#and then chose one “fact” for each of us which we would present to the entire class as a group

[vampimich]

Carmeo theory time - Someday

----- LIES OF P / OVERTURE SPOILERS AHEAD -----

Reasons that I have to believe Someday talks about Carmeo and is most likely associated with Romeo. (Or me summarizing my findings after falling into the rabbit hole of the records on Lies of P and how they come from another game by Neowiz called djmaxx so no song was written specifically for this game but they still fit perfectly) 👀

How the record is obtained:

Unlike all the other records in the game this is obtained via the MVP merchant in Malum District. This removes the direct association of record <-—-> character (and their situation) that we get from all the other records. 

We can at least get the idea from the location that it should be related to someone that was present at the Malum District at some point.

Of course it can be about anyone  like the merchant himself, but if they chose such a sentimental song with impactful lyrics, I think it would be better suited for a character with a bit more backstory than a merchant.

Could also be tied to any member of the black rabbit brotherhood, but because of the lyrics and video discussed in a bullet below I don’t think that’s the case.

Even the Cat and Fox could be discarded because I am seeing how Quixotic is tied to the Fox and her desire to continue fighting for her and her brother.

This song is performed by a man: 

The translations/adaptations for each song from djmax to Lies of P were done with a lot of care. Some songs were left without voice/lyrics for LoP where the theme or the tune would be more significant to the character it was meant to represent, and for ‘Someday’ they purposefully changed the singer to be man despite the original one being performed by a female singer. 

The only other song in the base game with a male voice is Wolf, Flower, Proposal Part 1 (Now SURVIVOR regular is part of this group too), and that is very clearly meant to be tied to the real Alidoro by Eugenie.

But in contrast to Someday, Wolf, Flower, Proposal Part 1 was performed in both games by male singer. So if they changed the Someday singer, that probably means it represents the experience from one of the male characters. And who should that character be if I already discarded the merchant, the Cat, and the BRB brothers? Which other characters that are somehow related to Malum District are we left with? We'll get the answer in the next section.

Collectibles/Lore from Mallum District: 

What piece of Lore / picture collectible do we find in the Malum District, right in the Red Lobster? 

In the couch under where the merchant is selling the record, we find nothing less than The Monad Charity House Guide. Most of the text is just to give us a bit more of Lore regarding the Rose Estate, but at the end of it we can see a piece of dialogue between Romeo and Carlo. 

“You look like a donkey in this picture”

“Stop doodling in my picture, Romeo”

We find other collectibles talking about the Monad Charity House in other zones of the game, like the Lorenzini Arcade, but the difference with those it that this guide has dialogue from our pair in it, meaning that Carlo and Romeo must have come in contact with this piece of paper. And that they were probably in the Red Lobster when Romeo doodled with his picture. 

There’s also the scribbling in the painting in the wall in front of the Merchant. 

“I, Romeo, will become the greatest Stalker in all of Krat!”

“Then I’ll become stronger that Romeo and become the greatest Stalker in all the world!”

Of course, both the painting and the Guide could have just reached the Red Lobster without Carlo and Romeo stepping at all in MD, but the fact that the devs decided to show two pieces of interaction between these two right in this place where you obtain this record is very telling.

The video for the original song:

Link to the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzWea3Yh8s 

The video shows us the story about a girl and her boyfriend/romantic interest/SO and how she waits for him for a very long time him when he has to go away for military service. We see time going by and she going to the same train spot to see him. But even when she does see him, they don’t get to be together again, maybe because he just imagined it, maybe because he couldn’t be back with her. 

So what we get from this animation is that someone is experiencing loss, separation, and can’t wait for the day in they get to meet with that other person, even when the circumstances constantly keep them apart.

And lastly the lyrics.

I won’t analyze everything, I just want to emphasize a couple lines. (There a comment with an amazing translation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvPrjpijw5o)

“The snowflakes shining white in the night sky comfort me as I wait for you alone in the dark.” Back when we only had the base game this was not really clear, and I saw it more as a metaphor, but now that we have the DLC, what is the first thing that we see in the game? Snow. And we know from in-game info that snow in Krat is not common at all and that this only occurred recently. So who could be waiting alone in the snow after someone dear to him was gone? That’s right, Romeo. This is right when the DLC told me, this is not about Carlo, it’s about Romeo longing for Carlo.

The singer mentions repeatedly that he will wait for this someone even if his heart aches.

There’s also a line that says, “Time to meet you now”, and this might just be a more far fetched speculation, but maybe it ties to the moment Romeo was dying. There was snow the day that happened. He was kept in under the night sky by Arlecchino, so I think the snowflakes falling were bringing him comfort as he remembered Carlo and thought he would finally meet him again.

In general I feel the song has a very romantic tone. Of course it could be interpreted as just someone very close, but c’mon: “Listen my heart, I will wait for you.” Like my heart? Romeo was down bad for Carlo.

But even if you do not buy into the Carmeo agenda, Romeo loved Carlo incredibly much and suffered a lot with his death

So I might be wrong about a lot of things in here, but this all really clicked for me that this song was meant for the two of them. I left this theory incomplete back in 2024 and it only took me for the DLC to be released to finally publish it! Anyway, I’m interested to know your thoughts on this! (And sorry if something doesn't makes sense, my mind was kinda scattered today :p )

[lbhslefttiddie]

for the stupid icebreaker segment of one of my classes (cultural anth) we split into smaller groups and played a round of two truths one lie and apparently im really good at this game?? bc no one guessed my lie??? i remember we played the game once in high school drama class and no one guessed that time either though ill admit i cannot recall what i offered as my options that time but the high from winning that game was INSANE because drama kids in my mind means A) highly competitive and B) better at catching out what acting looks like. its just kinda weird bc im both clumsily honest by default, love oversharing, and am generally quite gullible (ex: when guessing OTHER people's lies in class yesterday, i was batting a perfect ✨0✨ and i was trying very, very hard) so i always sort of expect it will be immediately obvious which one is not true

however, playing that game yesterday did give me a small hypothesis for a sort of unspoken bias that might afflict how people choose their option which i kind of want to test more....

[dandylovesturtles]

Made myself emotional over the “Leo and Donnie chose to be twins” headcanon.

———

“By the way, it’s Leo and Donnie’s birthday next Thursday. You’re coming, right?”

Draxum looked up from his work organizing next week’s lunch schedule to look at Michelangelo, sitting on the counter and swinging his feet. Celebrating individual birthdays wasn’t a thing that the yokai did, but Draxum had been forced to accept that the boys could not be dissuaded from this human tradition. He’d been to two birthday parties now, for Michelangelo and Raphael respectively, eating cake and presenting them with some small trinket he purchased.

He’d known that he would have to go to more birthday parties at some point. But he wasn’t expecting two at once.

“Why on the same day? I can’t imagine the blue one wanting to share.” Actually, he couldn’t imagine Donatello wanting to share, either.

“Oh,” said Michelangelo with a laugh. “That’s ‘cause they’re twins!”

Draxum stared at him. “Twins? What kind of nonsense is that?”

Mikey tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“They’re entirely different species, for starters,” Draxum pointed out.

“I mean, we all are, but we’re still brothers.”

“Yes, by virtue of your shared DNA donor and the circumstances of your raising.” Draxum waved that off. “But “twins” refers to a situation where two children are born at once, especially as the result of a split of a fertilized egg. Which is absolutely impossible in the case of Leonardo and Donatello. Even if I were to be charitable and simply consider them “twins” for having the same hatch day, I can tell you they do not.”

“Uh, okay,” said Michelangelo, unimpressed. “But they’ve always been twins, so I don’t think it matters to them.”

“Why not? I would think it would matter to Donatello especially, since he claims to be scientifically minded.”

Michelangelo laughed. “Not everything is about science, Barry. Not even to Donnie.”

“Then his decisions about when to apply science and when not to are inconsistent and confusing.”

“Well, it’s their birthday, so they get to pick.”

“I am certain that is not how birthdays work.”

“It’s how it works for us!” Michelangelo slipped off the counter. “We’ll see you on Thursday, right? It’ll mean a lot to them if you come!”

Draxum was fairly sure Leonardo in particular would prefer he didn’t, but that didn’t matter. Now he had a mission: he had to correct this strange incongruence.

“Yes, I will be there.”

“Yay!” cheered Michelangelo. “Okay, see ya Dad!”

He squeezed Draxum around the waist on his way out. Draxum was finding he didn’t mind that as much as he used to.

———

Leonardo and Donatello’s party was just as loud and obnoxious as the other two. Blue and purple decorations covered every inch of the old subway station, strange music blared from unseen speakers, and a horrendous amount of junk food was spread out over a table. It was the same group of people present today as there ever was, the eclectic mix of humans and yokai that the boys considered family, but it felt like a crowd three times the size with the amount of noise being made.

Draxum stood off on his own for most of it, his slim birthday present already delivered to the table stacked with gifts. He’d been a little shocked when Donatello and then Leonardo came by to say hello, since he’d been prepared to be ignored by both of them. It was… nice, maybe, that they did that. Even if Leonardo just wanted to make jokes at his expense.

For most of the party, the two birthday boys seemed to be competing with each other for attention. In fact, the longer he took it all in, the whole affair seemed like a clash of ideas. The purple decorations were neat and tidy, geometric patterns and hard angles. The blue decorations were whimsical, uncoordinated, and haphazard, and there were places it seemed someone had deliberately covered up some of the purple with the blue. Leonardo wanted to play rock music and Donatello wanted to play techno. The cake was a mess because they’d both requested different themes for the decorations. There were arguments between the two of them every few minutes, and according to the human girl April this was “typical behavior.”

But why? They weren’t really twins. They didn’t have to share this day.

Hopefully Draxum’s plan would fix all this nonsense.

When it was time for gifts, Leonardo loudly declared that he was going first, sparking an argument. They squabbled for a bit before agreeing to play rock-paper-scissors, which was apparently what they did every year.

Leonardo won the game and celebrated obnoxiously while Donatello scowled at him. Then he gestured at the gift table - which Draxum, in his efforts to stay out of the main throng, was closest to.

“Hey, Barry! Grab me a gift! Make it a good one.”

Draxum sighed but reached over to take one of the blue packages, checking the tag to make sure it was for Leonardo. “This one is… to Leo from Donnie,” he read.

“Oh no, not that one. Our presents to each other are always last.”

“Because they always get sappy about it,” said April with a laugh.

“Do not!” yelled Leonardo at the same time Donatello hissed, “You take that back!”

“Uh, yeah you do, and you know I’m right.”

Draxum ignored the petty argument to look back at the gift table. If they weren’t going to be satisfied with his choice, he might as well give them his own gift.

He lifted it, in its sensible brown packaging, off the table and handed it over.

“Why not start with this? It’s to both of you from me.”

“Both of us at once?” asked Leonardo. “Oh man, you’re throwing off our whole system, Barry.”

“Yes, but he’s giving it to you,” Donatello pointed out, “which means my turn is still next.”

“Uh, no, if it’s for both of us then it counts for both of us, which means it comes back around to me!”

“Ooooh no, you do not get to loophole your way into opening two presents in a row-“

“Ahem!” Draxum loudly cleared his throat, getting their attention. “Would you please just open it?”

“Yikes,” said Leonardo. “Touchy.”

“Some people just don’t understand the sanctity of opening birthday gifts,” said Donatello with a sniff. But he leaned in to watch as Leonardo tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box.

They were both silent for a moment, staring at it. Then Leonardo said, “Uh, no offense, Barry, but what is this?”

“It’s a… scientific study on how twins are formed during the gestational period,” said Donatello, pulling the paper clipped thesis from the box. “Oh, there are more in here… Also about twins.”

“Uh…” Leonardo blinked at it, clearly bewildered. Well, he was always a bit slow. “Thanks…? I think?”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the scientific literature,” said Donatello, “but this isn’t really my area of study and Leo does better with training manuals and textbooks than research papers.” He looked up at Draxum. “Is there something about this we aren’t getting?”

“Yes there is,” said Draxum, sweeping his hand around at the entire party. “I am here to correct your mistaken assumption that you are twins.”

The room fell silent. Donatello set the paper back in the box, staring at him. Leonardo’s brow creased in anger.

“We are twins, though,” he said, setting the box aside like it was burning him.

“No, you are not. There is simply no way that the two of you could be twins. It is biologically impossible.”

“You think that I’m so stupid I don’t know that?” Donatello demanded, getting up from the chair he was sitting in. “Are you doubting my intelligence?”

“Yes, if you honestly think you are twins with him, then I am.”

“Uhhh, Draxum,” said Michelangelo quickly, stepping between him and the now furious Donatello, “this was a… funny joke, but you can stop now-“

“This is not a joke. I am simply explaining the facts.”

“Yeah, well,” now Leonardo was on his feet, too, “the facts are that me and Donnie are twins. Always have been, always will be.”

“You are not,” Draxum insisted. “And given what I have seen here today, I’d think you’d both be relieved, since you clearly don’t enjoy being twins!”

Both boys looked like they’d just been slapped in the face. The rest of the room had gone completely silent, like everyone was collectively holding their breath.

Donatello broke first, turning on his heel and marching out of the room, his hands balled into fists and his shoulders hunched up as high as they could go. “Dee!” called Leonardo, and then he was scurrying off after him. There was the sound of a heavy door slamming, then silence.

It didn’t last long.

“Draxum!” roared the rat, actually getting up from his chair to get in Draxum’s face. “You come in here and upset my boys on their own birthday!?”

“Seriously not cool, Drax,” said the human April. Cassandra shook her head in shared disappointment behind her.

Draxum pushed Lou Jitsu back, scowling at his accusers. “I was only explaining reality! This is really the rat’s fault for letting their delusion go on so long.”

“Delusion!?”

“Barry!”

“Rat!?”

“Ooookay,” said Raphael suddenly, stepping his way into the middle of the fray and starting to herd Draxum back toward the exit. “That’s enough of that for now.”

“I am simply trying to explain-“

“Trust me, hoss, you wanna step away from this one,” said Raphael, and his tone was angry but surprisingly measured. “Come on.”

They retreated to the sewer tunnels outside the subway station. The smell was much worse out here, and Draxum wrinkled his nose.

“Alright.” Raphael heaved a sigh, folding his arms. “So here’s the deal. Mikey likes you, and I guess I kinda do too, so I’m gonna try to help you before you completely torpedo your chances with the rest of the guys. Which, you kinda did already, but maybe we can turn it around.”

“I still don’t understand why they’re so upset,” said Draxum. “Surely it was obvious they aren’t twins.”

“Uh, yeah, they know they aren’t twins by bio-whatever,” agreed Raphael. “They ain’t stupid.”

“Hmm.” Draxum turned up his nose. “Donatello isn’t stupid, maybe.”

“Leo ain’t stupid, either, he just pretends like it.” Raphael pinched his brow. “Listen, that isn’t the point - the point is they already know they didn’t come from the same egg or hatch the same day or whatever. They’re just twins anyway.”

“But how? That doesn’t make sense!”

Raphael sighed again. “Alright, look. Dad didn’t know when we hatched, right? But we all wanted birthday parties like we saw on TV, so he let us pick.”

“Yes. And for some reason Leonardo and Donatello chose the same day.” Draxum could figure that much out on his own.

Raphael nodded. “I was the biggest and oldest, and Mikey was the littlest and youngest, and Leo and Donnie were just kinda sandwiched in the middle. I think at first they just wanted a thing. Somethin’ that set them apart from me and Mikey, ya know?”

“Not really,” said Draxum. Raphael glared at him, and he sighed. “But go on.”

“So they picked the same birthday and called themselves twins. I think Pops just so glad they were actually getting along that he agreed to it. And I think he thought once we got to the day, and they realized they were really gonna have to share it, they’d both demand their own day instead. I know I thought that was gonna happen.” He smiled at the memory. “But the day came, and… they fussed the whole time just like they do now. Arguing about what kind of cake they wanted and who got to open their present first. But they didn’t ask to split. They kept it the same day, and they kept calling each other twins and it just stuck, until we didn’t question it anymore.”

“…They are both stubborn,” Draxum pointed out, and Raphael laughed once.

“Yeah, guess they are. But that’s not what this is.” Raphael shrugged. “They chose each other back then. Maybe at first it was just to have a thing, but then it became real. And every single year they keep choosing each other. That’s why they’re twins.”

Choosing each other as twins… Draxum furrowed his brow. “It’s not normally a choice,” he pointed out finally.

“Yeah, well, our family doesn’t get a lot of choices, so just let ‘em have this one, okay?”

“…Fine,” Draxum finally relented. “As long as it’s noted that this is purely a social designation, and not a biological one.”

“Uh, sure, whatever.” Raphael rolled his eyes. “Glad we got that cleared up, though. Think you can come back to the party and behave?”

Draxum wrinkled his nose at that phrasing, but nodded. “Yes. I will not bring it up again.”

“Good!” Raphael’s smile abruptly transitioned into something much more dangerous. “Because if you make my little brothers upset on their birthday again, I’ll remind you what it was like when we were enemies.”

Then the smile was back. “Now let’s go in!”

He walked back to the subway station, leaving Draxum to follow on his own. Draxum couldn’t help but sigh wistfully.

Raphael would have made a great general for his army.

———

The boys had already returned by the time Draxum got back. They were opening more gifts, and he noted they were wearing hoodies now - though they had apparently decided to swap their signature colors. They were smiling and chattering, and any hint of their earlier upset was gone.

Until Draxum stepped into their line of sight, and both of them went rigid, wary of him.

Apparently just talking to the red one was not enough. Draxum would have to do more. What a pain.

But he didn’t want the boys to hate him. So he sighed and launched into it.

“I… am sorry. I shouldn’t have said you aren’t twins.”

The boys looked surprised at that; slowly, their posture loosened back up.

“And… to make up for my present, I will… take the two of you wherever you want to go in the Hidden City.” The next words were painful, and he ground them out. “My treat.”

Leonardo and Donatello shifted their gaze from him to each other. They were silent, but it didn’t seem like they needed to talk to have a conversation.

Then they finally looked back at Draxum, slow grins growing over both their faces.

Eerily matching, very evil grins.

“Oh,” said Leonardo, happily menacing. “I think we can think of something.”

“I concur,” said Donatello in the exact same tone.

Oh, thought Draxum. Maybe they really are twins.

[kanmom51]

JM's fascination with JK's tiddies

Is it only me or have we kind of ignored this moment? Moved on a little too quickly from it, at the very least.

But before we get into it here, did y'all notice this?

Stop looking at JK's bare back, that's not it!!!

It's JM's comment that had me thinking.

JM didn't have to tell JK he didn't touch him, not to mention the fact that they constantly get handsy with each other, so why would he have to say that?

Noticed it when the episode came out, and first thing that came to mind was: "he knows". They see everything. They know what people say about them. We know about some of JM's fans having a hard time accepting what those two have, and more so the constant claims of JK being mean to JM or even physically abusing him. You think the two of them are unaware of these posts? With this comment, I'm kind of thinking that the answer to that would be an astounding no. They know. We've seen them do things, say things in the past that were clearly a reaction to online claims, hateful posts. I do think this is one of those occasions. Imo, the second JM said "this is violence" he knew there would be those that would run with it... hence the comment to follow.

Ok, and now this:

Why is it that while saying "don't get excited already" he's going for JK's pecs?

We've addressed many of their interactions from their trips, sweet and naughty. Including their Sapporo trip. But somehow, this moment has gone a little under the radar.

I guess that in an episode where we have them both prancing around half naked enjoying each other's company in the hot and cold tubs, flexing their arms and chests in our faces, this moment can get slightly lost, lol.

So, here I am, doing a public service (aren't I great that way?), bringing it back for us to talk about.

I will start by saying how much I love love love their playfulness. It's never ending. Of course, just like any long term loving couple, they have their difficult moments (we are all human after all), but also, like many long term loving couples, they have this humor reserved only to the two of them, knowing how to laugh together, play together, have fun together. They have their own games, their own jokes, many a times those around them are in the dark, unable to understand or join in (at times, as we see with the other members, not wanting to, seeing that they are so over those two already, lol).

And while I'm at it already then:

I love their relationship. Just had to say that at this point.

I love how they love each other to death.

I love how they have been together for close to a decade and still lust over each other.

I love how sometimes you catch them looking at the other like it's the first time they've seen them, like they are the hottest thing under the sun, like they are the sun and the moon to them (well, they literally are the sun and the moon).

I love how much they know each other.

I love how much they look out for each other and take care of each other.

I love how much they not only love one another, but actually like each other.

I love how they just FIT.

I love how they have their own Jikook sense of humour and I love how playful they are with each other.

I love how they CHOSE to enlist together. Chose to spend the 18 months of military service with each other even when knowing that this clearly meant a more difficult placement and service. I love how they were the most important thing to each other, being together, looking out for each other, looking after each other through this difficult time of their lives.

All of the above makes for the healthiest loveliest long term relationship.

And then you have the combination of the playfulness and the hots with the "grab/touch/poke/fondle the chestie" game, which seems to be one of JM's favourite games, lmao.

JM most definitely has a fascination with JK's chest. Past, present, future.

They are litterally JM's chestie besties.

He looks at them, he touches them, he grabs them, he pokes them, he talks about them.

He owns them!!!

[max1461]

I've said this before, but: many political discussions are heavily informed by who the person speaking identifies as the relevant agent in some situation. For instance, consider this dialogue:

Person 1: The US needs to institute policy X.

Person 2: That's impossible, all the Republicans in congress would just vote against it. What we really need is for the Democrats to push for policy Y, which they might be able to get bipartisan agreement on.

Person 3: That's not possible either, the Democrats are too beholden to corporate interests to support policy Y. What we really need is for the president to institute executive order Z.

Person 2: Oh come on, the president would never issue execute order Z, policy Y is much more feasible than that.

And so on and so forth ad nauseam.

I don't think these people are really arguing about politics, and I don't know if they even have any substantive disagreement with each other.

In general, when people talk about "what should be done", they are always implicitly thinking of some agent, they are speaking of "what should be done by someone". And of course when we speak about different agents, we will come to different conclusions about what they should do. This is not least because different agents have different options in front of them. For instance, if you were to give me suggestions about what I could do to make the world better, they would probably not be the same as the suggestions you would give to Bill Gates about what he could do to make the world better, or the suggestions you would give to Vladimir Putin.

Normative claims presuppose an agent, and the content of normative claims will vary by the agent that is supposed. It would be useless to suggest to me "end the war in Ukraine", or to suggest to Putin "be more selective about the discourse posts you reblog", or whatever.

The problem is that when we are discussing politics, there are many different agents that we can identify with and whose behavior we can present normative claims about, and we often do not specify which one we are referring to. Furthermore, political agents can be institutions instead of just individuals, making possible the existence of sub-agents with varying agendas, and so on. Individuals might conceivably be modeled as having these too, but that's a philosophical can of worms I won't open.

Anyway, this imprecision about what agents we are prescribing actions to leads to scenarios like the discourse above, where people who substantively disagree about very little might argue vociferously against each other because in truth they are prescribing behavior for different agents altogether. Person 1 is prescribing behavior for the US government as a whole, Person 2 for the Democratic party, and Person 3 for the president. They only disagree in that each imagines the other's agent as an object of nature governed by mechanistic processes and their own agent as possessing (practically speaking) free will. None of them are really per se correct or incorrect, I don't think.

My suggested solution to this is: specify clearly the agent you are referring to, and admit that for normative discussion to make sense at all you must model that agent as "being able to choose its action" even if deeper analysis of its internal processes reveals it to in fact be deterministic. When in doubt, recall that the only agent whose actions you can really chose (if you can choose any actions at all) are your own, and thus in a certain sense any discussion of what an agent other than you yourself should do is idle philosophizing.

Ethics (I claim) are in and of themselves only a system for selecting your own actions; their use in evaluating the actions of others is secondary at best.

[lyvhie]

── .✦ never enough

zhong chenle x fem!reader

𓂃 ࣪˖ summary: maybe there's nothing left to say. Maybe the love between you two is running low. 𓂃 ࣪˖ cw: another attempt at angst 😞 𓂃 ࣪˖ a/n: i don't know what is this, but but but enjoy!!! 💐

The atmosphere in the car was tense. Neither you nor Chenle seemed willing to break the silence, which only grew heavier with each passing second in the cramped space.

From the moment he picked you up, Chenle had been trying to avoid this uncomfortable mood. He wasn't idiot, he knew you well enough to recognize when something was off. It was in the way your face held a slight scowl, how you barely spoke, and most telling of all, how you hadn't immediately hugged him or showered him with kisses the moment you opened the door.

Still, he chose not to bring it up. You didn't seem ready to talk about whatever was on your mind, and the last thing he wanted was to start another fight. Instead, he just wanted to make you feel better, even if only for a little while—to distract you from whatever was weighing you down.

Not to mention, it had been a while since you last saw each other. He wanted to have a pleasant night with his (admittedly mad) girlfriend. Chenle tried to push aside the fact that you had been acting this way for some time now, hoping that with his full attention, things would eventually go back to normal.

But that didn't quite happen.

What was supposed to be a nice dinner—filled with you telling him about your day or whatever was on your mind—turned into an uncomfortable evening of one-sided conversation. He kept trying, asking questions, making little comments, anything to get you to open up. But every effort was met with short, clipped responses, until eventually, he gave up. Exhausted from trying, he fell silent, letting the weight of the tension settle between you.

And that same silence lingered between you, stretching uncomfortably into the present moment. At this point, Chenle was certain this was because of something he did. It always was.

He didn't know what, not yet, but that familiar weight of inevitability settled in his chest. He could already feel it: this was going to lead to another fight.

You were like a pressure cooker, holding everything in, letting the steam build until you had no choice but to explode. And when you did, he knew he'd be caught in the middle of it.

Chenle tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, sneaking glances at you from the corner of his eye. The weight of your silence pressed down on him, making the drive feel longer than it actually was.

He hated this. Hated the distance, the invisible wall you had built between you two. With a quiet sigh, he finally spoke, his voice softer than usual.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are we just going to sit in this awkward silence all night?"

You shifted in your seat, arms crossed over your chest, staring out the window as if the city lights held all the answers.

“Nothing you don't already know," you answered simply, shrugging, not even sparing him a glance.

Ah. Not this again.

Chenle sighed, your name leaving his lips in a near-pleading tone. "Please, I'm trying," he said, frustration creeping into his voice despite his efforts to stay calm. His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel, his brows furrowing. "I'm doing everything I can.”

“I'm sorry if that's hard to believe."

"Okay, then what should I do? Tell me," he said, alternating his gaze between you and the road. "Because I thought we were fine. You said we were fine. I tried to give us a good night, and you spent the whole time looking like you didn't even want to be there."

You finally turned to face him, a crease forming between your brows. "I already told you, Chenle," you shook your head, frustration bubbling over. "This one night doesn't fix everything. I barely see you. And when I do, it's like you're just making up for lost time instead of actually being here."

He exhaled, jaw tightening. "You know I'm busy. I don't choose to be away from you."

“I know you're busy." Your voice was tired—tired of hearing the same excuse over and over again. "But it feels like you're only too busy for us."

Chenle's brows furrowed. "That's not true," he said, his tone carrying a hint o exasperation. "Things have been hectic lately. Of course, I'd rather be with you all day, but I have responsibilities. I can't just push them aside." He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I am trying, I make time for you whenever I can.”

You let out a bitter laugh, shaking your head. "Whenever you can," you repeated, voice dripping with disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself? You make it sound like I'm just supposed to sit here and be grateful for whatever little time you decide to give me."

Chenle's jaw clenched. "That's not what I meant."

"But that's what it feels like," you snapped, turning to him. "You just admitted it—you prefer to be with me, but you can't because everything else comes first. So where does that leave me, huh?"

His patience was wearing thin now. He absolutely hates it when you twist his words. "That's not fair," he shot back. "You know this isn't about choosing between you and my responsibilities. I don't want to be away from you, but I have to be.”

“And I have to deal with it, right?" you bit back, voice trembling with frustration. "I just have to accept it, pretend I'm okay with it—pretend I don't feel like I'm losing you every single day?" You scoffed, looking out the window before turning back to him, eyes burning. "How can I love you if you're never around?"

The words hung heavy in the air, sharp and unforgiving. Chenle's breath caught in his throat. His fingers curled even tighter around the wheel, his anger flaring—not just at you, but at the situation, at himself, at how nothing he said or did ever seemed to be enough.

“You don't mean that," he said, his voice low, controlled, not wanting to snap at you or show how your words were hurting him.

“Don't I?" you challenged, pushing him just a little further. "I mean... how do I even know you're not just—" you hesitated, your voice dropping slightly, but the words still came out before you could stop them. "Fooling around with someone else?”

Chenle's head snapped toward you, his expression shifting from frustration to pure disbelief.

“Oh, so now I'm a cheater?" His voice was sharp, edged with something almost wounded. "Seriously? That's what you think of me?”

“Can you blame me for wondering?" you ssaid back, shrugging. "You're barely around, you barely talk to me, and when you do, it's always the same excuse—'I'm busy.' What else am I supposed to think?"

His take a deep breath as he tried to keep his anger in check. "You're supposed to trust me," he said, voice low but firm. "You're supposed to know that I wouldn't do that to you."

You scoffed. "Yeah? Well, it's kinda hard to trust someone who's never here."

That did it. His patience snapped.

He pulled the car over abruptly, the sudden movement making your breath hitch. As soon as the car was in park, he turned to you.

“You really think so little of me?" he demanded, his voice laced with anger and hurt. "After everything? After all the times I've shown you how much you mean to me?" He let out a bitter chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what more you want from me. I'm doing the best I can, and somehow, that's still not enough for you."

You opened your mouth to respond, but no words came out. Because, deep down, you knew this wasn't really about him cheating or whatever nonsense you were saying right now—it was about how much you missed him. How much it hurt to feel like you were slipping further and further from each other.

You knew he was trying. So hard. You knew that. It wasn't lost on you, all the effort he put into making this work, but the words still slipped out, cutting deeper than you intended. You didn't mean to hurt him. Of course, he would never cheat. You knew that, too. But despite all of that, you couldn't bring yourself to say sorry.

You looked away from him, ashamed. The silence stretched between you both like a suffocating weight, the tension palpable. You weren't even sure what to say back to him. Nothing you said would change anything now. You could feel the distance between you growing larger with every second.

Chenle was seething, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He knew you hadn't meant it, but the words still stung. They stung like acid, burning through everything he thought he understood about you. "If you're just going to keep that up, then maybe I should just leave.”

You flinched at his words, though you didn't say anything. The thought of him leaving, of everything falling apart, shattered something deep inside of you.

“Maybe that's what you want." His voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. "You're better off without me anyway.”

That wasn't how you wanted things to go. You loved him—God, how you loved him. That's why you were still here, still fighting through the hardships, the distance, the endless fights. You didn't want to feel like this. You didn't want to be this angry, this hurt, but it was as if you couldn't stop yourself. Every bitter word seemed to spill out before you could even think.

You could feel your throat burning, the tightness building up as tears blurred your vision. You just wanted to cry, to break down like a child, but no, the words came instead. The same impulsive, careless words you always regretted.

"Yeah, maybe you're right.”

As soon as you said it, you felt the weight of it crash down on you.

The car was suffocating. Every breath felt like a betrayal, every second stretching longer and longer. Chenle stayed silent, but you could feel his eyes on you, burning with disappointment, with hurt. It was as if he was waiting for you to take it back, to say something, anything, that would make it stop. But it didn't come.

Chenle's chest tightened painfully, the silence swallowing him whole. His heart was splintering, piece by piece. Was he really so worthless to you now? Was he so easily discarded that you could say something like that? Had everything he had given you, everything he had done, amounted to this?

Was he really that much of a burden? What had happened to the life you two used to talk about? The future he had dreamed with you? Now, here he was, sitting beside you in this car, the last pieces of the life he had built in his mind slipping through his fingers.

He didn't say anything, didn't try to justify himself, didn't even plead for you to take it back. He just nodded slowly, his lips pressed into a thin line, and reached for the ignition. The car roared to life, the sound of the engine drowning out everything else, and with that, he started driving again.

Neither of you said a word for the rest of the drive.

↝ taglist: @yizhrt , @sinisxtea , @peterm4rker .

[ronearoundblindly]

Idk if you’ve done this before but how about assigning the cevans character to their love language?

Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Giving/Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch (and/or any you can think of)

I’m curious for your takes on who loves what 😆💕

I'm going to split this into how they give and how they receive love--which I'd like to mention are not the only ways each does, but we'll limit it to the most predominant.

*Oh dammmmmn, this was kinda difficult to narrow down but I hope I explain myself well...

No warnings. Just fun and feels!

Ari Levinson

Gives: Acts of Service

Ari feeds off the idea that being with him makes your life easier not harder; in fact, that is extremely important to him, so he prides himself on doing small (and big) things to help you out as often as he can.

Receives: Quality Time

He's a fast-paced dude who loves to do stuff: lots of excursions and new experiences, lots of hanging out with various friends he knows from a bunch of countries and very different times in his life. Being quiet, calm, and close to you is a blessing to him, something he appreciates down in his soul.

Andy Barber

Gives: Physical Touch

His job is very intense and garners him mild (if not vicious) hate. He craves closeness and is usually a little desperate to hold you after his workday. His go-to move is a hug from behind while you pour two glasses of wine, and he needs you snuggled up to him to fall asleep.

Receives: Words of Affirmation

Obviously from that description, we know touch is high on how Andy also feels love from a partner, but the top one is actually getting praised and reassured. He chose to have a career that pays well, yes, but it also requires the majority of his time and energy. Andy's heart soars when you tell him he's doing well and making you happy, when he hears you say you think his efforts are worth it.

Jake Jensen

Gives: Gifts

Tchotchke and knickknacks beyond your wildest dreams! Jake thinks about you all the time. He usually picks up small trinkets from everywhere so he can tell you the story of where they came from and what he was doing.

Receives: Physical Touch

If one of you so much as tries to argue with me on this, you will be blocked lol. You know our twitchy, touch-starved nerd is so desperate to be loved on that he absolutely requires it when you get to be together. Jake will also accept being told how much you want to touch him, via text, voicemail, or video chat, the more graphic the better...

Steve Rogers

Gives: Quality Time

Um, another 'duh' one. Steve never gets TIME, so of course he'll spend any and all that he can with you!

Receives: Gifts

Wild card for his second half though: Steve was very poor as a kid, and he was never much better as an adult--big or small. Living frugally is just...standard practice for him. However, he's a sucker for meaningful presents just for him. Secret hoarder, here, when the gifts are from people he cares about.

Bucky Barnes

Gives: Acts of Service

Bit of a two-birds-one-stone situation, but it's very important that Bucky choose what he does and who he does it for now, bonus points for it being a kind gesture for a loved one, perfect points if it's for you. I have this idea that he would actually bend over backwards to do something for you that used his abilities in a non-violent way, so you want every piece of your furniture rearranged for fung shui? Let him do it, please. And again the next month? Don't threaten him with a good time now! He's in.

Receives: Quality Time

In that same vein, someone else choosing to spend their precious time with him is more valuable than gold. He will never take a moment of it for granted. Nope. He's so grateful.

Lloyd Hansen

Gives: Words of Affirmation

If Lloyd truly, actually, really likes someone, he will say nice things to them. Not gonna lie, makes me tingle a little bit to think of this man getting to that point with anyone because it still probably sounds so damn dangerous even if he's telling you he loves you and you're perfect.

Receives: Gifts

Specifically, he only feels loved if the gifts are good and stuff he'd want or like. (Joke gifts are fun, but Lloyd just rolls his eyes at those. He find some meaning in well-thought out presents.)

Ransom Drysdale

Gives: Quality Time

The 'tell' for Ran falling in love is that he will voluntarily do stuff you like. This counts for quality time, sure, but it's all the more meaningful that he will make an effort to experience those things with you.

Receives: Words of Affirmation

Another unsurprising one, but since he did not hear very many genuinely nice things about himself growing up--aside from the fact he was a piece of crap and bully anyway,--Ransom melts like butter on hot toast.

Jimmy Dobyne

Gives: Acts of Service

Very busy, very tired, very passive when caring for himself. Jimmy will summon up energy he doesn't have to do at least one small thing for you everyday. He'll warm up your towel in the dryer while you're in the bath. He'll do the 'handwash only' dishes before you two watch some TV. He'll pick a couple of wildflowers from the back yard to put in a vase on the table for breakfast. It may not be much--he's does big things when he can but mostly it's the little things--but Jimmy is devoted to being worthy of you.

Receives: Words of Affirmation

His dad's a drunk has-been and his mother is mentally unstable; Jimmy hasn't ever had a lot of emotional support at home. Being open, encouraging him, and reassuring him all serve to bond you two closer than any blood family he knows.

James Mace

Gives: Quality Time

After all those stints training and in space, Mace will gladly be glued to you whenever he can be. The trick is that anything is quality time when he's paying attention to you, even grocery shopping.

Receives: Acts of Service

He is perfectly capable of being a self-sufficient man, no question, but there is something almost unspeakably caring about you doing something for him. The idea that anyone would help him with laundry on a terrible and packed week? Crazy. That you would water his lone plant while he's away? Shocking. You, knowingly setting up a substitute bed on the floor that's similar to his ship cot just so he can transition to sleeping for real again? Mace might cry, but you can be damn sure he'll make it comfortable enough for you to snuggle there with him.

Curtis Everett

Gives and Receives: Physical Touch

The only one on the list who has the same language for both categories, but it's not for reasons of deprivation. He's actually used to being very close and crammed with a lot of people; the difference with you is that he is purposeful in keeping you close to him and in sheer bliss when you stay connected to him even by a finger's tip.

Johnny Storm

Gives: Words of Affirmation

Johnny's are interesting because they are both things he gives to and gets from everyone to a degree, yet he does not mean them sincerely or with the same intensity to anyone but you. He's always personable, and though some of jokes might seem a little cruel or cutting, Johnny caters to getting a rise of reaction out of everybody. He doesn't necessarily care about kindness; he's looking to be memorable.

With you, however, aside from the occasional quip, never mean-spirited (but he'll outright fight if yo two a're fighting), Johnny likes to be sweet and praise you every opportunity he has.

Receives: Gifts

Again, he gets stuff all the time. He gets endorsement goodies and swag, stuff to promote. He gets gifts from hundreds of people he doesn't know for every holiday. The fan mail is a little crazy. Johnny will ploy through a crowd of people to grab his gift from you: at his birthday, at Christmas, any time at all. He appreciates that your gifts just have to do with him and not his 'persona,' all the interests he's had since he was a boy, or just a trainee, or just a NASA washout. He likes getting thoughtful but deliberately average presents, like a keychain from a band he likes or a t-shirt from each vacation.

Thank you for asking!

[Main Masterlist; Who Would... Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[curlyflesh]

theory: THE CARGO HOLD HORSE

i thought this scene would be connected to my POLLE = ANYA theory but … not quite. because the cargo hold monster is not exactly polle, is it? not at all. it’s a monster horse.

so what if the cargo hold horse is jimmy himself?

the cargo hold scene occurs after daisuke goes into the vent and because they are out of isopropyl, jimmy has to go to the cargo hold to fetch mouthwash as an alternative ,, this is the first time he experiences a nightmare hallucination connected to his guilt.

his official descent to madness

each of his hallucinations represents a chance for him to take responsibility for whichever aspect of the crash that is presented. we see him confront every crew member after this … but he also has to confront himself first, which is the purpose of the cargo hold horse.

i was trying so hard to connect this horse to anya because of her association to polle but it didn’t seem right … this horse is a literal monster. it is referred to as “a blind beast,” it’s more aggressive in nature, blind with rage, impulsive with power…

The Blind Beast (1969)

this might be a reach but the words “blind beast” remind me of this japanese horror film that not only shares anatomical visuals (eyes, dismembered body parts) as mouthwashing, but also similar themes of psychological torture, dehumanization/objectification, (sexual) abuse … do with that what you will!

and in general,

to be blind/blindness in fiction often symbolizes lack of morality, ignorance, stubbornness, close-mindedness, isolation, lack of perception, emotional blindness

tying that into the ‘beast’ … well, we all know what kind of person jimmy is. our worst moments don’t make us monsters, huh?

“A blind beast, aimless and restless / You can’t run from it”

this note in particular, while it is supposed to be a warning for the player … i want to reach and say that it could possibly be from anya since we know that she is quite perceptive/figurative (like in her dead pixel monologue) and the notion that she keeps tabs on the crew because she is the nurse (like the psych eval) … it could be her venting about jimmy.

“aimless and restless”

we know jimmy is aimless, regarding his lack of skill that prevents him from moving up in the company. frankly, he has no passions and no sense of duty in this career because curly was the one who gave him this position out of pity.

he is very much a restless man. it is reflected in his grumpy, erratic and impulsive personality, as well as his mood swings.

“you can’t run from it”

… not much to explain here. no one could run from jimmy, could they? and with anya in mind … she chose the only available option she had. she didn’t necessarily run from him, but she hid from him and took control of the last moments of her life.

and let’s talk about the cargo hold horse’s functions.

if you make noise, it will catch you. similar to the purpose of the polle centipede, the capturing represents confronting his guilt. if the horse catches him, he is forced to confront his inner demons.

“BE QUIET” could be jimmy attempting to shut his mind off from panicking and … crashing out completely (lol)

also note the fact that the cargo hold horse can only be visible with the code scanner. the scanner can only be used by the captain. this can be a self-reflection metaphor (jimmy looking inwards and facing his inner demons) or it could be a form of irony (curly having already been aware of jimmy’s ‘monster’ and doing nothing about it)

i also want to mention the horse’s design. it is a loooong horse. idk if that could be connected to jimmy’s appearance but say … if you put that horse and polle together, what would that create? the polle centipede monster aka the unborn child.

lastly, at the end of the cargo hold sequence, you have to fetch the mouthwash from polle. we’ve established that polle is anya … why is she holding the mouthwash out of reach? to prevent jimmy from using the mouthwash on daisuke.

side note: polle is also present before jimmy enters the cargo hold, making it known that anya is beginning to plague his mind…

that’s it for now! lmk if you want me to analyze or elaborate on anything else :) hit my inbox or message me! i’m not paying attention to other ppl’s theories so if someone already came up with this then … sorry

[yzzart]

day off, and just enjoy!

pairing: tom blyth x actress!reader.

summary: you and Tom try to enjoy your free time with each other's company and competing against each other.

word count: 1.315!

notes: a more domestic, relaxed scenario ran through my head and i felt i needed to write it down. — i hope you like and enjoy

"The right amount is seven cards, right?" — Shuffling the cards, trying to adjust them to be distributed in a random order and not letting any go uncontrolled, your boyfriend asked.

Replying to some messages, and some tweets that Rachel chose to make and tagging you, and then, sharing your latest post on your story, — Coincidentally, in the same second, Tom's cell phone vibrates with a notification. — you take your attention away from the device, turning it off, and direct your eyes to your boyfriend.

"Right!" — Your head nodded in confirmation, and your fingers tapped, lightly, on the wooden table. — "There is another way to play with more cards but I think this is better." — And it seemed to be more complicated and a little more time-consuming, like that, you thought.

It was their time off, some moments of rest and focusing on things and opportunities that could distract your minds. — Since the premiere of 'The ballad of songbirds and snakes', there have been extremely long and very busy days with so many interviews, presentations, participation in programs and premiere nights; which were incredible, brought different emotions to each of the cast and so much pleasure and happiness. — The union, the feeling of everyone being together was unique and inexplicable.

Mentioning that your work schedules are still full was not some kind of exaggeration, and that, with each event, more plans were planned in the future. — After all, it wasn't a lie to say that you were already used to all of this. — Therefore, a few days of rest were more than necessary.

"Here it is." — The cards were distributed in the correct manner and quantity, and those that remained, and which would be used to be bought, were left next to you. — "Just wait a minute, darling." — Tom warned, while taking his cell phone.

While you were organizing and judging your cards, wondering if they could actually lead to a good game for you, your cell phone vibrates as a sign of some notification and, instantly, the screen lights up showing you what it was. — A like on your story from such a familiar profile. — Your lips curved into a genuine and beloved smile, feeling like a teenager in love.

The fact that you and Tom kept notifications on, from your profiles, from each other was cute; at the same time, without wasting a second, as if you wanted to break some kind of record, in any post, among the first likes and comments, your users were there. — Fans thought this was one of the funniest and most beautiful things.

And things like you and Tom were each other's fans were always mentioned in tweets and compilations.

Leaving his cell phone near the group of cards and before picking up his set of cards, Tom looks at you and winks in your direction; you laughed, unable to contain yourself.

"Who goes first?" — You asked, slightly swinging your legs under the table, moving the cards again and waiting for the first round of the game.

"Oh please, ladies first." — Supporting his cards, already organized, in one hand, Tom made a reference to a knight of a certain era with his other hand; your foot poked his calf, finding his act funny.

You started the game with a green card numbered two, after all, it was the color that was most present in your cards. — A possible strategy, perhaps? And you hoped it would work. — Quickly, Blyth opted for a card of the same color but numbered five.

"After the winter camp…" — Tom's voice in a concentrated but so soft tone exclaimed in your ears, taking away, a little, your attention from choosing the card. — "What will be our next trip?" — Still in the same color, you add a number four.

"We need to go through there again." — You commented, reminding him that you said the same thing when you were with him at the table. — "Let me think." — Tom put the same number but in blue, you clicked your tongue, unhappy with the absence of the color in your set.

"So that means you don't have that color." — He laughed, fixing this information in his head; Ignoring his provocation, you bought a card and, coincidentally, it came with the same number but, again, in a different color. — Yellow.

"I'm thinking about spending time in a forest, that has a cabin near a beautiful, huge river." — Indicating, directly and indiscreetly, a reference to the movie's scene, you suggested. — "And an opportunity to fish and jump in it." — Understanding what it was about, Tom's laugh settles in the room and warms your heart.

"Not including hair being dyed blonde, i will be by your side, my love." — Tom bit his lip, continuing to vibrate his laugh, and provoking the fact that everyone was asking, or rather begging, for him to definitely become blonde. — "And it wouldn't be a bad idea, really."

During his answer, he had placed a card with the same number but, of course, with a different color, it was red; and a simple, brief moment of relief because you had a yellow card disappeared into thin air. — Once again, you drew a card and once again, out of pure irony, you draw a card with the same number but colored green.

Maybe, your game was on a good track. — Or your luck was definitely in an ironic direction.

"That's not possible?" — Complained the oldest, with his eyebrows arched and his mouth half open; you shrugged, causing a smug frown. — "Can you tell me." — He placed a card numbered eight and colored green and, quickly, you added another green card with a different number.

And so, the game arrived at a time when there were only two cards left in your hand; accompanied by the intriguing information that they were the same color, green. — Finally, you had an opportunity to play that yellow card, which didn't have a good moment and was prevented from being used.

In Tom's hands there were also the presence of two cards; If they were identical in color, you didn't know that and had no idea whatsoever. — But his eyes were focused on your cards and, soon, he paid attention to your face, observing every point and expression that existed on it. — Along with that sideways smile, without showing his teeth, anxiously waiting for your move.

You weren't betting anything, but in the next round, you will probably go, let alone compete, seriously; however, if an outsider saw the current situation, they would automatically think of a competition. — And without joking or exaggerating.

In a delicate and risky moment, you played one of your green cards; leaving just a card between your fingers and looking deeply into those blue eyes, waiting for his turn. — Tom took, at least a little longer than usual, to play; as if he was thinking about what, exactly, to do. — Oh, another heavy mind with strategy.

However, those two cards, which were left in your boyfriend's hand, form just one thin and small set. — As if it were just one. — And, slowly, they are positioned on top of the card you had placed. — They were two blue cards, twins and with the same number as your card.

"I won!" — Tom exclaimed, with a triumphant smile and moving, just a little and dramatically, the chair away from the table; as he tilted his head in amusement and waiting for something from you. — "I feel like we should have bet something."

"I don't believe." — Leaving the card on the table and crossing your arms, thinking about your mediocre strategy, which passed on a gravel path, apparently, you spoke. — "The chance was between my fingers!" — Tom laughed shamelessly at your reaction and received another poke from your foot on his leg.

"Ready to lose again, my sweetheart?" — He asked, crossing his arms on the table, looking at you.

[jokeroutsubs]

[ENG translation] The love status of the members of the most famous Slovenian band.

Joker Out has finally been revealed!

Original article written by Iva Mila Brigljevic for net.hr and published on the 5th of November 2024 on NET.hr website.

English translation by IG marija_rocen, review by @moonlvster and IG mia_djordjevic_ig, proofread by @flowerlotus8 .

FOR NET.HR / The love status of the members of the most famous Slovenian band Joker Out has finally been revealed!

Their Balkan tour will start soon as well.

Slovenian band Joker Out wins the audience over with their infectious indie rock sound and energetic performances. Founded in 2016, the band quickly gained popularity in the Balkans due to their authenticity. They gained European fame after their performance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, when they represented Slovenia with the song 'Carpe Diem' and got in the finals. In the finals, they finished 21st with 78 points. Despite the fact that they weren't as successful in the finals, they won the hearts of the audience, so 'Carpe Diem' was on numerous music charts throughout Europe, including Croatia.

This month they will perform at Tvornica Kulture in Zagreb for the second time, and on this occasion we spoke with the band's frontman, Bojan Cvjetićanin.

How has your daily life changed after the Eurovision Song Contest?

Well, I think that certainly none of us have travelled as much as we have travelled in the past year and a half. We've been to a lot of new countries and cities, so we've experienced a lot of new cultures. It was interesting to see where these people come from to our concerts. What is their reality? What is their daily life like? What do they watch? What do they see? What do they feel? What do they hear? So, I'd say that the biggest change happened in the transformation from our wardrobes into suitcases.

Where do you perform most often, which performance would you single out as your best?

We've performed the most in Finland, Poland and probably Germany and England, but there are quite a few places where we played a lot. Honestly, it would be hard for me to single out any performance as undisputedly the best. I know there were a couple of performances where we were very surprised by the reaction of the audience. These were, for example, our concert at Belgrade Beer Fest, our concert at Šalata in Zagreb, and our concert at Ruisrock in Finland. Poland also knocked us off our feet, and so on and so forth.

Do fans stop you on the street?

They stop us sometimes. Especially in Slovenia, and it also happens in Finland and the Balkan countries, but it's a very positive thing.

Do you plan to focus only on the Balkan scene or the European scene as well?

The next tour, where we will present our third studio album, starts on the 22nd of November, and it will only be in the Balkans. Our plan and wish was, kind of, to enjoy the tour as much as possible, and that's why we chose this region where we are at home, but next year we will surely return to Europe.

Which performer from the Balkans would you like to collaborate and record a song with?

Given that I'm currently the only one answering, I wouldn't want to answer on behalf of everyone, but I can say for myself that I'd like a song with Zdravko Čolić¹.

¹Zdravko Čolić is a Bosnian-Serbian pop singer and is widely considered one of the greatest vocalists and cultural icons of the former Yugoslavia.

How do you spend your free time?

We spend our free time in different ways, but let's say we do sports. We like reading books. There are some chefs in the band and we love fishing, too.

What's the love status of the band members?

We're absolutely in love with each other and ourselves.

[scarycatipillar]

lock in folks i have got a word or two to say about warren and gordon (SPOILERS FOR ALL OF RED VALLEY SO FAR)

to start is that gordon was chronically lonely which is why he chose to trust warren, not because he actually wanted to explore red valley with him but because he had something to relate to warren about, if he could hook him with this creepy smokescreen cover up project then maybe just maybe he would stay longer than oscar, maybe if he could make himself look interesting to this seemingly sheepish guy then he could make a proper friend even if it just at work.

meanwhile warren WAS hooked, sure he was a bit uneasy and abrasive about it at first but you can tell that once he listened to that first tape he couldn’t help but be intrigued, even if it was his lost memory’s smouldering a steady stream of recognition into the words that aubrey was saying, he still felt attracted to it, you can’t tell me that when gordon called to tell him to meet in that car park he wasn’t a little bit excited to see what height find out next. this brings me onto my next point

THE PARALLEL!!! when warren first gets in the car and they have a short discussion about why warren should be recording and he can’t just have a copy of gordon’s tape, i don’t think it was for ‘personal record’ purposes i think it was because gordon was talking to himself before warren shows up, thinking out loud if it was a stupid idea to wait for someone yet again and that he hopes he does turn up etc. he cares very much about presentation and impressions which is also why he seems so sassy and certain of himself the first time we meet him

in the latter of red valley gordon says “thinking of calling a provider…it would make me sweat”, it’s known gordon is an anxious person and doesn’t handle confrontation very well but that doesn’t stop him from calling the carrier service and yelling down the line to get warrens address, or being very forward down the phone to warren when talking about giving him more tapes, it’s like he’s a different person and that’s because he is it’s a facade he is using to try seem more confident and likeable even if it does come off as a bit creepy or rude at times and the same goes with warren

in Memorial Twig a tipsy warren calls up gordon and his whole demeanour changes, he’s pressuring gordon by making him say the sonic cheat codes, he’s being jokey and a bit standoffish, he’s more open about his personal life and overall talks to gordon the way you would a friend. and i also think this is a key episode for their bond overall because it’s where they finally realise they are on the same level as each other, they show their true colours and against the odds are compatible which is why they are so important to each other, warren can be a bit pushy and rude sometimes but gordon is there to say “hey let’s take a breathe”, when gordon gets paranoid about what’s going on or if they are safe warren is there to rationalise it and vice versa. they keep each other stable because of trust, a trust they share with literally no one else so the fact gordon is gone now is so so so important to warrens character because he has aubrey sure but it’s been 44 years since they last caught up with each other anything could’ve happened within that time the she easily could’ve avoided telling him about it, warren is as of now surrounded by a community that uses gordon’s song as a greeting for christs sake, he is constantly reminded of his absence and it will get to him over time.

[whatsa-bi-as]

first time

GN!reader x Haku Shota (Soul)

song; first time - Hozier

plot; a young couple talks about whether it would be worth trying again to make a relationship work

genre; angst

warning; none - let me know if I've missed any

word count; 1.4K

networks; @kflixnet and @k-labels

proofread; by the wonderful @gyumibear go check them out they've been a lot of help!!

a/n; I'm thinking of doing some stuff inspired by songs and this was kind of a test run :)

masterlist is here

“Do you think that this could have worked? You and me?”

It was a risky question, but one you hadn’t been able to get out of your head for weeks. It was eating you up inside, and if you didn’t ask it now, you probably never would. The silence that followed filled the air around the both of you and it was deafening.

“I don’t know. I mean, we tried. We tried twice, and Keeho always says 'third times the charm'. So maybe we would, maybe we wouldn’t.”

This was your ex-boyfriend, but your first love. This was the boy you had loved with all your heart, the boy you had watched grow into who he is now, the boy you had always supported with everything you could give.

“One of my mates tells me about this philosophical idea she read about. She thinks it’s just to make people have hope that things could have turned out differently. It’s the idea that there are different versions of people in different universes. ”

He smiled, but he didn’t say anything. He just let you keep talking and listened to you, like he always had, whether you were together or not.

“Which means that in one universe there's a version of us that never met, in another you were always my best friend but nothing more, and in some far off universe it worked out the first time. We never had to wonder if it would work because we… we knew we’d be together forever.”

“So we’re in the one where we tried, but it never happened.”

“Pretty much, yeah. That sucks, doesn’t it. Out of all the universes to be in, we got this one.”

He took a second to think about it. The idea of alternate universes was a lot to take in, especially when it was randomly presented to you late on a Wednesday night.

“What do you think we’re like in that last universe, the one where we never broke up? Do you think we call each other every night and put our beds together in Minecraft?”

You couldn’t quite tell if he was joking or not, but that was typical of him, always trying to make you laugh, even in the middle of a semi-serious conversation. Once he told you that he did that because he thought your smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and deep down you still hoped that was the case.

“I like to imagine that we’re planning our future. I’m stressed about university applications and you're telling me to relax, that I’ll be fine. We’re also bickering over what colour the rug should be in the living room because you think it's the perfect shade, but I am convinced that it’s too dark for the colour palette we chose.”

“If we would bicker over anything, it would be over what mugs we have on the side and which ones go in the cupboard. You want the ones we use everyday to be on display and I think that glass ones would go better with the decor."

You could picture that argument, and try as hard as you might that one did make you laugh.

“That's the only right answer! It’s not only practical, but a house isn’t a home unless you add some personality to it, and what better way to do that than with mugs!”

“I guess one thing that doesn’t change between that universe and this one is that I know you better than you know yourself.”

The wind was not the only thing that sent a shiver down your spine. It was the fact that he was right, this boy could read you like a book, you didn’t have to say anything for him to know that you were upset, or happy, or stressed, just anything. He always knew exactly what to say or do, and although you used to love that about him, now it just leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth.

“It's way too cold for us to be out this late.” He stood up and held out a hand to help you up. “Let’s get you home.”

“Do we have to go just yet?”

This night felt perfect. It was like a bubble had formed over the two of you, blocking out any fear and anxiety, but you knew that the moment you walked through your front door, you’d have to deal with all of it.

“You hate the cold. I’m honestly surprised you’ve lasted this long without complaining.”

You just looked up at him silently pleading for him to say no. For him to sit next to you again.

“We can walk slowly, but it’s late, it’s dark and it’s cold, so I’m walking you home whether you like it or not. And I’m not taking no for an answer, so..."

This was a situation you’ve been in before. He's not going to give in. You wouldn’t either if it was the other way around, so you take a deep breath and take his hand. The feeling sends a sense of nostalgia and hope deep into your soul. There's something about holding his hand that just feels right, like it was made to fit in yours.

The walk starts off in silence, the previous conversation soaking in like winter rain into a jumper. It was comfortable but as you got closer to your house and the seconds began to tick away, there was so much that you had to say, but so little time.

Passing the bench where you spent plenty of late nights when you first started dating you just let it out. All the things you'd been meaning to say over the last few years came out all at once.

“I did love you, you know. Sometimes it's hard for me to realise that I love people because in some ways it just comes so naturally. I know I love my family and my friends, because I mean that's a given, but when it comes to like, romantic love, that's a bit harder to realise. I don’t think I truly realised I loved you until I knew it would never be the same again. You’d never put your arm around me while we talk to our friends, you'd never pick me up for late night snack runs, or send me stupid pictures when I’m having a bad day, and I really, really miss that. I miss you.”

“You love me?”

“I did.”

“Do you still love me?”

“I think a part of me always will. You were my first love. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving you completely.”

“You were my first love too.”

You had reached your front door. The night was over. You had said everything you wanted to say, so nothing should really stop you back from going inside. You weren’t together, in theory you owed him nothing.

In reality, this boy was the first one to hold your heart in his hands and try his hardest not to let it break. He was your first love and it felt impossible to leave him. His hand in yours warmed your heart more than any blanket ever could. It just felt right to be with him, but you had to leave. This doesn’t work and as painful as it is, you just have to admit it. It would be for the best if you could find the strength to turn away.

Instead, you just look at him, admiring how his eyes shine like the stars, how he’s so young but already has laugh lines, and he doesn’t care because it means he’s lived a happy life. He was perfect, and the fact that it wasn’t meant to be broke your heart into smaller and smaller pieces every time you thought about it.

He was the one who broke the silence first.

“Can I kiss you? One last time to say goodbye?”

“Yes. Yes, you can.”

Breaking apart neither of you really knew what to say. You were both so different from the people you were when you first met, but the moment after you broke away it was as if nothing had changed. You were back to being those nervous kids again, whose cheeks got warm every time you held hands because it was all so new.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Shota.”

[awinterrosesstuff]

Boruto's writing is terrible, which is why one of the things I never liked was Himawari becoming a jinchuriki. To me, his Uzumaki genes are pretty diluted. Kishimoto made it clear that only Uzumaki could be jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Naruto created him, as he was half Uzumaki and came in contact with the Kyuubi's chakra while in the womb. I thought it was unnecessary for them to treat Himawari as a Naruto version 2.Instead of showing her using the Byakugan, which to me was a waste to give it to her if they weren't going to show her with the Hyuga.

Hi !

Thanks for your message.

I agree with almost everything! The writing in Boruto is terrible because it lacks depth and direction. Can anyone point to a clear antagonist? Code? He’s ridiculous. Kawaki? His introduction was interesting, but since the timeskip, it’s unclear what he’s really doing. Momoshiki? He chose Boruto as his vessel, and I guess their relationship is meant to mirror the bond between Kurama and Naruto, but Momoshiki is barely present. Amado? I’m still waiting for him to actually do something. And what about the human god trees? Eida and Daemon? It’s hard to understand their purpose in the story.

I know Naruto had multiple antagonists, but they had clear roles and interesting backstories. They weren’t ridiculous; they were dangerous. Boruto feels like a mix of Naruto and Sasuke, but there’s no character to balance him out. Naruto and Sasuke had each other, so if you preferred one over the other, you could still follow the story. But Boruto? It lacks a second protagonist.

I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but Boruto isn’t a very interesting character. He’s improved, but he’s still trying to fill the shoes of both Naruto and Sasuke, which is a big ask. As for Himawari, she was pretty transparent until the timeskip. Is she supposed to be a mix of Naruto and Hinata? It’s hard to say. Kishimoto and Ikemoto clearly don’t want to expand on the Byakugan, or we would have seen that in the manga, not just in a little comic for fun.

Her desire to help Boruto is fine, but her connection to Kurama feels forced and lazy. They don’t even try to give her something new; it’s like they’re trying to develop something we’ve already seen in the past but with fewer challenges and stakes. They should have focused on developing her Byakugan instead. Personally, I find that dojutsu kind of meh, but the idea of it changing her personality could present an interesting challenge. Unfortunately, Naruto and Kurama are more popular than the Byakugan and the Hyuga clan.

Her 'awakening' of the Byakugan is also bullshit because you either have it or you don’t. However, I suppose it’s more acceptable than her getting Kurama, since at least it could be explained by the fact that she isn’t a 'pure Hyuga.'

[drawbauchery]

Okay first of all those sketches are cute as fuck

Second of all CHIHIRO OH MY LORD I LOVE HIM I LOVE YOU

Third of all:

Yyyep, that's a simulation. I think so because one: Junko and Chiaki are on the bus, they can eat but don't have to, just like Chiaki in the Neo World Program where she chose to eat breakfast with everyone. Not to mention she tried to eat gum from under the seats while already on the bus.

We do not know if human beings have to eat after being put in a simulation, but based on the fact that in one of the first comics Hajime asked Teruteru to make him some eggs because he forgot to eat breakfast it is safe to assume that they at least feel hunger.

"Chiaki and Junko could be humans then" no, Chiaki was confirmed to be AI multiple times. And Junko..

Only AIs seem to be able to hear us and:

Two: in the newest Komahina comic we can observe changes of Hajime when he's out of the bus (past) and while on the bus (present) from panel to panel which means they're next to each other practically begging to play find the difference.

Most noticeable for me was the eye, past Hajime has two coloured eyes, the panels are black and white but because of the shade difference we all know that one of the eyes are his standard colour and one's from Izuru and is red. The thing is: present Hajime (on the bus) doesn't have a red eye. Nothing. Nada. Zero. And do you know where else he didn't have that eye? Bingo! Neo World Program. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't just put on a contact right? Well then, let's move on; the second difference in Hajime is hair length, it's visibly longer in the past, not the Izuru fuckery long but longer than Hajime has now (on the bus). "But he could cut it!" Fair enough, let's move on. That's all for Hajime. Now's the time for the remnants of despair.

Just like another user noted; some remnants got permanent marks while being in the.. Trance, I guess? Not important. There's no way they could just cover up some of them, which only confirms my belief that they are put in a Neo World Program or a similar simuation where they just reused their body models from the NWP in sdr2. "They could cover up the marks with this and this" well okay then, I'm not an expert in the make up industry.

Still not believing? I've got a big one for you, then. You ready? 

It's Nagito.

As simple as that sounds.

I don't know if you've noticed but human beings aren't able to grow a limb. And Nagito lost a limb while being the remnant of despair. He cut his hand off. Poof, gone.

We can clearly see the lack of his left hand in the comic.

But he magically has it back in the present time? He magically got it back while being ON THE BUS? I'm sorry, but even Mikan couldn't just get him his hand back.

"He got a prosthetic arm from Kazuichi in one of the comics describing the past!" Yeah!

And you can see that it's a prosthetic no problem, right? You can see that it's a different material? That it's not skin? You can see it's metal and it has screws and bolts. You can see it's a prosthetic. Can you say the same about his hand now, on the bus? Nope. It's a normal hand. Compare it to any other it looks like a normal, human hand. You know where else he has a normal hand after he cut it. At this point I don't even have to say it's Neo World Program. Just like with the test of the remnants of despair, reusing models isn't that big of a problem. Limbs don't grow back.

So! That concludes my theory and if I'm not correct I really want to know your explanation about Nagito's hand, Shads. And no, I believe that they couldn't just find his hand and sew it back up, because after this long it wouldn't be useful or hygienic to do so, and where would you find a donor in the middle of the apocalypse? Lol

it

...

grew back

with magic

[copperbadge]

It's time for Sam Translates Tumblr Shitposts Into Italian!

(Previously on Merdarticolo Italiano)

***

I was put on this earth to drink iced coffee and look cute. (source)

Sono stato messo sul questo mondo bere caffè freddo e apparire carino.

TIL that there's no apparent grammatical term for the "doer" in a passive voice -- they're not subject or object, they're just "the one who does the thing." I translated "I was put" as "era messo" but every source I see says it should be "sono stato messo" and I'm still figuring out why. I think it has to do with "stato" having to attach to messo, since my notes say indicativo passato prossimo, the form of past tense which Stato is in, is "essere in present tense (sono) plus the verb in past participle (messo)".

posting is a trauma response to thinking (source)

Postando è un risposta al trauma per pensando.

I keep thinking there must be a more elegant way to say "trauma response" but I'm not finding any; I would think it would be "risposta della trauma" but we do say "crema al cioccolato" for "chocolate cream" so I guess it works. I do like the symmetry of postando - pensando.

“average person eats 3 spiders a year” factoid actually just statistical error. average person eats 0 spiders per year. Spiders Georg, who lives in cave & eats over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted (source)

"la media persona mangia tre rangi per anno" dattino veramente appena un errore statistico. La media persona mangia 0 ragni per anno. Giorg Deiragni, chi vivo a grotta è mangia più di 10,000 ogni giorno, è un anomalo cno non doveva avere computando.

Dattino is "little fact" because I don't trust google that there's actually an Italian word for "factoid". This was going to be my "challenge" translation because it's a long but it's mostly pretty easy, even with the weird grammar omissions -- for example, "lives in cave" would be "vivo nella grotta" if it was "lives in a cave" but you can't separate "nel" from "la" which is "the", so I chose to use "a" which is the way you refer to a local area (as opposed to "in" which is for a broader general area).

It's easy, that is, until you get to "should not have been counted" at which point it becomes hell.

For "should not have been counted" I worked out "non doveva avere computando", then asked Google Translate, which says it should be "non avrebbe dovuto essere conteggiato". But "dovuto" (dovere, "should") is indicativo passato prossimo which is usually used to refer to a thing that was completed at a specific point in the past, which doesn't seem to apply here. I used doveva, which is indicativo imperfetto, simply something that happened in the past, and then for "have been counted" used the infinitivo passato, avere+past participle, because my notes say infinitivo passato is "to have been X". I may have to revisit this one in a few months.

(It probably should be "Giorg dei Ragni" not Georg Deiragni for Spiders Georg, but it looks funnier to say Deiragni.)

[anamericangirl]

what would be your answer to such a question/situation ?

https://defused.com/shuts-up-pro-life-people/

Ah, I remember seeing this fiasco when it first appeared on Twitter. Patrick Tomlinson thought he came up with some genius scenario that, according to him, "no pro-lifer had ever been able to answer" when in reality he was ignoring and blocking everyone who answered him in a reasonable way that showed he and his scenario were foolish and not the clever trap he imagined it to be.

He is approaching this very disingenuously from the start with the way he poses the question. He will only accept a person saying A (save the five year old from the fire) or B (save the 1000 viable human embryos) and that's it. He won't allow you to even rationalize to him why you selected one or the other because he's already decided why a person picked one or the other. He decided that if a person picked A that meant it was because they thought the child's life had more value than the life of the embryos and were not equal and if you picked B, well, you're just a monster. And that was it. And when you ask a question to other people where you decide beforehand what the only possible explanation for any answer is you're setting yourself up to look like an idiot. And when you pretend the reasons you imagine are the only rationalization for the choices and you do not allow people to say "well, actually, this is the reason I'm going with this option, which is different then the reason you imagined up" then you're not there genuinely looking for answers. You're just trying to "own" pro-lifers. Case in point, one person answered they would save the 1000 embryos using the rationalization that I've seen pro-aborts use when they justify murdering children which is "save as many lives as possible" and he just called them a monster.

So he created a scenario. He gave two options. He decided beforehand that there was only one certain explanation for each answer and there was only one right answer that he would accept. Which makes him a pretentious fool who cannot have an honest discussion about the scenario he invented.

But, anyway, this illustration he came up with is you're in a fertility clinic where a fire breaks out and you only have the chance to save a crying five year old or a container with 1000 viable human embryos and it is just a rehashing of the trolley problem.

Do you pull the lever on a runaway trolley to divert it to a track where it will kill one person or let it keep barreling down the path its on where it will kill five people?

It's a thought experiment that poses a moral dilemma to explore human ethics and moral responsibility. These questions are not designed to have perfect solutions where everyone gets a happy ending and they are not questions that determine who are people and who are not and which human lives are more valuable based on a decision you make in a high stakes situation where no matter what you do someone is going to die.

In the trolley problem, no one makes their decision because they think the individual human lives at stake don't have equal worth or value and no one assumes that's the rationalization behind the choice you're forced to make. So the fact that Tomlinson is presenting the revised trolley problem as a scenario where whichever choice you make means the other lives have less value and are not equal to the life you chose to save means he doesn't understand the question he is asking.

But, anyway, now that I've gone over the very serious flaw in the question asker and the way he is approaching this issue, the answer I give is the answer most people would give. I would save the crying five year old. But the reason I choose this option is not because I don't see the embryos as having equal moral value as Tomlinson thinks is the only possible reason. The reason I go with this option is because if I am in a situation where I am about to die and only have time to grab one or the other before we are all gone, it's ridiculous to assert this is a time where I would be at an intellectual peak able to weigh the moral and ethical questions raised by any choice I would make when I just have to get out as quick as I can and only have the time to hastily go with one or the other. It's also fallacious to assume that the choice I make under such extreme pressure reflects how I feel about the moral value and worth of the life I do not save. Even if I hypothetically chose the five year old because I thought their life had more value than the lives of the embryos that does not actually determine what the reality is. My choice in a high stakes situation does not determine what lives are valuable and which ones aren't. Like of course in a situation like that I would instinctually try to save the child I can hear screaming for help. But that doesn't mean that I think the embryos are less valuable because my gut instincts do not determine human worth.

But I just don't like the dishonesty Tomlinson brings with this question. He can't give you a situation where two (or more) people are going to die, give you the option to only save one and tell you that your decision means whoever you don't save you see as lesser and think their lives don't matter on the same level as whoever you choose to save. Because I can ask him that question right back and just change who his choices are to save. I can say you're in a burning building and your mom is one room and your dad is in the other. You can only save one before exiting the building. There is no third option or way to save them both. And whoever you choose to leave behind in this scenario, you are leaving behind because you know the lives of your mother and father are "not the same, not morally, not ethically, not biologically." If you rescue your mom that means you don't believe your father's life is morally equivalent to the life of your mother and vice versa. So, who do you save? Whose life has the most moral value? Your mom or your dad?

Sorry for the long rant but the arrogance he has over his deeply flawed and disingenuous "question" annoys me to no end.