#act of reality

[aestheticanimosity]

Hamelin Act of Reality Chapter 1 translation by jyong. Please support him! Permission was given to share to my Hamelin archive.

Verse 1: In the midst of a tense atmosphere, a student was playing the piano alone. Those delicate fingertips produced sounds that are incredibly precise and beautiful. However…. "That was ugly." As soon as the performanced ended, the young instructor in charge of guiding striked the student's shoulder sharply with his baton. "You completely fail to understand the soul of the composer. Study the sheet music more thoroughly. Show me the result tomorrow." The young instuctor left the classroom and headed home. Gazing outside where darkness has already set in, the student remained and returned to the piano once again.

(Discordant Poem/Student PoV) My piano teacher is strict. Even if there's a slight waver in the sound or if I haven't studied the sheet music enough, he would hit my shoulder or back with the baton he holds in his hand.

Hamelin: … Ah, this is bad.

Hamelin: I must have fallen asleep as soon as I got home.

Hamelin: The fatigue must have accumlated from all those consecutive guidance sessions.

Hamelin: If not for that….

Hamelin: I wouldn't be having such a nightmare.

Hamelin: However, even if it's just a dream, I cannot tolerate the existence of such ugly beings.

Verse 2: The world is filled with ugly things. And that's only natural. Because the very people who make up this world are ugly themselves.

Verse 3: Even if their appearance and hearts are beautiful, there isn't a person whose soul is beautiful. That's because every human carries the original sin of the fruit of knowledge.

Verse 4: When I realized that the existence of humans itself is ugly, I wanted to die. I despaired, questioning why I was born into something like this.

Verse 5: However, it was also humans who saved me from such a state.

Verse 6: Beautiful art created by utterly beings. Especially music. It captured my heart and never let go.

Verse 7: I expressed my gratitude to God for granting music to this world. And I made a vow to dedicate my entire life to this music.

Verse 8: But sadly, I am unable to reach the ultimate sound. Understanding beauty led me to realize that I lack the power to achieve it myself.

Verse 9: Therefore, I entrust my dreams to those who can embody the true beauty. Everything is for the sake of beautiful music.

Verse 10: "Isn't that a bit much? That student stayed late yesterday too, didn't he?" A female colleague of the instructor voiced her discontent to the young man. "What's the deal with that student? His current abilities are more than sufficient." "Just being 'sufficient' is not enough. That student may be a once in a decade, no, maybe even a once in a century prodigy. It's my duty as the instructor to refine that talent to perfection. Those who cannot understand the value of such talent have no right to intervene." Saying this, the young man snickered at his colleague. The colleague's face turned red, and she muttered "I'm only concerned for them is all" before quickly disappearing from the scene.

(Discordant Poem) Other teachers seem to be worried that my teacher's guidance goes too far. Well, it's true that there are moments when he's overly passionate, but….

Hamelin: That child's talent is a gift bestowed by God.

Hamelin: However, even with suck remarkable talent…

Hamelin: If entrusted to those who cannot comprehend it, it will wither away.

Hamelin: But I'm different. I am the one who understands true beauty.

Hamelin: I would never hand that child over to despicable insects like you who all swarm around art.

Hamelin: I will create true beauty with these hands of mine without fail!

Whether it was due to being too passionate about his teachings or not, the young man had been having nightmares night after night. In his dreams, he would kick away the despicable individuals who urged him to let go of his students, and he would continue his teachings. "Infuse your emotions more intensely! Love musical notes! The conductor's baton trembles in his hand. The struck student clenches his teeth, but continued to hit the keys. From an outsider's perspective, the instruction that was aimed at achieving ultimate beauty looked like outright abuse. Nevertheless, the student remained in a state of ecstasy and smiled. "You can play more beautifully!" The young man's words were like a divine revelation to the student.

(Discordant Poem) My teacher and I are co-conspirators in pursuit of true music in beauty. This relationship is unlikely to be understood by others.

[notherpuppet]

Sloppy comic based on me and my friends conversation on my bday last week 😝🥳 this is pretty much verbatim hahaha

[fairydrowning]

"Days will pass, and you'll abandon things you were addicted to, and leave someone, and cancel a dream, and finally, accept a reality."

– Nizar Qabbani

[ups3tti]

Sometimes I think about how Kai made his way out of an inferno by accepting that being the green ninja wasn't meant for him but that didn't make him any lesser while Morro died in an inferno because he couldn't let go of the idea of being the green ninja and viewed it as his only source of worth. And then I lose it a little

[deadpoets]

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989) dir. Peter Weir

[nientedal]

What progress at home has biden enacted? What policies of his show that he is making progress that prove he is actually different than trump?

I like to pretend I have faith in humanity, so I'll answer as if you're asking this in good faith.

Biden's DEA has lifted restrictions on telehealth prescriptions to make appointments and assistance more accessible.

He put a funding package into place to help unhoused people get access to mental and physical healthcare, as well as short-term and long-term housing.

He has attempted and is still attempting to get student debt relief through - this was blocked by Republican judges appointed by Trump, but he's still working on it.

Infrastructure repair - his administration has budgeted funds to actually fix some severely-damaged and frequently-traveled bridges.

Trying to expand access to healthcare to include undocumented immigrants who came to the USA as children (Dreamers) under the Affordable Care Act. Support for Navigator programs and outreach has also been increased.

He has vetoed Republican-led bills that were attempting to overturn environmental protections - one that would have forbidden investment fund managers to consider climate change in their portfolios (I have two degrees in accounting and this is actually huge), and another that would have overturned restrictions on agricultural runoff into our waterways.

He and his administration worked for ages to get rail workers paid sick days.

This is just some of what he's been doing. Meanwhile, Trump and other Republicans want to criminalize the lives of LGBT people like you and me. They want to eliminate no-fault divorce and force births that will kill parents or devastate them financially. They have stated flat out that they want to install a military dictatorship in the USA. They attempted to put that in motion on January 6th, 2021. They failed once. They will do better next time.

One party wants to house the homeless and expand social safety nets, while the other one wants to criminalize homelessness. One of them wants a future in which I might be able to vote to change how much of a war machine my country is, while the other one wants to eliminate my ability to vote entirely. Those are not the same. Those literally are opposites.

At the end of the day, all you and I can do is choose to do the least amount of harm possible. You and I cannot choose to do no harm. This is the USA, we sell war, you and I cannot choose to do no harm. I wish we could, my god do I wish we could, but that is not an option. So we grieve for the harm we couldn't eliminate and work to minimize the harm that is done. Despite all the crap they support, Democrats are the minimum amount of harm right now. Acting like they aren't is exactly what brought us to an election where our options are a future where we are either wading in blood or drowning in it.

Not voting for Biden will not help Palestine. Not voting for Biden will guarantee a Republican president who will make the situation in Palestine WORSE. AND it'll hurt a lot of other places as well, both at home and abroad, because Republicans are about business and the USA is in the business of war! And I would very much like that to change someday! I would very much like to someday be able to choose to do no harm! And I know what I have to do to try for that future, so what are YOU going to do? There is no standing off to the side in this. If you aren't helping pull, you're the dead weight we're pulling. Are you going to dig your feet into the mud and blood and drown us there? Or are you going to get the fuck off your ass, grit your teeth, and help us pull free?

[eveledoze]

I need to know what you were like

[jade-len]

please help i just had a dream where svsss was a dating sim. so, of course i tried pursuing shen qingqiu, but it ultimately backfired because suddenly he realized that he was in a dating visual novel?? and since i put myself as a guy, he just refused to show up to special in game events to avoid me interacting with him???

and obviously i was like "wtf why isn't he here?" when he didn't show up. then at some point i explored the area, and the screen suddenly zoomed in to show sqq talking to sqh (supposedly telling him all about the little situation). next thing i know, both of them are slowly turning their head to stare at the screen in pure and utter terror

also in some part of the dream, i think i did some liu qingge events or something and as his affection levels rose, he would continuously jump scare me by popping up out of nowhere and go, "its not like i like you or anything!!" while covered in blood and holding out a demonic beast head as if it were a box of treats

anyways, totally random question guys haha if i made an svsss visual novel dating sim would you guys play it. no reason in particular at all.

[julijbee]

girlbossing too close to the sun.

[aestheticanimosity]

Hamelin Act of Reality Chapter 2 translation by jyong. Please support him! Permission was given to share to my Hamelin archive.

"The favoritism towards that specific student is excessive." With complaints from the parents, the young man was summoned to a meeting. Favorites, preferential treatment, inequality…. Complaints kept pouring out, but the young man responded with a calm expression. "There is no equality in the face of beauty. Do you see a raw diamond and a stone on the roadside as the same? Or do you expect them to be polished equally, knowing the difference? That would be a futile and foolish act." The parents were outraged by the young man's confident and unapologetic stance. The higher-ups ordered the young man to take a temporary leave of abstence.

(Discordant Poem/Student PoV) It seems that the teacher has become a target of criticism among the parents. They say the teacher favors me too much. But isn't that only natural? I am a gift from God to fullfill the teacher's dream.

Hamelin: Very well. I will accept the leave of absence.

Hamelin: Teaching those who lack the qualifications to appreciate beauty…

Hamelin: I was getting tired of it anyway.

Verse 2 True beauty, after all, cannot be understood by mere mortals. And especially not by those who stand on the sidelines.

Verse 3 When faced with talent that creates true beauty, there are several ways in which people react.

Verse 4 The first is when talented individuals recognize and acknowledge each other's abilities. This mutual recognition and acceptance creates the most beautiful scenario.

Verse 5 The second is when talented individuals are overwhelmed by others with talent. Sometimes, this leads to jealousy and attempts to undermine one another. This is an ugly and unfortunate situation.

Verse 6 The third, and perhaps the most sinful, is when talentless individuals fail to recognize the talent in others.

Verse 7 They fail to understand the gift from God and foolishly consider talented individuals as equals, desiring to treat them the same. There is no uglier scenario than this.

Verse 8 Parents who are blinded by their own love for their children and overreact by comparing and ranking them. Educators who gauge their actions based on the approval of these parents, burying talent and suppressing those who stand out.

Verse 9 Ah, how ugly it is. Truly, humans are foolish and ugly creatures. That's why I cannot help but seek true beauty.

Verse 10 The young man distanced himself from teaching the student. However, in the late night classroom, the young man and the student were still present, as usual. "Pour your soul into each note. There must be no compromise, not a single one!" Interrupting repeatedly, the student, who restarted from the beginning each time, was expressing his limits. Nevertheless, the student obeyed the young man and approached the piano. "Read the composer's intentions from the sheet music. Why is there a screscendo here?! Why does it modulate at this point?!" Even with the piano in front of them, the two seemed as if they were on a battlefield.

(Discordant Poem/Student PoV) Lessons with the teacher are like a battlefield. There's no room for a moment of relaxation. My mind is worn out, and my fingers grow tired and dull. But in order to get closer to true beauty, I can't afford to complain.

Hamelin: Not yet. We are still far from attaining true beauty.

Hamelin: But please, don't give up.

Hamelin: You are the chosen one by God.

Hamelin: Because of who you are, or rather, because it is you-

Hamelin: Together with me, we will surely reach the pinnacle of beauty!

Suddenly, the young man stopped the performance. "You shouldn't play at that angle. You will hurt your wrists." The young man gently wrapped his own hand around the tired and sluggish hands of the student. In contrast to the cold impression that surrounds him, his hands feel remarkably warm. "Your hands are a gift from God. You must take care of them." He carrassed the student's hands, knowing that they would one day produce a perfect and beautiful melody. On the student's back, there were red marks left by the conductor's baton.

(Discordant Poem/Student PoV) Some people with sharp tongues say that the teacher is jealous of my talent. But that's not true. If it were jealousy, the teacher would use teaching as an excuse to crush my hands. But instead, the teacher always treats my hands with care. I am happiest in these moments.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 264

Danny squints at his tiny hands, eyes narrowing as Clockwork hums in the kitchen. Which he wasn’t even aware of having been in LongNow. Maybe it wasn’t. He huffed, voice too squeaky for him to continue complaining. Stupid time accidents. 

Which wasn’t even starting on the other figure awkwardly sitting at the table. 

He glowered at the Ghost King, who kept glancing at him with an unreadable look in their eyes, then looked back towards where Clockwork was. His scowl deepened over his cup of tea- which wasn’t fair, he wanted coffee but nooo, that’s not healthy for ‘little ghostlings’. Ugh.

Sometimes he wished he was fully ghost so he didn’t have to apparently worry about his living body having to grow back up.

[lgbtlunaverse]

Most annoying NMJ or JC take is when someone that dislikes them is like "oh you're a fan of him? *scoff* Well obviously you've only seen cql, where he was super watered down. In the novel he's a dislikable asshole and that's the objectively superior canon I'm working from instead of your woobified fanfic." Meanwhile your main canon is novel canon and you genuinely find novel Jiang Cheng and Nie Mingjue complex sympathetic characters.

[bluegiragi]

post match interview.

patreon for nsfw

[sweeetcheeese]

"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦,

𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭."

It's been a while since I've done some angst. Jack is THE og sickly victorian child lmao.

[sea-buns]

Hunch is the embodiment of fake-it-till-you-make-it.

[spuffybot]

It will never not be super ridiculous that Buffy had to single-handedly protect the world from demons, raise her teenage sister, manage a household, and work a full time job, all at the age of 22 and everyone around her is like “god Buffy just grow up and deal with it, stop acting like it’s hard.”