#i think the continents i know the best are south america and europe

[aq2003]

globle WILL be the way i fill in the gaps in my knowledge of world geography

[theramseyloft]

hello, a friend was asking me about actual sources pertaining to the claims that pigeons benefit from living with humans. is it ethical to just scoop one off the street? i personally believe it is, but i also think it's totally fair to want a credible source and not just "i read it on twitter". the work you're doing is great, by the way!

That's honestly a really complex question.

Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) in North America, South America, and Australia are the descendants of birds brought from Europe that had already been fully domesticated for thousands of years at the time.

The Rock Dove from which the domestic birds descend is native to Asia, Europe, and parts of Africa, and on those continents, there are still wild populations that can mix with the domestic ones, and the type of habitat to which pigeons are adapted for feral or semi feral pigeons to return to and live out their lives.

Feral pigeons in these locations may be treated as wildlife.

But feral pigeons in North America, South America, and Australia do not have the wild Rock Doves to interbreed with or access to natural habitat that would allow them even the most remote chance of 'reverting' to something like the wild baseline.

Domestication is achieved by breeding wild traits out.

However many generations any number of dog breeds may be allowed to mix, no litter will ever result in wolf pups, unless full wolves are reintroduced to the breeding population.

The same logic applies to feral pigeons.

You are never going to get wild Rock Dove out of a feral clutch.

So, I honestly apply the same morals in regards to feral pigeons that I do to feral and stray dogs.

They are so human dependent that they can't survive anywhere that we aren't.

Concrete buildings, bridges, signs, and barns are the closest thing to natural nesting habitat available to feral pigeons, who are cliff side crevice nesters.

Food they would be able to forage for in the wild isn't really available to ferals.

In places where feeding them is banned, populations die out because they starve to death.

Feral pigeons eat garbage out of desperation, not because they can actually digest any of it.

So the question to whether or not they benefit from human care is a resounding "Yes!!".

They genuinely do need us, and do suffer if we just ignore them, unlike actual wildlife, which thrives when left alone by humans.

I could die happy if street pigeons were taken in like stray dogs are in the US.

But with out enough shelters or homes, the moral issue of whether or not to bring any given pigeon in off the street comes down to answering: "What will do the most good and the least harm?"

Taking a healthy adult off the street is usually stranding a mate and offspring regardless of the time of year.

Pigeon babies eat SO much that both of their parents can lose a LOT of body mass!! The adults tend to end up weighing significantly less than their offspring, even in a situation where food is always abundant.

So removing one healthy parent is extremely likely to cause the starvation of one or both offspring and severe malnutrition to the other parent, directly causing more harm than good over all.

An adult caught in something or tangled in string with no serious injuries probably still has a mate and young. The best thing for them is to be detangled and released.

A severely injured or sick adult cannot take care of partner or young, and in the time it takes to heal a serious wound or treat a severe illness, chances are that their mate will have taken them for dead and found a replacement.

I keep birds that came in this condition, though they are not likely to ever like me or any other human.

No harm is being done to other pigeons in the flock of origin, and that individual will live a longer, healthier life in an outdoor loft with a constant supply of food and access to medical care when needed.

I would consider it more cruel to release disabled adult pigeons or young in any condition than to keep them as pets.

Remember, they are already domesticated, and physically adapted to human care. Young birds and disabled adults adjust very well to human households.

So, my advice to some one wanting to rescue and adopt a pigeon off the street is to check local laws and make friends with a local flock in a place where there are no regulations against feeding them.

Lost performance breeds can often be recovered from the outer edge of a feral flock, and birds who know you as a food source will be more willing to approach or desperate to eat if they have an injury or illness that makes keeping up with the rest of the flock difficult.

It puts you in the prime position to rescue a bird who definitely needs your help.

Anyone looking to take on the responsibility of rescuing a pigeon directly off the street needs to expect there to be vet bills!

Make sure you have access to a vet who will see pigeons, and specify that the bird is your pet, not a drop off you plan to just leave with them.

If you want to rescue, but do not think you can afford immediate trips to the vet, take a step back and reach out to a rescue organization.

The birds they have available will already have been treated for what ever injuries or illness got them there.

Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue is pretty solid, and you don't have to live in the Great Lakes region to adopt from them.

EDITS:

I previously butt heads with Palomacy on two serious issues, but the facts remain that the birds there need homes, food, and medical care, and having allowed that to prevent me from pointing Californians looking to adopt a pigeon in their direction was frankly petty of me.

@shayvaalski States in the comments: "Palomancy states very clearly that "Pigeons were the first domesticated bird" and "They are domestic and unable to live in the wild." While they also say that they don't think birds should have been domesticated, they also uh, understand that they were and talk about street birds as feral. They do not recommend parrot feed. They say "Pigeons eat seeds and grains and you can buy pre-mixed blends called pigeon feed"."

Both of these are changes since my last interactions with the organization, so I appreciate the correction.

EDIT CONCLUDED.

For further reading, Rosemary Mosco (who writes the adorable Bird and Moon comic) wrote a fantastic book detailing our history with pigeons.

Hope that helps. ^v^

[dozing-marshmallow]

I looooooooove the chris x wife! reader fic that you wrote!! It got me kicking my feet and blushing 😊 By any chance, could you write a chris x wife! reader going on their honeymoon?

Awww this is such a cute idea, thank you so much, I’m so happy to hear that you loved the last one! ⋆˙⟡♡  I had to get something out on the man’s birthday as soon as I could and this request was the one I was fixated on finishing the most, so do enjoy reading and McLean’s bday ~💗!

CHRIS MCLEAN X WIFE! READER ON HONEYMOON HEADCANONS

Most newly wed couples go to just one location for their honeymoon.

Yet it was very poor of you to think that standard would apply to Chris.

You didn’t realise until he informed you that you were gonna go to two countries per continent(apart from Antartica, cuz what the hell): Barbados and Costa Rica for North America, Brazil and Colombia for South America, France and Italy for Europe, Thailand and (The) Philippines for Asia, Morocco and Tunisia for Africa, French Polynesia and Australia for Oceania.

The only reason why Chris cut it to two instead of four was because he suspected you would get sick of travelling, and didn’t want you to be complaining on holiday.

“Chriiis, we don’t need to, you know!” you’re verbal about your humble take on the honeymoon as Chris made his long list based on the notes he wrote from his and your opinions,“This is all so costly! We could really go to two continents instead!”

“Huh?” he looks at you, confusion scratching into the space between his eyebrows,“(Y/N), this is literally nothing. You seriously wanna spend our whole two months of celebrating marriage in one place like working class people?”

Harsh, but it’s fine because it’s Chris.

Before you left, he took you on a massive shopping spree where it had not even been the beginning of him pampering you with all the jewellery, the swimsuits and the candies.

This guy doesn’t need to book reservations: the best hotels, air BNBs, holiday homes, you name the one you want to stay at the country and baam. Availability opens a door and charm hands over the keys.

He also hired a chaperone for each country, but most of the time, only for the arrival and departure; he wanted more alone time with you.

At this rate, you wondered if he needed to pay to enter the countries asides from paying the fuel and landing runway.

That’s right. You were getting there by his jet -he ended up upgrading- to each location.

Since it wasn’t meant to carry fifteen contestants this time, Chris abolished the loser and first class section in the new version of his plane to be furnished completely into his headquarters.

During each jet ride, you and Chris would review helpful phrases and attractions that would enhance the experience.

“So in France, we will have to remember to say “bonsoir” from 6 PM onwards.” you reiterate.

“That’s doable.” Chris comments, leaning back in his chair.

“And they don’t like smiling a lot.” you add, doing it yourself.

His relaxation ended,“Bummer. D’you think they can make an exception for me? My resting face is a smile.”

They did- in every place.

The honeymoon was an epoch for Chris to meet his fans from all over the world. If you had a dollar for every autograph he signed the entire getaway, you would have enough money to have your own jet.

Weirdly enough, Chris lost genuine pleasure to greet his global admirers and increasingly rushed the interactions.

“It’s okay to be more attentive to your fans, Chris.” you insist, with your head on his bare body, laying around somewhere on the warm Tunisian beach.

“Nah.” he differs with his hand scrubbing sand on your back,“I came on holiday with you, not them. I couldn’t leave you by yourself.”

Aw. You love your husband,“You’re right. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

He bought you anything that caught your eye. Clothes, hats, rings, ice cream, souvenirs.

Chris had also bought five cameras. He wasn’t letting a single moment of a scenery or pose go to waste.

Be prepared for the day when he eventually gets them all printed out and stuck in fresh albums and wants to reminisce with you.

He took you to the best restaurants, never settling for one less than five stars (maybe four if you persuaded him enough).

“To another exceptional night of our honeymoon!” he raises his glass of happiness.

You copy, both clinking and declaring cheers.

Going back to your accommodation, Chris would have you carried until the first descent onto the fine duvets.

Let’s just say that, by the time you do get back to Canada, both husband and wife’s necks have never been more wine red.

[naminethewitch]

Okay, so. I've been watching Ace Attorney Let's Plays the past few days - great series, highly recommend - and got to the second Apollo Justice case, where a young couple agreed to get married after only just meeting. And while I do know that's a fictional story and the woman was just using him for money, it got me thinking. How common is it for people to decide to get married so quickly? I have read a few stories on the internet over the years of people actually getting married within a year of meeting each other and that always seemed like the weirdest thing to me. Most people I know only married after years of being together and quite a few relationships ended after several years that I thought definitely would lead to marriage. So I'm wondering if it's a cultural thing? I know grouping the continents together isn't the best way to do this but this is just a general check for curiosity's sake.

[tastesoftamriel]

So... I've seen a couple asks (and maybe your own answers??) comparing real world places to places in Tamriel (ex: Finland, Eastern Skyrim, I think, from your last ask).

If you don't mind, what real world continent/country do you think would best fit each country in Tamriel?? Do you understand what I mean?? I ask that last bit, because this doesn't make full sense to me even :']

Hi! That absolutely makes sense to me in terms of what they look like geographically (if I have interpreted this right). I am fairly well-travelled but I haven't been to a large portion of the US, South America, Eastern Europe (besides Serbia) or Africa, so I will answer this as best I can based on what I know from experience/have seen on documentaries (I hope this list isn't controversial omg)!

Coastal High Rock: Cornwall, Scotland, and Wales

Inland High Rock: Southeast England, southern France

Wrothgar: Alaska, Colorado, Canada

Northern Skyrim: Iceland

Western Skyrim: US mountain regions (e.g. California, Colorado), Norway, Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Eastern Skyrim: Norway, Finland, Northern Sweden

Southern Skyrim: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland

Coastal Hammerfell: Turkey, Morocco

The Alik'r: Algeria, Tunisia, Arizona

Northern Cyrodiil: Switzerland and Alps

Central Cyrodiil: Italy (Rome and surrounds)

Southern Cyrodiil: South Africa, Queensland (Australia)

Black Marsh: Indonesia, Philippines, Fiji

Northern Elsweyr: Myanmar, Mongolia, Australian Northern Territory

Southern Elsweyr: Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia

Valenwood: Brazil, Venezuela, Papua New Guinea

Vvardenfell: Hawaii

Solstheim: Svalbard (Norway)

Summerset: Greece, coastal Italy, Portugal, Croatia

Let me know if there's anywhere I missed! Hope this list doesn't cause mass strife, please no kill! ~Tal

[cerberus253]

okay, what if it was for the eight demon sorcerers meet other cultures and discover that humans can actually have a varienty of skin color, and also the cases of people with albinism or vitilige! And honestly, i feel like some of them could be surprised or curious, especially with the fact that also heterochromia exists too! And it would be cool they discovering how some of the countries are noawadays! Such as brazil, america, mexico, china, russia, and also england! It could be pretty cool, especially at they reaction to afro people aswell!^^

Well, according to mine and another Questioner's research, the Eight Demon Sorcerers must have existed at least before 220 BC (last Dynasty of Ancient China). With that being said, even during the first recorded Dynasty of China (the "Semi-Legendary" Xia Dynasty) at around 2070 BC, humans were all over the world. Not as plentiful like today, but still present on almost every continent.

("Overview map of the world at the end of the 2nd millennium BC," Wikipedia)

Now, according to the cartoon, these were the locations of their kingdoms: - Tso Lan- The Moon - Shendu- China - Po Kong- Japan - Bai Tza- Southeastern coast of Europe (Atlantis, the Mediterranean Sea) - Dai Gui- Western coast of Europe (Spain?) - Tchang Zu- Western coast of the USA - Hsi Wu- Eastern coast of the USA - Xiao Fung- Latin America

This means they had the closest interactions with people in America (USA and Mexico area), southern Europe, and Far East Asia when they were on the Earth. However, we don't know how long their ruling was, so we cannot say if they took part in the Silk Road or even made contact with those who have migrated to South America (from the Bering Strait or form the Pacific) or even Australia. I have been looking into Lo Pei's apparel for a couple hours now and I cannot find anything matching his "Ling Dynasty" outfit, which is, in fact, not an actual Dynasty. Therefore, the Demon banishment date is still a mystery.

Anyway, seeing as how they are extremely racist and believe humans are here to serve them, I think they would be curious on their variety of skin color, but not in the way you probably want. For example, they probably noticed people with darker colored skin can work under the Sun more than those with lighter skin, therefore, depending on the Demons and their domain, they would probably prefer one skin tone over the other for labor. Although, as seen with Hsi Wu and Shendu, some Demons may keep humans for entertainment purposes that do not require practicality, meaning they may go with what looks the best for the job. Every human is a slave to them, no matter what they look like.

If you want my honest thoughts about the Demons' thoughts on albinism and vitiligo, it's not going to be nice. Don't get me wrong, I personally do not think there's anything wrong with either skin, but to the Demons it would most likely be laughed at. Being so drained of color even the light hurts you? That's pathetic. Being patchy like a filthy farm animal? That's funny.

Don't even get me started on Po Kong and her eating habits. She probably wants to taste every single human of all cultures/ethnicity and skin colors to see if they taste different, which tastes the best, and what they go good with. She could easily wipe out an entire group of people if not careful.

Anyway, how they would react to the modern day. Well, we already saw some of it during Season 2 when they were released one by one. They seem pretty chill about it, nothing too over-reactive like, "Wow! Humans did this?! That's unbelievable!" If anything, they would say, "Huh, impressive. Anyway, this is mine now and I want 20 more." This comes off to me as the Demons know humans are great at making and building things, even believing they can make extravagant buildings on their own, but they don't care. Demons just want them to use this power for their own wants. Heck, they probably expect humans to always make great things, so the stuff that we have today probably won't phase them that much, just, "Hey, why didn't you make this for us way back when?!"

If anything, the Demons might be so impressed/inspired by what humans have made that they want their entire kingdom to look like it and then claim it as their own idea. Like, 'yeah, humans have made these widely unique structures/details, but it was I who designed this kingdom! What they did was a waste of ability!'

Remember, EVERYTHING human-wise goes back to the Demons and how they are better and humans are just things to control and make serve. Humans are only tools/pets for the masters to use and none should not put a single human over demon-kind. They are, like I said, straight up racist towards humans, and a lot of people forget that crucial detail when making fan stuff about them.

I think the only Demon out of the Eight that could possibly make a genuine, "Great job!" comment to a human would be Xiao Fung. He seems to be the most down-to-earth one and is actually seen to get along with humans. However, like I said, I'm pretty sure he still views himself higher than them, but I think Xiao Fung is more low-key "appreciative" if you do the right thing for him.

[faerywhimsy]

TD;DR

No one: …

Me: So I know Lestat's the main character of Prince Lestat, but did any of the other beloved characters see the warning signs of the Voice/Amel in the world before it started going around compelling the old ones into killing younglings.

Sorry, killing young ones. And what might those warning signs have looked like?

Prince Lestat is meant to be read as a sequel to Queen of the Damned and, structurally, its many view points succeeds in that goal. However, thematically, there was so much a missed opportunity in actually seeing many of our favourite characters still existing in the aftermath of maybe as little as a decade still scrambling with the grief and loss and so many abruptly silenced minds...

None of them were... doing well... post-Akasha. But then the tension begins to build again.

Slowly, at first. Disconnected fragments across the continents of the world.

Because it's not like these immortals have ever been the best at communicating directly:—

The Coven and the Courtiers - A Guide (QotD 1.5)

Khayman is with Maharet, never straying too far from the jungles of the Amazon, when he picks up the first murmurings of malcontent from the spirit they moved from Akasha into Mekare. It is not happy within its new host. But perhaps it wasn't happy in its previous host either. Akasha sat as a statue under Marius for centuries before ever waking up. Khayman wonders if they're going to have that long again.

Marius is in Brazil with Daniel. He cannot help himself from scanning nearby minds, even as he claims a hope to remain on the sidelines of their world after the disastrous end of his two millennia caring for the Mother and Father. Marius is therefore one of the first who hears word of a very early and isolated Burning that doesn't seem to have any connection back to Akasha. But it would be foolish to ignore them completely, especially when the last Burnings are still so recent.

Pandora's returned to Arjun in India, but he has begun to act strangely. Because of the veil between their minds, she can only ever understand it through the words he offers for explanation. He wishes for the sanctuary of the earth. Inwardly, Pandora wonders if it was her urge to rush to Marius' aid when he was encased in the ice. She doesn't think it was her alliance with Santino, who is now of course dead to them all. She watches Arjun—before he goes into the ground—because he is the love of her life. She watches him because something deep within tells her something's not right.

Mael was filled with a profound sense of purpose during the first Burning. He would look after Maharet and Jesse. Yet, he had failed in that. Since the Burning, Khayman has taken over as Maharet's consort and companion and that's left Mael with... nothing. His maker Avicus has a new coven in Geneva now, with immortals as old as Gregory and as young as Davis. If Avicus thinks of Mael at all, he has no cause to think it. He's had a very long life but, without any sense of purpose calling him, there is no long any care in him. Not for himself, not for any his kind.

Bianca's in Paris with her new fledgling. They never imagine anything could hurt them. Why would they? The first Burning passed them over without so much as coming near them. There's a rumour passed around Europe lately that bringing one into the blood no longer seems to be happening the way it used to. Tales of mute zombies with hearts that won't beat—truly dead things in the place of fledglings—abound. But even that's easy to ignore when Bianca and her own fledgling feel so young, and in love, and immortal.

David is one of three who were mortal during the last interaction with a Queen of Vampires. He and Jesse talk about it sometimes. Jesse has kept up contact with the Great Family in South America, just as David kept some of his contacts within the Talamasca in Britain, younger ones who didn't mind seem to mind when he became a vampire. The same ones Marius' maker Teskhamen has also given his life into the hands of. They're the ones to bring David's attention to Burnings-related incidents as they start making the news on human television stations. They're the ones to ask him if this is something they should be worried about.

Gabrielle alone is able to say that—when the Queen descended on them the last time—she was the one in risk of losing her only remaining son. She knows many think her cold, but they don't know the pain of burying a child born of their womb. Gabrielle has hardened herself because it's the only protection she's found for her heart and her time in Turkey with the ancient handmaid Sevraine has not her changed utterly. Oh, Gabrielle's not blind, she knows her son will not let this world come to an end. Nor is she—first fledgling of Lestat—unaware of the Voice that whispers to him now.

Killer is in Philadelphia and is only just a century in the blood and one of the youngest outside the "Coven of the Articulate" to have survived Akasha's massacre. Killer makes up part of the Fang Gang, the coven that lies closest to Armand in New York City, less than two hours away. He may only be notable for his proximity to Armand, and his prior connection to Davis, but even he senses the change in Armand as word begins to trickle back to Trinity Gate and the Fang Gang are forced to disband.

Armand knows already he will protect his chosen family at all costs, from any future threats or Burnings. Was there a moment he considered taking them all underground where none would find them should anything resurface? Yes, though he'll never admit it. There was always that concern that the Sacred Core residing in Mekare would corrupt her. Is that what they are starting to see now?

Louis can hear nothing for himself, of course. But Lestat's visits to Trinity Gate begin to grow more and more sporadic and Louis can see Armand grows steadily more tightly wound as the world around them changes again. But still Louis counsels his love and companion to pause. Wait. Be vigilant, but if Khayman and Marius have told them they are already watchful of possible threat, they are likely not the only old ones to do so.

Benji's too much like Armand; he will protect the ones he considers his tribe. He never really understood how the old ones isolate themselves, hasn't really had enough interaction with them to recognise it in any real way. For him, immortals live like they do in Trinity Gate. Benji's radio show begins slowly, like a modern analog of Armand's Théâtre des Vampires, in that no human hearing it will believe, but blood drinkers will find what they need.

I was going to suggest Lestat's probably one of the youngest immortal to actually hear Amel's voice. Then I remembered how strong in the blood Daniel's always been depicted for his age. So yeah he's mad, but that's not helped by the fact Amel started yammering at him from the same point as Lestat. "He rages," said Daniel. "When he's gotten into my head, he's raged."

Cause it's a psychic blast, people. Even Lestat acknowledges, "the Voice is working on a number of fronts".

In any case, all of this is more or less the outline of what I've been thinking of as the QotD 1.5 head canon, something that's being played out in How They Get to Trinity Gate as we get to the pointy end of the fic.

[thetrgger]

One of my teachers, a really cool and interesting guy, once said that, if you had an idea, and someone else did that, then it was never yours. An idea is yours if you think it and go as far as you can with making it real. That is when it is your idea. And I don't know how to make games, especially not on the level I think this idea deserves to be made on, but I do have the idea, and I've thought on how to theoretically make it, though I am sure that counts for little. Anyways, here it is: A horror game based on the idea of superposition, where something can be in multiple states until measured. In this case, it is the (what I'll refer to as) monster that is in superposition, in multiple locations at once, perhaps in different forms as well. I never liked the overused horror monster that could only kill when not looked at, so I turned it on its head. Now we have a monster, created by the classic human meddling with space-time, that you must absolutely not look at it. Measure it with thine eyes, and it will be there, and it will see you as you see it, and boy does it want you dead. You'll have to go through the tight halls of a wrecked Research Centre™ as well as disturbingly large rooms, and in a place as ruined as this, you best watch your step, or meet your end at something as boring as sharp debris, falls or inconveniently positioned equipment.

What was the reason for all this science mumbo jumbo that lead to this creature? Why, the search for immortality of course. If you could exist in multiple states at one time, it would not matter if you died once, you have more states to live in that are perfectly fine. Except whoever greenlit this project probably didn't consider the consequences of using death-row inmates as test subjects, and skipping any animals. The result was a "human", born a big ol' murderer, that had their atoms flung around a tad too much and now they resemble that of a blended squirrel without the fur and double the terror. And this stuff was in prototype phase, so each and every state of the poor buddy is gonna be uniquely screwed up. Maybe they have about fifty six eyes too many and they really don't appreciate not having any eyelids... That or the pain of being a flesh creature with too many views of one ugly idiot staring at them. Maybe they're blinder than the genetical defect of a child between a mole and a bat with the hearing of Mr. Krabs when the cash register goes off, and god are your footsteps loud and annoying (but, you know, also the immeasurable pain of being a creature like that.) I think you get the idea. Don't worry, they won't stay put even if they want to though, being a "living" creature in superposition is not your average Tuesday (the canonical day this would take place) and their states just kinda float around when not observed. Maybe the freaky, breathing blob of skin is on the 4th floor one moment, but the other, it is two feet to your left.

Oh, but of course, you want to GET OUT of the terrifying and dangerous ruin, yeah, I forgot about that tidbit. How do you do that? Well, this wasn't your run of the mill Bachelors students doing a group project, the Government™ was all over this and made sure it was the number one top secret. Only people who knew worked in the place itself, or at least resided there, and they did not fancy any easy access, so you gotta go against some big ol' doors, buddy.

Now gimme a second to decide where this takes place geographically. Okay, did some wheel spinning, picked a country from every continent plus one from the entire world, and the mix of all these is gonna be what this country is gonna be like: Europe, Estonia; Asia, Armenia; Africa, Tunisia; North America, Grenada; South America, Bolivia; Oceania, Nauru and all countries, Netherlands. Okay, so let's say they have the language of Estonia, architecture of Armenia, food of Tunisia, people of Grenada, geography and nature and terrain and stuff of Bolivia, history of Nauru and general influences on all parts from Netherlands. Credit to random wheel jr.

Oh and there's also Martin. Martin is just chilling. The whole superposition thing worked perfectly on him, he wasn't even supposed to be on death row, got framed by accident (he doesn't mind.) He just exists all over the world. Maybe you see Martin, he says hello, asks how your day is, that stuff. Come back the next day and he isn't there, but don't worry, one of him will float back around to you one day. He just chills, nothing much. No pain, no anger, no nothing. Just a cool guy. Scared of the water, but otherwise unperturbed, just carries on existing.

[kaimaciel]

Kai! It's me again. How are you? Hope you're doing fine!

Today I was reading a book called "D. João II vs. Colombo" (amazing book btw) and while reading I couldn't stop having the feeling that I would love to know your hcs about the matter. So..! How do you think Port felt towards the fact that supposedly his brother "discovered indias/america" before him. Did they had some sort of "picuinha"? Please tell me what you think about it (I'm not kidding when I say I love your hcs)

Kisses! Stay safe :)

Olá Yumi! 🥰

I have my own (and biased) hcs on the matter, if you'll bear with me.

I'll go with the theory that the Portuguese royals, and Port by default, already knew exactly where India was. They sent spies by land (like Pêro da Covilhã), they had secret maps they hid from the Spanish and the Venitians.

They knew about America. The African winds are strong and pull towards South America, so they knew there were lands out there that were not India, but just like with the maps, they kept it a secret. Until Colombo came along and ruined everything with his big mouth.

I don't think Port was mad that Antonio got the glory of "discovering" the Americas, but he was annoyed because now he had competition. The sea was his thing! Why was Antonio always going after him?! Wasn't his position in Europe enough?

So their bickering got the Pope involved and the Tordesilhas treaty was created. But, Port asked for those extra miles from Cabo Verde for apparently no reason, and then 8 years later, Pedro Álvares Cabral "discovers" Brazil by "accident" 😉

I think, back then, Port didn't care about the Americas, just Brazil. He might have been annoyed that Spain got all that glory and territory in later years (how was he supposed to know the continent was that big!), but Brazil was the apple of his eye.

Let Antonio fight with Arthur and Francis over Alfred. Out of all the countries in the American continent, he got the best one 😤

[hacked-by-jake]

Hii, how are you? Hope you are good!!

So, I was just thinking for a long time about where Duskwood would be, like, which country, you know? I mean, I'm brazilian so I can't sometimes recognize even the states in my country much less spot singularities in others that are not even in South America hahaha

I always thought it would be in Germany because os the architecture that is very similar to some colonial cities here in my state with a very strong german influence but in episode 10 the FBI appeared so I am a little confused. Can FBI, that is as far as I know an american police, go to another continent to arrest someone? Or is Jake american? Or did he do something to the United States itself? Even so, Europe have it's own police task force for cases like these right? Sorry, I just really don't have contact with the organization part of other countries hehehe

Could you help me understand it and tell me your thoughts about where do you think Duskwood is?

Hey Ho! :) I’m actually quite well, thank you for asking! Hope you’re also good and everything is okay!

So I mean, maybe you know that Everbyte comes from Germany and also that the city they used for Duskwood is in Germany.

I have to say, I don’t think we can attribute duskwood to a country. I think duskwood game in its own universe that has nothing to run with the real world. I think duskwood is in a fictional universe of its own without any relation to our real world, Duskwood, and we also have, for example, Colville.

Both invented own cities and therefore I suspect that we can not limit it to one country. Nevertheless, I think it is true and there is a lot of German and American influence. German, simply because Everbyte comes from here. And American because it has the most influence in film and fiction and is used the most in the fictional world.

So I think duskwood takes place in a universe that allows everbyte to take the best and most exciting and fitting attributes from any country you want and bring them all together.

If I am properly informed, the FBI also works a lot with other authorities from other countries and I think the FBI also has locations in other countries. By now, at least. And since the FBI is simply one of the most well-known Police-state-controlled-governmental authority, I think that Everbyte has chosen this because thus most of us know what is meant.

Also, I think, as we know, Jake got involved in something that had to do with the government. So it could be that Jake has fled to another country. Or just the fact that the FBI works with other authorities from other countries. Or what Jake did is so secret that the FBI alone should take care of it or something.

So I think maybe you could say that Duskwood is set in an extra and fictional America, like many series and movies etc. Maybe it’s just a parallel universe with a few differences to make it fit for the game.

I think here is the influence of America, the film industry etc. just very big which is why I think Duskwood is a thrown together universe that has a bit of everything.

And before I repeat myself once more: this is of course only what I think and we have no real facts on the subject. But I think we don’t need that either. For me, duskwood is a different universe and I don’t care about anything else as long as Jake is in the universe. 😂

I hope I was able to explain your question a little bit, you may of course tell me your opinion. Like everyone else, maybe we can see other perspectives, I would be very interested.

And about the other ask you sent: Don’t worry, absolutely no need to apologize or explain. I can understand everything you write and I mean I’m not a native English speaker myself. My native language is German, if you don’t know it yet, and I’m sure I make mistakes too. So don’t worry, I can totally understand, and I don’t pay attention to any mistakes. :D

Thank you a lot for asking and I hope you will have a wonderful day! 💚

[dizzyduck44]

I have so many issues. So many here. Please read to the end as I promise you this is not an attack on any one country.

Firstly the first two are now Saturday night races to accommodate Ramadan. Arab nations bought into F1 fully knowing it was Sunday races. Knew what was expected of them.

However when the FIA and FOM moved hell and high water to accommodate a Vegas race no fans seem to want, that precedent was done with. Whilst they conveniently forgot that they would NEVER race in Italy over Easter weekend.

Swapping Azerbaijan and Japan is an interesting move. Do they hope it will be less wet in Japan and less windy in Baku?

China, Azerbaijan to Italy made a little bit of sense. Japan to Miami to Azerbaijan makes no sense though. “We can’t have a race there during NFL season”. Well maybe it’s time we accepted Miami is not a viable location for a Grand Prix then? Why not Japan, Malaysia, Azerbaijan. Better track, fans want to go back there, logical commute. China, Turkey, Imola. Also an option.

Canada in the middle of the European season. There were no words, none. In no way do I think we should drop Canada, but not considering the climate restrictions they have for a race, whilst pandering to the three US races who don’t want to be too close together because it will effect ticket sales. Madness.

Drop a US race and insert the European Grand Prix to open the European calander. This will alternate between Portimao, Paul Riccard and a German track of their choosing. Let’s thank them for getting us out the shit and racing during Covid.

We need to go to Africa. We don’t care where. Take us back to South Africa, build a new circuit in Morocco, we don’t care, just take us back to that continent. Take some of the money you are pocketing from the oil rich East and the US circuits and invest in getting a track in Africa. It can follow the Spanish race or be the last race before summer break.

Again don’t want to lose Singapore but it is now sitting in the calendar like billy no mates, can’t it go to the other side of the Americas block? Singapore back to the Middle East? Is that not easier than Europe, Aisa, Americas, Middle East? Also the more night races they add the unique selling point of Singapore dilutes more and more, which is not fair to them. They were the original night race.

In fairness they probably are the best selection of European tracks there is. Yes we could run a 24 race European season with all the tracks available. I hope that in years to come they will curate other regions the same way. Austin, Mexico, Brazil is pretty much a perfect set already.

Why are we still indulging the Qatar madness? I see no need for it other than to give Abu Dhabi a friend. Ditch it. Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi will give you the glamorous finale Liberty want.

I know they are trying but they need to ditch the races that can’t deliver. I do think China’s days are numbered for various reasons. Zandvoort’s popularity post Max will be an interesting watch as well. I can’t see Miami is sustainable long term. My hope is that the spaces will be given to permanent tracks that open up the market, maybe invest in getting the India track back.

There is a way this calendar can flow it’s just requires, ahem, not making as much money 😳

[psatalk]

Six Indian and Asian megatrends at the time of drupa24

We are used to receiving wisdom from the West, including the perspectives on the future of technology, industry, business and society. However, please remember that it is reliably reported and frequently quoted by Western scholars, that when MK Gandhi was once asked, “What do you think of Western civilization?” he replied, “I think it would be a good idea.” I know that it may seem presumptuous for me to offer some megatrends from the Indian and Asian point of view – but one must acknowledge the excellent writing by journalists, authors, economists, and historians in our newspapers across the sub-continent and the continent. One must also acknowledge the outspoken statements of fact, reason and eloquence of the South African lawyers in the International Court of Justice at The Hague and its ministers at public forums.

Megatrends –

The narrative has shifted, and changed, from the powerful mainstream media to the ordinary professional and citizen journalist, editor, videographer, and producer. Nowhere and none are innocent of misinformation and disinformation, but in the last eight months, the Western media has distinguished itself with its tunnel vision of false narratives and denials. It has done its best to kill the mainstream media and while many of its notable Indian proponents remain in denial and thrall, to the power of the big Western media, the mainstream media has helped to shift the media to citizens, freelance journalists, alternative media companies including non-profits, and social media. 

There is a megatrend of reverse globalization with Asians investing in Europe and America with better technology and cost-effective production. This is necessary because developed countries have been able to get away with one-way traffic in goods, technology and services except where outsourcing is much cheaper such as in back offices and software. This is changing as services and software companies in Eastern European and Asian countries are not merely writing code but designing new hardware, technological, industrial and software products and services built with lower energy costs including renewable power and higher human productivity. There is also the reverse flow of capital for better access to technology and markets with protectionist regimes.

Megatrend three – exporters from Asia bring agility and flexible solutions. They have learned to listen to the customer and to come up with customer-driven solutions. They have learned to leverage and combine both cloud service and the appropriate human intervention at the appropriate time. This trend will be visible at drupa 24 in Dusseldorf both in the strength of Asian exhibitors and visitors and the gradual diminishing of such shows in light of shows that are now proliferating in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The regional and national shows are gaining in importance and quality of exhibitors and the active entrepreneurial skills and wealth of the visitors.

The awareness and implementation of standards is a global megatrend. It includes scientific testing and documentation. In Asia, it is very visible with the significant investments in well-qualified human resources and instrumentation in industry laboratories. Research and development, application know-how, and intellectual property are being locally generated. 

The fifth megatrend is also global and not restricted to Asia. It is the megatrend of industry consultation across supply chains. Without the new collaborative ecosystems industrial obligations such as climate change and plastic recycling cannot be addressed. These modules and networks are now also originating in Asia. Those perceived as hypercompetitive are learning how to work together, balancing intellectual property and combining business interests. This is not an easy megatrend, but one of the most powerful.

The sixth and last megatrend in our context that has been emerging for the past 20 years is ‘cloud-feudalism.’ This is a term first used by the Greek economist and former minister Yanis Varoufakis, which I will describe in my own words – we are all tending in most countries and economies around the world to become employees of big tech. Whether it is Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, or Google or our airline, rail transport, banking system, income tax or other government services, we are expected to be connected by smartphone and the internet to perform a good portion of the tasks that were earlier done by human beings that worked for the suppliers of products and services. Even if we purchase something we will be subjected to endless queries and rating systems. We are doing the work for their benefit and apart from paying for their services, we are also paying the government for the privilege of doing so.

[ippnoida]

Six Indian and Asian megatrends at the time of drupa24

We are used to receiving wisdom from the West, including the perspectives on the future of technology, industry, business and society. However, please remember that it is reliably reported and frequently quoted by Western scholars, that when MK Gandhi was once asked, “What do you think of Western civilization?” he replied, “I think it would be a good idea.” I know that it may seem presumptuous for me to offer some megatrends from the Indian and Asian point of view – but one must acknowledge the excellent writing by journalists, authors, economists, and historians in our newspapers across the sub-continent and the continent. One must also acknowledge the outspoken statements of fact, reason and eloquence of the South African lawyers in the International Court of Justice at The Hague and its ministers at public forums.

Megatrends –

The narrative has shifted, and changed, from the powerful mainstream media to the ordinary professional and citizen journalist, editor, videographer, and producer. Nowhere and none are innocent of misinformation and disinformation, but in the last eight months, the Western media has distinguished itself with its tunnel vision of false narratives and denials. It has done its best to kill the mainstream media and while many of its notable Indian proponents remain in denial and thrall, to the power of the big Western media, the mainstream media has helped to shift the media to citizens, freelance journalists, alternative media companies including non-profits, and social media. 

There is a megatrend of reverse globalization with Asians investing in Europe and America with better technology and cost-effective production. This is necessary because developed countries have been able to get away with one-way traffic in goods, technology and services except where outsourcing is much cheaper such as in back offices and software. This is changing as services and software in Eastern European and Asian countries are not merely writing code but designing new hardware, technological, industrial and software products and services built with lower energy costs including renewable power and higher human productivity. There is also the reverse flow of capital for better access to technology and markets with protectionist regimes.

Megatrend three – exporters from Asia bring agility and flexible solutions. They have learned to listen to the customer and to come up with customer-driven solutions. They have learned to leverage and combine both cloud service and the appropriate human intervention at the appropriate time. This trend will be visible at drupa 24 in Dusseldorf both in the strength of Asian exhibitors and visitors and the gradual diminishing of such shows in light of shows that are now proliferating in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The regional and national shows are gaining in importance and quality of exhibitors and the active entrepreneurial skills and wealth of the visitors.

The awareness and implementation of standards is a global megatrend. It includes scientific testing and documentation. In Asia, it is very visible with the significant investments in well-qualified human resources and instrumentation in industry laboratories. Research and development, application know-how, and intellectual property are being locally generated. 

The fifth megatrend is also global and not restricted to Asia. It is the megatrend of industry consultation across supply chains. Without the new collaborative ecosystems industrial obligations such as climate change and plastic recycling cannot be addressed. These modules and networks are now also originating in Asia. Those perceived as hypercompetitive are learning how to work together, balancing intellectual property and combining business interests. This is not an easy megatrend, but one of the most powerful.

The sixth and last megatrend in our context that has been emerging for the past 20 years is ‘cloud-feudalism.’ This is a term first used by the Greek economist and former minister Yanis Varoufakis, which I will describe in my own words – we are all tending in most countries and economies around the world to become employees of big tech. Whether it is Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, or Google or our airline, rail transport, banking system, income tax or other government services, we are expected to be connected by smartphone and the internet to perform a good portion of the tasks that were earlier done by human beings that worked for the suppliers of products and services. Even if we purchase something we will be subjected to endless queries and rating systems. We are doing the work for their benefit and apart from paying for their services, we are also paying the government for the privilege of doing so.

[neptunianashes]

I never thought about it, but what you said it's so true!! Whenever we compare Brasil's best players we ALWAYS compare them with South American rivals, especially from Argentina!

Speaking particularly about football clubs now, Europeans think they're the best because they're popular worldwide. Honestly, of it wasn't because of money, media, merchandising and players from other continents, their leagues wouldn't be so big.

Also, yes, European leagues are popular in south America, but speaking for Brasil, if you're in a bar chatting with your friends about football, the main talk will be about our national championship! Despite being BIG when playing other countries, Brasil and Argentina both has a HUGE national league and we are proud of it. They think they're so important but any sudaca I know cares more about Copa Libertadores than about Europe national championships.

Good teams? We have em too. Passion? We have lots of it. Talent? Buckets of it. Die-hard fans? Of course we have them! But they're just too closed up on their own world to notice it.

(Sorry about leaving a book here)

don't feel sorry about that my brasilian friend, and thank you for saying all of this. People in Argentina watch the european league too but it's way wayy more important our national own leagues, we are extremely very passionate about them, and of course about Copa Libertadores too more than european leagues.

[db-reviews]

#138 - Two For The Show - Kansas (1978)

I was originally gonna get this review out on Thanksgiving, but due to family and stuff I couldn’t. That being said, better late than never ‘ey?

Prog Rock in the 70s was definitely dominated by Europe with King Crimson and or Gentle Giant raging through, though in the American continent there was still some hype around a good amount of bands. In South America there are bands like Bubu from Argentina, and Os Mutantes from Brazil. Canada got its fair share of Prog too with Harmonium and the well beloved Rush. In between them with America, most progressive acts were very centered on Jazz, most likely due to it being a big cultural thing in the 70s and 60s with acts like Frank Zappa, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Return To Forever supplying the more jazz focused music in the American region. Though for more general rock fans that want the more harder side of the genre were still in luck, especially in the Heartland area in states like Ohio, Indiana, and of course Kansas. The more American focused Prog in the Heartlands were less reliant on European classicalism and symphonics but more on a harder rock and even slightly country sound, though bands like Styx would sprinkle in some Euro influences in their music from time to time. These tropes and characteristics of American styled Prog can be seen most prominently with Kansas.

To me Kansas has never been my favorite band in my country, but that is compared to modern acts around my banks of expertise. Even though they may not be my favorite, they still have made some very amazing albums like Song For America and Point Of Know Return, and some very classic songs that I think even non Progheads love like Carry On My Wayward Son and Dust In The Wind. As an American I find Kansas to hit pretty close to home since I live in the Western Heartland area of the USA, though I was born in a coastal state. So with that being said, I absolutely adore this live album they put out in ‘78.

Two For The Show is one of Kansas’ expertly crafted musical ventures, featuring songs from their first five records (Kansas, Song For America, Masque, Leftoverture, and Point Of Know Return.) and they picked out the best of the best for this live show in those respective albums, beginning with the awesome Song For America from its titular album and ending with the big 11 minute suite Magnum Opus from Leftoverture, with the songs in between containing amazingly placed numbers like Icarus and Journey From Mariabronn. No song here is bad, not even close, and for me a good live album should, for one, bring out new experiences to songs, and create for a lively and fun atmosphere. This album does not only do both, but exceeds my expectations in how live albums should be. The big and grand sound the band raises in this live performance in each song allows them to constantly feel fresh even after multiple listens with me noticing new things each time, especially with headphones.

I think the best version of the album to listen to is the 30th anniversary edition with another hour worth of content that continues the streak of amazing songs from Kansas’ lineage. Not only do you get a mouthful of music from this edition, but so much good material that, even with its long 2 hour length, you cannot help but love it even more.

I just love the big and super radical sound Kansas exudes on this live venture, that I just want more of what they have to offer in this big adventure they set out on stage. The violin work of Robby Steinhardt is the soul part of the album for me, working hand in hand with Steve Walsh’s keyboard works and Kerry and Rich’s guitars. But, they do not compare with the immaculate bass work of Dave Hope. Again, listen to this with headphones and just listen to Dave’s bass. It is so meaty, powerful, and poignant that it is a crying shame he doesn’t get the spotlight in comparison to other bass legends like Geddy Lee and Les Claypool.

I also really like how sometimes the band would sprinkle in a bit of a melody in some cases where they interconnect the songs they are playing. You can see that with Portrait to Carry On My Wayward Son and Excerpt from "Lamplight Symphony" to The Wall. It just makes the album so much bigger and better, really solidifying the band’s Prog status while retaining their hearty sound of music.

Pretty much all of this album, front to back, is a gemstone just waiting to be cracked into. 14 songs of pure progressive stasis, and 11 more just waiting to be eaten up in the anniversary edition. If you haven’t heard this live album, do yourself a favor and listen to it since this album should be one everyone at least in some point should look into as it is one of the best live releases in my opinion. Such an amazing work of art from this band.

5/5

[escapewithbts]

Secrets in a Foreign Language (Part Four) - Jungkook

<<previous _ next>>

--------------------------------------------------

A few weeks later you entered Jungkook’s apartment with your heart feeling full. You had felt so lonely these beginning months in this new country of South Korea but seeing Jungkook every week had become a sort of comfort, especially now that you knew the feeling was mutual. Once you had gotten the awkwardness of questioning why the place was already clean whenever you got there, you used the time to just hang out with each other. You got along so unbelievably well and frequently had to remind yourself he was literally one of the most famous people in the world right now. It often blew your mind. Maybe it was because his face was all over the city, the tv, the grocery store, maybe because wherever you went you heard his singing voice in songs, or speaking voice in interviews, but the concept of fame was just something you had never thought about; the media giving celebrities an almost unrealistic and ethereal standard to look up to. But that was just it. Idols were people, too. Regular human beings, just like yourself. Jungkook was your living proof. And you really liked that about him.

He wasn’t in the living room nor the kitchen when you got there this time.

 “Kook?” you called out, using the nickname you had begun to refer to him by.

You went further into the home, down the hallway towards the bedrooms. As you got closer to the master and peered inside, you saw the adjoining bathroom door open and could hear the sound of the shower running.

Ah. So that’s where Jungkook was.

You retreated back into the living area, helped yourself to a bottle of water from the fridge and decided to sit on the couch while you waited for him to return.

And he did just that.

You were browsing Instagram on your phone when his voice startled you.

“Hey, (y/n)!”

You took a swig from the water bottle right as you looked up to respond to him, immediately choking on the liquid as you did so, for Jungkook had appeared in the room in nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants, his glistening upper half on complete display.

You learned early on that one of Jungkook’s hobbies was working out, but damn you never thought you would be a witness to all the hard work he put in. The pictures of his abs on the internet were definitely not photoshopped, an eight pack clearly visible on his abdomen. Prominent pecs, and muscular upper arms, the right one covered by a whole sleeve of tattoos. Oh my god, the tattoos. Holy shit. You had seen some of them from the days where he wore short sleeves around you, but now they were all on display, and they were just as beautiful as you had imagined.

The pants he wore were sitting low, (dangerously low) on his narrow waist, deep chiseled v shaped muscles along his hips; you attempted not to think about where they ended.

Finally, you looked up at his face. His dark hair was still wet from the shower, it was pushed back from his forehead. He had a blush on his pale cheeks, but a smirk on his thin lips, clearly aware of how flustered you had become. You cleared your throat and looked away in embarrassment, suddenly feeling guilty for staring at your friend like he was a piece of meat. But he was just so damn attractive, and you were only human, and it had been so long since you had seen a man shirtless, let alone naked… oh god, no, you were not going to go there, not with Jungkook like this in the room with you. Focus, focus on anything else.

“How-how are you today?” you stuttered.

Smooth.

Jungkook strolled over to the kitchen island and grabbed an oversized black shirt that was laying on the back of the stool. Fortunately (or was it unfortunately?) for you, he pulled it up over his head and let it fall at his sides before shaking his damp and messy hair. Then he smiled at you and walked over to the large couch, taking a seat right next to you. The smell of a masculine body wash and fabric softener wafted into your nose, instantly making you want to curl into his side and rest against him. You swallowed hard, trying to shake those thoughts from your mind.

It was just because he smelled nice, right?

“I’m good. We shot an episode of Run! BTS this morning and we were running around a lot,” he chuckled to himself, “it was fun, but I felt gross after. Sorry for being in the shower when you were here.”

You shook your head.

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you were. I wouldn’t want to hang out with you if you were stinky.”

You plugged you nose and made a grossed-out face at him and he laughed, running a hand through his hair.

“Well then hopefully I smell okay now.”

Ah if only he knew.

Jungkook grabbed the tv remote from the coffee table and handed it to you.

“You pick what we watch today.”

You shrugged and turned on the tv.

“Okay.”

You didn’t immediately go to a streaming app, you wanted to see what kind of things were on live tv at the moment. You secretly loved watching shows with commercials because while they were on it gave you and Jungkook a chance to talk more.

As you scrolled through the channels you weren’t hopeful for anything exciting as it was 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon after all.  

But suddenly, something caught your attention. The mention of Jungkook’s name. You paused your channel changing for a second to listen.

It looked like a trashy show, much like TMZ in the United States, where random people seemed to think they had the right to gossip about celebrities.

 “…Jungkook of BTS and idol soloist Kim Cho-hee are still going strong it seems.” One of the reporters commented.

“Yes, did you see that picture of them cuddling close at the restaurant they frequent in Gangnam? Sources say they were there for hours!”

A picture of the two of them popped up on the screen, sitting close in a corner of a dimly lit restaurant booth.  

“I even heard they shared a kiss when he dropped her off at her place!”

With that you felt your stomach flip and your face get hot.

Uh oh.

Oh no.

Did you perhaps feel... jealous?

Fuck.

“You think they’ll get married? Be together forever?”

They all laughed.

“(y/n) …” Jungkook mumbled from next to you.

“… way too young, but only time will tell!”

“(y/n),” Jungkook repeated while shaking your shoulder gently, startling you out of your thoughts and snapping your attention away from the screen, “do you mind… um, changing it?”

You fiddled with the remote in your now sweaty hands.

“Oh, sorry, no, um, I’m sorry.”

You complied with his request and moved to the next channel, something about wild animals native to the continent of Asia.

There was silence from Jungkook, and you didn’t dare look at him, your heart pounding inside your chest. It felt awkward now, like the elephant that had been in the room throughout your whole friendship, or whatever this was, was now making an unavoidable appearance. You were debating in your head whether you should finally ask him about it all when he spoke up first.

  “We’ve never kissed,” he started quietly.

You ran a hand through your hair, realizing you did not want to hear about it after all. You wanted to stay in this state of naïve bliss.

 “Jungkook…” you trailed off.

Plus, no matter how curious you were it still wasn’t your business.

He placed his hand on your arm surprisingly, making you look up into his worried looking eyes.

“Please, I really would like to talk to someone about it and since you-you already know it’s not real, and no one else really does- “

“Do your members?” you interrupted him.

He shook his head and looked down.

“No, they think it’s real.”

You took a deep breath, now even more shocked he had trusted you so easily with such seemingly confidential information those many weeks ago.

You closed your eyes tightly, the question you’ve been dying to ask on the tip of your tongue.

 “So can I ask... why? Why you’re in a fake relationship with her?”

He let out a sigh and looked down at the ground.

 “It’s complicated. Cho-hee has, um, she’s not known for being the kindest person, er, idol in the industry. She doesn’t have the best um, I’m not sure of the word in English…” he paused to pull out his phone’s translator app, “…repu-reputation is the word in English,” he sighed again, “So obviously as BTS, we’ve been very successful recently, and our managers are great at making sure our reputation stays good. So, her company contacted mine, her company has a lot more media influence in Asia, and asked if one of our members pretends to date her and help boost her reputation, they will help get BTS more attention in the Asia countries,” he paused and hesitantly peered up at you, “so… yeah, that’s basically the small explanation.”

You stared at him in both shock and confusion, so many follow up questions flooding your brain.

 “BTS doesn’t have enough media coverage in Asia?” was the first one to come out of your mouth.

“Well, not necessarily,” Jungkook replied, “but the K-pop competition is a lot bigger in countries like China and Japan because it has been around for so long here and there, unlike in areas like North America and Europe. You know, people in America or the UK or other non-Asian countries might instantly think of BTS when you say ‘K-pop’ these days, right? But here it can be different. Any other act could appear at any moment and take that spotlight, and Cho-hee’s company has more ties and relationships in Asia, more than our company HYBE, because they’ve been around a lot longer.”

You thought for a second before responding.

“So, you’re telling me… her company helps keep BTS relevant throughout Asia, in exchange for you pretending to date her in order to convince the media she’s a good person and keep her out of trouble?”

Your head was absolutely spinning at all this new information.

Jungkook nodded.

Your eyes went wide as you stared off into space in disbelief.

“Wow… I-I don’t know what to say…”

Jungkook buried his face in his hands and then ran them through his hair.

“I don’t know how much longer I can do it. She has that reputation for a reason. We get along fine, but she’s just so… controlling? Controlling is the word, yes? Sometimes I think she forgets we aren’t actually together.”

You frowned at him sympathetically.

“And what if,” he continued, biting his lip nervously, “what if I meet someone I do want to be with. What then? I can’t be with them?”

Your eyes met at that moment and you felt yourself catch your breath in your throat, you heart feeling like it did a somersault.

You looked away quickly.

“Yeah I don’t know. That certainly does makes things… complicated…”

Jungkook hummed in agreement.

There was a pause as you sighed.

“God I’m… really sorry, Kook, that you have to be a part of all this.”

There was a silence between you two. He just fiddled with his fingers in his lap.

Finally he said softly,

“Me, too. I’m sorry you have to be a part of it, too.”

You cocked your head in confusion.

 “What? Me? Because I know your relationship isn’t legitimate? You don’t have to worry about me, you know I won’t tell anyone about the two of you or- “

He cut you off.

 “Not just that,” he paused and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath.

You allowed yourself to take in his handsome face from this up close: his smooth skin, the mole on the bridge of his nose, the deep scar on his left cheek. He was just so exquisite; and when he opened his big brown eyes to meet yours, he looked more nervous than ever.

And when he began to speak you suddenly understood why.

 “It’s also because I… I like you, (y/n). I’m really… starting to like you. As more than a friend or-or someone I just hang out with one day a week,” his face turning red as he went on, “And if you don’t feel the same way I under-”

But before he could finish you placed one hand on the side of his neck and the other on his cheek as you leaned into him and pressed your lips against his in a tender kiss. He relaxed into you and wrapped his arms around your waist to pull you close, practically sitting you on his lap. You finally let his comforting scent completely engulf you, running your hands through his soft hair and nibbling on his bottom lip.

 Oh, yes.

This certainly made things very complicated indeed.

*

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