#Bulk Digital Signing

[digitalsigner]

Do you have no idea how to manage a large number of documents? Signer.Digital supports bulk digital signatures of files/documents through a web server or application-based solution. There is no need for further integration, and it is simple to set up to sign digitally in bulk in a few seconds.

[signaturepdf]

[anachronisticmech]

‘We make toasts with / acetaminophen bought in bulk. Kiss in the airport / terminal through surgical masks.“

-sick4sick, torrin a. greathouse

[ID: A digital drawing of Jon and Martin standing next to and looking lovingly to each other. Jon is a fat, shorter, Bengali, transfemine person with a beard and moustache and long wavy hair that is dark brown and greying. She is very hairy all over, and has scars on her neck, arm, hand, finger, chest, stomach, and leg. She has a bit of top growth, and no signs of bottom surgery. She wears a purple lace, cropped singlet with glasses hanging from the neckline, black feminine underwear, and blue slippers. She is holding a wooden tray with two mugs, a slip of pills, and an orange pill bottle. An ng tube goes into her left nostril, with the iv stand and bag behind her and Martin.

Martin is a fat, taller, Colombian-Polish, transmasculine man with a beard and moustache and mid-length wavy hair that is dark brown, white and greying. He has vitiligo, with patches of pale skin and white hair, pink and red rashes from lupus, and is hairy all over. He wears a grey, fading Garfield shirt, long, fading blue and white striped pyjama pants, and pink and white socks. And square glasses. He is holding a purple bound and his black cane.

In the background the poem ‘sick4sick’ by Torrin a. Greathouse is written in running writing. ID END.]

Read ‘Toasts with Acetaminophen’ here

[stoncybangs]

Mini Bang FAQ

Q: What is a Mini Bang? A: A Mini Bang is similar to a Big Bang with a lower word count. Authors create fanfiction works and artists create work to accompany it. The main difference with a mini bang is that the challenge is keeping your word count within a specific range.

Q: What is the minimum word count for this event? A: 3,000 Words

Q: What is the maximum word count for this event? A: 10,000 Words

Q: What characters are allowed in this event? A: All characters are welcome to be part of this event, however the focus needs to be on two or more of the characters in the Monster Hunting Trio.

Q: What ships/pairings are allowed in this event? A: Similar to the above answer, any pairings are allowed to be featured in stories, however the main focus needs to be on one of the following pairings: Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler (Stancy), Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler (Jancy), Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington (Stonathan), or Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler. *pairings can be romantic or platonic as long as the bulk of the fic is around at least one of the above pairings

Q: What art forms are allowed? A: We allow almost all art forms including but not limited to the following: - Traditional Art - Digital Art - Photo Sets - Gif Sets - Textile Crafts (knitting, crocheting) - Podfics - Fanvideos - Fanmix with cover art - Moodboards *If you wish to make another type of art here that is not listed then please reach out to us on tumblr or email us at stoncybangs@gmail.com

Q: Is AI allowed? A: No, we do not allow fic or art that is created by AI in this event.

Q: When do sign ups open? A: We will be releasing the schedule as we get closer to the end of the year.

Q: Can I submit a pre-existing work? A: Fic and Art need to be exclusive to the bang. If you have WIPs that have not yet been posted, you are welcome to use that for this event as long as it meets the necessary requirements.

Q: Can characters be genderbent? A: Absolutely!

Q: Are AUs welcome? A: Yes!

~ The Mods

Ask The Mods | FAQ | About | Mailing List

[p5x-theories]

Merope's Confidant

(last updated 9/17/24!)

This post documents the fully filled-in information on Merope gained through progressing her Confidant! It contains things that could be considered spoilers for her Confidant, as part of the information is a summary of its story.

Merope is available in the evenings most days, when it isn't rainy. Her Confidant isn't tied to any social stat, but certain rank-ups do require the player to possess a particular Persona with a specific skill. The required Personas are: Jack Frost (with Lucky Punch), Neko Shogun (with Tarukaja), Lilim (with Attack Enhancement I), Unicorn (with Treatment Enhancement II), Byakko (with Bufudyne), Daisoujou (with Spirit Drain), and Dominion (with Matarukaja).

Favorite Presents

(An asterisk (*) marks the special presents added with (and unlocked through) Miyu Sahara’s Confidant, which are liked by all Confidants currently in the game.)

AMN005's First Album The first album of the legendary female idol group AMN005 has collectible value.

Coasters The coasters on sale at maid cafes are popular with many people.

Penlight Glow Stick A penlight glow stick that emits soft yellow light will make your idols pay attention to you at a glance.

Idol Keychain An idol keychain made of acrylic material.

Maid Model This expensive maid model was once a popular product in maid cafes.

Cat Hairpin This kitten-shaped hairpin is very cute.

Luxury Sunglasses Sunglasses that can effectively block ultraviolet rays.

Latest Digital Camera The latest digital cameras not only have a higher resolution, but are also easy to operate.

Weight-Bearing Wristband Muscle training tool that can be used on both wrists and ankles. The weight can be adjusted freely.

Limited-Edition Keychain* This keychain has a unique shape, and is well-made, but there weren’t many of it produced. It has a certain collector’s value.

Bulk Snacks Value Pack* A combo pack containing a variety of traditional snacks that will remind people of the taste of childhood.

Advanced Essential Oil Combination* A value-for-money set of essential oils, with multiple functions to help you relax your mind and body.

Chestnut Cake* Fragrant chestnut cake with mild sweetness to suit most people’s tastes.

Musical Snow Globe* A snow globe that plays music, and can be shaken gently to make snow fall inside.

Desktop Incense Machine* A household incense machine that is small in size, so it can be placed anywhere.

Violets There are small violets hidden among the elegant white lilies, but they also have a unique charm to them.

Personal Information

Birthday: ?? Zodiac Sign: ?? Age: ?? Profession: ?? Height: 174cm Weight: ?? Blood Type: ?? Interest: Chasing stars Features: Throwing heavy objects...?

Story

Character Details A servant of Igor, the master of the Velvet Room, she faithfully and rationally carries out her master's instructions. Currently, she supports the activities of the Phantom Thieves as a dedicated receptionist.

Personal Data 1 Following Igor's orders, Merope searched in the human world for a way to help me, and creating the Phantom Idols was the answer she found.

Personal Data 2 As a dedicated receptionist, in order to better assist me, Merope developed a series of "special plans" to help me gain a deeper understanding of myself.

Personal Data 3 To Merope, an "idol" is an existence that responds to the needs of the world by creating a personality. She thinks that obtaining a Persona is similar to how an idol creates a stage persona. Her "special plans" were formulated on this basis.

Personal Data 4 But as her "special project" progresses, Merope seems to gradually realize that there are still some differences between me and an idol…

Personal Data 5 For the smooth advancement of her "special project", Merope hopes to find a role model for me to learn from by getting in touch with professional idols in Akihabara…

Personal Data 6 A girl named Narumi Nashimoto attracted Merope's attention, and Merope called her an outstanding idol. Merope launched a series of investigations into and contacts with Narumi, all in order to help me learn more about Narumi's job… at least, that's what Merope said.

Personal Data 7 In order to learn more about idols, Merope took me to participate in Narumi's photo session, and even did a lot of research into preparations beforehand. It's just that these preparations seemed to have little effect when she actually faced Naruru.

Personal Data 8 In the process of continuing to "observe" Naruru, we unexpectedly learned about Narumi's family background, and the fact that she was being exploited by an unscrupulous agent. In order to save Narumi, Merope commissioned me to change the heart of her evil producer.

Personal Data 9 I successfully changed her producer's heart, and the diligent Narumi finally received the treatment she deserved. She was so happy that she gave me and Merope tickets for her cafe's upcoming fan appreciation event. Seeing her smile from the heart, Merope was also very happy.

Personal Data 10 In order to better support Narumi, Merope taught me special CALL skills for idol fans. Through the advancement of her "special project", Merope and I have gained a lot. Though I don't know when it happened, it seems Merope also became a fan of me...

Voice Lines

Japanese VA: Yukari Tamura | Chinese VA: Hui Xu

(As I can only add up to ten audio files per post, I'll only include the Japanese lines below! Feel free to ask for the Chinese ones, though.)

I'm your receptionist, Merope. It's a pleasure to meet you.

I serve my master in the Velvet Room, the narrow place between dream and reality, mind and matter.

In order to avoid the coming ruin, I need to help you hone your desires.

My relationship with you...? I will make special plans for you, and you will put them into practice... Do you wish to have any other relationship?

You wish to know my arm strength...? Although this is not a difficult question to answer, please feel free to imagine for now.

Regarding my master, please forgive me for being unable to provide you with more information at the moment. Please understand.

As a fledgling idol, she also has experience in designing a persona... It's very lucky we met her. Please look forward to my next proposed special plan.

Confidant-Specific Bonuses

Rank 1 Road to Idols: The player gains access to the Contract function for summoning Phantom Idols.

Rank 5 Special Treat: Archangel's fusion is unlocked.

Rank 7 Ideal Image: Setanta's fusion is unlocked.

Rank 9 VIP Seats: Anubis' fusion is unlocked.

Rank 11 Under the Spotlight: Okuninushi's fusion is unlocked.

Rank 13 I Believe it is Justice: Narcissus' fusion is unlocked.

Rank 15 Fan Feedback: When fusing a 2- or 3-star Persona that's rank 4 or lower, there is a chance of gaining an additional Persona.

Rank 20 Dancing Alone in the Shadows: Kohryu's fusion is unlocked.

[alexis-royce]

Tsush and I snuck out to GenCon this weekend! Nice things will be named below.

As usual, indies got the bulk of my attention. Two books with lovely creators I got to meet: Will Kirkby was signing copies of Eat the Reich, and it was a pleasure to meet Valentino Sergi; he came all the way from Italy with Last Sabbath and the kindest, most delightful energy.

Probably gonna play these first:

Viva La Queer Bar, a "Descended from the Queen"-style game that I'm gonna play with Tsush to help round out some ideas for Lead into Gold and Gentlemen's Club.

The Librarian's Apprentice. Yeah, The Stacks got me bad,

Primadonna, A Wretched & Alone Game that I'm looking forward to using to journal something NonPlatonic Forms-esque,

Kingdom Death, After so many years passing by the booth the curiosity has overwhelmed me, and with a digital version that is so much cheaper than the hundreds of dollars it's always been, I just gotta. Also, the digital version takes place with a separate horror game going on around you while you play the base game? I dunno, but I'm here for it.

I picked up some tea samples from Tea & Absinthe. Particularly looking forward to checking out the Moon Rabbit tea; it's almost the season for mooncakes, but it'll hopefully tide me over Shoutout to the Naughty Lobstah food truck for the best meal, and GoaterMac's Funhouse for existing. Did not think I would run into him at all, and though I managed to play it cool, it just isn't GenCon without him.

There are some freebies down at the bottom, as well as a couple flyers for the upcoming Fallen London TTRPG from Failbetter and Magpie Games. I took a handful for reccomending; I love it when people do that at my table, and the Magpie vendor gave me the green light. If all is well with the mechanics, there's a solid chance I'll volunteer to run this at GenCon next year. So stay tuned!

Going back to the con for the first time since witching up the ol hormones et al., I kind of assumed I'd have to put up with getting misgendered all weekend. But they print pronouns on the badge itself now, and hand out bright green ribbons with a surprising selection. (Tsush was even able to get a He/They one)! And every single attendee and vendor did right by me, it felt great.

Seeing older geeks at GenCon has always been a thing that brings me joy. And I got a little emotional, more than once, knowing that now I get to grow into an old nerd man one day.

I’m definitely going back next year, and I think I wanna be even more social. Maybe if you’re there, we can hang out, or at least high-five on the way to our various events. 😁

[mysticetus]

on the topic of diy hrt as ive seen it going around the dash a few times, i want to offer what i can in terms of help as i got on hrt in secret while still living with my parents. i cant give advice for paths i didnt take (getting the hrt itself online) but i can detail the process i experienced so you know what to expect if you pursue.

i highly recommend seeing if there is a planned parenthood in your area and if it offers gender affirming hormone therapy. i had a couple things that made this an option for me that may be barriers for others - i was over 18, and they do not offer informed consent to minors. i also had a job that allowed me to pay for the visit and the prescription. lastly i forced myself to learn how to drive so i could get to the planned parenthood and the pharmacy.

for cost, i recommend checking beforehand if planned parenthood accepts your insurance. They did not accept mine so i had to pay out of pocket for the appointment. Luckily they have a sliding scale system that charges based on your monthly income. The amount changes (and this may vary by region as well), so you can call them for a cost estimate. As someone going for testosterone, my visits have cost between $39 and $63 out of pocket.

For me getting HRT occurred in 2 phases: A telehealth call where they told me about the effects of HRT and then had me digitally sign an informed consent form. And then an in-person visit to my local PP office to get my blood pressure and hemoglobin (finger prick) checked. I then walked out with a T prescription.

For bloodwork, planned parenthood offers this service as well but it was a “strongly recommended but not required” option for me. I did eventually get my levels tested through PP but it cost me ~$40 because of lack of insurance. i later learned i could get my bloodwork done for free at quest diagnostics, for which PP sent in an order that automatically went into quest’s system and all i had to do was make an appointment online filed under “all other tests” … in my area quest can be found in grocery stores. I recommend looking into quest for bloodwork if your insurance would cover it.

Estrogen and progesterone are not controlled substances (often used in birth control), but testosterone is since it can be abused as a steroid. so if you are pursuing T this may present challenges - in my experience it makes it hard for me to change pharmacies without calling planned parenthood first, and you need to present ID when picking it up.

At first i swore by gel and not injectable because i was afraid of accessing needles, and i used goodrx coupons to get gel at a reasonable price. I do not recommend this as it is not sustainable, goodrx coupons are great but always changing. Unfortunately if you do diy hrt you are probably going to be doing injections. i tried for several months to get gel in a sustainable way but the only way i was able to do this was when i had insurance that would cover it (which i since lost access to).

You can get needles and syringes in bulk (100 for like $10) on amazon. Your prescription will probably include an order of needles and syringes but pharmacies are generally not awesome to get them through, because they tend to cost more and be out of stock…. for subq i use 25g 5/8” needles to INJECT, and 18g 1.5” needles to DRAW. i use 1 ml syringes with a LUER LOCK. make sure the needles and syringes have the same locking mechanism so they can connect to each other. the alternative to a luer lock is a slip tip, which you do not want.

Even though on the bottle it says INTRAMUSCULAR USE ONLY, i and many other trans people do subcutaneous as the needles are smaller and less painful. “subq” injects into the layer of fat beneath the skin and releases the hormones slower over time. I personally inject into my stomach in the area below my belly button - i pinch the fat and inject at a 90° angle. there are detailed videos on how to do a subcutaneous self injection on youtube, and here is planned parenthood's guide.

if you are scared of needles, i am too - i used to black out when i had to get a shot. i can say that subcutaneous rarely hurts and its definitely tolerable to me. i know its freaky to inject into your stomach but the fat layers there make it pretty painless. if you pinch your fat your nerves focus on the pressure your fingers are making, and as long as you hold the needle like a dart and inject quickly you barely notice it.

For questions i recommend looking on reddit. there are many subreddits dedicated to DIY hrt as well as logistical questions in the context of navigating pharmacies and doctors. And, i am always happy to offer what help i can.

[thecomicsrack]

We are a digital and print magazine dedicated to promoting the amazing independent work of Canadian comic book creators.

With mainly interviews but also other articles, we give readers insight into creators they may not already know to help build a more vibrant Canadian comic community. Our publication is made by volunteers passionate about Canadian comic books and distributed for free online. We bring artist's alley to you!

The magazine is released thrice annually online digitally to be accessible and is for sale in print after each year. You can sign up for our email newsletter to be notified when issues are released. Or find us elsewhere through https://linktr.ee/seqmagazine

Comic Book shops or individuals can contact us at sequentialmag@gmail.com for bulk ordering (>5 issues)! Shipping is priced for Canada, we can ship internationally but must quote each order as is varies and depends on number of issues ordered. 

[jcmarchi]

New transistor’s superlative properties could have broad electronics applications

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-transistors-superlative-properties-could-have-broad-electronics-applications/

New transistor’s superlative properties could have broad electronics applications

In 2021, a team led by MIT physicists reported creating a new ultrathin ferroelectric material, or one where positive and negative charges separate into different layers. At the time they noted the material’s potential for applications in computer memory and much more. Now the same core team and colleagues — including two from the lab next door — have built a transistor with that material and shown that its properties are so useful that it could change the world of electronics.

Although the team’s results are based on a single transistor in the lab, “in several aspects its properties already meet or exceed industry standards” for the ferroelectric transistors produced today, says Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics, who led the work with professor of physics Raymond Ashoori. Both are also affiliated with the Materials Research Laboratory.

“In my lab we primarily do fundamental physics. This is one of the first, and perhaps most dramatic, examples of how very basic science has led to something that could have a major impact on applications,” Jarillo-Herrero says.

Says Ashoori, “When I think of my whole career in physics, this is the work that I think 10 to 20 years from now could change the world.”

Among the new transistor’s superlative properties:

It can switch between positive and negative charges — essentially the ones and zeros of digital information — at very high speeds, on nanosecond time scales. (A nanosecond is a billionth of a second.)

It is extremely tough. After 100 billion switches it still worked with no signs of degradation.

The material behind the magic is only billionths of a meter thick, one of the thinnest of its kind in the world. That, in turn, could allow for much denser computer memory storage. It could also lead to much more energy-efficient transistors because the voltage required for switching scales with material thickness. (Ultrathin equals ultralow voltages.)

The work is reported in a recent issue of Science. The co-first authors of the paper are Kenji Yasuda, now an assistant professor at Cornell University, and Evan Zalys-Geller, now at Atom Computing. Additional authors are Xirui Wang, an MIT graduate student in physics; Daniel Bennett and Efthimios Kaxiras of Harvard University; Suraj S. Cheema, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an affiliate of the Research Laboratory of Electronics; and Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi of the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.

What they did

In a ferroelectric material, positive and negative charges spontaneously head to different sides, or poles. Upon the application of an external electric field, those charges switch sides, reversing the polarization. Switching the polarization can be used to encode digital information, and that information will be nonvolatile, or stable over time. It won’t change unless an electric field is applied. For a ferroelectric to have broad application to electronics, all of this needs to happen at room temperature.

The new ferroelectric material reported in Science in 2021 is based on atomically thin sheets of boron nitride that are stacked parallel to each other, a configuration that doesn’t exist in nature. In bulk boron nitride, the individual layers of boron nitride are instead rotated by 180 degrees.

It turns out that when an electric field is applied to this parallel stacked configuration, one layer of the new boron nitride material slides over the other, slightly changing the positions of the boron and nitrogen atoms. For example, imagine that each of your hands is composed of only one layer of cells. The new phenomenon is akin to pressing your hands together then slightly shifting one above the other.

“So the miracle is that by sliding the two layers a few angstroms, you end up with radically different electronics,” says Ashoori. The diameter of an atom is about 1 angstrom.

Another miracle: “nothing wears out in the sliding,” Ashoori continues. That’s why the new transistor could be switched 100 billion times without degrading. Compare that to the memory in a flash drive made with conventional materials. “Each time you write and erase a flash memory, you get some degradation,” says Ashoori. “Over time, it wears out, which means that you have to use some very sophisticated methods for distributing where you’re reading and writing on the chip.” The new material could make those steps obsolete.

A collaborative effort

Yasuda, the co-first author of the current Science paper, applauds the collaborations involved in the work. Among them, “we [Jarillo-Herrero’s team] made the material and, together with Ray [Ashoori] and [co-first author] Evan [Zalys-Geller], we measured its characteristics in detail. That was very exciting.” Says Ashoori, “many of the techniques in my lab just naturally applied to work that was going on in the lab next door. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Ashoori notes that “there’s a lot of interesting physics behind this” that could be explored. For example, “if you think about the two layers sliding past each other, where does that sliding start?” In addition, says Yasuda, could the ferroelectricity be triggered with something other than electricity, like an optical pulse? And is there a fundamental limit to the amount of switches the material can make?

Challenges remain. For example, the current way of producing the new ferroelectrics is difficult and not conducive to mass manufacturing. “We made a single transistor as a demonstration. If people could grow these materials on the wafer scale, we could create many, many more,” says Yasuda. He notes that different groups are already working to that end.

Concludes Ashoori, “There are a few problems. But if you solve them, this material fits in so many ways into potential future electronics. It’s very exciting.”

This work was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office, the MIT/Microsystems Technology Laboratories Samsung Semiconductor Research Fund, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Ramon Areces Foundation, the Basic Energy Sciences program of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.

[scrivenger-grimgar]

A List of Ideas I Have But Am Unsure How To Execute or Where I Would Begin

ADHD/Memory Clothing!

clothing specially designed to keep things on or near you so you don't forget them, lose them, or leave them behind.

must be machine washable, and made in your preferred fabric to stop texture/sensory issues.

pants/shorts/skirts: a loop at the waist for a clip-tether that attaches to your wallet/phone case. pocket specifically for your phone. if you stand up without your phone, it will hit your leg when you walk away, so you remember to put it in the phone pocket.

shirt/jacket: two loops on each shoulder for clips on a specially made chest bag, easy to clip on and off. the bag has room for credit/debit cards, ID, inhaler/meds, and small fidgets/earbuds. in sight, in mind so you can't leave it behind!

Community Arts & Life Skills Centre!

a community-building specifically for people to come in and work on art of all kinds.

1) quiet rooms: minimal talking, please be quiet, don't just walk up and talk to people!

2) social rooms: talking allowed, people here are open to conversation, indoor voices, please! teaching and critiquing others is encouraged here! good for people looking for help and advice.

3) music rooms: minimal talking, music playing on a community playlist; add your own songs through submission and review. extended talks outside, please.

1, 2, & 3 are all for visual arts. painting, drawing, charcoal, sketching, digital arts, origami, calligraphy, etc. General materials (ie. paper, pencils, crayons, charcoal, erasers, brushes & watercolors) will be available, but bringing your own tools is encouraged!

fabrics room: sewing machines, black/white/red thread, needles in different sizes, practice scrap cloth, needlepoint/cross stitch frames, knitting, crochet, macrame, and braiding are done here!

foods room: for cooking, baking, and meal prep. Things made here are made in bulk, and given to patrons and employees as free breakfasts and lunches.

metals room: for metallurgy and jewelry making. donated scraps are melted down and used for practice materials, but the use of tools and torches is (if feasible) free.

woods room: wood carving, carpentry, and general handiness skills are practiced here. safety goggles are provided, as are masks. knives, drills, nails, practice woods, and screws are also provided.

take care of the workspace; not cleaning up will leave you with a fine, as will irreparably breaking more expensive tools (hammers, sewing machines, saws etc.). tool care is also taught in each of these spaces!

trouble at home? nowhere to stay tonight? feel free to sleep in the arts centre, at the cost of helping clean the place up at night. leftovers from the foods room are free to take as well, but please remember to sign in with your name and age at the front.

[metfell]

i literally just went back and forth for a bit and zooming in on the hair holy shit :O!! that’s so epic !! any tips for colouring non-yellow blonde hair? i’ll get around to using colour one day I’m sure o(-(

so coloring blond hair is a bitch basically. at least traditionally, i dont know how it works digitally. but imo being able to traditionally color blond hair is a sign of having so so so many markers. i used about 5-7 different markers on tommy's hair alone. here ill add a close-up for reference

so the way i start coloring blond hair like tommy's is to lay down a light light light yellowy brown. you can even use a yellow-tinted skin tone marker for this. thats what i did. block that down in the areas your hair is in shadow, so typically closer to the nape of the neck and near the part.

then your goal is to try and darken it as subtly as your can using as light of browns as you can find. if you dont have markers, id recommend mixing in colored pencils for this.

you'll also notice that i used BG10 Cool Shadow to tint some of the areas darker. this can add more depth to the hair, and i got very lucky in my case because it doubles as a bounce light from his cardigan! but using colors like light blues or blue-greens can bulk out the hair without dipping into the Yellow Blond Hair problem.

i DO use one yellow marker in this, specifically y21 buttercup yellow by copic. i use it VERY subtly right near his hair part, and you can see it in his ponytail and up between his horns. its a warm pastel marigold type yellow, so it doesnt dip the hair into neon or crayola yellow tones.

but basically tl;dr the secret is to use your skin tone markers for blond hair and then dabble in some warm yellows, browns, and maybe some pale blues.

[srisairaghu]

Welcome to SRI SAI ENTERPRISES

We do Bulk Document & Photo’s  Digital Scanning / Bulk Legal Document & Study Materials Digital Color / Black & White Printing with Bulk Hard Binding / Perfect Glue Binding / Spiral Binding.

ABOUT US:

SRI SAI ENTERPRISES is a Bangalore based firm dealing with Digital Bulk Hard Copy to Soft Copy, Digital Bulk Xerox, Digital Bulk Color & B/w Printing, Bulk Perfect Glue Binding / Hard Binding & Spiral Binding, Bulk PVC ID Card’s Printing Services & also we do Bulk Digital Study Materials Printing & Bulk Digital Legal documents printing.

We have emerged into the domain to prove how passionate we are about what we do to provide 100% satisfaction to our customers. We are committed to providing a High Quality Bulk Digital Printing / Xerox / Scanning experience at affordable price to our customers, which is why, lot of our customers are happy and satisfied with our services and are our permanent customers.  We ensure to provide the best services with 100% clarity & quality.

Mission:

To serve our clients efficiently, cost effectively and fulfilling the end user requirements through our prompt Digital Xerox / Printing / Scanning / Spiral Binding / Hard Binding & Perfect Glue Binding services.

Our philosophy and our success are based upon treating and maintaining long-term business relationship with our customers.

Our customers are also experiencing our services through Online & Offline booking for printing.

We have built an active and extensive online & offline store that sparks much of our innovation – we are always finding new ways to engage with our customers.  We look forward for positive customer satisfaction in every order we go through because our motto is “CUSTOMER SATISFACTION”, so stop wandering and begin exploring with us for printing services at SRI SAI ENTERPRISES.

If you would like to know more about our customer satisfaction Reviews & Ratings, then go through at

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[mariacallous]

Negotiations over a U.N. cybercrime treaty have evolved into a diplomatic proxy war between democracies and their authoritarian rivals over competing future visions of the internet, technology, and human rights in the digital age, pitting the United States and its allies yet again against Russia and China at the United Nations. 

Over the past 10 days, delegates from around the world have convened at the United Nations headquarters in New York for a sixth round of negotiations on the draft text of a first-ever U.N. convention combating cybercrime. 

The aim of the treaty, at least on paper, is to make it easier for countries to share information on the astronomical rise of digital criminal activities like ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, and the exploitation of children online. A bulk of countries involved in the negotiations are hard at work in marathon closed-door negotiating sessions to do just that, according to diplomats and experts tracking the negotiations. 

But a group of authoritarian governments is seeking to advance its own agenda through the U.N. treaty—and the consequences could be dire if it is successful.

The treaty, Western officials, experts, and human rights advocates say, could be used as a pretext to extend state repression into the digital realm—if autocratic governments in Russia, China, Iran, and elsewhere have their way on the final text. One risk is that the treaty could expand the scope of cybercrimes and allow states to crack down on political dissent, free media, or online content in general.

“You could end up in a situation where a treaty intended to boost global cooperation on cybercrime becomes a means for authoritarian states to surveil their populations, access and share personal data of their citizens, and criminalize online content and behaviors they don’t like,” said Megan Roberts, interim managing director of the Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative at the German Marshall Fund think tank. 

The treaty, and its evolution, is steeped in arcane U.N. processes and technocratic language: The formal name for the negotiation rounds is the “Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes.” Negotiators are fighting over a 72-page document, with tracked changes from countries suggesting different words, phrases, and priorities. 

But how these negotiations play out will determine whether the axes of democracies or autocracies will win out in their vision of global governance in the digital age.

A U.N. treaty, even if not every country in the world signs on, would set a major marker for how national governments and regional blocs could establish their own practices on cybercrime and digital rights in the future. “The top-level thing is just to remember that a treaty is still a massive signaling force,” said Raman Jit Singh Chima, senior international counsel and Asia Pacific policy director at the digital rights group Access Now. “Even if the implementation can be spotty, it’s going to have a massive impact on the design of cybercrime laws for the next 20, 30 years.”

Get the treaty right, experts argue, and it could help countries go after cybercriminal networks much more efficiently, while also setting the standard for future international agreements on cyber issues without eroding human rights. Get it wrong, however, and it could be a major win for autocratic regimes looking to normalize and justify their repression on the net. 

“Imagine a lot of cross-border geopolitical surveillance,” said Katitza Rodríguez of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a digital rights advocacy group. The problem, Rodríguez said, is the potential for collaboration between authoritarian regimes. “You’re legitimizing their activities by providing these powers [a way] to be legitimized under a U.N. umbrella treaty.” 

Western countries are pushing back against efforts to do just that, said Deborah McCarthy, the lead U.S. diplomat negotiating the treaty, in an interview. “We’re working to make sure there is strong language for human rights safeguards and grounds for refusal of cooperation” on sharing digital information if it pertains to political persecution or repression.

McCarthy said that, on the other hand, if the treaty negotiations are successful, it would help countries collaborate much more efficiently on tackling transnational cybercrime networks, paving the way for closer law enforcement cooperation across borders and lending resources and expertise on cybercrime to developing countries. 

For the past two decades, global cybercrime has been largely governed by an agreement called the Budapest Convention, named after the Hungarian capital where it was first adopted in 2001 by more than 60 countries—mostly from the West. The Budapest Convention is widely seen as the gold standard because it is viewed as the most comprehensive multilateral cybercrime treaty to date, but outside experts “have long criticized it for not having stronger safeguards for human rights,” according to Deborah Brown, a senior researcher at the nonprofit advocacy organization Human Rights Watch. 

The idea of the new treaty was a brainchild of Russia and some other not-so-democratic countries in a bid that digital rights experts suspect was aimed at supplanting the Budapest Convention with a newer framework that could have more of the Kremlin’s influence in its design. (The Budapest Convention was widely viewed as a Western-created and Western-oriented convention in a way that rankled Moscow, even given its shortfalls on human rights protections. Neither Russia nor China is a signatory to the Budapest Convention.) 

In 2019, Russia and over a dozen other countries including Belarus, Cambodia, China, and Nicaragua, passed a U.N. resolution to establish an international convention on cybercrime. The first negotiating session occurred in February and March of 2022, overshadowed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine that dominated the U.N. agenda. The aim in this sixth round of negotiations is to wrap things up and present a finalized treaty in New York at the U.N. General Assembly in 2024, which is actually a tight deadline by laboriously bureaucratic U.N. standards. But digital rights advocates say the stakes are too high not to get it right. “I think rushing consensus without really working out the details would pose a big risk,” Brown said.

One big hang-up in the treaty negotiations now is the scope of the treaty and definition of cybercrimes. The United States, European countries, and others want to ensure cybercrime is narrowly defined to “cyber-enabled crimes” while Russia, China, and its bloc of allies want to expand the definition to any crime in which technology is used. “Because this is a criminal instrument, making it a crime [based on] vague definitions of all uses of devices is something that we cannot accept, because it is an open door to considering many things as crimes,” McCarthy said. (As one example, China in January proposed adding “dissemination of false information” as a cybercrime in the U.N. convention text, a pitch that was immediately opposed by Western countries that feared Beijing would use it as a pretext to go after anyone spreading information critical of the Chinese government.) 

Meanwhile, other cybersecurity experts and digital rights advocates worry that the private sector and civil society groups are being shut out of the negotiating process for this treaty. Service providers like Microsoft are increasingly nervous about their obligation to cooperate and engage with authoritarian governments when it comes to data access and surveillance. 

“There are some non-state actors who have a role here, unlike in most treaty negotiations, and yet this one is proceeding like any treaty negotiation,” said Richard Salgado, a lecturer at Stanford Law School who is also a former director of law enforcement and information security at Google. 

The treaty negotiations represent the latest clash between the United States and geopolitical rivals such as Russia and China at the United Nations. China has in the past routed U.S. efforts to curb its influence in the U.N. system, though the United States notched a significant win when its top candidate, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, was tapped to lead the U.N.’s most important and oldest tech agency, the International Telecommunication Union. Bogdan-Martin defeated Russia’s candidate with 139 out of 172 votes cast.  

Western diplomats and many experts are hopeful that Russia and China will be outmaneuvered again in negotiations over the U.N. cybercrime treaty. But others say not to discount Moscow’s history of using wily tactics at the United Nations to advance its agendas. 

“Russia is a critical player, and I’d hesitate to say they’re not influential, because I think the problem is people underestimate them, and they’re very good at U.N. procedure and parliamentary practices and throwing a curveball in,” Chima said.

“If the treaty process breaks down, immediately Russia, China, and many others will rush … to say, ‘Look, this has broken down, we’re going to create something else,’ either in the U.N. or elsewhere. It’ll cause more chaos.”

Other experts following the negotiations say it could come down to the wire as 2024 approaches and the draft of the treaty remains inundated with red ink. “You’re about to finish a treaty—your screen should have a few track changes in red. Now it’s all red,” Rodríguez said of the current state of the document. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”

[joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

I haven't really made a post going into my thoughts on Sonic Superstars yet but I think they're pretty brief so ig I'll do that now, full game spoilers and all that.

I think the base story mode is pretty alright, levels have nice enough theming and some fairly interesting gimmicks, the length is enough to easily replay the thing in a single sitting which I love in my 2D Sonic, the levels that make you play as a certain character are really good opportunities to let the level designers build something specifically for that character which is really nice, also a good opportunity to add some variety to a playthrough if you've not been switching characters on your own time (switching on your own time is also great btw). The pacing is pretty off though, most zones have 2 acts but some have 3 and there's a regular zone just in the middle of the game with only 1 act, it can feel downright random whether an act is gonna end in a boss fight or not, and there's even a schmup stage in there since I guess that's a thing Sonic games love now. I definitely think the stages are more hits than misses but there are absolutely zones I wish I saw more of and zones I wish I saw less of, and I really don't imagine myself looking forward to a few of them on a replay.

Really hate the boss fights, there's a few solid ideas for some of them and they're definitely the most elaborately designed boss fights in any of the classic styled games, but they take so fucking long and have such ridiculously long invincibility frames (the animation for which ends several full seconds before you can damage them again btw so that can feel cheap and impossible to meaningfully read), and other than like one or two of the Chaos Emerald abilities you can't really do anything to speed them up, which just feels lame. Conventions of game design suggests this might be better than bosses where you just spam 8 hits on them before they can even get an attack out but at least those bosses don't test my patience in a game about going fast.

I think the new special stages are okay, it's nice that they're a wholly new concept and you definitely can play skillfully and beat them super duper quickly, as well as do micro-decision making in terms of oh chase the Emerald or potentially lose time grabbig rings, it's neat, buuuuut they're just not really very fun lol. I did play bonus stages early on and they mimick the Sonic 1 special stages but the physics are so different that I couldn't get used to them. Oh well. The reward for bonus stages, as well as some special stages depending on the ring type, as well as most exploration in general, is medals, which are used to customise your character for the battle mode (this character also appears as a boss in the story mode which is actually cool as fuck since hey if you wanna give yourself a Metal Knuckles boss fight or something you can), and like they can feel decently rewarding to collect until you realise it's an absolute fucking grind to actually get enough of them to really buy anything in bulk in said character customisation thing, especially because for some reason if you buy something in there you don't just have it now, they're like limited resources, if I buy red and use it on the arms then I am now out of red, gotta grind to buy more, gotta buy red like 4 or 5 times to make my Metal Knuckles. It's lame. In general I think medals are only really rewarding if you actually intend to do multiplayer stuff, which I don't not get, but I wish they were good for single player too. I mean hey the game has character skins, why not let you get some of those with medals? Nah kill yourself dude character skins are for preordering the game or buying digital deluxe or signing up for newsletters or shit. Trip doesn't even get any. I think skins could be a pretty rewarding game system if they were implemented as such but instead it's just a "did you spend more money" check. Lame.

Uhh, Chaos Emerald powers. They're okay. I think they're a solid enough idea to add some more depth to a classic Sonic game and let it stand out from others, and they're generally still simple enough to fit what you'd expect from the design philosophies of these games. But they're also largely pretty situational, and a few of them I may as well have never even used. The game does prompt you to use the less useful one sometimes which is neat, like oh hey you designed the section with this ability in mind, let's see how it works out. And that's kinda fun. But I could take them or leave them. It seems like you can only get one Chaos Emerald per zone which I do think sucks, since it means hey here's an ability you won't get until near the end of the game and so can't really take advantage of it on your first playthrough at all, which is just a bit boring. You also can't switch abilities while using them and they're all on a countdown, so if I like accidentally use vine then I just can't use another ability I'd actually want to use until like 10 seconds later, which is a bit annoying. Super forms not being able to use the other Chaos Emerald powers also feels like a missed opportunity to make them feel really powerful. Oh well. On that note I hate Super Trip btw, she takes the form of a large dragon who just does not interact with the rest of the game in a fun way, she has her own control system that's just really cheap feeling directional flight with no physics and that moves super slowly. She can skip platforming and stuff by way of flying, but she'll also break out of automation and you need to find your way back into said automation. Just feels actively less fun and not even a satisfying power Trip (HA) for the gameplay sacrifices.

On Trip though, I like her as a playable character enough. Also as an actual character in that she is very cute. But as a playable character she has a nice double jump and can stick to walls and ceilings and roll across them which is nice. Once you beat the story mode and unlock her I recommend going through it again with Trip this time. I don't recommend doing Trip's Story, which is all the worst stereotypes of classic Sonic design fully realised. Were you going too fast and couldn't see that enemy? Get hit asshole. Was there no conveyance about whether that jump is safe to make? Die asshole. Are there spikes literally fucking everywhere? Get pricked asshole. "Sonic is inherently bad because you move too fast to react to oncoming obstacles" has always been a criticism of the series I've felt was in bad faith and isn't even reflected in any of the classic titles, and yet here we are with Trip's Story doing all of it. There's just so much enemy and spike and bottomless pit spam right out the fucking gate, it doesn't feel like an actual difficulty spike either it just feels like a troll level. It is actively frustrating to go through and actively unsatisfying to beat. It's not even like that design philosophy accommodates Trip to begin with so it just feels fucking bizarre. Actually didn't mind the giant robot Fang boss fight but the insta-kill attacks are pretty lame and him getting a "I'm going to smash the stage and make the ground fall" attack at the end of the fight with very poor telegraphing is pretty cringe.

Reward for beating Trip's Story and also that you have all the Chaos Emeralds by now is Last Story, which is a Super Sonic fight against a giant purple dragon. Super Sonic final boss fights are already kinda weird in that they're usually cool as all fuck as setpieces but from a gameplay perspective make you learn a new style in the final hour which is pretty questionable, but I'd say they're usually familiar or intuitive enough to be acceptable and certainly a fair level of challenge, moreover the player usually has good control over the pacing of these fights, such that you can get actually get better at them and do them faster and with a higher finishing ring count, stuff like that. I say all this because that last part just isn't true for Superstars' Super Sonic final boss. Rings basically appear at fucking random so good luck feeling like you've got any control over the timer, which wouldn't strictly be a huge deal but the thing is the boss only has 2 attacks per phase in which you can actually deal damage to him and yet has like 6 attacks in the first place as well as things that are not attacks at all but are full animations he does just for the hell of it during which you can't damage him. And these attacks don't hurt you either since you're Super Sonic. So the boss, naturally, consists largely of waiting. Waiting through attacks there's literally no incentive to dodge until you can get to the point where you do attack him. Rinse and repeat. You won't ever feel like you're getting better, just that you're getting luckier. The boss didn't do this attack on this run. Tails flew by with rings more often. Your game didn't bug and freeze you in the death animation and render you invisible for a time this attempt. And hey, if you do fail, gotta sit through the whole like 6-8 minute fight again. It's bad. It is actively unfun. Doesn't feel cool, doesn't feel rewarding, narratively it's barely anything, for some reason Amy doesn't get to appear even though Tails and Knuckles do, it's just shit and a test of patience. Much as I don't like the bosses in the rest of the game I can at least say "well they are built for multiplayer so maybe that's why they take so long" but the final boss is a single player only gig so that defence doesn't even work. It just sucks.

I think the game looks nice enough on platforms that run it fine, unfortunately I'm on Switch. The music is either pretty good or really bad depending. I haven't played couch co-op yet but I did an online battle mode run and it's like, not the most bare-bones thing in the world but I also cannot even imagine being able to get invested into it. Greatest credit I can give it is giving us designs for Metal Tails and Metal Amy, and even throwing in a Metal Trip for the hell of it and fucking Metal NiGHTS too, badass. I'd like to see Trip again.

Maybe like, 6/10, or 6.5 or something. Doesn't really compare to any of the games it's emulating and certainly not to Mania, but it's still decent fun for the main story mode and they are trying to do new stuff. There's already rumours it'll be getting DLC, I have no strong feelings on this one way or the other. Playable Mighty and Ray wouldn't be bad though. Penis chat.

[p5x-theories]

Yaoling's Confidant

(last updated 9/17/24!)

This post documents the fully filled-in information on Yaoling Li gained through progressing her Confidant! It contains things that could be considered spoilers for her Confidant, as part of the information is a summary of its story.

Yaoling is available in the evenings most days, when it isn’t rainy. Her Confidant is tied to the Knowledge social stat, and level 17 Knowledge is required to fully complete it.

Favorite Presents

(An asterisk (*) marks the special presents added with (and unlocked through) Miyu Sahara’s Confidant, which are liked by all Confidants currently in the game.)

Limited Card Set A rare collection of cards with debut photos of and dream declarations from members of idol groups.

Supernatural Video There's no telling what might actually happen in this supernatural-themed video...?

Mysterious Glasses Black-framed glasses that are said to allow the wearer to see invisible things.

Special Nut Mix A nut gift pack that can quickly replenish energy and help balance nutrition.

Adult Smart Ring This metal ring puzzle suitable for adults can effectively exercise finger flexibility and is also helpful for exercising brain power.

Latest Digital Camera The latest digital cameras not only have a higher resolution, but are also easy to operate.

Traditional Dim Sum Combination A dim sum gift box with traditional shapes and fillings, allowing one to taste the most authentic Japanese flavor.

Kendama A very popular traditional toy that requires some practice to master.

High-Performance Electric Toothbrush A popular model of electric toothbrush from a well-known brand that can effectively clean your mouth.

Limited-Edition Keychain* This keychain has a unique shape, and is well-made, but there weren’t many of it produced. It has a certain collector’s value.

Bulk Snacks Value Pack* A combo pack containing a variety of traditional snacks that will remind people of the taste of childhood.

Advanced Essential Oil Combination* A value-for-money set of essential oils, with multiple functions to help you relax your mind and body.

Chestnut Cake* Fragrant chestnut cake with mild sweetness to suit most people’s tastes.

Musical Snow Globe* A snow globe that plays music, and can be shaken gently to make snow fall inside.

Desktop Incense Machine* A household incense machine that is small in size, so it can be placed anywhere.

Jasmine Tea Elegant and pure flowers are baked in the hands of a tea craftsman to make tea. The charming aroma is also one of the most popular features of this tea.

Personal Information

Birthday: May 20 Zodiac Sign: Taurus Age: 19 years old Profession: Undergrad Height: 164 cm Weight: 51 kg Blood Type: ?? Interests: Tea, desserts, movies Features: Chinese food

Story

Character Details An international student from Sichuan, China, living in an apartment in Yongen-Jaya. It seems that her Japanese is not very good... she will misunderstand the meaning of words, and sometimes use some strange Japanese.

Personal Data 1 Yaoling Li is an international student from China whom I met by chance in the supermarket in Yongen-Jaya. Because she is new here, she is not very familiar with Japan and the Japanese language. She hopes that I can help...

Personal Data 2 According to Yaoling's introduction, she seems to have chosen to study abroad at the request of her parents. After arriving in Japan, she felt that her life was dull and she lacked motivation. She hopes that I can help her understand Japan and figure out the purpose of studying abroad.

Personal Data 3 As our first stop exploring Japan, Yaoling and I went to the used bookstore street in Jinbocho. After experiencing the cultural differences between China and Japan, the change in scenery seemed to make Yaoling very motivated.

Personal Data 4 For our second stop exploring Japan, we went to Harajuku, where young people gather. This place seemed to remind Yaoling of some of the scenery in her hometown, and she even began to investigate "spicy crepes"...

Personal Data 5 While discussing with Yaoling the next stop on our Japan exploration trip, we met Yaoling’s neighbor, Yukimi Fujikawa. After seeing Yukimi be severely disciplined by her mother, the enthusiastic Yaoling felt that she could not just sit back and ignore it, so she decided to ask Yukimi to go with us on our next trip...

Personal Data 6 At Yaoling's invitation, Yukimi went to Asakusa with us. Contrary to the lively Yaoling, Yukimi pays attention to following the rules. Even if her ideas are different from her mother's, she will act according to her mother's plan. Yaoling seems to be very worried about this...

Personal Data 7 Yaoling hoped that Yukimi could be brave enough to be herself, and the difference in their ideas eventually turned into a conflict at the tea ceremony... After the fight with Yukimi, Yaoling seems to have begun to reflect on whether she was qualified to criticize other people's beliefs.

Personal Data 8 In order to express her apology to Yukimi, Yaoling hopes to organize a tea ceremony for Yukimi together with me. After experiencing various twists and turns together, the relationship between Yaoling and I gradually changed.

Personal Data 9 At the second tea ceremony, Yaoling shared the culture related to Chinese tea and cuisine, and her thoughts on her travels, with Yukimi. She also solemnly apologized to Yukimi. At the same time, Yaoling's frankness and sincerity also moved Yukimi.

Personal Data 10 Yukimi mustered up the courage to tell her mother her true thoughts. At the same time, Yaoling seemed to understand her parents' good intentions. Although the matter has come to an end, it seems that Yaoling's life in Japan will continue. The journey will require her to continue working hard.

Voice Lines

Japanese VA: Ru Thing | Chinese VA: XiaoLianSha

(As I can only add up to ten audio files per post, I’ll only include the Japanese lines below! Feel free to ask for the Chinese ones, though.)

I am Yaoling Li from Sichuan, China. I'm happy to meet you.

I still don't understand Japanese very well... there may be some mistakes. I hope you aren't angry! Thank you!

(Note: the "Thank you!" is spoken in Chinese, not Japanese!)

Obviously it would be fine to continue studying in my own country. Why would my parents want me to study abroad? Maybe when I find the meaning of studying abroad, I can understand what my parents were thinking.

It's just a stereotype to say that Sichuan people love spicy food! But... it would indeed be tastier if Japanese food could be spicier...

Sensei not only served as my guide in Tokyo, but also helped me find the meaning of studying abroad... He's not just a guide to Tokyo, but a guide to life!

Yukimi-san follows the rules and works very hard to control her thoughts... In comparison, I do whatever I want... No, would you say I'm "opinionated"?

Is Sensei also interested in Chinese tea? I can explain it to you any time, if you have the chance! Hehe, this time it's my turn to be Sensei's sensei!

Confidant-Specific Bonuses

Rank 1 Ingenuity: Unlocks some infiltration tools for crafting.

Rank 5 Chinese Cuisine Recipes: Unlocks some Chinese dishes for cooking.

Rank 9 Reward for Hard Work: Unlocks more infiltration tools for crafting.

Rank 13 Skilled Skills: Gives a chance for some materials to be returned after crafting infiltration tools.

Rank 17 The Charm of Chinese Cuisine: Unlocks more Chinese dishes for cooking.

[invisibleraven]

Hope you are having a good week!

For the prompts: 31 for Rulie?

Reggie shivers, pulling the jacket tighter around him, burrowing even deeper into his cardboard box, aching in all the wrong places as the wind whips through. Knows he'll have to start a fire soon to survive and pray it doesn't land on the wrong cop's radar, that is to say, any of them.

His stomach whines and clenches, but his panhandling that day had been meagre, so it seemed he was going without food yet again. He needed to save up for warmer clothes any ways, and maybe if he stops by the diner they'll let him do some under the table work. The scruffy looking boy who works there always slips him a few bills and a free bowl of soup when he can, but he hadn't been working tonight when Reggie had looked in earlier.

He's hoping his luck will change tomorrow. The chill in the air means a change in the season, and that also meant an uptick in shopping, in generous hearts who usually took pity on a pathetic looking teenager bagging on the streets. He longed for a guitar, the guys who busked on the pier always cleaned up good, but that's one more thing for him to lug around, to maintain and care for, and Reggie is barely managing to do that for himself.

Finally he can bear the cold no longer, and crawls out to the nearest barrel devoid of rainwater. Finds a few broken pallet pieces, some discarded newspaper, and an old pizza box, long empty of its contents. He carefully pulls out one of his waterproof matches, and starts the flame, holding his hands out to warm them.

Feeling slowly seeps back into his digits, and Reggie sighs as he flexes, adding gloves to his long list of needs.

"Do you mind if I share your fire?" a sweet, feminine voice asks.

Reggie looks up, and there's a girl, about his own age if he were to guess. Looking way less grubby than him, a soft smile on her pretty face. He nods, stepping to the side, and takes her in as she steps into the weak light. Her clothes look clean and new, her face devoid of dirt, though the dark circles under her eyes indicate she's been sleeping rough for a bit. Though the fire makes her brown eyes glow almost amber, and Reggie struggles to look away, hoping she doesn't notice his very dishevelled appearance.

"You hungry?" the girl asks. "I have some sandwiches in my bag. Only PB & J, nothing fancy, and a bottle of water."

"If you're willing to part with it," Reggie replied, fingers trembling as she extends the food, and he tries valiantly not to wolf it down, nor gulp the water too quickly. Sure he's visibly drooling as the girl then extends a granola bar, which he slips into a pocket for later. "Thanks."

"We gotta look out for each other out here right?"

"That's true. You see if any of the shelters are welcoming tonight? Girls usually have no trouble finding a place."

"St. Bartholomew's is letting anyone sleep on their pews," she offers, gesturing to the church across the way. "The padre saw your fire, sent me to ask if you'd like a spot too."

"Beats sleeping out here," Reggie replies, watching the fire dwindle, then extinguish as the last of the wood turns ashy. "I'm Reggie, by the way."

"Julianna," the girls says. "But you can call me Julie. Everyone does."

He nods and grins, taking her offered hand as she pulls them across the street to where the priest is waiting. Shows Reggie the communal bathroom, and leaves him to get clean while she stakes out a good place to sleep.

The hot water is a blessing, and though he can't bather here, Reggie takes the cloths offered to wipe the bulk of himself down, feeling cleaner than he had in ages. Heck, there's even a fresh toothbrush, which he slips into his pack when he's done, sure they don't want him to leave it behind.

Julie is sitting on a pew near the front, head bent in prayer when Reggie sits beside her. He doesn't pray, but keeps his eyes down in a sign of respect, waiting for her to be done. The pews are cushioned, which is the height of luxury, but when Julie says her Amen, she doesn't go to lie down, instead pulls out a ball of wool and some needles. She has the bulk of a scarf done and begins clicking away.

She offers Reggie another ball when she notices his fidgeting fingers, grinning wryly at him. "If you wanna cat's cradle or something," she offers. "But talk to me while you do, it's too early to sleep yet."

So they talk. About how they ended up on the street (Reggie to leave an abusive home, Julie in an act of rebellion and grief that she sorely regrets, but insists she can't go back now). About school before they had left, the shows they used to enjoy, the music they liked to sing. All the while, Julie knit her scarf and Reggie mindlessly hand wove a simple little piece, his MeeMaw teaching him to finger knit when he was young.

"That's really good," Julie remarked as he shyly showed off the head band, the colourful wool making it look appealingly fashionable.

"For you," he offers, and Julie blushes so prettily as she pulls it on, a seemingly perfect fit. Reggie is sure his face is bright pink as he spies the flecks of purple wool in amongst her curls.

"Then you can have this," Julie says, looping the bright red scarf around his neck, and he can't help but burrow into it.

He wants to protest, but something in her eyes makes him bite it back. The lights in the church lower, and they both yawn, almost simultaneously. Sleep is quick to come, and Reggie is sure he falls asleep smiling, inhaling the fragrant wool.

Only, Julie's gone in the morning. There's another sandwich, water, and bar where she had slept.

And a piece of paper with an address in Los Feliz.

Reggie is slow to eat, even slower to make his way there. He's sure this is a stupid idea, a ploy to lure in kids that no one will miss into some weird cult. Only... when he knocks, Julie is there, beaming.

Still wearing the headband, and pulling him inside to introduce him to her family. The priest had recognized her and called them the night before, and she hadn't wanted to wake Reggie. "You can stay here, if you like," her dad offers.

"I really hope you do," Julie says, that pretty blush peeking through her curtain of curls again, and Reggie extends his hand, squeezing hers.

"I'd love that."

In the end, the Molinas are not a weird urchin kidnapping cult, but the closest thing to a family that Reggie has ever had since childhood. They love and care for him, and years later, after he and Julie say 'I do', he takes their name, forever grateful that he shared his fire that night.

Julie grins at him, looking resplendent in her gown as they exit St. Bartholomew's, echoing the sentiment, and makes sure they drop off a few sandwiches to the hungry looking kids nearby before heading off to their reception.