#Hacker: You mean an atheist?

[kindredspiritsandgoodomens]

doctor who celebrates british christmas which, much like the church of england, is vaguely embarrassed to be associated with religion

honestly i am glad of the restraint doctor who has showed by not having a christmas episode where the doctor goes back to the real actual nativity or something

[fanalarm]

Developing FanAlarm

FanAlarm

Hello I am a laid off developer who is now working on my side project FanAlarm.ca and I decided to blog the whole experience.

What is FanAlarm?

FanAlarm is a site/app that will help you track your fav artists and alert you when they're on tour

What have I done ?

I have started working on the app and I can get you to sync with Spotify, I am currently working on web crawling so I can get artists tour dates as soon as they happen

I wanted to see if anyone was interested in the idea I've gotten

Yes they'd be interested

Theres apparently already some apps that do the same thing

What does that mean for me?

Well I had never heard of these apps and so clearly they don't work that well, and also clearly there is a market for an app like mine.

I recently was listening to the startup podcast by gimlet and apparently there was this guy who his whole idea was to make an app but make it better so he made a Spanish bible app when he's atheist and now he makes 6 figures.

So if I believe in the app and am the target audience and I think those apps could have improvements than I think I could get some success. I have gotten some feedback from people would love more feedback and will be working on my site and the app part of it using that feedback to improve it and sell myself better.

Next Steps: I got approved to start a kickstarter campaign to see if I could make this my primary job. But I am scared to fail (so I haven't started my campaign yet), which I have heard from the indie hacker podcast that I need to fail in order to succeed. But it's still scary especially when everyone can see your failure. I don't even know how I would get enough followers to support me And then it's the fear of succeeding and letting everyone down. I guess thats a big life question that could also be found in the we're not really strangers cards. Are you more afraid of failure or success ?

[malevolvs]

apo nattawin, 656, cis man, he/him — did you see draqys sumettikul walking down main street ? the tabloids say that the malakim is known to be detached and unrelenting, but who knows if that’s true. the hacker seems to fit the vibe of clenched fists & split lips, a lifetime of mistakes peering over your shoulder, & the illumination of dark circles by a computer's blue light .

name — draqys sumettikul nickname(s) — draq (drake) name meaning — draqys: dragon (so close mom & dad!), wisdom & sumettikul: analytical mind, peace age — six hundred and fifty six date of birth — january 2nd sexual orientation — bisexual religion — atheist, doesn't pray to any of the god anymore occupation — hacker residence — tbd family — none that he knows of anymore species — malakim with dark grey wings

draqys is a mysterious and solitary figure. as a malakim, he bears the markings of his celestial heritage, an otherworldly presence that sets him apart. having lost his entire family, draqys stands alone in the world, carrying the weight of his past on his shoulders.

in the shadows of celestria, draqys utilizes his exceptional intelligence and skills as a high-level hacker. his adeptness in navigating the digital realm allows him to stay hidden from prying eyes while navigating the complexities of the city's digital landscape. prior to his life as a hacker, draqys served as a retired bodyguard for a high nobility family from a different city, a role that left its mark on his character and skills.

draqys is a recluse by nature, preferring the solitude of his own thoughts over social interactions. initial impressions may paint him as aloof or unkind, as he guards himself against forming attachments. the scars of his past have forged a resilient and guarded exterior, masking the complexities within. beneath the surface, a sense of duty and loyalty lingers from his time as a bodyguard, shaping his interactions with the world.

in the rare moments when draqys emerges from the digital shadows, he can be found frequenting a local dive bar in the heart of celestria. here, he observes the ebb and flow of the city's inhabitants from the periphery, nursing his solitude with a quiet drink. the dive bar serves as a respite, a place where draqys can momentarily detach from the complexities of his life.

as he navigates the intricate world of hacking, he seeks not only information but also a sense of purpose. the shadows of his past continue to haunt him, and the echoes of his time as a bodyguard linger in the recesses of his mind. through his interactions at the dive bar and the digital labyrinth, draqys strives to find connections that could mend the fractures in his own guarded heart.

[inmyarmswrappedin]

The good: 

Skam España set up Amira’s crush on Dani (and Dani’s crush on Amira) in s2 and, regardless of how it ends, they are following through with that storyline, instead of dropping it like a hot potato.

The bad: 

Okay, so first off I have to say I’ve never vibed with Lucas Nabor (Dani)’s acting. And by never I truly do mean never, as in the first day of Cris’ season, I found the way Lucas N played Dani in the confrontation with Cris after they get home extremely cringy. This was way before I could’ve ever dreamed that Skam España would whitewash Yousef’s character and turn him into a white character. 

So, for me, it’s not just an issue of whitewashing (which is already bad enough on a show with no meaningful male characters of color), but eskam pairing one of my favorite Skams character ever with the character I like the least for acting reasons.

But I figured eskam wouldn’t really have the audacity to whitewash a love interest and not give us a Yousef of color in another form. Just like the way we got that 5-second glimpse of Lucas Rubio hooking up with a boy named Iván in the s2 finale, so people could see the male Isak had also found an Even, or the way we got a full season of Miquel being the abusive boyfriend that Spanish viewers saw William as, but for Noorhelm fans, Alejandro still got to be Nora’s endgame. 

And so, when Sofian in the trailer was blatantly posited as a love interest, juxtaposed with shots of Dani with the same expression and filmed from the same angle, I thought, “Okay, so Amira will have an additional love interest who is actually Moroccan, and he’ll probably be around much less (like Iván in s2 and Alejandro in s3), but he’ll be the endgame.” 

Like... Never in my wildest nightmares would I have thought that Skam España would take... idefk... Lito from Skam and turn him into a full fledged character who’d play the fuck out of Amira and attempt to talk her into bearding. 

When Kasim was introduced and people immediately noticed the look between Lucas and Kasim, I thought, “no fucking way Skam España would pull an Elite.” WHEN, when has Skam España looked towards Elite for inspiration before? Not even just to “fix” Elite storylines and turn them into good storylines. Elite and Skam España have never existed in the same sphere or tried to do the same things or impacted each other.

When the spoilers came out, I thought back to the time in s3 when the same hackers said that Alejandro would hit Miquel with a bottle. At the time, I heard of the Alejandro spoilers and wondered to myself, “is this something Skam España would ever do?” And I thought nah, no way, Skam España has never been concerned with toxic masculinity or romanticized it. And I was right! 

So I did the same thing with these spoilers, and I was SO SURE that I had understood the show, that I had understood what Skam España had been trying to do all these three seasons, that Skam España was so disinterested in men as a whole that they’d never try something so complex with either Dani (a conversion storyline) or Kasim (a closeted storyline). Both of those storylines are storylines Skam España gives to GIRLS. Because men in eskam have always been more about what they symbolize for the girls, than their own entities. And I liked that! So, on that level I feel betrayed, because Skam España had been telling it was one thing for three seasons, until in s4 they decided Amira didn’t deserve the same treatment as all the other mains, where she doesn’t get to be by far the most complex character in her own season. (I’m not saying Amira isn’t complex - she is. She is the most complex Sana and the most nuanced.) 

There are a couple things that gave me a bad vibe about this season from the start: one was the fact that Kasim wasn’t introduced in episode 1. Skam España always introduces the characters that are significant for the main in episode 1, so for Kasim to not show up in episode 1, that was a sign. The other one was that Skam España gave the bonus clips to Alejandro. This is a show that refused to give Lucas bonus clips in s2, because his experience as a gay boy just wasn’t relevant to Cris. Not in the same Viri’s experience was relevant to Nora. And suddenly, Alejandro (and not Nora) gets the bonus clips in a season about Amira? Like, it was just fucking weird. It is weird as shit that a show that has always gleefully centered the female experience to the detriment of the male experience, would decide in their Muslim woc season, that it was time for the whitest, straightest, cisgenderedest, richest character on the show to be the first one to get some focus.

Because Sana seasons across the board have underperformed compared to the seasons that came before them (because of racism and islamophobia in Europe), I thought that maybe Movistar had decided to lean on the romance a bit more heavily this season, in order to make it seem more appealing. Kinda makes sense, no? We’re tired of seeing straight white girl seasons, so making Nora’s season lean a bit more on the educational side of Skam isn’t a risk. People will still tune in. But a Sana season is a bit of a harder sell, so we have to sweeten the deal with romcom tropes and all the other couples in the show making out and about to have sex, to make up for Amira not getting those scenes. I thought I could live with that.

But like, there’s adding some background fanservice from established couples and then there’s this monstrosity that leans into EVERY islamophobic Muslim trope ever (because it’s super commercial and high stakes drama and excitingggggg). Like, in Western media, Muslim men are either oppressors (abusive, strict husbands who beat their wives and are terrorists or thugs or thieves) or oppressed (closeted gay boys who resort to extreme means, such as bearding or dealing drugs, in order to stay under the radar). They never get to be the leading love interest. I have never seen a Muslim man of color on Spanish TV be the male love interest, and especially not the love interest to a Muslim woman. And Skam España will be no different.

I also hope people understand the way it undermines literally every other thing they’re trying to do with the show. Amira already explained at length both her own stance towards gay people and Islam’s stance towards gay people, in s2 and her bonus video with Lucas. if you want to be a Muslim in good standing, you can be gay as long as you don’t act on it. But you can also be a Muslim who eats pork, or a Muslim who doesn’t fast in Ramadan, or a Muslim who doesn’t pray five times a day, because ultimately it’s about every individual’s relationship with Allah. To go back on this for a homophobic Muslims storyline undoes everything they did in s2. 

It also undermines Dounia as a character. Here’s a practicing Muslim who longs for a safe space, who doesn’t want to answer questions from non Muslims, who thinks it’s better not to even open the door to a relationship with a white non Muslim, and who’s really confident in all those decisions. And if you think the show isn’t setting her up to be confronted with the fact her brother doesn’t feel safe among Muslims, who prefers questions from non Muslims over telling the truth to Muslims, who has happily opened the door to a relationship with a white non Muslim, who thinks that Dounia is a homophobe in short, and that she will be made to reexamine all her beliefs because of her brother... I just don’t know what to say to you tbh.

And also, this clip made it seem like Amira’s Muslim world wouldn’t accept her crush on Dani, undoing everything the show has done until now. Dounia didn’t disapprove when Amira told her she had a crush on a white non Muslim. She understood and shared her experience. Amira’s mother knew about her crush on Dani and never tried to stop it, nor did she discourage it when Amira told her about it. Why is Skam España suddenly acting like Amira can’t tell anyone about her budding relationship with Dani, when every anon on tumblr dot com will tell you that relationships between Muslim women and Christian men happen all the time?

And finally, it just makes me reexamine previous Skam España seasons and wonder... Did they make Amira only start wearing hijab in the first day of s1 because they knew a character like Sana wouldn’t contemplate a relationship with a white character who makes islamophobic jokes, drinks and makes out with the Sana’s friends in front of her after specifically inviting her to a party? Did they make Amira the show’s Isak’s best friend just so they could whitewash Yousef? Was the whole purpose and trajectory of Amira on the show, everything they did with her, a justification for whitewashing one of the few positive men of color on Western TV? For refusing to show a Muslim girl in a happy relationship with a Muslim boy? To only portray and devote time to Muslim poc/white atheists relationships? (Amira’s parents not withstanding.) As if the most positive outcome for a Muslim person living in Europe is to marry a white atheist. That is what Skam España did to Sana’s season, to Sana, to the balloon squad. 

[vicecityhq]

██████████████]99% LOADING...SUSPECT INTO THE APD DATABASE...

WITNESS(ES) SAY HE REMINDS THEM OF: flickering neon lights, the sound of static, retro video games. With a slight resemblance to HAN JISUNG of/the STRAY KIDS.

CLICK BELOW TO VIEW ENTIRE FILE.

FULL FILE:

Last Name, First Name: Nam Jaejin ALIAS: Crypto Realm of birth(if earth, nationality): Earth Age: 21 Date of Birth: January 31st, 2000 Gender: Male Preferred Pronouns: He/him, they/them Species: Cyborg Occupation: Bookkeeper of the Howlers, university student, hacker Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

VISUAL FILE:

Skin Color: Tan Eye color: Brown, with a blue/purple tint at times   Scars: Surgery scars where his enhancements have been added; in his right arm and chest area. Piercings: Right eyebrow, both earlobes Tattoos: When he is not actively using his enhancements, the mechanical arm silhouette on his right arm resembles a tattoo. (x) Hair color: Currently black with white highlights. Abnormalities: Added technological right arm and metallic elements to the right side of his chest. these enhancements affect most of his body/internal system as well (namely his lungs). he has human brains, but they are affected by the technorganic physiology as well. Horns/ wings/ etc: none Transformed form: His technological arm mostly looks like a tattoo to someone who doesn’t know any better. While actively using his abilities, his right arm and chest begin to glow with a blue/purple light and resemble more of a robotic arm/chest. This glow might affect his eyes as well.

PERSONAL FILE:

RELIGIOUS BELIEF:  Raised Catholic, later turned atheist SINS:  greed  /  gluttony  /  sloth  / lust  /  pride  /  envy  /  wrath VIRTUES: chastity  /  charity  /  diligence  /  humility /  kindness /  patience /  justice KNOWN LANGUAGES: Korean (native, dialectal at times), English (mostly fluent), Latin (basics) SECRETS: He has been behind a lot of major hackings towards the government/other significant parties during the last few years. Jaejin will usually attempt to blend in with “normal” humans and civilians, trying to hide both his cyborg-ness as well as his gang affiliation.   SAVVIES: Technology, computer science, hacking, mathematics, video games, planning Powers & Abilities: Technorganic physiology, technology manipulation Traits: + quick-witted - aloof Aesthetics: Flickering neon lights, the sound of static, retro video games

BACKGROUND CHECK:

Date of Birth: January 31st, 2000

Date of Death: -

Crime Record: Multiple hackings against many different significant figures/parties, as well as countless smaller hackings. Involvement in gang activities, mostly relating to fundings. He hasn’t been found guilty for any of these crimes yet, but he is also aware that his record might not stay clean forever.  

Background/Biography:

Born to a wealthy upper-class family in Busan during a cold January, Jaejin was, at first, anything like most kids. He had a younger sister. He had loving parents (albeit ones who had their expectations raised sky-high from the very beginning). And he had a few people around him he could even call friends. The kid was a little shy, a little nerdy, but nothing short of pure and kind towards the ones he cared about. His childhood was a little uneventful, but a happy one regardless.

Jaejin was nearing the age of ten when the unfortunate accident occurred. It was a dark October evening, heavy rain making it nearly impossible to see clearly. Jaejin was returning home from a friend’s house, hurrying down the street as the rain continued to increase.  The kid decided to cross the street, thinking of the Nintendo Gameboy console waiting for him at home. The sound of brakes screeching against the wet asphalt made him halt where he stood. It was all blinding light and the loud howling of a truck’s horn before everything went black.  

Jaejin barely survived the hit, perhaps by some miracle. What didn’t survive was the majority of his right arm. Most of his chest was looking quite vile too, having endured a hit that no human tissue really could. Some of his organs, namely his lungs, were damaged nearly beyond repair. He was barely breathing, only making it with the help of the beeping machines of the hospital. Jaejin’s parents, shocked and shaken up by the whole thing, quickly began to pull strings and search for methods for him to make it. It was a question of any means at that point. A decision that they would perhaps come to regret later.

The boy was taken to a private clinic that specialized in cybernetic surgeries. It was supposed to be just about repairing the parts of him that no longer worked as well as life required. But Jaejin’s surgeon was a charismatic man of science, and was able to convince the higher class family that some small enhancements to his body wouldn’t hurt. The Nam family was eminently very unaware of the lengths that some cybernetic surgeons went in the name of science and test-runs. So when Jaejin awoke some twenty hours later, he was no longer the same boy at all.  

It wasn’t evident, at first. But over the years it became apparent that something had shifted after the surgery. The once very warm boy became aloof, often struggling to empathize with people. In turn he became intelligent in a way he necessarily wasn’t before. Jaejin's emotions weren’t completely shut-off by any means. He felt things, sometimes even strongly, but not always in the way others expected him to. And the boy was ashamed and alone with his thoughts. It wasn’t until years later, during his high school years, that Jaejin discovered the things that he was actually capable of.  Accessing and controlling different technological components became something Jaejin got kicks out of, a different kind of excitement filling him for the first time after the enhancement surgery. And so what if hacking things was illegal? It enabled Jaejin to have control and power. It enabled him to have pride in himself.

After high school, once Jaejin had already enrolled in university to study computer engineering, an acquaintance approached him after a mathematics class. Even at first glance the young man could tell that the things he was about to be told were not something he could tell anyone else. He was asked to follow the man to a place he would later know to be the Howler’s headquarters. His skills and savvies were something they took interest in. And though Jaejin was nothing short of unsure about the offer, he figured he could stay around for a while. Even if only to help the gang with their poor money management skills out of pure curiosity.  

So that was what Jaejin became – a gifted, witty student by day, and a hacker and gang member by night. He had gone by the codename Crypto even before affiliating himself with the Howlers, so it was natural that he also used that alias in his gang endeavors. Jaejin, having taken distance from his family a long time ago, was surprisingly willing to be included in a gang of all things. Maybe it was the things the gang did and provided him with that gave him a sort of thrill and excitement otherwise lacking in his life. Or maybe being a part of a group made him feel a little bit more human again.

INTERVIEW QUESTION (para sample): “Just run us through what happened that night”. - Officer

Jaejin was, for the lack of a better word, in quite a robotic state.

Again, it wasn’t that the man didn't feel anything at the question. Sure he did: he felt annoyance at the fact that he had to be sitting there, in the police station, when he could be tackling his microcomputer architecture project due in a few days. But Jin also knew that it wasn’t really the typical emotion to be feeling while being questioned by an officer. Especially not if you were innocent (and he was, technically speaking).  

“It all happened so fast”, he said instead. He was trying to summon some feelings of shock and maybe even sorrow. Jaejin knew those to be the typical feelings of a civilian witnessing a gunfight, after all. Except in this case it was more of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time, not so much the fact that he hadn’t seen it before. It had been people from the Howlers, though; a fight against some other gang members (for reasons the man frankly didn’t know). And Jaejin had just happened to be there as the police cars arrived with sirens howling.  

He wasn’t going to say any of that though. Jaejin wasn’t about to snitch on his gang members, not if he had nothing to fear. And as far as he knew, none of the scouts involved had actually been caught. The police had nothing on the situation. So he continued to speak in a manner that, in hindsight, was probably too calm for someone who didn’t know anything.  This might come and bite him back at some point. “All I know that there were people in black, many of them. I didn’t really see their faces, probably a gang or something. Suddenly there was a loud noise of gunfire and that’s the part where I ran to the back of the warehouse.” Out of nowhere, Jaejin felt actual emotions surging to the surface. “I was... afraid”, he whispers in a small voice, “I didn’t want to get hurt. To die.”  

Except it wasn’t really his own life he was afraid for. Jaejin found himself back in the situation, the same emotions rushing through him. He was afraid for them. For his own gang members. For better or for worse, the people who accepted him when no one else had. For the first time in a long time, Jaejin was afraid of losing someone (not that he would admit it out loud, though).

[elopez7228]

Scenic Route 42/47

”Read on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268208/chapters/43229774

Start over : https://elopez7228.tumblr.com/post/620919089893933056/scenic-route-0147

***

The week had been a nightmare for Phasma, who retired to bed with a terrible migraine. It was Tuesday, July 9th.

The last few days had been spent hunting down the mole (or moles) that Hux suspected were operating within FORCE. She’d started by firing trainees and interns, as well as all temporary contract workers. Then it was time to cast a wider net: which employees were most likely to sell confidential information to the enemy? Obviously, employees with two things, access and incentive.

Which departments had access to sensitive files? Legal and Accounting came to mind, as well as the Sales and Marketing departments, to a lesser extent. And of course there were employees who had access by overriding authorization—IT, computer scientists, developers, and certain engineers. Now it became a game of duck duck goose to see who had the guts and the ideological motivation to betray FORCE.

To that end, Phasma spent hours knee-deep in social networks and company email servers tracking various conversations and file uploads. Her goal was to find the right circle—employees who were passionate about leftist political causes, social activism, and global warming. She made a folder for everyone at FORCE with a left-wing bent: registered Democrats, Socialists, 99-percenters, Women’s March organizers, pro-choicers, anti-NRAs, vegetarians, vegans, anti-capitalists, social justice warriors, queers and their allies, first and second generation immigrants, Native Americans, non-Christians and atheists...the list was endless.

Eons later, she had a beautifully organized database that was split between mostly-Republican WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants) and...practically everyone else. Finally, she had a place to begin digging deeper.

To start, she sent a discreet memo to the potential allies in the first group.

“Following a confidential data leak within the company, we are offering rewards to those who report suspicious behavior. Examples include reporting on colleagues who work abnormally late, finish tasks later than expected, take frequent private calls or smoke breaks, or appear “burned out”. Signs of burnout can include excessive  fatigue, high caffeine consumption, dress code violations such as coming to work with dirty or disheveled clothing, and falling asleep during work hours. We also encourage you to report anyone with obvious signs of mental distress such as nail biting or other nervous tics, excessive smoking or drinking, and aggressive or depressive episodes.”

The memo she sent to the second group of potential suspects was decidedly different.

"The resale of critical business information by an unidentified employee has endangered the well-being of the company. Due to the financial implications of such a large data breach, management is considering immediately eliminating optional employee benefits. Funding for mandatory employee benefits such as health insurance will likely be reduced but not entirely eliminated over the next three months. A wave of necessary layoffs is also being discussed. The only way to prevent the above losses is to mitigate the damage of the data breach. We encourage you to reach out to your supervisor with any relevant information.”

Barely a day later, she had collected all sorts of useful information. Hell, she made a note to follow up with HR. The company was always rife with competition but she hadn’t expected to collect this much dirt on so many other issues. Still, her preliminary results led to one department in particular: IT.

The IT department was a strange conundrum. Half a dozen people had the level of access she was looking for—senior engineers who reported directly to Snoke and Hux, the holiest of the holy. But all of them were Category One WASPs. Why would any of them need to sell secrets to the enemy? The reasons were most likely financial instead of political. Loans, medical debt, kids to send to college, etcetera. She created a separate task force to peel back their personal lives and follow them around the clock.

She smiled. Finally, the Knights of Phasma. No wonder Kylo Ren had such a massive ego, pompous ass that he was.

It proved to be a largely fruitless task. Her agents found no evidence of both access to sensitive information and financial woes in any of the employees’ lives. If anything, their existence was frighteningly monotonous.

That finding narrowed down her list of suspects in IT to one. One Galen Erso, who had been reported by several of his coworkers for insomnia, irritability, moodswings, and borderline paranoia. It was a recurring issue with his supervisors. The man fit the description of train wreck to a tee.

A full background check revealed that he had severely underplayed his technical abilities when he was interviewed. Although he was currently a network engineer, he had enjoyed a long and successful stint as a freelance white-hat hacker, defying some of the toughest corporate security systems and even appearing on the cover of WIRED Magazine. Unsurprisingly, his transition to a salaried job came shortly after the birth of his first child. He didn’t do very much hacking after that, probably embracing the 9-to-5 life to provide a stable means of income for his family. Phasma marked his file with a red sticky note.

She had another suspect, an older woman named Mara Jade who had been radicalized since the last election. Apparently she had participated in all the protests that followed, suddenly posting a steady stream of “urgent climate action” content to her Twitter account. She was a legal assistant with access to several sealed case files. This called for another red sticker.

The tall woman sprayed her face with cool water, observing her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. She had two suspects, out of thousands of employees. What if her instincts were wrong? What if she had overlooked better leads? She only had a few days to carry out this massive task...if she wasn’t careful—or worse, if  the whistleblower got away—Earth Soldiers would be one step closer to winning this trial.

Galen Erso's professional background check had put her on edge. If this guy was a genuine professional hacker, how could she be sure that he wasn’t spying on the contents of her computer as soon as she logged on? He was also a network engineer, after all.

In doubt, she had printed hard copies of all the available information and reimaged her laptop.

The computer now sat uselessly on her nightstand. She didn't dare turn it on again. Yet she continued to check emails from her phone. What difference was there? Could she still be monitored? She would have had to ask the head of network security...Galen Erso. No, she wasn’t about to do that.

In her bag, she carried an unmarked leather folder containing the results of her investigation. She was going to deliver it to Armitage Hux with her own hands, and have Jade and Erso arrested. Both would be under close surveillance until the trial ended. They would have no contact with the outside world, interrogated if necessary. They would crack one way or another.

The most infuriating part of Phasma’s job was driving all the way to Bozeman and back  to retrieve Skylar Ren. Did they really think it was a better idea to waste her time than to have the moron hike for a few miles and take a cab? It took her over fifteen hours to get there, pick up his sorry ass and slap his stupid face, and then another fifteen or so to get back. Almost two days down the drain.

At least they were sure he was a mole. A pathetic loner who wanted to fill his own bank account through blackmail. He made the fatal mistake of biting the hand that fed him. The last she heard, he was somewhere in FORCE’s underground compound, where Hux had no doubt sent someone to take care of him.

Barely able to sleep, Phasma grabbed the suspect folder and emptied its contents on to her duvet. Her fingers slid over the hundreds of pages of emails, photographs and testimonies that she had carefully collected and printed.

She was supposed to report her findings to Hux the next morning, in person. It was too sensitive to do over the phone. She had an appointment in his office at 8 AM sharp.

Ding.

It took a few seconds for her to realize that it wasn't her phone. It was the front door.

At 11 PM?

Heart pounding, she grabbed the handgun that she kept under her pillow, her bare feet cautiously approaching the door. Silently, she glanced through the peephole.

It was Kylo Ren.

[anvrchists]

INFORMATION AND STATISTICS FOR JONAS MERCER

including an in-depth personality analysis

BASIC INFORMATION

Full name: Jonas Mercer, formerly Alexander Buchanan Marlo Nicknames: None Age: 36 years old Date of Birth: May 29th, 1984 Hometown: Scarsdale, NY Current location: Paradise, NV Ethnicity: Caucasian Nationality: American Gender: cisgender male (he/him) Sexuality: Pansexual, Panromantic Religion: Atheist Political Affiliation: Liberal Occupation: Business Owner, Anonymous Hacker Languages spoken: English, Irish, Spanish, French, Italian Accent: Un-pinnable Southern, hints at New Orleans and East Coast

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Face Claim: Boyd Holbrook Hair Colour: blond, in this style Eye Colour: blue Weight: 188lbs Height: 6′2 Build: Athletic Tattoos: TBD Piercings: TBD

PERSONALITY

Label: The Lothario Positive Traits: + intelligent, confident, adaptable, observant, charming, gregarious Negative Traits: - elusive, selfish, detached, superficial, flirtatious, dishonest Goals/Desires: to survive Fears: deep open waters, losing everything he’s worked for, claustrophobia, drowning/suffocating Hobbies: plants, cooking, reading, hunting, music

FAMILY

Father: alexander buchanan marlo i. 66. Mother: esme marlo (martin). 64. Sibling(s): none Children: open Pet(s): bernese mountain dog, murphy.

EXTRA

Zodiac Sign: Gemini - “Despite their unfair rep for being two-faced, once a Gemini is in your life, they’re loyal for life—but they aren’t afraid to voice their opinion if they feel you’re doing something they disagree with or if they perceive you as not being loyal to them.” MBTI: ESTP-A - The Entrepreneur. “ They love exploring interesting ideas, both in discussion and by going out and seeing for themselves, which means that Entrepreneurs always seem to have some fun activity hidden up their sleeves. At the same time, Entrepreneur personalities are easy-going, tolerant, and charming, making them naturally quite popular.” Alignment: True Neutral - "A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn't feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he's not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.” Enneagram: Type 8 - The Challenger. “Although, to some extent, Eights fear physical harm, far more important is their fear of being disempowered or controlled in some way. Eights are extraordinarily tough and can absorb a great deal of physical punishment without complaint—a double-edged blessing since they often take their health and stamina for granted and overlook the health and well-being of others as well. Yet they are desperately afraid of being hurt emotionally and will use their physical strength to protect their feelings and keep others at a safe emotional distance. Beneath the tough façade is vulnerability, although it has been covered over by layer of emotional armor.” Archetype: The Joker - “Light hearted, sociable and fun to be around.” Celtic Tree: Hawthorn, the Illusionist - “Just like Gemini in western astrology, the Hawthorn from the Celtic tree astrology isn’t all that it appears to be. Their exterior world can be completely different from the inner landscape and they can show a new side to you each day. If you hang out with Hawthorn signs too often, you’ll see that they put the term “never judge a book by its cover” to the test.” Temperament: Sanguine - “The sanguine temperament is fundamentally spontaneous and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament.” Hogwarts House: Slytherin - “Slytherins tend to be ambitious, shrewd, cunning, strong leaders, and achievement-oriented. They also have highly developed senses of self-preservation. This means that Slytherins tend to hesitate before acting, so as to weigh all possible outcomes before deciding exactly what should be done.” Primary Vice: Pride - “[Pride] is identified as dangerously corrupt selfishness, the putting of one's own desires, urges, wants, and whims before the welfare of other people..” Primary Virtue: Prudence - “The ability to discern the appropriate course of action to be taken in a given situation at the appropriate time.” Element: Water - “They “go with the flow,” but don’t flit about like Air people. Their movements have a definite path, albeit an often unexpected one. The Water person’s open heart makes [him] generous, and [his] empathy can make [him] quite social, although not all Water people are “bubbly.” [He] is often very dreamy, and can be mystical.”

[lordbozzel]

The Traditionalist - October 3rd, 2022

Scribbles on Simulation Theory and Atheists:

My mind was roaming the other day, as it usually does, and I had a sudden realization about Simulation Theory and it's adherents. The same kind of people who believe and promote the concept that everyone and everything we experience is in some kind of computer simulation are the same type to be atheists, or at the least the type to ruthlessly attack and belittle the religious and spiritual. The issue comes that in order for this to be a simulation someone would need to have created it, which thus proves the existence of "God." It can also be used to explain how and why things happen that shouldn't. Any "supernatural" event can easily be explained away by "glitches" or other kinds of "programs" in the simulation. Perhaps things like demons or ghosts are just stray bits of code, or a sort of "virus" or perhaps even some kind of "hacker" influencing the simulation(truly gives a whole new meaning to the term "ghost in the machine"). Obviously I find the idea of Simulation Theory to be rather ludicrous, at least how it's usually proposed. I could be convinced of a Matrix type situation where a computer is literally plugged into our brains, thus our brains are manifesting that reality, but the idea of my form, and that of every other being and object) being nothing more than some computer model simply rings hollow to me. I simply have fun coming up with ways "scientific" theories could prove the existence of God. I've done something similar with String Theory and it's concept of an infinite number of universes with an infinite number of possibilities*. It's a fun game I play with myself. Searching for a functioning payphone, Lord Bozzel *If you have an infinite number of universes for each possible reality then, by definition, you have a universe in which God exists. And if God exists in one universe, by definition, he exists in every universe. Of course, by this same logic there's also a universe in which Cthulhu exists, one with the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and so on and so forth. It can be quite terrifying when you think about it. By this logic, this official, albeit highly debated, scientific theory, any midnight monster dreamed up by a frightened child or horrendous horror cooked up by some writer in a dark room exists and could creep into our reality at any moment given the right cosmic circumstances. But that's only if you take it seriously, of course.

[konnoutagoewa]

The Big O

Early 2018.

By order of President Trump (aka "Big Orange"), American server owners were allowed to charge money for access to their servers - an action which became famous as "the death of net neutrality". Soon, prices sky-rocketed, making the Web a place exclusively for the richest of the rich. The rest of the population rebelled against the loss of their freedom, but were suppressed by armed forces, resulting in a large-scale rebellion against the government that quickly spread around the globe's World-Wide-Web citizens forced to emigrate to the darker ends of the Internet. "Nerds", previously bullied for their interest in automated technologies, quickly rose as national heroes, being the only ones with the knowledge to oppose the orange forces.

Years later . . .

Trin didn't need her eyes to type. In fact, with the speed her fingers were moving over the keyboard, no eyes could help her do it any better. Thus her eyes were glued to the screen, dashing over the numerous data that flowed over it, with her glasses reflecting it in the otherwise mostly dark room where her keyboard resounded. A faint light seemed to dare that reflection from the other end of the room, flickering brighter from time to time, showing how much data passed the little computer it was attached to. But Trin didn't need to look at it - amongst the tons of information that were on her display, she could fish out the state of the Raspberry Pi in less than a moment. Yet her interest was dedicated to a completely different server - one far away from her, and one that she was not precisely expected to have access to. That surely made it significantly harder for her to access it and get the information she wanted, but ust because she wasn't expected to do so didn't mean she didn't have the right to - or the abilities.

Her fingers stopped moving.

"They are using UNIX?!" she shouted in the small, dark room. "What the hell . . ." she added on to it with a whisper and a grin. The system she turned out to be faced with was a spinoff of her favorite system that used to be made through the efforts of many, many freelancer coders and, with the downfall of internet freedom, went crashing as well - soon becoming illegal and replaced by the much more monolithic and useless Windows system, made off the money they gained from forcing people to use it. Nonetheless, most of her computers ran a very similar Linux system, in its core elements the same as every other Unix - it was flexible, it was fast, it had all the tools she could ever need, and most of all, it allowed her to remain quiet and unnoticed - quite vital traits for someone with her way of life.

Knowing what she was working with, the rest became fairly easy: she knew every bug, every backdoor, every little hole in her favorite system and, with a version of it made specifically for forcing such holes open, she proceeded to force her way into the much wankier distro that ran the server she was attacking. Considering her economical status, she would have needed to wait for 50 years before she could access it, but such numbers meant little if you weren't following the law.

Grinning from the thrill of breaking the law, which Trin did daily anyway, she passed a few more arguments into the black rectangle on her screen. A few moments later, the prompt changed. She snickered and started navigating the server, which was now completely under her control. After going around a bit it occurred to her it might be too bothersome to download data from a server via bash, the default language of both computers, while the server was still running, so with a few keystrokes, she switched to SQL and, now in a fitting environment, needed less than a minute to find the files she was ordered for.

Because yes, despite being a hacker and an anarchist, she still had to work, yet she did so with pleasure. Her current job was to publicly release data on molesters from the old times when there were still poor people on the Web to be molested. She didn't have an account for the social network she was hacking, but she had heard of it - after all, "Tumblr" was one of the social networks most influenced by Big Orange's actions. Yet that didn't matter - she did her job, she got paid, and that's all she needed to know. Not that she didn't keep records of all her jobs - it had saved her life a few times already, and why change a bad habit?

The good thing was that the data she was looking for was stuff like IP addresses, user names, etc - the kind of information saved in metadata, which was pretty much everywhere. And Trin had asked for a sample post when receiving the job, so searching for that and exploiting the return value was such a simple approach that she nearly felt like she had scammed off her customer - not that she would give the money back just because the job was easy . . .

Contemplating on the low security of the server, she piped the data download to multiple dedicated servers (read raspies-in-trash-cans-that-she-connected-to-the-internet-beforehand-just-in-case-you-know). It meant that the data would be downloaded on the raspberries instead of her main computer, which in turn meant she couldn't be tracked that easily. It took a while, during which she stared at the screen blankly - if something was going to fuck up, that was the time for it.

Nothing fucked up.

Proud, she disconnected her main computer she had been using so far from the server, deleting her traces in the process, switched to the raspi that was still blinking shyly in the corner of the room and ran the same process backwards - yet this time, instead of random metadata about assholes from the last age, she made her little minions send little packages of scrambled code - every single one of them completely useless, yet put together they made a powerful killcode for the server. She liked the approach. Code golfing had always been a hobby of hers, and let's just say, she also just enjoyed wrecking servers. She originally set up the raspies for DDOS attacks (every single one of them annoying the server until it can't keep up and crashes), but it turned out these could be easily tracked and her home system could do it better anyway, so she started using scrambled killcodes instead. And she was quite proud of the results.

With the server wrecked, she connected to her raspies instead, downloaded the data for the catalogue from there instead, and disconnected again. Job well done, now she just had to wait a bit and find a place to publish it, then get paid - and hope the little ones weren't discovered beforehand. The police had managed to get a few of her minions in the past, but after running apt update, it became too hard for the rather dumb Informatics Technologies Crime Department to keep up with the rather old updates. Still, as someone living on the edge, she had to consider all possibilities, even if all she could do against them was to pray. Not that she wasn't an atheist . . .

Trin stood up from her chair and stretched. It had been a long day she had spent on her computer, and she hurt all over. "God, I might just go by foot tomorrow . . . " she said to the empty room. Tomorrow was Thursday, her day for making deals in real life. Years ago, when she was still burning with a fire for rebellion, she had bought herself a motorbike and, despite it being quite old and rusty now, it helped her move around from place to place when she had to - for example, on Thursdays.

"Oh. Fuck . . . ", she whispered to herself. Thinking of Thursdays, she remembered she had another job to do. Quickly going through some of the drawers on her table, she found an empty memory card and put it in her computer, turning the chair around so that she could just lean on it instead of sitting down again. This job was much easier - she just had to find some files and deliver them directly, no hacking, no DDOSing, no onion routing. Even better - the "files" were one of her favorite series that she even occasionally rewatched, so she didn't even need to find them - she had already down loaded them years ago. In fact, Trin really wanted to talk about it with the customer - there weren't many people she could relate to and spend time with - but again, work politics were important when living like her. She sighed - being an outlaw hacker was cool and all, but it had some drawbacks. How did she wish that she could one day just meet up with someone for a coffee and chat about books and banned Internet series and politics and Linux kernels and bot networks and homemade ISAs and how often she forgot that memory cards were pretty much instantaneous but she forgets it so she keeps waiting for them and then dozes off thinking about coffee dates. Like now, for example. She ejected the card ("Don't want to ruin the goods now, do we?"), put it in her bag with thingies, and after a moment of contemplation about whether she had forgotten something again, put the computer to sleep again.

Again, she stretched, with a considerably deeper sigh this time. "I need a fucking shower," she decided after a short pause, and proceeded to take her tank top and shorts off. She liked hot showers to relax her muscles after a long sitting in front of her machinery, so we will leave her to relax for the night.

~~~

"Aaargh!", she shouted, first thing in the morning, and punched her alarm clock which had just been "brought to life". She had been considering setting the alarm to something else than Evanescence for quite a while, but had never bothered doing it. Until now. She coded at night, for Turing's sake, she couldn't just wake up at eight o'clo- "Fuck?!", she shouted at the clock, and jumped out of her bed immediately. Changing the song was one thing, forgetting to set the timer a completely different one. She rarely cared about waking up early or other such saintly narcissities, but she had one job this time, and she kinda failed at it.

She pulled up a map on her computer. Another good habit of hers was to never uselessly shut it down completely. "Okay so twenty minutes away, I won't make it, but it'll take about five with Bumbs, so what the FUCK AM I WASTING TIME FOR!", she shouted at her screen before hurrying off into the bathroom. Deciding teethbrushing was for losers who had the time for it, she tied her hair a bit more properly than usual - in other words, she did it - and hurried back to put some proper clothes on. Luckily, she wasn't very creative when it came to outfits, which meant she had been wearing the same outfit on Thursdays for a few years now so she didn't waste much time on that. Ready, she took her bag of thingies, dug out her keys, unlocked the front door, ran out, came back, put her fancy shoes on - a pair of punk army boots -, ran out again, then came back again, turned her computer off since she wouldn't need it all day, then went out for the last and final time that morning, and didn't forget to close and lock the door behind her.

"Bumbs," as she playingly referred to her motorbike, was still chained in the common garage where she had last left it. For an anarchaic district, it was better kept than most people would expect - if only because "anarchaic" had acquired the meaning of "moral". She unchained it, swung the chain around the steering bar, took herself a precious minute to put her headphones and the "N2-BMB" playlist on, then pulled her helmet over her (still surprisingly neatly arranged) hair, swung herself over the relatively thin frame of the bike (even after the death of net neutrality, making stuff from carbon fibers remained popular), pushed the key in and, after turning it with a roar, dusted off down the dark, dirty street in the foggy morning light.

~~~

Eva was getting worried. It was already past the time she had expected to be done by, but her contractor still hadn't shown up. She was planning on going - it would be pretty bad if she was late for work - but on the other hand, she was dealing with an underground business, so she wasn't sure what were the consequences for not keeping her end of the deal. She looked at her watch and decided to wait another five minutes before leaving the old, loud, plastic-smelling room that had once been a university's cantina, but was now used as a meeting place for underground deals. Even with the orange forces doing anything to oppose them, nerds had still managed to secure some places for themselves. This university, for example, had been a meeting place for them back in the times when internet was free, and it had remained one.

From the few noises that came from the neighboring street, one separated itself by getting much louder and then ending in an unpleasant squeaking. Less than a minute later, a very chaotically looking individual came in, with a camouflage jacket and their helm still on. With everyone's eyes on them (except maybe for a pair in the corner that was meant for dealing more erotic material), they took their helmet off to unleash a wild, long, curly hair over their freckled, round face. Some whistles were heard, but she ignored them and headed towards the desk. Since it was an anonymous meeting place, the middleman was important, yet he just looked at the card the wildly haired woman showed him and pointed her in the direction of Eva.

Eva sighed. It was about time. The woman approached her, digging for something in an overly big black bag that seemed to consist of countless belts and pockets and a large flap, seemingly made from an old sail (surprisingly, it actually used to be a sail once), that covered them whenever the owner of the bag wasn't digging in its pockets. As Eva watched it, it was flipped back over the bag, as the owner had found what she had been looking for. The woman stopped in front of Eva, took a second to get used to her client being half a head shorter, and reached out her hand, a small card laying in it.

"The goods. Sorry for being late."

~~~

Ping was from China. Most of his customers often assumed Ping was his real name, yet he had just chosen it because he found the bash command to fit the purpose of a middleman that connected Internet junkies in a dystopian world. He had been working with Trin for years, and had long grown accustomed to her frequent latecomings. Otherwise, he liked working with her - she was one of the best at what she did, and still had a sense of humor that was rarely seen in their world. He might have started hitting on her if he had been straight.

As usual, she came at the latest possible time. She showed him the card that was supposed to tell him who he was supposed to connect her to, and without even looking at it, he pointed at the blonde girl at the end of the hall - the person who had been waiting the longest. Trin looked at her and blushed.

"I ain't arranging dates, you'll have to ask her out yourself."

Trin shushed him and went away from the desk. They had met in a gay bar, shortly after Big Orange's idiotic order and a while before gay clubs ended up being forbidden as well. He knew her well enough to know what was going through her head.

The following was going through her head:

"For Bell's sake, I'm late again. I hope they haven't gone away. So, who am I- fuck is she cute. I wonder if . . . Ah, better concentrate on the job, I'm late enough as it is. She's probably straight anyway. Still, no harm in asking her out on a- wait! The card! Yea, I better find that card. Dear, I really have a lot in my bag. Where did I put it again? I think it was here . . . Yup. Funny how such a small thing was still so easy to find. Anyway, let's just hand it over and be done with- oh dear Torvalds, she's shorter than me. So cute! I'd totally have that coffee date with her . . . But dah, that's not my job. Give her the- wait, I should say something. What should I say? WHAT SHOULD I SAY?!"

"The goods. Sorry for being late."

Hesitantly, the short, fair-skinned woman reached for the little chip in the hacker's hand and picked it up with her pinkishly lacquered nails. "Well, you are pretty late . . . it's very small, are you sure that's all I asked for?"

Trin shrugged with a jolting movement. "It's 32 gigs, you know. You could write the soundtrack once more onto it. And you'll still have space left over." Eva pouted her lips, colored to fit her nails. "I didn't ask for the soundtrack . . ." Trin forced herself to a grin. "There was free space?"

For a few moments, the two women looked at each other, slowly blushing. At about the time most people would start sweating furiously, a small LED started blinking on Eva's slim silver wristband, reminding her that she didn't have much more time left to complain in. She jumped slightly, startled by it, tapped it gently, after which a gentle display lit up in the air above it, which she started manipulating with her thin fingers.

Something in Trin's heart twitched. They might have been around for about as long as her, but holographic displays still fascinated her. Such small things, yet graciously bending both light and matter to create elaborate miniatures that disappeared with a blow of the wind . . . yet slowly and surely, her eyes wandered a bit further up from the tiny wonder of engineering.

"So um . . . sorry, but I'm kinda running late, you know, what with you being late and all . . . we settled for 20 dollars, I'll just add another 10 for the soundtrack . . . then, 30 dollars for the first four seasons and their soundtrack, would that be a deal?" Eva looked up to the much taller freckled girl whose hair kept her shaded. Trin just kept staring into her person of interest, still a bit too oblivious to the question.

"Yes?" Eva bowed a bit and looked into Trin's eyes. Trin jumped back with a shout. "D'AAH!"

The eyes of even the shadier corners of the hall were now on them. Trin hid her face behind her hands out of habit, then played it off by combing them through her still wild hair.

"Um. 20 dollars, was it? The soundtrack is on me . . ." she left one hand on her head, just for reassurance. "As I was just saying . . . whatever, twenty be it." With another few quick movements, Eva once more corrected the value on her dial, then reached it out to Trin, who blinked at it, confused.

The hacker knew what a wireless check was, of course. She had had the opportunity to hack them many times, and didn't even really need to be in its proximity to make it work. The hand that the device was on was a different matter, though. Despite her job, she still had trouble with people, and even as a child of the "introverted millennial generation", she was still exceptionally shy when it came to physical contact. She preferred to perform transactions in BitCoin, and to let Ping handle whatever required physical contact. Yet even with modern technology, transferring 20 gigs of data was a bit hard to do, at least if she wished to remain unnoticed. So despite her deepest instincts, she had forced herself to come over physically - and was now faced with an even deeper instinct of hers that got significantly less chances to shine.

"I uh . . . I think I'd prefer it to . . . um . . ."

Eva raised an eyebrow, thinking of the steadily increasing number on the silver ring. "Yes?" She observed as her partner slowly reached a hand out for hers and, impatiently, grabbed it herself- "Aah!" - causing a shreak of surprise in the still unsure hacker. "Look, I don't have all day to loose. Cool, you don't like me, you're weird, I get it, now just take my money because I really have to go!" With each word, the shorter girl's voice had become louder, until she was nearly screaming at her provider. With trembling hands, the hacker was thus forced to face her anxiety and put the lightsaber-like rod she had had in her back pocket for a while on the thin bracelet's dial. If her mind wasn't getting overstressed with anxiety, it might have occurred to her that Eva couldn't possibly know what a lightsaber was.

"Some other weird hacker stuff? "

"Um, yea . . . third party routing . . . otherwise, it can be tracked with much more ease . . . "

"Isn't blockchain based on the idea that everyone can route it?"

"Kinda . . . "

Trin couldn't bring it over herself to tell the girl she found it hard to talk without crying. At least her hacker's reputation gave others the impression that she knew what she was doing (more often than not, she was just winging it while jamming to "Three Days Grace"/"Hollywood Undead"), and thus Eva didn't ask her again what she was doing. The actual reason why Trin was using third party routing was that, while blockchain was indeed the main transaction method nowadays, all state-issued "SilverChain" devices were carefully tracked by that same state. And since Eva was using precisely one of these, Trin knew she could get in a lot of trouble if she didn't go the extra few moments to route it properly. Eva seemed to mind.

"Did I mention I don't have time?"

"I'm . . . it just finished anyway. So um, have fun watching it? Hope you come again . . ."

"Aha." sighed Eva. Without long goodbyes, she nodded at Trin and went away. "And be careful with it!" shouted Trin after her, not receiving a reaction.

~~~

"I mean, you were quite late again . . . maybe actually set your clock next time?"

Trin took another sip from her coffee. She had a Thursday ahead of her, and if she wanted a job, she had to stay away from alcohol. Thanks to Ping's subtle interventions, she hated drinking it anyway, yet he still proved to be a good drinking buddy, even if only for coffee.

"That aside, can I borrow your bots sometime soon?"

"What for?"

"This guy said he needed some routing for some large files, and I thought we could distribute it over your net . . . "

"What files?"

"You know I can't ask for that."

"Can't he just encrypt then and ssh them over?"

"You could try doing that, you know. I'd give you his contacts, but he wanted to remain anonymous, so I'll have to ask before that."

"And gender somehow doesn't count as personal data?"

"I never said he's a guy?" Trin raised an eyebrow. "Fine, you got me. Ain't telling you anything else, though."

"I can hack it myself if I cared."

"And get yourself blacklisted from my bar?"

" . . . eye for an eye, I guess. Assume I take the job - how much would I get?"

"A twentieth, risk factors and transport included." Trin considered it. A tenth of a bitcoin could allow her to renew all her electronics, state-of-the-art computer with at least basic quantum support and hydrogen cooling included, and maybe finally buy herself a bed. She was getting bored of her hammock anyway, she told herself, and assembling a bed would be fun . . .

"I refuse. Too risky."

"Said the girl who times how long she needs to hack the discontinued Oath Inc FreeBSD mainframe in Linkin Park songs?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Keep my gender out of this!"

"Sorry, sorry . . . "

Another hacker, recognizable by his large headphones covering the sides of his head, entered the bar and exchanged a few cards with Ping, who sent him to a nearby table. The "bartender" then spent a few moments on the console hidden behind the plot that had been locked until now.

"There's this girl who's looking for her . . . brother of a kind?"

"DNA sampling?"

"No, just IP7 address . . . "

"His?"

"Have a guess."

"Oh dear . . . "

"Should I tell her?"

"Don't bother, she'll figure it out herself soon enough . . . I kinda feel sorry for her, though."

"If it's important, she'll manage."

"I certainly hope so."

Ping wondered whether there was anything else to say.

"I guess you won't hack my servers to get the girl's data, right?"

"Why would I? It'll only give me her IP, but I could get that otherwise as well . . . "

" . . . I meant today's client."

"Oh."

"I shoudln't be telling you, but she seemed pretty straight."

"Are you telling me that based on her looks or her search history?"

"The latter, plus tests from her job application."

"Oh right, they reintroduced that shit . . . when was it made again? 1950?"

"Well they got the pupil cameras fixed . . . took them long enough . . . "

Another few moments spent looking at a screen and mourning the victims of heteronormative societies..

"Aah. Here's one for you."

"Lemme hear."

"Recovering WhatsApp conversations with ex."

"No way. I hate Erlang."

"Oh come on, it's just a language!"

"So is Malborge . . . "

Trin had long suspected Ping of having tried to learn "that one language" that had been specifically designed to be impossible to use, and his suppressed, choked laughter confirmed her suspicion.

"You gotta admit, though, it makes for completely foolproof programs!"

"Yeah, and I've never used nmap before."

A ping from Ping's computer pinged his attention, interrupting their line of puns. He glanced at it.

"Oh snap."

"What?"

"It's your customer from today, and she's not asking for a date."

"That sounds . . . bad?"

~~~

Eva came in right in time, which was bad. She technically had enough time to dress up and start work in the time given in the job description she signed three months ago, yet with a boss like hers, she had to be ready to start serving at least half an hour before. It wasn't legal to make her work with such a schedule, yes - but "legal" was a very varying term, set according to charisma of the workgiver, his (there were few hers in power) wealth, and last but not least, whose contacts he had on his bracelet. Her boss happened to have the contacts of a few of the more important inspectors at the constitution that was responsible for making sure politicians still had a "law" to refer to.

Long story short, she had to use the back door and dress in the toilets. At least she knew her boss wouldn't look for her there. He had installed cameras there and often misused them, which was the reason her female colleagues and her used the bathroom of the neighboring hotel whenever possible, but she took the risk - the consequences for directly disobeying his tyrant order were worse than having him see her undress. It wasn't right, but "righteousness" and "justice" were things that few believed still applied to women after Big O's rise to power.

Her bobbish haircut held back by a yellow hair band, a thick, uncomfortably sticky lipstick and makeup on her face, and such a revealing outfit that it didn't matter much whether she changed into it in the bathroom or not were the quick changes she had to adjust before going back out into the uncomfortably cold and gray corridors of the fast food building she worked at. She remained silent for a moment, listening for someone who might run into her and tell her boss and, after not hearing anyone close, tiptoed to her locker further down the corridor. Luckily, her boss was too greedy to pay for proper lockers, so there was no pad to register when she came in to work - a useful detail she and her colleagues had learned soon after applying.

Still on tiptoes, she ran past the "meeting room", mainly used by their boss to shout commands and molest his female subordinates, and stopped in front of the kitchen door. Beyond that point, anyone would be able to see her, and she would most certainly get noticed by the cook. So the question was, which cook was on duty? It didn't matter much, since she couldn't change much about it anyway, yet Eva tried to use every chance to calm her throbbing heart.

Leaning against the cold metal door, she was assaulted by all the noise going on early in the morning. Since the shift had already started, the kitchen was already working, and she could barely distinguish a silent whistle, accompanied by a deep hum and roughly following the melody of "Heartbreak Hotel". Eva sighed happily, creaked the door open and entered.

The slightly overweight, balding white man behind the grill who nonetheless still looked like in his thirties stopped turning the steaks and turned to her instead.

"Hi, Elvis." she whispered. Nodding with a smile, he beckoned her closer and whispered in return, "Irene is on the counter, so serve the back for a while first. Table 21 ordered a big coke less than a minute ago, bring that and check it with her. I'll be a witness if she asks when you came."

She gave him a quick hug and dashed off to the drink machine while he continued whistling where he had left off, quickly turning half a dozen steaks that threatened to start burning soon.

~~~

Eva had lost count on how many times she had convinced herself of Elvis' kindness. Most of the tables in the back had to be served, some more than just a coke. Yet from the Neo-nazis that shouted slurs left and right, and the businessmen discussing how to drench their employees of even more money, he had managed to send her to the only table that didn't pose any potential danger to her physical or mental health. Table 21 was occupied by a rather decent looking guy who seemed to be doing something very uncommon for his times - studying. Eva placed his coke down next to him, distracting him from the thick white book he had been engulfed in. "Oh, thanks," he mumbled, taking a sip from it. "Haven't seen you around?" he asked her, making her exchange her anxiety for confusion.

"Wha-, um, do you come here often?"

"Yeah, I study here a lot. I don't live far, but there aren't many fast food places near me, so I come here. The staff is nice."

Eva tried to pull her skirt further down, remembering that she tried that every day and still forgot how futile it was. The only place 'near by' that didn't have fast food restaurants and where you would expect to meet someone wealthy enough to study was the Manhattan - a walled-off downtown district, soaring to the skies where the rich bureaucrats and businessmen lingered in pleasures while the rest of the population had to find their place in the communistically designed slums that composed the rest of the city. While he seemed nice, Eva knew the boy could probably buy her as a dog and treat her as such, and get away with it without anyone batting an eye.

Yet again, her knees were trembling. She didn't have much of a life, yet for someone to be able to change hers at will frightened her. And she had good reason to be frightened, for very few with that ability cared to use it for the good of those whose lives were influenced.

Having noticed her lack of response, the boy turns to her, making it even worse. Threatening to fall, she grabs the table, supporting herself.

"Miss, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just had a little trouble this morning, and it still seems to weaken me . . ."

Politely declining his outstretched hands, she turns to go back to the kitchen, only to see yet another horror. Having been distracted by her contemplation on modern society, she had not noticed the flashing blue and red lights, and only noticed the policeman when he was almost in front of her.

"Where is Brian Naille?"

"Whu, what?" she asked with a trembling voice, too distracted to understand his otherwise rather simple question. The officer, on the other hand, wasn't that understanding, and decided to shout in case it helped her - which it didn't.

"You useless slut, didn't you hear me?! Where! Is! Brian! Naille?!"

Eva had raised her hands over her head. Officially, the police was meant to protect the people, but everyone knew better than to pointlessly trust them and get killed in their own homes. And this specific example didn't seem to think much of her anyway.

She glanced to the kitchen. Elvis had that ability to him to calm people, yet behind the thick glass panels, he hadn't noticed anything yet. Which got Eva thinking: what was his real name again? The officer followed her line of sight and didn't need to think long. He went away from Eva, yet her knees didn't stop trembling. Waving his badge around, he entered the kitchen. Elvis finally saw him, and his peaceful expression was replaced by one of bitterness and hate, one no one knew he knew how to make. With a speed Eva didn't think he was capable of having, he lashed himself towards the officer who, also having not expected such agility or speed, didn't even move when the hot and oil-dripping spatula dug into the flesh of his face. Even behind the isolating glass, his shout was still well audible. Having scarred him for life, Elvis reached for the backdoor that Eva had come in through, yet the officer, having been frequently beaten at his training camp and unusually furious, grabbed for him and lashed him back, bringing him to the floor.

Despite her best attempt, Eva couldn't tear her eyes from the brutal beating that followed. A few lower policemen joined their boss on kicking down on the now defenseless cook, yet still restraining themselves enough to leave him alive - they'd need him alive in order to torture him in prison, they knew in their rather primitive brains. Nonetheless, they kicked for a while. Eventually, he had stopped moving, so they dragged his lump, bloody and disformed body through the corridor and out of the building.

Eva had fallen to her knees, unable to look away. Aside for her little purchase this morning, she had expected to have a normal day - getting shouted at by Irene, spilling a drink or two, getting slapped on her butt by clients who she had never spoken to, the usual abuse. But actually seeing someone getting beaten was too much for her. Sure, it was daily news to hear that someone close got beaten and imprisoned, yet seeing it happen right in front of her was a completely different story.

She looked around. Did it even happen? Or was it just another fantasy of her tortured mind? The clients had been excited, and now seemed content of the little show. Most of them had already gone back to their useless talks. She looked at the now empty grill. Blood still covered the marble white floor panels in front of it. The steaks on it were beginning to raise a cloud of black smoke, yet no one seemed to care much. It was not their job.

"Are you okay?" The boy reached a hand out for her again. "Did you know him?"

"I- . . ." her own voice choked her. She coughed it away, and started again. "I have to go."

~~~

Not bothering to give the employees a proper explanation, the police department had sent their boss the report. Brian Jackson Naille, or Elvis, as they called him, was fired on the spot, his records sent to the police for analysis and then deleted. His drawer was emptied - there were some clothes that got thrown away, and a few electronics got discovered that were also sent to the police. Apparently, he had trafficked illegal data about the new trackers that were soon to be made public, earning him a life sentence in jail - if he managed to even get there. He had earned himself a respectable loan, which ended in their boss' pocket.

Eva was given a half-hour 'break' - after cleaning whatever remained of him, she was free to spend the rest of the time as she pleased. She spent most of it puking in the toilet. She went back to pack the cleaning utensils, and involuntarily eavesdropped as Irene chattered to one of her vultures about why they got him. She went back to the staff room to pack said utensils, and remained in the toilet, playing with her bracelet. If they had caught him for smuggling such data, it would surely be easy to also track her conversation with Ping. The SD card that was still in her bra - she wasn't allowed much privacy - happily glinted when she took it out, innocent of the trouble it could cause her. She stared at it for a while before raising her hand again, activating the display. She had to warn them.

She didn't know anything about RSA - the unbreakable algorithm that her device was supposed to use instead of its way too simple substitution algorithm -, nor did she know much about routing. Yet she had already managed to get in touch with them once and, despite the insecurity of using the same route again, she opened up the chatbox from last time.

"A much needed plea from a silenced drudgess. In the dread of blood, a fleeting hope is all I beg."

She wanted to come up with something smarter, she knew she had to, but her overstressed brain failed to think with something aside for her addiction to poetry from when she was eight. Hoping that it won't be intercepted by the router that her boss was very keen on observing closely for precisely such complaints, she raised her hand again, breathed in, hoping to make it stop trembling, and pressed 'Send'.

~~~

Eva's eyes were closing. It had been at least an hour after her break was over, yet no one had come in to look for her. She had cried, she had crawled herself into a ball on the floor, she had almost started lashing out on the door, but held back, knowing that then someone would have come for sure. Now, she was just lying on the floor in her small gray cabin, not moving, not expecting anyone, just listening to the noises from the corridor - often steps, the occasional trolley, sometimes shouts for oil or another ingredient.

Certain steps grew louder. She could make the difference between most of her colleagues, but she didn't recognize those. They were heavier, sharper. Angry. Unlike the others, they were looking for something, and quickly rushed to the toilets after entering the corridor. The steps threw the door open, confirming her fears, and rushed to her cabin - the only closed one during work time. Eva was trembling again. If her message was intercepted, then even the stupid boss would have guessed why she had sent it, and would have called the police back to get her as well. Her life hadn't been that bad, after all - sure, she didn't go to university and was ditched at a roadside fast food place by her parents, but all things considered, it could have been much worse-

"Your name was Eva, right?"

She jumped up. The voice was slightly hoarse, but she was sure she knew it.

"We um, we have a policy to not look into our clients' personal data, but I kinda had to in your case . . ."

Eva unlocked the door and opened it wide. With the same old army jacket and an even wilder haircut that aerodynamically went down to her shoulders, Trin stood there and was still trying to catch her breath.

"Ping caught your signal, and I rushed here on Bum- uh, my motorbike," she explained briefly. "Get out before they notice-" she began again, but was interrupting by the auburn waitress hanging herself on her neck and starting to cry. "Um." was all she managed to add to it, reddening up again.

"Oh god bless you're here, I was so worried, they got Elvis for some data traffic and I knew they had tracked me too, god I was so worried but you came please please help me, help me . . ." she kept on, but soon her pleas were drowned in tears and snot and she had to sob silently, curled up on Trin's chest while Trin herself was busy caressing her hair and blushing heavily. "I um . . . I jammed the cameras, so we should have a bit of time to get out. I'll let you stay at my place, okay? You'll be save there. I promise."

Eva dragged herself up on her, holding her for another while before standing on her own. "Th- thank you," she managed to mumble. "No problem. We help whomever we can." Nonetheless, she leaned closer. "Honestly though, think before you contact us. You put yourself and all of us in great danger, you know."

"I know . . ."

To her response, Trin covered her face with her hands and thus muffed her shout that she gave off out of nowhere. It was Eva's turn to put on a worried face. "Is everything okay?"

"Stop being so fucking cute, I can't think properly!"

A couple of seconds of silence followed, disturbed only by the steps coming from outside. Trin took her hands off her face and pointed to the door with a serious face, yet her blush betrayed her. "I never said that. Now go pack your things and let's get out of here."

~~~

Eva didn't need much time to get ready. She took her jeans from her locker, pulled them on under the shirt without bothering to go back to the bathroom, took the rest - a jacket that she threw over herself, a notebook, a few cards that she used whenever her wristband couldn't fit, and a shirt that she wrapped them in before stuffing them in the jacket - and turned to the hacker. Trin had politely waited and after she was done, guided the way through the slowly thickening crowd of employees in the corridor towards the exit that Eva had come in through before what seemed like an eternity. The door was open - it had to be left so for "security reasons", yet no one dared to use it during work time. Bumbs was parked a bit further off in the parking slot of the building. Trin took a helm from the baggage compartment and handed it to Eva. "Give me your stuff and put it on." Eva did as told, letting Trin lace her shirtbag over her own portable computer in the box at the back end of the bike. Then Trin put on her own helm that had rested on the driver's seat, swung herself over it, and beckoned Eva to do the same. She had trouble doing so, having never even ridden a bike, but managed with a bit of help. "Name's Trin," her savior remembered to inform her. "Hold tight."

"Hold tight where?"

"Hug me from behind."

Even under her helm and the serious voice, Eva could still tell she was blushing. What an interesting woman, she thought. Not only an outlaw of such degree, but savvy enough with electronics to remain an outlaw for long. And she rode a motorbike. Eva didn't know what it was about motorbikes - they were loud, they were much more polluting than, say, public transport, and they were prone to breaking. But she had somehow always imagined being swept up by a guy with one of those bikes with the high steering bars and the many leather straps and belts. It didn't turn out as she imagined - and to be honest to herself, she had always known that she didn't really like such guys anyway - but having an outlaw friend that rode a motorbike sure looked like an interesting idea.

Her subconsciousness would have had something to say about that vision too, had it not been busy accommodating itself to the fact that Eva just used the word "savvy". It needed a while to process it. Had the day been calmer, it might have brought up a little detail about the outlaw's behavior that Eva had remained oblivious to.

She wrapped her hands around Trin and laid her helm on her army jacket. Seeing as her passenger was secured, Trin turned on the for Eva surprisingly silent engine, pushed the holder aside, and gently steered her bike to the main road. The jammer in the baggage compartment lost contact at about that distance, and Eva's boss was granted a pericular view over the ladies' dressing room and lockers, with no auburn Eva to be found.

~~~

Despite the clouded gray sky, it didn't rain. Trin drove into what was once a parking school lot and shut down the engine. "We're there." she said to her passenger. Eva took her hands off her and let herself be helped down from the machine. Ping had seen them coming, and was jogging towards them from the cantina building, looking mad. He didn't even bother looking at Trin when he reached them, instead he just grabbed Eva by the shoulders and shook her roughly.

"What happened to Brian?!" he shouted without warning. Trin threw her helm aside and grabbed him, pulling him away from the panicking Eva. "What happened, god damn it?!" he shouted again before Trin ripped him off her recently saved friend. "For Snowden's sake, Ping, she's under shock! Think a bit and leave her to calm!"

For a moment, she thought he was going to jump at her dear waitress again, but he bit his teeth together and held back.

"Apparently, the police caught word of Brian's dealings and went to arrest him. He was beat up pretty bad," she rewarded him for his consideration. He didn't like his reward. Instead, he started trembling just like Eva, shaking from anger and helplessness. Trin ignored him again and hugged her auburn companion, holding her tight to stop her shaking. "I know it hurts, and I know you don't want to remember it, but we have to know what happened, or it might get much worse." The now stable girl nodded guiltily and turned to Ping. Her lips trembled, but holding her savior's hand, she managed to speak.

"The . . . A cab had parked outside the door, but I was busy with a customer, so I didn't pay it much attention. The police officer came in and shouted at me, and I thought he would beat me or kidnap me, but he left me alone and went after the cook- "

"What was his name?"

"I, I don't- "

"God damn it, Evelyn, I have customers there!" He pointed at his bar. "And if you don't tell me what those damn officers know, they might die just like your cook! So who was he?!"

The now again shaking waitress looked up at Trin with a worried, questioning look. "He had to get your personal data so I could come to save you," she explained. Eva nodded, even more worried about how much they knew.

Yet one important thing they didn't know. Ping came closer and wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt - he had tears in his eyes.

"Overweight white man with balding hair?"

"Yes, exactly. We, we used to call him Elvis, he always listened to those old songs . . ."

Ping had feared it and had held back his tears, but now that he knew, he had no reason to. Being the strong and serious man that he was, he didn't have much experience in crying, and it looked sobbier than usual. Nonetheless, he remained silent. Howling wouldn't help anymore.

"What . . . what happened?" asked Eva. "I . . . I will have to evacuate the bar," he managed to mutter. Trin stepped forward from behind Eva, still holding her arm for support - whose she didn't know.

"I'll take care of her."

"First, you will wait. Then you can do what you want."

As he had said it, he turned around and went to the bar. His feet were shaking and he nearly fell down a couple of times, yet he ran - he had to.

Eva wasn't trembling anymore. She had had enough of being worried, and found it increasingly hard to be worried, so she stopped. "How do you intend to take care of me, actually?" Trin was experiencing a similar emotional deficiency and failed to blush. "If you don't mind sleeping in a hammock, I could take you home with me . . ."

Eva raised an eyebrow. She had never been good at raising her eyebrows in any other emotion but fear, but she somehow managed. "You sleep in a hammock?"

"It's comfortable and easy to maintain. I have an extra sleeping mat, so I'll be on the floor." Eva considered the suggestion. Trin was an interesting woman indeed. Leaving aside the issue with loosing her hard-earned flat and earnings, Eva didn't regret having to live with her. "Well, you've read my records, so you know I have anxiety . . ."

"I kinda had to. Sorry."

". . . I don't know if I can do it."

The brunette with the messy hair turned back to face the somewhat shorter auburn. "You can. You've come this far, there's nothing to hold you back anymore." Lowering her head, Eva covered her chests with her hands. It was cold, and her outfit wasn't made for that weather. "That's . . . that's not true. You saved me."

Despite not being good at guessing other's emotions, a stroke of genius lit up Trin's mind. She took off her leather jacket, leaving herself in a pullover over a short-sleeved shirt, and draped her jacket over Eva, hugging her to compensate for what it didn't cover. It was Eva's turn to blush. "I couldn't have done anything if you hadn't called me. I may have a motorbike and sick nerd skills, but the bravery was on your side."

After a short contemplation, Eva decided she really liked that woman. She hugged her closer. "Trin, was it . . . for how long can I stay?"

"Uuummm . . . I lived alone, so I guess for a while . . ."

~~~

The two remained hugging each other for a while. Trin's ever-logical brain wanted to leave, but it knew Ping was coming, so it waited, leaving the emotional part of it to cuddle with her crush. Unsurprisingly, people started pouring out from the cantina and dashed to the parking lot, ignoring the two women and rushing to their vans, cars, motorcycles, bikes - one person even left on roller skaters. Eva had trouble guessing what gender that person was, but Trin knew it was neither of the ones she was thinking of. When everyone was gone, Ping came out as well, carrying a largish black bag towards them. Even from a distance, it was obvious he had cried. He seemed to be done with it, though, having regained his serious composure. He put the bag down next to them and started digging in the surprisingly low-tech tools that it contained. Eventually, he pulled out a largeish wire cutter and pointed it to Eva.

"Hold your hand out."

Eva was, for reasons obvious to everyone but Ping himself, very reluctant to obey. Trin grasped her wrist and pulled her closer to herself. "Your bracelet. I once had the honor to set up quite a complex jammer for Ping, but once we're out of reach, they can track you again."

With a proper explanation, she trusted Trin and let her hold her hand out while Ping cut the thin but surprisingly resilient band of silver away from her wrist. Once the heavy cutter was through, Trin gently peeled it from Eva's wrist, letting her examine the newly acquired blankness on her hand.

"It's so . . . empty? It feels weird."

Ping snorted, taking out a funny-looking baggie from his bag. Trin just grinned. "Kinda ironic how people find freedom weird . . ." Ping handed her the wire-coated baggie, and she put the silver band in it before closing it tightly and stuffing it in her bag. "It's a Faraday bag," she explained for Eva. "It's a small, handy version of my jammer. If we turn your bracelet off, we will loose data we might need later, so instead we'll isolate it until I can hack it safely at home." Then she turned to Ping and switched to a somewhat nerdier English. "You 'dd'ing your servers?"

"I have the data on a HDD stack. I'll have to shut it down and then I can pack it on the van. Can I ask you for a favor?"

"I'll inform the others, don't worry about that. Though to be honest, I think they know already."

"Can't hurt to be save. I'll go finish the setup, you have fun with the lady. I'd stay wary of the Paper Doll if I were you."

Trin gave him an odd, cold look, but still laughs at what seems to be a private joke to the unknowing Eva. After another moment, she lets go of her female friend and gives him a hug instead. "For Neumann's sake, Ping, don't die," she said, choking on tears. "I wouldn't be so worried about that, I know every hideout in this city."

"You know that's not what I meant."

After another moment of silence, he tapped her back. "Take care of her."

"I will."

Turning around and not looking back, he let go of her, took his bag, and went away again. Trin didn't wait either, picking up her helm from where she had thrown it earlier and handing Eva's to her new roommate who had silently waited out the confrontation. "Brian was Ping's boyfriend," she began explaining without being asked, "He was a data trafficker - he was also the one that sent you to us. If-, no, when the police finds the location of this place, they will come to ransack it just like they did your place, and we won't get to save innocents like you."

"What will happen to him?"

Trin seemed to choke. Her voice was certainly hoarser when she whispered "Don't ask."

Skillfully, she swung herself on her motorbike and helped Eva to climb on again. She even put her helmet on for her. "Keep my jacket on."

"Isn't it colder for the driver?"

"Keep it on."

Trin locked her own helmet below her chin and swung her bag in front of her - it was less comfortable for her, but more so for Eva. Having been beckoned, she hugged her driver from behind again. cuddling against her almost bare back.

"Eva . . . is it just me, or are you hugging me a bit more persistently this time?"

"Well you need a bit of warmth, don't you?"

Trin smiled and fired up the engine. Thinking back about it, she had indeed wished to be hugged like that when she first saw her. Sure, a few things turned out different than she had anticipated, but otherwise, she was quite happy with this Thursday.

~~~

Years later . . .

Gentle chants filled the room. Trin would have played something more norsic - there was a half-ancient band she had had in mind - but it wasn't her who chose what got played this time, so instead of her treasured Manowar, she was listening to the soft notes of the sharp Digital Daggers. Not that she didn't like them - as long as she could concentrate, all was fine with her. Her concentration currently had some trouble revealing a hidden solution to the gibberish that was displayed on her screen and that her eyes were captivated by. She had written it herself, and wasn't exceptionally happy with the result.

With a wisdom that had taken her a while to acquire, she leaned back. Straining herself wouldn't help, that she knew well. She stood up, stretched her tired back, and went to the kitchen. Despite what people often thought when seeing her going around with her shaggy clothes and haircut, she loved plants. Every window had at least one vase or can or anything that could hold water sitting in front of it, with plants ranging from bean sprouts to peace lilies to even a cactus that she picked up one winter out of fear it might freeze to death. Leaning herself on the window frame, she enjoyed the sun that came through and gazed on her little assortment of plants in front of it. Besides computers and books, she cared a lot for them.

Oh, and for another thing.

The circle plate in the middle of the iron apartment door turned, gliding the locking bar together and unlocking the door. With a bit of effort, the woman behind it managed to pull it open, bringing in the two bags of supplies she had brought. Trin took them from her and carried them in the kitchen while she was busy closing the door behind her.

"Oh, you brought asperges?"

"You said you liked them?"

With a smile, Trin started putting the food in their fridge. She hadn't been very concerned with eating habits until Eva came, and she could definitely tell her health improved altogether once the food got better.

"I think about boiling them with some potatoes on the side. It would probably be hard to boil them on a grill, but you have nice pots . . ."

While Trin enjoyed the voice, she wasn't precisely listening, so she didn't notice when Eva stopped talking and went over to Trin's computer. Just like Trin, she glanced at the screen for a while, and then started typing. She was still on it when Trin put the empty bags aside and went over to her side.

"What are you . . . doing?"

She stared while Eva finished typing and then proudly put her hands on her hips. "You have never been good with binary trees, were you?" Eva pouted, commenting on the somewhat recursive structure that Trin indeed never managed to use properly. The nerdier of them scratched her head. "I'm more impressed that you are . . ."

"I've practiced. Anyway, now that you're done . . ." She swung her arms around Trin, who lost her balance and started falling, and with Eva's help, the two ended up in the narrow hammock. " . . . we can cuddle, right?"

Trin was red again. "You little rat, abusing my computer like that!" She started tickling Eva, who twisted around in laughter. For yet another time, Trin convinced herself that she couldn't be mad at her auburn roommate for long, even if she tried.

They cuddled for a while. After moving in with her, Eva had had much trouble with panic attacks, and the closeness the hammock created helped her. Eventually, she just decided she liked to be packed close with Trin, and thus they didn't have to buy a proper bed, continuing to sleep in the somewhat overcrowded hammock that Trin had creatively hung on the thin walls with the help of Ping and a few thick logs. Surprisingly, it managed to hold the weight of the two women, in addition to the occasional swings and pulls that occurred whenever Eva played around in it or got tickled. All in all, it was a design worthy of respect that Ping had come up with.

Out of nowhere, Eva squeezed her roommate tighter. "Um . . . Trin?" The hacker patted her head. "What is it, sweetie?"

The auburn girl turned her face, rubbing it against Trin's chest and hiding in from her. "Have you ever . . . you know . . . wanted to . . . "

Her voice, quiet since she began speaking, shrank to a whisper. "Hey, I can't hear you when you speak like that. You can tell me anything, I won't mind."

Eva took a deep breath and started again.

"Do you want to adopt a child?"

~~~

A long silence followed. It was the kind of uncomfortable silence that you could feel sticking to you and choking you. Eva had feared it for a while.

"You know, I've . . . been thinking . . . because you know, I always thought that once I earned enough money to live properly, I'd find a boyfriend and have a family and the such, and . . . well, you aren't a guy, but I won't mind founding a family with you . . . and um . . . you know, I was thinking that, well, since there's no guy, we can't get pregnant, so we could, you know, adopt a kid, since there are many that need a family either way, and we don't necessarily need a child to be, like, biologically ours . . . "

She was interrupted by her friend's hand that she raised to her face. Scared, Eva looked up at her, to see that she was trying to wash away her tears. Still scared, she tried to continue, with even more confusion in her voice.

"I uh . . . I . . . I'm sorry if I brought up something bad . . . it's just that . . . you know, we've been living together for two years now, and I thought we could, like . . . "

Trin put her hand on her partner's shoulder, and she stopped talking. Despite crying, she managed to smile.

"It- it's okay. Sorry."

Eva hugged her girlfriend tightly again. "Don't be sorry, Trin, you did nothing wrong. I . . . kinda thought you've had trouble with your family, so I should have worded it differently-"

"No, Eva. It- it's okay. Really. I've . . . well yeah, they abandoned me when I was very little so I never knew them, but I don't regret it. After all, I got to be with you . . ."

Eva giggled. They were having a nice time indeed. Sure, most of it was spent working on computers and Eva had to use a raspie for a long time before Trin bought her a laptop - a slim white thing with hearts on the cover -, but most of all, they were together.

"So, my little romantic. Wanna go visit my old place tomorrow?"

"To- tomorrow?!"

"Why not? It's a Thursday, we have time, and if I heard right, you've wanted to do it for a while, right?"

Eva buried her head in her partner's chest. When she looked up at her again, she was red with smiling, and Trin went blushing as well.

"We are gonna need a bigger apartment."

"And a bed."

"Right, a hammock is a bad idea . . ." Trin commented through a yawn. As the two drifted asleep and had sweet dreams of each other, the computer kept gently lulling in the back.

" " "

When the moon is in the seventh hour, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will stir the stars . . .

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, the age of Aquarius . . .

" " "

[newagesispage]

                                                                      APRIL    2021

THE RIB PAGE

*****

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*****

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*****

Why would they think we wouldn’t notice how bad they are trying to fuck the voters?  Coca cola is one of the big funders in this endeavor to take away rights. ** Hooray for the house for their sweeping election reform bill.

*****

How the fuck did Ron Johnson get elected? Can we stop it with electing the stupid people?

*****

The Dr. Seuss family and the publishers decided to pull 6 books from print. The books did not sell well and had a few racist pages so good riddance. That is just good business. I don’t understand the big deal.

*****

Why is Piers Morgan such a dick? I do not know anyone that is surprised about the Sharon Osbourne story. I don’t know if I have ever heard a good story about her. She is now out at the Talk with a reported 7 figure settlement to leave.** I don’t know if the cancel is right or wrong but hearing less from Piers and Sharon sounds like a more peaceful world. They just always struck me as rich, unhappy people.

*****

Scary Clown 45 has asked that supporters send $ directly to him and not to the GOP. ** Lara Trump, chairwoman of a dog charity are under scrutiny for bringing us another scam.** Fauci flattered Trump into telling people to get vaccinated.

*****

Don Cheadle will narrate the new Wonder Years.

*****

It feels like the “Bridge era”.  Bridgerton, Phoebe Waller- Bridge and Phoebe Bridgers are having a moment. Every so often there seems to be these famous names with familiarity that come in cycles. There was all the Seth’s and all the Kristen variations and of course, Dermot and Dylan.

*****

Heard the best porn name on James Corden: Bonkers Eddie.

*****

This month in sex offender news: Deshawn Watson has been accused of sexual assault.** Alabama Shakes drummer Steven Johnson was arrested for child abuse.** I see people also talking again about a 2018 revelation. It is said that Brendan Fraser’s career was sabotaged after being sexually assaulted by the ex- President of the Hollywood foreign press, Philip Berk in 2003. In Berk’s memoir, he claims it was a ‘joke.” Another reason he was out of work was the surgeries after the Mummy movies. The stunt work caused him to have a laminectomy, partial knee replacement, back and vocal cord surgeries over a 7 year period.

*****

Hackers broke into Tesla with live footage from the factory floors. There have been large outbreaks from the Tesla plants.

*****

Please stop admiring people who would kill you for profit. – Mike Monteiro

*****

Biden once told Putin that he had no soul and Putin apparently told him, “We understand each other. “ Biden also called him a killer.

*****

Death penalty for abortion? Yea, that makes sense.

*****

Bats don’t recognize borders and China won’t let anyone really know where it all began.  Bat dung collectors test samples all the time. Thus far they have not had one positive test.  The World Health Organization is in a quandary about their report because of China’s lack of compliance.

*****

Are U ready for debauchery and fun?? I After all the restraints that SOME of us have shown, I predict that 100 years after the Roaring 20’s, they will be back with a vengeance. The crazies who want all to be normal already.. wait!! Save lives and after the vaccines are all handed out, look out!!!** Wouldn’t it be funny to put that old 20’s type narration over today’s headlines? **Kudos to the wrestlers in Mexico who were forcing masks on people.** Before the end od March, I have since heard others prediction of the Roaring 20’s.

*****

$143 billion has been spent in Afghanistan and a recent investigation shows that a lot of that was mismanaged. A lot of what was supposed to come with that, never happened.

*****

The film, The Last Blockbuster made me sentimental for my old job managing video stores.  No wonder other endeavors never seemed fulfilling. I did hate the dusting but that was a small price to pay. I will admit, also, like Kevin Smith admitted in the film, there was some sex in the video store. Good times!

*****

The Atlanta massage parlor killings come at a time when our family just found out some secrets. A bunch of the males in a particular part of the fam who claim religious superiority and love of Trump were recently seen in a new light. The patriarch of said fam had taught his son and son in law to visit strip clubs and less reputable massage parlors on the quiet.** There has been a 150% increase in Asian hate crimes.** Bill Maher mentioned the Christian and Muslim shooters and then said, “Today an atheist went crazy and rearranged his books.”** The body of one of the Atlanta victims, Daoyou Feng has yet to be claimed.

*****

Imagine calling yourself a Christian and thinking following Jesus means giving people weapons and denying them water. –Mike Jollett

*****

Face the Nation has become the Covid Report. There are other things going on. Not to mention that until there are enough available vaccines, what is the point? When will my elderly Mother be eligible because so far, it has been a no go, no matter what we do. Let’s worry about the people who do not want it after we vaccinate the ones that do.

*****

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill to grant Dr.’s and medical professionals the right to refuse patients based on “moral, ethical or religious grounds.”

*****

Brian Kemp signed a 95 page Georgia GOP voter suppression bill.

*****

I can give a person waiting in line to vote in Georgia a gun but not a drink of water. –E. Jean Carroll

*****

Bernie Sanders is trying to lower the age for Medicare to 55.

*****

Are there large versions of Zingers or Suzy Q’s?? It seems like Hostess would make a killing on birthday or wedding cakes that looked like the lil’ snack cakes. Just think of it, giant ding dongs!!

*****

Virginia abolished the death penalty which brings the total of states without capital punishment is 23.

*****

The film Nobody with Bob Odenkirk was # 1 with a $6.7 mil debut.

*****

Riverdale will be back for season 6. Any program that shows homage to NFB 418, I’m in.

*****

The Sharon Osborne story brings up the old dilemma; Can we separate the person who’s never done anything from the work they’ve never done? –Frank Conniff**

*****

Yaphet Kptto helped Michael Moore expose taxi drivers refusal to pick up black customers on TV Nation in 1993.

*****

Arrested Development could never be the same without Mama Bluth. I never thought I would say this but I hope there is never another Arrested. Without Jessica Walter, it could never be the same.

*****

R.I.P. John Burks, Richie Tienken, Tony Hendon, Bunny Wailer, Bill C. Davis, Barbara Rickles, Isidore Mankofsky,Yaphet Kotto, Atlanta shooting victims, Beverly Cleary, Glynn Lunney, Larry Mcmurtry, George Segal, Larry the cat and Jessica Walter.

[x-de-con-struct-ed-x--arch]

[Unbind Me] (( :V ))

Ironhide has been kidnapped more than a few times in his functioning - more than he’s ever liked admitting, actually. He had been an important part of the Autobot front, after all, one of Prime’s right-hand mechs and best soldiers. He’s been used as a bargaining chip, he’s been used as bait, he’s been interrogated and tortured and simply locked up to keep him out of the way while the enemy tried to use his absence to their advantage - scrapes he gets out of eventually, whether he has to rescue himself or not. While he can’t say he’s used to them, he thinks he can safely say they’re not that unusual.

…well. At least he used to be able to say that, because this? This is a new one.

“You’re going to sacrifice me.”

“Yes.”

Ironhide offlines his functioning optic in an incredulous blink. “Me,” he repeats, staring up at the strange creature. When they nod, he blinks again. “To a god.”

“Yes.”

“Huh.” Ironhide isn’t sure what else to say to that. He shuffles against the pole at his back a bit, wincing when the stasis cuffs bite into his already-sore wrist joints. “Can I ask why?”

The shrug the creature gives him just makes the situation all the more bizarre. “The boss says it’ll make him happy,” they tell him.

“…so you don’t know why?”

The creature doesn’t answer. Instead, they just slither away, leaving the weaponsmith to watch as they and their… friends? fellow worshippers? prepare for what Ironhide can only assume to be some kind of ceremony that’ll end with his unfortunate demise. Ironhide isn’t at all sure what to make of the situation. He’s been around worshippers, some of them pretty extreme zealots - that had been part of the job even before the war, back when he’d been a just a temple guard - but this is just–it’s just–

Ironhide is just really confused, alright? Blame it on the pain and the energon loss.

He wonders if that’s part of the ritual, beating the sacrifice to a pulp before they off it. It seems rather counterproductive if you ask him. Don’t gods want their sacrifices strong and intact? Ironhide doesn’t know. Religion was never his thing.

“Can I at least ask which god you’re sacrificing me to?” he calls out, shuffling again. He’s pretty well-bound, the stasis cuffs set at a low enough setting that he can still move, but not effectively. His legs are lashed together with organic cord that reminds him of Earth spider silk. His left optic - his good optic, thank you very much - is offline, as is his left audial sensor, leaving him half blind and deaf as well as injured from multiple lacerations on his chassis. Many of them are bite marks, and if Ironhide manages to get out of this he’s definitely getting those checked out. He doesn’t really want to know where these things’ mouths have been.

…although he doesn’t think this is a scrape he’s getting out of by himself. And he doesn’t really think he has anyone coming to save him, so this might be one he’s not getting out of at all.

He should be more worried about that, but he’ll blame that on the pain and energon loss as well.

“One of your gods,” another creature answers, not looking up from the materials it’s gathered. Ironhide frowns.

“Primus? You know I don’t believe in him, right? I’m an atheist. Won’t that, I dunno, fuck up your sacrifice or something?”

“Not necessarily,” yet another creature chimes in, sounding way too matter-of-fact for Ironhide’s comfort. “Sometimes it’s the non-believers that please the gods the most. Isn’t it more satisfying to rattle someone to their very core, make them question every single ideal that they’ve ever had, only to have them die moments later before they can even beg for forgiveness?”

“Uh… no?”

“And we’re not sacrificing you to Primus.” The creature that had spoken before says the name like it tastes foul. “The other one. We’re sacrificing you to him.”

“Unicron?”

“No.” The creature looks over at Ironhide sharply. “The god that walks among you. You’ve met him. He wears a mechanical face.”

“…I hate to break this to you, but I have absolutely no goddamn idea what you are talking about.”

“I thought you said he knew The Beast.” The accusation comes from a creature that has otherwise remained silent and motionless. The others jump.

“He does,” another assures them, a bit fearfully. “They live on the same ship. They’ve spoken before. The sacrifice is sensitive. He can feel the god’s Presence.”

…Presence? Wait, isn’t that…? “Are you talking about Terra?”

All of the creatures hiss, startling Ironhide into jostling some of his more severe wounds. “Don’t speak his name,” three of them utter at the same time.

“The Beast’s name is sacred,” one of them says.

“A non-believer like you has no right to speak it,” says another.

Ironhide is officially creeped the fuck out.

“Sorry. Just–you really think Ter–he’s a god? And that I’m a good sacrifice for him?” Knowing him is a bit of a stretch. Ironhide hasn’t said five words to Terra. He might be a little sensitive about getting close to his Presence, but Ironhide’s EM field has always been sensitive. It’s not that difficult to overwhelm him with just a normal EM field, let alone something as strange as a Presence.

“There were better options,” a creature admits. “But you were an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

Ah. So Ironhide was easy.

“You know I can probably just call him, right?” Already Ironhide’s opening up his commlink, decoding IDs and scratching into servers that are technically locked and protected. “I mean, I don’t have his commlink, and I’m no hacker, but all it takes is a little digging, maybe a spark attack or two for Red Alert, and I can pretty easily–yeah here it is.” Ironhide has a single-word message out before the creatures can even try to stop him:

«HELP»

“Don’t be ridiculous. The Beast wouldn’t associate with a lowly being like you.”

“You just said you wanted me because I know him. You–”

“Do you end up in these situations often, Ironhide?”

Everyone jumps. Terra looms over them all with a flat expression on his faceplates, arms crossed imperiously. His Presence washes over them and Ironhide makes quick work of tucking his field against his plating. His apparent ‘sensitivity’ is the last thing he needs going wrong right now.

“No,” Ironhide lies. The serious veneer cracks a bit when Terra gives him a smirk. The Immortal hums and turns to the creatures.

“Toying with forces beyond you is never wise,” the Immortal says, voice calm yet sharp. The creatures cower before him, writhing their serpentine bodies.

“We simply wanted to please you, Great Beast,” one of them says. “The sacrifice is worthy.”

“Your sacrifice is a friend of mine.” This time Terra’s words are sharper. His optics glow menacingly. “If you were a true follower you would know that I protect what’s mine.”

More writhing. The creatures hiss in fear.

“We’re sorry, Great Beast.” “We just wished to please you.” “Will another make you happy?” “We can find another.” “Someone better.”

All of the hissing is making Ironhide dizzy. Then again, that could be the pain and the energon loss as well. Which reminds him…

“Hey, uh, Great Beast?” he says, catching Terra’s attention. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to pass out if I don’t see a medic soon and I’d feel much safer with you than with…” he painfully jerks a shoulder towards the mess of creatures. “So if you don’t mind?”

“See?” “The sacrifice is willing.” “His faith has abandoned him.” “Let him feel your wrath, Great Beast.” “Let him–”

“–oh fuck.”

One second Ironhide’s chained to a pole in a dingy chamber. The next he’s holding onto the leg of a being three times his height, trying not to purge and collapse, and not exactly winning the battle.

“Are you alright?” Terra’s tone has become gentle, as is the large servo against his back. Ironhide nods his helm, then shakes it.

“Not really. Teleportation’s never been my chosen mode of transportation.”

Terra chuckles. “I’ll have to keep that in mind, but that isn’t what I meant.”

“Oh. You mean the whole–”

“Yes.”

“Mm. Ask again later.”

Ironhide ends up purging on the Immortal’s pede.

He’ll need to make that up to him somehow.

[teresatranbooks]

Reading Ladders - Romance

Prompt: Following the ideas in the Lesesne readings, create a book ladder that takes readers from YA books to more complex texts.  Share a rationale in your post that helps us see how your ladder works - and provides thinking on how the complexity of the texts scaffolds from one to the other.  You also will want to identify the grade level and reading level of the reader you've built this ladder to engage...  Post this to your blog (which means you can also be as visual as you'd like.)

Based on the Lesesne readings and other folks’ reading ladders, it seems the one genre or area that people haven’t touched or made a ladder for is...romance! (The best genre of them all (; ). When I think about romance, I think about how it shows up in practically all genres and stories, whether we intend for it to or not. Love unites us all, right? Love for other folks is what makes us human, right? And being human means we’re drawn to stories and storytelling about the various kinds of love we partake in and spread and practice. 

My reading ladder will be start off focused on romance as a plot element that appears in different genres, such as fantasy/sci-fi or contemporary, and then steadily lead to the actual young adult/adult romance genre. I’m constructing my ladder in such a way because while romance as a separate individual genre exists more so for adults, there is definitely a growing romance category within young adult literature these days, and I want to recognize that reality, while also hoping this ladder will show the wild breadth of romance that appears across different genres that are slightly more established in the young adult age category.

Grade Level: 6th - 12th // Reading Level: 5th - 8th 

Bottom/1st Step - Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens by Becky Albertalli - Contemporary

Simon Spier, a closeted gay boy living in Atlanta, GA, strikes up an online correspondence with a mystery queer boy, Blue. Contemporary genre. It’s a fun, quick, and relatable read. It offers a diverse perspective of a gay kid trying to find love for himself that many young queer kids can relate to. It’s a good starting point for young kids who want to read books about a young boy coming into his own through the lens of sexuality and romance -- and also for kids who aren’t totally into romance for the romance element in Simon is only 1/3...maybe even 1/4 of the plot. 

2nd Step - To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han - Contemporary

Lara Jean Song, a Korean American girl writes five secret love letters to five different boys. One day, the letters are sent out. Her life is then turned upside down as she enters a fake-dating relationship scenario with the popular boy named Peter Kavinsky...where she ends up falling for him! Also contemporary genre. It’s a perfect follow-up to Simon because (1) it also has a book to movie adaptation, (2) it also contains a coming-of-age narrative, but this time with a Korean American girl protagonist and (3) it contains romance, but the romance doesn’t overtake the entire book. TATBILB offers a different, fresh diverse perspective on a person experiencing young love for the first time, but is easily on the same reading level and similar writing style as Simon, so it’s perfect for kids who want something close to Simon, but a little bit different in experience.

Grade Level: 9th - 12th // Reading Level: 9th - 12th  

3rd Step - Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi - Contemporary

Penny Lee, a young Korean American college student and aspiring writer far from home, enters her freshman year of college for the first time. Sam, a young white college drop out working at a cafe looking to make ends, has dreams about being a famous film director. Both meet and it’s less of a meet cute and more of a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Also contemporary genre. This book naturally builds off of Simon and TATBILB with its romance acting more as a subplot and as a vehicle for individual character growth, but instead it takes place in college. The book also contains one Asian American girl protagonist and a white guy protagonist, as well as contain a meet cute and conversations over text, so it’s a nearly perfect combination of Simon and TATBILB. This book is perfect for readers who want a peek at college life and a slightly more complex text with a different sense of humor from the previous two books, but still experience the emotional ups and downs of young people finding themselves through their passions and the people/partners they meet that we often see in contemporary romance books with younger characters.

4th Step - Warcross by Marie Lu - Sci Fi Thriller 

While I haven’t read this book yet, I’ve heard so many good reviews about it that I had to include it on the list! Emika Chen, a Japanese hacker and bounty hunter, is whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune as a hired spy in the Warcross game. But soon her investigation into the game uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. Sci Fi thriller. This book has a slightly more mature romance arc compared to the previous books, but it’s still age appropriate for high schoolers. It offers a different genre for readers who want to read some romance, but want a sci-fi twist to it. It also is written by an Asian American author and stars Japanese characters, so it’s a perfect next book to read after reading a couple of books that star Asian American characters entering romances in a different genre. 

Grade Level: 10th - 12th // Reading Level: 10th - 12th 

5th Step - Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan - Gothic Fantasy

This book is a bit of a departure in the romance ladder. It’s about Nadya Lapteva, a young orphan who can talk to the Slavic gods and has powers granted to her through prayer. She enters an enemies to lovers romance with her enemy Malachiasz, a blood made who is an atheist and is the leader of a cult. She works with him in an attempt to end a centuries long war, and in that process, falls in love with him. This book contains a different type of romantic arc, the enemies to lovers one, and is a more complex read, so it might be an interesting challenge for readers who are more used to simpler, gentler romances. I’d also recommend it for high schoolers who want something different in their romance, a push and pull in the dynamic across the backdrop of different genre (this time, it’s fantasy!) with an exploration on topics hardly explored in YA such as theology, pantheon of nonWestern gods, and morals. I’d also recommend it for more mature readers, as it contains some graphic images of violence and blood, but that is to be expected with the topic of young kids fighting in a war. 

Grade Level: 11th - 12th // Reading Level: 10th - 12th 

6th Step - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - Fantasy

This book is definitely a step up in complexity as it contains more intricate world building and plot development than any of the previous books on this list. It’s about Kaz Brekker and his band of criminals (some with magical elemental powers and some with other fighting skills), who are tasked to break into the most secure place in the this fantastical world and extract an important person from it. The content and twists of the heist are super interesting and action-packed, and will definitely pique all different types of readers’ interest. Its romance is subtle and slowburn and contains three different types of romantic arcs varying from enemies to lovers, to co-workers to lovers, to idiots to lovers. There’s also queer representation. It’s really all encompassing and has something for everyone’s romantic tastes. I’d recommend it for readers who want the same kind of dark fantasy vibes as Wicked Saints, but a slower and more diverse set of romance arcs. 

7th Step - The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Greek Mythology/Historical

Warning: This book is devastating and will make you cry. Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, and hero of the Trojan War, falls in love with Patroclus, awkward young prince exiled from his homeland and brought to live with Achilles. This book is definitely more mature in its romance, as its probably the first book in this ladder that depicts a sexual scene, albeit a very short one. I think YA readers should be able to read this book with no problem. I believe YA readers should have access to these kinds of scenes/books in order to figure out if they like them and if they do, we shouldn’t shame them. Sexuality and sex shouldn’t be taboo subjects! This book definitely is also much more emotionally heavy and centers the relationship/romance aspect as the main focus. I’d recommend it for my older, more mature readers in the 11th-12th grade. 

8th Step - The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken - Dystopian Thriller

If readers want a break from the super fantasy/rich romances of the previous books, I’d recommend taking a good break with TDM. TDM is about Ruby, a young girl who has mind-reading abilities in a post-apocalyptic America. She escapes a camp designed to control and lock people with abilities like hers and travels with a band of kids like her to a safe haven. It builds off of the emotional complexity of The Song of Achilles, but in a different, more relatable way. Because it takes place in a post-US world, the characters’ dialogue is reminiscent of ours and so readers will be able to really relate to the characters and become really invested in them. The romance in this book is slowburn, a good followup to Six of Crows and The Song of Achilles, but the romantic dynamic is similar to that of earlier contemporary books like Simon and TATBILB and Emergency Contact. So, this book is not necessarily more sophisticated than the other books, but it is a different choice that readers can make when choosing books with romance to read and offers a breath of fresh air to the previous more prose-y books. 

9th Step - The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh - Fairytale/Historical 

A classic young adult retelling of the Arabic/Middle Eastern fairytale of One Thousand and One Nights, where teenager Shahrzad volunteers to be Khalid’s, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, new wife, after her best friend died at his hands. She is determined to not only stay alive, but to end the caliph’s reign of terror of killing young women brides once and for all. This book is really romantic-heavy and is similar to Wicked Saints with its’ enemies to lovers arc and dubious dynamics. However, it’s compelling and exciting with its fairytale elements and offers a diverse romantic story for readers who want something new and who want to stretch themselves beyond American-centric romantic stories, a callback to Warcross, which takes place in a futuristic sci-fi version of Japan. Because this book is heavier on the prose, I’d recommend it for readers who also want a slightly more complex read on a sentence-structure / description level.

Grade Level: 12th and older // Reading Level: 10th - 12th

10th Step - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Romantic Fairytale Fantasy

From this point forward, these books will contain explicit sexual romantic content. While many folks will argue that there is no room for these kinds of scenes in YA books, I’d argue that by omitting access to such content (specifically explicit sexual scenes where consent is displayed), students will go out and find books that will show explicit sexual scenes that don’t show consent and they will learn from them. I think it’s better to not limit certain books from readers and let them decide for themselves if they’re uncomfortable with it or if it’s inappropriate for them. This book is perfect for folks who want a fairytale fantasy twist on the classic Beauty and the Beast story. It stars Feyre, a huntress, who ends up being kidnapped by the Faerie High Lord of Spring, Tamlin, for taking the life of a faerie. Once in the land of the faeries, she enters an enemies to lovers romance with Tamlin and discovers there is more beneath his exterior/mask. I’d recommend this for folks who want an extremely romance-centric story with one sex scene and an enemies to lovers arc. It’s also in the same level of complexity as The Wrath and The Dawn; it just centers around a different fairytale. 

11th Step - Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey Mcquiston - Adult Romantic Contemporary

This book has multiple sex scenes. This book takes place in an alternate 2020 where Trump never became president and stars a man-loving-man relationship. Alex Claremont is the first biracial, bisexual Son of the First Woman President of the United States. He enters a secret romance with the Prince of England, Prince Henry, who is gay. This is one of my favorite books ever, if not my favorite book ever! I’d recommend this for anyone who wants an escapist rom com from the trashfire of a world we live in right now. I’d also recommend this for older, more mature high schoolers who want to understand American politics better and read contemporary, relatable, funny dialogue with a rivals to lovers romance. And lastly, I’d recommend this book for readers who want a callback to the first couple of books on this romance ladder, but with a more complex/sophisticated plot and character work. 

[topfygad]

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Updated 2019

Update Lebanon September 2019: On August 25th, one Israeli drone exploded in the suburbs of Beirut, in a Hezbollah area. No people were injured and despite they were targeting Hezbollah areas, the real reason is unknown. However, this one-time incident doesn’t make Lebanon unsafe. Continue reading for a better understanding.

Today, many people are continuously asking me:

Is it safe to travel to Lebanon? Is Beirut safe? 

That’s because, unfortunately, many travelers believe that safety in both Beirut and Lebanon is an issue.

But guess what! Lebanon, including Beirut, is one of the safest countries in the Middle East. The only reasons why it’s not considered as such are the media and inaccurate Government travel advice and warnings.

With one of the lowest crime rates in the world today, Lebanon can brag about having the lowest number of Islamic extremists in the Middle East. This article aims to tell you the reasons why.

In 2019, I traveled from Beirut to Syria and spent 1 week around the country. I highly recommend you read: Tips + How to travel to Syria – Everything you need to know 

If you want to stay informed of all my current trips, remember to follow @againstthecompass on Instagram. 

    Here you will find (Jump to any content you want)

Is it safe to travel to Beirut? And how safe is Lebanon? Non-safe areas you should not travel in Lebanon Lebanon travel advice and tips on how to visit the sensitive areas of Hezbollah The isolated case of Tripoli Extra: Lebanon and Beirut safety tips

Do you know what a VPN is? A Virtual Private Network allows you to access blocked sites when you travel, as well as it lets you access content only available in your home country (like Netflix), plus it prevents hackers from stealing your personal data. Learn here why you should always use a VPN when you travel

  Are Beirut and Lebanon safe?

Contrary to what people say, there is no war in Lebanon and Beirut

For some reason, people in the West tend to associate Lebanon with war. And I wonder: ”Why?” Whereas it’s true that the country did suffer 25 years of Civil War, this ended in 1991. It was more than 25 years ago!

Hey, have you ever wondered how I make a full living from blogging? Learn here how I started monetizing my blog and get over 200,000 monthly page views in less than 3 years

Furthermore, the Lebanese-Israeli war took place in 2006, but it lasted for one month only. For the past 10 years, the country has been able to enjoy peace!

Read: A travel guide to Beirut

A church destroyed by the Civil War, 25 years ago – Lebanon travel warning

  In Lebanon, there’s no place for extremism. Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians?

Lebanon is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and today, several different religious groups coexist peacefully.

Did you know that more than 40% of the population are Christians? No? Did you know that Sunni Muslims (the branch of Islam that ISIS draws its followers from) only make up 25% of the population?

In this country, there’s no place for extremism. Have you ever heard of any Lebanese who has radicalized and joined ISIS? Normally, they come from Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan or even Turkey. Lebanon is so culturally cluttered, that the chances of a person radicalizing are low.

Read: 50 Tips for traveling to Iraqi Kurdistan

A mosque and a church built side by side – Is Beirut safe?

  The most liberal country in the Middle East

On the other hand, although religion plays an important role in the life of most families, from a religious point of view, Lebanon is the most liberal country in the entire Middle East.

It has the largest number of atheists (especially among young people), beer is available everywhere and drinking alcohol in the street is allowed (and quite common). Surprised?

In December 2018, I went to Saudi Arabia because for the first time in history, they started issuing tourist visas. Read: Tips + How to travel to Saudi Arabia

  It shares a border with Syria. OK, so what?

Lebanon shares border with Syria. Yes, so what? They are two different countries. The border between them is highly guarded and controlled. The chances of the Syrian conflict moving into Lebanon are non-existent.

  The investment in military security is huge

We can’t forget that Lebanon is located in a highly turbulent region. The military presence aims to prevent any sort of potential conflict.

Soldiers and checkpoints are found in absolutely every corner of the country, especially in Beirut. The Lebanese people love the army. They are accepted in society because it makes them feel safer.

Read: The ultimate 10-day itinerary to Lebanon

Soldiers in Beirut – Is Beirut safe to visit?

  Crime rate and kidnappings are non-existent

As in most of the Arab countries, the crime rate is practically zero. No robberies, no violence. In Lebanon, you can walk around without a worry anywhere at any time, even women.

Read: A travel guide to Palestine

  NO-GO zones when traveling to Lebanon

I just told you the reasons why Lebanon and Beirut are safe places to travel to.

Does it mean that you could wander freely across the whole country? No, absolutely not.

Whereas it’s true that 95% of the country is safe, the remaining 5% might not be. Why?

Because the few radicals who live in the country are found in those areas. These areas are dangerous, not only for the simple fact that you may meet some extremists, but, since the area is so close to Syria, it also suffers from spillover from the Syrian conflict.

Where are these no-go zones? Basically, the north-eastern portion highlighted in red. Don’t even get close to this area. The rest of the country is safe. Please note that the below map is an approximation.

Update 2018: The army managed to kick out many of the ISIS troops. The security in this tiny part of Lebanon has also improved.

  Safety in Lebanon & Beirut: Visiting the sensitive areas of Hezbollah

There are a bunch of areas which, even though they are not classified as dangerous, are considered sensitive. Why? Because they are controlled by Hezbollah. What does ”sensitive area” mean? Hezbollah areas have always been the target of terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State.

In fact, the last suicide bombings that occurred in Lebanon (don’t worry, there is one attack per year) happened in Hezbollah areas. They are partially restricted and no journalism of any sort is allowed.

To understand it better I recommend you read: The day I was accused of being an Islamic State spy in Lebanon

Which Hezbollah areas are sensitive?

Shia Muslim neighborhoods of Beirut, for example, Bourj el-Barajneh

Some refugee camps, for example, Ain al-Hilweh in Saida

Hezbollah territories located in the south of Lebanon, close to the border with Israel

The Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila, Beirut – How safe is Beirut Lebanon?

  Things to keep in mind when visiting a Hezbollah area

Don’t even think of taking pictures or let anyone see you with a camera

Some locals may be hostile and you might be kicked out for no reason. If you have the chance to go with a Lebanese, then do it

Foreigners will always be treated as suspicious. You’ll pass through several checkpoints where you’ll be checked and interrogated over and over

In these areas, there are no tourists. Many of the residents can’t understand why someone would to come to their area for tourism purposes. Repeatedly, you’ll be asked by the locals: ”What are you doing here”? Simply, answer: ”Nothing, I am just a tourist and I am walking all around the city”.

Today, Hezbollah areas are relatively safe. I say relatively because there’s one suicide bombing per year, approximately. To be safer, stay away from crowds.

Before heading to any of those areas, check the current situation with a local Lebanese. The areas close to the Israeli border require a special permit. To get it, go to any police station in either Saida or Beirut. You will get it instantly. Keep in mind that this permit gives you access to the area, but it doesn’t allow you to take pictures or do anything silly.

Important to mention: These areas have no appeal for tourists. The only reason why you would want to go there is that you are tremendously curious and need to know what the hell is going on in there. I visited everything. In the border with Israel, I was detained by the authorities. In the Shia neighborhood of Bourj el-Barajneh, some locals kicked me out, pacifically, but for no reason. However, I didn’t experience any issues when I visited the Palestinian refugee camp of Shatila. If you are as freaky and curious as I am, the experience is definitely worth it.

Read: Visiting Bourj el-Barajneh by Offbeat Travelling 

Bourj el-Barajneh (Hezbollah area) – Travel in Lebanon

  The isolated case of Tripoli

The UK travel advice to Lebanon says that Tripoli is not safe.

Tripoli is a city located in the north of Lebanon and the second most important one. Why do governments consider it dangerous? Since the Civil War, there have been one-off clashes between Sunni and Alawi Muslims who reside in the neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen, respectively. Throughout the years, these clashes have killed several people.

This is a one-off conflict happening in a specific area, far away from the city center. It’s a fight between two small districts and doesn’t go beyond them. The rest of the city is totally cool and safe. I spent four days in Tripoli, and to be honest, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

I also have to admit that, since I’m an extremely curious human being, I also went to Jabal Mohsen. And what can I say? Life there was merely normal. Again, clashes and bombings happen once a year, not more.

Read: 80 Useful tips for traveling to Iran

Jebel Mohsen, a neighborhood in Tripoli which, according to FCO, is one of the most dangerous areas in Lebanon. However, I went there and it was just fine – Lebanon travel

  Extra: Beirut and Lebanon safety tips

Consider going on a tour

I always encourage people to travel independently but I can also understand why some travelers may prefer to travel on a tour, especially in a place like Lebanon.

I recommend you book them via GetYourGuide, as they always work with a wide range of local guides and tour operators, and you can book your tour with just one click. 

So far, these are the tours they offering for traveling in Lebanon:

Beirut city tour – Explore one of the most fascinating cities in the Middle East. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Jeita, Harissa and Byblos – Trip to one of the most stunning caves in the world and historical cities. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Wine tour – Lebanon is well-known for its wine and, in this tour, you will visit 3 different wineries from Beqaa Valley. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Baalbek – Some of the most outstanding Roman ruins outside of Rome. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Epic ruins of Baalbek

  Stay safe by planning your trip ahead – Best books for traveling to Lebanon

The best way to travel to Lebanon safely is to plan your trip properly. For this, I recommend the following books:

Lebanon Travel Guide by Bradt – This is the most updated book guide about Lebanon. Bradt is my favorite brand because they always provide with plenty of local insights and travel tips for independent travelers.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  The Middle East Lonely Planet Guide – It has only one chapter about Lebanon but the information is updated, so it might prove useful.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK PRICES ON AMAZON

  English-Arabic phrasebook – Extremely useful when you are outside of Beirut.If you can communicate with the locals, you will, of course, be safer.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK THE LATEST PRICES

  Get proper travel insurance

Lebanon is safe but, truth to be said, it is not the easiest country to travel around because, like many Arab countries, things can become pretty wild.

I always recommend World Nomads. Why?

It is the only company that provides unlimited medical coverage

You can buy while you are already on the road

It covers the largest amount of adventure activities

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE QUOTE!

  Use Couchsurfing

In Beirut, Couchsurfing is a big deal and there are plenty of events every week. I suggest you look up for these weekly events and get to know some Lebanese people. Actually, there is a group of local attendants who are organizing trips for foreigners almost every week.

  A reminder

As I mentioned previously, don’t go to the northeast of the country and watch out when you are in Hezbollah areas.

And remember to check my other all my other guides about Lebanon:

Beirut travel guide A 10-day itinerary for visiting Lebanon Backpacking in Lebanon: How much does it cost in 2018?

For more content to the region, don’t forget to check all my travel guides to the Middle East

And don’t forget to check my Syria travel guide!

  Conclusion

Is Lebanon safe? The answer is yes, but you need to keep in mind that this country has gone through several conflicts and is located in the heart of the most turbulent region in the world.

Travel safe and cautious. If you have any question, leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to answer. Cheers.

I also recommend reading: Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

If you like my website and found this post useful, remember that, if you book any product or service through any of my links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These earnings help me maintain and keep Against the Compass going! Thanks

    from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/2l8vyIx via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

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[ashwinder-venom-blog]

TRIGGER WARNING!!!!

The content of this blog may OFFEND members of various demographic groups, including but not limited to:

Trolls, orcs, goblins, demons, angels, fairies, spirits, deities, gargoyles, gnomes, werewolves, vampires, zombies, robots, androids, cyborgs, elves, hobbits, giants, dwarves, humans, other primates, felids, canids, other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, worms, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, cnidarians, sponges, bacteria, viruses, fungi, plants, minerals....

....men, women, intersex people, agender people, transgenders, cisgenders, heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexuals, pansexuals, demisexuals, asexuals, sadomasochists, furries, otherkin, fictionkin, aliens, natives, white people, brown people, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Asians, Middle Easterners, Hispanics....

....conservatives, liberals, moderates, libertarians, progresssives, industrialists, globalists, colonialists, fascists, socialists, capitalists, gardeners, farmers, ranchers, pet owners, false environmentalists, anthropocentrists, humanists, transhumanists, biohackers, transcendentalists, atheists, rationalists, agnostics....

....Christians, Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, Taoists, Heathens, Wiccans, Satanists, Scientologists, scientific researchers, computer programmers, office workers, medical professionals, religious leaders, false prophets, paranormal skeptics, paranormal investigators, government officials, military personnel, police officers, social justice warriors....

....feminists, civil rights activists, eugenicists, terrorists, vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, paleo dieters, pet owners, pregnant people, infertile people, parents, oocytes, spermatocytes, embryos, infants, children, adolescents, adults, elders, baby boomers, millennials, college graduates, or high school dropouts....

....As well as anyone who has been vaccinated, fluoridated, fumigated, irradiated, intoxicated by alcohol, circumcised as an infant, artificially inseminated, fertilized in vitro, sexually assaulted, born with a chromosomal defect, diagnosed with a chronic illness, or prescribed prescription medication.

Could you make it through all that without puking, panicking, punching a wall, or popping a pill? Good. I don’t mean to offend, but it’s so hard not to these day, and I want to make sure I’m being inclusive enough. Patience and compassion are virtues I’m still working on, so please bear with me. What I share could save your life or limb some day.

Who am I? For starters, I’m a very private and security-minded person. I like to remain as anonymous as possible while still appearing as an individual. With the dangers of identity theft, cyber-terrorism, electronic surveillance, and preteen hackers, I suggest you aspire for anonymity as well. Keep it simple and vague like me.

Bisexual cisgender young adult female, childfree unmarried housewife, mostly white European heritage, living in the central United States of America. Been labelled nerd, geek, emo, goth, punk, hippie, rebel, freak, bipolar, autistic, narcissistic, antisocial, uneducated, genius, witch, doctor, rewilder, primitivist, prepper, survivalist....Take your pick.

I have a strong passion for....a lot of things. So many hobbies, interests, miscellaneous areas of expertise, etc....I could prattle on endlessly about the utterly irrelevant. But what is most relevant to YOU? I’ve already failed to keep it short and sweet, but I’ll try again anyway.

My passion for biology should really sum it up. Although that usually isn’t good enough for most people, not without expressing just how hot that passion burns. Geobiology, deep ecology, biochemistry, botany, herbalism, zoology, anatomy, psychology, anthropology....I’ve studied it all more in-depth than you could ever dream of.

Supplemented heavily by astrophysics, metaphysics, theology, history, archaeology, and bushcraft, of course. For well over a decade, ever since preschool, I’ve felt a mysterious drive to study all these things. Why? Well that’s the mystery! But I suppose I should use my knowledge to help people.

I’m a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer. I walk everywhere, squat to pee, eat wild plants and meat, build simple shelters to sleep in, crawl and climb through the woods, and don’t drink alcohol or use any manmade medication, Do I suggest you live the same way? Yes. That’s how humans evolved to live, not as an overpopulated petrochemical-eating virus. We are animals.

Sure it sounds like a dirty, bloody, painful, difficult life. It can be at times, but so can modern “western” life. Are terrorist attacks, hate crimes, environmental pollution, and disease outbreaks not dirty or painful? If the human population was smaller again, just another animal in the ecosystem, we wouldn’t have those problems. Think about it.

Mammals with brains our size can socially track 50-150 individuals. Extended family and close friends. Healthy well-fed hunter-gatherer bands have usually numbered in that range, with 25-200 miles of forest or savanna between communities. A far cry from the cities and highways of today.

Why is there racism, sexism, starvation, sickness? Because our personal territory is being invaded! Human life is considered so valuable, more than the trees and bees we rely on, and every measure is taken to preserve human life and promote population growth. But the quality of all life has been lost.

When a human suffers an injury or illness that silences their heart, they are resuscitated, drugged, butchered, and often left disabled or disfigured anyway. If an athlete breaks his neck and stops breathing, if a child receives a 3rd degree burn over 75% of her body, they should be led peacefully into a merciful death. Not kept alive in misery for the corporations and politicians to continue cultivating the masses for their own profit.

Likewise, infertile people are aided in conception. Disadvantageous genes that would otherwise die out are then perpetuated in the population. The resulting children often have a higher rate of preterm birth and congenital abnormality, entering this life requiring drugs or surgery as newborns. Helpless babies being butchered, just because their parents needed someone to love.

Many mental illnesses are also affected by genetics, including susceptibility to suicidal ideation. If you are dissatisfied with your personal life, depressed by the state of the world, or simply curious about the afterlife, you have no right to die. Your body is owned by the government, and it is a crime to vandalize government property. The pharmaceutical corporations that fund their campaigns make a lot of money from psychotropic medications.

Children are raised as livestock, all to turn a profit. We’re all livestock. Thanks to human overpopulation, dozens of other species go extinct each day, but still we suffer the most from our own mistakes. No other animal struggles so much with disease. If there were less humans, sure there would be less of us, but there would be so much more for everyone!

Without providing the infertile a chance to have triplets through in vitro fertilization, there might be less congenital birth defects and less overpopulation overall. A smaller population, thus more isolated communities, limits the spread of infectious disease. And less humans but more nature means more natural resources.

Like clean water, space to move around, and fresh food that isn’t loaded with dyes or preservatives. You know, all those basic human needs we wage wars for. Yes, politics and religion might be part of it too, but violence is mostly science. Psychology. Biology. Our food, water, and space is being threatened by human overpopulation, so we have the inexplicable urge to kill each other off. As we should.

Our global ecosystem, the biosphere, is imbalanced and infected. By us. Like us. Earth is running a fever and shaking with the chills, fighting the virus that is our species. We can either go with the flow of Mother Nature, or we can continue trying to fight her. But this is a war we cannot win, because if the trees and bees die, so do we. They feed us with the breath of life.

Demcocrats, Republicans, everyone between and beyond....Folks of all creed, color, sex, gender, ethnicity, and/or philosophy....You are ALL being LIED to! The hatred you feel toward each other is sorely misplaced and misunderstood. Women against men, black against white, liberals against conservatives, youths against elders....You are ALL wrong!

More government-mandated social programs are NOT the answer. Neither LED lightbulbs, nuclear energy, vegetarianism, nor flying to Mars will save this society or this planet. We’ve been running toward the edge of a cliff for several thousand years, and we may or may not have jumped to our deaths within the past decade. It is time to “get back to basics”.

Humanity did fine for hundreds of thousands of years as just another animal in the food web, even millions if you count all the Homos before us Sapiens. And Earth did fine without us for BILLIONS of years. Learn to live as our ancient Paleolithic ancestors did, how to build, hunt, forage, cook, pee, and sleep like the cavemen. Heal and protect yourself and your family like we all know you can.

In a nutshell, this blog will contain wilderness survival tips, natural health hints, fun facts about science and history, as well as sociopolitical commentary. There might also be occasional references to the liberal arts, mostly pre-2000 music, psychoactive herb use, and erotica/porn. I have a major hurt/comfort fetish, like a shamanic Florence Nightingale, and the medical experience to back it up. TRIGGER WARNING!

[amanby]

Q&A Responses

Thanks for all the questions, everyone. Boy, did I have a hard time filtering through them all to pick the best ones! And here they are…

—————–

Sally, Geneva:

- What I would like to know is…how do you calculate how much money you should have on you at any one time? Enough to cover expenses but not enough to tempt anyone to rob you?

xx Granny

Good question Granny! In my wallet, which I keep in my pocket, I always carry no cards, and very little cash: the equivalent of £10 at most, which is enough for any meal, hotel room, bar bill or bus ticket. If that gets pickpocketed, it’s not the end of the world (although I would lose some precious beer labels)

Now here’s the ingenious bit: my very talented mother, who also happens to be your very talented daughter, improvised a secret pouch by sewing together some curtain lining, a bag strap and a zip, which I always wear around my waist, tucked into my shorts or trousers. It’s completely invisible, and in there I hold larger amounts of cash, my cards and my passport. If I need any of the above, I just nip to a toilet and reshuffle things!

Kit, USA:

- Have you had any nervous times while sleeping in your tent?

One occasion stands out. Sleeping on a quiet beach on Pemba, Tanzania, I woke up to the sound, smell, and heat of a brightly-burning nearby fire; my immediate reaction was that the local chief had objected to my unauthorised camping and was taking extreme measures against it! Fortunately, it was actually just a fisherman keeping himself warm with a bonfire while waiting for dawn to break.

- Are most things still relatively inexpensive even when you suspect you are getting ripped off?

Compared to Europe, definitely. I’ve found living on $15 a day pretty comfortable. But I’ve been surprised by the cost of any tourist activity here: tours and national park fees are significantly higher than in South America, for example.

- What has been your favorite beach or body of water?

Phwoar, that’s a tricky one! Diani in Kenya or Zanzibar would be the obvious choice for a postcard beach, but given my previously limited experience of freshwater lakes, I’ll go for one of the great Rift Valley lakes. Malawi was a perfect colour and temperature, but I’m going to choose a small beach at Jacobsen’s campsite on Lake Tanganyika; I had it all to myself at a time when I was still limping around with blisters and sore feet post-walk, and to lie half-submerged in the water for hours on end, reading my book, was unforgettable.

Charles, London:

- Alex, what has been the best way to engage the locals and not be the Mzungu? In which country has it been easiest?

Yo midge! Short answer: it’s been difficult to not be seen as the white man in every country. I was expecting it to an extent but have been surprised how, even in multicultural cities like Nairobi, I still attract so much attention based on the colour of my skin just walking around.

The way locals react to the mzungu differs: in Kenya and Zanzibar they’re more used to it and boisterously try their tricks to get money from you. In Ethiopia, there’s widespread begging (“hello, pen! Hello, money!”) whereas in Malawi and Rwanda they tend to sit and stare as you pass by. In Rwanda it was also a game of bravado for the kids in front of their friends, asking for money (“givameyamornee”), but only once I’d walked past, and never in any expectation of receiving it.

In terms of not being the mzungu, I’ve had most success sitting in the white Toyota Hiace matatus which serve as public transport everywhere. There, it’s a given that the person I’m sitting next to and I will be in each other’s company for some time, so conversation starts and continues on a more level footing than it does in other situations.

Premier League football, and particularly The Arsenal, is also a good leveller. And having a sense of humour and learning at least the basics of each language has definitely helped too.

But obviously my time with Moses and his family was the great success from this point of view. For me, this trip is a travel one more than a project one (like Ecuador or New Caledonia); but certainly, the best way to fit in would be to stay in the same place for an extended period of time, properly integrated into local life and serving a palpably useful purpose.

Angus, London:

- What role have you seen Islam play in day to day life out there? HOT TOPIC

Hot topic indeed, and an appropriate one for this relentlessly hard-hitting blog. Which is also the reason why some of your frankly lewd and ungodly questions will not be getting an answer on here, Angus.

Well, given its historical trade with the Middle East, the coast has a far greater Islamic influence than inland, and this has been evident from Mombasa to Zanzibar to Ilha de Mozambique, manifesting itself particularly obviously in dress and architecture.

In my limited experience, it seems to me that domestic conflicts tend to be drawn on tribal rather than religious lines; Ethiopia is a good example of this, where muslims and orthodox Ethiopian christians from Oromo and Amhara provinces are equally frustrated by perceived (and real) preferential treatment received by the Tigrai. There, as elsewhere, communities seemed to me to be pretty tolerant of different religious practices.

I have to mention one notable exception, which was a Christian conference in Dar Es Salaam entitled ‘How to Stop the Spread of Islam in East Africa’, which I unwittingly got caught up in when I caught the bus from Dar to Nairobi, sitting next to an attendee preacher and telling him straight off the bat about my atheistic beliefs. Cue 16 hours of frantic questions as he tried to save my soul…

- There’s a lot of geopolitical talk about which superpower is gaining influence in Africa: whether it be China, Russia, or the US. Have you seen any discernible evidence of this, and if so, what do you think the prospects are for the continent?

Well the Chinese are very visible in infrastructure construction throughout Africa. Apparently the deal they offer to all countries is to build their roads for free (employees and materials) in exchange for extraordinarily preferential rates on trade deals.

Lots of grains get carried around in recycled USAID bags, so our friends Stateside clearly have influence based on the reliance countries have on their charity. Let’s see how that one pans out…

And I’ve seen nothing at all of the Russians. Which probably means their spies and hackers have got fingers in all sorts of dodgy pies.

- What’s the best song you’ve heard out there?

Not sure I’ve heard this year’s Christmas #1 just yet. Although today I was treated to a live performance of Wrecking Ball by Mozambique’s answer to Billy Elliot, a young boy dancing naked on the beach using an empty plastic water bottle (which I’d given him five minutes earlier) as a microphone.

- How are you avoiding the pitfalls of the gapyah traveller - immersing yourself in poverty tourism to make for some authentic life experiences - and have you bumped into any western tossers who encapsulate this?

I’m in two minds about this. On the one hand, I do think that westerners can - and should - try to exert a positive influence during their visit. Giving dollars to white, western hotel and tour company owners doesn’t tick this box. And if I didn’t believe this, then I’ve wasted a lot of time in several continents since leaving school.

Having said that, oh yes, I’ve met a few 'egotourists’ and they can be excruciating. One self-satisfied English girl who had just painted a school wall and was so happy with herself that she’d tell anyone who would listen all about it was particularly painful. Nicely painted schools is not the answer to the issues this continent’s children have in their search for an education.

- If a gun was put to your head tomorrow and you were told you had to settle in Africa and start a business immediately, what would that business be?

Easy. I’d expand the Uganda Youth Football League to create a business arm to work alongside the charity. We’d be the agents to complement the coaches and get East African kids into European leagues.

And don’t worry about the gun, I’m seriously contemplating doing it of my own free will!

Nicky, London:

- Where are you planning to go in South Africa?

'Planning’ is not a word I would associate closely with this trip, Mum!

Seriously, I have little idea. Rambo is flying out on some trumped up excuse of a job, and his time is more precious than mine, so I’m leaving the itinerary for our ten days together to him. Which, as his former landlady, you’ll realise is a risky strategy…

Things I’d like to do (during my time with Rambo or in the two weeks after, when I’ll be on my own again): see relatives, walk Drakensburg, traverse Lesotho, visit St. Marks, explore the south east, watch live sport, learn to kite surf, enjoy comforts of Cape Town…