#travel app maker

[traveleva]

Design your dream vacation by using our tool to make a vacation itinerary. Customize every aspect and ensure an unforgettable journey. https://traveleva.in/

[snailsagere]

Please read my dni in my bio before interacting

I made a computer games to play when regressed so here's phone games to play when regressed!

Phone games to play when regressed!

All of these games are free unless stated otherwise and I will give content warnings if needed! If I miss anything and you think I should include it then feel free to tell me!

🌸= personal favourites

Monster girl maker 1 and 2

Description- it's a cute dress up game where you design monster girls, it's really really cute!

CW- I think it's got some medically stuff and general stuff that may be scary

My little pony pocket ponies

Description- it's a game where you get through enemies using the mlp characters it's quite tricky so I recommend this more for anyone who regresses to older ages but it's still really fun!

CW- none :3

🌸My little pony colour by magic

Description- it's a colour by number game where you colour in scenes and decorate a friendship museum!

CW- none :3

🌸My little pony magic princess

Description- you rebuild equestria and complete quests as well as little in game competitions!

CW- none :3

🌸My little pony celebration

Description- you celebrate loads of different parties hosted by the my little pony characters!

CW- none :3

Toca world

Description- pretty much like a doll house but on your phone, make characters, make them a house and explore the world etc, there are also dlc's you can pay for which add stuff like new locations etc

CW- none :3

Toca hair salon 3

Description- this is a paid game where you cut and style different people's hair!

CW- cartoon scissors, hair cutting equipment etc

🌸Hello kitty around the world

Description- you travel to different countries as hello kitty, learn facts about them and where they are in world! you also earn traditional outfits and food to dress hello kitty and feed her!

CW- none! :3

Hello kitty educational games

Description- play a variety of different games to earn outfits and furniture for hello kitty!

CW- none! :3

🌸Hello kitty fashion star

Description- dress up girls in sanrio clothes!

CW- none! :3

Hello kitty cafe

Description- own a cafe! And play as sanrio characters! This games a bit tricky so I recommend it for older kids! Aswell as that there used to be in app purchases to make it easier but they do not work anymore so keep that in mind!

CW- none! :3

Hello kitty goodnight

Description- you play little mini games to get the hello kitty family to sleep!

CW- none! :3

🌸Littlest pet shop your world

Description- play loads and loads of littlest pet shop mini games and if you have the lps with the rubbery heads you can even scan them into the game!

CW- none! (I haven't played every mini game but it seems fine)

Cats and soup

Description- this is a clicky game where you unlock cats for them to make soup

CW- drawings of cartoony knives (to cut veggies)

Bunnybuns

Description- you play as a bunny making food for customers based on hints they give you

CW- none (I don't remember if they use kitchen equipment but I think they don't, not certain though!)

My talking Angela 2

Description- look after a cat called angela, play mini games etc

CW- none! :3

🌸Virtual families 3

Description- I grew up play virtual families 2!this is the same premise we're you look after a family on your phone!

CW- none! :3

Tsuki odyssey

Description- similar to tsuki adventure but now you're in a new location, you can fish, buy things, decorate your house and see what tsuki gets up to

CW- I think burglary is mentioned at the start

Cats are cute

Description- expand a town of cats, pet them, feed them and play with them!

CW- none! :3

Adorable home

Description- play as a couple and adopt loads and loads of cats, look after them and decorate and expand your house!

CW- none! :3

Any papa's game

Description- cook food for customers! All the papa's games are paid for but they're only £1-£3! My personal recommendation is papa's pancakeria!

CW- some of the games have knives in them

🌸Pokemon playhouse

Description- you collect pokemon and play cute mini games with them! This is a good game for little kids who like pokemon!

CW- none! :3

Pokemon smile

Description- brush your teeth to catch pokemon!

CW- none! :3

Pokemon go

Description- walk around outside and catch pokemon! Definitely recommend doing this when it's less cold hehe

CW- none! :3

Pokemon cafe

Description- a match three gand where you make food and drinks fir pokemon customers!

CW- cartoony knife+kitchen equipment maybe

🌸Egg!

Description- raise eggs until they hatch into cute creatures! I loved this game when I was little

CW- none! :3

🌸My school-learning game

Description- be a teacher in a school and teach characters basic maths and English (it has a few different language options depending on where you're from) you can unlock things but you have to pay for them but what is free is fun

CW- none! :3

Colouring games

Description- colour in pictures!

CW- none! :3

🌸Jungle floof

Description- raise jungle animals and play mini games!

CW- none! :3

🌸Applaydu

Description- a kinder egg toy game! Loads of different activities to do and you can unlock characters by scanning your kinder toys!

CW- none! :3

🌸Duo abc

Description- learn the alphabet and basic words (only English), disclaimer? Maybe? not the same as duolingo, this app is made for children

CW- none! :3

Extras! (games I found while making this list)

Plants vs Zombies 1, 2 and 3

Description- fight zombies by setting up plants with different abilities! I recommend this for older kids, I had pvz 1 and 2 when I was younger and I was very bad at it haha

CW- zombies, ungorey violence (no blood etc)

Sundae picnic

Description- make ice cream for cats and dogs! (please don't actually give cats or dogs ice cream)

CW- none! :3

Pokemon sleep

Description- collect pokemon by sleeping (sometimes the app doesn't record your sleep properly but usually it's ok, still fun either way)

CW- none! :3

Khan kids

Description- I haven't played it yet but it looks like it has little mini games for younger kids on it!

CW- idk :c

[primusdemoniccreatrix]

Dreams of Milk and Honey (The Mandalorian X Earthling Reader)

I was inspired by a need to mother Grogu. I love him, my green son. Yes, I made things up, Marie Kondo style. Sue me. gif by @jedialways

Love, One At A Time

"Okay, there we go" You set up your phone just across from you, propped up precariously from across you on the counter, the device perched upon a strange contraption of wires and some questionable scrap metal that looked like it should be on the outside of the great antique ship the Razor Crest instead of inside but who was going to notice?

Well, someone, but not you. Out of sight, out of mind.

You open up the app, letting the timer start.

"Grogu, we're taping! Come on! Let's start!"

A small wrinkled green child with ears twice the size of its head and a nose as small and cute as a flower bell smiled widely at you, excited for what you had planned today.

"Good morning, and Welcome to the 'Craver Crest' where we make and bake what you're craving!" you spoke into the camera, smiling at your reflection as you speak. You turned and waved Grogu over, speaking once more to a disembodied audience as you kept your eyes on the little baby padding his way over to you, arms outstretched and ready for the world. You cradled him into your arms and had him face the camera with you to 'say hi to your fans!'

"Today and every day, all day, we welcome our sous-chef and taste-tester, Grogu! So today, we'll let Grogu decide what we get to make!" You presented two unused wires, one blue and one red, as choice makers. "So, Grogu, we can make either those cookies you like or we can make a snack sandwich today! Which would you like to pick? Blue for cookies, red for sandwich!" you chirped for him. Under your breath, you hummed the Jeopardy theme song as you smiled at Grogu, his big brown eyes full of innocence and sunlight that had seen too much pain already, living every day to the fullest, eagerly choosing the blue wire like you guessed he would. He did have a sweet tooth after Nevarro, after all.

"Well, looks like we're making cookies!" You grab a bowl and bring it to the camera, filling it with the egg whites and the cream you'd gotten at the behest of a few villagers you'd met several days ago. The places you'd travelled to had often yielded both unimaginable (to you) adventures and was often rewarded with homely little goods or money, but they were often a combination that greatly helped you pick out what you wanted. The last planet you'd been on, a pretty planet named Naboo, had offered you some goods that were easy to keep in the foodstore inside the Crest. The eggs belonged to some animals whose name you couldn't remember, but all that mattered was that the ingredients given to you by some thankful shop-owners you'd inadvertently helped by getting rid of the bounty had thanked you with some confectionary recipes for on-the-go dessert as a thank you, and also gave you at least 3 weeks of ingredients' worth for it! Mando sighed as he accepted, and you were determined to use them; it'd clear the shelves for the 'more important foodstuffs' he'd claim, like the practical grump he was.

"So, we've got our bowl with the rested egg whites, and the yokes I already cooked for breakfast, isn't that right, Grogu?" you asked, turning to the small green child who cooed in agreement, the camera catching your interactions as you spoke on about the ingredients of green sugar, blue cream, some paste that was almost almond-like, etc. You'd no idea that some sugars and milks in the galaxy could come in their own colours like that, but it just goes to show how far humankind could go if they weren't currently warring over dreams of delusional imperialism.

You turned to Grogu often, letting him join in the cooking after introducing the ingredients.

"Here, Grogu, could you pour the sugar in for me?" You'd lift him up and use a free hand to help him pour the contents of the bowl and then kiss his cheek as he laughed. "What a lovely assistant you are!"

"Would you pass me the spatula, dear?" He cooed as he lifted a small spoon, before you told him it was the one beyond, and as he grabbed it, you called him a 'sweet and clever sous-chef!' and bopped his teeny tiny nose before helping him stir the ingredients to finish off the quick recipe. Soon enough, it was time to put the fast-made sandwich batter for the macarons onto baking sheets and warm them, and you and Grogu laughed as you piped little circles of the batter onto a hoverpan, known to be the perfect non-stick pan even in heavy baking! You gave Grogu the important job of holding a small heart-shaped thick wire that worked as a cookie-cutter, and the wire was clean and usable, you'd made sure. Grogu was up to the task, concentrating very hard, his little eyes narrowing to inspect your work and ears perking up at every little heart-shape you both made. He took his job seriously and it warmed your heart every time.

By the time the pan was covered in two dozen hearts, the first two hearts were ready to be baked. In a matter of a few more minutes filled with your storytelling of Mando's most recent hunt, every last one of the hearts were ready, the quick-acting flour doing its job well. "Well, these look ready, so, with my sous-chef's word, we shall bake them! What do you say, chef? Shall we show our audience how to cook?"

Grogu's tiny fists waved in the air as he let out a squeal of agreement, and with a kiss to his head, you placed it into the Crest's oven, no preheat needed.

The wait was only 30 minutes, and you filled that time playing with Grogu, keeping him occupied as he passed you some sugar and milk, spilling a teeny bit as he lifted it to you, and you took it graciously and joked about the milk being excited enough to leap, just to hear Grogu giggle.

Grogu helped you mix, and in the corner of your eye, you could see your phone still recording, you and your lively little green boy stirring some fluffy butter-cream mix together for his cookies. You didn't know if he could read these recipe cards, but he was clearly vivacious, eager for the world, seeing it with the eyes of a child, even though he's known so much pain. This video wasn't just to make a joke and some fun: it was a small part selfish, but a bigger part for Grogu: he was already 50, and considering how young he was, it was clear he was going to outlive you. You didn't know if you'd be able to see him beyond a toddler's age, didn't know if you'd be able to hear him speak English/Basic, didn't know if sometime in the future, he might even forget you, or worse: not have the means or time to do something that makes him happy in a galaxy, a whole fucking galaxy's worth of enemies. You wanted to leave something for him, a memory of something fun, and maybe, just maybe, you'd find some way of living too, even as a little ghost who brought Grogu some joy in his young life. You'd give anything to be with him, but even you were mortal: you hoped you could give him a childhood to look back on before the future comes, whenever it may be.

The timer dinged in the midst of your little game of patty-cake you were teaching your three-fingered companion, and he jumped up, ears perking at the sudden noise. His eyes lit up, and you giggled at his antics. "Looks like our cookies are ready!"

His scream of joy was worth your teeth nearly gritting. His little feet pitter-pattered towards the oven that took you only a few steps to reach, but you walked slowly so as to give him time. "Come along, sous-chef, let's see what we made!" You had to move Grogu from the oven's front as he stubbornly squirmed until you told him hot air might hit him, and when he moved, you grabbed a protective handler and took the hoverpan out, placing it on the counter. You could feel Grogu tug on your clothes, trying to get up, so you picked him up and let him see the cookies.

"Well, it looks like we're finished! We just need to put them on the cooling rack! Would you help me, oh great sous-chef?" you exaggerated with a flourished bow, and a coo answered you in the affirmative. You took Grogu in your hands, took a flat-headed spatula that should be legally classified as a giant screwdriver, and with both your hand and Grogu's on the handle, lifted the first cookie up off the pan, the airy concoction coming up effortlessly, and you flipped it onto a cooling rack, making Grogu kick his little feet in excitement at this new activity. You two continued to flip the cookies, making sure you were explaining to Grogu to 'flick the wrist' and 'be gentle, or they might break before we can use them, okay hon?" and soon enough all the shells were cooling. You checked the recipe card from the shop-owner once more, seeing that the cookie shells just needed "a moment to rise and then it would be ready for the filling"; you turned to Grogu, telling him: "we can wait, right? We're almost done?" He tilted his head at you, and you nodded back, setting him down on the counter. "Well, we heard him, we're almost done and then its time for filling the cookies and eating! Did you want to say hi to the camera, sous-chef? Any words?" You pointed him the camera out to him, and he waved at his reflection, babbling at the phone, before the last clump of green sugar left from cooking caught his interest.

The timer blinking on your phone, and with Grogu occupied within supervision, you decided to add a personal touch to the video.

"So, Grogu and I made some cookies today, and we found out that flipping the cakes is a lot of fun! And that we have to be careful near heat sources, right?" You sighed at the camera, eyes distant, looking at Grogu in the camera who was facing the cookies, watching them with interest. "I hope that this recipe is something that you can enjoy any time, and I hope life gives you many sweet treats as sweet as you are. You're the world to me, baby, I love you so much; I hope you know that, sweetling". You smiled softly at the camera, before your expression turned to one of confusion as a turquoise macaron shell hovered in the air, Grogu's eyes narrowed and hand raised.

"Grogu no! They need to cool-" You got out of your seat and caught the cookie as it was making its way, hissing at the heat remaining on it before putting it back on the rack. You turned back to Grogu, his teeny hand now down as he looked up at you with those puppy eyes that screamed innocence with the gleam of mischief only you, Mando, and other parents could recognize in him. Snickering, you pick him up, cradling him to you, as you spoke with as honeyed a stern voice as you could make: "Grogu, those need to cool before we put the icing in or they'll get mushy and not tasty!"

The last thing the camera saw was a human placing buttercream onto little green shells, and a green baby putting another one atop, making a sandwich, both filled with smiles on their faces, love in their hearts as the human fed the tiny one the first of the cookies, the child enjoying them quite dearly.

Mando heard a beep registering on his vambrace, the alert not important but originating from his ship: your 'phone' he'd connected to his systems had taken a video. He remembered how he'd tracked your moves when you came aboard, and though it wasn't necessary, it was still a precaution that could help, he believed. The notification was a video file, titled Craver Crest1_ Cookies.

Well, it was alliterated?

He opened up the file. His helmet's visor picked up the command, and as he walked down the tunnels back towards the Crest since he'd delivered the bounty, the backdrop of the dark empty tunnel was perfect for the hologram as it appeared from his vambrace's built-in holoprojector.

He watched, nearly stumbling a few times as the passengers on the Crest made the same cookies he'd seen Grogu eat on Nevarro. It was so lovely to see Grogu smile and laugh, and learn about different things while having fun. The sight of him kicking his feet in excitement was something the Mandalorian would carry with him, an image in the back of his head, of just how cute Grogu would get sometimes. He watched as the video ended with the passengers, Grogu and his babysitter, smile and eat, waving goodbye to the camera with cookies in their hands. The video turned off, and the Mandalorian stepped out into the light of the lavender sunset on Tiragon, and made his way back to the ship. He wondered if there would be any cookies left for him? He'd know once he got back to the Cravor Crest, where they made the cookies he was now craving.

[noneedtoamputate]

Happy holidays, @land-sh. I'm your HBO War Secret Santa, and I hope you like this modern holiday AU featuring Ron and Carwood. I know you don't live in the United States, so I wanted to let you in on a few things in case you didn't know (and my apologies if you already know). The Pentagon, where Ron works, is home to the U.S. Departmen of Defense, and Instacart is an app where you can order groceries and get them delivered to your house. Fair warning for anyone else reading, it's just a tad spicy toward the end. I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday season, no matter how you celebrate!

Ron stared at the calendar hanging in the kitchen. If looks could set paper ablaze, the month of December would have burnt to a crisp thirty seconds ago.

He took another sip of his steaming black coffee, careful not to let any get on his Army dress uniform.

He took the calendar down from its hook and walked over to the kitchen table they purchased three years ago, when Ron accepted a desk job at the Pentagon and Carwood left active service and started teaching history at a local high school. 

Car’s messy handwriting filled almost all of the squares. He had Army reserve duty the first weekend of the month, and as assistant coach of the boys’ junior varsity basketball team, there were practices or games almost every weeknight up until holiday break. There was the neighborhood cookie exchange, where he promised to make his famous gingerbread people, and then there was the Santa Paws fundraising event at the humane society. Car volunteered to dress up as Santa.

Ron’s small, neat cursive only filled Mondays for his personal training appointments and on December 22, with one word and arrow ending on December 30.

Home.

No one at work would ever guess that Lt. Col. Ronald Speirs loved Christmas. He loved the lights, the movies, the gifts, and, most importantly, being with the people he loved. He hadn't made it back to his parents in Massachusetts for the holidays since moving to Washington. He finally had enough seniority in his department to take an entire week off in December.

He couldn't wait to taste his mother’s shortbread, to be spoiled by his sisters, to take his nieces and nephews sledding. There really was nothing like Christmastime in New England. 

He heard Car come down the stairs of their townhouse. He wore a black turtleneck sweater, fitted tan pants, and loafers. If Ron’s teacher had looked as half as good as Car, Ron would never have passed U.S. History. 

Car smiled at him as he walked over to the coffee maker. 

“The calendar’s getting pretty full,” Ron said, trying to sound casual.

“December’s always busy,” Car replied as he sat down across from his husband. “But not too busy that we can't find time for each other.”

“Movies?” Ron asked. 

“Of course. Die Hard. Love Actually. We’ll watch them all.”

Ron leaned closer. 

“And we’ll drive around to look at the lights?” Ron was a sucker for Christmas lights.

Car nodded. “I’ll drive, so you can really look at the displays.”

Ron smiled. “Well, if that isn't love, I don't know what is.” He reached over to kiss Car.

“I gotta run.” Car picked up his travel mug. “Have a good day. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Ron replied.

He finished his coffee and tried to get into work mode, the mode where no one would guess he loved watching Home Alone with his husband and dog and a fire roaring in their living room.

*

The next week, Ron looked at the calendar again. 

He was not happy.

“Why do you have ‘choir concert’ filled in on Wednesday?” Ron asked as Car buttered his toast.

“Yeah, about that …” Car trailed off as he nervously scratched his head. “Mrs. Ramirez needed some help setting up for the holiday show.”

“That was supposed to be movie night.” Ron tried not to sound too upset. 

“I know,” Car conceded. “Practice gets out early Friday night. We’ll have movie night then. I’ll even make the popcorn.”

“With extra butter?” Car nodded, Ron’s mouth curled up into what was almost a smile.

“It's a date,” Ron replied, and gave his husband a kiss.

But movie night never happened. A student teacher’s car wouldn't start in the faculty parking lot. Car tried jumping it, and when that didn't work, he waited while they called a tow company and gave them a ride to their apartment. 

By the time Car got home, Ron didn't feel like watching anything. 

“What was I supposed to do?” he asked Ron. “I couldn't just leave them there.”

“Of course not,” Ron agreed. 

But Ron lost his patience the following week when he walked into their home office and saw Car furiously typing away on the computer keyboard. 

“Dinner’s ready,” Ron said. He stood behind Car and put his hands on Car’s shoulders, giving them a gentle rub. 

Car moved away from Ron’s touch and rubbed his temples. 

“What's the matter?” Ron asked. 

“Two students asked for recommendation letters at the last minute. I need to finish these tonight.”

Ron narrowed his gaze. “You could have said no.”

Car sighed. “No, I couldn't. They’re great kids. Smart, responsible …”

Ron cut him off. “Asking for a recommendation letter at the last minute isn't responsible.”

The two just stared at each other. 

“You need to eat,” Ron finally said.

“I'll grab something when I'm finished.” Car went back to looking at the monitor. 

“And I guess this means no looking at lights tonight.” Ron crossed his arms.

Lulu came into the room and nuzzled up to Car, looking for some love. 

“Can you take her? I can't focus with her with trying to get attention “

“You don't even have time for the dog?” Ron asked, no longer hiding his anger. He leaned down to pet Lulu. “C’mon, girl, let's go for a walk.”

Ron set off on a good clip toward the park, Lulu happily keeping up the pace. 

Why does he do this? Why does he put everyone first?

He felt disloyal asking himself the question, because the way Car looked out for people was one of the reasons Ron loved him so much. 

Ron hated admitting that he felt jealous of all the attention Car had shown other people this month while making no time for him, or so it seemed.

And sadness crept over him. They seemed so distant over the last few weeks. No cuddling on the couch, binging the latest series. No long conversations over dinner. No spooning in bed before falling asleep.

And certainly no sex.

The brisk air and exercise cleared his head a bit, but he still paused for a second before opening the front door. The house stood quiet, and the chicken tetrazzini on top of the stove remained untouched. 

He threw the baking dish back into the oven to reheat and poured dog food into Lulu’s bowl. He ate dinner alone. He rinsed the dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. He sorted the mail and cleaned out the fridge. When he ran out things to do, he poured himself two fingers of Scotch and tried to read a book, but he read the same page over and over. It was only 9:30 pm, and he wasn't tired, but he gave up and got ready for bed. 

It was just before midnight when Car finally made it upstairs. He didn't say anything as he took off his clothes and slipped into bed, staying far away from Ron’s side. 

“You're going to wear yourself out,” Ron said quietly.

“I'll be fine,” Car replied. Soon, his deep breaths signaled that he was asleep.

Ron put his hands behind his head and stayed awake for two more hours.

*

On the morning they planned to leave for Ron’s parents, Car woke up with the flu: Body aches, chills, and a pounding headache.

He wouldn't admit it. “Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow,” he told Ron. 

Ron titled his head to one side and gave Carwood that Ron Speirs look.

“It's possible,” Car said meekly, not really sounding convinced himself.

Ron called his mom and dad and explained the situation. Though disappointed, they completely understood and sent their love to Car.

He put in an Instacart order. There was not a lot of food in the house, as they planned to be gone for a week. Plenty of Gatorade, rice, bananas, bread for toast. All the ingredients for chicken soup, and easy meals for Ron to eat in between caregiving duties. 

The next day, he felt even worse. Ron added another bedspread on top of him for warmth and plugged in a heating pad for him to use. 

“You don’t need to stay here. Go to your parents. I can take care of …” Before Car get the last word of the sentence out, he started coughing. 

Ron rubbed his back. 

“I'm sorry,” Car said, once he caught his breath.

“No reason to apologize for coughing,” Ron replied. 

“No, not the coughing. For …” He started coughing again. 

Ron took a deep breath. He’d been trying to avoid thinking about what he was missing at home. His family, the epic games of Yahtzee, his mom's roast lamb on Christmas Day. 

But he knew Car hadn't gotten sick on purpose. If Ron had gotten sick right before they were supposed to go to West Virginia for the holidays, Car would have taken care of him without a second thought.

“It's okay,” Ron said. 

Ron couldn't have said that the day before and meant it. But today, he did.

*

On Christmas Day, Car felt well enough to get into the shower by himself. They exchanged gifts. Ron bought Car a new messenger bag for work, and Car bought Ron the watch he’d had his eye on for a while. Ron made chicken soup for lunch, and they finally watched Home Alone together on the couch. Car felt asleep halfway through, but Ron could tell he was finally on the mend. 

The rest of the week was mainly more of the same. Ron would make something for lunch, and they would watch one of the holiday movies they never got around to before Car got sick: Gremlins, Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street, It's a Wonderful Life. Each day, they would sit a little closer on the couch to one another, hold hands, spoon. 

New Year’s Eve arrived, and Car felt great. They had an invitation to a party, but they decided it was bit soon to go out.

Ron, being a great cook, made steak and lobster tails for lunch. They splurged on a bottle of good champagne and talked and laughed like they hadn't the entire month of December. 

They turned on a football game, and Ron fell asleep before halftime. He woke up to the feeling of Car’s fingers in his hair.

“I didn't mean to take a nap,” he said, reaching for his husband's hand. 

“You needed it. You've been taking care of me all week.”

Ron stroked Car’s cheek and reached in for a kiss. 

They started slow, almost uncertain, the tension of the last few weeks still present. But then Car traced his tongue along Ron’s earlobe, a surefire way to get Ron hard. Wordlessly, they walked upstairs to the bedroom.

Car started undressing Ron, taking his time. Ron hadn't realized how touch starved he was for Car's hands and lips. He kissed his neck and worked his way down, nuzzling Ron’s chest with his stubble and gently biting Ron’s nipples. Ron couldn't help letting out a moan, and he could feel Car smile against him.

He let out an actual groan when Car grabbed him, stroking him exactly the way he liked. He put the head of Ron’s cock in his mouth and teased him, before taking it all in.

Ron tried to pull away, but Car shook him off. “I want to take care of you,” he said. 

Ron realized that for all the things Car did for other people, he would only do this for Ron. This was just for the two of them. He had no reason to be jealous.

Ron realized and ran his fingers through Car’s hair, staying in the moment and taking in every sensation. He knew he wouldn't last long, and that it wouldn't matter. 

Ron said his husband’s name as he came, and Car kept him in his mouth and teased the inside of his thighs as he came down. He took Ron in his arms, and Ron lay his head on Car’s chest. 

Another thing no one at the Pentagon would guess was how much Ron loved the time after making love, when they would hold each other and talk quietly. He didn't used to, not before he met Car. It was one of the ways he knew Car was the man for him. 

They stayed quiet for longer than usual, enjoying the closeness.

“I am sorry you didn't make it home for Christmas,” Car finally said. “You said was okay, but I know how much it meant to you.”

Ron kissed him. “I was home for Christmas.” He looked the man who meant everything to him in the eye.

“You are my home.”

[accio-victuuri]

CPN : XZS vlog chapter 5.5 Rome & Paris 📺

just some bits and pieces that we picked up from the recent vlog shared by xz and his team. honestly, their work just keeps getting better and better. no one does it like them. some people may hate on him for the ‘vlogs’ but at this point, the production quality is on par with something you can show on tv or a streaming app. xz’s travel show when….

as usual, everything is fake and interpreted with turtle/cpn glasses on. if you don’t like it then feel free to scroll — no one is forcing you. ‼️‼️

Let’s start with the date of posting which 3/29, out of all the days he could have shared this, why now? They usually go for Thursdays but not this one. We think it’s a late 3/28 gift, that day is Wuji recording and also when WYB came home from his Rome trip. What a nice coincidence, cause the vlog posted had Rome in it too. These two are really so particular with dates! I can’t. 🥹🥹🥹🥹

1. One thing that stood out to me was when he was looking at a design book. He was talking about designing typeface and letter, and how there are different formations in writing or presenting them. I don’t think that it was ever CPN that he likes to play with letters/ characters to give a different meaning. or to hide something. think : yibo’s motorcyle suit. this just confirms that.

( i have talked about most ( if not all ) of the design bits and hidden meanings per the photos above and more. it’s too much for me to link each one so just feel free to explore this blog. )

2. The way he was eating the lollipop and his pose is so WANG YIBO. I’m sorry, but that’s the first thing that came to mind. Yibo and his oral fixation is real and we see it on SDC most of the time. 😂 They really mirror each other’s habits now and do certain things that make you go “wait… that’s totally xx behavior and not his..”

people are wondering if they saw the fanart of them eating 🍭 at some point and copied it unconsciously.

3. The element of romance in this vlog makes me wanna scream! honestly. Sure, you can argue that the place ( especially paris ) is romantic or that he is doing fan service to the viewers — like, you’re in a romantic weekend with me in Paris. Yeah. Sure. that’s a plausible explanation. but for a clown like me, the elements seem deliberate.

The lines in Moon River:

I'm crossing you in style some day // Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker // Wherever you're going, I'm going your way // Two drifters, off to see the world // There's such a lot of world to see // We're after the same rainbow's end.

He sang the line ‘ i’m crossing you in style some day ‘ — yeah, ZZ. you will be with WYB one day in Rome and Paris. and the mention of a Rainbow. 🌈 I need someone to make a fan video with this as a BGM please.

Next is JVKE’s golden hour. This one has more 👀 lyrics. The whole “golden” and “see you shine” just screams his love for anything about the sun. the sun and his sunflower ☀️ and the mention of summer.

We were just two lovers // Feet up on the dash, drivin' nowhere fast // Burnin' through the summer // Radio on blast, make the moment last // She got solar power

I also don’t really buy it when people say “he doesn’t understand the lyrics, don’t think to much..” i mean. are you really lowkey insulting him at this point? he may not know like the details, but i’m pretty sure he understands the general meaning. and like, it’s not that hard to understand english words. come on.

The style for the intros were also reminiscent of the movie Roman Holiday. Maybe they looked up a movie and watched it. but anyway, the story of this is also a romantic movie.

Yes we know you’re not single. ☺️☺️☺️☺️

4. He wore a long wooyoungmi coat which I talked about here. So looks like that’s where the paper bag was from? but if he already wore it, why bring the bag like that? it’s not that precious of a cargo to hand carry anyway. i’m still eating the candy.

5. Same place, but years apart. ⏱️

6. How he was trying to ride the scooter makes me soft. I feel like the influence of riding things like this ( and even the hoverboard he owns ) is from WYB. 🥹 He can’t do motorcycles, but he is willing to try everything else. The whole image of him riding it reminds us of the loyiboard character design too!

7. When you see what’s on screen during the 2:28 timestamp, it’s a dog. Lol. thinking of your puppy back home? There are also two other shots where a dog is there, but not as deliberate as this one.

8. It looks familiar 🤔🤔🤔🤔

9. It depends on how you see it, 8 or infinity. I’ve really been up in arms with this CPN and feel like we will see more of it.

10. The message ZZ brings in this vlog is the best thing tho. from the caption of the video on weibo :

The best time is on the road, to listen In the heart, to draw inspiration, to travel far, to find a different self. Feel free to do what you want👣

I love how he is encouraging people, in a way, to get out there. which was always his message to fans, to have time to go outside and build themselves up. Don’t spend too much time online. Also the bit about feel free to do what you want. I really hope he gets to do that more. I hope he gets to make choices that lean more towards the things he wants. 💕

and this bit : ( to native speakers, feel free to chime in too )

“in the long run the straw weighs” = despite the light weight, everything becomes heavy if you bring it for too long.

-END.

[dorokora]

Chapter 15 Episode 2 Part 1

We start with narration about how the biggest advantage the world reps have is access to past memories. They can even manipulate others by selected specific memories. So the question is, What if they created a force that knew everything about ``what will happen from now on'' and memories of the future? Cut to Onyankopon, who explains that memories from the future is a wonderful thing, you can avoid mistake and even death. Onyankopon believes there is no such thing as a natural death. There is always a reason for death. He believes that if the cause of death could be removed, there would be no death in the world. After surgery, all will become first class citizens of future city. Sanzou says “shut up that’s mess up”. If he won’t consent to the surgery then Onyakopon will force him. Onyakapon hates death. Therefore, he wants to get rid of humans of death. However, humans will die. No matter what you teach, no matter what you bestow, it will happen. There are hundreds, thousands, ten thousand different ways to die. Baphomet says she completely understands the feeling of fear, because she too has been treated as a ``god'' in the past. Back to the prisoners, they wonder if Sanzou is okay. The mysterious wanderer appears and picks up a long object that was lying nearby and swung it as hard as he could toward the wall.

Meanwhile, we cut to MC and others. The Wanderers are also here along with some few familiar faces. Including Nyarl but he escaped before Maria could notice him. Everyone here is here to rescue the captured humans and infiltrate Future City. But anyone who goes near that city never returns like what happened with Avarga. Currently the Rule Maker mob are fighting against the Warmongers and the Invaders. It’s not just fellow guild members that are captured but regular people and app users are also captured by the Rule Makers. So this is no longer just a guild battle problem for them.

Prometheus says he doesn’t involve in this game because the Rule Makers are trying to turn humans into gods. In the past he once did something similar. He gave fire to humans because he thought it was necessary for the future development of humanity as a whole. But he saw what humans use that fire for. The only reason he’s getting involved now is because he wants to save his guild master and that’s it. Bohemio, the Wanderers guild master, is a man who loves singing and dancing, and lives for freedom and travel. A man who doesn’t care about the future. A man who won't hesitate to use any kind of brutality against anyone who threatens him. He is definitely not the kind of man that everyone would understand or like, but to Prometheus it was hope. He loves that man (🏳️‍🌈?). Bohemio was the kind of man that other humans looked up to and looked down upon. For Prometheus, the person who told him that he didn't need a future was the salvation of his life. MC thinks about everything that’s happen, Lil’Sal pops up to give a motivational speech. The Drone mobs show up. Battle ensues.

After battle, Prometheus provided an escape path so that Barguest can get Kenta and the other children out of danger. Daisuke wants to join the fight, Avarga gave him a chance to choose so he’s making a choice.

[spotsandsocks]

January can be gloomy so here’s a little bit of love for pocket friends and those that help fill my dash with good things. I’ll be tagging friends and mutuals, some people who won’t know me and some who do, I hope nobody minds too much, feel free to ignore me. Thank you to fandom by me💕

Thank you fanfic writers; your imagination seems endless, your words sail ships that may never reach their destination but you’re taking us where we want to go anyway. You give us stories that we’ll never see anywhere else, that make us smile and cry, a 1000 kisses in a 1000 ways. You break our hearts and rebuild it, you keep us company in the dark when we can’t sleep, what would we do without you?

Gif makers; your talents are a mystery to me, you take our shows and catch our favourites in moments of time, slow them and spin them into something clearer, brighter, better and new. You use your time to give us beautiful colours, sometimes you wrap your creations in songs and poems to make us smile and break our hearts. Isn’t that amazing.

Artists you create such amazing things, how? How is there so much talent in your fingertips. It seems impossible to me. You draw or edit or manipulate images to bring such joy, you see what’s not there yet and make it real, imagine our delight when our imagination appears before our very eyes. You can show us things we can only dream of, how wonderful is that, how talented you are.

And you out there who see things about our shows and in them, who share it and see patterns who tie it together and say did you see, do you think, did you know, and you write and write and write such wonderful metas (even if sometimes you hide in the tags) you amaze us with what you see and give hope. It really wouldn’t be the same here without you.

And then last but not least, never that, there’s you, who read and hit kudos, who write comments, the re bloggers and the friends, people who write tags that are funny and smart and kind; do you know what you do, what it means, how your names are noticed and remembered, how you make people smile at their inboxes and notifications. I hope you do.

To all of you I think that you should know that you help bring happiness into places you can’t imagine, to people you will never meet and faces you might never see and I thank you for it 💕💜💕

Tagging under cut there are so many more of you I know but maybe you’ll see this anyway in your travels around this little blue app we love to hate

@loveyourownsmiilee @monsterrae1 @shortsighted-owl @the-likesofus @elvensorceress @yelenasbuddie @lostinabuddiehaze @swiftiediaz @buddierights @ajunerose @fleurdebeton @megslovesbooks @jacksadventuresinwriting @livingwherethesidewalkends @ci5mates @lilbuddie @fiona-fififi @blaidddrwg1982 @taketheplanspinitsideways @rogerzsteven @bekkachaos @jobairdxx @thekristen999 @b99tgplhtgawmf1sh @ronordmann @matan4il @weewootruck @caroandcats @homerforsure @stagefoureddiediaz @anxieteandbiscuits @dickley-buddie @canonicallyobserving911 @sibylsleaves @like-the-rest-of-la @paranoidbean @starlingbite @yawningmicrobe @blue-cheeseinmyoffwhites @cosycrescent @fatedbuck @buddiearemydads @mikereads @swiftiebuckleys @hattalove @belovedbuddie @sherlocking-out-loud @henswilsons @skyhighrollins911 @oliverstarked

[satoshi-mochida]

Sympathy Kiss launches February 27, 2024 in the west

Gematsu Source

Otome visual novel Sympathy Kiss will launch for Switch on February 27, 2024 in North America and Europe, publisher Idea Factory International announced. It will be available both physically and digitally, and feature Japanese voice-overs with English subtitles.

Idea Factory International also revealed the contents of the limited edition. It will include a copy of the game, hardcover art book, audio drama and official soundtrack, company travel tumbler, Estario stationary set, reversible cover sleeve, collector’s box, and an exclusive trading card. Users can wishlist it now at Idea Factionary International Online Store (North America, Europe).

Sympathy Kiss first launched for Switch on November 17, 2022 in Japan.

Here is an overview of the game, via Idea Factory International:

About

About a year has passed since Akari Amasawa started her new job as a designer at Estario, a mobile app maker. While she doesn’t dislike her job, she’s not deeply passionate about it either. After her yearly performance review, she’s given the opportunity to join the Estarci team. The company’s namesake app, Estarci is a news app that made a big splash when it launched, but has since fallen behind rival apps, including apps run by Estario itself. Management has decided to give the app one last chance before shutting it down for good, and Akari and all of her new co-workers will need to give it their all to save the app from the chopping block. Will Akari find true love? Will she find what it is she wants to do in life? Will the app get shut down? Wait, was Akari only given this opportunity because the company was looking for an excuse to fire her?! Business and pleasure mix in Sympathy Kiss, a thrilling office romance and slice-of-life drama!

Key Features

#POV: You Are A Modern-Day Office Worker in Japan – Explore your career opportunities and work with up to six love interests. See through the eyes of a Japanese career woman and experience full immersion in a contemporary workplace setting where the fantasy can be found in the breakroom.

Call or Text If You Need Me! – Increase productivity, or dabble in some friendly office banter by maintaining contact with romanceable characters using the RiNG system. Respond to text messages and take fully-voiced calls from your favorite love interests.

Wear Your Emotions On Your Sleeve – Some decisions require you to express how you feel through the Emotion Select system. Pick from two of a total of five emotions: Happy, Angry, Troubled, Sad, and Indifferent. Your selected emotions can influence future conversations. Your love interests will always remember to consider your emotions.

A Happy Worker Is A Productive Worker! – Use the Love / Work system when making decisions to balance your work life and social life. Increase your Work Points or Love Points with each decision by choosing whether you will prioritize your career or romance. This will influence the outcome of your route and the ending.

View a new set limited edition images at the gallery.

[icy-watch]

Ninjago: Season 11 - Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu

To view posts in sequential order, please scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Unfortunately, at this time, tumblr is not able to allow users to view posts in chronological order on the app.

Main Tag

Episode 1: Wasted True Potential

Episode 2: Questing for Quests

Episode 3: A Rocky Start

Episode 4: The Belly of the Beast

Episode 5: Boobytraps and How to Survive Them

Episode 6: The News Never Sleeps

Episode 7: Ninja vs. Lava

Episode 8: Snaketastrophy

Episode 9: Powerless

Episode 10: Ancient History

Episode 11: Never Trust a Human

Episode 12: Under Siege

Episode 13: The Explorers Club

Episode 14: Vengeance is Mine!

Episode 15: A Cold Goodbye

Episode 16: The Never-Realm

Episode 17: Fire Maker

Episode 18: An Unlikely Ally

Episode 19: The Absolute Worst

Episode 20: The Message

Episode 21: The Traveler's Tree

Episode 22: Krag's Lament

Episode 23: Secret of the Wolf

Episode 24: The Last of the Formlings

Episode 25: My Enemy, My Friend

Episode 26: The Kaiju Protocol

Episode 27: Corruption

Episode 28: A Fragile Hope

[traveleva]

Revolutionize your travel planning with our cutting-edge travel itinerary generator. Seamlessly design detailed itineraries for your next adventure. Say goodbye to the hassle of planning; say hello to the perfect trip! https://traveleva.in/

[dotthings]

Tired of the blatantly cynical spins from Jared stans. So let me be blunter, with receipts.

This is Walker's parrot analytics US streaming demand and travelability as of 4/2/2023. That's in S3, with 2 prior backlist seasons sitting on HBO Max (US) and the current season on the CW app. Running at 11x. Has almost no overseas value (which is what travelability measures). Demand decreasing -5.8% compared to the preceeding 30 days. Can't even find Walker on HBO Max international rankings.

This is The Winchesters, on parrot analytics as of 4/2/2023. S1 hasn't hit HBO Max US yet (as backlist--it will in a few days). It ran on HBO Max international as an original. One season, no backlist seasons to help boost its demand on streaming in the US. This is with S1 sitting on the CW app in the US. Running at 20x. Demand increased by 50% as compared to the preceding 30 days. Has strong travelability numbers. In the top ten on HBO Max worldwide, and while S1 was running, was up in the top 3, challenging GoT shows.

How can it get clearer? This isn't just about value to the network in first run, it's about value to the studio, and licensing value.

We could comp nielsens too. Yes, I know, Walker total viewers are bigger. Demo is what matters. And the demo on TW would be higher if not for the contract carrier disputes Nexstar itself was part of and they know about it. TW did just fine in demo plus has additional streaming value to the network. Not just to the studio. The network. TW demos are just fine. Now add in all those other factors.

Somehow Jared stans are continuing this fantasy for themselves that Walker is the sure bet renewal and TW is a flop about to be cancelled.

That's utterly wild. That's them writing fanfiction about the financial value of tv shows.

If CW lets TW go, it will be because TW is too high a value to the studio, it's too expensive for them, they can't afford the licensing fees, and nobody at WBD wanted to cut TW's budget to the bone just to stay on the CW network, on a series that's a self evident genre money maker in the US and abroad, plus factor in other revenue WBD benefits from like merch and the con circuit.

It does my head in that posts like this even have to be made, that the willful and deliberate cynical spin from Jared stans is this screwed up and in denial.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Rainy Night Wen

Following up yesterday's Wen Kexing is...another Wen Kexing. However, this one is much, much smaller, and much sadder. Poor guy! I hate to see figs cry.

But, who could blame him? Not me. This fig is too small for the weight of the crushing news he just received, that's for sure.

I know, Lao Wen, I know. Episode 14 is a tough one. Let's revisit this scene:

Alright, now that we've sufficiently upset ourselves and everyone, let's move onto this little fig.

Sometimes fig makers send his hairpins in pieces in order to prevent any inadvertent breakage in travel. This one was accompanied by not only the two halves of the hairpin, but also his flute.

The hairpin went in just fine, but the flute...well, the flute did NOT want to squeeze into those delicate little hands. This, dear friends, is EXACTLY the situation that gives me heart palpitations. Keep in mind this is a very small fig (he's a regular size fig, but he's sitting down), and my fingers are comparatively quite large and certainly quite clumsy. Do I press a bit harder and hope that it'll just magically snap in? What if I break the flute? What if I break a finger? What if I break a wrist?

My heart just can't take this kind of thing. We can't have crying figs AND crying figthusiasts! So I did what I always do when faced with with this sort of thing - I put him aside as a problem for future me.

Well, today the future became reality. I bolstered my courage, went back to the seller chat to see if they had any clever solutions I had just missed, and was super excited to see that they did!

YES! I excitedly downloaded the pic, and pulled up my translate app. The text above translates, "stuck here".

I was like, wait, I know, but how? HOW do I get it stuck there?

Nobody in this household answered me. So, I figured, at least I know it somehow has to go in his hands, so I guess I just have to squeeze a bit harder. So I did.

And this is what happens!!!! I lost the corner of the flute! You can see the piece just chipped off and is lying there on his knee. I don't even know how this happened?!?

The thing is, the scale of this all is so small, that my eyes can't actually see the damaged part. But boy does it pop up on camera.

I'm not having a great day at this point, but it's still better than the day Lao Wen is having, so I can't complain. I grabbed some paint and a small brush, propped up my phone and zoomed in on the flute, and got to work.

Not a professional job here, folks (WHY is it a bit lopsided on one side?), but truly it's impossible to see anything when the fig is in the hand. I tried to fix it, but I made it worse, so I had to remove it and repaint. This was the best I can do, so I stopped while I was ahead. As you'll see, even in the normal closeups, you can't really tell.

Alright, enough talking, let's check out this fig, shall we:

It's all going to be OK, Lao Wen.

This fig came in a plain white box, but the fig maker included not only the double sided fig card, but a pin! Usually, on extras like this the artwork matches the fig, but in this case we have a much cheerier Lao Wen.

The fig maker did not make a paired A-Xu for this fig, but luckily I have a number of A-Xu figs looking for their Lao Wen, so he's already well accompanied on my fig shelf.

Next post up we have...another Wen Kexing?!? We sure do! But this time, with his matching A-Xu.

Material: Resin, a little bit of acrylic paint, and some sad fig tears

Fig Count: 387

Scene Count: 26

Rating: Just hang in there, Lao Wen!

[link back to Master Fig Index for more posts]

[mariacallous]

For most of the past 15 years, my interactions with young Chinese in their late teens and 20s have obeyed a familiar pattern. Having grown up in an age when their country seemed impervious to major economic setbacks, they easily shrugged off each new wave of Western assessments that China’s political and economic model—like all models—faced serious vulnerabilities.

They had heard and rejected the idea that China’s political system was inherently inferior to Western-style democracy. The evidence to the contrary seemed largely sufficient to their eyes as the United States and other high-income countries fell victim to the 2008-09 global financial crisis while China sailed forward almost placidly by comparison. The “democracy is superior” argument took another big hit in their minds during the Trump administration, when U.S. politics was dominated by one poorly informed but powerful man’s impulsiveness. Wasn’t that supposed to be a key flaw of dictatorships?

They had dismissed the widespread notion that China’s relatively closed authoritarian system would prevent the country from innovating fast enough. Yes, it was true that China had blocked most of the trailblazing U.S. companies of the early internet age, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, and many others. But hadn’t China come up with its own terrific domestic alternatives? Look at WeChat, young Chinese began telling me from the moment of that homegrown app’s birth. On “our” platform, they observed, one can seamlessly do everything that it takes a whole host of U.S. apps to accomplish. Has anyone in the West created something so brilliantly capable?

And if one thinks this is a matter of ancient history, which is what the early app era is when talking about the history of the internet, what about electrical vehicles and the batteries that make them run? China has gotten so good so fast at developing sleek, well-functioning, and competitively priced cars in this space that it even has the Germans trembling, as seen at this week’s industry show in what is probably the West’s premium car-producing country. Or look at the U.S. attempt to stifle Huawei, China’s biggest cellphone-maker. Although prevented from using U.S. technology for 5G components, China has, using homegrown technology, just rolled out a high-end smartphone model that is capable of 5G-like data connectivity speeds and which throws in satellite connection capability as a bonus.

Young Chinese have also heard that the country’s poor environment would bottleneck their growth or drive an uprising by the middle class. Not so long ago, the air in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai was frightfully polluted, drawing justified comparisons to the London of Charles Dickens. If one had to endure this much pollution in order to sustain further decades of fast economic growth, didn’t that call into question more than just the seeming disregard of the country’s leaders for the people’s well-being? What, in other words, is the purpose of growth if one’s child can’t play outside because it’s dangerous to breathe?

Well, something remarkable happened here, too. While traveling in China for much of the past summer, I discovered the air in many of the country’s biggest cities to be so vastly improved that a newcomer would have a hard time imagining the recent long era of “airpocalypses,” as the immovable domes of impenetrable smog encasing urban environments were called.

Though I have never believed that China had somehow repealed basic economic laws, which suggest that every great boom era must come to an end, I have always found a lot to admire in the great many young Chinese I have gotten to know over the last 15 years or so. Substantial numbers among them have been students in my own classes in the United States and elsewhere. And one of the qualities that has consistently struck me most among them is what I like to call civilizational confidence.

It is true that the Chinese state, through tightly controlled education and unstinting propaganda, works hard to instill this attitude, but there is something more at play here than just top-down manipulation. I suspect part of it comes from being part of such a large country with great historic depth and many, many cultural and scientific achievements to its name. Part of it, too, seems to be about resilience. Even if not during their lifetimes, young Chinese know that their country has been down before but has always sprung back impressively. All of this has bred self-belief.

But all of this also makes the impressions I received during my recent weeks of travel in China feel even more remarkable. What I heard over many conversations with young people was not a response to the perennial cycles of doomcasting about China that one finds in the Western press and in much publishing about the country. In fact, most of these people were not terribly well-informed about the current state of Western discourse about their country at all. What they were, however, was filled with their own doubts about the future, which they readily vented.

Some of the contours of this were unsurprising. After all, this was the summer that Beijing decided to suppress the publication of youth unemployment data, presumably because of how grim the numbers have become—in June, youth unemployment hit a record 21.3 percent. In conversation after conversation, my young interlocutors spoke with deep trepidation about their economic prospects in the near and even longer term.

It wasn’t the topic itself that surprised me so much as the swiftness and power of the shift in sentiment. At almost all times during this century, it has been an article of faith in the country that education, and especially higher education, would be rewarded with sharply rising incomes, secure entry into the middle class or better, and a version of the sentiment common in the United States during the boom decades that followed World War II: that it was the birthright of each new generation to be much better off than the one that preceded it.

If the problem of youth unemployment in a China whose economy may be set for long-term deceleration has been widely commented on, some of the profound problems that stem from this generally have not. A graphic representation of the number of new college graduates in the country over the last four-plus decades looks like the upward curve of a roller coaster track. Here we find the kind of problem that is an unintended consequence of what has always seemed like a very sensible proposition: Educating people equates to creating new waves of prosperity. In its current funk, though—and perhaps on a longer-term basis, due to deep contradictions in the country’s economic model—China can no longer find enough gainful employment for its huge numbers of newly educated people.

If you’re between the ages of, say, 17 and 28 or so—which was the case for almost everyone I spoke with—this is deeply discouraging and even scary, as so many people didn’t hesitate to tell me. “We are competing with each other in what has become a pure rat race,” a college freshman, whose name I am withholding for their security, told me in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. “Everybody is trying to push their education as far as they can, but we are competing for fewer and fewer jobs. As a result of supply and demand, lots of people are going to earn less, and lots of others will just have to accept low-grade jobs.”

But this was only the beginning of the new pessimism I was encountering.

For years when I taught in my graduate school classrooms in New York about the coming aging crunch in China—a time projected for the near future when the ratio of older adults to the young and working-age populations would rapidly flip in favor of the former—I drew a knowing look from many of my Chinese students. After all, it is a problem I have been writing about for many years already. “Here we go again,” the stares I received from some of my Chinese students seemed to say. “Professor French has given in to the doomsaying industry about our country, but we know better.”

This summer, though, I didn’t have to ask about aging. It was on everybody’s lips, not least the young people. I suspect that’s in part because the state quite belatedly has itself become alarmed. The Chinese government avoids shocking language about the stark nature of a demographic crisis of unprecedented scale, but the ability to read between the lines of official messaging to see the underlying urgency of this challenge is almost child’s play, especially for the dwindling numbers of young adults in the country who only recently were children themselves.

The country’s media are now filled with prompts for young people to get married earlier and have more children. Chinese President Xi Jinping has traditionally been loath to use social welfare spending or direct cash benefits to citizens to reduce China’s addiction to investment and stimulate the economy. But that is exactly what Beijing is rolling out in response to the alarming decline in birth rates. Suddenly, one city or province after another is introducing monetary inducements to women or couples to have more children.

The young people who will in theory be the source of the children of the future increasingly say they are discouraged by the costs of housing and of raising children. And as most of them belong to one-child families themselves, they also speak in fear of the financial burdens that await them when their parents grow old and infirm and need taking care of. Compared with most wealthy Western countries, the Chinese state’s social welfare provisions for retirement, health, and elder care remain bare-bones.

In response to this, not only are young people putting off marriage until later, but increasing numbers of young Chinese are also forgoing it altogether, with some even dropping out of dating. Young women, meanwhile, have been big beneficiaries of the enormous boom in higher education in the country, and with more and more advanced learning among them, growing numbers of them have been privileging their own career development and—“Why not?” some said to me—their personal fulfillment.

In my conversations in China this summer, I never once inquired about feminism, but one after another, young women freely identified with it themselves. Then came this comment from a 19-year-old in Shanghai, whose name I am also withholding for her safety. “Maybe you’ll think this is too dark, but I definitely don’t,” she said. “It seems like we are on track for a situation where the state tries to force women to have children, like take us away to a camp or something. It worries me a lot.”

During China’s long boom years, not succumbing to the skepticism and naysaying of others seemed like a real source of strength for the society, even a virtue. We are in a new era now, though, and one of the biggest tests will be something the country’s leaders are altogether unaccustomed to: how well the system can hear and respond to the growing concerns and doubts of its own citizens.

[wonderfulwebwednesday]

Wonderful Web Wednesday 2

Testing Converso - Crnković

Converso was a messaging app meant to change the way people talked over the internet. It was released on the 21st of January, 2023 and is now gone from the internet. The only things left are a blog post exposing the absolutely rampant security flaws in their "state-of-the-art" encryption, and a couple of sponsored articles.

The article by Crnković was the catalyst that spun into the downfall of Converso. The post reads like an adventure book, telling the story of a great adventurer hacking and slashing through a field of broken promises. 

The article begins by Crnković explaining how they heard about the app Converso. They had heard an ad for Converso on a podcast that presented Converso as an app that knew nothing about you or what you were talking about. From the perspective of someone who focuses a little bit on privacy, those sound like absolutely amazing promises. But from the perspective of a developer, I am a little skeptical, and so was Crnković.

This led them to digging into what was actually happening behind the scenes at Converso. 

What they found is absolutely astonishing. I won't spoil a single bit here so go read it over at https://crnkovic.dev/testing-converso/!

Some secondary research (Spoilers)

Before writing this post, I decided to do some research into what Converso used to look like. 

Here are the archives of the Converso website once at release and the other before the close - Converso's website at release - Converso's website near their closing

File Over App - Steph Ango

This quick essay by Steph Ango is an amazing 1 minute read. The essay explains that as we travel through the digital world, we deposit our data across hundreds of proprietary formats and servers. What happens when these formats and servers disappear? Where does the data that we have created go? 

It just disappears to be lost forever.

There is a beauty in the way Steph Ango expresses their drive to durable data. They relate the files and data we create to the history our ancestors have left behind. Stone tablets, hieroglyphics, and ancient books have stood the test of time, proving to be information that is truly durable.

Making information that is durable is at the center of what Steph thinks tool makers need to account for when creating software. The tools that they create will not exist forever, but the data that their tools create should exist forever.

This is why Steph urges tool makers to give users access to their data in durable, transportable, and archivable formats. This way, if a user wants to see what they were doing 5 years or 5 decades ago, they can.

[sweetsncakesarte]

What Are Business Travelers Looking For In A Hotel?

A lot of hotels are designed to accommodate business travelers who are spending more time traveling. Most corporate travel agents are knowledgeable about what business travelers need and have strong relationships with hotels that provide basic amenities and other services that help make traveling easier and more comfortable. The five points listed below will make a difference when you travel for business.

1. Wireless Internet Access is Free

Free Wi-Fi is vital in this day and age of internet-based apps and email. The hotel should offer a secure connection and unlimited data with no time limits. Free local calls as well as long distance calling over the internet can also be a benefit. A professional business travel management company can help you locate the ideal hotel for you.

2. A 'home' office in a quiet setting.

A lot of business travelers must work from the hotel rooms. Having an office away from the office that is conducive to working is essential. Good lighting, plenty of properly-placed power outlets, an inviting, comfortable seating, and ergonomic work area are essential for those who work for hours in a hotel room. Access to printers and an office center are essential.

It is important that business travelers have an environment that is comfortable so they can focus on their work and rest comfortably. The rooms must be well-insulated and placed in a peaceful location of the hotel that is away from gyms or other noises. Business travel agents provide global services and access to detailed details about each hotel, so that you can ensure you get the right service.

3. In-room amenities

Hair dryers, free bottles of water, coffee makers and mirrors with full lengths are all perks that make business travelers come back. The ability to seamlessly sync devices to the television is another benefit that can enhance the experience of a traveler. Many travelers appreciate the comfort and luxury of bedding.

4. Dry cleaning quickly and efficiently.

Fast, accessible dry cleaning is essential for the corporate traveler who needs to stay looking sharp for conferences and meetings. A clean, working iron and ironing board should also be available.

5. Room service, with healthy options.

Travelers are sure to appreciate the array of hot and delicious in-room meals that are available 24 hours a day. Most people are unable to grab a bite while working and healthy choices are loved. Hotels often offer apps and in-room information about wait times so that guests know how long it will be until their food will arrive.

[jeromekoehler]

2025-01 Gear and Software Loadout

Happy New Year, all! Here is an update to my current setup (some have respective links to Amazon that help defray some of the hosting costs and get me more funding to purchase cool, new gear) for January. I am also including an AI generated image to see if it will improve over time and get better at generating images. If you all have any questions about the items below, please feel free to reach out as I am always glad to share my thoughts.

The changes plus the detailed hardware list are below:

Added:

Apple Passwords

Apple Notes

Drafts

Camera - Fujifilm X-M5

Speaker - Beats Pill

iPad - iPad Mini

Remote Control Application - Screens 5

Leuchtturm1917

Retroid Pocket Mini

Daily Carry Backpack - Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42

Removed:

Things

Physical Scanner - Fujitsu ScanSnap iX1300

Camera Backpack - Shimoda Explore V2 35

Open World RPG (PC) - Elden Ring

Board Game - Unsettled Board Game

macOS Applications

Task Manager - Reminders - I have fully moved to reminders as my task manager.

Text Editor - BBEdit

Terminal App - Terminal.app

Automation App - Hazel

Online Backup Service - Backblaze

Backup Application - Carbon Copy Cloner

iOS/iPadOS Applications

Podcast App - Castro

Camera App - Halide

Video Recording App - Kino

Object Scanning App - Scan Thing

Document Scanning App - Simple Scan

iOS/iPadOS/macOS Applications

Password Manager - Bitwarden + Apple Passwords

Package Tracking App - Parcel

Calendar App - Calendar.app

Recipe Manager - Mela

RSS Reader - The New Reeder

Read Later Application - Goodlinks

Email Application - Mail.app

Note-Taking App - Tot, Apple Notes, Drafts

Mastodon Application - Ivory

Social Media - Threads

Social Media - Bluesky

Mind-Mapping Software - Mind Node

Remote Control Application - Screens 5

Hardware

Keyboard - HHKB Studio

Dock - OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock

Laptop - 14" MacBook Pro

iPad - iPad Mini

3D Printer - Creality K1C

Watch - Apple Watch Series 10 Black Aluminum 46mm with Cellular

Phone - iPhone 16 Pro Max

Inkjet Printer - Epson 4850

Charger - Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand

Charger - Anker MagSafe Compatible MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger

Automation - Elgato Stream Deck Neo

Lighting - Elgato Key Light Neo

Game Capture - Elgato Game Capture Neo

Webcam with Smarts - Obsbot Tiny 2

Camera - Fujifilm X-M5

Audio Hardware

Microphone - Rode Podcaster White

Speaker - Beats Pill

Gaming

Emulator - Retroid Pocket 4 Pro

Emulator - Retroid Pocket Mini

Gaming with Friends - Helldivers 2

Universal Controller - 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller

Storage/Bags/Cases

Daily Carry Backpack - Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42

Travel Backpack - Peak Design Travel Backpack

Tech Pouch - Peak Design Tech Pouch

Stationary

Pen - Tactile Turn Pens

Pen - Leuchtturm1917

Kitchen/Cooking

Indoor Grill - Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill

Pressure Cooker - Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker

Convection Oven - Ninja Foodi Convection Oven

Coffee Maker - Fellow Aiden

Coffee Grinder - Baratza Fortè AP Coffee Grinder

MISC

Car Error Code Scan Tool - BlueDrive OBDII Scan Tool

Hosting Service - Hetzner

Universal Remote - Sofabaton Remote

Cell Service - US Mobile and T-Mobile - US Mobile is now just being used for my iPads. The family and I have moved back to T-Mobile as the seamless integration of international roaming and pricing was too good to give up.