#i need free tools pls

[69shadesofgray]

social media peeps!

i am young and naive and need to start tracking my instagram analytics to prove my worth to my company for a raise, and also to future potential employers. i’m LOST. how are y’all tracking this????

[tubbytarchia]

Big fan of FireAlpaca's new free timelapse feature, except you can only export your timelapse in GIF format so now I have an almost 1GB 6 minute gif of me drawing block men

[imgae-insertshockedgasps-16]

okay i've seen a few Just Some Guy!danny aus and they've consumed my brain so here you go, it's under the cut, you're welcome and thank you (ps it also combines part of a prompty type thing i saw the other day, props if you know it)

Danny was not entirely sure how he got here.

He was just walking along, bopping to some great interdimensional tunes, eating his tuna fish sandwich - with ectoplasm and pickles, of course - when KABLOW there's this big ole tightie-whities-on-the-outside wearing guy.

Now, Danny's not great at keeping up with the times, but he's pretty sure this is that Superman dude.

Said SuperDude was staring at his headphones and making vague "hey take them out pls so can converse" gestures, so naturally Danny pops the Interdimensional Walkman out of his chest to pause his wicked music, and then puts the whole kit and kaboodle back behind his rib cage.

"What's up? Did you need help or something? I mean, I'm pretty solidly retired but I guess if it's super important I can-"

SuperGuy abruptly stopped staring and started speaking, "Uh- no, no, thank you. Although I'm sure you could be helpful if I did need you! But, ah, well, was that a Walkman?"

Ohhhhh, Danny totally gets it now.

"Oh, dude, I gotchu. You want me to hook you up, right? Don't even worry about it, I know a guy who'll give you one a these babies for free! You're Kryptonian, right? Yeah, I totally get it, you wanna listen to some music from your home planet, no problemo my newly-minted friend, give me, like, ten seconds-"

And so Danny tore open a neat little portal and stuck his head through it, asking Technus to pretty please give him another Interdimensional Walkman, no he didn't even break this one-! He ran into a Kryptonian who heard him rockin out and wanted to know where he got the beats, and he'd told them that he could hook them up! C'mon Technus, you can't let them down! They're all lonely! They want to learn about their culture!

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

Clark has no idea what's happening.

He had been searching for this ear-splitting, headache-inducing noise, and had come across a guy dancing down the sidewalk.

Not unusual, right?

Except that the terrible noise was coming from this man's - kid's?? He can't quite tell how old he is - headphones!

Of course, he didn't want to be rude, so he politely gestured for the man to remove the headphones. The man then proceeded to reach into his chest and pull out some kind of - Walkman?? Do people still use Walkmans?

Clark was naturally concerned, so he activated a spot of x-ray vision, just to see what's going on in there, and was promptly horrified.

This man was using his chest cavity as a storage compartment!

Two wallets, a key ring, a lunch box, some sort of odd thermos, bits and bobs of random parts and tools were all tangled around - and occasionally in - this guy's organs!

Suddenly, Clark realized that he'd been staring for a while, and the man was now talking. Something about coming out of retirement to help, oh dear, Ma would knock him around the head if he kept being so rude, "Uh- no, no, thank you. Although I'm sure you could be helpful if I did need you! But, ah, well, was that a Walkman?"

And now he was speaking rapidly, something about music from Krypton? Clark's pretty sure that not a whole lot survived the explosion, and he'd be pretty surprised if this guy just happened to have-

A vaguely Lazarus colored portal??

What in the world-

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

"Thanks Technus! You're the best! I owe you one non evil scheme related favour!"

Danny zips up the portal and turns around, fiddling with the tapes and Walkman in his hands as he goes.

"Here you go! I wasn't entirely sure what genre you'd want, I don't really listen to a whole lot of Kryptonian stuff to be honest, it's usually too heavy on the vocal for me- not that vocals aren't great! But I want a whole band experience, yaknow? I'm not really looking for individual singers. Anyway, I just had him go for a couple songs of each major genre, but if you want something different you can totally-"

"Wait, hold on, you're telling me that there's Kryptonian music on those tapes? Playable by that Walkman?"

"Uh, well, yeah. Isn't that why you tracked me down? And, technically, I mean, they're ectoplasmic tapes and an Interdimensional Walkman, so. Hey, did you know that kryptonite is actually super-condensed ectoplasm? And since it's filled with the anguish and suffering and fear and whatnot of your entire home planet dying, it only negatively affects your species! Pretty cool right? Oh, shit, was that insensitive, I really didn't mean to be, I just thought that maybe you'd want to- ACK!"

Danny was not expecting SuperMuscles to get so close. He thrust out the IW and tapes and dropped them into SuperFellow's hands, "Listen, I gotta run. I'm supposed to be at a o-chem study group right now and they're totally gonna be pissed. Hit me up if you want a different tape."

And the proceeded to run in the opposite direction, duck into an alley and turn invisible, and fly over to the cafe his study group was in.

"Listen, I know I'm late but you'll never believe why-"

[rebeccathenaturalist]

An App Does Not a Master Naturalist Make

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/app-not-master-naturalist/ - I had written this as an op-ed and sent it to WaPo, but they had no interest, so you get to read it here instead!

I have mixed feelings about Michael Coren’s April 25 Washington Post article, “These 4 free apps can help you identify every flower, plant and tree around you.” His ebullience at exploring some of the diverse ecological community around him made me grin, because I know exactly what it feels like. There’s nothing like that sense of wonder and belonging when you go outside and are surrounded by neighbors of many species, instead of a monotonous wall of green, and that is a big part of what led me to become a Master Naturalist.

When I moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, I felt lost because I didn’t recognize many of the animals or plants in my new home. So I set about systematically learning every species that crossed my path. Later, I began teaching community-level classes on nature identification to help other people learn skills and tools for exploring their local flora, fauna, and fungi.

Threeleaf foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

Let me be clear: I love apps. I use Merlin routinely to identify unknown bird songs, and iNaturalist is my absolute favorite ID app, period. But these tools are not 100% flawless.

For one thing, they’re only as good as the data you provide them. iNaturalist’s algorithms, for example, rely on a combination of photos (visual data), date and time (seasonal data), and GPS coordinates (location data) to make initial identification suggestions. These algorithms sift through the 135-million-plus observations uploaded to date, finding observations that have similar visual, seasonal, and location data to yours.

There have been many times over the years where iNaturalist isn’t so sure. Take this photo of a rather nondescript clump of grass. Without seed heads to provide extra clues, the algorithms offer an unrelated assortment of species, with only one grass. I’ve gotten that “We’re not confident enough to make a recommendation” message countless times over my years of using the app, often suggesting species that are clearly not what I’m looking at in real life.

Because iNaturalist usually offers up multiple options, you have to decide which one is the best fit. Sometimes it’s the first species listed, but sometimes it’s not. This becomes trickier if all the species that are suggested look alike. Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) all have pinnately compound, lanceolate leaves, and young plants of these three species can appear quite similar. If all you know how to do is point and click your phone’s camera, you aren’t going to be able to confidently choose which of the three plants is the right one.

Coren correctly points out that both iNaturalist and Pl@ntNet do offer more information on suggested species—if people are willing to take the time to look. Too many assume ID apps will give an easy, instant answer. In watching my students use the app in person almost everyone just picks the first species in the list. It’s not until I demonstrate how to access the additional content for each species offered that anyone thinks to question the algorithms’ suggestions.

While iNaturalist is one of the tools I incorporate into my classes, I emphasize that apps in general are not to be used alone, but in conjunction with field guides, websites, and other resources. Nature identification, even on a casual level, requires critical thinking and observation skills if you want to make sure you’re correct. Coren’s assertion that you only need a few apps demonstrates a misunderstanding of a skill that takes time and practice to develop properly—and accurately.

Speaking of oversimplification, apps are not a Master Naturalist in your pocket, and that statement —while meant as a compliment–does a disservice to the thousands of Master Naturalists across the country. While the training curricula vary from state to state, they are generally based in learning how organisms interact within habitats and ecosystems, often drawing on a synthesis of biology, geology, hydrology, climatology, and other natural sciences. A Master Naturalist could tell you not only what species you’re looking at, but how it fits into this ecosystem, how its adaptations are different from a related species in another ecoregion, and so forth.

Map showing Level III and IV ecoregions of Oregon, the basis of my training as an Oregon Master Naturalist.

In spite of my criticisms, I do think that Coren was absolutely onto something when he described the effects of using the apps. Seeing the landscape around you turn from a green background to a vibrant community of living beings makes going outside a more exciting, personal experience. I and my fellow nature nerds share an intense curiosity about the world around us. And that passion, more than any app or other tool, is fundamental to becoming a citizen naturalist, Master or otherwise.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[sopiao]

OMG HIIIIII ^^

i feel like there’s not enough price love on this app >:( so i wanted to request a reader that moves in across the hall from Price. and gets a little crushy crush on you 😻

LIKE OMG he helps you move in, do all the heavy lifting. such a gentlemen. always there whenever your AC breaks down. he just so happens to run into you in the complex’s laundry room. somehow always awake when you need him.

please ignore this if you want or don’t feel like it!! take care of urself boo!

PLS IVE BEEN SO EXCITED TO DO THIS THE SECOND I FIRST READ IT. honestly such a cute idea :^

anyways- 👀

Price was a very private man, never discussing any deep or emotional issues or feelings with anyone. He hated small talk, always found it awkward or bothersome. He didn’t feel as lonely as he thought he’d be, he liked the peace and the time he has for himself. Yes, he will be polite, but would rather prefer being by himself. But he’d try his best to avoid any interaction without being rude.

That was until he heard talking and a series thuds outside. Price was always very nosy and curious so he looked through the peephole of his door and saw you standing in front of the apartment across from his, it was empty for as long as he’s been there. Boxes were scattered along your feet.

He’s not sure why, but he felt like he should help you. He told himself it was just to make a good first impression of course. He scrambled to find the nearest clean shirt he could find. Coming out to meet you, Price was awkward at first, feeling like it was a bad idea at the last second until he saw your face, a soft and welcoming smile.

“Hi! Sorry about the boxes, I’ll be quick” You chuckle awkwardly, looking at the boxes that took up one side of the hallway. A smile instantly grew on him as he reassured you that it was alright and that it wasn’t a bother.

“You need a hand? I have some free time” He offered, lying, not wanting to seem like an eager creep that’ll snatch a pair of underwear from you while your not looking.

“You sure? I don’t wanna take up any of your time” Of course you were grateful for the offer but didn’t wanna be a bother. He insisted that he helped and that he wouldn’t be late to the nonexistent plans he made up. You didn’t doubt that he couldn’t do it. I mean, just look at him. His arms alone made you drool.

He made sure to make a show of it when he helped you out. Holding a box close against his barrel chest, making sure to subtly flex his arms he knew you were eyeing. Occasionally, you’d sneak a glance of his ass when you would go back out to bring in another box.

Price even helped you bring in all of your furniture from the downstairs lobby to the second floor. Doesn’t sound like much but when your bringing in furniture up and down and up and down— it gets tiring as hell. And fortunately for your case, sweaty.

Right after bringing in the couch, he did 80% of the lifting, you plopped down across it for a little break. Price pulling up the bottom of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his neck and face, showing you what you’ve been thinking about since the beginning. He was turned to the side so it didn’t look as obvious that he was showing off for you, but you still got that full view.

—

Price was excited when he heard a knock on his door, even more when he saw you, if he was a dog his tail would be wagging side to side.

“Sorry to bother you again, but do you know how to fix an AC? Or a repair number I can call?” You asked, chuckling nervously, again he pretended that he had free time in between plans he didn’t really have. Plus, it took him away from his heaps of paperwork and got to be in your presence, even if it’s for a short while.

“‘Course. I have some time” Flashing the charming smile you always thought about. Following you into your apartment with a reasonably sized tool box. He couldn’t help but eye how you looked, dressed to try and accommodate the hot weather without a functioning AC. Loose black tank top and grey sweatpants.

“Thank you! I would’ve probably roasted to death if I went one more minute with out it. So sorry to bother you again” You grinned, relief washing over you, the cool air against your boiling skin and sweat woke you instantly.

“No problem at all” He shrugged, putting his tools back in the red metal box, resting his surprisingly soft hand on your shoulder.

“Feel free to call me anytime anything needs fixing” His touch seemed to linger, along with your and his gaze on each other.

—

Price sprang up in a second and came running into your apartment when he heard a scream, the door was unlocked. He found you sitting on your counter with a pan, clearly afraid and scared.

“What?! What happened?!” He yelled, looking around your apartment for an intruder or something, his wooden bat being held over his shoulder, ready to strike.

You stuttered, too scared to reply, even think to form a sentence.

“A spider”

“What- Wait- Seriously?” He let the bat drop to his side, laughing at how seriously afraid your expression was.

“Yes, seriously! It’s huge, John! It’s as big as my hand!” You yell, trying to get to him while he laughs.

“Fine. Where is it?” He smirked. You followed him to your bedroom where the spider was. It really was as big as an atom, he couldn’t even find it until it moved up the wall.

—

When John heard your knock at his door he took no longer than a second, ready to open the door and greet you. Wondering what you’d want at this time of the night. He stopped for a second, realizing that he may be a little too eager. Waiting a couple seconds, like one or two, and opening the door, pretending that he just ended a call.

“Hm?” He tilted his head, forearm resting on the edge of the door as he leaned against it. Somehow you were more charming than the last time he saw you. Looking so excited with a paper towel on your hand with a single treat on it. He pretended he didn’t see it, but was internally hoping it was for him.

“Oh, good. You’re awake” You chime happily, taking the thick brownie and pressing it up to his lips for a bite. Wanting for him to take the test brownie, but being to awkward to ask him normally. He hummed in surprise, accepting the baked good. Placing his hand under his chin to keep it from falling and leaving crumbs.

“So?” You asked a couple seconds later, he’s still chewing. He chuckles at your eagerness, nodding his head as he tried to finish up his bite.

“I- Uhh. Wow. This is—this is good. Mm, really good” He nods, taking another bite of it as he dusted of his hands. Making you delighted that he liked it. He held the last bit of it up to your mouth to take it. Biting it from his hands you looked to the side, nodding to yourself and taking mental notes.

“Good. Good. Needs chocolate chunks, a little too dry” He stares as you just talk to yourself, a soft smile on his face.

“Oh. Caramel! Or is that too thick?” You perk up, snapping your fingers and looking up for confirmation or disapproval.

“Frosting?” He adds cluelessly, knowing nothing of the science of baking.

“Frosting!” Your eyes light up, pointing your finger at the idea.

“Mocha, maybe? Or nuts?” He tried his best to help and contribute to your little brainstorming session. Nodding along with the idea you thank him and walk back to your apartment to tweak the recipe a bit.

[pinkacademiaprincess]

Hiii I’m so sorry to bother you!, hope your day goes well <3 I just want to ask, how can I improve in maths? I’m preparing myself for the sat and I have trouble with understanding it. Any tips would be very much appreciated, thanku !! ♡

Become a Math Whiz: Acing Math Class & the SAT 📈✏️📚👩‍🏫

ty for the ask & the kind words! you are never a bother, i'm happy to help 🥰 i can def give some tips as someone who went from struggling w/ math to being good at it. and i’ve taken the SAT so i know that experience as well! i hope this helps 💗

take accountability

it’s very easy to try to shift blame & avoid taking responsibility for your grades/ performance. i used to think things like “the teacher is just bad!” or “i’m just not a math person!” but this mindset is just deflecting. some things are out of your control, like what teacher you have or preferring other subjects, but you have to step up & work hard to create your own success! remembering this will help you stay motivated and disciplined.

find your learning style

i talked about this in a previous post too, but there are different styles of learning - visual, auditory, hands-on, & reading/writing - and not all of them work for everyone. if you spend a ton of time studying and don’t see improvement or results, that’s a big sign that you’re studying wrong. a method that works for your friend or that your teacher uses might not actually be effective for you. so do some research into learning styles and study methods, and find implement strategies that work for you.

never fall behind

okay, easier said than done. but one of the biggest reasons i used to struggle is math is that i would get stuck on a concept, never fully master it, and then i’d stay behind. in math, a lot of topics build on each other. if you get stuck on a topic, it’s crucial that you figure it out asap or your confusion will snowball. you can’t build a solid structure on top of a wobbly foundation. the moment you encounter a problem area, study it until you’ve completely understood.

practice makes perfect

i try to steer clear of recommending specific study methods b/c everyone has different learning styles. but math is so dependent on problem solving & applications that you really have to master this skill in order to succeed. beyond just reviewing your notes & reading over concepts, you need to practice applying topics by solving problems. do the homework questions & do them for accuracy, even if it’s just graded for completion. find extra problems in the textbook, workbook, online, etc. redo questions from class or the hw that confused you until you can do them correctly without your notes. drill it until you can solve them AND understand how the steps work!

ask for help

i am clearly a big proponent of asking for help. in school, your teachers are gonna be one of the best resources you have. for one, they’re teachers for a reason, so even if you think they’re not too great at explaining stuff, they know the concepts. and besides that, your teachers the ones who are creating units, assigning your work, writing & grading your tests... they should be your go-to for questions. visit them during office hours or email to set up a meeting where you can discuss concepts. ask for extra practice problems, ask them to look over your work & let you know how it looks, talk through your work with them. aside from teachers, you can get help from a tutor, a classmate, whoever you can turn to. but pls don’t suffer alone! succeeding with help is still succeeding.

use the internet

so maybe your teacher truly sucks at explaining. maybe you don’t have classmates to help and can’t afford a tutor. or maybe you just wanna supplement your learning another way. i really really recommend utilizing free learning tools online!! khan academy is an obvious one for videos, practice problems, and more. you can also find tons of youtube videos explaining math topics. sometimes it helps to hear things explained another way. i also google “[math concept] practice problems” if i want extra questions to work through.

bonus: tips for SAT math

the SAT is a bit different b/c the math concepts aren’t actually too advanced. it’s all multiple choice so you don’t get to rely on partial points for showing your work. the SAT is testing your strategy & speed as much as it’s actually testing you on math concepts, so here are my best tips for that specifically:

use khan academy’s SAT prep tool - it’s free (!!!!!) and it links to your collegeboard account. it uses prior years’ SAT content so it’s very similar to the test itself. it helps you pace yourself, pinpoint your problem areas, learn & apply concepts, & track your progress. here's a screenshot from when i used it, as you can see my scores improved and i was able to ultimately get a superscore of 1450!

take practice tests - this helps you get familiar with the time constraint. khan academy has plenty!!

do a ton of SAT math practice questions - ideally, find a ton of questions used in prior SAT tests and just crank them out. the test's concepts are quite repetitive so if you just focus on the topics they usually test, you can master them

learn test-taking strategies - the SAT is multiple choice and has a tricky time constraint, so however you can save time will help. become good at using the process of elimination & other multiple choice test methods. you can find these sorts of tips online!

i hope this helps! know that you are completely capable of improving at math. i went from thinking i suck at it & doing poorly in math class to acing my calc courses & studying to enter a math-focused field. utilize your resources and figure out your best study style asap, and you WILL see improvements!

[shogunish]

𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱.

synopsis. all you wanted was a nipple piercing and what you got on top of that was satoru's cum inside you, free of charge.

contents. reader has small boobs, piercing procedure, mentions of blood, so many pet names oh god (sweetheart, hun, baby, etc..), cunnilingus, semi-public sex, unprotected sex, groping, inappropriate aftercare for piercings lmao, unedited/not proofread, flirty satoru, ...

words. 3.5k

note. i haven't written smut in ages pls be gentle 🧍🏻‍♀️

comments and reblogs are highly appreciated! <3

Maybe it was a stupid idea to get pierced right after a messy break-up, but it was something you desperately needed. A change. A change more drastic than just a new haircut or new hair color, but a change that wouldn't be completely unhinged.

“Hmm..let’s see..”

Even though the walls were painted a deep black, the pink neon signs attached paired with several other decorations gave off a cozy and calm atmosphere. A song, probably a decade old and one you knew well, played in the background, soothing your antsy nerves as you skimmed through the little folder filled with pictures of piercings.

You were humming along to the song, slender fingers turning yet another page as your eyes scanned different snapshots. A helix piercing would definitely suit you, but you wanted something completely different. Something that you usually wouldn't do. So many choices were right in front of you: dangly earrings, pretty gemstones in vibrant colors, studs and piercings even you didn't know the name of.

Maybe, you should've come with a plan beforehand.

“Anything caught your eye yet?” A deep voice brought you out of your thoughts and when your eyes caught sight of the piercer with white tousled hair and vibrant blue eyes, your breath caught in your throat. The black compression shirt accentuated his bulging biceps and certainly did not help your case. Satoru was his name, if you remember correctly.

With a certain amount of grace and charm, Satoru maneuvered his way around your body and came to a stop behind you. Leaning over your shoulder, his cologne immediately enveloped you like a warm blanket while the warmth he exuded seeped through the top you wore.

Satoru caught sight of your flushed cheeks and the flustered glimmer swimming in your eyes just because he popped into your personal space. A smirk tugged at his lips as cerulean eyes watched you fumble with the folder.

What a sweet thing you were.

“Ah..this one.” Quickly, you put your finger down on a picture that you had been eyeing for quite some time. A nipple piercing with a few small gemstones on each side. They reflected the light in all colors possible and honestly..it did look too pretty to pass up.

Satoru whistled, the pitch low and impressed. “Damn. Who broke your heart, sweetheart?”

Closing the folder, your brows furrowed and gave Satoru a confused look, head tilted to the side and all. “..how did you know?”

Satoru took a seat on his stool, rolled over to the piercer table and offered you the seat on the cushioned chair. A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “A pretty thing like you wanting a nipple piercing for her first time. It's easy math, hun.” He said, looking more amused than sorry and for some reason, it was a nice change of pace. One that made you chuckle despite the nervousness bubbling in your guts.

He was right. Maybe it was pretty cliché of you to get your nipples pierced after a messy break-up.

Nimble fingers prepped the tools that Satoru would need for your piercing. The scent of disinfectant lingered in the air and slightly stung in your nose. Satoru had to have seen the face you pulled or else he wouldn't laugh. “Indulge me. What did that jerk do to fumble a pretty girl like you?”

All those pretty nicknames were getting to your head if the flip of your tummy and the warmth in your limbs was anything to go by. But you never told Satoru off. You liked it, the attention and the feeling of it all. It was nice.

You chuckled, the hint of a smile on your lips. “Are you sure you want to know? I don't wanna dump on you.”

Satoru rolled his eyes at you, playfully so as he snapped on a pair of latex gloves. A little smack bounced off the walls. “I'd be bored as hell if my clients didn’t gossip with me, y'know? So come on, tell me what he did.”

The memory of what your ex did was still fresh in your mind, yet it didn't hurt. Perhaps, you'd been looking for a reason to break up with him until he delivered you a good one. It was good riddance, really.

“I caught him in bed with another woman.” You explained with a sigh slipping past your lips. “Looking back on it, he was horrible anyways.”

How often had Satoru listened to stories of people cheating on each other? Way more than he could count. Most of the time, his clients would end up crying at the memory, but you appeared to be unfazed.

Raising a fine eyebrow, Satoru gently nudged your knee with his own and let one his charming smiles curl his lips. “Horrible? Come on, don't keep the juicy details to yourself, babe.” Then, he pointed at your top and stated: “Oh, and you can undress now.”

Suddenly, a wave of shyness came over you as you hooked your fingers into the hem of your top, pulled it over your top and unclipped the front of your bra, freeing your breasts. As a piercer, Satoru had seen any kind of body shapes and other things that were absolutely natural. And despite repeating it over and over again in your head, you still wrapped an arm around your midsection and gulped down the lump in your throat.

The stools wheels smoothly slid across the wooden floors and came to a silent stop in front of you. Satoru was about to prompt you for more details, but he stopped when he saw how absolutely insecure you suddenly were.

“[Name], there's nothing to be shy about. It's just us here, yeah?”

“Yeah..I know. It's just..” And then you went on to tell Satoru about your ex, how he made you feel bad about having small breasts, how he always said he liked bigger ones and wanted to watch them bounce during spicy time. How embarrassing it was to say all these things to a stranger, but Satoru listened patiently and rubbed his gloved hand over your thigh as if to tell you that it was okay.

He clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by the way your ex made you feel about your body. “That's bullshit. Your breasts are perfect the way they are.” Satoru refuted swiftly and painted a smile on your face, making you feel safe and validated. Cerulean eyes traveled from your face down to your breasts, examining them for a moment before he smirked in satisfaction. “Personally, I prefer them smaller. I like ‘em perky like that.”

Although Satoru's comment sent heat straight to your cheeks, it also made you feel at ease. Like he had injected some of his self-confidence into you. Unraveling your arms, you supported your weight on them and presented Satoru your small pair of pretty tits.

“Now that's a good girl.” He laughed and brought a hand up to your breast, brushing his thumb over your pert nipple. “Ready to get pierced, sweetheart?”

With an eager nod of your head, Satoru began the procedure. Preparing the needle, getting some cotton dabs for the bleeding and of course the little jewelry for your pretty nipples that he diligently sterilized. The scent still made you visibly cringe, but at least it served as some sort of entertainment to the piercer who held your nipple between two fingers and brought the needle to your skin.

“This might hurt, sweets. Sorry ‘bout that.” Satoru murmured and quickly pierced your little nipple with the needle.

You yelped and squeezed your eyes shut as the pain was sharp and started to throb. Nails dug into the soft cushion, knuckles turned white and your breathing deepened, but other than that, you didn't move much. Was it painful? Hell yes. Would it look pretty in the end? Hell yes.

Pain was temporary, but the beauty of the piercing would last.

“Shh, relax. You're doing so well for me, sweetie. Yeah, breathe. That's good.” Satoru showered you with praise, his breath hot and moist as it fanned across your pierced nipple while his voice dropped by an octave.

With skilled fingers, Satoru inserted the piercing through the sensitive flesh and fastened the gemstones on each side of your nipple before he tended to the bleeding. Dabbing the cotton around your nipple, he wiped the blood away and applied light pressure to stop the scarlet liquid from leaking out any more. A grimace of discomfort settled on your face, but at least it gave you a chance to breathe, to take a quick break.

“You good?” Satoru asked, looking up at you from his seat right in front of your tits.

“Yeah. Keep going.” Pain was laced in that usually sweet voice of yours and oh, how badly Satoru wanted to take that away from you. But you were such a brave little thing that he obliged your words.

So, Satoru pierced your other nipple as diligently as he did before. He was focused, wanting to make the experience as painless and quick as he could, but he knew that it still hurt quite a bit. At his heartstrings, a hint of pity tugged, but now that your little nipples were pierced, he couldn't help but feel a certain type of way.

“There. All done.” A satisfied look was painted all over Satoru's face. Large hands caressed your little tits, carefully feeling the flesh without causing you too much pain. It absolutely wasn't a necessary procedure, but for some reason, Satoru couldn’t help himself around you.

“Fuck..” you cussed, voice a little hoarse and Satoru swore that sound sent a good portion of his blood straight to his cock. “It hurts.”

“Told ya it would hurt, princess.” Satoru snickered before he took off his gloves and cleaned the little table with his equipment on it. “If you want, you can go take a look in the mirror. It looks pretty on you. Really.”

Hopping off the chair, you stood in front of the full body mirror and regarded Satoru's handiwork. Sure, your nipples were a little swollen, but the running ac cooling the air made the swelling go down with each passing moment. A couple of gemstones now glimmered on each side of your nipples, reflecting and breaking the light in beautiful colors.

“Wow..” you breathed, carefully touching your breasts to squish them together and admire the jewelry piercing your skin.

You were so busy admiring your new jewelry that you barely noticed Satoru standing behind you before he popped up in the reflection.

“Pretty, hm? Your ex didn't deserve these, anyways.” Holding your waist, Satoru admired his work on your body. By now, your nipples were all hard and stiff, really bringing the piercing out now.

A little shiver slithered down your spine at Satoru's touch. When you caught sight of your erect nipples, you quickly covered them up with your palms and a little blush on your cheeks. “S-sorry..it's been a while since..y'know..anyone touched me in any way..”

With slow movements, Satoru gently moved your palms away and carefully caressed your freshly pierced nipples. “Oh? Your ex and you didn't do it regularly?” He asked, rubbing your buds in circles. He relished in the way you shivered under his touch and gulped.

How cute you were. Absolutely ravishing.

You shook your head. A little pout on your lips. “No. He stopped touching me months ago.” Satoru managed to draw a little sigh out of the back of your throat, making your voice just a tad bit breathy. “He was too vanilla, anyways, always wanting to do it missionary.”

Satoru was baffled. How could any man resist touching you? The audacity your ex had of depriving you from some fun times was unbelievable.

“Do you know what you need, sweetheart?” He whispered in your ear, his voice dripping down your spine like warm honey.

Shaking your head, you watched Satoru rubbing your nipples before gently twisting them between his thumb and index finger. “W-what..?” You stumbled over your words, hardly trusting your own voice.

“A night of hot, kinky sex with a man who knows how to treat you right.” Satoru peppered butterfly kisses along the delicate skin of your neck. Each kiss was a little bit wetter than the last one while a large palm slid from your breast down to your stomach and stopped just above the hem of your skirt.

Like hot chocolate, you melted in Satoru's arms. You leaned your head back against his shoulder and nuzzled the flesh of your ass against his steadily growing erection with a smile on your face and a flush dusting the apples of your cheeks. His touches, so light yet insistent, left your skin burning and sparked flames in you that had long died out.

“Be a naughty girl for me and bend over, sweets.” Satoru whispered in your ear, teeth catching your lobe in the process.

When you pressed your palms flat next to the mirror and bent your body over, rough hands flipped your skirt up over your waist and revealed your dampening panties. Kneeling down, Satoru gripped the plush of your ass cheeks and groped them thoroughly. “What a good girl you are..already getting wet for me.”

He caressed the expanse of your inner thighs and chuckled at the little shiver going down your spine. Oh, how sweet you were. If Satoru had met you earlier, he would've taken you all to himself every night.

Fingertips traced the edge of your panties and slowly rubbed your cunt through the cotton.

“S-Satoru..” you gasped, thighs shuddering around his hand. You wanted to close your legs out of embarrassment. It wasn't like you to hook up with some guy, let alone doing it in public.

“Shh, you're doing well for me.” Satoru assured you before he hooked his fingers into the elastic of your panties and pulled them down mid-thigh. He licked his lips at the sight: your glistening pussy all wet and your folds just slightly swollen, your little hole just begging to be eaten and filled. “Let me do this for ya, sweetheart.”

Before you could question Satoru, he buried his face in your pussy from behind and wrapped his mouth around your sloppy folds. Licking a bold stripe from your entrance up to your clit, Satoru let your taste consume his taste buds and sucked at your pussy.

“Fuck..your pussy's fucking delicious, baby..” Satoru groaned, his eyes fluttering shut as he made out with your cunt, nastily tonguing at your hole and his fingers massaging your throbbing clit.

You grabbed a fistful of his snowy hair, nails scraping against his scalp as you pulled at the roots. “Oh fuck..Satoru..a-ah..” Soft, breathy moans tumbled from your lips.

Satoru buried his face deeper in-between your legs while his palms kept your legs spread. Sneaking his tongue inside, he thrust his tongue slowly in and out of your pussy, savoring the taste. Your juices dribbled down his chin and down his throat; he was like a man dying of thirst and your cunt happened to have the sweetest nectar.

“Yeah, you like that, don't you, little girl?” Satoru growled and pulled away momentarily to rub your cunt and admire his handiwork. You were all messy with his spit and your juices that shamelessly trickled down the inside of your thigh. Perfect.

You nodded your head eagerly. “Y-yeah..I love it..”

Through the reflection in the mirror, you watched how Satoru spread your cunt open and stuffed you full of his tongue again, making you whimper in pathetic tones. His tongue didn't even reach that sweet spot and yet, you were squirming on Satoru's face, panting and digging your nails into the flesh of your palm.

“Gonna have so much fun fucking this sweet pussy..” Satoru murmured into your cunt. Giving your ass a swift spank, he almost laughed at the way you jumped and pouted at him through the mirror.

“Well..” you huffed, clearly out of breath, “why don't you?”

A little smirk tugged at the corners of your lips as your gaze collided with baby blue eyes in the mirror that dared you to say that again. The erection not-so-subtly hidden in Satoru's pants twitched at the thought of taking you right then and there.

Just a small quickie wouldn't hurt, right?

“You're a devious one. I like it.” Chuckling, Satoru got back up to his feet, unbuckled his belt and pulled his hardened cock free from its confines. A groan of relief fell past his lips, cock standing large and proud.

Grasping your ass cheeks, Satoru prodded at your entrance with the blunt head of his leaking cock. A hum vibrated in the back of his throat. “Think you can take me, sweetheart? Your cunt is so tiny.”

As if to entice him, you wiggled your butt from side to side and whined. “Just put it in, Satoru. You can't eat me out and then expect me not to– Oh, fuck..”

With a swift thrust of his hips, Satoru buried his cock deep inside your cunt until he was balls deep in. Your walls gripped him so tightly, your heat almost made him melt on the spot. Almost.

“So fucking tight..” A sigh fell from Satoru's lips as he drew his hips back and snapped them back against your ass. “So fucking good..”

Without any shame, Satoru grasped your hip with one hand while the other groped your tit. He was hunched over you, groaning in your ear and bullying his cock into your poor cunt. Squeals and moans of pleasure escaped your throat. No longer did you care about anyone walking in or hearing what was going on in Satoru's piercing room.

All you cared about was getting to cum on his cock which deliciously against that sweet spot, rubbing and kissing it in ways that usually only your toys could.

“Ah yeah..right there, Toru..” With each thrust, your tits would sway and the flesh of your ass rippled, hypnotizing Satoru. Your voice, sweet like sugar and addicting, drove him insane. He just had to cum inside you.

“I know, sweetheart..I know..” Furrowing his brows, Satoru buried his face in the crook of your neck to muffle his own moans and groans. Hot and moist, his breath fanned over your skin, sending a fresh wave of heat straight to your squelching cunt.

He was all over you; your neck, breasts, tummy and of course your pretty pussy which gripped him oh-so-tight and sucked his cock right back in. Like you didn't want him to leave your walls anytime soon. He didn't want to, either.

Each snap of Satoru's hips was mean, causing your body to bounce and jolt with the strength he poured into each thrust. His balls slapped against your clit while your ass collided with his hips over and over again.

“T-toru..” you whined, panting and meeting his eyes in the mirror. It was absolutely filthy in the way you could watch yourself get fucked stupid by your piercer. “I-I'm so..ah!”

“Close, baby?” Satoru laughed breathlessly before placing a kiss on your cheek. “Me, too. It's okay, I've got you, sweetheart.”

His saccharine words combined with a particularly sharp thrust was enough to send you over the edge. You curled in on yourself, calling Satoru's name in a way that only you could as he made you see heaven with his cock alone. He held you tightly, stilling his hips as ropes upon ropes of thick cum filled your cunt up.

“Fuck..yeah, that's it. Take my cum, pretty..take it..” With a few slow, gentle thrusts, Satoru rode out the wave of his high and held your body close to his, keeping you up on your wobbly legs.

It only happened slowly, the heat of the moment disappearing. The scent of sex lingered in the air and fuck, did you feel sticky now that Satoru had dumped his load inside you. But you wouldn't want it any other way. A laugh made it past your lips.

“What's so funny, huh?” Satoru chuckled, pulled himself out and fixed his appearance before helping you with yourself.

To your surprise, he was gentle as he snapped your panties back into his place, fixed your skirt and tried to smooth out your hair. Except for his semen sticking to your underwear and skin, it was one of the sweetest things anything had ever done for you post-orgasm.

“Nothing.” You said, shrugging your shoulders with a playful but satisfied giggle. “Just thinking about the hot, kinky sex we'll have tonight.”

A look of mild surprise crossed Satoru's features. He had expected you to regret your decision or be done with it, but the fact that you wanted more amused him. “Someone got hooked on good dick, yeah?”

You snorted. “Something like that.”

With a certain pep in your step, you snatched one of Satoru's business cards, a pen and scribbled your number on the backside of it.

“Text me when you're off work and tell me where to go. I'll be there.”

Satoru smirked as he looked at the number you gave him before storing it into his back pocket. No way in hell would he lose that little gem.

“I guess I'll see you tonight, sweetheart.”

taglist. @cinnamonmon, @torusmochi, @risuola, @kissyystyles, @pandoraium

[weirdsht]

Disillusioned 19 . It’s Only Responsibility

a/n: omg my fav chapter is finally here. i was so giddy when writing this lol

tags: low-key yandere behavior from Cale, implied torture, if Cale says what he feels is irritability then it's irritability goddammit

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read pinned)

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Cale feels as though he can’t get a good grasp on his emotions these days. In particular, he feels as though he feels intense emotions when _____ is thrown into the mix.

Maybe it’s because he feels accountable as he willingly took in the healer.

He doesn’t know when it started, he only noticed he felt that when back at the Gyerre Territory. It was the afternoon after he had destroyed a human trafficker’s house, just before he talked with Antonio. Ron reported that he had finished investigating the Perduellios.

“Young master, this old man took a stroll there and I must say that it’s very filthy. It looks clean from a certain distance but there are rats everywhere once you look closely. No wonder healer-nim grew up with a weak body. Someone like them does not fit that place.”

The redhead didn’t say anything but the servant could tell his listening to every word. 

The young master’s eyes don’t lie after all. 

And right now those eyes are filled with anger. 

Unmeasurable Anger

To the point it made the servant do a double-take.

Despite Cale’s brewing anger he still does everything according to plan. He doesn’t let out a single ounce of that anger until later when his talking to Alberu.

“Your Highness, the future shining sun of the Roan Kingdom. No one is as bright as you. Just seeing your face, even through a communication device, brightens my night and brings me hope for tomorrow.”

“Just tell me what you want. Is it another golden plaque? But you still have some.”

“Not this time your highness.”

Alberu was taken aback at the serious expression on the redhead’s face.

“As you already know, the Perduellios were working with the Chryshis. I trust your highness to handle the Gyerres and the Chryshis. However…”

“You want to handle the Perduellios.”

“We really are alike your highness.”

Alberu already saw this coming so he instantly agreed.

“I’ll allow it on the condition that they must stay in Aunt Tasha’s dungeon. Speaking of Aunt Tasha, she said she also wants a piece.”

“Then I shall be generous enough to share.”

Cale himself isn’t sure how he had the time to meet that bastard family. Between the war against the Indomitable Alliance. Fighting Arm and the Empire, and teaching the nobles a lesson Cale still managed to find free time to visit the Perduellios.

Must be the power of unmeasurable anger.

“Beacrox, Raon prepare to move quietly tonight. We’ll be meeting Tasha.”

The two are confused as to why, but Cale did not explain. He doesn’t need to as they instantly understand after seeing who’s inside the cell they are visiting.

“Young master Cale shouldn’t _____-nim be here?”

Cale looked at Tasha as if she said the most outrageous thing ever. Meanwhile, in the background, Beacrox is preparing his tools as Raon supplies information as to what the healer went through.

“Why would they be here when I’m doing this to relieve stress? I’m here to act trash, that’s not something an unofficial holy maiden should see.”

The next morning Alberu regrets taking a peak before the cell was cleaned up. He doesn’t think he can light up any of his beloved candles for at least a week.

+~+~+~+~+~+

Succeeding that incident, the next time Cale was overtaken by his emotions was after Operation Reflection. Unlike the last time, Cale felt two conflicting emotions this time.

Skyrocketing Pride and Plumeting Disgust

_____ was a core player during the navy battle and that made the redhead proud. Of course, he was also proud of everyone else in their group.

…but perhaps his a bit more proud of the healer.

However, it was only because they had come a long way. As Cale’s responsibility, his proud that the healer is doing better under his guidance.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“Human, those useless noble bastards were also talking bad about our _____ when you left. Some of them even had the nerve to directly yell at them. I wanted to smack them, but you told me to not do anything to those people for now so I didn't."

But then Raon’s report came.

Pride had been washed over by disgust.

Good thing _____ had talked him out of doing anything rash.

“Cale it’s okay. People who only know how to leech off other people are not worth your time.”

Did he mention how proud he is of how far _____ has come? Because he really is.

However, rumours say that it was the night after that when Cale first ‘visited’ the Perduellios.

+~+~+~+~+~+

Cale’s next overwhelming emotion is something his already familiar with. He already felt it back when they were in the Whipper Kingdom.

In fact, he has already associated this feeling with the healer.

Heart Palpitating Distress

But this time it feels more intense. Cale feels as if his heart is going to crawl out of his chest and into his mouth.

Thump!!

Thump!!

The redhead had been acting as though nothing was wrong ever since they finished the battle at Castle Leona. Contrary to his calm exterior, the redhead is a mess on the inside.

A wound, a stab wound with a lot of blood gushing.

Just inches near _____ heart.

And Cale has a strong gut feeling that it was _____’s own doing.

Seeing the copious amount of blood they lost was already bad enough. Seeing the nasty wound itself when they had to change the bandages was worse.

Then as if that isn’t enough to send Cale into a coma, the healer had the audacity to stand up not even 12 hours after their injury.

It was at that moment the commander made a conscious choice of sticking the healer to him like velcro.

+~+~+~+~+~

Nowadays, Cale is not ping-ponging between his emotions like a madman. But he did notice that he tends to feel a particular emotion these days.

Jealo– Irritability

Cale isn’t sure why he feels irritated, but he does. He feels irritated as soon as _____ woke up and started talking to Bud.

What happened during the week he was gone that those two are all friendly now?

And what was that? Bud is going to teach _____ how to drink?

Not on Cale’s watch.

It’s one thing for him if _____ themself wants to try drinking, but he won’t let the healer be coerced by some fool.

“Ron, separate those two as much as possible. That drunkard is nothing but a nuisance to _____.”

For a moment Cale got the chills when he heard Ron chuckle. It doesn’t help that the kids are laughing too. Regardless, it looks like the servant will heed his request so he lets it be.

But his jea– irritability doesn’t end there.

The next victim of Cale’s so-called irritable mood was this poor servant in Mogoru.

When Cale got back to Mogoru he unfortunately had to leave _____ back in the castle. There are too many undercover missions they have to do. And while _____ is much better than Choi Han at undercover missions, that man is a lot of things but an actor is not one of them, Cale isn’t cruel enough to make them take on such a taxing mission after being sick.

So he leaves the healer in the Mogoru Castle with Rosalyn and the others. 

“Young master-nim what about assigning a dedicated servant for healer-nim?”

Was Rosalyn’s suggestion after Cale mentioned _____’s tendency to overwork themself.

It seemed like a good idea, therefore they arranged for the healer to have a servant. The servant’s job would consist of making sure the Medicus is eating and resting properly. That servant would also act as _____’s assistant, taking care of whatever the healer needs.

At that time, Cale was satisfied with that plan.

That satisfaction quickly changed when he visited Adin’s room, (well, it’s practically _____ and Cale’s room now) and saw how the healer kept calling the servant’s name. In the beginning, it was fine, Cale didn’t mind it. But then he noticed how _____ seems to call for that servant every 5 sentences they utter.

Honestly? Even Cale knows his acting irrationally this time.

Did he care though? Of course not. Since when did trash care for another person’s feelings?

So he stationed that servant far away.

“Raon make a call in the underground villa. I must talk to Hans”

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Ignoring Hannah’s snickering that turned into full-blown laughter, Cale called Hans over to assist the healer.

Because if the healer is going to rely on someone who’s not Cale, then it might as well be one of his people.

This one is a totally logical decision on Cale’s end. It’s not because of his jea– irritability.

It’s definitely just part of him being responsible over _____.

[onigiriforears]

After approx. 2-3 months of studying Japanese I started to read free graded readers online and then graduated to a collection of short stories that I purchased off of Amazon. I thought that the reason I was starting to have trouble understanding sentences was because I didn't know enough vocabulary but it was because I neglected grammar completely. It was sorta drilled into my head off of Youtube creators to just study kanji, vocab and simple sentences as much as possible before even touching grammar. I feel absolutely lost, dude. I am at the 5 month mark now. I can "breeze through" kanji for the most part. (as in, I can actually retain it in a decent amount of time) I decided to study grammar about a week ago. It is SO FREAKING HARD. I don't know if there's something wrong with me or what. I don't know if it's supposed to feel like what I thought I knew is being ripped apart at the seams, stapled together, and then torn apart again....but it does.

Do you have any tips for learning grammar? Is this feeling normal? Can you tell me when the pressure in my skull will subside? I am using Bunpro's free trial but I'm unsure if this tool will actually help me. I write tons of notes to flip through but I still fail to give them the nuanced answer they're looking for. I really enjoy the setup of Bunpro and I want to like it since it's similar to WK but I'm not sure if I'm going too fast or there's a better way to learn. I stopped learning 5 new grammar points a day and started doing only 2. (I also have Genki I and watch GameGengo. He explains things in a way that's easy for my brain to understand.) Sorry for the long post but any insight would be appreciated. I'm a bit nervous asking people in the language learning community for help or insight because a lot of them treat it as a way to show how fast they learned/1-up others. Tumblr's langlearn community is a lot different with what I've seen (or maybe I'm just following the right ppl lol)

Hi! Thank you so much for waiting for this response--I'm sorry it took so long. Your message was one of the ones that popped up when they locked my ask box (they actually still haven't answered me on why it was locked so 🤷‍♀️). To make up for that, I'm gonna be longwinded because I think that this is a super valid and important question that others may also want to know the answer to!!

Pls pls PLEASE DM me if none of this is helpful or if you'd like to talk more about what you think you need help with!!

I think that sometimes when we're learning a new language that we know is so overwhelmingly different from our own language, we focus on the things that we think will be the main hinderance and sometimes we forget the key points. You might be thinking "how did I forget grammar?" but I would say don't beat yourself up about it! Many of us focus on the things that we think are our problems(--the last time I studied for the JLPT, I focused on my weak point too much and then was frustrated with myself during the exam bc I neglected the other areas.)

I don't want to lie to you and say that learning grammar will is going to get easier because that's not the case for everyone. Think of learning grammar vs everything else as learning different types of math or science--have you ever had a friend that was absolutely phenomenal at algebra or calculus but couldn't do geometry? Or a friend that was wonderful lab partner in chemistry but struggled in biology? They're struggling in biology because it requires a ton of rote memorization in comparison to practical application and math that's present in chemistry and rote memorization may not necessarily be their strong point. Personally, I think that's also why a lot of us struggle with certain grammar points. There are some that just click with us immediately and then there are others that we have to see over and over and over and over and over--you get the point--just for us to find a single sentence with it that we understand. If you're math oriented, we need to figure out a way to no longer make grammar points rote memorization for you, but to turn it into a formula of some sort. I actually write my notes out in ways that are like that--I use plus signs (+) in my notes not because the textbooks use them but because my brain genuinely reads it as "noun + particle + grammar point = a sentence that makes sense" because, for me, formulas don't fail. Your weak point doesn't have to be your weakness--you can turn the weakness into a strength that works just for you.

I've been going at this for years and every single professor or Japanese friend (or even people from the discord server) I have can tell you that I've struggled with pretty much any grammar point that included ~ように--and it wasn't because I wasn't trying, but because I couldn't find myself using any sentences that with those grammar points because I found the alternatives/similar ones to make more sense. Surprisingly, it wasn't until I was reading 夜カフェ for our book club that I was actually able to start grasping the meaning (ngl, I still haven't used it myself--I'm notorious for using alternatives); I was finally witnessing it being used in a way that made sense in my brain.

The frustration you're feeling when you encounter a new grammar point or overload yourself with too many things in one go is completely normal and I promise that a ton of us in the Japanese langblr community have definitely experienced it too! It probably feels like everything you know is being ripped apart because your native language may have a SVO (subject-verb-object) format while Japanese has a SOV (subject-object-verb) format--your 1-to-1 translations for your notes may not be helpful in the beginning because you're still trying to wrap your brain around the fact that your words still need to go in another order than you're used to. And then you add the new grammar points and concepts on top of that (like particles and other things) and it can become overwhelming and frustrating. Sometimes, you're going to find some grammar points just downright annoying--especially when you find that there's no equivalency to it in your own language. But don't give up!

I know this is a super cliché thing to say, but practicing them will help. If you can, I would make note of the grammar points that you're struggling with, try to make sentences with them, and ask somebody to check them and explain exactly why (or why not) they're working and then ask them for examples because they may have an even better way of explaining it to you than what you've come up with for yourself!

I can look back at old notes and see when I wrote a sentence as an example just because a textbook/professor used it but I didn't actually understand why it worked at the time and then I can also find notes where the sentences written as examples were added once I finally found something that clicked for me.

You've already done yourself a favor by learning a lot of vocab, kana, and kanji because now you'll be able to try out an array of ways to pick up grammar instead of just a textbook. (I will make a note that if you're looking to take the JLPT, I would recommend having a list of grammar points that you would need to know for the level that you're planning on sitting for because there's no guarantee of what will or won't pop up on the test.)

Another important thing while you're practicing: be comfortable with making mistakes. We all make them, but when you're learning a new language it's important to be ready to make mistakes and to welcome them with open arms because it gives you a chance to experience and learn in real time.

ALSO: for you specifically--because you're interested in reading, you might enjoy learning grammar through tracking the different grammar points through what you're reading and using the sentences as your examples because they're all going to be cohesive. And if reading books or other things totally turn you off right now, maybe games? Animal Crossing and Pokemon are very nice games to play in Japanese for people that are just starting out! You may also enjoy using Lingo Legend--it's an JRPG language learning app that I beta tested and I think that it's a nice way to review (it has some fun incentives). I'm not a big gamer, so I struggle with learning through games, but I've been picking up a lot of grammar through reading because I focus on finding things that I'm interested in, rather than things that are "at my level." When I start a manga, I will scour a ton of websites and forums and bug a ton of people when I come across a grammar point that I can't wrap my brain around because I want to be able to understand what's going on.

We have book clubs and gamers in my discord server, as well as places for people to post what they're practicing or to ask for help. We have people of all varying levels and different skillsets that love to share their wisdom with others.

I haven't used Bunpro, but I know that @sammilearns has, so she may be able to weigh in on that! And @tokidokitokyo @nihongoseito @chouhatsumimi @kanpeki-bekki @burgeoning-ambition probably also have even more tips that me--I'm trying to tag people that I know we all learn in different ways, so their tips and tricks might be just what you need!

Please weigh in, fellow langblr members! How have you been learning grammar? Are you game-ifying it? Have you turned it into math equations? Have you managed to tie it in with your special interest? I can't wait to see what people add to this post!

[notetaeker]

Hello!!! How did you become so dedicated to your studies? Do you have some advice?

I love your blog, btw✨️

Hi hi hi!! Thanks for the sweet message 💞💞

My BIG study tips (after 25 years of studying):

Accept your fate. This goes for anything but I used to procrastinate with studying a LOT and once you start it's actually not that bad. It's guaranteed. Automatically once you start, you have started, so you're already on your way, so it's already automatically not as bad anymore. Whining abt ur studies and avoiding them will not make them go away unfortunately. Just do it.

Make study time sacred. A few minutes of focused study is much more valuable than 5 hours spent at the library "studying" + scrolling + talking to friends + listening to music at the same time. Doing 5 hours like that is literally putting yourself thru hell because 1. you cant fully enjoy any of those non-studying activities and 2. you come out of that being like ugh I studied this page for 5 hours I'm tired of studying I need a break. Pomodoro method really changed my life pls try it out if u haven't already

That one tumblr post that says 'learning is basically being exposed to the same materials many times in multiple ways' is 100% correct. How many different ways can you expose yourself to the material. Memorizing facts- can you draw it? Can you organize the facts into lists? Can you attach a funny story to one of the facts? The more ways you interact with any material, the stronger it's saved in your memory. Find out if you're a visual learner- and then create visual tools, maybe color coding things helps you. Do a little digging and find out what works for you.

Diversify your life. Have some hobbies, spend time with friends/family, take a break. Let the computer of your brain sort out things in the background while you do other things. Once you go back to studying, you will feel refreshed (and not fatigued from 5 hrs in the library doing "studying") This also means that if you fail an exam, you won't be like 'oh no i spent my whole spring break studying for this exam and didn't even enjoy it and now I got a bad grade i must be horrible my life is nothing' and spiral. def not based on a true story :) Instead you'll be like yeah I failed but look at this scarf I crocheted look at mee i have mental health!

Sleep is magic- no matter what anyone else tries to tell you. 1. If you studied something during the day, just review those things right before bed and magically they will get set into your brain. Also 2. sleeping is when our brain sorts info so if you don't get any sleep at all it' the same as taking your study sheets and throwing them into the air, so when you ask your brain for the info during the test it's like lol it's around here somewhere. On the other hand, if you slept and gave ur brain time to sort it, when you ask for that info, it'll just open the right drawer and give u the info!

That's it for the big ones- if you want more specific advice feel free to ask! Also as a disclaimer, these 5 are all big life lessons that I had to learn thru trial and error, so consider these to be the advice I would give myself at a younger age. Pls don't be offended lol whenever I said 'you' I rlly was thinking abt myself.

[piinktearxs]

my own team free will caregiver headcannons

okay so its like my first like fanfic ish thing on here, but we need, more agere spn fics cause, lets be honest, big ol comfort show

anywho the little in the dynamic is munchkin (yours truly) she's very fem-oriented, so I'm sorry if it doesn't suit you BUT I could consider becoming like a fanfic blog in the future (like taking requests and all)

quick warnings: the nicknames daddy, dada and dae are used cause Ik some ppl are uncomfy w that, small body image issues mention, small arfid mention

okay so I'm feeling a 'three men and a little lady' vibe here because that is exactly what it is like, you got these three big guns beer and like not soft-looking guys and then you have munchkin, this 5'3, pink dresses wearing little lady and she's just vibing with them

munchkin is not a 24/7 little, like she has her essence which is very child like but her little self just comes in waves, and like she comforts and cares for the boys when they need, they take care and comfort her when her emotions get too big and she goes small

munchkin takes turns to be the "official stuffie" for the boys (or that's what they tell her so she feels wanted and needed with her cuddles, and she is to be honest) one night she sleeps cuddled between dean and cas and the other one with sam

THEY HAVE A NIGHT ROUTINE; So she brushes her teeth and does skincare with Sam, then Dean sings her one of her special songs (Little willow, angeles, city grown willow, calico skies, forever, surfer girl, hey jude, blackbird, stairway to heaven, to be honest hearing her daddies's voices is the most calming thing for her) Cas and Sam take turns to read her a story (literally anything classic fairy tales or pink and ballet vibes, munchkin adores)

THEIR CLOSET DIFFERENCES PLS- like you would have the boys's flannel and jeans and basic t-shirts and right next to those these pink dresses and vintage clothes (also munchkin's big girl clothes but it's the same vibe, vintage girly)

When munchkin is small, she wears the boys's clothes cause they smell like them and they're huge on her so they make her feel small

munckin has a lot of sensory issues with food, especially when she's small, so she and Dean work out creative ways to get her veggies in but that she doesn't hate them

When she's scared she goes to her daddies, like literally with anything, they are her heroes and the people she trusts most

It always helps her to hold one her daddies's hand when she's doing something scary (like eating a new food, or talking about her feelings, or petting a big dog!)

She's their little buddy on everything they do, cause she's just so amazed by her daddies, Dean's fixing baby? Munchkin will be next to him, handing him tools and hanging out with him, Sam's reading? She's plopped next to him reading her own book, Cas is taking a walk through nature? Pink rainboots on and coat on (sammy said so) and she's on her merry way, also, they always stay out for hours just admiring nature

She adores cooking, she's always ready to be their little helper in the kitchen (but never near hot or sharp things!! She’s much too small!! She likes cracking eggs and being the taste tester anyways)

When they're on hunts she always comes with (and ofc helps out unless she is small) and after they all go to a county fair or a petting zoo

On the bunker she has her little trunk, obviously painted white with little pink roses and it contains her little stuff, paci, teether, sippy, some tutus, coloring books, tiaras, her tea set, and a doll that looks like her that she carries around everywhere

on the impala she has a little emergency box, with a lovey, some calico critters and a teether and snacks!

She always hosts tea parties with the boys (yes, they wear crowns and drink tea with her and her dolls) at first they were a bit weird about the whole tea party thing (Dean said he hated them and now he even does a british accent when they play tea party) but got around in the end

She is a polite little one, always using her manners, because princesses use their manners

Her drawings always go up in the fridge ofc

okay now onto individual headcanons

Dean aka Dada or Bean:

When he first met munchkin he was a little distant but then grew to love her

he gave her the nickname munchkin

their relationship is like uncle jesse and michelle in full house (fight me they’re literally the same person and my comfort characters)

He is always watching old kids shows with her (she loves vintage things and the're nostalgic to him) especially old scooby doo episodes

Pretends he is like in shock when she hugs him but honestly he feels as much comfort in her as she has in him

always gives her eskimo kisses

they once saw the scooby snacks at the store and got them and went nuts over them

she sometimes is too small to watch scooby doo so they put on bluey

dean actually quite enjoys bluey

Teaches her how to do stuff like fix things or play pool and they have a lil bonding moment

She's allowed in the dean-cave and she loves to color while watching cartoons on the big TV!

He gives her ALL the piggy back rides, and throws her in the air to catch her after

If he's drinking beer outside, alone, she always goes up to him and lays her head on his lap, and they just hang together in comfortable silence while he strokes her hair with his beer-free hand

He's super into the fighting scenes in her princess movies

They try a slice of pie of every diner they eat at, and rate it

They love cooking together

He’s honestly the more fun caregiver but also the most protective one

When she’s having a bad day he always takes her out for ice cream, if she really reallyyy wants to, he goes the extra mile to get her gelato

Munchkin sometimes has body image issues, when she does dean just picks her up and kisses her forehead

Dean teaches her all his cool rock songs!!

“You see sweetheart, bon jovi rocks, on occasion, but zeppelin? zeppelin always rocks” “what about taylor swift dada?” “she is the music industry so she always rocks too”

She is allowed to pick the music even when not driving (munchkin is a huge swiftie, and well we all know all too well dean is too)

Sam aka Daddy or Sammy

He is the king of rules and sticker charts, and they help keep munchkin on track a lot!!

After she eats a fear food sammy always has some candy for her in the pantry!!

he makes sure she gets her protein in, she can’t get low blood sugar!!

He gives her big big biiig bear hugs all the time

Given but, munchkin is totally allowed to do sammy’s hair!!! No scissors though!!

He loves having a little hair buddy, so when she’s really small he helps her wash her hair

He brushes her hair for her, it’s a little bonding moment between the two

Can we talk about how bath-time is a whole ritual for these two? They put on her littlespace playlist and dance around while brushing their teeth

If they’re away from home he reads her a bit of the game of thrones kindle he has in his phone until she falls asleep

KING of forehead kisses

Definitely gets into the life lesson aspect of EVERYTHING, she’s watching charlie and lola? lola hates tomatoes? (munchkin does too, they’re her mortal enemy) he pauses the show to tell her the importance of eating new foods. She’s watching moana and moana goes into the deep part of the sea alone? He reminds her that she needs to go with one of her daddies when she’s small

He always helps her with stuff she’s too short for

*munchkin climbing on the counter to reach her gummies* “No pumpkin, you can’t climb on the counter to reach the high cupboard, here, let me help you”

He carries her around A LOT

When she’s really small she likes to sit on his lap and fidget with his hair

If he’s late researching and not in bed for story time she always goes up to him and lays down near until he’s finished

When she’s big they go to the gym and lift weights and running, or go in nature walks, when she’s small they go play catch in the park together or go in the swings, as long as they’re both happy and healthy he’s okay with going out for a bit more

Definitely the type to give her a time out and then talk it out

cas aka dae or casseel

he was definitely very confused when he heard that she was a regressor, but not in a bad way, he’s just confused with most earth things!!

sammy knew about the topic (he researched a bit more because he suspected that munchkin was a regressor) and when he explained it to him, cas got it

he’s the one that’s away the most doing angel business, but he makes sure to check in on her at bedtime

when he is home, he’s her official nap buddy, she finds him so comforting and loves napping with him

they definitely go on tons of walks and, ANNNND they stop to analyze every new flower and mushroom!! (munchkin isn’t allowed to touch them though)

munchkin finds dean and cas’s relationship the most adorable thing ever, she’s a huge romantic because cmon, you are if you watch cinderella every other week, so when they kiss she’s always like “a true love’s kiss!!!”

he heals ALL the ouchies, but she still gets a fun bandaid

she asks cas if he has magic rapunzel hair when he heals her or the boys

she sometimes wears his trench coat and plays pretend in it

or when it’s cold and she wants to sleep in the impala, he lets her use it as a blanket

he’s always down to watch disney movies, since they’re new to him!!

“but little one, why must cinderella go home at 12? why are the mice horses? why a pumpkin and not an apple or a zucchini??” “dunno, magic stuff dae, but ‘ook there!!! her dress pretty!!!!!”

tells her stories from the whole existence of the world

she gives him butterfly kisses on the nose (the ones where you bat your eyelashes on the other person’s skin)

he helps her tie the ribbons on her dresses

so that is it for my personal supernatural headcanons, i quite enjoyed writing these so i’m definitely making this for my mcu au!! i know there’s not much spn agere fics (cmon we ALL go and search spn agere and check for new fics) so if you liked this feel free to send me an ask whether that be from this au or reader insert one shots typa things :D

[p4nicaker]

venting duh

im just so angryangryangry girl im not your manager im not your bestie its not like you can text me at any moment "ohh can u help me with this?🥺🥺🥺" expecting me to solve your problems and do your own job for you.

like yeah i like to help people out im glad to help im happy to help! sharing is caring esp for students

but when you ask me "how to do that thing?" ignoring that we all were provided by the same instructions pls im not your personal assistant you can do that super hard task of clicking on files in the group chat by yourself okay?

some things i just dont do for free. if it's some kind of time-consuming task (pls anything at uni is time-consuming) and you want it neatly done for you just pls respect other ppls free time

im just mad and annoyed and sad that for someone "pls help me with smth" means i need to do that whole work for them for free in my free time bc they want me to bc deadline is coming and they started only now and somehow it looks like my problem

pls just can i be not your manager not your mummy not your older sister not one of that girl(whose name u dont bother to get right) not always good perfect student not some helping tool

just. a. person?

[hermitw]

A few things I keep thinking about

the unreleased death painting wombs are on the table, with the food. Not next to it. Not on a separate piece of furniture, not on their own chair. If they had a high chair, that could foreshadow them being incarnated.

But here it looks like they're going to be eaten.

There is no rice on the table. Here, Yuuji is passing bread to Choso.

Remember the juju stroll about "are you a rice or a bread person?" or the character pages telling us their preferences?

Rice is generally associated with more traditional, and bread is more modern, from what I've read (but pls add any meaning you noticed that I've missed here).

The way I see it is that nothing about their brotherhood is conventional, but they're happy with it.

I also wonder when the youngest death paintings became remains. Choso said that he would free his brothers from the warehouse, and he can sense their death from any distance, so not knowing bothers me. I will guess that it was an effect of the Shibuya incident - the barrier around the school loosening, the major clans clearing their tools from the warehouse, the pact that the death paintings would be protected there was broken, and the weaker ones might have needed that to keep surviving in their state.

[weirdsht]

Disillusioned 15 . Limelight

a/n: ngl I'm starting to hate this, it's just that my writing style doesn't seem fitting for a series. maybe next time I'll stick to one-shots lol

also I'm so so sorry for the late update. I'm so busy I haven't slept for like a week now. However, I found some free time to write huhu.

tags: injuries, blood (it's cale what did you expect), self-doubt, war

English isn’t my first language so there will be grammatical errors

Pls don't repost my work anywhere without my permission

Constructive criticisms and any kind of interaction are more than welcome

Requests are currently closed but my ask are still open (read pinned)

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Navigation Masterlist prev . next

_____’s time in Vegas City had been relaxing. There’s no way it wouldn’t be when everyone, mainly Cale, made sure it was. And the healer is grateful to all of them. It gave them time to think and lament over the devastating news they had received.

In turn of that kindness and space, _____ made sure to recover after they left the Caro Kingdom. It wasn’t easy, all they wanted to do was lay on the bed all day and cry. Getting energy for the slightest task, even eating, was so hard. But they still pushed themself, because war was approaching.

The battlefield is calling and its first target is their new home.

So the healer pulled themselves by their bootstraps. Even as everyone tried to assure them that it was fine to not be okay they still spared no effort to recover from their depression and be back to normal.

“Basen-nim will handle communications. The Count and Countess will be on the battlefield. Lily-nim is too young.”

Currently, Cale and _____ are having a disagreement.

“That doesn’t mean you’re the only option left. The Henituse have a lot of retainers and people we can use.”

“But can you really go all out if it isn’t one of your direct people guiding the citizens?”

Cale could only furrow his eyebrows at that retaliation. The two are currently disagreeing whether or not _____ should be in charge of leading and guiding the citizens once the Paerun Kingdom attacks. 

Silence lingered for a few seconds. Cale knows that _____ is right. Especially after that northeastern nobles meeting… Cale can only have peace of mind if the one in charge of the citizens is someone he knows. Someone he trusts

_____ reached out towards the redhead, holding his hand to show their resolve.

“Cale, I’ll be fine.”

The healer can feel Cale squeeze their hand back.

“Fine…”

Cale pauses for a moment and _____ thinks they are nearing the end of the discussion.

“But let Raon cast magic on you for disguise.”

Apparently _____ thought wrong.

No way are they allowing the young dragon to cast and maintain magic on them when they need his mana to maintain the barrier. It would also be dangerous to ask another mage for a disguise when there’s always the possibility of their enemies bringing mana disturbance tools.

“Cale you know we can’t do that.”

“Yes, that’s why you better just stay inside the castle walls or beside me and Raon.”

“I can’t do that either. I promise I’ll be safe, plus I’ll be wearing my hood and mask. There’s no way anyone would recognise me.”

Cale sighed as he used his free hand to push his hair back. 

Honestly, everyone listening in (the kids averaging 8 years old) doesn’t know why the young master is fighting this losing battle. If it had been anyone else Cale would’ve agreed in a heartbeat. 

Plus sooner or later they know he’ll give in to the healer’s wishes.

He always does.

True enough, Cale’s resolve did not even last 5 minutes before he agreed to _____’s request. It’s now official that they will be leading the citizens towards safe zones. They would also be the first line of defence in case enemies get past the barrier and start attacking the city. 

Of course, if Cale or someone else from their side gets injured then _____ will run immediately to aid them.

The other people who didn’t listen in on the conversation didn’t even have to ask how it went. Results were obvious from the way _____ was humming on their way out with Cale sighing and petting On and Hong.

“Knight-nim please check if there’s any people left on area d. If you need me I’ll be double-checking our inventory and supplies.”

It’s been a few hours after Cale and _____’s talk. Right now the healer is making sure that everything is in order while their friends are fighting the Indomitable Alliance.

As the Medicus sees Choi Han and the others attack they remember a conversation they had with Cale last night.

The two are the only ones in the room. Well, the only ones awake. The children are with them but Cale has forced them to sleep because they need the energy for tomorrow. A serving of blueberry crumble paired with jasmine tea is being enjoyed as they talk.

“I plan to create a new history. To bring new heroes forward.”

“And I assume you won’t be part of those heroes?”

_____ asked in a joking manner as they refilled both of their teacups.

“Of course not. I only want to win this war and then go rest at the underground villa peacefully.”

Cale stopped speaking to take a bite out of the dessert.

“I’m telling you this because I want to ask you if you’d like to be part of that history. This battle would be a good opportunity to show everyone that you are alive.”

“I… thank you but it would be unneeded.”

The healer’s immediate answer made Cale look at them in confusion.

“Hmm well, that’s a shame the crown prince was also thinking of giving you the Perduellio’s assets as all of them have been found guilty.”

“Is he? I didn’t know such a thing.”

Of course _____ didn’t. Only Cale and Alberu know of such a thing. They're also the only ones who know the sorry state that family is currently in.

“But still… While I do agree with you that this is a good time to do that I still don’t want to do it. My time in the spotlight was not a good experience for me. It would be enough for me to see our friends be known and bask in that light.”

_____ sipped their tea before continuing.

“There’s also the fact that my adoptive family had committed a grave sin. I don’t think it’s right for me to strive for fame when I am still legally part of that family. I will reveal myself, but it won’t be now. I hope Cale and the crown prince can understand…”

Cale nodded in understanding. He's not cruel enough to force someone to do what he wants just because he wants to hide in the shadows. There are already more than enough heroes that he can push into the spotlight.

“I understand, I’ll inform the crown prince don’t worry about it.”

_____ snapped out of their daydream to focus back on their task. 

At least tried to.

Right about when _____ is about to talk to another knight they saw Cale bleed. The healer would have left it to the priests and healers near the field if it was just Cale’s normal bleeding. But it wasn’t.

Cale is bleeding from basically every orifice of his body.

And his too far away for _____ to accurately see if he's okay.

“I’ll leave the rest to you knight-nim, I must assist our Commander.”

So the healer runs. 

They run the fastest they’ve ever had in their entire left. _____ ran so fast they got there before the healers could.

“__– healer-nim you shouldn’t be here.” 

Countess Violan made sure that the healer’s hood and mask were still intact. The fabric on their face had been removed to aid catch their breath from running. Good thing the hood was still intact so it’s unlikely that anyone has seen their face.

“Countess Violan It’ll be fine. Our priority should be the Commander right now.”

_____ has no way of knowing how at that moment, the Henituse’s respect for them grew even more.

The healer turned to Cale to see him talking to what seemed like the air. That must be why his parents are even more worried right now. It looks like the redhead is hallucinating.

Good thing _____ knows the truth. They know that he isn’t hallucinating and that he isn’t talking to thin air. Good thing they know that the words the young master was uttering are directed at a certain invisible dragon.

"It's fine now, I'll be supporting too."

Those words may seem like it was directed at the Countess and Cale but it was directed towards Raon. It's the healer's way of saying that everything will be fine so Raon better follows Cale's instructions.

_____ can’t see Raon nor can they hear his voice in their head, but they’re sure that the dragon has quieted down since Cale had stopped muttering

“Does healer-nim need help?”

The territory’s healer finally arrived. Meanwhile, _____ has not only aided Cale’s vitality of the heart, but they were also healing Choi Han while supporting Mary.

“Yes please.”

Short responses are the only thing _____ can form right now. They must focus all their strength on supporting three people. Choi Han is especially hard to heal. It’s because the Medicus had only known long-distance healing in theory and had never tried it in person.

The far away and moving Choi Han proved to be a difficult patient but _____ is certain that his recovering little by little from the wounds they are slowly absorbing. 

Drip

Drip

It’s a good thing the colour coding for this event is black. Even as blood drips down their sleeves no one would notice from far away.

But not the people near the Medicus.

Cale’s hand that had been holding onto _____’s arms tightened at the blood dripping down the ground. On the bright side, they are now certain that Choi Han’s shoulder wound is getting better.

Meanwhile, supporting Mary is easier but still proves to be a bit of a challenge. The Medicus has to support her as stealthily as possible to not give away her location. Usually whenever _____ uses her ancient power droplets of water would appear. Then they would cover those droplets with their light ability. 

But they can’t do that right now.

Both would be too flashy and would reveal the necromancer’s location.

So they did the next best thing. Which was making their power travel through the cracks of the ground and the wall.

Doing this while doing long-distance healing and supporting the Vitality of the Heart made _____ use more power and energy than they usually would.

“Leave some of the work to the healers and priests.”

The still pale, but doing much better now, Cale whispered. _____ looked at him to assess his condition using their power. 

“I’m okay Commander, and it looks like you’ll be okay soon too.”

_____ heard Cale sigh but ignored it. Seeing that his being ignored, Cale proceeded to gather himself so he could stand up again.

And that made the healer relieved.

Sure they knew his fine. _____ knows that the young master has a regeneration power. But seeing him being in commission again made it feel real. Especially after seeing them bleed that much.

That relief was short-lived.

Because tell _____ why was the first thing Cale did was use his powers again. The healer swears that one day Cale is gonna give them a heart attack.

Fortunately, the healer and the redhead have similar temperaments. Both can work well under immense stress and pressure while making it seem like they aren’t breaking that much sweat. Thanks to that _____’s composure didn’t falter and they were able to do what they needed to.

Choi Han is still a problem though. Because of the distance, the healer can’t fully heal him.

‘If only I was stronger’

_____ tries to push unnecessary thoughts away.

‘If only I was a saint’

Just as _____ was about to get pulled in by their thoughts, they felt a familiar chubby paw on their shoulder.

“Kind _____ hang in there a bit more, we’re close to winning! I’m going to go help out Choi Han now okay?”

Raon’s bright voice had served as a wake-up call for _____. Thanks to him the healer can fully focus on their task until the very end.

“I didn’t know you could do that.”

“I didn’t know I could too.”

Cale and _____ are currently on their way to the underground dungeon. Both of them are pale and their clothes are covered with blood but they are walking as if nothing’s wrong.

“When you were at the Paerun Kingdom I started thinking of my powers in a different light, and this was the conclusion of that.”

“But doing this is harder for your body right?”

“As if, you’re one to talk.”

_____ laughed as they saw Cale scrunch his nose at the comment.

“Yes it’s harder but it’s very useful at times like this. It's all thanks to the anatomy books Ron bought for me. Having a more in-depth idea as to how our bodies work allowed me to assess them even from far away.

It’s good to know that as long as someone is within my eyesight I can heal them. Haaa, but I must say, healing Choi Han-nim while he was riding those flying bones is hard.”

Both of them stopped at the entrance of the underground dungeon.

“Since it’s hard and you overexerted yourself, does this mean you’ll leave Choi Han in the hands of other healers?”

The healer laughed again as they waved goodbye. There’s no way Cale is allowing them to enter the dungeon and they have better things to do.

“No promises Cale.”

And if one of those ‘better things to do’ is healing Choi Han, then Cale can find out for himself later.

[fishnapple]

I shall go through your pinned post then.

I’ve a few Qs, pls answer them at your leisure.

1) Do you see tarot as a predictive tool or one of self-help?

2) Astrology tells us that there are certain things that are bound to happen. Yes free-will exists, but there are SOME things once cannot escape. Do you feel tarot has such beliefs too?

3) Do you feel the future can be changed?

Sorry for bombarding you with Qs. 🙈 But am always so curious to know what tarot readers say about stuff like this!

I love discussions so it's always a joy to receive questions like these. If you have more questions or just want to share something, feel free to let me know.

Before answering your Qs, I have to put a disclaimer beforehand that all of these are my personal thoughts and experiences and I don't seek to deny the validity of other opinions. And also my spiritual beliefs don't really align with any particular system.

1) Do you see tarot as a predictive tool or one of self-help?

I see Tarot and other divination mediums as a tool to help us connect with the collective and our own individual unconscious. As the term "unconscious" denotes, it's a part that we don't usually aware of in ourselves and how it connects to everything.

Through Tarot, we become more aware of that part, gain more knowledge from it. But what we do with that knowledge is our own choice. Let's imagine the unconscious as a raw database and Tarot is an open source data processing program with many tools for analysing, predicting trends based on existing data, combine data to make a whole new thing etc. The tools will keep being added, updated based on the user (us)'s needs and skills.

So yes, Tarot can be used as a predictive tool or one of self-help, it can also be used for many different purposes as long as the user can get reliable results from it. I've asked Tarot for big life decisions, predicting major events, but I've also asked Tarot for advice on simple things like the place to go, the food to buy (yes lol) just to see how life will unfold.

2) Astrology tells us that there are certain things that are bound to happen. Yes free-will exists, but there are SOME things once cannot escape. Do you feel tarot has such beliefs too?

I think the only things that we cannot escape are the parents whom we are born to and our physical death. One can also argue that our higher self chose our parents but I'm of the belief that there is an underlying system that ensures the balance of the universe and we are placed in the right time and place according to that system. But it's not a rigid system but a flexible one, constantly changing to adapt to new situations.

And where do those new situations come from? from us, by our conscious or unconscious choices. Things that are considered bound to happen, things that one cannot escape are actually the results of our choices. Sometimes we make those choice unconsciously so it looks like we are just some passive pawns moved by some higher hands. The more aware we are of ourselves, the less we feel that our life is governed by outside force. This explains why some people who are aware of themselves, aware of all their light and dark sides, their gray sides, rarely resonate with their astrology chart or Tarot readings. Because their life is not controlled by a seemingly outside unknown force anymore.

Astrology chart can be the blueprint for our journey, but how we build it, how we decorate it, how we renovate it later on is our own choices. Tarot predictions are also like that.

3) Do you feel the future can be changed?

The answer to this question can be seen from the previous questions. The future is a result that will likely happen if we follow the trends of our existing actions, an extrapolation. Anything that hasn't happened yet, can be changed.

[ghostoffuturespast]

WIP Whenever

Tagged by @streetkid-named-desire! Thanks for thinking of me!

Writing

Quite literally nothing has happened in this department since I finished So It Goes two weeks ago. Taking a bit of a forced writing sabbatical because my work schedule has been insane (and will continue to be insane until August, summer's my busy season) and I've just had a bunch of random social/housekeeping things I've had to take care of on my weekends. Hopefully things'll settle down soon.

I've got a lot of smaller projects on the back burners at the moment that I've been mulling over, but I haven't had the time to do any actual writing. Been jotting down notes when they come to me though. I also need to go back and give SIG a polish too (and take notes lol), there's a lot of formatting and continuity things that need to be fixed.

And I'd like to try out some other writing software/apps. Google Docs is great for working across multiple devices and any general word processor is fine for shorter writing projects, but considering how massive SIG ended up being and the likelihood that Part 2 Electric Boogaloo is probably gonna be a similar length... It'd be nice to have something that's got a wider array of tools, better file organization, and won't crap out on me after hitting a character limit.

(If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them! I've got a couple of candidates so far but candid reviews would be appreciated.)

VP

Still taking VP even though I haven't booted Cyberpunk up in like three weeks. I have a substantial backlog to work through and have the tail-end of the base game missions to post still. I am currently at the beginning of PL again and did take photos of the main missions getting into Dogtown. Got some pretty epic shots if I do say so myself.

Gardening

Trying to see about getting my front yard and my hellstrip converted into a pocket prairie! This is the preliminary design, which makes no sense without the plant list, but hopefully once this gets approved by my HOA I can start working on it. I'm planning on doing my own installation, so this'll definitely be a whole summer project.

Reading

I've been very slowly getting back into reading again! It's been nice. Mostly non-fiction books I can get away with reading at work, but I'm coming around to read folks fics too. It's just finding some free time to sit in my new reading chair rn...

Tagging with no pressure: @fly-amanitaa @merge-conflict @vox-monstera @baublekute @shimmer-like-agirl @mynonsenseistingling @dani-the-goblin