fountain at Last Light who were trying to speak each other's lines."

"Now you can convince Ch'r'ai Har'rak to go away in different ways."

"Mayrina will no longer still be Bloodless in Act III if Astarion bit her in Act I."

"Wyll no longer leaves the party when you commit a crime in the High Hall. With the city in ruin, the petty crime dramatics seemed a little extreme."

"A few more people around Baldur's Gate will notice if an article has been printed about you in the newspaper."

"Lumbar will no longer react as if you didn't pay for the privilege of hitting him if the single strike had different damage types." (Ah this explains why Hector got that weird reaction. XD)

"Vicar Humbletoes will no longer do a weird shrug before praying."

"Prevented Karlach's death scene from triggering if a solo player chooses to detonate while playing as Avatar Gale."

"Fixed Lae'zel talking inaccurately about Ptaris, for example suggesting he's dead when he's... literally right there."

"Auntie Ethel will no longer send you a letter written by Zevlor in the epilogue."

"If you part ways with Shadowheart and hide in the Underdark as a mind flayer, she won't forget and think you've spent the last sixth months together in the epilogue. Classic Shadowheart, always forgetting things."

"The Emperor will no longer send you a cheerful letter in the epilogue camp if you ate his brains."

"You can no longer invite the owlbear cub to live with you and Halsin in the epilogue if you do not, in fact, live with Halsin."

"Fixed avatar characters incorrectly getting assigned the Dream Guardian's skin colour in Character Creation on controller."

"The fish barrels in the Underdark, that clearly look like they have fish in them, now actually contain fish instead of tarts."

"You can no longer casually go walkies in the middle of a chasm in the Decrepit Village in the Underdark."

"Removed a platform in Grymforge that looked like it was accessible and was tricking a few of you into trying to jump on it to access the Gauntlet of Shar."

"You can no longer disappear into a couple of rocks near the mephits in Grymforge. Sorry."

"Added a new animation for Cranium Rats. They can now stand up on their hind leggies."

"Corpses thrown from your inventory now look dead rather than alive. As is right."

"Fixed missing sounds in Active Search. (We found them hidden under some rocks in Act I.)"

"Fixed a basket of onions claiming to be a fruit basket, and other issues with lying baskets."

"Gave the dogs at the Sword Coast Couriers names. Because they're the best boys."

"Lae'zel no longer slides or teleports away during her Epilogue dialogue."

"Made general improvements to Boo's animations. The hamster is a little less jittery."

"Fixed the goblet flying out of your hand when talking to Jaheira at Last Light. We knew you were suspicious of it, but you don't have to be so dramatic."

:D

This is a tiny fraction of the full set of changes/improvements/fixes listed in the patch notes and once again I am tremendously impressed. As I said last time - this game has a breadth of scope and ambition that repeatedly takes my breath away and I am mindboggled at the amount of work being put into it.

Very excited to finish out Act 3 in the coming weeks!

[clatterbane]

I really wasn't kidding about the not-quite-side gig thing, though. That's also sort of tied up in my own ongoing special Disabled Foreign Devil version of a midlife crisis, though.

My life has ended up going off in some strange and highly inconvenient directions, due to the person I am. Things would probably be a lot easier in a number of ways if it had taken the actually easier road at several junctions. But, it is what it is. You deal and try to make the best of it, clichéd as that may be.

But yeah, I am now pushing 50 and sitting somewhere that I still kinda suck at the main language--with no completed degrees, no documentation of what foreign formal education I do have, extremely little adult employment history because I stayed too busy being variously disabled over the years, zero other qualifications, and still pretty limited spoons though I am physically doing much better these days. Oh yeah, and I am indeed visibly disabled now, autistic and noticeably weird as hell on top of it, and now pushing 50. Though I can probably skate farther on "eccentric foreigner" with the neurodivergence (and not being a native speaker) than in the UK, that is only one disadvantage mitigated.

(Also kinda hard to have much in the way of longer term "retirement" prospects when you have fuck all employment history or personal savings, and you relocate somewhere that you have absolutely no previous connection to systems when you're already middle-aged. I never really expected to find myself at this stage in life period, much less with very little in the way of prospects or financial independence. But, that's a bit of a side consideration at this point. I just don't want to end up shoved into the shithole tier of nursing homes one of these days, though. And with one leg and no career, that could conceivably happen anytime. Cyanide time, tbqh.)

Working in my favor, I am in one of the "better" tiers of immigrants, as an Anglophone who is pasty as fuck out of the sun and also married to a native. Only part of which is remotely under my control. And I usually come across as smart enough, however much of that may rely on bluffing. That was more of an asset when I was in my 20s than it even counts as at this stage of life, with no easily recognizable achievements to back it up.

Nobody is going to hire me for much of anything, and I'm truly not sure what formal work I could reasonably handle without running myself completely into the ground.

So yeah, that (easier, expected) route is pretty much out. Can't rely on working for anybody else, better figure out how to DIY some kind of financially gainful endeavor. Kinda just leaves us back at having the brain to rely on. Better figure out some way to monetize some of the skills and knowledge that I do have.

I probably am reasonably sharp in my own way, with too many interests, generally a pretty fast learner, and persistent as hell when things line up right. And I do have decent practical backup these days. Not gonna starve in the meantime, and can reasonably expect some support in whatever the hell I do settle on trying to make a buck at. That's what I can see as some things really working in my favor.

While indeed neurodivergent as fuck, in some ways that have ALWAYS made figuring what I might even be decent at, can maintain focus on, and keep up somewhat sustainably, very difficult. Oh yeah, and this should probably be something that somebody would be willing to pay me for. (Not even kidding, this has been a persistent problem since I was old enough to even start seriously considering the matter of what to do with my life.)

The general executive function bullshit, with getting and keeping shit together on your own, pretty much goes without saying. But, at least by now I am much more aware of what is even going on there, and that workarounds do mostly exist. That is one hell of an improvement for my 20s, to put it mildly. Same goes for a lot of the other brain/nervous system bullshit that's persistently gotten in my way.

I feel like I should try to come out with something more upbeat to say, because I know this whole screed is a fucking downer. But yeah, that's kinda where I've been a lot of the time lately. Hasn't been great for my mental health for a while now, and some of the brain loops have been wild. (I kinda keep coming back to that, but this is still significantly easier than around when I hit 25. Or pretty well all of my 20s. A lot better perspective and coping skills.)

But, I'll get over it and figure something out. I always eventually do.

[3-2-whump]

The New Intern

<prev next>

A shorter chapter, set three months after Escape Attempt Last

Heckin' big shoutout to @whumped-by-glitter for helping me talk out some plot points and develop my OCs' struggles a little better, you're awesome for that!

TW/CW: minor whump, pet whump, physical abuse towards a minor (mentioned)

“So, I come home today,” Thomas began, drinking and playing pool with his underboss, consigliere, and capos late at night. “Exhausted from negotiating with that upstart gang on the East Side, stressing about our loss of gambling revenue from our partners, and generally just on edge, and what do I come home to find?” The billiard balls clattered discordantly across the table, rolling around on their haphazard trajectories. “Khaled, that little shit, had left all the taps on! Every last one! My apartment, flooded!” He threw back another shot as he let Luca have a turn at the pool table. “And after I finished beating him black and blue, the only excuse the boy could give was ‘I was bored!’ Can you believe that? Bored?!” he complained.

The rest of the guys exchanged terse glances between themselves.

“Well,” the Boss snapped, “I know you want to say something, so say it! We’re all friends here, aren’t we?”

“Fine then, friend,” Consigliere Michael answered, “You’re an idiot if you didn’t see this coming!”

“I agree,” Jaime chimed as he threw back his shot. “The poor kid has been cooped up in your home, by himself, all day, for the past fifteen months; we’re all honestly surprised something like this hasn’t happen sooner!”

“Nobody would keep a dog in a cage all day,” Michael added, striking the cue ball into his intended targets. Thomas winced at the blunt comparison. He’s not wrong, though, he realized.

“Tom, buddy, we’ve known you your whole life, practically,” Luca appealed. “Some of us even knew you in those years, and we still stuck by you. We know you got him as a sort of penitence exercise, but we think you’re smart enough to know it is not enough for you to just keep him alive.” Meanwhile, Jaime chalked up the tip of his cue, then leaned over to make his shot. “The boy needs to see other people, to have structure, to be surrounded by English-speakers if his language proficiency is ever going to improve!”

Jaime sent the billiard balls clacking across the table. Thomas sighed, realizing (a little too late) that they were completely right. “Well, what do you suppose I do? It’s not like I can just bring him to work with me, right?”

-

“Gentlemen, this is Khal, my new intern. He is going to be working closely with me for the foreseeable future.”

Khaled bristled beside him, feeling uncomfortable in the stiffly pressed black dress shirt and black slacks. Every eye in his master’s conference room was on him. Those that knew who he was arched their brows as they gave their Boss sly smiles of approval. Those that did not know who he was pared him down with their scrutinizing glares. He gave a curt nod, acknowledging the crowd of high-ranking members of the Organization. He replayed the Rules in his head as he tuned out the rest of the meeting. Lucky for me, Master only has a few: one, when invited to sit, sit on the floor, preferably at Master’s feet. He briefly paused his recitation to wonder just how much Rule One would be enforced while at work, with other people watching. Two, speak only when spoken to, especially at work. Three, speak English only. And the new Rules, he remembered, made specifically for their new circumstances: only refer to Master as ‘Boss’ or ‘Sir’ while I’m at work with him, and tell no one what I truly am. As far as they know, I am his intern, I was hired through a temp agency, and that is all they need to know.

“Khal…Khaled!”

He snapped back into the present, only to see Master –Boss, he meant –staring at him expectantly. His heartbeat quickened as he realized he zoned out longer than he intended to. Of course, there was the ever-present unspoken Rule, the Rule above all other Rules:

‘Don’t embarrass me.’

He gulped down the dryness in his throat. “S-sir?”

“Come on, I need to show you the rest of the office,” Boss said. Khaled looked around the conference room; nearly everyone had filed out at this point, leaving him dumbly standing on the far end of the room as the Boss gestured impatiently out the door. Wordlessly, he offered a quick nod and hung his head as he followed him.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter