#that don't translate well into open world environments

[antirepurp]

i love frontiers with my whole heart but it would have benefited so much from having the platforming be tied into the environment itself instead of placing assets all over the islands. i don't necessarily have problems with the assets either but i'd imagine they would've served their purpose better when used far more sparingly and probably have them tied further into the ancients' technology to emphasize their artificial nature. that probably would've made the exploration angle of the game more memorable as well by making the player concretely interact with the environmental storytelling at hand more often instead of giving them funny rails and springs and platforms that take the focus away from the environment around you in favor of delivering a more traditional platforming challenge where the island is just a backdrop

[ahqkas]

BELLA ITALIA ; theodore nott

PAIRING! theodore nott x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS! in the moment of darkness, he was your light (or when theodore nott noticed a pretty girl struggling to communicate in english and decided to step up) (based off this req.!!)

WARNINGS AND TAGS! fluff, reader is from italy, italian theodore, translation of foreign language

WORD COUNT! 1.7k

NOTES! i’m trying to learn italian on my own and when i hear this man speaking italian i am WHIPPED 😿😿

HARRY POTTER MASTERLIST!

© ahqkas — all rights reserved. even when credited, these works are prohibited to be reposted, translated or modified

MOVING FROM ONE COUNTRY TO ANOTHER CAN BE AN INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE.

The first problem is often the language barrier. Suddenly finding yourself in a place where you don't speak the native language can be isolating and overwhelming. Simple tasks like ordering food or asking for directions become daunting challenges, and the fear of being misunderstood or ridiculed can make even basic interactions fraught with anxiety.

The weather can also play a big role in the adjustment process. Going from a sunny, warm climate to a cold, rainy one (or vice versa) can have a profound impact on one's mood and well-being. It's not just a matter of dressing appropriately — it's about learning to cope with the changes in daylight, temperature, and overall atmosphere. You left the sunny shores filled with ocean breeze and moved to rainy afternoons that seemed rather sad than anything else.

And then, of course, there's the school. Being the new kid in class is never easy, but when you're in a completely foreign environment, it can feel like you're on an entirely different world. Everything from the way classes were conducted to the social dynamics among students was be vastly different from what you were used to, leaving you feeling like a fish out of water. 

But perhaps the most challenging aspect of moving to a new country was the sense of displacement, of not quite belonging anywhere. You longed for the familiarity of home while simultaneously yearning to embrace your new surroundings. You missed the way the sun kissed your skin and the way the sea felt against your movements as you swam in the water with your friends.

And you wanted someone to understand you.

Navigating the labyrinthine halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you clutch your time table tightly, eyes darting from one corridor to another in search of the potion dungeons. The castle's vastness is overwhelming, its endless staircases and hidden passages a far cry from the sunny, open streets of your hometown in Italy. You knew your first day here would be hell.

The weather outside matched your mood: overcast and drizzly, the persistent rain casting a melancholic atmosphere over the stone walls. You miss the warmth of the Italian sun, the vibrant colors of your old school. Here, everything feels cold and foreign, a constant reminder of how far you are from home. Everything was gray and dark, the opposite of the vibrant colors you were used to.

You spot a group of students huddled together, chatting animatedly as they stood by a stone wall. Gathering your courage, you approached them, hoping they can point you in the right direction. "Scusa," you begin, your Italian accent heavy, each word carefully pronounced. "Where . . . potion class . . . dungeons?" (Excuse me.)

The students exchange puzzled glances, clearly struggling to understand your accented English because despite your try, it still came out quite wobbly. One of them, a tall boy with a shock of red hair, furrowed his brow and shakes his head slowly. "What?" he says, not unkindly, but with a hint of frustration at this situation.

You felt your cheeks flush with embarrassment. You try again, your voice wavering slightly. "Potion dungeons," you repeat, gesturing with your hands as if that might bridge the gap between your language and theirs. "Next class . . . I need find."

The red-haired boy shrugs, casting a sideways glance of help at his two friends who stood next to him. They all look at you with the same guilty expression, as if they would really like to help but there was no way. The girl with bushy hair smiled at you with an expression of 'Sorry', and you felt a knot of anxiety tighten in your chest. They don't understand, and you're too flustered to find the right words.

"Sorry," the ginger boy said finally, shaking his head again. "I don't know what you're saying."

Disheartened, you nodded and mumbled a quick "grazie" before retreating. You wandered through the corridors, frustration mounting with each wrong turn. The stone walls seemed to close in around you, the ancient tapestries and suits of armor blurring together in your anxious haze. You felt lost, not just in the physical sense but emotionally, adrift in this unfamiliar place where even asking for directions was like a challenge for you.

Your mind was still reeling from the embarrassing encounter as you hurried down the corridor, your thoughts tangled in a web of frustration and self-doubt. How could something as simple as asking for directions feel so impossible? The sting of the students' puzzled looks and guilty smiles lingers, making your cheeks burn with residual embarrassment. Lost in your thoughts, you rounded a corner too quickly and collided with a solid figure. Your bag slipped from your shoulder, and your books spilled across the floor. You gasped at the sight, your heart leaping into your throat. Could you embarrass yourself any more today?

"Scusa, scusa!" you blurted out in Italian, crouching down to gather your scattered belongings. The words tumbled from your lips in a rapid, nervous stream. You didn't even think the person wouldn't understand your sentences. "Non stavo guardando dove andavo. Mi dispiace tanto!" (Excuse me, excuse me! I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm so sorry!)

As you frantically picked up your books, you glanced up to see who you've bumped into. Your eyes widened in surprise and relief when you recognized Theodore Nott, the quiet Slytherin who always seemed to glide through the halls with an air of calm detachment and mysterious aura. You braced yourself for confusion, expecting him to look as puzzled as the others had.

But instead, Theodore's lips curved into a slight smile and a warm glint appeared in his usually cool eyes. "Non ti preoccupare," he replied in perfect Italian, his voice soothing and accent deafening. "È tutto a posto. Lascia che ti aiuti." (Don't worry. It's all right. Let me help you.)

The shock of hearing your native language from his lips momentarily left you speechless. You watched in amazement as he got down on his knees, helping you gather your books with nothing but ease. The knot of anxiety in your chest began to loosen, replaced by a flutter of gratitude and something else — an unexpected connection.

"Grazie," you managed to say, your voice trembling slightly. "Non sapevo che parlassi italiano." (Thank you. I didn't know you spoke Italian.)

Theodore's smile widened just a fraction, a hint of amusement danced in his eyes. "Mia madre è italiana," he explained, handing you the last of your textbooks from the floor. "L'ho imparato da lei." (My mother is Italian. I learned it from her.)

You stand up, clutching your books to your chest, and for the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, you felt a sense of relief wash over you. Here is someone who understands — not just your words, but the feeling of being caught between two worlds.

"Grazie mille," you repeated, your smile genuine this time. "Mi sentivo così persa." (Thank you very much. I felt so lost.)

Theodore nodded, his expression softening. "Capisco. Hogwarts può essere un posto molto grande e confuso. Vieni, ti mostro io dov'è la classe di pozioni." (I understand. Hogwarts can be a very big and confusing place. Come, I'll show you where the potions class is.)

As you walked beside Theodore through the corridors of Hogwarts, the oppressive weight of the castle's vastness seemed to lift slightly. His calm demeanor and fluent Italian became a comforting anchor in this world full of unfamiliarity.

"Da quanto tempo sei qui?" you asked the boy next to you, trying to make conversation. (How long have you been here?)

"Questa è la mia sesta anno," he replied. "Conosco il castello come le mie tasche ormai." (This is my sixth year. I know the castle like the back of my hand by now.)

"Sei fortunato," you sighed, your hold on your bag tightening. "Mi sento come se fossi in un labirinto." (You're lucky. I feel like I'm in a maze.)

Theo chuckled and the sound was low and warm. He was nice. "Capisco. Anch'io mi sentivo così i primi giorni. Ma vedrai, presto ti abituerai." (I understand. I felt the same way in my first days. But you'll see, you'll get used to it soon.)

As you continued to walk, the conversation flowed more naturally, easing your nerves. "Cosa ti piace di più di Hogwarts?" you asked him, genuinely curious. (What do you like most about Hogwarts?)

"Direi la biblioteca," Theo said after a moment of thought. "È enorme, con così tanti libri rari. E i corridoi segreti. Sono divertenti da esplorare." (I would say the library. It's enormous, with so many rare books. And the secret corridors. They're fun to explore.)

"Sembra affascinante. Mi piacerebbe esplorare di più, ma ho paura di perdermi." (It sounds fascinating. I'd love to explore more, but I'm afraid of getting lost.)

He gave you a reassuring look. "Se vuoi, posso mostrarti alcuni dei posti migliori. Così non ti perderai." (If you want, I can show you some of the best places. That way you won't get lost.)

Theo was the kindest person you've met here in the entire time since the beginning of the school term and your heart warmed at his kindness. "Mi piacerebbe molto, grazie." (I'd love that, thank you.)

Finally, you reached the entrance to the dungeons. "Eccoci," Theo exclaimed, stopping before the heavy wooden door. "La classe di Pozioni è proprio qui dentro." (Here we are. The Potions class is right inside here.)

You took a deep breath, feeling a mix of anticipation and nerves. "Grazie, Theo. Sei stato davvero gentile." (Thank you, Theo. You've been really kind.)

He offered you a nod, his smile reassuring. "Prego. Se hai bisogno di altro aiuto, basta chiedere. Buona fortuna con la tua lezione." (You're welcome. If you need any more help, just ask. Good luck with your class.)

With one last grateful look, you pushed open the door and stepped into the dimly lit classroom. As you took your seat, you couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. Perhaps, with friends like Theo, Hogwarts might start to feel a little more like home.

[what-even-is-thiss]

could you share your thoughts on Christianity and the lgbt community? Not in a like "'oh yeah well how are you this and that if you're REALLY Christian"' kind of way, I'm asking from the perspective of someone who's been struggling with their spirituality because I don't know how I can believe and god and also be gay. Feel free not to answer this though, you shouldn't have to explain yourself to random people every time you mention your religion

There’s not a lot of mentions of what we would consider to be homosexuality in the Bible. Paul mentions it most explicitly but there’s some important things to remember about Paul. First, he’s just some guy. He did important work spreading the religion but that doesn’t mean that he’s right about everything. Second, his only exposure to homosexuality likely came from the Roman elite. And the way they did it usually involved raping slave boys and hiring young prostitutes. They didn’t usually have same sex relations in the way we think of them now. Men didn’t generally have romantic relationships with each other into adulthood and a full adult citizen being passive during sex was considered to be scandalous. Any actual romantic relationships between adults of the same sex were likely kept secret or at least weren’t talked about loudly. So Paul is living in this environment. And people aren’t completely separate from the environments they live in.

For the most part stuff in the Bible that’s translated as condemning homosexuality is referring to certain cultural practices common in the Mediterranean at the time that we also wouldn’t like today. Such as pederasty, also known as a romanticized form of pedophilia that even people at the time in cultures that practiced it heavily criticized. Consenting adults often did have romantic or sexual relations together but they weren’t commonly open about it.

Overall, the Bible just doesn’t have much to say about liking someone of the same gender if you look at instances outside of things alluding to some of the worse stuff the Greeks and Romans did. So if the Bible doesn’t say much about it, that leaves it up to us to logically deduce our personal feelings about it.

Okay. So what are the two main commandments Jesus gives us? Love your neighbor as yourself, and love god with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Basically: love God, love others, love yourself. These are said to be the rules that all other commandments stem from and supersede all other commandments in terms of importance.

So. Does being queer stop you from loving God? Loving others? Loving yourself?

Science is real. It helps us learn more and more about the universe God created all the time and science has proven time and time again that being queer isn’t a choice and that people are happier when they live more authentically.

God made you the way you are. You cannot control whether you’re queer or not. So it’s not a mistake in you that can be “fixed”. If humans were made in the image of God, you too are an image of God. So some tiny part of God, however small, looks like you. All of you. Including the queer parts.

So then. Are you loving God? Including the parts of God that are like you? Are you loving your fellow humans? Including your fellow lgbt humans? Are you doing your best to love yourself? Every part of yourself?

I don’t take the Bible fully literally. You can’t. It contradicts itself constantly. But even if you did, the world it was written for and the society that made the oral traditions it was based on no longer exist. At least not in the exact same way they once did. What the Bible does have in it is stories that can give us examples and have informed the formation of our culture as Christians. Christianity has changed a lot over the last 2,000 years. Many forms of it have come and gone. Ultimately it’s up to us as modern Christians what kind of world we want to be apart of and contribute to and what culture we want to make among ourselves. I can’t pretend to know the true nature of God but I do know that God inspires me to reduce suffering and speak up for injustice where I can.

Ultimately your interpretation is up to you. But I personally don’t see needless self flagellation over something you can’t control as an act of justice or love. Just a form of self torture that’s ultimately not adding much to the world. Adding some of your own happiness to the world in my opinion isn’t a problem.

If you want to know how being queer has affected my faith, I’ve never doubted for a second that being lgbt+ is fine. To be honest I’ve been more afraid of secular society not accepting me than God. God and I have wrestled before, but almost never over that. I am how I am and if God didn’t want me to be this way he probably wouldn’t have flipped the gay switch in my brain.

[sweetblinginrose]

𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗻𝘂𝘁,

(Billy Hargrove x fem¡OCMayfield)

Samantha Danielle Mayfield finally decides to move to Hawkins with her sister and mother, as well as her mother's new husband and his arrogant son, William "Billy" Hargrove. What they are unaware of is that, gradually, these step-siblings will discover that the line between contempt and passion is more fragile than they supposed, and what begins as shared hostility turns into an intense and undeniable attraction that both find themselves unable to reject.

warnings: read at your own risk, as it includes a continuous sexual environment, profanity, mention of death and suicide, stepsibling relationship, sex, all its derivatives and vomit/puke!!

autor’s note: this work is entirely my own creation. that is to say, i have not based it on anyone else, so any resemblance to any other work is purely coincidental, as i have been using this format for all my stories since 2019. i hope you enjoy the story. if you find any translation errors, something you don't understand, or similar, please let me know :p

masterlist

Chap1 Chap2 Chap3 Chap4 Chap5

━━ ✧♡✧ ━━ ✧♡✧ ━━ ✧♡✧ ━━

Chapter six: Baby, Please Don't Go - AC/DC

The dawn light timidly filtered through the blinds, casting parallel lines on Sam's inert figure sprawled on the floor. The previous night had been a whirlwind that had dragged her away from reality and now returned her to its harsh everydayness.

The knock on the door resonated like thunder in the room. Sam, still lying on the floor, jolted. Her head throbbed, and the daylight seeping through the blinds only worsened her discomfort. She couldn't let them see her like this, with swollen eyes and a dry mouth from the hangover.

"Sam!" Her stepfather's deep voice was a desperate shout. "Samantha!" he insisted, this time with a touch of annoyance. The urgency in his words brooked no delay. He had received a call from work and needed to leave, but Billy wasn't home. Sam had to take the responsibility of going to work and taking Max, as she couldn't be left alone if Billy wasn't there.

Sam leaned on the bed, trying to get up. Every step was a challenge, and the world seemed to spin around her. The door continued to receive knocks, and her stepfather's voice filtered through like a distant echo. "Sam!" he shouted again. "Open the door!"

With superhuman effort, Sam made it to the door. The wood groaned under her fingers as she opened it. Neil was there, with a worried look and furrowed brow. "What happened last night, Sam? Weren't you here sleeping?" he asked, more concerned than reprimanding. "It's not the time for this."

Sam nodded, unable to articulate a word, putting her index finger to her lips to indicate he shouldn't make noise, looking at him annoyed. With a slow movement, she closed the door in his face and continued her way to the bathroom. The floor was cold under her bare feet as she slowly stripped off her clothes. Each garment seemed a reminder of the previous night, a blurry mix of fun and excesses, which she couldn't clearly remember. With each step, the feeling of reluctance increased, but she knew a cold shower was her best option.

Finally naked, she opened the bathroom door and let the water envelop her. She closed her eyes, letting the revitalizing sensation wash over her. The hangover was still present, but every cold drop of water seemed to take a bit of discomfort away. Under the shower stream, the dried makeup on Sam's face began to dissolve, revealing the pale and tired skin underneath. With each water drop that fell, traces of eyeliner and lipstick faded, leaving her face clean and fresh once more. The remnants of dried vomit on her knees and chin were also washed away. The feeling of relief was palpable as she felt the dirt and discomfort of the past fade away with each second under the shower. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel renewed.

Sam stepped out of the shower; the cold water had been a necessary shock, a kind of reset for her body still trembling from the excesses of the previous night. The hangover had dissipated like mist at dawn, and she felt almost light. She wrapped herself in a white towel, letting her hair loose, water droplets still clinging to the ends, determined to let the warmth of the day do its job and dry it naturally.

She walked to her room, her feet leaving wet prints on the wooden floor. The air was filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee and toasted bread, promising signs of a breakfast that could fully bring her back to the world of the living, courtesy of her mother, before she left. But before she could take another step, a blurry figure passed by her like a flash.

Sam stopped her sister with a hand on her shoulder and asked, with a mix of curiosity and concern, where she was rushing off to. Her sister, turning on her heels with a radiant smile, explained that today marked the beginning of summer and that the municipal pool was finally opening its doors. She had heard it was a kind of tradition among the neighborhood youth to gather there on the first day, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity to dive into the refreshing waters with her friends.

Sam furrowed her brow, debating internally. She knew it was her responsibility to take Max to work, where he could play with the machines, just like with his friends, and was supervised by her older sister. However, the idea of depriving her of a day of joy and fun weighed heavily on her heart. After a moment of reflection, Sam nodded with a resigned smile and told her to enjoy the day. She reminded her that she should be careful and that they would meet later at home.

"Stop by the pool after work. The guys and I will be there until late, and I'm sure it will be fun. Plus, then we'll come back together, right?" Sam thanked her for the invitation, but her mind was filled with doubts. "Should she really join them after work? Or would it be better to go straight home and wait there for Max? After all, she would be surrounded by kids."

Sam's indecision was interrupted by the sound of laughter and chatter fading away. Her sister was already on her way to the pool with her friends, who were waiting for her at the door, unaware of the little crisis she had left behind. Sam sighed, went to get dressed, packed an old bikini in her bag, and took the nearest bus to the arcade, with the image of the pool shining under the summer sun still lingering in her mind.

Keith couldn't help but smile when he saw Sam walk through the arcade door. Despite her joy, a shadow of irritation crossed his face as he remembered that Sam was an hour late to work. "Late again, Sam?" he asked in a tone that tried to be light but hinted at his frustration, licking his orange-stained fingers.

Sam, while pulling her hair up into a messy bun due to the heat, shrugged and said with a guilty smile, "Sorry, Keith. The party last night went on longer than expected."

The guy, with an indulgent smile, watched Sam nodding. It was evident that the previous night had been long and full of excesses for her. Despite her tired appearance and the dark circles under her eyes, Sam maintained an air of enthusiasm that seemed unbreakable.

The arcade buzzed with its usual energy, a neon and nostalgia sanctuary where childhood memories came to life to the rhythm of electronic melodies. The arcade machines, lined up like colorful soldiers, buzzed and blinked, calling players to lose themselves in their pixelated worlds. The smell of pizza and soda mixed with the sweet scent of chewed gum, and the air vibrated with the excitement of winning games and high scores celebrated with exclamations and laughter.

As the day faded and the sunset began to tint the sky with warm tones, Sam felt boredom creeping in. The hours dragged on, and every tick of the clock seemed to mock her restlessness. It was then that the earlier idea of the pool surfaced in her mind like an oasis in the middle of a desert of monotony.

With a thoughtful look, Sam weighed the decision before approaching Keith. Her expression was that of a child who knows she's about to break a rule but also knows she has all the cards. "Keith, would you mind if I left a little early today?" she asked in a honeyed voice. Keith, would you mind if I sneak out a little early today?” Sam asked in a sugary voice. “Max needs me at the pool, and I don’t want to leave her alone…”

Keith, having fallen for that angelic face before, couldn’t help but give in to Sam’s request. “Alright, but only because it’s you,” he said with mock seriousness.

After a hurried hug and a “Thanks, you’re the best!” echoing in the room, Sam dashed towards the door with her backpack slung over her shoulder. But before she could disappear into the evening, she came to a sudden stop in front of a phone booth. With quick and precise movements, she pulled out a worn-out notebook from her backpack, its pages filled with numbers and names. Her fingers scrolled until they found Nancy Wheeler’s, and she dialed the number with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.

“Nancy? It’s me, Sam. How about we take a dip in the pool? I feel like unwinding after a stressful day at work. It’ll do you good too, trust me,” she said with a voice dripping with adventure and a hint of conspiracy.

Nancy, with the phone pressed to her ear, felt torn. The interview with The Hawkins Post had been a disaster, and her spirits were low. “I don’t know, Sam… I’m not in the mood,” she began, but was interrupted by her mother’s voice echoing from the kitchen phone.

“Oh, I’ll come with you, girls! The book club is also planning to go to the pool this afternoon, so I can give you a ride,” her mother announced enthusiastically.

Nancy frowned, annoyed by the intrusion, but the idea of spending time away from home and away from the memories of the interview began to seem appealing. “Alright, mom, see you at the station in 20 minutes, Sam,” she responded resignedly before hanging up.

She hurried to her room, where she put on her bikini mechanically, still processing the turn the afternoon had taken. As she looked at herself in the mirror, a part of her felt grateful for the unexpected distraction.

In the car, the atmosphere was different. Laughter and conversation filled the space, and Nancy found herself swept along by the stream of chatter. Sam, with her usual enthusiasm, recounted the blurry events of the previous night’s party.

“And then, this guy, Steve, showed up, and… well, he was really nice, even though I don’t think I treated him very well…” Sam said, with a sparkle in her eyes that Nancy couldn’t ignore.

“Steve? Steve who?” Nancy asked, surprised and curious at the same time.

Sam thought for a moment, trying to remember. “I’m not sure… I don’t think he ever told me his last name,” she admitted with a giggle, downplaying it, but Nancy’s face was a picture.

The conversation quickly flowed to other topics, but Nancy couldn’t help but think about this guy Steve. Could it be… Steve Harrington? The idea seemed absurd, since she hadn’t been to any parties since they broke up and didn’t socialize with anyone, but something about the way Sam described him made her wonder if fate wasn’t playing its cards in an unexpected way.

Nancy was annoyed to think that Steve was so happy after the breakup, not considering that she was already, again, in a relationship.

Arriving at the pool was a relief for everyone. The coolness of the water promised to be the perfect antidote to the summer heat and the worries each one carried.

The girls watched Karen walk away towards a group of well-dressed ladies with extravagant swimsuits, with a mixture of relief and excitement. Seizing the opportunity, Nancy headed towards the lounge chair area, looking for a quiet place to relax with a good book, saving a spot for her friend. Meanwhile, Sam made her way to the changing rooms, eager to enjoy the day at the pool with that bikini she wore so often in California. However, her inexperience led her to take a wrong turn, and soon she found herself lost among the facilities.

Determined not to be defeated by the confusion, she approached a guy who seemed to know the place. With a nervous smile, she asked him for help finding the changing rooms. The guy, kindly, guided her through the corridors to what he thought was the visitors’ changing room. Grateful, Sam hurriedly entered, unaware that she had barged into the staff changing room.

The muffled sound of her footsteps echoed in the changing room as Sam entered, immediately noticing the strange calmness that contrasted with the lively bustle of the pool. However, instead of stopping to ponder it, she went ahead with her usual routine. The changing room, with its polished wooden benches and rows of metal lockers, seemed enveloped in an almost unreal atmosphere of tranquility.

After making sure no one else was present, Sam began to undress with slow and precise movements. Each garment that slid off her body revealed her skin vaguely bronzed from past months. As she removed her clothes, her mind wandered in a sea of ​​confusing memories. She tried to recall the events of the previous night, but the images faded like smoke between her fingers. Only the intoxicating sensation of a man’s lips kissing her skillfully remained, an experience that left a mark on her memory even though she couldn’t remember who he was.

After putting on the bottom part of the bikini, Sam took off the shirt she was wearing, revealing the outline of her figure sculpted by good genetics. With a sigh, she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the ground, now only clad in the minimal fabric covering her hips. As she rummaged through her backpack for the bikini top, a sudden noise echoed at the door, startling her out of her thoughts. Initially, Sam didn’t pay much attention, reminding herself that she was in a public changing room and that privacy was relative in such spaces. However, her tranquility was interrupted by the hoarse and annoyed voice that filtered through the door. “Those damn kids again…” the intruder’s words made her frown, but she decided to ignore it and focus on her task, thinking he would go to the other changing room. However, as the voice approached closer and closer, Sam tensed up, and her heart began to beat hard in her chest. “Hey, I’ve told you three times already that you can’t come in…” the voice echoed closer, and before she could react, the door burst open abruptly.

Her eyes widened as she saw him enter so suddenly, causing a startle in both her and him. The guy in question turned out to be Billy, his tanned skin standing out even more thanks to the vibrant red color of his swimsuit. Sweat droplets lightly adorned his hair, making it shine under the dim light of the changing room as it gracefully fell onto his neck. Additionally, hanging from it was a whistle, reminiscent of a lifeguard.

Billy’s gaze met Sam’s, and at that moment he remembered what had happened the night before, leaving him speechless. He had never felt so nervous around a woman before, let alone in such a compromising situation as this. Sam’s presence, semi-naked and covering herself with her arms, only intensified his confusion and nervousness. His mind went blank, unable to articulate a single word as he struggled to find an excuse or explanation that could break the awkward silence that had settled between them.

“You can’t be here,” Sam frowned at Billy’s words, whispered nervously. The oddity of the situation became even more intense when he lowered his gaze, unable to hold eye contact. For Sam, it wasn’t the first time she had seen him in a similar situation, but this time his reaction was noticeably strange. Questions arose in her mind, wondering why he was there, dressed like that, and what led him to enter the women’s changing room, showing obvious nervousness. However, Sam wasn’t willing to leave the changing room. She shook her head defiantly and decided to kick Billy out. “I’m changing, do you mind?” Sam asked with a hint of mockery, as they often did.

Turning her back to Billy, Sam tried to put on the bikini top without revealing more than necessary, but she encountered a problem when trying to tie the strings, prompting her to ask Billy for help with complete naturalness.

Billy felt uncomfortable with the situation, clearly remembering what had happened the night before. He tried to persuade Sam to leave, but she remained stubborn in her position. “I’ll leave as soon as you help me tie the bikini, idiot,” she responded, frustrated by the delay.

Finally, Billy slowly approached Sam, which annoyed her even more, demanding that he hurry up. However, he complied and positioned himself right behind her, feeling the electricity between them as his fingers gently brushed against Sam’s nape. From his angle, Billy could subtly glimpse Sam’s nipples, which made him feel dizzy, noticing how all his blood rushed to his groin.

With an annoyed tone, Billy asked how she could act so normally after what happened the night before, but he continued tying the bikini without interrupting the process.

Sam was about to ask what he meant by that, but as soon as she felt an unexpected bulge on her lower back, she quickly turned around, surprised, to check what had touched her body. The lack of closure on the bikini caused her round and juicy breasts to be exposed to Billy’s gaze, causing an even more intense blush on Sam’s face and a growing discomfort in Billy. He had never felt so inferior in the presence of a woman.

“Why are you ignoring the fact that you threw yourself at me like a bitch in heat last night?” Billy asked somewhat boldly, causing memories of the previous night to start to clarify in Sam’s mind, increasing her embarrassment and confusion.

“You were that guy?!” Sam shouted, not knowing how to react to the revelation. Thoughts swirled around her head aimlessly.

Finally, she decided to throw a soap that she found nearby, hastily covering her breasts with the untied bikini and her backpack, and tried to leave the changing room as quickly as possible, trying to ignore her stepbrother’s evident bulge in his red swimsuit. The tension in the air was palpable as both tried to process what had happened and find a way out of the uncomfortable situation they found themselves in.

Billy grabbed his stepsister’s arm roughly, preventing her from passing and causing her belongings to fall to the ground with a dull thud, leaving her once again semi-naked and vulnerable. Sam, infuriated by the situation, tried to slap Billy, but he reacted quickly by grabbing her arm and pinning her against nearby lockers. The force with which Billy slammed her against them was enough to leave her slightly dazed, making her look into his eyes as he held her firmly. “Let go of me, idiot! You’re a pervert!” Sam yelled, feeling Billy’s bulge against her, which led her to instinctively cover his mouth to contain any further screams.

The situation became even more uncomfortable when Billy and Sam’s bodies found themselves in a strange and compromising pose. Sam’s erect nipples rubbed against Billy’s toned chest due to the coldness of the lockers, while he immobilized her by placing his leg between hers, causing inevitable contact between their groins. With one hand over her mouth and the other holding her against the lockers, Billy had complete control over her, and Sam struggled to free herself without success, feeling a mixture of fear, confusion, and a strange excitement she had never experienced before, especially with her stepbrother.

“You should know you’re a slut,” Billy whispered angrily, which had a strange effect on Sam. Her body heated up instantly, and she felt moisture between her legs that had nothing to do with the pool water. Billy’s body heat clashed with hers, causing her to wriggle under his grip, unable to control her own reactions.

“You’re not going to tell anyone what happened, understand?” Billy continued, still angry but clearly aroused, as evidenced by his palpable erection. “Otherwise, I’ll make you suffer severe pain, I’m just warning you, bitch,” he added, abruptly releasing Sam and causing her to crash forcefully against the lockers, now fully exposed with her chest still without the bikini.

With the backpack in hand, Sam quickly covered herself and watched as Billy shamelessly put his hand inside the red swimsuit, adjusting it and trying to conceal his erection. “You have a minute to get out of here,” he threatened, with the same hand that he had placed on his bulge seconds ago, putting on the glasses he had hanging in the back pocket of his swimsuit before walking away, leaving Sam disoriented and unsure of what to say or do amid the confusion and bewilderment.

[songbird-at-the-fireside-chat]

Browsing the World Wide Web

Browsing the World Wide Web

One of my favorite passions is creating/finding ways to navigate the web that are healthy, authentic, and fun! Here are some resources I use to guide my internet usage. Some language has been slightly adapted for tone and accessibility. For more in-depth reading, follow the links! (taken with permission from https://yair.garden/browsing). Shared Ideals

MelonKing has an excellent list of shared ideals which I try to keep in mind as I browse the web. It's a great starting point!

Creativity is First: We see the ability to design, decorate, and graffiti digital spaces as essential and powerful.

The Internet is Fun: We want the Web to be a playground that's free to explore and enjoy.

Corporations are Boring: We are tired of the monetization, data abuse, and endless breaches of trust in corporate culture.

The Web is Friendly: We believe the Web should be friendly and supportive; caring is a radical act.

Right to Repair: We value the freedom to make, break, and repair our stuff - tinkering is a form of debate and protest.

One World Wide Web: We want free open knowledge and global connectivity, without paywalls, bubbles, or borders.

Chaotic Effort: We believe that value comes from the time and effort put into projects they love for no reason other than love.

No to Web3: In many (but not all) situations, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, unfairly trained AIs, and buzzword tech are unwelcome and uncool.

Manifesto for a New Web

The YesterWeb is an organization seeking to progressively transform internet culture and beyond. After two years, they created three core commitments and three social behavior guidelines to benefit everyone.

A commitment to social responsibility and partisanship.

A commitment to collective well-being and personal growth.

A commitment to rehumanizing social relations and reversing social alienation.

50 additional manifestos can be found here Social Etiquette

Engage in good faith.

Engage in constructive conflict.

Be mindful of participating in a shared, public space.

Why say no to Web 3.0?

One of the shared ideas of our community of web surfers is to push back against "Web 3.0". Here's why:

It's driven by predatory marketing tactics.

It requires complex technological and financial knowledge to fully understand.

It is actively harming the environment.

It caters to early adopters and whales.

It profits off artificial scarcity.

Investors are banking on Web3, and they really don't want to be wrong.

Personalized Web Surfing Guide

Make your web surfing personal and adventurous, away from corporate influences. Here's a simple guide for a unique browsing experience.

Configure your browser

Remove Ads and Clean up Privacy:

Ublock Origin for removing ads

ClearURLs for removing tracking elements from URLs

SponsorBlock for skipping sponsorships on YouTube

Make it a Safer Space:

ShinigamiEyes for highlighting transphobic/anti-LGBTQ sites

TriggerRemover for removing trigger-inducing content from pages

Clean up UI for Beauty and Minimalism:

CleanerReads for a muted Goodreads experience

Minimal; for a minimal and less attention-grabbing internet

Bonuses for a Cool Experience:

Library Extension: Check book availability at local libraries

Translate Web Pages: Translate pages in real-time

Return YouTube Dislike: Bring back the YouTube dislike feature

How to Browse and Surf the Web

Explore Beyond Corporate Sites: While the internet is vast, the majority of users only see a small fraction dominated by large corporate sites. These sites often prioritize shock value and extreme content, overshadowing the richness of the wider web. Explore alternative avenues to discover the internet's diversity.

Search Engines: Avoid corporate search engines like Google. Instead, consider using alternatives like Kagi, which focuses on privacy and doesn't sell your data. While it costs around $10/month, Kagi offers a diverse mix of web content, making it a worthwhile investment for varied search results. Other niche or non-commercial search engines can also provide unique content. While they may not be sustainable for daily use, they're great for discovering new sites. Find them here.

Webrings: Webrings are collections of websites united by a common theme or topic. They offer a unique way to explore sites created by real people, spanning a wide range of interests. Here are some of my favorite webrings:

Hotline Webring

Retro Webring

Low Tech Webring

Geek Webring

Soft Heart Clinic Mental Health Circle ...and here are some list of webring databases to explore!

Curated List of 64 Webrings

Neocities Webrings

Curated List of Active Webrings

Comprehensive List of 210 Webrings

Cliques/Fanlistings Web Cliques/Cliques are groups which you can join usually if you fulfill a certain task such as choosing an animal or listing your astrological sign. Fanlistings do the same for fans of various topics! You can then be linked on the clique's/fan group's site for further website discovery! Here are some web clique directories:

Project Clique

Cliqued

Fanlistings Network

5. Link Directories

Many sites have smaller link directories of buttons where you can find sites that they are "mutuals" (both creators follow each other) and "friends/neighbors" — sites they follow. It's a great way to build community. There are also larger link directories of sites which someone finds cool, and it's a great way to intentionally explore the web. Here are some of my favorites:

SadGrl Links

Melonland Surf Club

Neocities Sites

Onio.Cafe

Though there are many more! 6. Random Site Generators

Finally, there are random site generators which allow you to randomly stumble upon websites. While not very practical, they are a lot of fun and offer a unique way to discover new corners of the web.

A list can be found here

What now?

The next question you have is probably how can you become an active member/contribute in this world of the underground web? I unfortunately don't have the energy to write a guide right now but it will come soon! In broad strokes, consider making a site on Neocities. If you do make a site, remember to include a robots.txt file to get AI and bots out of there and don't forget to rate your site so we can know who it's for. If you'd like to transition off social media I recommend an RSS Reader such as the one at 32bit.cafe or on Fraidycat (guide on this to come soon as well!). For your twitter-fix you can always post a status at Status Cafe and your mood at imood. There is a whole world out there full of passionate and friendly people who are ready to reclaim the web. Excited to see you there!

[langernameohnebedeutung]

Not sure if you're the right person to ask this but since you've been the only one on my dash talking about the things happening in chess rn - why the fuck are chess tournaments even separated by gender?! Like, genuinely. I can guess that it started that way thanks to misogyny and "conservative values" or some shit but nowadays? The separation in physical sports still makes sense because men do tend to have an advantage over women statistically speaking, that's all fine and dandy. But in CHESS? w h y?

Okay, this is the right ask now:

I mean, it's a difficult subject. Historically, chess was treated a "male" game, so boys were trained more thoroughly, more professionally, in far greater numbers which means that chess was largely a male sphere (which, obviously and as usual, led to the common interpretation that women are less capable at playing chess because 'hey, if they were, they WOULD be playing chess, what do you mean context matters lol' which further alienated young women and further cemented the idea of chess as a male sphere and hey, what's the point of training women to begin with).

This also had a political component: In some countries, chess was a national sport, in others it plays a minor role - which also translates into different average Elo rankings per country (so unless anyone thinks people in the Soviet Union had a magical chess gene, I think we can safely assume that training as many people as possible in chess translates into a high chance of ending up with a significant number of very good chess players. And those findings we can also apply to he gender disparity.) This also led to the usual sense of entitlement among male chess players that chess is 'for them' and that women trying to get into the game are somehow corrupting the dignity of the game or being intruders or just generally are not to be welcomed. This is something you historically often see when a space was opened to women like the first female university students who experienced a bunch of harassment at the hands of their male peers)

So all of this resulted in a scenario where a lot of male chess players were openly resentful against female chess players (translating into adverse playing conditions for female players), women on average had a disadvantage due to many of them not receiving the same training as their male counterparts (which results in lower Elo rankings) as well as the collective numerical disadvantage because men outnumbered women 16:1, which means that in pretty much any competition, the odds of a man winning were 16x higher than the chance of a woman winning.

So as a solution, the female world championship was established. And real talk, I don't have an issue with that. As I said, in chess, there are no physical denominators that would make a more sensible categorisation to even the playing field. It is also a game designed to leave little to no room for luck to determine the outcome. Women are still free to participate in the "regular" Chess World Championship, it is not restricted to men only the way most physical sports are. So this is mostly about representation and honestly, from that angle, I do understand the desire to show young girls that chess isn't a "male" thing and that they too can win and that there is a community of like-minded women (which is something I think is especially important for young girls that weren't made to feel welcome in the chess playing spaces in their direct environment). Although my long-term hope would definitely be that one day, we a) do something about misogynistic discrimination women experience in general chess and b) that enough young girls receive the training and the encouragement to play chess that one day, this whole thing is no longer an issue. Right now, the surge of chess in popularity among kids, I see that as a huge chance! This is great and I hope this causes a shift in sentiment!

(Another exception: Men and women also compete together in the equestrian categories in the Olympics. Except here with women significantly outnumbering men)

The thing is, I have yet to see any explanation for stripping trans men of their titles when they transition or stripping trans women of titles AND banning them from women's competitions that isn't…just about being a dick and harassing and humiliating trans people. Especially when the FIDE wants to document this (which btw would be highly dangerous for trans people from certain members states). Not to mention a bunch of misogynistic implications to boot by pretending that AFAB people don't have a chance against AMAB people one-on-one.

This is just bullying, plain and simple.

[imsparky2002]

The Announcement - A Prequel to Adrien's First Day

(Principal Owlcles has gathered two of his school's classes and their teachers for an announcement.)

Owlcles: I won't beat around the bush. We have decided to let a human attend this school. 

(He expects, and secretly hopes for cries of protest and outrage, but it's silent, people mostly just look confused. Maridoll raises her hand.)

Maridoll: Um, not that that’s a problem, sir, but can we ask why?

Owlcles: Well, Gabriel Agreste wants to bring positive awareness to monster and human living together in harmony. So he decided to send his son here to get a taste of what it's like at DuPont!

FrankenNino: Wait, doesn't his Dad REALLY hate monsters? Like he led hunting groups! He tried to make his son see us as evil!

Owlcles: Well, it seems Mr. Agreste has recently had a change of heart, and wants to correct his past mistakes. And Adrien is quite excited for the opportunity, it seems he has no ill will towards monsters!

IsmaCat: Yeah, because his psycho of a dad sheltered him from the outside world, and kept him from finding out about his hunting years. 

Astrarore: No offense, Mr. Owlcles. But this is what in my planet, sounds like a load of garthwop, or in your planet’s case, a load of cow manure.

Owlcles: Now now, students, we mustn’t be quick to judge! But I understand that some of you may be angry about this choice, and you are free to air your grievances!

WereKim: Uh... we're not angry? Why would you want us to do that, man? 

Chloepatra: Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! 

Max Steam: It sounds quite wonderous to invite this homosapien to our academy.

Nath Goyle: Seems after he learns the school rules, I won't have to worry much about seeing him on the job.

OperJean: Just b’cause a lotta humans can be pretty anti-monster don’t mean all’a them are! Least we can do is suspend judgement!

DenisQuatch: Yeah, this could be a good step towards establishing a more peaceful relationship. In theory, it’s a good idea.

Draculeka: Call me batty, but it sounds like you WANT us to be judgy. 

Dracogami: Indeed, I sense a desire for such a scenario from his voice.

Owlcles: N-now, don’t be absurd! It’s perfectly reasonable for there to be a fear of humans, but I am…most pleased that you all seem open to this change!

Dracogami: He is lying once again.

(He hoots in shock.)

Flamecey: What's the deal, sir? Why would you not want us to accept them?

Zombustier: Rrrggghh. (Translation: He wanted you to all be upset so he could slowly change your minds over time. That way, he'd be recognized as a great principal, and win an award.) 

Headless Olga: Very pathetic, honestly.

(Owlcles glares at them. If only he could fire these two) 

Owlcles: Students, I assure you that-

(They all start laughing at him.)

Ivan Bumble: Principal prefers award over students! Garbage! 

(His laughter gets louder and he pounds the desk.)

FrankenNino: Dude, just give it up! You’re not gonna look like a hero here!

(SkeleRose's bones rattle as she laughs) 

SkeleRose: You think I could EVER be angry at a human?

Spider Resh: (Wiping tears out of her eyes) Just for that, I'm making Adrien the best shirt out of spidersilk possible.

(The principal is flustered and humiliated. He walks off the stage.)

Zombustier: Graaggh. (Translation: Ok, enough guffawing.)

Headless Olga: Now kids, this will be a new experience for Adrien. He’s never been to an actual school before! 

Zombustier: Urrrrrggggh. (Translation: So we want to make him feel as welcome as possible!)

Zombrina: Rrrggh? (Translation: Should we just be our normal selves? We don't want to come off as being overly polite and fake.) 

SliMireille: Yeah, we can be nice, but not fake nice.

Headless Olga: Of course! Show him that we’re just regular people with a few quirks, nothing scary about it. 

Zombustier: Grrrrarrrrgggh. (Translation: We don’t expect you kids to act like people you’re not, just show him he’s safe in his new environment.)

Chloepatra: I suppose that it'll be nice to have a new peasant to bow down in my presence. 

(They all stare at her, frowning.) 

Chloepatra: Kidding! Kidding!

Alix Gorgon: We’ll make sure he’sss all ssset here, teach! Don’t worry!

MothMarc: (Whispering to Nath Goyle) I hope he brings a light with him.

Astrarore: It will be interesting to learn more about humans!

Zombustier: Graaggh! (Translation: We're so glad to hear your enthusiasm!)

Harpy Lila: (Scoffs) A human? Well, at least he’ll be fun to mess with…

Here's a prequel to Adrien's first day that me and Weeby made awhile back. It was a blast to create, and I can't wait to do more stuff with them for her awesome AU! Make sure to reblog, reply, post and ask for more. @artzychic27 @msweebyness

[rindemption]

Honestly, Baldur's Gate 3 is really refreshing, even in its early release.

I really enjoy that it uses a hub map, for starters. It feels like open world games are saturating the industry, and they just keep getting bigger and bigger. The downfall being that a lot of them start to feel like open wastelands. BG3 does have pretty large maps, but they don't feel daunting to the same extent.

The companion mechanics are something I've always loved; choices swaying their opinions on you, being able to lose them from your team depending on what you do in game, the option to form a romance. It's one of the core reasons for my love for Dragon Age and Mass Effect, and I'm glad to see they've built it up from BG1 and 2.

Also the camp, for me, is very reminiscent of Dragon Age: Origins, and that was one of the aspects I enjoyed.

I personally found the combat mechanics enjoyable as well. There was a bit of a learning curve, which was easier because I've played D&D, and they've done a fairly good job translating the ttrpg mechanics into videogame format. Anyone who's playing without that prior experience shouldn't have that much bigger of a curve, though. I will say, combat gets much easier when you learn to use the environment to your advantage.

All in all, despite the limitations of early release, it was extremely enjoyable to play. There are so many choices to pick from, so many different ways to shape the world around you, it will take several playthroughs to really experience the whole game, and I'm excited about that. I'm excited to see the extent of changes they'll implement, and how much more will be unlocked for players on release day. And for once, I actually trust the developers.

[alarrytale]

Hi! How do you read the line the snuts recently have said about Louis ‘He’s a good guy. Quite private.’ Do you think he is not open to them and they noticed how he distinctly separates his work and private lives? Or they just don’t want talk much about him cause of nda’s?

Hi, anon!

Full quote:

Talking of being on stage. How close did you get close to Louis Tomlinson?

We’ve done a support tour with Louis Tomlinson, we loved this opportunity. It really gave us a chance to get in front of people we wouldn’t necessarily be in front of in a live environment. It’s a different type of fan, our music translated well towards that. We’ve done tours with him over the past couple of years, we know him well.

He comes up to Glasgow for his shows, and we’ll go and watch football. He’s a good guy. Quite private. It’s funny because he been in the pop world, but deep down his roots are in indie guitar music, that’s what he is making. He’s fun guy to be around, and for us it’s great to see how others do things.

Source

So the question they answered was how close they got to Louis. I don't think they got very close to him, by the sound of this. I don't think he spends too much time around his openers. Louis leads a busy life, has got a lot of people around who probably wants his attention and wants to get to know him. He's got an image to keep up and loads of secrets to keep as well. So i don't think he's the type to freely share stories or information about his private life. It's not only about the NDAs but also loads of sore subjects.

Imagine them all sitting there, having a beer, talking about girlfriends they miss at home, one member's latest hook up in Glasgow, one of them missing their mum, one gets a call from his father. It might lead to questions about his relationship with his "son", or why he hasn't got a girlfriend. I also think Louis is quite shy and don't open up easily until he's gotten to know people well. I don't think he's spent enough time with the Snuts to get to that point of familiarity that Louis trust them with this.

I do think his openers have signed NDAs. However, look how they ended the answer with a clear talking point about Louis "It’s funny because he been in the pop world, but deep down his roots are in indie guitar music, that’s what he is making." This tells me they were either instructed to say this, or they were presented with the laddy curated persona and image of Louis, and not the real Louis. My bet is the latter, but that makes me immensely sad.

[translations-by-aiimee]

Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 18

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is the product of my limited knowledge of Chinese characters as I attempt to learn the language. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Buy me a Ko-fi ☕

Chapter 18 - Bankruptcy Crisis

Song Qingshi clasped his hands together and said to Yue Wuhuan devoutly, "My test subjects are here!"

Yue Wuhuan was confused for a moment and found that he was looking at six little white mice running around in the cage in his hand. He quickly and carefully placed the cage on the laboratory table and presented them: "Master, this was sent by the master of Night Rain Pavillion. Is it a rare spirit beast?"

"These are the mice I asked him to look for in the mortal world. It was hard to find these ones." Song Qingshi leaned on the table, looking at the cute little guys happily. He couldn't get enough of them, "Wuhuan, do you know this? Mice are 98% genetically similar to humans and are the most used experimental animals in medicine."

Yue Wuhuan opened his beautiful phoenix eyes wide and looked in disbelief at the dirty little mouse in the cage.

This thing is 98% similar to him?

"Now, these are only a few wild ones, and a large amount of breeding will be needed. Then we can cultivate various types of mice, clean mice, mice that don't carry diseases, sterile mice. . . maybe we can also breed high and low cancer-risk mice, diabetic mice, and so on.” As Song Qingshi talked about his beloved little white mouse, his face was radiant, and he didn’t care whether others could understand him or not. He continued muttering to himself, “It will probably take decades to cultivate, but fortunately, high-level cultivators have long lifespans, so I can raise them slowly. Is the breeding container ready? I’ll be living in the laboratory starting today. The mice are very delicate, and I don’t know if they can adapt to the environment of the immortal world. I want to make sure they won't have any trouble. It would be so good for them to have babies. This is the lifeline. . ."

He once had a senior sister who was doing experiments abroad, and the mice that had been cultivated for four years were about to produce results. When encountering setbacks, she was terrified and called every day to complain. Everyone persuaded her to give up the experiment and come back. She broke down and said her lifeline was here, and she wouldn't leave even if she died. Since then, the little white mouse has been nicknamed the lifeline in their laboratory.

Yue Wuhuan understood. He thought about the past rumours and asked tentatively: "Master, no matter how similar a mouse is, it's not a human being, and it's very troublesome to raise it. Why don't you use mortals to test the medicine? This is a common practice for pharmacists in the immortal world, right?"

"Of course, we need to use human beings," Song Qingshi replied casually, now satisfied with the mice. "We need to use mice and other animals to determine the safety of the drug before doing human trials. My teacher liked to try the drug on himself first and then recruit volunteers to try it after he determined that it was safe. I've also tried this several times to confirm its efficacy."

He especially admired his teacher, who was highly respected, incredibly humble and dedicated to public affairs, with a clean reputation. He only sought the well-being of mankind.

Hippocrates once said that medicine is the most beautiful and noble of all technologies.

If a new drug could be developed in medical research, countless patients could be saved from suffering, and it could even change human history.

How wonderful was that?

Song Qingshi looked at the little white mice as if he saw a bright future.

Yue Wuhuan thought for a long time and asked cautiously: "Master, your teacher has tried so many medicines, but now. . . is he okay?"

Song Qingshi answered honestly: "He's in another world."

Yue Wuhuan's face turned pale, and he said anxiously: "Master, please give the test medicine to Wuhuan from now on."

"Okay, I'll let you try if there are no problems." Song Qingshi praised contentedly, "Wuhuan is really a good seedling suitable for studying medicine, smart and kind, with a big heart. Your future achievements will definitely be very great."

Master is good at everything, but he's a little blind. . .

He learned from a medical servant that although the Immortal Medicine King had always been a medical fanatic, burying his head in research every day and speaking and acting in the same strange way ever since he came to Medicine King Valley, the Immortal seemed to be more emotional and he no longer got angry for no reason. He no longer did cruel human experiments, and their trust and love for him have never been higher.

Such a change made him uncontrollably delusional. Today, this delusion was even stronger.

Master doesn't even mind such dirty mice, so could he also. . .

"Master, I'll raise the mice for you," Yue Wuhuan gently pulled Song Qingshi's sleeves and begged in a low voice, "My physique is very suitable for testing medicine. Let me try the medicine for you for the rest of my life, just like these little white mice. . . Okay? I'm not afraid of death, so don't hurt yourself."

When Song Qingshi heard the word "death" come out of his mouth, his mind exploded, and the shadow of failure struck again. He reasoned through their whole conversation and quickly figured out where the communication had gone wrong. He swore firmly that both the mice and Yue Wuhuan were the lifelines and held the same place in his heart. His teacher was in another world because of other reasons; absolutely nothing happened because of the test drugs, and now under his careful control, he wouldn't die.

Yue Wuhuan listened with great satisfaction.

Song Qingshi considered that he was sometimes inconvenient and needed assistance, so he handed over a thick mouse breeding manual to Yue Wuhuan to ensure careful care. Yue Wuhuan cautiously took the manual with one hand and the cage with the other, vowing to take good care of his Master's lifeline.

A medical servant brought the bill for the mice and a letter from Night Rain Pavilion.

Although the mice weren't spiritual beasts, no one had ever asked for this thing before. They were small and hard to find. It took a lot of manpower and material resources to find it before they were finally found on a deserted island overseas.

Combining the above information and so on, in the end, the final price for each mouse was 100 top-grade spirit stones.

"That's not too expensive." Song Qingshi paid the bill without hesitation.

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a minute before asking: "Master, have you. . . have you read the account book I sent a few days ago?"

Song Qingshi was not interested in the account book, so he threw it on the table and forgot about it when he received it. Hearing him mention it, he picked it up and casually glanced at it, and then was horrified to find Medicine King's Valley's financial deficit. He pointed blankly at the number on the account book, looking forward to the explanation from the almighty secretary.

Yue Wuhuan sighed: "Master ordered a lot of special tools in Tianji Pavillion, which were expensive. And. . . you also bought a lot of precious herbs for research. Most importantly, you have an unknown sum of 200,000 top-grade spirit stones. . ."

Song Qingshi gulped. He used to be a rich trust fund kid. He only cared about spending money and had no idea about the economy. His parents loved him, and he didn't feel bad about spending a million or eight hundred thousand dollars at random to buy drugs for his self-funded research. The laboratory had all kinds of equipment, so he never considered how much drug research costs.

Now that he had travelled through time, after Yue Wuhuan sorted out his industrial accounts for him, he had opened up a lot of ways to make money with promising prospects, so he bought as much as he could, but he didn't think he would become prodigal.

He absolutely didn't want Yue Wuhuan to know that the 200,000 spirit stones were to buy the Ten Thousand Spirit Marrow.

One reason is that he's afraid that he will be burdened psychologically, and the other is that he wants to surprise him.

Seeing that he didn't want to say where the money went, Yue Wuhuan didn't ask and comforted him: "Master, don't worry too much. The main reason is that it takes some time to earn some income. I'll think of a way."

Although he didn't blame him, Song Qingshi still felt extremely guilty. He suddenly realized that he had neglected common affairs for a long time. To reject Golden Phoenix Manor, he pretended not to be open to accepting patients and squatted in his laboratory and study room every day for fun. Yue Wuhuan worked tirelessly to deal with all the things he didn't want to do and even helped him earn money and take care of his basic necessities, so much so that he happily forgot about these responsibilities that should be his own and kept giving the other trouble.

Song Qingshi pulled Yue Wuhuan's sleeves and apologized in shame: "It's my fault. I won't spend money recklessly in the future. I don't want cold silk pajamas. I won't eat dessert. I'll do a good job of restraining myself. I won't buy more research equipment for the time being. I'll stay open later to treat a few wealthy patients. I'll work hard to make money to support you and make sure you won't have to work so hard. . ."

Since he had started following him, Yue Wuhuan, a top-notch beauty, and a super student saw that it was okay to eat and drink very poorly, and he had to work every day despite not recovering from his illness, trying to make money to support his prodigal son and worry about his livelihood.

What kind of peerless scumbag was he?!

What kind of doctor treats a patient like this?!

Song Qingshi became more and more panicked as he talked, his eyes red.

"You don't have to do that." Yue Wuhuan found that Master was about to cry, and quickly explained, "This isn't hard work for me. Master's research is for the benefit of the world, and Wuhuan should give his full support."

Song Qingshi pulled him, not knowing what to say: "But, but. . ."

There was a faint smile in Yue Wuhuan's eyes. He gently held his hand, gripped it, and said softly: "Master, I like to be busy, and it helps me not to think about the past. So, let me do it. I like to do things for Master. . ."

His beautiful fingertips lightly slid across his palm, drawing circle after circle, warm and tickling.

Song Qingshi was touched to his core by the little angel's kindness.

Yue Wuhuan played with his palm and said with a smile: "I just need a little bit of time. I plan to raise funds to buy drug stocks, acquire medicinal materials, and train pharmacists. The low-level elixirs produced by Medicine King Valley could sell just fine, but I have no connections and it's not suitable for me to show my face. It's best to find someone suitable to take care of external affairs."

Song Qingshi knew what he was worried about, and he wouldn't dare let him go out alone for fear of encountering a pervert.

In the immortal world, there were so many things to kill and treasures to steal. Only those with real strength can conduct big business.

Song Qingshi is the only one who can control the market in Medicine King Valley. If he, an introvert with social anxiety, was allowed to negotiate business with an old fox, it would be better to let him die. . .

Song Qingshi pondered for a long time and suddenly came up with a good idea. He found a letter from the pile of letters, ran over and said: "An Long is coming in a few days. He's the master of the Ten Thousand Companions Sect. The Ten Thousand Companions Sect is very powerful in Xilin, and his family has a spirit stone mine, so he's super rich and well-connected. Should we see if he'll be our saviour investor?"

The Song family's father and sister were both domineering presidents. Although he wasn't well-versed in this world, he still knew a little bit from what he saw and heard every day.

Yue Wuhuan glanced at the letterbox and found that An Long's letters accounted for the vast majority. Although it was an academic discussion, there were three or four letters almost every month, and Medicine King Valley's account books often contained gifts exchanged with the Ten Thousand Companions Sect. The gifts from the Ten Thousand Companions Sect were much more valuable than those from Medicine King Valley. He frowned slightly, feeling a little uneasy, knowing he needed to figure this out.

. . .

Song Qingshi didn't hide anything and spent a lot of time explaining clearly to Yue Wuhuan his relationship with An Long.

Recently, the original body's memories had become more and more integrated with him, and he often had the illusion that the two were the same soul. The only thing was that the original body was more indifferent in dealing with things and hadn't learned any morals, so his methods were more radical, but his living habits and learning methods were exactly the same as him. Because the original body didn't care about anything other than research and cultivation, and he didn't care about anyone, the details of many of his memories of An Long weren't clear, but they were generally correct.

"We met more than 500 years ago. At that time, I was still young. He was a small cultivator who had just established his foundation." Song Qingshi organized his thoughts and said to Yue Wuhuan, "I remember that he was older than you, seventeen or eighteen years old, quite a rebellious boy."

Yue Wuhuan interrupted and corrected him: "Master, I had my development suspended by the Acacia Seal when I wasn't fully grown, and my appearance was controlled to look like a teenager. It doesn't mean that I'm actually that young. In fact, I was already an adult when I formed my spiritual foundation."

"Yes, you'll grow normally after the seal is released," Song Qingshi recalled his own lessons and suggested cautiously, "You didn't form your golden core early. Growth slows down after a cultivator reaches their foundation establishment and their golden core is finalized. If you form your golden core too early, you'll become like me unless you specialize in exercises such as body training or when you get distracted and reshape your body. . ."

This immature face is the result of the blood and tears of the original body, who was too talented.

He also didn't want to reshape his body for the sake of appearance, so he had to accept his fate.

"I know." Yue Wuhuan looked at him with satisfaction and licked his lips, "It's good that you're like this."

Song Qingshi took that as comfort and continued the serious topic: "I met An Long when I was collecting medicine in the secret realm. We discussed pharmacology, and I found that he was very insightful and he had a wealth of knowledge about compulsion and poisons, so I allowed him to come to Medicine King Valley as a guest to exchange ideas. But that boy was so naughty. He liked to tease me and also liked to make me angry. After some years. . . After I had grown older, we had a big fight for some reason. He was inexplicably angry, cursed indiscriminately, made a lot of trouble, and finally left Medicine King Valley."

Yue Wuhuan tapped the table lightly with his fingers, not knowing what to think about.

"Two hundred years later, he also reached a high level of cultivation. He suddenly realized his mistake and wrote a letter to apologize. After that, we kept in touch with each other, and our relationship was pretty good." Song Qingshi concluded happily, "Now that I think about it, it's probably because his teenage rebellious phase is over."

Yue Wuhuan asked cautiously: "Master, does he like men. . ."

"Don't worry!" Song Qingshi knew that he had some concerns about this and said firmly, "Although An Long is prodigal by nature and likes to mess around, his orientation is as straight as straight can be! When we were together before, I always saw him flirting with girls, always messing around with either an immortal woman or a prostitute! It's rumoured that he's been involved in many affairs. I've never heard that he has any thoughts about men!"

Yue Wuhuan still had some doubts.

Song Qingshi patted his chest and assured him: "Don't worry! If he dares to put his hands on you, I will break his legs!"

The author has something to say: In this life, the little phoenix has been fighting for favour with little white mice and occasionally loses. . .

If the little white mice had a problem, Qingshi would immediately jump off the bed and rush to the laboratory (no matter what happy things he was doing on the bed at the time)

[antirepurp]

i don't think sonic translates particularly well into open world environments so it probably would be for the best if future games didn't go the same route as frontiers HOWEVER. they should return to the formula of huge hub worlds to give us a space to run around and goof off in like in frontiers. i want them to take sa1 06 and unleashed and expand on what they did. maybe make seamless transitions from hub world into stage environments who knows!!

[pizzapartyma]

I'll tell you some funny stories about me & reasons why I'm on tumblr

I've been a fan of the KP Series for so long, I fell for A first. It was love at first sight that I never ever believe it will. I actually saw the 1st version and I fell for A immediately, but that version didn't attract me at all (sry not sry). Then I wasn't paying attention that much until I found M. That's right I fell for him too. Late 2021 actually was the first time that I called myself a fan of MA. I've been following them since then. I've been participating in their EVERY event and spent a huge amount of money supporting them. Concerts in Thailand and overseas, I also went there; Singapore, Manila, Taiwan, and back again at KPWT 2023. Supporting them isn't all about participating in their in-person event. Supporting them online, encouraging them, or putting a positive environment fandom for ourselves and them is A HUGE supporting which I always do.

A couple of weeks ago, I've seen too many hating on A and M because of misunderstanding or mistranslating (maybe idk). So I decided that I want to open ANOTHER personal account (I have already one which i used to follow them from the beginning) just to help translate. And I myself know that I WILL NEVER EVER PUT HATE ON ANYONE OF THEM so it became pizzapartyma account. I did this because I love them so much that I want people to know more about them. At the very first tweets I also did translation for other KP boys as well. (I'm doing it now but didn't tweet about because too scare of super toxic MA stand that wanting me to tweets only about MA)

The story started here;

Unnamed account announced to close their account down, I've gain rapidly followers which I don't know why. So I started to introduce myself and pinned that tweets and I went to sleep. I worked up with confusion that there's rumor that the owner of pizzapartyma (which is me) is the same person with those who just closed down her translating account (the unnamed one which is who idk) And thing started to be chaos when that rumors hit Thai fandom, I received many hating tweets (it passed by my eyes in for you section) I also received hateful dm as well. The only reason is they believe in thing without any proof or any of sample size to prove their assumptions. Their theories were totally funny, some said .........+ ....... is equal to pizza, some said I was the same person covering up with new account and image. Some said I came back this time to fully putting hate on A. That's funny at first, but when I think carefully into it. it's hurtful because all those people in the world they dare to choose A as my anti. The only thing I always do toward A is support. (A is my super bias, M is my bias) Someone suggested me here so I am now here and find some peace. lol

What I want to clarify is I'm not that person. I am just pizza who fell in love with M and fell for A harder and still fell for them over and over. I have all the information of when I set up my acc, why i set up my acc and all those tweets or dm that putting hate on me. I also want to ask them that if I really A anti, will I spend so much effort and money to participate in every event he did ? If I really A anti, will i have so much time to go and support the one I hate ? Damn, use some logic. I am sad because those thai fandom (whose tweets hurt me) who was there during little people in famdom with me in 2021 still believe that I am that person (we never talk, but I saw their tweets all the time and thought that we're in this fandom for so long tgt) Some of them excused that unnamed account that trying to lip guessing, they said do not try to believe thing without any proof. Now they're doing the same lol

Thank you everyone here for not being that kind of person, I really appreciate my existing here. Don't feel sorry for me because I already let it go. lol I don't give them a fuck already. I just want this to remind myself someday that this funny stories once happened to me.

[i-love-yoi]

HS! characters with S/O who enjoys Japanese culture and is learning Japanese.

I remind you that requests are always open and I will be glad to any request, except for those in the "I don't do" section, even "maybe" I do!

Well, in this case, S/O likes Japan, its culture and wants to move to Japan. Practiced both in writing and speaking.

TW:GN!READER, Fluff, frequent conversations about the same topic by the reader.

ᴼᵐᵒʳᶦ

•This guy just nods and continues to listen to your admiration for Japanese culture.

• In fact, the guy does not have the same craving for Japan as you do, that you already learn Japanese, but he likes the very sound of the language and your spirit.

• Although, sometimes he can be a little pissed off by how often and how much you talk about it.

•Although not often, it depends on how dependent you are on Japan in general.

• He likes to hear how you diligently pronounce the words, trying to remember them or say them correctly according to all the rules.

•He generally likes your voice.

• Therefore, hearing how you diligently pronounce all the words, it is just a paradise for his ears, although he does not show it.

• As mentioned before, he likes the Japanese pronunciation and also loves your voice.

•So this combo obviously pleases him.

• Since Omori is mostly a god of this world, maybe especially for you, he will try to at least remotely create an environment and a place filled with Japanese culture.

•Honestly, it seems to me that he himself would be closer to Japan and Japanese culture from all other foreign cultures.

•In any case, he just likes to see how happy you are, from this he himself becomes happier.

•When you do exercises or assignments, in writing, he will carefully follow how you draw kanji characters and quickly write hiragana and katakana characters.

• He, in principle, does nothing else.

•Just sits and watches as you write a sentence and write the same character several times to better remember it.

• Basically, he is neutral about this, but sometimes your addiction can be annoying, but not much.

• In any case, if he wanted to, you would not be so dependent on all this.

ᴰʳᵉᵃᵐ ᴷᵉᶫ

•"Is it because of the anime?"

• That was his first thought, which he blurted right into your forehead when you were talking so excitedly about Japanese culture.

•Kel first speaks, then thinks, he is straightforward.

• Whatever comes to mind, he will immediately say without thinking.

•After all, bitter truth is better than sweet lies.

• Although, to be honest, he likes the way you read hieroglyphs aloud to better remember them, or practicing pronouncing sentences.

• Still, it looks beautiful.

• Although he is very infuriated by how often and how much you can talk about Japan, Japanese culture.

•"Just admit it's all about the anime!"

• He will stand his ground, thinking that you really started to learn Japanese and want to go to Japan just because of the anime.

• However, sometimes it is convenient for him.

•At times, just for testing purposes, it forces you to translate some parts of the anime with original voice acting or product descriptions in Japanese.

• "Well, you know Japanese, you learn it there, you want to go to Japan. So come on! Test your skills!"

• Although, sometimes he may give some gifts to you, which he considers "come from Japan."

•"Hey! Y/N! Look what I got by beating the sproutmole! *KEL gave you TOFU* You love that Japanese culture and stuff over there, so here I got this just for you!"

•"KEL... TOFU was created in China and is a Chinese dish..."

•"Uh... Well... It's still something Asian! Especially since I tried so hard to get it! *KEL crossed his arms, looking at Y/N angrily*

• Yes, he can be stupid, probably even sometimes very stupid.

•But hey, he's trying to please you based on your tastes, isn't he?

• He also sometimes observes how you write hieroglyphs, making up sentences.

• "Horror, of course, everything is so complicated for you. I don't understand why you gave it all up, it's so difficult!"

•He can't even imagine learning something like that.

• It surprises him, but it's all so complicated that he doesn't understand anything.

• Basically, he is infuriated by your frequent talk about Japan and Japanese culture, but despite this, he tries to please you, even if it is difficult and annoying for him.

ᴰʳᵉᵃᵐ ᴬᵘᵇʳᵉʸ

• I think she would obviously support you very much in this.

•Maybe even she would be a little fan of Japanese culture, having become infected from you.

• Of course, she likes to listen to you, your stories and what you like.

•But let's understand that we all sometimes get tired of the same type of conversations.

• Although, for your sake, she will endure to the last.

• It's just that she loves you, so she doesn't want to upset, even if it's unpleasant herself.

•Of course, if Kel comes in and gives a grudge about it, Aubrey as a hero will always protect you.

• "Shut up, KEL! Japan and its Culture are really beautiful! Nobody condemns you for considering an ordinary stone almost as your real friend!"

• She herself will not express dissatisfaction about this, she will only move on to the next topic if she cannot listen anymore.

• She is fascinated by the way you pronounce all the words and sentences in Japanese.

• She finds this language beautiful, especially when you speak it!

• Even if she doesn't understand anything, she finds it beautiful, also with hieroglyphs, no matter if your handwriting is terrible or not.

• Of course, she will praise you on this occasion.

•"Wow! Y/N! You speak Japanese so beautifully! I wish I could learn Japanese too!", "Wow, what are you writing? Can you write my name in Japanese!? Please!"

• I think she would also begin to get into the Japanese language and Japanese culture.

•I would read a Japanese textbook with you, practice pronunciation, and study Japanese landmarks and culture.

•I think she would be really interested in Japanese culture.

•But the Japanese language would hardly have been given to her, and if she had been given it, it would have been only with difficulty.

• But if she tries, then both of you will already be able to communicate in another language together, and others will not understand you.

• She likes this idea.

•At least due to the fact that KEL won't bother you (Maybe he doesn't bother you, but he bothers Aubrey enough, even though they are friends)

ᴰʳᵉᵃᵐ ᴮᵃˢᶦᶫ

• This flower boy would love to listen and support your dialogue, even if it's only about Japanese culture.

•To be honest, he likes it and knows a little about Japanese culture and Japan.

•Although, his knowledge is hardly as great as yours, at least he thinks so.

•Even if he didn't like how often and how long you talk about it, he just wouldn't dare to interrupt you.

• Be afraid that you will be upset, and maybe even offended.

•Honestly, he'll be just glad that you trust him so well that you can chat with him for so many hours about what you love and not worry about anything.

• He is pleased to hear your exercises on pronunciation and memorization of words and sentences.

• To the Japanese language itself, he is neutral, as they say, not hot, but not cold.

• But he likes to hear you say it, albeit haltingly, trying to read it.

•Although, he doesn't really understand the Japanese alphabet.

•Where are the syllables with the letter "L"? And why of the individual letters only "a", "o", "e", "i", "n", and everything else in syllables?

• And in general, what are two alphabets for!?

•Unfortunately, this is not very clear to him.

• But he tries not to pay attention to it and support you.

• Seeing how many words and kanji you have to learn, he himself becomes very anxious.

• There are 2000 of them! And everyone is completely different! Yes, he's about to faint.

• He always tells you not to overwork, and offers to relax with a cup of Chamomile tea or viewing a photo album.

•Actually, he knows a little about Japanese culture, but mostly it's the plants and the climate.

•He keeps you talking about Japan, mostly on the topic of plants and flowers and their meanings.

• "Yes, Licorice is also considered a dead flower or a flower of the dead in Japan! And the white Charisanthemum characterizes truth and sadness, and also ..."

• I think, for your sake, he would even try to grow one of these Japanese flowers and give it to you.

• He would love to see your bright smile from the fact that you received what was so often talked about.

ᴰʳᵉᵃᵐ ᴴᵉʳᵒ

• He would certainly listen to you.

•He's too polite to just cut you off like his younger brother would.

• Even if he did not like it, he would still listen to you with a soft and gentle smile.

• Although I would look for a reason to calm you down and switch you at least for a minute.

• "Hey, Y/N! Look! There's a very beautiful and pleasant place over there, where we'll be just the two of us. Would you like to take a look?"

•However, he won't talk about his dissatisfaction, he will just take a deep breath and start listening.

• He enjoys your voice, especially when you practice speaking Japanese.

•Your voice is so beautiful to him, and even better in Japanese.

• It's no secret that a person's voice changes a little when he speaks a completely different language.

• And this is of course, since each language has its own pronunciation of letters and syllables, so you have to change your voice and burr some letters.

• Actually in Japanese, you do not pronounce the clear sounds of voiced letters, raise the tone of your voice and soften the sounds a little.

• So your voice becomes softer, less clear, less ringing and more muffled.

• And, Hero like it.

• He generally considers any language beautiful, even Arabic or whatever.

• But still, most of all, he would love the pronunciation of the languages German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese.

• Basically, most of them are popular for their love stories, aren't they?

• In principle, that's why he considers these languages to be both romantic and beautiful in their pronunciation.

•Although, having seen how much you need to learn in general, he would have been enough.

•Of course, he is perfect in everything, and maybe if he started learning Japanese, he would quickly learn.

• But he still admits that this is still the trouble.

• He would like to watch how you display different hieroglyphs.

• It fascinates him to some extent.

• Maybe he would start teaching with you a little to support you, or maybe even for his own interest.

• If you like Japanese culture so much, why don't you give gifts the way they do in Japan?

• Origami, Japanese bouquets, trying to make Japanese sweets and much more.

• If it makes you happy, then so will he.

ᴹᵃʳᶦ

• Of course, she would listen to you, even support your conversation.

•It seems to me that she herself comes from a bit of an Asian family, like Omori, so she would obviously know enough things about Japan.

• At a minimum, she would be personally interested in Japan and its culture, for her own pleasure and interest.

• She will always support your conversation on this topic, and maybe even tease a little, who knows.

• In any case, Mari is not only a good listener, but also a good talker.

• With her, you will ideally start a dialogue, which is why both of you can talk for hours on end about only one topic.

• She would obviously support you and listen to the learned words or sentences in Japanese.

• Because she herself likes to listen to you, regardless of the topic.

• She likes your voice.

• However, no matter how much she liked your voice, she would listen to you accurately and attentively, sucking in every word, like a sponge, remembering.

•So, at this rate, if you forget something, Mari is right there!

•Always prompt this or that word if you forgot.

•Also, in this way, Mari will be able to learn Japanese on her own, even if she didn't plan to.

•But she doesn't mind.

• Because this way she will be able to tease you more often, and make fun of the rest of the group, talking or joking only in Japanese with you.

• Especially for you, she would make a bento!

• It doesn't matter if it's the usual one, which consists only of rice, meat and vegetables, or something specific.

•Maybe by rummaging through her basket, she would even find a couple of Japanese sweets and snacks!

• And all this is just for you!

ᶜᵃᵖᶦᵗᵃᶰ ˢᵖᵃᶜᵉᵇᵒʸᶠʳᶦᵉᶰᵈ

•Honestly, the guy was on many planets, but he hears about Japan for the first time.

• He will obviously ask you about it, for which he will receive a two-hour lecture on the culture of Japan.

• Although, it would be useful for him.

• He is a little uncomfortable talking to you because of this.

• Of course, he is glad to talk with you, even on this topic for at least hours, but the fact is that he does not understand this at all!

• He would ask his team about it.

•Whether he will receive answers from them or not is another question.

•Of course, he would decide to fully learn about all this, reading books and encyclopedias all night long.

• In general, there would be a variety of books, ranging from an encyclopedia to Japanese translated novels.

•But he honestly doesn't care.

•Later, he will also talk about it with you, however, due to different content and amount of reading, he will mix everything up and turn into a hodgepodge.

•But he tried for you!

• Also, he just loves when you train your vocal cords by saying Japanese words and sentences.

• I would say that he even gets a little high from your, no one, Japanese voice.

•He will definitely compliment you on this occasion!

• Seeing how much you have to learn, his jaw would drop, in the truest sense of the word.

•How can you even stand it!? There is so much material there!

• However, the pronunciation and writing for him are beautiful and mesmerizing.

• But remembering how much he has to go through just to have it, his romanticization immediately disappears.

• Maybe he will compose a song on your topic to cheer you up, but this is not certain.

• He would at least try to keep up a conversation with you.

•He is a fan of music or knows how to make it.

• I think he would offer you to listen to Japanese songs of any genre together, even if he did not know the translation of the lyrics.

ˢʷᵉᵉᵗʰᵉᵃʳᵗ

• She is interested, and really interested.

•Although it pisses her off how often you talk about it and not about her.

•"ENOUGH!!! You're always talking about some kind of Japan!! Why not about me!?"

• She, to some extent, is jealous of you.

• Well, it also infuriates her how often you talk about it.

• She wants from you that percentage of attention to herself.

• But you are always distracted by some kind of Japan and the Japanese language.

•Are they so important and chic, compared to your queen?

•Therefore, it won't give you enough time to learn Japanese.

• Will dig and ask for attention, also, perhaps, taking offense at you a little.

•"Y/N! Why are you doing this Japanese all the time!? Pay your attention to your beautiful queen!"

• She likes your voice when you speak Japanese, although she thinks her voice is better.

• The Japanese language is completely incomprehensible and strange for her, so she does not strongly approve of it.

• However, knowing that you know Japanese, she would ask you to translate her show "Darling in search of hearts" into Japanese.

• "Y/N! You know Japanese, right? You should translate my show into this Japanese of yours! Right now!"

•Although she likes different outfits and I think she would like traditional Japanese haori, kimonos and many other traditional outfits.

• She would spin in them at the mirror, enjoying the view, although she would love her dresses much more.

• "You know, this Japan of yours is not very bad, at least it makes good outfits, at least it is capable of something! But this Japan of yours will never compare with my beautiful dresses!!"

[echos-collection-of-bones]

oh boy, none is going to read this

alright guys, buckle up because i am so normal about this game

this will be my genuine opinion on a game that changed my brain chemistry for better or for worse(i fully blame my autism on this this thing)

Written by Dimeatry Glocovski (who last i heard is on the run from the Russian government for not being too thrilled about the invasion of the Ukraine) and later adapted into the video game format by 4A games, Metro is a strange but soul-filled look into a world not too far from our own.

while there are three games, i will be focusing on Metro Exodus as it's the one I'm most familiar with.

Metro Exodus was the first in the trilogy I played, and despite being completely out of order I do think its the easiest to get into for a new player as the first two, while they still hold up pretty well, simply didn't have the resources to create something nearly as polished.

polished is a word i use in the context of the other two games, Metro Exodus is an inherently buggy game, and if you really can't handle any jank at all then this isn't for you. the reason I can look past it is because unlike something like Fallout 4 (which is still enjoy quite a bit) the story holds up much better, and the atmosphere doesn't suffer much because of just how strong the world-building is.

the game stars a man named Artyom and a rag-tag group of solders called the Sparten order on their cross-country trip spanning a good portion of the now-irradiated Russia.

the thing i admire most about the game is its characters. while you spend a lot of time on your own exploring, many of those moments are populated by chater on the radio, small interactions with the spartans, along with others you meet along the way. i think my favourite character aside from Artyom has to be Duke, the youngest of the group who is always looking for a way to prove himself and looks up to Artyom.

what is interesting is that there is no moral points system, there is no skore, but rather a simple cause and effect. if you do your best to only kill when necessary you will be treated with a similar kindness, Don't expect to be greeted with open arms, but at the end of the day, your friends will scrape by with their lives if you are merciful.

i could go on for hours about the environments in the game, For such a small studio the level of detail and care that went into creating them is incredible. From the thickly treed mountains of the Tiga to the broken-down remains of Moscow, the world feels ruined but far from free of life. i think that my favourite has to be the tunnels of the Mosscow metro, as little as we see in this game they are truly worth reading the first book about to learn more(the weirdness of the Russian translation is worth braving for the amazing concept and execution).

in every part of the game, the genuine connection between all of the characters is what really sets it apart from other apocalyptic stories. i like to think of it as slightly optimistic in its vue. there is something so distinctly human about it, from the grand escape from Moscow and your fellow soldiers agreeing to back you up against the entirety of Hanza, to the simple act of sharing tea or a cigarette, a simple duet with a guitar you found out in the wasteland or sharing a bed with your wife.

The Aurora is despite the setting, genuinely inviting, full of love and laughter, a small story that while not important to the bigger picture, serves to you remind of what you are fighting for, about the people you are sworn to protect and the brothers and sisters who fight alongside you" because if not us than who?".

so despite the nuclear winter, the mutants and the raiders, the creeping cold and the scorching sun, there is a small glimmer of something better, like the sun finally coming up, in a train called the Arora.

[9w1ft]

Hi, 9wing. This is a bit of a weird ask so I'm sorry, I'm at my wits' end...

Do you have any advice or words for someone who's just unlucky? For the past several years, nothing in my life is going right. I work hard and sincerely, my resume is very polished and my grades are excellent, I've always been a top student. Yet none of the job offers I get are good, I'm not happy with my current job since no one respects me there, I'm not even getting to go to the university of my dreams, I'm having to settle for something less because of my financial conditions. Yet I see my peers going to better places.

I try to be grateful, I try to see the bright side, I try to manage my expectations despite my ambitious side, I try to adapt. But is it too much to ask my destiny for at least one good thing to happen in my favor?

I'm worried about my future. I'm heartbroken about the possibility of my years of hard work, dedication and capability go to waste. I don't know why my prayers aren't heard, it's as if I'm not just destined for greater things in spite of my best efforts.

oh anon, i’m so sorry you’re having a rough patch.

i remember when i was applying for universities and when i applied for my first long term job as well. i didn’t get what i wanted either time and each rejection hurt so much.. and i remember feeling this overwhelming sense of inadequacy, and many years of seeing my peers seemingly pass me.

but if i look back on my life so far and what i might tell 18 year old me is that, the path you take will bring things (people and experiences) your way that one day you will become so grateful for and wouldn’t want to exchange for the world.

for if i had gotten into or gone to a different college, i wouldn’t have met the love of my life. if i hadn’t gotten that first job, as stressful as it was, i may not have had my children or, i may have had different children as they would have come at a different time. these are easy examples i think. but also like, i finally understood taylor’s music after being reintroduced to it at an incredibly weak moment in my life, when it buoyed me, and curiosity pulled me in. and in turn that opened my mind up to see the world in a whole new way, and opened up so many wells of energy and creativity that i didn’t know i had in me. all the things i thought were misfires at the time brought me here and have made me me and i would not take a single thing back now.

in other words, you may not have secured the next steps that you were setting out to achieve, but you have secured more time for life. know that even so time goes on, and this season of life for you will bring new opportunities your way just as any other path would have, and some of them will shape you in ways you will never regret. time will help you out even if you don’t see how now. so keep your heart open and recognize that these experiences are yours and they are making you you!

also a sidenote, feelings of not being valued at work are the worst and it can be stressful when you feel that you cannot leave that situation. definitely talk through your situation with friends and family or career counselors even, and allow yourself to vocalize your frustrations. putting it into words helps a lot to frame your thoughts and feel more secure in your read of your situation.

there’s a saying in japanese called ishi no ue ni mo san nen which translates to something like “give it 3 years even atop a rock” and it means that even the coldest stone warms up if you sit on it long enough. i think it’s easy to say get a new job! but life sometimes isn’t that simple. if you don’t think you can make moves, just rest assured that changes to even the chilliest environments can come with time.

[mlobsters]

supernatural s13e14 good intentions (w. meredith glynn)

well that was a little bit of the old spn spark for a second there, with the hallucination/vision/whatever hot!zachariah was giving jack. very sweet and sad. something about the sound design and the dialogue.. of the offscreen voices of sam and dean, it had sort of a... theater feel to it? (watching with headphones and maybe a little bit high so, grain of salt) plus just the very... childlike wish fulfillment of kiddo with absent parents.

DEAN You know what? We made it, though. You, me and the kid. Finally under one roof. SAM And you know what, honestly, it doesn’t matter where he’s been. I’m just glad Jack’s back. DEAN Right, home safe. Where he belongs.

like 💔 i didn't realize they really went with this nuclear family thing straight out

also when the fake fire is happening sam and dean sound about as distressed (maybe more?) as you'll ever hear them in this show and that was distressing even knowing it couldn't be real

ZACHARIAH Yes. And not just a single one-way ticket like the prophet’s spell. This boy, he can open a rift big enough to march an army through. He has so much power. We just… have to make him use it. MICHAEL Then make him.

ok but like. why doesn't michael make his own army of nephilim? he's an archangel still right? what am i missing

i'm sorry donatello but all i can think is

the zachariah!cas sending the images of destroying the environment and wars etc to jack for proof of why humans are bad, reminds me of the fifth element?? i think? leeloo discovering all the bad parts of humanity? and then i think only will save the world? by the power of human love from bruce willis??? lol i've seen that movie a ton but it's been a long ass time

captions staying on for this screenshot 😂

this random fight scene with these random figures from the bible. and donatello being twitchy and obvious as fuck that he's clearly up to something. demon tablet not to be ingested while soulless and under asmodeus's influence?

donatello choking out dean from a distance and laughing like a loon, all righty

so now mary gets the catharsis of hearing from an unbiased source that her demon deal is what ultimately saved the world

bro. there's some bizarro music going on during this fight over donatello being soulless what is HAPPENING. jay gruska, is that you? (of course it is). ugh, if only i wasn't committed to keeping that earlier video clip 😞 (fine it's so goofy i'm adding an mp3 of it) it's tonally a mismatch to the vibe onscreen and is just super random. the horns that come in... lol. anyway.

but we're escalating up to cas whatever, trying to torture it out of him?

SAM Our plan, Dean. The spell, get mom back. Donatello’s soul is gone. That’s not just something you come back from. DEAN You did. SAM Yeah, because you convinced Death to get my soul back from the cage, but Amara ate Donatello’s soul. There’s nothing to get back. It’s gone. CASTIEL And Donatello’s already corrupted. I… perhaps the kindest thing to do would be to end his suffering. SAM What? CASTIEL I don’t like it either. But if Donatello’s life ends, then another prophet comes into being and they can finish the translation. DEAN So what, you just wanna kill him? SAM No! No killing! We just need the spell.

interesting how frantic padalecki is going with this. terrified the Plan is being wrecked yet again

CASTIEL I am going to do something that I promised I would never do to a human being without their permission. I’m gonna strip the spell from your mind. DONATELLO You—you—you—you can’t. I—I’ve absorbed too much power. Y-y-you’ll fry us both! CASTIEL I might. DONATELLO Ardeat intus— CASTIEL I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you or anyone hurt the people I love. Not again.

well then. cas saving them from the moral quandary again. like killing billie for them

i don't even know what to say about this apocalypse world business with bobby, mary and jack. jack's just. poppin angels, ready to throw down with michael

SAM Well… guess you could say Donatello is alive. CASTIEL You told me not to kill him. DEAN Yeah, but, Cas, you turned him into… he’s brain dead. Machines keeping him breathing. What’s wrong with you? CASTIEL Nothing. SAM Cas— CASTIEL His soul was gone. He was corrupted. He was a danger to himself and to you and to all of humanity. Did you know that he was working with Asmodeus? SAM What? No. CASTIEL Not by choice, but he was. Some people just can’t be saved. DEAN Yeah, but who gets to make that choice? You? What exactly gives you the right? CASTIEL Nothing. I took it. And if I hadn’t acted, we would still be sitting around and talking about what to do next. We would be wasting time. And it’s time we don’t have, Dean. I told you, war is coming. War. And I did what soldiers do. Now we needed the spell to open the rift, and I got it. We need four major ingredients: the grace of an archangel… a fruit from the Tree of Life… the Seal of Solomon… and the blood of “a most holy man.” We find those things, we can bring everybody home. And together, we can beat Lucifer and Michael. This is the only way we win, and this is the only way we survive. It’s like you said, Dean. Whatever it takes.

i mean, surely sam and dean have made these kinds of decisions time and time again. especially when the "whatever it takes" is saving each other. but now cas can take the responsibility/blame for doing the ends justify the means thing