#that's how my chinese keyboard is set up

[spacecravat]

based on this

[thatgirlstrawberry]

Teach Me?

Feb. Requests - 1

In which Spencer asks the reader for help after he buys a keyboard.

Warnings: Smut!!! Fluff, cute/awkward!Spence, making out, oral sex(m), soft dom!Spencer? Hair pulling?, protected piv sex(be safe y’all), lmk if I missed anything!

Spencer Reid x fem!reader

Spencer’s breath shook as he dialed Y/N’s number. He bit his lip before inhaling deeply.

The phone rang twice before Y/N’s sweet voice filled his ears. “Hello?”

The man smiled. “H-hi, Y/N! It’s S-Spencer.” He spoke quickly. “Are you busy?” He asked. He knew she was at work at this moment. She worked at the music store across the street from his favorite coffee shop.

They met when she was getting coffee before having to go to work. Spencer insisted on walking her across the street after they’d talked for thirty minutes.

“Uh… not right now. I do have a kid coming in for a lesson in five minutes, though.” She said. Spence could tell she was smiling.

“I uh…” He cleared his throat. “I had a case the other day a-and then I went out and bought a keyboard because of this little boy that I worked with.” He started off. He wondered if he was talking too much, if he should just get to the point. “Uh… and this was an impulse decision because I don’t actually know how to play any musical instruments. I did try to play the trombone in high school but I got made fun of and-“

Y/N giggled quietly. “Spence, did you want me to stop by when I get off of work? I can teach you to play.”

Spencer smiled at her warm tone. “Yes, thank you. I would really appreciate that.” He nodded even though she could see him.

-at the music store-

“Okay, great! How’s your day going so far?” Y/N asked, leaning over the counter. She glanced up at the door when an elderly woman and her husband came in. She shot them a smile and they nodded at her.

Spencer cleared his throat. “I’m good, just doing paperwork today. I’m actually about to head home. How’s your day?” he asked.

Y/N sighed and looked down at the lesson sign up sheet. “Good. Though, I had a fourteen year old scream at me because she couldn’t figure out how to play Twinkle Twinkle little star.” She giggled.

She heard Spencer laugh. “Well I promise I won’t scream at you, Y/N/N.”

Y/N checked her watch and saw a boy and his mother coming in. “That’s good, Spence. Hey, look— I gotta go but I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes- yeah, I’ll see you tonight.”

She said goodbye and hung up the phone, sliding it in her back pocket, waving at the boy and his mom. “Hey, Kevin! Ready to be a rockstar?”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Spencer sped around his apartment making sure that everything was perfect and neat.

He didn’t have a bench to set in front of his new keyboard so he moved his coffee table into the kitchen and pulled the instrument in front of his couch.

He had also stopped at Y/N’s favorite Italian place and got dinner. He stopped in front of the door when he turned back and realized that this might have been too much.

Before he could scramble around again and unnecessarily move things, there was a knock at the door.

He silently cursed and shut his eyes. He exhaled deeply and opened the door with his eyebrows raised and a smile on his lips. “Y/N, thank you so much again for coming over.” He greeted.

“I couldn’t say no to my favorite guy!” She smiled, walking past him into the apartment. “And I got dinner from your favorite Chinese place.” She smiled nodding down at the brown paper bag in her arms. “I should have called and asked if you had eaten but- oh.” She stopped when she saw the containers from her favorite food place.

Spencer blushed as she turned around. “I- got dinner too.”

Y/N smiled. “Well who says we can’t have Spaghetti and fried rice?”

Spencer subtly admired her as she went to set the bag in the kitchen. “Why is your coffee table in the kitchen?” She giggled.

Spencer followed behind her, scratching the back of his neck. “I needed space for my keyboard, so I put it in front of my couch so we had space.” He finally got a good look at her outfit.

She wore a pair of really tight skinny jeans, that showed off the curve of her ass and hips perfectly and a loose red sweater. Spencer was glad she wasn’t looking at him because then she would have seen him visibly gulp as he gawked at her beautiful curves.

Y/N nodded and laughed. “Okay. Is it okay if we start after we eat? I didn’t get a lunch break because freaking Kevin couldn’t get the keys right.” She rolled her eyes sarcastically.

“Freaking Kevin.” Spencer joked, rolling his eyes as well. “Yeah, let’s eat.”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Y/N laughed as she finished her egg roll, looking away from Spencer who had his mouth dropped open in shock as they finished an episode of Hoarders on Netflix.

“She has cat poop in bottles!?” He exclaimed after chewing a meatball. Y/N nodded as she laughed, leaning against his shoulder.

After a moment more of laughter, the two quieted down and looked at each other. She cleared her throat and looked away from him. “Okay, tonight we’re gonna start with the letters that correspond with the keys.” She spoke. “It’s called a staff.”

Spencer nodded along, sitting up on the couch after turning the TV off. She scooted up and sat in the edge of the couch, looking back at Spencer.

“Wow, this has 88 keys.” She whispered with a smile. “Come here.”

Spencer immediately scooted up next to her and gazed at her as she let out a quiet breath. “Okay, start down here.” She smiled, reaching across Spencer to tap the very first key. “This key is A.”

The man held his breath as her arm brushed his chest. She pressed down on the key and began to move her fingers down. “Then, you just keep going down the keys until you stop at G. Then you start over.” She moved her arm back to her side slowly, almost teasingly.

“Uh… w- uh what are the black k-keys?” He asked, already getting flustered at their closeness.

Y/N chuckled. “These are sharps and flats.” She said pushing the black key closest to her. “Basically, it’s the sharp of whatever note to the left of it and a flat to whatever note to the right.”

“S-so if I play…” He pressed his finger down on the A key. “This one,” He pressed the black key to the right of it. “Is A sharp?”

Y/N’s eyes lit up. “Exactly!” She nodded, placing her hand on his bicep. “Now find… G, play that and then play G sharp.” She instructed.

He hesitantly did as he was told and Y/N hummed. “Perfect.” She smiled.

An hour later, Y/N yawned as she watched Spencer play notes painfully slowly. He noticed this and turned to her. “I’m sorry, are you tired?” He asked.

“Just a little bit it’s okay, I can stay.” She shook her head, her tired eyes betraying her.

Spencer shook his head as well. “No, it’s okay. And you’re working tomorrow.” He smiled. “Go home and get some rest.”

Y/N opened her mouth to object but Spencer raised his eyebrows. “Fine. But I’ll be back over tomorrow night and we’re gonna get down and dirty with this keyboard, okay?”

His heart skipped a beat when she smirked at him. “O-okay.” He nodded.

Y/N got up from the couch and made her way over to the door, Spencer following close behind. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Beethoven.” She winked.

Spencer gulped again, opening the door for her. “See you tomorrow, Y/N/N.”

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.

Y/N bit her lip as she walked up the stairs to Spencer’s building. Her hands were sweaty so she kept running them along her gray tank top.

She wore tight black skinny jeans because she had caught Spencer eyeing her body in them the night before. She also wore a pair of black boots that laced up in the front.

When she met Spencer, a crush was born immediately. He walked her across the street to her job when they ran into each other (literally) at the coffee shop.

Now, he was one of her closest friends. But she just goes that they’d turn out to be more.

She approached his door and exhaled deeply as she stopped in front of it. She smiled and knocked on the door quickly.

She heard shuffling inside and a thud followed by a string of what was supposed to be quiet curse words.

“Shit! Fuck, ow! Mother fucking dick sucker!”

Y/N grimaced as she heard a loud sigh and heavy footsteps traveling towards the door.

It swung open and there stood Spence with sopping wet hair. “Y/N/N, hi.” He smiled, panting a bit.

Y/N’s eyes widened. “Hey, Spence… what’s… uh what’s going on here?” Her eyes glanced at his dripping hair.

“Sorry, I just got out of the shower. I thought you would be here a little later. But come in!”

Y/N smiled as he stepped aside and she walked into his apartment. It was set up in the exact way it had been last night and she gasped. “Food!” She spun around after spotting a bag from The Cheesecake Factory.

Spencer chuckled. “And cheesecake.”

Y/N laughed. “Oh, I think I love you.” I do love you.

The man smiled and walked forward. She caught his eyes betraying him as they did a quick once over of her body and outfit. She inwardly celebrated and sat down on his couch.

She looked down at the keyboard and pressed a few keys before playing a simple song. It was the Barney theme song. When she was down, she looked up at Spencer. “That’s what you’ll be learning today.”

He chuckled. “We’re getting down and dirty with Barney?”

Y/N laughed out loud and sighed. “Yes, exactly. Now let’s sit and eat and watch another crazy reality show.” She patted the spot next to her and Spencer grabbed the bag of food and brought it over as she grabbed his remote control.

They ended up watching Love Is Blind for an hour and it had Y/N in a rather romantic mood. “She sighed as the second episode ended and looked over at Spencer who had been oddly quiet.

“Spence, are you okay?” She asked, sitting up. He looked down at her, a smile growing on his lips.

“Toni and Andrea are gonna end up getting married. They’re in love with each other.” He told her.

Y/N raised her eyebrows. “Do you think he’ll love her even with the big wart on her forehead?” She asked.

Spencer chuckled. “He’ll love her, wart and all.”

Y/N smiled and giggled. “Thank you for dinner.” She nodded. “I shall now pay you back in musical favors.”

The man nodded and they got situated on the couch when they were sitting, thighs touching— god her thighs.

Spencer thought. He just wanted to spread them open and bury his hea-

“Spencer?” Y/N’s voice pulled him out of his particularly dirty thoughts and he cleared his throat. “Now that you’re back on earth, do you remember l- who am I kidding, you remember everything.” She rolled her eyes with a playful smile.

“Yeah-“

“Don’t you dare start bragging Spencer Reid.” She laughed, placing her hands over some of the keys on the keyboard.

Spencer laughed along with her and he watched her hands. “How are you gonna teach me this song?”

Y/N smiled. “I’m gonna play a couple notes, you copy me.”

She bit her lip when he nodded and began playing.

G, G, D, D, E, E, D

Spencer stared at her lips as they parted. When she looked at him, he quickly looked back down at the black and white keys. He shakily played the same pattern that Y/N had.

After he was done, he looked at her smile. “Good.” She said.

Something in the air shifted around them. Spencer’s hear word up. Y/N felt her breath hitch. “So… then you… um you play…”

She played the next 7 notes and looked up at Spencer. “So… you that’s C, C-“

She stopped when she went to play the note again at the same time Spencer did. He stared at her, she stared at him.

His eyes glanced down at her lips and they transformed into magnets. Their lips touched softly for a few seconds until Spencer pulled away. There was a blush on her cheeks and her eyes followed him as she looked away from her.

“I’m sorry. I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He shook his head. “I just… I really like you but I know you don’t like me like that—“

“Spencer—“

“And I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take advantage of you a-and our time because I-“

“Spence, wait a sec-“

“I’m really sorry, Y/N. I understand if you want to leave.” He shook his head and finally forced himself to look at her. “Why are you smiling?”

Y/N’s grin widened. “Because you’re the smartest man in the world and a behavioral analyst yet you couldn’t tell that I’ve like you since we met.”

Spencer’s eyebrows raised a little. “Wha- you have?”

Y/N hummed and nodded. “Of course I like you. Have you met you?” She giggled.

Spencer smiled. “I… I just thought that I was imagining things-“

“Spencer,” Y/N spoke. He stopped talking. “Can you kiss me again?”

The man let his tongue dart over his lips and he leaned forward again, this time with some passion. His lips tangled with hers and his hands found the sides of her face. She gripped his shoulders and sighed into the kiss.

Spencer’s tongue darted out, pushing at her lips. She opened her mouth a little wider and let his tongue slide into her mouth.

She hummed one of his hands slid from her face to the Sid rod her neck and kept going down, stopping at the curve of her waist.

She was the first one to pull away. “Spence…” She bit her lip as she stared at him damn near panting.

He pulled her back in before sliding both hands down to pull her onto his lap. Her knees separated and now she was straddling him.

Her lips met the corner of his mouth before they trailed down to his jaw. “Do you know *kiss* how *kiss* long I’ve been waiting to *kiss* kiss you like this?” She asked.

Spencer squeezed her hips before they went even lower, resting under her thighs. “Trust me, it’s been the same.” He groaned. “Torture.” He whispered before grabbing her jaw gently and pushing his lips on hers.

Y/N was surprised. She didn’t think Spencer would take that kind of… power. She moaned into his mouth when the hand gripping her jaw fell between them and onto her thigh and he started to rub it softly.

Her hips subconsciously moved as the kisses deepened and sped up. Spencer grouped her hips again, helping them move across his lap.

She felt him grow hard and opened her eyes, pulling away. She lazily smiled at him as he continued to move her against him. “I can feel your friend down there.”

She thought this comment would make him blush and stutter but what he said next shocked her and gave her butterflies.

“And I can feel how wet you are even through these little jeans.”

Y/N blushed and he smiled. “Well, you are hot as fuck so it’s kinda hard to stay dry when your lips are on me.”

Spencer chuckled and her hands glided over his chest and then his shoulders. She bit her lip and stared at his beautiful, sexy face.

His fingers unbuttoned her jeans as he stared at her. “Is this okay?” He asked softly.

Y/N bit her lip so hard that she almost made herself bleed. “It so okay.” She nodded.

Spencer smiled and pulled down the zipper. “I love you in these jeans.” He told her. She lifted up so he could pull them down.

Y/N nodded and laughed breathlessly as she shimmied out of her pants. “Yeah, I know.” She shrugged. Spencer looked confused but leaned in to kiss her neck. “You might be the behavioral analyst but I so caught you staring at my ass last night.”

Spencer chuckled into her neck and he played with the lace hem of her underwear. He sucked on a spot repeatedly when he noticed how her body reacted.

Y/N moaned and let her hands fall into his curls as her hips resumed movement. “Spence…”

He hummed and licked the spot on her neck.

“Can I… can I do something for you?” She asked, a blush taking over her cheeks.

Spencer pulled his face out of the crook of her neck and looked at her. “What baby?”

Y/N swallowed and bit her lip. “Y’know…” She got off of Spencer’s lap in a swift motion. He grabbed her hips confused but he almost lost his composure when she got of her knees. “Can I?”

Spencer nodded. “Shit, Y/N.” He whispered when she smiled and reached for his belt. He swallowed as she undid it skillfully and placed her hands on his thighs.

Spencer lifted his hips and quickly pulled his pants off leaving him in his boxers. His hard dick pressed against the fabric.

Y/N maintained eye contact with him as she leaned forward and trailed her finger along the waistband of his boxers.

“Shit, Y/N. Don’t be a fuckin’ tease.” He groaned. Y/N gave him a look and quickly pulled his boxers down, audibly gasping.

“Holy fucking shit, Spencer.” She glanced up at his face.

Spencer was going to say something but his brain fogged the second he felt her hand wrap around the base of his cock and her lips on the tip.

“Fu- Y/N.” He squeezed his eyes shut before opening them to see her lower her head down more, taking more of him into her mouth.

All while her eyes were still on his. Her nails dug into his thighs and he placed his hand on her head. “Fuck, such a good job.” He breathed out.

Y/N moaned around him and shut her eyes as he gripped her hair gently and helped her head go up and down.

She continued to suck for another minute before Spencer pulled her head up softly. She looked up at him with confusion in her eyes. “Was that not good? I’m s-“

“No, baby.” Spencer shook his head, moving his hand to her chin and using his thumb to wipe her lips. “I was gonna come but I need you to finish first.”

Y/N blushed and licked her lips. “Me first?” He stood up, looking down at her.

“You first.” He nodded, pulling her off of her knees. “Always.” He kissed her heatedly, gripping her hair again.

She bit her lip as he grabbed her hips pulling her into him. “Do you have a condom?” Y/N asked, pulling away.

Spencer nodded, not being able to resist kissing her again. “Jump.” He whispered between kisses.

Y/N did as he told her and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her up with his arms underneath her ass.

He carried her into his bedroom, lips never leaving each other’s. She whined softly when he put her down on his bed and walking away from her. She watched him walked over to his bedside table and opened it, searching around for a moment.

He pulled out a shiny golden packet and stuck it between his teeth. He crawled onto the bed where Y/N was watching him with a smile.

When he hovered over her, she snatched the condom from his teeth and pulled him down into a kiss, unbuttoning his shirt quickly. He let her pull the shirt off of him and thought it was unfair that she was still in her tiny little tank top.

He hummed and reached for her tank top, pulling it up and off as he was pulling away from her lips. Spencer groaned at the sight of her chest and shut his eyes. “You’re so sexy, baby.” He told her.

She bit her lip and tried to hide a smile. He kissed her again before paying attention to her panties. He pressed his fingers against the fabric making Y/N’s breath hitch. “Gotta take these off.” Spencer spoke.

She lifted her hips off of the bed and he pulled them off of her. “Jesus fu- oh my God, you’re so wet.” Spencer mumbled, damn near staring at her core.

He looked up at her. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s okay if you don’t.” He nodded, his eyes softened.

Y/N smiled and pressed her hand against his cheek. “I’m sure. I want you more than anything.” He but his lip and took the condom back from her, opening it and sliding it on his length.

Spencer smiled and pressed his tip against her entrance, eliciting a gasp from her lips. He pressed his lips against hers as he pushed in slowly. She moaned into his mouth and squeezed his biceps.

This moment felt different. It felt softer, more passionate. Less like lust and more like love.

Spencer groaned into the kiss and pulled away slowly, staring at her closed eyes hoping they would open soon so he could look at her.

“Open your eyes, baby.” He told her quietly. “Let me see those pretty eyes.”

Y/N opened her eyes and met his as he chest heaved. He began to move slowly, sinking all the way into her before pulling out but not all the way.

He loved the way her mouth dropped open and her eyebrows creased. Sweet, sweet sound came from her.

“Fuck— Spencer!” She said closing her eyes again.

He grabbed her jaw. “Uh uh. Eyes open, pretty girl.”

Y/N opened her eyes right back up and bit her lip. “Faster. Please.” She mumbled.

Spencer snapped his hips a little faster. He let a hand come down between them and start rubbing her clit.

“Fuckin- tryin’ to kill me?” She asked breathlessly, through a smile.

Spencer chuckled and rubbed faster. “This feel good, baby?” He asked. She started nodding almost immediately letting out an incoherent word.

“Fuck, Spence— M’close.” She spoke, feeling the tightening in her lower stomach.

“Fuck baby— feel so good. So tight.” He spoke as she uncontrollably clench around him. “Y/N/N, I’m so close baby.”

Y/N let out breathy moans and dug her nails into his back. “I’m gonna come.”

“Come for me, baby.” He whispered in her ear.

Y/N squeezed around him again before she released. She looked up at him as he kept thrusting into her. “You make me feel so good, baby—“ Spencer nodded as he filled the condom.

Y/N panted and smiled up at him as he squeezed his eyes shut, hips stuttering.

After a moment of silence, Spencer looked down at her with his chest heaving. He pulled out of her slowly and tapped her hip. “Come on.”

Y/N giggled. “Spencer, I don’t think I can fuckin’ stand.”

He smiled at her and pulled her up. He dragged her towards his bathroom and let go of her body when he went to turn on the shower.

Once he was done checking the temperature, he pulled her back to him and stepped inside the shower.

They showered, not speaking but just staying in each other’s presence. Y/N thought it was awkward at first but she settled in when Spencer helped her wash her body.

Hours later, Spencer had given Y/N a tshirt, a pair of his boxers and socks to put on since her clothes were dirty now.

She sat up in his bed, watching him read. Yes, they had talked to each other about the events of the hours before but it was weird.

After a moment, she heard Spencer sigh and he put his book down on his bedside table.

He turned to Y/N and held out his hand, scooting down to lay on his side. She smiled and grabbed his hand, using it to pull herself down to let next to him, cuddling into his side.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” He spoke suddenly.

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked up at him. “F-for what?” She asked.

“I… I didn’t want you to feel… I don’t know, rushed?” He sighed. His voice was quiet.

Y/N shook her head. “No, no I didn’t feel rushed.” She told him. “Spencer, do you not understand that I really really like you?” She asked, smiling.

Spencer felt his heart speed up. Y/N had really really liked him. “I really like you, Y/N.” He nodded. “I want to take you out.”

“On a date?” She asked, her grin widening.

“On a date.” He nodded. “We can go out, we can eat, go see a movie and then I can kiss you. And then I can call you when you’re in bed later that night and tell you what a great time I had.”

Y/N giggled and his her face in his chest. “Okay. Take me out then, Spence. I would love that,”

The rest of that night was spent cuddling and talking and watching stupid reality shows until Y/N fell asleep.

.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.••.•.

Thank you so much to @f-me-reid for this amazing request!!! I really enjoyed writing this one!

[teetlezhere]

RISE OF THE TMNT: HOMECOMING - STEP-BY-STEP INSTALL GUIDE - UPDATED!

Like promised, I've retraced my steps and the post here is a full guide on how to download and play TMNT homecoming for Android device.

Here below I've compiled a series of steps and useful links in case you might need to play the game:

(Edit: The guide's updated now:)

Step 0: First things first...

First thing first, you'll need an Android device to download and play this game.

UPDATE! - The game now also works on Bluestack!

Second thing you'll need (unless you know chinese) is a picture Translator app.

I've used translation apps that take pictures of the screen and translate it to english and followed the instructions to set up my username and password.

Step 1: Downloading the APK

Unless you live in China, or you can get the game legit in some way I don't know, APK downloading sites might help. However, be careful, for some may be scam sites. Use a VPN to help block unwanted visitors.

I've used this site here to download the APK for the game and seems pretty legit (based on bitdefender, the apk is safe) compared to others I've tried. While the picture is from the beta version in 2022, the update is the most recent from 2023.

If you have another apk downloading site you'd prefer to try download the apk from, try looking up for TMNT Homecoming (it will not show as Rise or ROTTMNT despite being the same characters)...

Or if that fails too, try searching for 忍者龟: 归来 apk if you can't find it in english.

STEP 2: Installation

Once you download the game, install it on your device. Phone might ask for permission due to being considered an unknown APK from an outside source.

STEP 3: Username and Password

If everything has gone smoothly, then it's time for the username and password.

A window will show with MUZHI written on it. Here, you must write your username (top) and your password (bottom). -ps: ignore the writing below. It was my bad 😅-

You shouldn't have any issues with this step as it accepts western keyboard characters.

Just remember to write the ID and PW down somewhere so you won't forget them. Or take a snapshot of it before proceeding.

UPDATE! - It seems there are issues with the western keyboards and won't accept them anymore. So, if this step doesn't work, click the button that says: Quick Registration (the button in red) and proceed to step 4!

Step 4: THE DREADED

A new window opens

It requires that you put a name (top) and ID number (below) in order to play the game.

To bypass this, this helped me:

You can pick any of the codes shown (I used the very first one and it worked like a charm).

Let's use this for example: As you can see, there is a series on numbers first, and chinese characters at the end.

Careful with this step as the name goes on the top bar, and should be only chinese characters.

Like this: 刘剑丽

The ID is only numbers, and they go in the bar below.

Like this: 220283198306236235

It must be like this:

STEP 5: Selecting A Game Name

If you've reached this point, and if you're able to play the game at long last, then CONGRATS! You've made it! But it's not over just quite yet.

The game, eventually, requires that you add a GAME NAME. It can be anything you want it to be, but MIND YOU! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

IT WILL NOT ACCEPT Western Keyboard characters. Only chinese characters!

This is, however, much, much easier to bypass than step 4. Here, you have 2 options:

Option 1: If you want your very own original game name to play, you can go to google translate and simply write down and translate it to chinese.

Example:

Just copy the chinese characters and paste them in the bar. Then proceed.

Option 2: If you don't care about what name you use to play, just generate a complete random name by pressing the dice button right next to the name bar. The game will insta-generate a completely random name for you to use.

STEP 6: Have fun!

If you followed each step of the way without too much hassle and managed to get through the apocalypse that is bypassing this, then CONGRATS! YOU'VE FINALLY MADE IT!

I'm so, so proud of you! Now you're free to play this Rise of the tmnt game as much as you want! Keep your translator close just in case, and have plenty of fun with the features this game offers.

If you're looking to send me a friend request, You'll find me as Ninja of Liberation (or 解放忍者 ).

In case there’s issues, DM me and I’ll see to try help and update the guide.

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien’s 2023 Birthday Story translation

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

This post contains a detailed spoiler for a story that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation~

Lucien's 2023 CN Birthday Event (The New World)✧ Birthday Story (You’re here!) | Birthday Prologue | Birthday Date | ASMR | Birthday Party

As Lucien looked at two familiar faces in one of the photographs, his gaze flickered for a moment.

It was as if a strange emotion had crossed through time, enveloped in the fresh warmth and memories, unfolded before his eyes once again.

"...And I remember these two Chinese scholars, they were outstanding scientists. It's just a pity…"

As Lucien glanced back at that photograph, he had a fleeting sense that the people in the picture were also gazing back at him.

Perhaps they had been watching over him all along.

[T/N: It's very important to read [Until Dawn R&S] and [Exclusive Past - Monochrome Scenery] first, in that order, because they provide background information regarding his life during college. I promise it'll be worth it to see how everything regarding his college life ended up tied together in this story :). Reading these three feels like accompanying him from getting into college and now graduating and getting a doctoral degree sob sob]

-

[Chapter 1 - Self-Planning of a Genius]

The cold light from the computer screen reflected into Lucien's eyes. He didn't stop even for a moment as he continuously typing on the keyboard. He only breathed a sigh of relief after typing the last letter and then glanced at the lower right corner of the screen.

July 25th, 4:23.

The entire content of the graduation thesis was completed almost a week ahead of the planned deadline.

That's good, he thought, stretching lazily and getting up to pour himself a cup of coffee. The steaming hot liquid and the rich aroma of roasted beans further stimulated his already alert mind.

Although there is still more than half a year left until the formal thesis defense date, sufficient preparation is required for both scheduling and other arrangements.

Outside the window, a hint of dawn began to appear. Lucien finished his last sip of coffee, poured another cup, and then sat back at the table. He retrieved various experimental notes, brought up data analysis charts and reference documents, and brought his thesis back to the first page-

"Further findings on the contributions of the parietal lobe in episodic memory"

His face showed no expression as his slender fingertips glided over the mouse and began the inspection.

Since joining this laboratory four years ago, he spent a year getting to know and familiarize himself with it. Apart from his studies, applying for an independent research space within the organization and obtaining certain privileges and data was also a part of achieving his goals. Lucien always stayed on the clear path, just as he had mentioned during the interview with Dr. Lawson years ago: to research his interests within a limited time frame.

Playtime can be enjoyable, but what's truly important is what needs to be done.

So, about three years ago, he proposed the idea of shortening the duration of his master's and doctoral studies to the professor.

"I need a valid reason."

Dr. Lawson lifted his head from the report, his silver-white eyebrows arching slightly.

"I believe that my current research topic and project are sufficient for me to graduate in three years, at most four."

His calm tone carried the determination of a young man set on his goal. The professor remained silent as if weighing something, and after a moment, he set aside the report in his hand.

"They say there are some interesting stalls at the nearby market. Would you like to go check them out together?"

This invitation seemed to leave no room for refusal. By the time they walked from one end of the market to the other, both of them had their hands full with several paper bags.

"You seem to have a particular fondness for this flavor of wine."

"The family has been passing down their winemaking skills for three generations now, and the current owner is someone I watched grow up." The professor smiled and shared stories of his childhood days picking grapes on the estate with his grandparents in a good mood.

Lucien didn't quite know how to respond to the professor with such a rich life experience, so he simply listened quietly until the conversation naturally shifted back to his own experiences, from his student days to his journey to this point.

"Lucien, I respect your choices and judgment."

"School knowledge is limited; even the most solid theories need practical validation. No one can stop you from climbing higher. After all, everyone has their own path to follow."

"Moreover, silly kid, you just want to see a wider world, don't you?"

The setting sun cast a faint golden glow on the old man's hair as he gave a few more instructions. Before leaving, he placed the paper bag containing the wine into Lucien's hands.

"Those kids are good at picking gifts, and this old man can't compete, so I'll do it first. I want to wish you an early congratulations on your successful graduation."

In the end, Lucien never fully understood how a trip to the market ended up with the professor accepting his proposal.

But fortunately, the outcome was favorable.

He knew exactly what he wanted. Rather than being unwilling to pause his hurried footsteps, it was more about his greed, his eagerness to step into that world and obtain the answers he desired sooner.

Unconsciously, the coffee cup on the table was empty once again.

Lucien's gaze returned to the last word of the document, only to realize that the sun had already climbed overhead. The warm sunlight amplified his hunger, making him realize it was time to replenish some necessary carbohydrates and sugar.

Four years had passed, and surprisingly, nutritionists still hadn't invented nutritional packages.

He couldn't help but sigh.

-

[Chapter 2 - Habits and Change]

A week later, the routine report email unexpectedly received a reply.

"At 3:00 PM, Charles River."

Lucien's gaze paused for a moment. In the past two years, Black Swan had rarely initiated face-to-face meetings. Of course, they would only visit the independent laboratory unannounced, pretending chance encounters in bustling places or infiltrating parties with those "eyes" that couldn't quite disguise themselves.

He didn't mention it. After all, there was no need to waste time dealing with these annoying issues.

He glanced at the time and stood up. "I've drafted the analysis report, and we can further validate it when the key data is available. I'll head out for now."

In response, two consecutive gasps were followed by Colt's high-pitched exclamation. "It's only 2:08 in the afternoon! 2:08! The laboratory ghost is actually leaving the lab at a time when the data is still running?!" He exaggeratedly covered his head. "What catastrophe has occurred? Is the world about to end?!"

Lucien shook his head helplessly. Even though this senior had graduated a long time ago, dealing with his occasional exaggerated and noisy behavior was always a challenge. But when he thought about having only about half a year left of their time together, he smiled softly.

"You're still in the lab. If there's really an emergency, you can always handle it."

He walked over to Matthew, a junior who had joined the lab less than six months ago, and gave him some instructions about certain data points to observe closely. Then, amidst the noise, he left the lab.

The weather today was exceptionally nice. Sitting on a park bench and observing people wasn't a bad way to spend time. Lucien leisurely walked down the stone steps, strolling by the riverbank. In the distance, a man in a black suit was already waiting there.

He casually put his hands in his pockets and gazed at the river, but it seemed like his focus was elsewhere.

This was someone he hadn't seen before.

Perhaps hearing the footsteps, the man turned around.

"The organization is very satisfied with your recent data results, and you can move on to the next stage."

"If there are any equipment or manpower needs, the organization will provide support. However, efforts always require a return."

"I believe the results of the experiments I've been given over the years are enough proof of that."

The implications in the other person's words were quite obvious. Lucien was well aware that the so-called "eyes" extended far beyond those he was aware of. He didn't resent being monitored; in fact, he hoped they would expend effort to "observe" him. He wanted them to see what he was capable of. This was his leverage, a necessary condition for him to maintain control over his path.

Since both parties were intelligent individuals, working together to achieve their goals was the best outcome.

"Regarding the research on Evol, the organization is preparing to enter a new phase. Several key subjects are currently in the investigation stage, one after another, and I believe we will soon identify the most crucial person." The man handed over a stack of documents. "So, you also need to step onto a new stage as soon as possible." The emphasized words carried an invisible sense of urgency, inadvertently causing Lucien to furrow his brow. However, he accepted the documents and began to read them without changing his expression.

"These are documents from a research institute in the United States. You will need to attend an interview there in five months, so graduate as soon as possible. And part of the process is that the organization will help expedite the issuance of your diploma."

"I will apply for a batch of new equipment soon. Additionally, my current research personnel are overly saturated, so I will make some adjustments on my own."

Lucien concealed the fact that he had already completed his thesis progress and instead presented his own requirements.

Following the arrangements step by step doesn't necessarily mean compromise; it could also be a temporary period of lying low.

After the conversation, Lucien originally intended to return to the dormitory, but his feet led him to the laboratory instead.

"Oh my god! Xiū mó, you're back! That's great. The world isn't going to end!"

Lucien smiled unconsciously as he put on his lab coat again and returned to his seat.

Parting always seems to slip easily into the queue of life, and it looks like playtime is about to come to an end.

-

[Chapter 3 - Pineapple Pie Flavor]

"The university has approved the early graduation process, and the defense is scheduled for next Monday."

"Sorry to trouble you."

After the conversation by the river that day, Lucien approached Dr. Lawson and expressed his desire to graduate early. The meticulous old gentleman naturally showed concern but didn't seem too surprised. Perhaps the professor had already grown accustomed to his hurried behavior to some extent.

However, the process was much more complicated than he had imagined. After the professor consulted with the university, several rounds of document submission and supplementary explanations followed, causing delays of more than a month before everything was finally settled.

Lucien was patient in dealing with this, and it just showed how important the title of "Young Outstanding Scientist" was to that group of people. It made them reluctant to rush through the process, even if they were eager. And for him, this was undoubtedly a good thing.

On the other hand, it seemed good to be able to enjoy the last days as a student in peace.

Outstanding professors always knew when to provide all the help he needed at the right time, and similar individuals allowed him to immerse himself in his subsequent research steps. Countless unique ways of thinking collided here, giving birth to new fireworks of ideas.

This ideal yet real scientific world has become a crucial cornerstone for him to step into the next world.

Lucien knows that he likes it here.

"Lucien, where are you going?" The professor removed his glasses after reading the paper's last page.

"Probably to the end of the puzzle."

He almost blurted it out as if this answer had existed in his heart for a long time.

However, Lucien was well aware that reaching that place would require a lot of preparation, abilities, knowledge, challenges, or perhaps... darkness itself. This made him curious and filled him with anticipation. He wanted to know what kind of results that mysterious substance would bring to humanity or to this world. He was also curious about where he would ultimately arrive.

"It sounds like a distant journey,"

"Take care."

The familiar words felt like both a piece of advice and a simple blessing.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere of parting that made Lucien not refuse the doctor's invitation, and he ended up having a meal together with him at home.

Lucien had never formally visited his home before, and their interactions were mostly limited to academic occasions. So, after accepting the invitation, he immediately returned to his dormitory and retrieved two boxes of white tea.

"Oh, Chinese tea. It might pair well with my pineapple pie,"

The lady appeared particularly delighted, her curly hair bouncing as she enthusiastically brewed a pot of tea to replace the originally planned wine, then turned towards the oven.

"You don't need to go to so much trouble."

"With a rare visit from a student, of course, we must treat you with our specialties. Don't be shy. Take a seat."

Lucien no longer refused the warmth extended to him, and while waiting for dinner, he sat with the doctor in the living room. The room was cozy, with leather sofas and a patterned carpet. On one side, there was an elegant display of artwork and a vase of flowers; on the other, there were several framed photographs. The frames were well-maintained, showing that they were cherished keepsakes.

As Lucien looked at two familiar faces in one of the photographs, his gaze flickered momentarily.

It was as if a strange emotion had crossed through time, enveloped in the fresh warmth and memories, unfolded before his eyes once again.

"This was taken many years ago... I believe it was after some scientific conference."

"Back then, scientists from various fields around the world gathered in Copenhagen for a month-long academic discussion." Noticing Lucien's paused gaze, the doctor got up and brought the photo over.

"I had read about that conference as part of my research, but I didn't realize you knew Professor Ding Yunqing and Professor Hoffman. I recall they were experts in the field of linguistic philosophy," Lucien mentioned.

"Science connects not only truths but also everyone who walks this path," the doctor said, his gaze lingering on the old photograph as if he had opened a box of memories. For a brief moment, his eyes dimmed.

"...And I remember these two Chinese scholars, they were outstanding scientists. It's just a pity…"

"But their academic and research contributions were unquestionable, and those dedicated hours still serve as our foundation, helping countless others open the doors to truth in the future."

Lucien fell silent, unable to quite express the emotions stirring in his chest at this moment.

Am I one step closer to you now?

“It’s dinner time~”

The doctor's wife had prepared a table full of dishes, illuminated by flickering candlelight, making it a truly lavish spread. As Lucien glanced back at that photograph, he had a fleeting sense that the people in the picture were also gazing back at him.

Perhaps they had been watching over him all along.

He slowly took a bite of the warm pineapple pie.

It was very warm and sweet.

-

[Chapter 4 - Gifts from everyone]

After hearing the news that Lucien would graduate early, the entire laboratory was in an uproar.

"Damn genius kid, you came to the lab later than me, but you're graduating earlier! This is unfair!"

"Come on, Elliot, maybe you should look at your own issues. Is your research just too mediocre, with only eight papers and an E?"

"...Mediocre? Is that really mediocre?" Matthew, who was standing nearby, widened his eyes.

"No need to dwell on what they're saying too much," Lucien lowered his voice, treating it as passing on some advice to the younger ones. "Let's finish the data comparison at hand first, and if we happen to bring the doctor over... Colt, you might actually get kicked out of the lab."

Colt let out a final wail and obediently entered silent work mode.

The sounds of equipment in operation, the constant clicking of keyboards, hushed discussions, and occasional sighs during experiments – Lucien suddenly realized that today felt just like any other day, and the parting still felt distant.

However, time had long set its course and was accelerating forward.

Another ordinary day in the lab came to an end. Colt, who was usually enthusiastic about parties, didn't disappear this time but stayed behind to clean up and even occasionally pulled Elliott and Matthew aside for what seemed like secret plotting. Lucien neatly organized the cleaned beakers and test tubes, acting as if nothing was amiss. After finishing, he followed them back to the dormitory as if everything was normal.

"Ta da—this is our graduation gift for you!"

On the coffee table were four beautifully wrapped gifts, three of which were almost discernible by their shape, likely books. Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Lucien cooperatively tore open the wrapping paper.

《The Complete Plays of George Bernard Shaw (1893-1921)》,《Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Text Revision DSM-5-TR》， and《Principles of Neural Science》. There were also a few beautifully handmade bookmarks and a stack of postcards featuring the natural landscapes of various American states.

"I know you have the basic textbooks, but receiving the 'Neuroscience Bible' from your senior, the significance is different, right, Xiù Mó… Oops, I mean, Xǔ... Xǔ mò! Did I get the pronunciation right this time?"

"Colt mentioned giving books, and I thought long and hard before selecting a useful reference book. Even though most people may not actually use it in reality, if there comes a moment when you need some assistance, I hope it can come in handy."

"The novel was chosen by Caroline. Her experiments in Canada have been quite demanding lately, so I'm representing her."

"The bookmarks and postcards were my contribution... I hope they are quite practical!"

Listening to them chatter and introduce their gifts, Lucien suddenly felt that the things in his hands were heavy, as if he was holding more than just the gift itself.

"Thank you. I'll take good care of these and bring them back home." He finally expressed his gratitude simply, taking the gifts back to his room and storing them carefully.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Xǔ Mò, can I come in?"

"Of course," Lucien turned to look at Colt. "You finally got my name right."

"In fact, once you grasp the pronunciation rules, it's not that difficult," Colt smugly raised an eyebrow. "If there's anything unfinished or you need help with anything, just speak up. Proofreading work is also fine."

"I'll keep that in mind if I need any help."

"So, Xǔ Mò, what do you plan to do in the future?"

He wasn’t sure if it was the sense of achievement from suddenly mastering the pronunciation after four years, but Colt seemed to add his name to every sentence. It was a bit amusing, but Lucien still thought carefully about the question.

"I might consider establishing my own research institute."

"Oh, that sounds great. I always feel like if I stay in this lab any longer, the doctor will kick me out sooner or later."

"Well, that's also his expectation of you."

Colt pursed his lips and suddenly remembered something. He took out a pair of NOU cards from his pocket and placed them on Lucien's desk.

"Take them. You might need them in the new place."

"So, is NOU really a traditional pastime here?" Lucien finally asked the question that had been bothering him as he looked at the cards.

"Hahaha, do you like it then?"

Lucien didn't answer the question, just as Colt hadn't addressed his curiosity.

But at this moment, he confirmed that perhaps only with this group of people in front of him would he have that special feeling to play NOU cards with them.

"Oh... Sad," Colt put on a mournful expression, and Lucien knew he was about to start something again.

"Let's play one last round!"

"I'll be here tomorrow. To be precise, I have a few more months."

"Then let's play every day from now until the day you leave!"

"...."

"Elliot! Matthew! Let's party!"

-

[Chapter 5 - Parting and Full Moon]

The thesis defense ended smoothly.

Today, everyone was assigned to attend an academic conference, and the usually bustling dormitory felt a bit empty. Lucien thought for a moment and began to organize his belongings.

Having lived here for four years, Lucien had developed a habit of keeping things organized. However, there were still numerous miscellaneous items. Of course, books took up a significant portion of his belongings, and the rest included various notes, materials, and reports. He grabbed a few packing boxes and began sorting everything by category. As for some discarded items, he decided to arrange them for disposal.

Soon, half of the room was emptied out.

It turned out that four years' worth of time could fit into just a few boxes.

Suddenly, Lucien was drawn to a black strap that had fallen into a corner. He moved aside the piled-up items in the corner and discovered an old handheld video camera. The strap's connector showed obvious wear, and some labels on the adjustment buttons had rubbed off.

Lucien quickly recalled that it was two years ago, on a winter day, when the doctor had taken their entire lab to visit another school's lab for academic exchange. It seemed to be Christmas that day, with snow falling, and there was a large Christmas tree on Beacon Street adorned with colorful lights. Everyone had a bit of wine and enthusiastically joined in the street's celebration activities, while he himself wandered into a second-hand Western antique shop. There was an array of tableware, dolls, furniture... His gaze went past them and landed on the camera at the edge of the shelf.

It seemed like... he had seen a similar one in that study room once.

In reality, Lucien didn't remember the model, and he couldn't be certain if it was truly the same one. Nevertheless, he bought it, perhaps just because of some familiarity.

Although he occasionally shot some aimless footage after returning, research reports and books gradually replaced it, and he slowly forgot about it.

The magic of memory lies precisely in this, the ability to bring past moments vividly back to life in an unassuming moment.

Lucien removed the battery from the camera and started charging it. As he continued to pack the boxes, he patiently waited for the red light to turn green.

After pressing the power button, he waited for a while before the machine displayed the startup screen slowly. He clicked the record button, and the somewhat empty dorm room appeared on the screen. After rotating the camera, he pushed open the door and walked out. The common lounge area was unusually quiet in the late hours, a bit messy as always.

The camera's lens passed through the corridor and exited the dormitory building. Even at night, occasional students were rushing by on campus. He walked along the usual path, passing by every tree he had passed on normal days, every building, his classroom, and the laboratory.

He sat in his seat, not turning on the lights, just sitting in silence for a long time. The camera passed by the lab bench, the whiteboard, and finally stopped at the window. Through this window, he had witnessed the changing seasons and countless day and night transitions, from sunrise to sunset. And all these ever-moving things had also witnessed him step by step toward distant places, coming here, and then leaving.

The old-fashioned camera had a lot of noise in the night, and although Lucien tried to adjust it, most of the footage was just a dark, ink-like expanse. However, he didn't care.

In the end, he lifted the camera upward, and the moon became increasingly round and full. Today happened to be the Cold Dew* in the lunar calendar.

Lucien exhaled; winter was approaching.

[T/N: "Cold Dew" (寒露) is one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It typically falls between October 8th and 23rd of the Gregorian calendar. During Cold Dew, the weather becomes significantly colder, and dew starts to form on the ground as temperatures drop further. It marks the transition from late autumn to early winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Just like it marks his parting from leisure college day to the upcoming 'winter' :"]

-

[Chapter 6 - Graduation]

Time moved forward once again, and Lucien received his graduation certificate in the office, handed to him by Dr. Lawson.

All those nearly four years of time, the thousands of days and nights spent in the lab, were now encompassed in this thin piece of paper. An unnamed emotion brushed through his heart, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he casually thought that B.S. was indeed very efficient.

"I heard you're preparing for interviews at American research institutes."

Dr. Lawson's voice sounded, and Lucien looked into those slightly sunken eyes, thinking to himself. By all accounts, the doctor shouldn't be aware of this matter, unless someone deliberately leaked the information.

"I do have that plan."

The light outside the window was exceptionally bright, reflecting the anticipation in Dr. Lawson's eyes.

"Lucien, I know you're eager to explore the truth and long for the answers this world has to offer you."

"At this point, your persistence surpasses that of many people. Sometimes, the power of the human heart is more like an unwavering truth than science. Don't let persistence turn into paranoia."

"I wish you all the best in everything that lies ahead."

Faced with such high expectations and blessings, Lucien slightly bowed.

"Thank you for your guidance over these four years."

After leaving the office, he walked along the corridor, and memories of his first time here involuntarily surfaced in his mind. It seemed that even the faint speckles on the wall corners were vividly remembered by him.

It's just that today is unusually quiet, or perhaps he should say, this day is too quiet.

There were no external tasks or lab arrangements today, but Colt and the others haven't been seen since morning. Lucien could probably guess what they might be up to, but he didn't dwell on it. Right now, he should return to his dorm for the final preparations. As he passed by a classroom, he heard a faint rustling sound from inside, which grew faster and denser, bursting out of the front door of the classroom with surprise and enthusiasm—

"Boom!"

Before Lucien's eyes, countless gray ribbons suddenly soared into the air, glistening in the sunlight and constantly shining.

"Xǔ Mò, congratulations on your graduation!"

"As expected of our little genius, congratulations on your official graduation!"

—Colt and Matthew waved small confetti cannons in their hands, while Elliot held a camera, and the three of them smiled with pride.

"Congratulations." Caroline, who had appeared at some point, placed a simple bouquet of flowers in Lucien's hand and patted his shoulder happily.

"Hey, Elliot, it looks like our surprise plan worked. This kid actually showed a rare surprised expression!"

"Quick, capture it! When this genius makes a name for himself in the future, this moment will be a precious memory."

They chatted away, and the simple pieces of information were unusually hard for Lucien's brain to process until Colt came over with a set of doctoral robes, and he blinked slowly.

"We heard from the Doctor that you'll be leaving the school soon, so the few of us decided to organize a separate graduation ceremony just for you."

Without giving Lucien a chance to refuse, the group had already divided the tasks and helped him into the doctoral robes. They gently pushed his back, leading him outside the teaching building.

Lucien looked up at the bright sunlight, feeling the warmth of the autumn day very clearly.

"I've been looking for all of you for half a day; it's not time for the group photo yet, is it?"

"Well, before we can proceed, we have to wait for you to arrive, Doc."

Watching Doctor's hurried figure join the others, Lucien unconsciously curled his lips into a smile.

There have been quite a few changes in these four years.

In this autumn, he was surrounded by this group of people, celebrating his graduation.

The pure beauty of the world can make people dull, and the world that awaits him was bound to be no longer a game.

But at least at this moment, he could slow down his pace just a bit.

He had graduated, and will be stepping into the no longer gentle nights ahead.

And he was full of anticipation for it.

[foone]

Seeing that last ask actually makes me wonder.

Why'd you pick Foone? I get Turing, that's cool (and while I see why you didn't choose Alan for your middle name, FAT also just means File Allocation Table. I know, a bit silly of a reason why it'd still be cool, but it keeps with the computer theme) but what made you pick Foone?

Is it a reference to something? Is it a shorter version of a longer name?

okay so, foonelore:

I was playing a C64 game, and I lost and it asked me to enter my name. I entered "FOO", assuming it was just asking for initials. It wasn't, and would take more letters. I then tried to use the joystick to complete the name entry and restart the game, so I could play again. This instead entered "NE", turning my "FOO" into "FOONE". I liked this name, and I kept it.

As for why it entered "NE", well the C64 made an assumption that games would either use the keyboard or the joystick. So the joysticks are wired through the keyboard matrix. This was a smart trick to save on keyboard controller IO pins, but it does mean that moving the joystick will type random characters on the keyboard. Normally this isn't noticeable, as games are set up to ignore the keyboard when using the joystick, or vice versa.

And as for why "FOO", well, "FOO" has long been a nonsense word in the geek community. Basically it's used as a placeholder or metasyntactic variable, for meaning "this name doesn't mean anything", alongside BAR and BAZ and some others. Like if you were explaining how to add numbers in a programming language, you might say:

To add 1 to a variable, you type FOO += 1

The use of "foo" is to make it clear this is a replaceable placeholder, not an important part of the syntax. As for why Foo is a placeholder word... It goes back to a 1930s surrealist comic called Smokey Stover, which used it as a nonsense word. Reportedly this was because the artist saw a jade figurine with "foo" written on the bottom of it, and out of any context thought this was hilarious. It probably was there as a transliteration of the Chinese word Fú/福, meaning fortune or good luck.

So taking all these sources together, the name therefore would mean something like "contextless fortune, combined with glitchy nonsense". Which wasn't planned, but I think it fits.

It's also unrelated to the Mende man of the same name, who died in Connecticut in 1841, after being kidnapped from his home in modern day Sierra Leone by Spanish slavers. He was never a slave, even if his FUCKING GRAVESTONE GETS THIS WRONG, but never got to sail back home, as he drowned before the money could be raised to charter a ship home. Although fun fact: his gravesite is like 10 miles from where my dad grew up. Weird coincidences, eh?

Extra fun fact: that Foone drowned in the Farmington Canal, which no longer exists. It's only slightly weird that I named myself based on nonsense and it turns out to have been a name used by someone who drowned in a river that's not there anymore? just slightly.

[harocat]

I find lots of people who are into Cdramas have what I can only describe as “celebrity brain”. They only really watch shows that have their fav actor, always want the character played by their fav to be the endgame romantic choice (even if it goes against character and theme), and seem to hinge their mental health on whether a show with their fav does Big Numbers. Fans of male actors tend to have misogyny problems too, but I think most people who run an account dedicated to a Chinese celeb could afford to take a step back and remember that they don’t actually know these people

Yes it's very stan culture centered. This is one of the reasons I like Cdrama tumblr better. It feels like it's more about actually enjoying the shows (and yes, sometimes the actors), then endless forced promotion, discussion of heat indexes, fan wars, etc.

People have their faves here, and they share news about them, pics of them, etc. They go out of their way to watch their dramas (or at least attempt to if they end up bad lol), and they're happy when they're successful or popular. They share info about accolades and awards.

But most don't make that their whole viewing experience. They aren't becoming keyboard warriors for some dude they don't know and will never know. They're here because they love dramas, not because they have an intense parasocial relationship with an actor or actress.

The way the Wang Yibo blackface discourse morphed from people rightfully calling him out, to the WYB super fans taking over the conversation and making it more about how antis are using it to hate on him is such a good example. Now discussion of it is rebuked with 'oh no don't give the 🐜 more fuel to hate him', and that sucks. I don't give a fuck about antis. I care that WYB did blackface in his movie, and that pisses me off!! They're over there like 'I know in my heart of hearts WYB could not be racist' as if they've ever been within the same wide vicinity of him in their entire life.

With the Dylan thing it's so wild to me because:

he is the male lead

he is the endgame romantic choice

They're pitting him against the female lead for what reason?? They're not rivals. It's giving misogyny, and the fact that they can't handle a woman standing on an equal level with him (she was first billing because she was more famous at the time, yes, but she's also just as much the lead. LBFAD is pretty balanced in that respect). She must be below; both the character and actress. She must be the less popular and important character!! We are going to restructure the narrative of Love Between Fairy and Devil in our minds so it's entirely DFQC's show.

This same person was complaining about the Xiao Lanhua being a goddess storyline because it makes her too important and makes DFQC 'pitiful' (totally out there to me; every other Cdrama fan I know eats it up when a man is pitiful). Like, people would not care about Dylan in LBFAD, and he certainly wouldn't be getting acting accolades, if he were cool all the time in it. It's the pitiful moments, the emotional moments, that make people love him.

It's not even just LBFAD though. I saw major Dylan fan accounts undermining Bai Lu and cropping her out of pics when promoting Only for Love.

I think Esther and XLH just get it worse, because let's be real, LBFAD is good, their chemistry was undeniable, the show was huge, and regardless of how close they are now (we have no idea), it's obvious they were really good friends when on set.

[raptorsaurusmelain]

Let me show you... Youtube - chapter 20

Tonight I am going to an all-you-can-eat chinese buffet, I can't wait !

I wrote everything on my phone so I hope it will be coherent...

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

TRIGGER WARNING : on the last paragraph, there is mention of medication.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The buzzing had changed ever since she gave Trein the photograph. It had become something like a faint whisper. She disliked this very much.

Each time she thought someone was vaguely speaking to her, so she turned around and no one was there. She began to be quite unfocused on her work. Thanks to the Great Seven, she had 'unlimited' time to do them… Even with all this time, she needed to hurry because the Magift tournament was the day after. She spent her whole week making the stadium shiny for the guests.

She finished repairing the sinks in the ladies room when the sun was setting. She needed sleep. A lot of sleep. But sleep would be on Sunday sadly. She needed to see the babies performance. She would also finish her Giktok about Cynthia's magic remover.

She dragged herself to the dorm. [Do not set a bad example and don't go to sleep before dinner…]

She made some lasagna for tonight. The children loved it.

Yuu spoke with their mouth full. "Can't wait for tomorrow !"

Victoria arched an eyebrow. "Don't speak with your mouth full. It is impolite. What is happening tomorrow?"

Yuu gluped their food while the cat answered her. "We will catch the bad guys and do a Magift match !! They are going to see how awesome we are !"

Yuu continued. "Our plan is idiot proof ! No way we will fail !"

Victoria sighed. "I don’t want anyone to be hurt, ok ?"

Yuu and Grim nodded. "Of course !"

[I should prepare the first aid kit for the overblot aftermath…]

That evening, the woman hurried the children to their room -again- to put the second layer of remover. Like the day before, she ventilated the room while putting the product. She read some alchemy books before closing the blinds. The whispers made reading too complicated because she wasn’t focused. She read the same sentence 10 times before quitting.

She went to bed, hoping for a good night of sleep.

She opened her eyes after multiple hours thinking that it was going to be another sleepless night like when she was in her thesis.

She was… in front of a tower. A small yellow tower. As if she was possessed, she knocked on the door.

A man opened it. He was old, a long gray beard, big grey eyebrows and a full blue gown-pointy hat combo.

"You're…  Yen Sid ?" She asked in her trance.

Before he could answer anything, she sank to the ground, waking up in reality.

She was sweaty. Like when you had a vivid nightmare. She looked at the clock. 5:00 a.m.

She got out of her bed. She needed a bath to relax and think about what she just lived.

While the bath was drawn-out, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was glued to her face due to the sweat. She had humongous dark circles too. She would need makeup to cover them…

She got inside the warm water. "Aaaaah… I just need some bath bombs and it would be perfect. Maybe Sam has some ? He has everything…"

[I am pretty sure I dreamt about Yen Sid. He has quite the appearance after all. Am I having those dreams like when Yuu met with Mickey ? Am I the chosen one ??? Will I get a keyboard too ? Crowley has one after all, why not me ? … Oh yeah, because I am a coward. I can't do sh*t except what's on WeTube.] She laid lower in the bath. [Maybe I am a heart princess ?] The thought made her laugh. [Yeah what a princess I am. Unable to distinguish what's real and what's not…]

When it was 7:00 a.m. she got out of her bath tube. She wasn't aware her bath was this long. She turn around the furniture to find a strange pipe with a 'be careful, hot' warning on the box next to it. Was this… a mana heater ? 

So she had an old dorm but it was full of old mana furniture? She could open a museum here !!

…. Maybe as her last way to earn money ? -As if she needed more-.

She decided to be classy for once and put on a tea length skater dress. It was black with a red underlining, peeking out the bottom of the dress. She searched high and low in the leather suitcase and got some derbies out of it. They were her favorites: black and white like in Tiger and Bunny.

She also put a LOT of makeup on to hide her dark circles. She did a red and gold halo makeup. It would change from everyone cut crease eyeshadow!

Before she got out of her room, she took her pills, adding a bit more of antipsychotic to the mix. On her prescription it was written 1.5 to 2 pills, so she should be alright…

Tag : @boba-tea-fish @hipsterteller

[rougepancake]

LOSERS (chapter two)

Ft. Yoshikage Kira x Serial Killer!F!Reader

LOSERS masterlist

WARNINGS: Mentions of Killing, soulmate au, mentioned stalking

SUMMARY: Snooping around will get you nowhere, you know this, but you can’t help but want to know more about the man that fate has set you up with.

“Yue Lao. Do I have a soulmate?” The question was asked by a young girl, who couldn’t have been more than ten years old. She stared at him intently, as if having a soulmate would define her future.

“Everyone has a soulmate, young one.” In his broken Japanese, Yue Lao spoke. Brittle was the old man’s appearance, but confident was his tone. “You shall find them at some point.” The girl knew better than to question his judgement.

“Do you know if I’ve met them already?” She tilted her head as she spoke, her tone nothing but curious. The Chinese man had moved to quaint Morioh not too long ago, and had been going around informing the townspeople of ‘the red string’. While the townspeople already knew of it, they didn’t care for its so called ‘importance’ to their futures.

He didn’t have it in his heart to spoil her future by telling her who it was, so he simply nodded and left it that. He knew her reaction would be just like the others. ‘Oh he can’t be my soulmate!’ ‘I would never!! She’s too ugly!!’

It happens too often. So often, in fact, that Yue Lao has pretty much given up his tales about the red string. But the girl was curious, and there was no harm in enlightening a child.

He watched in silence as the girl ran off, praying that what he saw when he looked into her soulmate wouldn’t come to be true.

Children. Some are filled with joy, and others are filled with a much, much darker feeling. There was no telling how the girl would turn out, but surely fate knew what it was doing.

Right?

“Funny seeing you here.” You sat down your bag and watched as Kira rushed to hide something in his suit jacket. He had nearly thrown his sandwich at the sound of your voice, and it was clear that you had startled him just like earlier.

“You’ve got to stop doing that.” He sighed and resumed his eating, not bothering to spare you a glance since he knew it wasn’t worth it. “This is the second time today, and I’m starting to think you’ve got it out for me.”

You rolled your eyes at the thought. Have it out for him? Why in the world would you go out of your way to trouble yourself with someone as lame as him?

Oh.

Right.

You did choose to trouble yourself this time.

After all, he was in your spot, the one you went to every day during your lunch break.

“Right. I suppose you’ve got to stop acting suspicious then.” You shrugged and took your lunch elsewhere. There was a part of you that wanted to spy on him using your ability, but you knew that there was a chance that he would be able to see it. It was risky, and you didn’t know if you were ballsy enough to take that risk.

You could feel his eyes on you as you left, which made your suspicion grow. Why was he watching you so intently? And again- what was he hiding?

By no means were you stupid, and you just knew he was up to something.

The rest of your lunch break was spent in silence back in your office, the sound of the keyboard’s keys clacking echoing softly in your ears. You knew you were supposed to be focused on your work, but you couldn’t help but think of him.

His odd behavior occupied your thoughts until it was time for you to clock out.

And you could just tell that it was going to be a long night for you.

You see, your routine is based upon your daily habits, and it’s been weeks since you’ve broken that routine. Actually… the last time you veered off your path was the last time you used Disco King.

Your insatiable lust for blood was the only reason you’d allow yourself to be taken away from your routine.

And Disco King was quite handy when it came to your… interesting side hobby.

“Have a good day y/n!” Your officemate waved at you as you left, frowning when you paid her no mind. It was a necessary gesture, since you didn’t want to become too close to the woman, but you couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“You too!” You grinned and then left, your smile falling immediately as you headed out to your car.

And there you saw him.

Yoshikage Kira.

Talking to a woman, no less.

You watched curiously from afar as he took her hands in his, admiring their beauty. However, it was then that he noticed the red string on his thumb was shorter than usual, his eyes widening as he looked up and met your curious stare.

He dropped the woman’s hands and spun on his heels, his back to you as he disappeared into a crowd of people.

“What was that about…?” You took a step away from your car and looked down at your pinky finger, watching as the string moved around.

Was he… running from you??

All the more reason to use Disco King.

But instead of using your ability to follow him, you ran after the string that connected you to him. As it shortened in length, you knew you were close to finding him, but you found your surroundings to be rather odd. A dark alleyway, grimy and covered in who knows what, surrounded you on both sides, leading to a dead end that had your soulmate trapped.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Kira cleared his throat and shot you a glare. “I do not wish to be late getting home.” He straightened up his tie and ran a hand through his hair.

“Why? Do you have a woman waiting for you?” The question was laced with sarcasm, but you couldn’t help it. Why was he so insistent on steering clear of you? You had to know.

“I just might.” His response made you cock a brow, scoffing at the idea. You opened your mouth to argue with him, but shut it upon feeing the weird aura he emitted.

“Mister Kira, I thought you didn’t want to be late.” You tilted your head and he pushed past you, not even sparing you a glance as he left. “Fine. Be that way.” You frowned, sending Disco King to follow him quietly.

They always say that curiosity killed the cat, but never say what caught the cat’s interest.

You were sure that one way or another, Yoshikage Kira would be the death of you.

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 0: Getting to Know the Boys Part 3: Team Power

Hey, friends! Welcome back to this crazy project I set out for myself -- writing up a bit about each of the 40 contestants on MNET’s Build Up before I dive into the recaps. Last post, I covered Team Soul. This post will be about Team Power. Let’s do it!

Same caveats apply: 1) I’m pressed for time, so proofreading will suffer; please be kind! 2) screencaps will be awkward due to technological issues and 3) All of these guys are amazing vocalists; my critique is splitting hairs and just my opinion at the end of the day. 

Choi Haram

I also have almost no information about Haram, except that he’s a musical actor. In his teaser, V08, I Want to Fall in Love  by Johan Kim, he sings in that classical “musical actor” way, which is just not my favorite style of singing. That doesn’t make it bad! He also is singing a ballad. Which does mean it’s bad! Ha ha, jk.

I'll do my best to evaluate him even though the song is a ballad. I'm a hero, right? His soft tone he uses in the verses is just too breathy and nasal for my taste. But I do like the belt on the chorus part -- nice work. This guy definitely knows how to sing. I wonder what he’ll sound like singing more of a pop song. 

Kim Minseo

This is Kim Minseo, 21, who also appeared on a show I’d never heard of called “The Origin - A, B, or What?” It “was a new type of survival program that combines balance games along with K-pop,” whatever THAT means, and it created the group ATBO. On the Wikipedia page for that show, it says that he was born in January of 2003, making him 21 now, and it also says that he lived in China for ten years and can speak Chinese. I wonder if he and Wumuti will ever speak some Chinese together? 

I really, really liked his teaser performance of Rolling in the Deep by Adele (V39), slight pronunciation issues aside. It was actually kind of cute how he sort of just gave up on pronouncing ‘underestimate’ halfway. He has a distinct, real voice that shows some training but also some rough edges. For me, he’s one to watch. Watch? Listen to? Whatever. 

Yoon Inhwan

Yoon In-Hwan, V23, is one of the enigmas of the show -- I have no information about him. For me, his mini audition showed an unpleasantly throaty, nasal, thick vocal color that I didn’t exactly love. He sounded like he had just drunk a whole gallon of milk or something. I don’t know if that’s how he always sings, or if he just was feeling unwell that day or what. As promised, he did have a lot of power, and he also had a good sense of pitch. Hopefully he’ll do better going forward!

Jo Hwanji

I haven’t been able to get a decent screengrab thus far, but Hwanji is the guy in the uniform in episode 1. He’s only 24 -- isn’t that surprising? Before this, he went on other shows called Phantom Singer 3 and Fantastic Duo 2.

He’s another musical actor, but in his teaser song V26 he breaks the musical actor mold by singing an upbeat retro swing song by JYP -- yes, that JYP -- called Swing Baby. I like the song, and I also like the way he sings it. Clean but full, with fun little growls to brighten things up, varied dynamics, impeccable pitch, and the power he promised. Good stuff! He’s also so hilariously square. I mean it literally. He looks like a Pixar character. It’s cute. I'm looking forward to hearing more from him.

Lim Junhyeok

Junhyeok, age 30, debuted as part of the JYP-based k-band Day6 in September 2015, singing and playing keyboards. In late 2015, it was revealed that he’d been chatting with a female fan online, and that they might have been dating. The controversy built, and he felt obligated to leave the group in February 2016, getting to enjoy less than six months with the group. God, that must have been just heart wrenching for him. I can’t imagine.

Afterward, he joined another band called Be Blossom, but stayed only about a year. Since then, he was on a survival show called The Unit, which was about rebooting debuted idols’ careers. (A few other contestants of Build Up also went on The Unit, too.) He also continues to compose music, which I think is actually his first love. 

His teaser song performance, V05,  was I Love You by Shin Hyo Bum, and you can see in the silhouette that he’s playing the keyboards as he sings. I didn’t love his performance, unfortunately. It felt a little shrieky to me at times, and his softer notes were a little too breathy for my taste. He definitely belongs in the Power group, though. He can sure belt when he wants to -- it’s the softer segments that challenge him. Maybe it’s just my bias against ballads acting up, as well. 

It’s kind of a bummer, because for whatever reason, I like him. I can’t help but cheer for a guy who (a) was kicked out of his group after six months for dating, like, omg, how dare a young person want to date! (b) is a bit on the older side (c) composes music and plays instruments and most importantly (d) shows up to a survival show in a goddamn hoodie. Like, yes, king. So I hope that I grow to like his vocals better as I hear more from him. 

Side note: The Korean family name “Lim” is often transliterated as “Im” since that’s actually closer to how it’s pronounced. So if you see his family name written as “Im,” that’s why. (Nayeon from Twice has the family name of Lim/Im -- hence her album name.)

Park Jeup

Park Jeup makes himself known by wearing an enormous bow on the first day. It’s just such a choice, when he’s so masculine looking. Own it! Yes!

Anyway, he’s 30, and is a member of IMFACT. He’s been on a bunch of singing shows, as well as The Unit, which would have put him in company with Lim Junhyuk (former Day6) and Hyukjin from Fave1.

His group IMFACT debuted in January 2016 and put out several albums and singles, but none of their songs have even one million views on Youtube. Most of them don’t even break 500,000 views. In 2022, all the members of IMFACT left their agency (Star Empire). The group hasn’t officially disbanded, but the members are listing themselves as soloists. They really weren’t a bad group, and it’s a shame that they never caught on, but it’s just such a crowded landscape. Their song Only You spent some time on my playlist a few years back, and Jeup’s voice in that song is really sweet. 

I tried my best to give his teaser song a try -- he was V34 --  but I just dislike ballads so much that I can’t judge him fairly. Vocally, though, he sounds well trained. He has a surprisingly high pitched timbre considering his appearance. 

Here is a performance he did in 2018, in which he made the MNET reaction editors play the instant replay buttons like a xylophone. I think there was some sort of gas leak in the studio that day, because, yeah, his voice is nice but people are having spasms in their excitement and it’s a bit much. Also, he's singing another ballad so it's kind of a no from me.

A song that’s a bit more palatable for me is this cover of Exo’s Monster on The Unit. 

Jeup doesn’t seem to be the main vocal, but he is the one who sings “I’m sorry…. You make me… so crazy, you know you do.” He also does the higher harmony line/descant/whatever it is over the “Come here girl, you… call… me… monster” line. And he pulls it off!

I recognize Jeup’s skill, technique, and passion for the art. I’m not as sure that I love his timbre for whatever reason. I hope his voice grows on me, in part because I always have a soft spot for hard working nugu idols, and in part because I always gravitate toward the older, more broad shouldered idol types, like Baekho from NU’EST and Wyatt from ONF. Jeup, fighting!

Hyukjin

Hyukjin is 30 and is from a group called Fave1, where he’s lead vocal and lead dancer. He also appeared on The Unit, so he may also know Park Jeup and Lim Junhyuk.

Ok, so his background is kind of sad, fam.

His first group, 100%, debuted in 2012, so he’s been at this a while. There were originally seven members, but two quit, and then one member, the leader Minwoo, passed away in 2018. That had to be so hard on Hyukjin and the rest of the team, to lose not just their friend and teammate but also their leader. The group disbanded in 2021, and three of the four remaining members formed Fave1 at a new agency. So they’re kind of like Loosemble or Vivez that way. 

100% started off doing ok -- their older songs had 1 or 2 million views, good for the time period -- but their more recent songs max out at around 400,000 views. Fave1, unfortunately, is really not doing nearly as well as even 100%. Their songs usually have views measured in the thousands, and their videos look like they were shot on someone’s iPhone. Really, the whole thing is kind of heartbreaking. 

In his teaser, Hyukjin was V22 , and sang a quasi-heavy metal song -- think Dreamcatcher style -- called Lazenca, Save Us. It was a unique choice, that’s for sure! I think he was hoping that it might make a splash for being the guy who did THIS song. I’m not sure how I feel about his performance. I think I need to hear more of him to make up my mind. But I mean, gotta respect someone who comes out of the gate with that! I think his natural voice is not quite as deep and rich as it should be to successfully pull off this kind of thing, but he displays strong sense of pitch and a lot of power. It does gets a bit shrieky and it sounds like he’s hurting his throat. I’m looking forward to seeing what else he can do because I just want to see him succeed.

Ok, that's about it for this post! Sorry if it was a bit of a bummer. So many sad stories in this industry. In the next post, we'll be visiting with Team Unique, and then we'll finally get into the recaps! See you soon.

xoxo

BPR Noona

[detective-giggles]

Another TMP Tarlos bingo fill: TK stops by the station when Carlos has to work late. This is also going to fill the monthly word prompts of: Party, home, worry, and family.

💜💜💜💜

Carlos: Hey, I know it’s date night. But I’m not going to make it in time for our reservation.

TK: It’s okay.

TK: I know things come up.

Carlos. I’m sorry.

Carlos: I love you.

TK: I love you, too. Be safe tonight.

Carlos: Always. 💜

TK sighs. He understands, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed. He presses the button on the side of his phone and the screen goes dark and he tosses it onto the bed. TK starts to unbutton his shirt to put it back in the closet when he decides to go out anyway. It is date night, after all.

***

TK slips into the precinct behind one of the other officers who recognizes him. He chats politely for a few minutes and then heads down the hallway to the elevators and up to the detectives bullpen where Carlos’ desk is.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Carlos asks, a small smile crossing his face. “You look very handsome.”

“It’s date night?” TK grins. He sets the bag of takeout on the corner of Carlos’ desk. “I mean, you were going to eat tonight, anyway, right?”

“Probably pizza or Chinese. We’ve been doing a lot of Chinese recently,” he mumbles.

“Can you take a break?” TK asks, gesturing vaguely to the breakroom.

“No, I’ve got to get this done. I’m the one that got the confession, and my Sergeant is waiting on this report.”

“Can you eat while you work?” TK asks.

Carlos looks around the mostly-deserted bullpen and nods. As he types, TK rips open the bag, putting a plastic to-go container near his keyboard, and takes the lid off.

“It smells so good,” Carlos murmurs. He shovels a couple of forkfuls of noodles into his mouth as politely as he can manage, considering how hungry he actually is. “I haven’t had anything more substantial than vending machine snacks all day. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” TK says softly, taking a bite of his own dinner. “I understand you know. I mean, it’s not like I never have a shift that goes long.”

“Yeah, but it’s happening more since I took this promotion. Hell, I almost missed the party you threw me when I got the promotion.”

TK chuckles, “but you didn’t. You made it just in time.”

Carlos nods. “But what if I don’t? And what if the night I miss isn’t just a date night but something important? A birthday or our kid’s recital or something?”

“You will,” TK says, “and so will I. But, Carlos, that’s why there are two of us. Our future kid will always have someone there for them. I promise.” TK slips his hand in Carlos’ and gives it a squeeze. “But baby, don’t worry about that now, okay? Finish your paperwork and I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

TK stands and runs a hand through Carlos’ hair. He’s itching to give his husband more physical reassurance, but they’re still at Carlos’ place of work so he refrains.

“Gimme a sec and I’ll walk you out,” Carlos offers.

“I thought you couldn’t leave?”

“You came all the way down here to bring me dinner, plus you managed to talk me down while I’ve been freaking out over our still-hypothetical family; the least I can do is walk you out,” Carlos points out. “Plus, you actually need to be escorted through the building after hours, anyway,” he adds.

“Well, then, Detective, lead the way,” TK says as he follows his husband out the door.

Taglist @plaidbooks @tarlosweeklyprompts

[ipcearn]

A short and dirty review of Wuthering Waves after playing a couple of days (yes, I am a Genshin player but I will keep the comparisons to a minimum, it’s obvious they are very similar, it doesn’t need repeating 50 times, I will add a little section at the end comparing them based on my own enjoyment, but I want to judge this game on its own merit above all)

The game did start off on a bad note for me since there was no way to change the text language until after the first whole cutscene was done

I had changed the launcher to English before starting the game, and the voice over was thankfully in English but it definitely annoyed me not to have an option on the start up screen for things like that, I assume it based it off of my pc’s language but I could have that set to German for a variety of reasons least of all because I have a German keyboard and the layouts are different

(Also the German translation definitely didn’t seem like it was written by a native? There were just a few things slightly off on the grammar that threw me off just in that first conversation, nothing big but I wanted to mention it)

I googled even if I missed a setting somewhere since that is what I usually assume, but it seems like I wasn’t blind and that option is just not available until you actually gain control of your character and can open the menu

But after that point it was a quick and immediate change thankfully and yeah, the English VA’s are a bit weak in places, but I wouldn’t call that a big deal, it’s a Chinese game and probably focused on the Chinese market overall with everywhere else as a nice bonus (I actually learned a lot about this due to Genshin when CC drama arose there and Mihoyo only ever really started acting when Chinese CC’s were affected)

But ohhhh, combat is where this game really shines, it is so much fun

The intro and outro attacks, the echos, the dodges and parries

Just a very solid system that is a lot of fun for a Souls Veteran like me heavily relying on player response time

Also music as a big theme for combat? Really intriguing

And I do love the tutorials you can play for every character in your roster; yes it has the trial thing to test them directly, but once you get a character having that detailed tutorial in how you can play them is really great

I am also really loving the aesthetic of this game? It has that FF15 theme of marrying fantasy and modern technology which I really love (and not just because Yhan looks like grown up Noctis)

I have heavy critiques of a lot of the character designs, and also praises in other places, but that is honestly just par for the course with these games (neither Genshin, Honkai or FF for that matter are spared of that, I can get very harsh on the designs)

But I do enjoy the characters otherwise, and Rover's story is intriguing (I played up to Huanglong I - Act V Rewinding Raindrops) and I do want to learn more

What else would be interesting to mention?

Exploration is really, really fun, the puzzles are straight forward, not too challenging, not too easy and the sprint not consuming stamina out of combat is so nice

I'd absolutely recommend giving this game a shot, it has a lot of really enjoyable parts that can capture people for a long, long time

I will probably drop in and out of playing it after this initial start, since the story doesn't capture me the same way Genshin did, but that is honestly just a personal preference I also drop in and out of Honkai Star Rail since that story doesn't intrigue me as much as Genshin's does either

-

Now my direct comparison between Genshin and WuWa:

Genshin is build around the elemental reactions boosting damage output and WuWa lacks that, but I will admit I do enjoy WuWa's more player driven combat more (AND I ADORE THAT WUWA DOES NOT HAVE THE PHYSICAL DAMAGE WHY DOES IT EXIST I DO NOT UNDERSTAND)

I made a post about this just when I started Genshin how I missed a Dodge or Parry and WuWa gives that

But WuWa's teams are also limited to 3 characters instead of 4 which sometimes makes it feel slower? I don't know if that word fits, but that is my impression (obvi that might just be the characters I have chosen and how much more switching in Genshin is used for the reactions)

I like Genshin's Exploration more, but I do admit to liking WuWa's puzzles more

But when it comes down to it, Genshin's story, characters and lore compel me the most

It's also why HSR can only hold my attention in short bursts, because while intrigued, I am not compelled to follow through on it

[the-martyrfication-of-the-matron]

Because @ineedanamepplpls asked for it,

A post about a small group of my ocs :)

Might draw them later idk.

So we start off with Lea. Yes she is based off of a sim I made. Hush. She/her pronouns, straight (*gasp*), she’s half Arab and half Chinese, and she’s dating Reed, who we shall get into later. She’s a film student, really obsessed with period films set in like 1800s France and also noir films, is actually working on a script for a noir film with werewolves in it. She can play piano (though her dorm only fits in a keyboard), and eats just straight up peas as a snack. She shares a dorm room with Andie.

Andie, he/him (trans dude), bi, and he’s black. He’s dating Olive (who we shall also get into) but he did date Lea for a short while. He’s an art student, though he also does classes for Violin and does veterinary science to fill his empty time. He isn’t doing great in his classes because he’s a little distracted with his partner but he tries. He’s actually doing better than Lea is, she’s like three seconds away from getting kicked out because of how poorly she’s doing.

Olive, he/her (non-binary), queer but doesn’t explain how exactly she is, white. Dating Andie, and occasionally crashes at him and Lea’s dorm since it’s closer to some of his lessons. She has way too many of his own clothes there and that’s where he keeps his video games because her roommate hates them. She studies literature and history, and often shares with Andie some cringey lines in the books he has to read. Doing shockingly well in classes though she never attends his classes. Oh also he can see dead people and phase through physical objects.

Reed, he/him, straight (*another gasp*). dating Lea. Old old white man. He’s one of the professors at the school and also a superhero (since that’s the little universe idea they’re set in). And Olive’s dad. Which isn’t awkward or anything. He teaches one of Lea’s film classes though clearly doesn’t let their relationship sweeten up her grades at all. He has your classic super strength, Olive gets her powers from her mother’s side. Reed also doesn’t know that Olive is queer in any form nor that he’s dating anyone, let alone Lea’s whole ass roommate. That reveal would end up fairly awkward.

Jasmine is Lea’s sister, she/her, lesbian, half Arab half white, graduated a while ago, currently works as a TA for a music class. Occasionally pops in to see how Lea is holding up.

Alex, he/him, gay??, white. He has the form next to Andie and Lea’s and they yell at him all the time for having his music too loud. He’s kind of a himbo and genuinely doesn’t realise how loud he plays it. He’s a film student too and is the current planned director for Lea’s werewolf noir (he’s a big noir nerd too) but they argue a lot about creative choices regarding the werewolves designs. They don’t know much about him at all and everything they do know is a pure guess. He may or may not put cheese in his hot chocolate, based off of Lea seeing something in the corner of her eye one time and her always being low on both cheese and hot chocolate every time Alex comes over.

[overlysour]

Aaaah the BSD manga is pain rn and the anime-onlys are not ready </3

But the fishing quest doesn't let you do co-op??! Now that just dumb because what if you want to play with your friends but the quest doesn't let you 😭 Have you tried searching up on Youtube on how to complete the fishing quest? Genshin fandom is quite helpful in posting tutorials online

And yeah I searched on Youtube for the location of the jade tablets and safe to say I know what to do now <3 but I'm still going to drag a friend to co-op on the quest with me cuz there's no way in hell I'm fighting three ruin guards at once lmao. Not to mention Genshin is glitchy as hell for me rn and I changed the entire language settings to Chinese ahaha

Alhaitham and Xiao are both so cool and their lore is so interesting as well. I tried pulling for both of them and as expected didn't even get a single character ahaha. I heard that Hu Tao's banner is next and I wanna get her so bad since I desperately need another pyro character on my team

P.S. It's the truth <33

Sadly, even with tutorials, I can’t seem to be able to do the quest 🫠 It’s because I use my phone instead of laptop to save work space (that with the fact that it isn’t working on there for some reason) probably, since i have to use my fingers instead of the keyboard..

I agree with the part about anime only watchers.. I thought it was fake when I first read about that one scene with Fyodor, Chuuya & Dazai (let’s just say it involves water 😀) . I still refuse to believe it was just that easy, especially considering the fact I’m pretty sure we didn’t properly see Fyodor’s ability—

And about Xiao and Alhaitham, I already have too many anemo so I’ve been trying for Alhaitham but not having much luck so far (I think I lot my pity not too long ago to Jean) . If I don’t get him then I might think about pulling for Hu Tao because I only have around 3 pyro characters or I might just skip for once.

Genshin is actually not too glitchy for me when I’m close enough but when I’m far away it looks like there’s no outlines on the buildings, which I usually see when I’m using the wind glider.

P.S no u 🤭

[austin-in-taiwan]

August 5 - Kaohsiung -> Tainan - University Calligraphy Lesson, Ten Drum Cross Metal Concert, Night Market

Today, we left Kaohsiung and took the hour-long bus ride to our final city, Tainan. Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and was the capital until 1887. First, we went to a university where we got a lesson in calligraphy from the professors there. The professors were excellent and made an entertaining lesson for us. We got to practice our calligraphy first with real calligraphy brushes on paper. We could choose from regular Chinese characters or the cursive style. I decided on regular Chinese calligraphy so I could read it in the future. Just as in English, the cursive is extremely hard to read for me! Then, after teaching us about the history of hand fans, we got to draw calligraphy on our round fan (團扇). I decided to write “Go Gators” on one side (加油鳄鱼) and Florida (佛罗里达) on the other side. See below for pictures of my fan! Once finished with the lesson, they generously treated us to chicken bento boxes, which were delicious.

After we finished lunch, we went to Ten Drum, originally an abandoned sugar factory but now a cultural park with tons of activities like laser tag, a giant swing, a zip line, and, more importantly, drums. When we got there, Jack and I first got to experience a drum lesson. There was a bunch of drums and a woman instructing at the front. Soon after, though, we met up at the theater and got to experience a concert by Cross Metal. It was an excellent performance by a mainly Chinese-speaking band (they also had some English lyrics). What was remarkable was the variety of instruments. There was a guitar, a keyboard, a regular drum set, three taiko drums, and a flute. I especially enjoyed how they incorporated the flute into their metal music performance.  We even got a picture with the band afterward!

Tonight, after our activities, a small group of us went to a nearby night market. I got some delicious food, including a pork bun sandwich, a spicy shawarma sandwich, and dumplings! One thing I will miss about Taiwan is all the delicious cheap food from the night markets!

Academic Reflection

Today, the lesson we received from the university we visited was fascinating but also very informative. First, we learned about the hand fans, which we drew our calligraphy about. There are two types of fans: the round fan or tuan shan (團扇) and the folding fan or zhe shan (摺扇). The folding fans were originally from Korea and Japan but were brought over and popularized in China afterward. These fans have been used and decorated with beautiful drawings and calligraphy for decades. Learning more about the background from the professor made the activity more meaningful to me. 

Furthermore, I enjoyed the Ten Drums cultural park and especially liked learning about the history of this region. The Ten Drum Art Percussion Group transformed this ex-abandoned sugar mill factory into a creative cultural park promoting local culture and history through music. Not only does it encourage the cultural music of Tainan percussion, but it also hosts museums and continues to show its old sugar mill history for the public to see. I appreciate what the music group did to not only show their historic music but also preserve the history of the sugar mill and promote it for generations to see.

[casuallyyoa]

ASTREA: SIX-SIDED ORACLE IMPRESSIONS

WHAT

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles is a new roguelike from Little Leo Games, launched 21st September 2023 (22nd, for those of me in a different timezone). I’ve tried out the demo before, calling it something I’d prioritize among the many, many other games out there. Well, now that it’s out, it’s time for the Casual Impressions.

SETTINGS

The options menu is fairly spartan, but the game doesn’t have that much you really need to tweak anyway.

You have your audio sliders, barebones graphics presets, the ability to change battle speed up to ultra fast, skipping certain animations, a run timer toggle, controls between mouse and controller / keyboard, and miscellaneous options for screenshake, particle effects and data collection. 

Data collection is to send the devs gameplay data and error logs to assist in game balance and does not include personal identifying information. If you’re still concerned, you can turn it off regardless.

Text languages available are:

English

Brazilian Portuguese 

Simple / Traditional Chinese

French

German

Japanese

Korean

Russian

Spanish

While the Ultra battle speed sounds handy for maybe speedrunning and such, it doesn’t seem to affect the actual dice roll animations which while nice, is probably something you might want to skip when it comes to rushing through. 

Since I use the mouse, right-click is for viewing a die’s face. Maybe there could be a toggle for quick use when it comes to area of effect dice.

PRESENTATION

Astrea is mostly in this gorgeous blue, purple and gold trim colour palette. It quite reminds me of tarot, as you lay out the cloth and prepare your cards for a reading. The dice aside, the blessings you can get look like metal pins you could buy off Etsy - and could totally make for some kickass limited edition merchandise, if you get my drift.

The Oracles and the purifying they do are blue, while the corruption is in red. The corruption can morph pretty much anything into terrifying, dangerous entities; if they are sentient beings, they scurry off to the right side of the screen once you help them regain their senses.

I do wonder how much being colourblind can affect someone when it comes to playing this game. We can take visual clarity for granted sometimes.

GAMEPLAY

Gameplay wise, Astrea has not changed drastically from the demo. You have your dice with all their faces of effects that make up your deck. ‘Safe’ dice usually don’t have the biggest numbers, but you’re at least assured you wouldn’t roll something that could be devastating, unlike ‘Risky’ dice which generally have bombastic effects, both good and bad. Mostly bad?

With your dice in hand, you proceed from node to node, picking up more dice options, finding encounters, and what have you. You can have up to two Sentinels, your support buddies offering more dice to complement your chosen character’s playstyle. Their HP is pretty low and don’t all get the ability to attack, so they’re not the most reliable helpers if they don’t have the spread of dice you want.

You will need to balance between Purifying and Corruption, more so if you’re picking out risky dice. You can inflict Corruption on yourself to activate your spread of Virtues - the row of icons above your health bar - but too much, and you’d accidentally lose one of your lives. 

You can’t throw all the Corruption onto the enemies either; it will heal them and trigger Overcorruption abilities once they reach the threshold to immediately perform an action you probably would rather avoid. That’s not forgetting any potential passive effects they have. The least you can do is hover over the smaller icons and read up on what they do.

Once you’ve cleared a single run with a given Oracle, you can start ramping up the difficulty via Anomaly levels a la something like Slay the Spire’s Ascension. You will want to try out all the characters to level them up to unlock even more things for later runs, as you might expect.

One thing I found a little odd was that there wasn’t an Abandon Run option right now. As it happens, forfeiting a run means you don’t get any experience towards levelling up that character. So even if you’re in a run you feel is hopeless, you need to keep on going anyway otherwise you make no progress. I would have thought games like these usually give a nominal amount towards unlocks, but different games, different systems.

CONCLUSION

Well, is it much of a surprise I really like this game following from the demo? It’s pretty simple to grasp, though of course it won’t prevent me from yelling at unfavourable rerolls. I wanted to work on a 'review' once I managed to complete a run with a character which happened a little sooner than I thought, so there’s certainly more to be had. As it is, I already liked it, so Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles is a Highly Recommended.  

[govindhtech]

Elevate Your Gaming: AKKO Gear 5075B Keyboard Experience

Review of the AKKO Gear 5075B 75% Wireless Keyboard: Cheap custom keyboard with ISO-DE layout or boring GMMK Pro clone?

He was first dubious when the manufacturer, AKKO Gear, came me and gave me their most recent movement in ISO-DE layout. Surely a Chinese Glorious GMMK Pro? he eventually decided to take the test after carefully reading the specifications. You may read about the 5075B’s capabilities in the test!

We didn’t always have positive experiences when a Chinese manufacturer offered us their most recent products in the past. Yes, there were always standouts, such as Soundpeats, a company we had never heard of that offers good products for not too much money.

Of course, there are also black sheep and blenders, which we enjoy letting run up in public at Igor’s LAB as well. But he says sorry to disappoint you if you were anticipating a formal review.

After some initial scepticism, the keyboard proved to be a very good input device and even provided certain bespoke features that were sometimes lacking in other keyboards (even much more expensive mainstream variants), which are frequently used by our readers.

Although the custom scene is well-versed in terms like gasket mounted and PBT keycaps, the majority of “normals” have typically grown disinterested in such subjects long ago. Even though he still a novice in the wonderful world of custom keyboards, he eagerly looking forward to the time when the lightbulb will finally go off.

Custom keyboards are pricey, which is their one and only drawback. It costs here times 30 euros for a cable, there times 80 euros for a set of keycaps, and look, there are also carrier plates made of different materials and frames with various colours a vicious cycle that frequently results in a finished keyboard costing at least 500 euros. Because they often have a smaller form factor (TKL or smaller), these custom boards have fortunately not yet been able to pique my interest.

The 5075B can almost be utilised in productive use without any issues thanks to arrow keys and a real DE layout with a respectable Enter key, but he don’t want to jump ahead and remove the device from its packing just yet.

Unboxing

Although the packaging is basic in black and white, it manages to attract the eye.

Even if the back is primarily written in Chinese, you can still make out the DE layout and the switches that are present.

Under the slider is a black cardboard box with a reflective logo.

Everyone uses the same style of packaging, though, with the keyboard being enclosed in a protective foil and given a dust cover. He don’t remember ever putting this clear cover on my keyboard while it wasn’t in use, so you might as well throw this piece of plastic junk away.

The problem is this! Quite straightforward in white, without any frills a keyboard for adults?

On the back, there is nothing but white ABS plastic. We’ll get to the folding feet and other components right away, but all four corners have soft rubber feet with excellent grip.

Given that the toggle switch can only switch between the shortcuts for MAC OS and Windows, 2-way would have likely sufficed. he don’t see how the centre position is different from the “Win” position.

A direct USB 2.4 GHz receiver is also included on the board.

In two steps, the back foot can be extended. Sorry about the dust, but after a few hours of use, the photographs on the SD card became corrupted and had to be retaken.

On the sides are subtle light strips, and of course the entire lighting system may be turned off altogether.

The USB-C port for lag-free connectivity and charging the 3000mAh battery that is permanently installed is still located at the back. The cable fits okay, but it’s also not completely secure.

Although the PBT double-shot keycaps are a little flatter than the standard Cherry MX keycaps, they are of excellent quality.

Keycaps taken off:

The volume is often controlled by the rotating knob with an aluminium case in the upper right corner. However, hitting the switch changes its functionality instead of muting the system, as he had anticipated, allowing the brightness of the illumination to be adjusted instead of the volume.

The offered model comes pre-configured with linear Akko Creamy Yellow Switches.

The switches can be replaced even while the system is operating because the board is hot-swappable. It accommodates all 3- and 5-pin switches.

He will cover the “gasket-mounted” plastic carrier plate in a subsequent paragraph. The fact that the LEDs are “south-facing” implies that additional switches are compatible with them. Since most keycaps he seen so far are designed for “north-facing” LEDs and the illumination of the letters on the Akko is dim as a result, it’s not exactly ideal for the illumination of translucent keycaps.

Additionally, the LEDs may shine a chilly white rather than a powerful blue depending on the switches that are in use. But he address that as well later.

The “stabilisers” for the huge keys, however, are quite well done. The huge space bar always moves uniformly and smoothly regardless of where you press it.

The stabilisers, however, reportedly do not come from the factory lubricated.

Additionally, there are accessories. A USB-C cable, some silicone mounts for the gasket mounting system, keycap and switch pullers, replacement keys0 a USB-C cable, and a large number of alternative keys that are also PBT double shot and not cheap printed keys are also included.

Akko also included a full set of the tactile Creamy Blue Switches, an alternative option, for comparison, which we will install and test later.