#but they live in another country and i cant visit all the time so it doesnt help this lonely shit feeling all the time D: to have ~1 friend

[autisticlee]

it kind of sucks when all your friends and family, everyone you know, are all pairing off and getting married and havinf families, except you. you're the only one that doesn't have a partner and probably can/will never get one. especially if one around you has time for you anymore, they never reach out, never get back to you, because they're only focused on their partners and families. you're stuck alone and drift away from everyone through no fault of your own. you have no hope of finding your own partner or no motivation to look for one for whatever reason. the lack of connections while seeing everyone around you having their own can get overwhelmingly lonely at times....

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[everytimewetouch-dot-mp3]

modern bingyuan ft. werewolf luo binghe and human shen yuan (listen i have a brain disease (autism that is omegaverse and werewolf flavored) okay, i cant help it)

binghe’s pack:

mobei jun, his second-in-command

shang qinghua, mobei jun’s mate pet human

sha hualing, nasty bitch (affectionate) who comes in clutch during territory disputes and shit

various underlings

(tangential pack members: tianlang jun and zhuzhi-lang, by virtue of bing lbh’s relatives. tlj was meant to be the pack’s alpha, but didn’t have much interest in leadership)

vague story ideas below the cut:

shen yuan moves to the same city as sqh to be closer to physicians that specialize in his medical condition. sqh initially seems really excited to meet in person, then puts it off again and again until shen yuan calls him from the hospital like ‘dude listen i know u maybe don’t actually want to meet irl but im gonna be in the hospital for a few days and im bored out of my skull, can u just bring me some games or smth and leave them at the nurses’ station’

sqh feels bad for putting off the hangout for so long, so he brings the games, the nurse directs him to shen yuan’s room, and here we meet mbj who’s curious abt who’s been bugging sqh to hang out for the past couple weeks. after that, sqh comes to visit shen yuan in the hospital every day while he’s there. he bitches about it, but it’s friendly bitching.

meanwhile sqh and mbj keep showing up to pack stuff smelling like human—one specific human. and he smells good, at least in lbh’s opinion. so he gets curious and keeps bugging qinghua to introduce him to this sweet-smelling human. ofc, he makes it seem like he’s suspicious of the human who’s suddenly started hanging around his second. sqh finally gives in and invites shen yuan to hang out with his other friends (shen yuan is very excited and extremely anxious).

binghe is immediately obsessed. shen yuan is smart and funny and a little rude, even though it doesn’t seem like he means to be, and he smells so fucking good it’s unreal. lbh doesn’t let hualing bully shen yuan, which is out of character for him nice. mobei jun tacitly approves of him, qinghua is already his friend, and hualing doesn’t try to kill him within 20 mins of meeting, so it’s p much a success. there’s one point where shen yuan’s scent suddenly turns sour from pain and the werewolves all pause, but qinghua keeps yapping on and the only sign shen yuan gives of being in pain is a tightening of his jaw and a deep, sharp inhale through the nose

after shen yuan goes home, mobei jun tells binghe that shen yuan had been in the hospital but wouldn’t say what for; he assumes shen yuan was injured somehow? but every few hangouts, shen yuan’s scent does that thing again. binghe and he have been getting closer, and eventually for some reason or another (tianlang jun or zhuzhi lang, maybe?) he’s pressured into revealing that he’s a werewolf. also at some vague, hand-wavy time, shen yuan explains that he’s not injured, he’s just got heart problems

shen yuan’s got a hand-wavy heart condition inspired by long QT; he moved because he went into cardiac arrest during a regular hospital visit and his family was like ‘ok we thought this was managed but u now need to see the best specialists in the country’ and the specialists were like ‘ok you’re getting an implantable cardiac defibrillator like yesterday; why didnt they do that after your heart stopped last time???????’ which is why he was in the hospital

anyways blah blah maybe somebody kidnaps shen yuan to get to luo binghe or smth like that, binghe goes all badass bingge mode and kills some people, and then they fuck nasty (but also tenderly!!!) and they live happily ever after

[baby-xemnas]

Even tho Bepo does make a few comments about female bears, i wonder if it is more of an automatic response than anything, maybe something like compulsive speciism like you mentioned. Like it’s not something at the forefront of Bepo’s mind but that’s what is expected, that a mink will be with another mink, so that informs what he says out loud. I can’t help but think about how Bepo left Zou at such a very young age too, bc as far as we know, Bepo has been around humans far longer than minks at this point, so i wonder how that would’ve impacted or shaped his development and outlook on such things? In other areas too, I wonder if Bepo felt odd coming back to Zou, seeing the differences between himself and other minks who grew up and stayed in Zou or stayed in closer contact to minks even if they weren’t living in Zou. All this in relation to LawBepo and Bepo’s immediate intense strong attachment to Law, it’s interesting to think about!

yeeee.....

its a single crumb of Bepo's presense on Zou during that arc but i did appreciate when it was noted that "Even though he is from here, he is still an outsider" like thats GREAT thats a bit of worldbuilding i really appreciate making characters behavior more believable - ye no shit...not only did this guy not live with them, disappearing as a kid - he brought humans with him too - he is a complete stranger to the island. imagine moving to a very different country in elementary school - all your formative years would be shaped in accordance to the new place. I love that they treated him like the stranger he is

and GOOD POINT ABOUT HIS INSTANT ATTACHMENT TO LAW like yes of course its logical that he would be appreciative of a person who saved him - but Bepo had ZERO apprehension towards Law and following Law to a strangers house.. ofc u can say that he is too naive and easily trusting but it mustve been so crazy to him to be like wow! not only humans exist (when they met bepo have gotten over that initial surprise and probably hid from adults til pensha found him and beat his ass) but there are nice ones too! yay!!!!!!!!! :D!!

its absolutely compulsive species attraction like "i'm supposed to find a bear mink" and he just thought that way the whole time growing up and didnt even consider humans - and that was fine because he was very busy loving and supporting law - thought didnt cross his mind...if he felt horny he just thought "oh well i cant do nothing about this! idk where bear women are at!"

i love thinking about how weird it felt to come back home (and like i talked abt before i love that bepo didnt go home because he wanted to fullfill his initial wishes to 1) find zunesha on his own - reason he learned navigation 2) find out where his brother go - no he went to zou because (as he himself probably suggested as it was a safest place) law ordered them to lay low somewhere....i love that so much, that law going off on his personal vendetta mission caused bepo to fullfil his personal dream - the one that he put away for so long BECAUSE what law became way more important.

There is a sense of shame and wrong priorities there - imagine that instead of being a sort of triumphant/celebratory visit home where you can boast look at me i'm a pirate like my big brother! No instead he comes home asking for help, for a place to hide, not only for himself but strangers to the island - and he himself is as much a stranger as the humans. oof.

Its hard to imagine he felt that comfortable around minks at first, it was a wishful thinking like here i am among my people - but they look at him (and rightfully so) like an alien - and bepo is too worried about law to care....he is not there to integrate back into society....these people are not his people anymore, his crew and law are his family now

its super interesting and i really am sour forever that we didnt get more about this aside from "he is still a stranger even if he is from here" line about bepo and others being quarantined to a single area - and that one moment where bepo says "even if im a stranger this is my island too" when they are about to help defend zou against beast pirates along with locals

[mamaestapa]

Welcome to Cincinnati

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/N Y/L/N moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for a new start. Move in day arrives and she discovers something terrible...the apartment complex gave her the wrong lease. Instead of living with who she originally was supposed to, she's now living with the hottest quarterback in the NFL, Joe Burrow. Y/N is stuck living in the same apartment with him for a year...which the two are not thrilled about. However, as time goes on, they realize that maybe this wasn't the worst thing that could happen to them. Will Y/N and Joe stay enemies, or will they find themselves falling in love?

•chapter summary: You arrive in Cincinnati and signs your lease to your new apartment

•word count: 939

•warnings: none

series masterlist

—————————————————————————

September 9, 2022

You smiled as you looked at the sign to your right.

Welcome to Cincinnati.

You finally arrived to your new home.

After years and years of traveling around the country, trying to find the perfect place to call home, you finally settled on Cincinnati, Ohio. Why Cincinnati you may ask? Well, hell, you guess there really isn't a reason why you chose Cincinnati. You visited the city once during a work trip for the company you used to work for and you ended up loving it.

You are moving to Cincinnati from Phoenix, Arizona. You used to work as a journalist for a fashion magazine. It was based in Arizona, but you spent your time traveling all across the country to write about new fashion trends, tips, and pretty much anything and everything that had to do with fashion. It was a fun job, but in late August you decided you needed a change. So you quit. You’d been working for them since you graduated from college, which was almost four years ago. It was time to move on.

So here you are, ready to start your new life in Cincinnati, Ohio.

You have no clue what you’ll do with your life while you’re here, but you have a feeling you’ll enjoy it—whatever it is you decide to do.

You pull into the parking lot of the apartment complex you are going to rent from for the next year.

Echelon Luxury Apartments.

You were afraid you wouldn't be able to afford one of these apartments, considering they are luxury. But the landlord told you there were many options in order to make your rent more affordable. You would be signing a lease for a two bedroom apartment. The catch, you have to have a roommate. Considering that you know absolutely nobody and you mean nobody in Cincinnati, you’ll have to sign onto a lease with a complete stranger.

What's the worse that could happen?

You cant imagine any roommate could be any worse than your dorm roommate freshman year of college.

Oh my lord. That girl was absolutely crazy. But, that's a story for another time.

You put your car into park and gather any paper work you may need in order to sign this lease. You weren’t even sure if you needed to bring anything, but you figured It's better to be safe than sorry. Getting out of your car, you walk into the front office. There was an older woman with brown hair and bright purple glasses sitting at the desk, looking at her computer. She looked up when she heard the bell at the door.

She smiled, "Hello. What can I do for you?"

You walked up to the desk, smiling, "Hi. I'm here to sign my lease. We talked on the phone last week?"

"Y/n?��� she asked.

You nodded, "That's me."

"Awesome, yes, I have that right here." She said, grabbing a file off of her desk and placing it on the counter. She opened the file and pulled out the paperwork.

"So this," she held up a packet, "is general information about the apartment, what you can have, what you can't have, all that fun stuff." She placed it to the side.

"And this," she grabbed a pen, "is your lease. Sign on that line here and," she flipped a couple pages, "here."

You read through the papers. From reading, you found out your roommates name is Kayla. She's around your age and she's an elementary school teacher. She seems like she'd be sweet. To work with young kids, you have have to have a sweet personality. You got to the back page, where you needed to sign the lease. Without even thinking, you signed your name along the dotted line.

The woman smiled as she watched you sign. You put the pen down and handed her the paper.

"You're all set sweetie. Your move in day is tomorrow. Come anytime from noon to 3, please."

"Okay, sounds good. Thank you..."

"Carol."

"Thank you Carol," you smiled, "do I need to do anything else?"

She shook her head, "Nope. All that's left is moving in."

"Awesome, I'll see you tomorrow to get my key."

"Yep. Alright, bye bye hun."

You grabbed the packet she had given you and tucked it under your arm as you walked away. You wave good bye and thank her again before you go back out to your car. Once you’re in the car, you put the file into the glovebox. You pull your phone out and got on the GPS, looking for hotels nearby that you could stay the night since you don't move in to the apartment until tomorrow. Once you found a decent priced hotel room for one night, you pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the Marriott hotel you would be staying at.

As you drove, you couldn't help but get excited over the thought of moving in tomorrow.

You would finally be starting a new chapter of your life—and you couldn't wait.

What could possibly go wrong?

hey loves!!

this chapter was a little...all over the place, and super short. i apologize for that lol

my chapters aren't EVER this short, but i had to get things going! the next chapter though, that'll be much longer, and less boring, i PROMISE

i don't have much to say, just that i'm super excited to get this book going! i have some super fun chapters planned and i can't wait for you all to see what i have in mind for this book :)

[sgtmickeyslaughter]

weekly tag wednesday

tagged by @energievie @lingy910y and @mmmichyyy

name: gigi

age: 24

your time zone: est

what do you do for work? junior architect at a midsized firm, but im hoping to get hired some where better in the next couple months so wish me luck

do you have any pets? no

what first drew you to this fandom? i started watching shameless in my Postgrad Summer of Aimless Unemployment and looked up the show on tumblr and saw how vibrant the fandom was

are you a morning person or a night owl? both 😅 i push myself to be a morning person bc i think its a better healthier lifestyle but im most creative at night and sometimes i just cant resist an all nighter

what are your hobbies? so many, im too energetic for my own good lol. writing, drawing/painting, bookbinding, reading, yoga, cooking, running and now that its springtime, tennis.

how tall are you? a teensy bit over 5'-0"

if you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? i already live in my lifelong dream city. I love ny but i toy a lot with moving to chicago bc its way cheaper and a bit more laid back, id also like to live in another country but all my international friends here have such headaches dealing with visas etc. i think ill stick to visiting

favorite color? olive

favorite book? the vegetarian - han kang

favorite movie? thats such hard question but monkey man is my favorite ive seen this year

favorite fic? box in the box

favorite musical artist: tyler childers

what is your average screen time so far this week? pass

what’s the first app you open in the morning? messages, i usually have texts from friends and family in other time zones. I try not to open social media or emails before coffee

how long have you been on tumblr? literally a decade, on my main/personal blog

finally (and i know this one is hard) tell me a fun fact about yourself: i would sell all of you for a box of pocky atm

tagging: @stocious @blue-disco-lights @mickeysgaymom @deathclassic @atthedugouts @mickeym4ndy @iansw0rld @jrooc @mickittotheman @metalheadmickey @gallawitchxx @em-harlsnow @sirrudo @mybrainismelted @heymrspatel @krysmiss

[noises-of-nothing]

I just went through the worst emotional rollercoaster over a book and none of it had anything to do with the story.

I got a copy of The Phantom of the Opera for my Bday last year and it was the Barnes and Noble Collectible edition. I don't live in a country with Barnes and Noble, so i was happy a family friend went out to grab this for me while visiting the US. The book was plastic wrapped, so why would i assume anything bad?

This book sat on my bookshelf for a little over a year, 'cause Im the type of person to buy new books and then buy even more books before reading what was previously bought. So when I finally got around to reading this I was excited!

I had just reached chapter 5 of TPotO where I was greeted by the most horrendous damage I've ever seen in a lightly used, never before read book

It's most definitely damage done while the pages were being printed, BUT STILL! WHAT IS THIS?!?! my heart broke!

Now, I've looked at buying from B&N before and paying whatever extra costs the change in currency requires so i can have pretty leather bound books. And in my head I remember having this in my cart with another book and seeing "This book cannot be shipped to *country*" so in my head, in my heartbreak and panic, i assumed it was TPotO that couldnt be shipped. At the same time, this copy of TPotO was almost 80 on Amazon, a price i dont want to pay for one book.

So, in the middle of contacting support to see if anything can be done, i put the book in my cart to screenshot the 'cant be shipped' message, but its not there! THIS BOOK CAN BE SHIPPED!! I thank support and go about the prep to buy a replacement.

I go and double check Amazon to see if paying the base price plus all the extra currency change prices, taxes and shipping is worth the same as the 80 the book was in the past, and I see that the price has gone down by HALF! with free shipping

I can buy a replacement and not break my wallet!

[lacebird]

1st Canadian anon here! youre so welcome for the advice! In terms of other cities, maybe check in the maritimes....maybe St. John's in Newfoundland and Labrador or Halifax in Nova Scotia! I'm not too familiar with this region tho. Not as expensive as Vancouver or Toronto, but the cost of living is still bad. There is also Calgary, Alberta, in the west. Also not as expensive as Toronto and Vancouver.

As for Québec, there's been a lot of controversy in the government about people moving there who cannot speak french. Since English colonization and bc of current tourism, everyone there speaks English and there are a lot of predominantly English-speaking areas. However, the government is trying to make newcomers (kids in school for example) learn french and make Québec more french focused to preserve the language and it might be a bit difficult to get medical and other government services in English if things keep going the way they do. I'm all for prioritizing our language but these services are really important to be accessible for everyone. Right now, it's alright though.

Overall, as long as you try, people will appreciate you. It's similar to European tourism where they just want their language to be respected by visitors. So living in a large city or in an English area is ur best bet for Québec, but it's still a good idea to know some french, especially for a job. It would be very difficult (near impossible) to get a job if you don't know french, unless youre in a VERY english area. But pls dont rely on me for this info lol for all i know there might be some opportunities! Hope this helps, whether you decide to move or visit 🥰🥰

thank you so much for taking the time to write this! it's understandable that they'd want to preserve the language. i however don't think i have enough brain capacity to learn another language (i already speak four, a fifth one would be TOO much for me). But if i do visit i will definitely try to learn some phrases!

canadians seem like such lovely and kind people, you anon have only proved that point to me further! cant wait to visit your beautiful country one day!

[grimsonandclover]

i just see that you went to a farm, were you inspired by that to make the art and patrick bots? or do you remember anything about that? my dad's family is also paraguayan and what they remember about that is very vague, but I would really like to know if u don't mind

I made the art and Patrick farmhand bots for a request I got! Everything about them was inspired by God's Own Country. As I kid, the most helping I did was trying and failing to learn how to milk cows and being too scared of the chickens to collect eggs

I remember a lot about that year of my life, to an extent. I found out you cant slap a cows ass or they'll ram you into a fence by the arm (still love them), chickens will kill your pet bunny, corn fields are no joke, as cool as geese are, having them is unbelievably loud and shit will be everywhere for as far as the eye can see, if you walk anywhere a cow has been and aren't paying explicit attention, you will suddenly feel your foot immersed into hot gooey shit, as cute as mice are, they're not welcome by the other farm inhabitants. We had a small veggie garden but I wasn't involved in that either. It was beautiful and green and we had an old tree farm that they no longer cut wood from since my grandfather died, so it was like a forest I liked to pretend to explore in. The cows fields were my favorite walking place and it felt like they went on forever. We had a huge red barn hand built by my grandfather that I was too scared to explore, and a little farmhand house that was empty for the majority of the time I lived there. It was a a single room, very very small, and I treated it like my own playhouse (and when I got pet bunnies, it became their little house). My grandmother's house, where we lived, had this huge back patio where we'd sit and drink terere under the cool shade while covering the floor in sunflower seeds. It's a core memory of mine.

My mom grew up on that farm and really got the full experience. Like she worked full time on it since she learned to walk, was pulled out of school by 11 (as was normal in the mennonite community) to keep helping. She milked the cows daily, took care of the chickens, helped w the horses when they had them, worked on the fields with her parents and siblings until the sun set.

Unfortunately a few years after we moved, my grandmother had to sell the property because it was just too much for her by herself. The new owners have destroyed the farm my mom was born on :( there was the main house, and the little old original house also hand built by my grandfather that was opposite to it, and they've completely let it go to ruins. Same with the barn. The little tree farm has been cut down bare. It's depressing.

The only part of Paraguay that wasn't the farm I got to experience was when I visited my dad once where he lived in Asuncion. Very different, no clue how to explain it. My mom is German and so was the whole community I was surrounded by, but my dad is actually Paraguayan. I wish I knew how to describe it but I really can't. I pretty much only saw my grandparents house and a park there, all other memories are blurry or gone.

Very very cool another Paraguayan has found me on here, it's always so rare. I'd love to hear anything you/your dad has to say about the country!

[gayhenrycreel]

if we want successful leftism, we have to address how communes often turn into cults

cults often have communes, and can and do originate as communes. if they don't become cults, they become more cult adjacent until people just leave because it sucks.

this is not because communes are inherently bad.

its because our authoritarian society does not favour socialism based society.

authoritarian conditions result in communes becoming isolated, because communes are so few and far between, since its difficult to live in a libertarian communist way under authoritarian capitalism.

isolation, just like internet echo chambers, results in beliefs getting more extreme and fearful of the outside world.

isolation is not only dangerous, but also definitely not the goal for socialism, hence why its so difficult for a commune to remain socialist, rather than someone gaining authority over the group, becoming a cult.

i think the solution is for communes to work together.

to get anywhere in this world, we need allies. we need community. a commune is the same.

dont think of a commune as an entirely independent group that supports itself, and start thinking of a successful commune as a small society that has its own self-government of its citizens that also participates in mutual aid with other communes.

imagine if each town or district of a city had its own self-governance and traded with nearby towns or districts, and the different groups were able to be different societies, possibly even developing cultural differences.

this is what i imagine as an anarchist society.

ive actually observed this to a degree in rural areas. if people werent still reliant on overworking to survive, imagine the community that would be able to develop. ive even seen different rural towns develop as cultures.

in my country, theres a town where theres a bread factory that most of the town works at. every surrounding town has connections to it as a food source. theres another town where everyones favourite beach is.

if people worked reasonable hours, theyd be able to work more efficiently and have more community, which would benefit the town and also mean thered be more food available.

this would allow that town to participate more in the local community.

now, these towns are not perfect, but on closer analysis, its because of authority again. the mayor of the biggest town (last time i visited) was a horrible racist who planned to kick the homeless people out of town. the factory workers dont have the freedom to work reasonable hours. an electrician got banned from a meat factory for pointing out the equipment was unsafe, the reason being that its expensive to fix (this is illegal btw).

without capitalism the workers safety would be prioritised over money, and the equipment would be fixed. without a class hierarchy thered be no homeless people to kick out (and no one to do the kicking). without wage slavery the factory workers would be able to live without over working.

so.... the problems are because of hierarchy. if people were to be independent of rulership, we wouldn't have to deal with a classist mayor. we could have direct democracy. people would have time to think about what they want in their lives instead of being forced to work until they spend all their free time recovering.

communes need community to function, and we cant risk isolation all over again.

[selfundiagnosed]

I wanna earn enough income to travel the world dude how the fuck do people my age make money to travel abroad like i literally dont get it… like can someone teach me whatever life hack i literally have never left the united states in my entire life. i havent even left the midwest really except 3 times. i have seen the ocean once. how can i make this my main focus like how do i accomplish making crazy money so i can travel the world i just wanna fucking see whats up. it is so embarrassing when i see images of places and im just like fuck this does not compute as a real place because ive only seen iowa my entire life. genuinely driving me crazy. i feel like i am never going to leave this stupid fucking place. i want to visit like literally everywhere in the entire world how do people do that without like a wealthy background?? do lower middle & lower class americans ever even like leave this place at all ever like am i fucking insane?? am i destined to live and die only seeing this dumb flat land?? i see people my age on here just traveling the world and it makes me so frustrated and jealous tears threaten the corners of my eyes i want to be able to achieve that but i couldnt afford to go to college i cant afford a car HOW do i get out of here like genuinely. Im asking this with lesions of my skin clawed off my face. i am actually so desperate just go to like another country preferably one that doesnt touch the US idk just about every single place in the world i would like to visit before i die. i am a travel head who has never traveled. it makes me feel like how humans feel when they lay in bed & rot for 2 decades. It feels even more like a lost cause when you realize YOUR parents have never left the country and your PARENTS parents have never left the country and your PARENTS PARENT PARENTS HAVE NEVER LEFT THE COUNTRY AND

[snufkinstories]

Hello Snufkin! I was wondering— In your travels down south, what was your favorite experience or place while traveling there? Also, how far south have you gotten to so far? I myself live with my family in the tropics, but we’ve traveled outside of our country a few times thanks to my father’s occupation! We experienced snow for the first time when we visited a country further north half a year ago. The flora there were intruiging and new for me personally! And my father did scold me for snagging a few rosehips and pinecones during our visit in a very old church there hehe. The food was also quite scrumptious! I especially miss the khachapuri (cheese-filled bread).

I also got lost in the city once after my parents said something quite upsetting, but i did find them again eventually! (That was quite an adventure too if i do say so myself)

Personally, i dislike it a bit how we’re often in a rush when visiting new places— trying to go to one tourist stop to another as soon as possible… oh and the one too many pictures ����😭😭 i understand that they want to experience as many things as possible and also keep some memories, but it can be quite overwhelming and it makes it difficult to absorb my surroundings and be in the moment 😔 i feel like i sometimes cant help but feel a bit performative i guess? And by that i mean like… acting like im enjoying something when im not because i cant fully.

Anyways aahh enough of my rambling! I’m curious to about what you might share! And I hope you didn’t mind that i shared a bit of my experience while i traveled somewhere as well hahaha. I couldn’t help myself! I hope that you’re having a delightful time there in moominvalley with your friends and the moomins!

Well, it sure sounds like you had yourself one full adventure, doesn't it? It's great to get up and travels sometimes, but I get when it gets overwhelming when people try to do the most and make memories. My friends here in Moominvalley often do the same and I have to tell them to slow down!

(P.S. sometimes Moominmama makes khachapuri, and everyone ends up asleep within the following hour. I get why you like it, it's quite scrumptious indeed.)

As for myself, I believe my favorite part for traveling into the south each winter is to see all the locals. They're never the same, but they welcome me like family, just like the Moomins! Plus, all the freshly baked goods and beautifully grown produce are always a refresher after eating so many meals in Moominvalley. Cleanses my palate, y'know?

By the way, I don't mind if you write so much about your own travels, they're your own! I'm here to share some of mine, and you're here to ask and tell about your own adventures! A give and give situation, if you must.

Keep having those wonderful travels! Looking forward to hearing more in the future. - Snufkin

[sweetkoalastarfish]

Welcome to "sweetkoalastarfish" blog. Thank you for stopping by, and thrilled to have you here. This blog is all about exploring Filipino culture, from it's deep-rooted traditions to the lively festival, delicious cuisine, and vibrant art and creativity. If you're interested in learning about what makes the Philippines and its people unique you're in the right place.

What is Filipino Culture?

Filipino culture is a rich tapestry woven from a history of indigenous traditions, colonial influences, and modern global connections. It's defined by a strong sense of family, a deep-rooted respect for traditions, and an indomitable spirit that finds joy even in adversity.

Here are some of the Filipino culture that make it so special:

Family and Bayanihan- Family is at the heart of Filipino life. The concept of "bayanihan" embodies the spirit of communal unity and helping one another. It's common for extended families to live together or stay closely connected, providing a support system like no other.

Festival and Traditions- The Philippines is known for its colorful and lively festivals. From Sinulog in Cebu to Pahiyas in Quezon, each festival has its unique charm and story. Traditions like Simbang Gabi during Christmas and Flores de Mayo in May are celebrated with great enthusiasm and bring people together in glee.

Cuisine and Food- Filipino cuisine is a delightful blend of flavors and influences. Dishes like adobo, sinigang, and lechon are loved by many. The merienda culture, with its snack like pancit and halo-halo adds to the fun. Food is not just about eating-it's a way of connecting with others.

Language and Communication- The Philippines has over 180 languages with Tagalog and Cebuano being among the most widely spoken. Filipinos are known for their warmth and friendliness, often using unique expressions like "po" and "opo" to show respect. Communication is a mix of traditional and contemporary, with social media playing a significant role.

Art and Creativity- Filipino creativity is boundless, from traditional craft like weaving and pottery to contempory music, dance, and cinema. Artists and performers from the Philippines have made a mark on the world stage, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the country.

The Filipino Spirit- Depite the challenges that Filipinos face, there's a resilience and positivity that's truly inspiring. This spirit is what makes the Philippines such a unique and welcoming place. Stories of communities coming together, neighbors helping each other, and a smile even in difficult times are what define the Filipino spirit.

I invite you to join on this journey to explore Filipino culture. Wether you're curios about the places to visit in the Philippines, the latest trend in Filipino music, or simply want to learn more about the people and their stories, there's something here for everyone.

Thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed this introduction to Filipino culture. Stay tuned for more stories, insights, and adventures. I cant' wait to share more with you! Till then, salamat and see you soon!

[stop-pressing-e]

The Lost Swan - Chapter 3

Prev chapter | Next chapter Prologue

/A moment of calm before the storm before the next chapter soon. Enjoy reading!/

Mentions of: A bit of dirty talking and intimate moment before a fade to black scene.

Two months have passed since Trish’s actions plagued Krauser’s mind. He never brought it up knowing she’ll deflect the subject for his exhaustion from their job. He happened to take on a number of mercenary contracts to counterbalance the number of hitman contracts Trish was given. The number of jobs simply happened to be in the same countries, allowing them to travel together and their final job happened to finish at the same time, thus they were able to return home together to Trish’s industrial loft at long last. 

It was their little bubble to enjoy their domesticity and to drop their guard down to be two normal people with unnatural abilities. Trish’s neighbours accepted Krauser without a word, albeit with some questioning looks due to his appearance and when they learned he’s been living with her for over a year without introducing him to them. Like Trish, they understood that Krauser is also a reserved individual who makes small talk and has his nose buried in work making it a rarity to see either of them unless so.

“Bloody hell…” She let out a grumble after closing the fridge door. Krauser lowered down the volume of the television after hearing her annoyance, turning his torso over to look at her. “What?” “I don’t have the specific ingredients to make dinner tonight.” She answered with a heavy sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I should go but there are things I need to prepare. I’m sorry to ask, love, but would you please go get the things for me? I’ll write down the list.” 

Something so little could bring a sigh from the mercenary too but he made no complaint about it. He has done this before so it’s nothing new. “Anything else you want me to get other than these?” “Nothing else in mind but I trust your judgement if we’re missing something else.” She replied, soon snapping her fingers. “Oh, you can get the wine too. It’ll pair perfectly with what I’m making.” A lewd smile formed on her face for Krauser to see when he collected the list from her. “If you remember which one I’m talking about, I’ll give you a reward for it.” 

A blonde eyebrow bounced up and a smirk curled on his features. “Am I allowed to make a request?” “Only one, love. It’ll be a surprise.” The smirk grew and a glint of mischief shined in his eyes. “Wear the stockings with your outfit.” He said, stepping closer to close the gap between them and snaked his hand behind Trish to squeeze her ass. “And wear that toy too. You know which one.”

The ass grab caught her attention and she couldn’t help but blush while the grin stayed on. “That’s two requests, love.” She purred softly, canting her head to the right. “But I’ll make an exception if you get everything.” “Yes ma’am.” He squeezed her ass once more and pulled away before Trish could plan on kissing him, making a groan underneath her breath.

“Ugh, that man I swear to god.”

At the grocery market, Krauser has gotten the things Trish needed to make dinner along with some things they needed or not. He got ice-cream too for dessert, if there will be a chance for dessert afterward. All that’s left is the wine and he’s not getting it at the grocery market. He’s heading for the liquor shop instead. They have a better variety.

He was not far from the shop when he halted in his steps, swearing he saw a particular someone, who was supposed to be at home half an hour ago, is currently in a cafe they’ve visited a few times. It was Trish alright and it looked like she’s in a deep conversation with another person sitting across from her. Her blind side was facing the window, unable to see that Krauser was watching her talking to someone. He was more focused on the person she’s talking to, rarely seeing her interacting with anyone at all in this city they’re living in that is not work related and the people she works for never makes a visit unless she does so at a meet up site.

So who the hell is this?

The haircut was a choppy pixie cut in a fiery red colour that clearly looked to be done by a box dye. The black hoodie looked oddly familiar, specifically with the graphic design on the sleeve. The features were difficult to see from across the road and he can’t go up to the cafe without alerting them by his presence. He needed them separated. Krauser quickly pulled out his phone from his cargo pants and his thumb flew over the keypad to type in the message that he’s getting the wine at the shop and he’ll be heading home soon. Once he pressed send, he watched Trish pick up her phone from the table and saw the change in her body language. Whatever she was telling the other person, she had to go home, fast. A brown thick envelope caught his attention before it disappeared into her messenger bag and Krauser ducked behind the car to avoid her gaze, peering through the car windows to watch the rest of the quick interaction and then Trish leaving the cafe. The redhead patted their pocket and pulled out a crisp bill to pay before leaving. 

Krauser kept his distance as he followed the hooded person. They looked agitated from behind, occasionally looking left and right and often behind, forcing Krauser to duck for cover without being seen. Where the hell are they going? He has no time to play detective with the stuff Trish needed and without her wondering what’s taking him so long. Thankfully he knew a shortcut to get to them faster. It was a perfect chance to pull them into an alleyway right before they reached the traffic light. One large hand clamped over their mouth to prevent them from screaming and the other hand held his knife, placed under their neck, as he dragged them back to interrogate them.

There was no chance to do so once they stomped on his foot and threw their head back, breaking his nose. Krauser let out a curse and made a cut on their arm, making them let out a scream and clutching their arm. The scream was high pitched and feminine, indicating that this was a woman he’s up against. It was the same pitch of surprise, similar to the one he heard back at the bar. With her opportunity, she ran off given the chance she had stunned him for a moment. She was already too far away for him to chase after and he was starting to run late with the groceries and he needed to get the wine. He ignored the dull pain of his nose during the whole ordeal of him getting the wine and returning back home, the plagas inside of him having healed a minor injury quickly. The blood was cleaned off and he double checked to be sure there’s no blood on his dark shirt.

“Finally!” Trish exclaimed right as Krauser stepped through the door. “You’re finally back home! What took you so long? Traffic couldn’t have been that bad.” “Don’t underestimate peak hours and I nearly had to fight with an old bitch who wanted to take my wine bottle.” He feigned annoyance in his answer when setting the bags down. He wasn’t the only one faking the situation in their home since he has caught her outside. It was unclear how long she had been out while he was shopping but damn dinner was almost ready.

The kiss on his cheek snapped his attention and he watched Trish rummaged through the bags to retrieve the ingredients she needed. “You got ice-cream too!” She said with joy before poking the container. “Aww, it’s a bit soft. Hopefully by the time we’re done with dinner it should be firm up.” “Anything else you need me to do?” “Not yet.” She said, chopping up the carrots into small chunks. “You can set up the table when I cook the lamb eventually. For now, you can go back to what you were doing. Thanks for getting the things, Jackie.”

Once she watched Krauser heading back to the living room, she shook her head to herself. She was damn lucky she was done making the gravy by the time Krauser left or else she’ll be scrambling to get that done after receiving the text from him from the cafe. Always the attentive man to get everything needed on the list, minus the ice cream which was sweet of him, and viewing it as a straightforward mission without a side quest. But it wasn’t the reason why she was concerned by it. She was mostly concerned that she’s hiding this mission from him. They rarely hide secrets from each other nowadays and Trish has managed to get him to properly communicate with her without him stewing on it and making her try to read his mind.

This time it’s not from the organisation giving her this job. This one was personal and it was a concerning one if Krauser even discovers about it on the dot. The envelope she was given was hidden in one of the drawers at her art studio. One of the few places he would never check but she will still need to move it to another location for paranoid reasons. Looking back at the blonde across the room, she let out a soft sigh for herself. All she hopes for when the time comes is that she doesn’t take so long when she goes away.

All for her own sake.

Trish sat herself on Krauser’s lap without a word and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her figure and she adjusted her position better. She took in his scent of sandalwood and his sweat, inhaling the smell softly. As she did so she felt Krauser shifted under her weight and soon her lips latched against his neck, trailing soft kisses along his skin. She can feel the vibrations of his grunts against her lips as she continues.

“Getting a bit needy here, aren’t we?”

“Mmm…” She hummed against his skin and soon she was nibbling him, alternating with sucking to leave a few marks on him as he often does to her. “Badly…” To ensure the message was clear, she switched her position so that she was straddling his lap and rolled her hips against his. “Rain check on the reward?” She pulled away from his neck to face Krauser, staring back at her with a smirk on his face and the hazy look of lust in his eyes. “Consider this my reward instead.” He slung her over his shoulder as he stood up, holding her by the hips, and carried her up to the bedroom area. 

It was two in the morning and Trish was downstairs reading the documents by the table lamp, not risking to use the lamp stand to wake up Krauser. In fact, she needed to be careful when reading them if he woke up and wondered where she could be before heading downstairs and questioned her reasoning to still be awake. Most of the papers were transcripts from an audio recording which will need to be looked at tomorrow when she’s alone, others were new information on the latest updates, and the rest were pictures to compare and examine on the large map included filled with red writing and markings. These things need to be thoroughly examined when Krauser heads out. Looking at her phone, she has been awake for half an hour. It was best to stop for the night and continue when she can. The envelope was tucked away between the painted canvases and stuck it in one of the corners.

Krauser hasn’t moved since she left the bed and she carefully slid herself back under the covers, composing herself to breathe slowly and carefully to even her breathing and to relax herself. While she does, she takes her remaining waking minutes to admire his sleeping features. ‘I will miss this.’ She thought, staring at his long lashes, the large scar trailing down the left side of his face, down to the long thin lips she has kissed so many times, aching to kiss him right now without a second thought. ‘And I will miss you, my love.’ 

Why was it when she closed her eye, her heart started to break and tears silently rolled down her cheeks?

[senanatheskenana]

Good morning, I wanted to try the survey event if it's still open. If not, feel free to ignore this ask. And before we get to the question, I apologize for the grammar mistakes English isn't my native language.

1. My work ethic is more or less chaotic. I'm a huge procrastinator who can't follow a plan. I tend to do everything at the last minute under the stress and the pressure. Even if I'm interested in the work, I'll zone out pretty fast.

2. Overthinking is my second name /hj. Well, to be honest I'm a very anxious person, I tend to overanalyzing every single thing. How the baker did look at me, my outfit, my haircut... What a pain. :(

3. I use to be a very extraverted kid, but as I'm growing up I'm getting more and more introverted. I like staying alone or with the few people I can trust. Honestly, I don't see why you should waste your energy by befriending a lot of people when you can use your energy to take care of your loved ones.

4. The answer is very cliché, but it would be Japan. I would love to visit this country one day, climbing Mt Fuji, eating traditional food and discovering their culture.

5. I'm finishing High School and I don't really know what I want to study. Maybe biology or history.

6. I love sweet food with all my heart, give me chocolate and you're making me the happiest man alive.

7. I live with my cat and my two dogs and I wouldn't replace them with anything in the world. But if I could adopt another animal, it would probably be a pigeon or a bird of some kind.

8. I'm a trans man and I consider myself as aroace. So yes, this is more on a " if I could to date I would... " kind of thing or platonic. And I don't really care about the gender of my match.

9. That's a hard question. Probably the hardest on the list /hj. I don't really have one favourite song, more like a whole playlist, but if I should give you one I would say... Fine by Lemon Demon.

10. Family well... All depends on your relationship with them and how they treated you in the past. Sometimes it's important to distance yourself from them, to let go for becoming the best version of yourself. But it's also great when they got your back. So to get on a middle ground, I would say that family is important but you shouldn't let them control your life or make you feel guilty for anything. Talking about kids, I don't mind babysitting or keeping kids at home to help a friend but I don't want to be a father. I don't want kids, I would be a terrible father and I don't want them to grow up in this chaotic world. If the world became a better place, with less wars and dangers for them... Then I might reconsider my choice.

And I ended up writing way to much, I'm terribly sorry T_T. Thanks for reading this, take your time and don't forget to care of you. Have a nice day!

(ps : I find your work very cool)

im glad you like my writing, i really like writing it :)

Also don't worry about writing too much, i think that as long as it's good, you cant write too much xx

I would put you with Kazuha. He's kind and friendly and most of all very calming to be around. Kazuha likes to wander around, so he'd be thrilled to travel with you. While Kazuha can be pretty quiet, he is quite good at calming and comforting people. Kazuha understands the temptation of procrastination so he'd try his best to keep you on track, he may even do it with you. He probably isn't concerned with having children, considering he likes to be transitory and travel but he probably does like having animals around. I can totally see him with a bird too because they can easily follow the Crux

[mockingbirdshymn]

headcanons for the adult camp camp characters part 1 nerriston/performance trio because i love them with all of my heart ever

preston ends up working at a local theatre as the primary director there!! the theatre's actors usually consist of high school students and the theatre ends up hosting a lot of larger high school or college plays, and preston has pressured quite a few colleges into doing some of his favorite plays. the happiest hes ever been was when he got to direct a heathers play. he literally came home and shoved the script in harrison and nerris' faces out of excitement.

harrison works as a magician at the same theatre. he did a few shows in other theatres, a few times in vegas. he wants to become a famous magician, (as preston does a famous actor), but likes his life where it is right now and wouldnt want to be moving all of the time for shows. plus, hes terrified of being seen as a freak of some sort of ridiculed. he does bigger shows every so often, dont think he doesnt, but he mainly does shows in his city.

nerris' job is in marketing. she hates it a lot but performance doesnt bring as much money in as theyd like so they have to put in effort. theyre honestly happy with it because while the job itself sucks, she likes seeing harrison and preston be able to do their own crafts.

nerris did not want a dog. preston and harrison found a dog being given away in a walmart parking lot. and thus, nerris woke up to a dog in their home. harrison named him mantacore after the roy and siegfried's tiger yk the one. he is a samoyed. he sleeps on the bed with them.

they dont have kids ever mostly because i really dont like kids im sorry but i feel as though preston would see a child and go "ew" and nerris is the only one with actually good parents so 2/3 of the kids parents would just not know what to do. soooo no kids

nerris binds but never gets top surgery!! this is mostly because some days they dont really get dysphoria, and they still like appearing feminine from time to time (though neutral is definitely their style like 75% of the time). this headcanon is made by me, someone who binds but does not want to get top surgery, half projecting onto nerris

harrison does not drink, preston sometimes does, nerris does. this doesnt rlly have a followup headcanon but i can only imagine harrison's introverted ass staring down at a cup of orange juice while at a party and then driving everyone else home

there are three bookshelves in the living room. you can tell whos is whos because one is filled with percy jackson and narnia and other fantasy books, another has every script to every play in existence ever as well as analysis books of creative theatre, and one has like four magic related books and mostly stores props. not to say harrison doesnt read, but he mostly steals from nerris' shelf when he wants to read.

every summer, the performance trio (along with the other adult campers) hangs out at camp campbell. the camp shut down after the kids all became adults, mostly because nobody wanted to send their kids to a camp known for being a money laundering scheme, housing a known criminal (cameron campbell), overall a big scam, and because the amount of fbi helicopters flying to the camp was enough to drive everyone else away. it was a miracle the campers were allowed to come back there the following summers.

as adults, the campers are all relatively good friends. dolph moved to germany, but he visits whenever he can, and neil is gone a lot doing research projects in different countries, but the campers still live relatively close together and hang out a lot. i cant see a universe where they stop talking after camp

in honor of the camp, and also because yellow grew on them after a while, yellow is still a color most of the campers wear pretty often, except for max, dolph, and space kid.

harrison is still scared of quartermaster. how is he not dead yet. it has been a decade. he looked old when david was a kid. why is he still here. what the fuck was up with that space octopus. what does he know.

i like to think at least once quartermaster showed up at the nerriston house, poked his hook at harrison and said "come with me" and harrison Just Did. he came back a day later looking absolutely disturbed. he probably saw a demon or something, knowing quartermaster.