#Tech & Learning

[younes-ben-amara]

الكتابة باليد أفضل من النقر على لوحة المفاتيح وأنشط لدماغك 🧠💪🏽

ما هذه المجموعة من المختارات تسألني؟ إنّها عددٌ من أعداد نشرة “صيد الشابكة” اِعرف أكثر عن النشرة هنا: ما هي نشرة “صيد الشابكة” ما مصادرها، وما غرضها؛ وما معنى الشابكة أصلًا؟! 🎣🌐 🎣🌐 صيد الشابكة العدد #2 💜 اقتباس أعجبني: يحلم الملايين بأن يُخلّدوا في الأرض لكن لا أحد فيهم يعرف ما الذي يفعل�� بكلّ هذا الوقت ظهيرةَ يوم أحدٍ ممطر. سوزان إرتز (Susan Ertz) عبر نشرة The Interesting Times 💉 على ذكر…

[mediaguides]

Navigating M&A, Privacy Sandbox & Alternatives As The Cookie Crumbles

THE MEDIA GUIDES PRESENT Our Perspective Navigating M&A, Privacy Sandbox & Alternatives As The Cookie Crumbles While some view Google’s deprecation of cookies as a daunting challenge, others see it as an opportunity to innovate and thrive in a transformed landscape. However, there are concerns that the consolidation will lead to hostile takeovers, mergers of desperation, or even total…

[alpha-mag-media]

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ | In Trend Today

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[ur-mag]

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ | In Trend Today

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[avamental]

Let's get this party started! ↳ Request a song!

this is a redacted audio oc rp/ask blog, managed by milogreer / lovaboy ! please read the below the cut for some info about ava dearest 💛

basics

born march 9, 1999

calls themself as a sonal-electro energetic, but was born a sonal energetic

as-needed employee for Error Code, a vintage electronics/media & tech support store on D.A.M.N’s campus ↳ coworkers: @omenkhan, @rnprice

part time D.A.M.N student, part time night club dj

personality

very friendly. people are drawn to their upbeat, whimsical personality, so they're quite the social butterfly

a music encyclopedia. can name almost any song by hearing the first note. has an ungodly amount of playlists to sort music by decade, genre, sub-genre, holiday, etc

loves the noise and the dancing and the closeness of clubbing. a real party girl in general, but still manages to balance their classwork really well

always doing something, whether it's working, partying, studying, shopping, etc. they have seemingly endless energy and are sometimes affectionately referred to by their friends as "double A" (like the battery) or as "bumblebee"

backstory

born and raised in dahlia by loving parents

powers manifested when they were ~10; they accidentally busted a window during a (very rare) temper tantrum

took a break between high school and college, so they started at D.A.M.N. for sonal/electro certification when they were 21

their schooling is taking longer than usual due to extenuating circumstances

other

learned how to play the electric guitar in middle school after BEGGING their parents. doesn't play much anymore but still remembers the basics and takes good care of their guitar+amp

drives a 1992 sunburst yellow miata. bought it specifically because she thought the winking function was hilarious

loves to sing but isn't a songwriter. has a youtube channel where they post song covers

exclusively listens to music made by women

LOVES to roller skate

[oceanwithouthermoon]

thinking about kubosai attending each others family events

kusuo meeting arens mom and somehow someway they immediately click because shes where arens sass and sarcasm came from, after all

aren being invited to one of kusuos whole familys events by his mom (cuz she was probably the first to know they were together, fuckin mamas boy, and loved him immediately) and kusuo is like "r u sure u wanna go ? ofc i want u there but my whole family together can be like.. a lot." and aren is just like "babe i deal with kaido and nendo all day every day, i think I'll be fine." and kusuos just like brah trust me it is so much worse😭but he goes anyway

saikis grandfather is immediately distrusting of his grandsons boyfriend, and on top of that kumagoro and kumi are also very confused because kumi literally thought he had a girlfriend and kumagoro was convinced he and teruhashi would get married someday

not to even.. mention kusuke. kusuo tries to keep him away from him at all times, and it succeeds less than half the time. hes not that terrible to him (surprisingly to kusuo) but its kind of an amped of version of how he treated teruhashi. he thinks this guy is totally unworthy of his baby brother and is a dick to him, but hes also very aware that not only was this guy a gang leader (which he may or may not use against him later by telling kurumi or something) and could beat the shit out of him when he doesnt have access to a lot of his tech, but also this is kusuos first love and he would definitely kill for him☠️(plus he already knows to be more wary of kusuos nuisances since learning terus true power☠️)

but anyway, they all warm up to aren eventually.. its prob surprisingly quick for kumagoro because this is like the absolute most hes gotten to see his grandson smile.. ever

[pianocat939]

Celina, I had the most random thought about a yandere rottmnt isekai au.

I was rewatching some rottmnt earlier and I noticed how I barely commented on anything, aside from a smile and a small chuckle here and there. It got me thinking…

What if m/c was like that? What if m/c never really commented at all aside from a few chuckles and small comments sprinkled throughout an episode? Maybe they are a bit of an introvert too? How would yandere rottmnt turtles react to this?

I think they would go insane trying to find any information at all about m/c, and at first it isn’t even because of their yandere-ness! They just want to know who the heck is watching them!

I think that they may try to do things to make m/c speak, but they wouldn’t outright reveal themselves as able to hear m/c (let’s be real here, if you found out an entity beyond your realm was watching you, would you instantly let them know you are aware of them or would you at least try to make sure they are safe first?).

Soon, m/c’s voice becomes… addicting. The boys constantly crave m/c’s voice and comments, doing anything to know more about them and just hear them again! This is amped up if m/c gives them small compliments here and there… especially with Donnie and Leo… (The turtles would probably develop the belief that the only reason they can hear m/c and no one else from m/c’s realm is because m/c belongs in their realm…)

Then they try to break into m/c’s realm…

Donnie would most likely be able to connect with the tech first with his nimpo, then he would hack into any device near m/c. Cameras, laptops, phones, everything! It isn’t long before the turtles learn more about m/c than they would’ve ever known beforehand, maybe even more than m/c themself…

It isn’t long before Donnie hacks into m/c’s phone and establishes a connection between the turtles and m/c’s devices…

Poor m/c would have no idea who these random people who sound-er, text?- a lot like their favorite characters from ROTTMNT. I doubt the turtles would give themselves away immediately, they would most likely bide their time and gain more information on m/c (This could also be translated into your sentient AI thing you have going on).

They would only reveal themselves in person, once the portal is ready and they can take what rightfully belongs in their world. M/c wouldn’t have the chance to run before they are dragged away, kicking, screaming, and crying, out of their own reality…

“Why are you fighting us, dear? Don’t you love us? Our reality is- No, stop fighting us- our reality is much better than this bitter and cold world, you won’t have to worry about anything ever again!”

(Bonus if Donnie hacks into m/c’s friends and families phones so Dr. Delicate Touch can have a few words with them…)

(I’m sorry, It’s almost midnight for me and I HAD to share this idea with someone :,/)

Me at 3 AM 3 hours later-

Someone send help I cried because of an angst story but now I'm dehydrated but I'm too scared to go get liquid bcs I'm pretty sure someone is on the couch and I'm far too paranoid for that shit-

Tw: Raph gets a little- too dependent on MC speaking, Mikey glorifies his position, mentions of manipulation + anxiety

First of all, delicious idea you got here- as always I'll just add a little tidbit.

Imagine occasionally they accidentally whisper or mumble when they hear you speak in the rare moments that you do. Like with me, I either talk to myself about somewhat off-topic things or just say the most basic compliments that are more or less for my self-indulgence in expressing my true feelings. (We'll go with compliment bcs that makes more sense in terms of yan development)

"Donnie is so skrunkly when he's feral I love it-"

*Donnie who was just having a typical "who's better" debate with Leo* "Oh won't you look at that...I'm loved even in times of undomesticated behaviours~" *he's very smug, and definitely is bouncing with joy internally*

I think for the most part Donnie, Leo, and Raph react pretty similarly. They kinda just have an odd pull to the weird ass voice they occasionally hear sometimes, wanting to find out more about it. So they can cling to it as emotional support.

But Mikey?

He is legit going to think he's some prophet of this mysterious voice which he believes is a superior being. Like even the smallest comment will literally make him whisper to himself- "Oh my divinity, I am a follower of your every word.." Wouldn't be surprised if he has heart eyes istg-

But if his bros say they can hear it too, he will literally be so pissed. He'll accuse they're lying and basically manipulating him into thinking he's not special. I wouldn't be surprised if he busts out Dr. Delicate Touch to start accusing them of any crime that fits with the situation. And in the end, he'll always conclude with "I'm the only one who gets to be the chosen one of my divinity~ so stop lying alright?"

Also there's one thing I want to point out with Raph, I feel he would get attached to the voice so bad over time that he either A. cannot make any rational decisions without it or B. he gets super anxious if he doesn't hear it in his head 24/7. I feel he would nickname it like, "my secret voice" or "my mind plushie".

Leo and Donnie definitely fight the most about the voice, but they also plan together the most when it comes to finding out more about the owner of the voice. But their intentions with each other are never mentioned.

(this was such a half-assed rant but surely it should be a little insight on my thoughts).

[anonyhun]

2007xMM crossover thoughts (Part 3 YUH)

You thought I was off my tmnt shit? WROOOONG.

(I mean, technically I did pause for a bit cause I got hit with the AUUUUUUUGH, but I knew I wanted to get back here. Cringe but FREEEEEE)

Here I attempt to focus on the MM perspective and maybe expand on some things I mentioned in the first part. If I don't keep my promise about this being a MM centered post, you can stone my goofy ass.

Also admittedly, this one is probably going to be a bit more random in ideas RIP.

(Highkey, might as well start a 2007 thought thread cause for real dog, I rotate that movie in my brain like it's in the microwave.)

========>>>

--MM Leo is trying so hard; between dimension hopping and his 2007 self being so much more capable and respected, the only reason he hasn't sweated himself into oblivion is because it's not physically possible.

Genuinely, being next to his older self, let alone the same room as him, pushes his nerves to the edge. EVENTUALLY he calms down but even then, he feels the pressure of responsibilities that aren't his. (Going back to their stress regarding how they compare to 2007.)

He even asks 2007 Leo at some point how he leads his brothers despite the issue of his leadership skills being resolved during the nightmare that was stopping Superfly. ( Highkey, the only reason MM Leo is seen as a "leader" is cause he's the one considered most responsible, thus Splinter putting him in charge when they have to do chores and such. )

--As mentioned before, MM Raph is ecstatic to meet 2007 Raph. Actually, in a funny twist of fate, 2007 Raph is seen as the coolest out of all the 2007 brothers since he's the Cool Uncle. This ends up causing issues later on but for now he's the favorite. (The accent helps too. It helps A LOT.)

--The cool factor starts to fade as they interact more however cause 2007 Raph keeps trying to convince him that violence is not the answer, that his anger is pent up energy. MM Raph starts to get legit miffed.

--2007 give MM a tour their dojo and both groups get to show off their skills. Lots of mixed interactions and quiet concerns on 2007's part but MM Raph gets to flaunt his wrestling skills which ends up being a lot of fun.

--MM learn a game that 2007 played as kids where they pushed their heads together to see who had the stronger neck. (Cause they're turtles and I think it's cute. The image of them just being silly AUUGH.)

--MM Donnie spends the majority of their first interactions with 2007 freaking out over the fact that isekai is real. They ISEKAI-D. ANIME IS REAL.

--The moment MM find out that they also traveled back in time, he's gets amped up all over again cause they get to experience the early 2000's for realsies. TIME TRAVEL IS REAL.

--Especially the internet aspect. Everyone and their mom talks about how the old internet was better/more interesting and he's now in a position to see what was actually like.

--Unfortunately, MM Donnie is the second to feel the pressure of impressing or being like his older self. Simultaneously he is ahead and behind with 2007 Donnie being a tech wiz for seemingly no reason. He tries to keep in mind that 2007 is very anime and 2007 Donnie explaining his tech is recognized for what it is, but the gesture partially backfires. Now he feels especially Not Smart.

--Against all odds, MM Mikey manages to avoid this issue, primarily cause 2007 Mikey is so friendly. There's isn't that same sense of seriousness present.

--He successfully teaches 2007 Mikey fortnite dances, and BOY HOWDY, he's basically a prodigy. He already liked dancing, so MM Mikey just introduced him to a world endless possibilities. ( Orange Justice ends up a big favorite. )

--In turn he gets to try skateboarding. His time with Mondo Gecko has given MM Mikey a good start but he's still hesitant, which is totally fair. 2007 Mikey proposes they try riding a skateboard with both of them on it and MM Mikey decides y'know what? Sure!

--It works for until the most cartoonishly inconvenient moment...RIP ( The piggyback method worked at least? )

--2007 Mikey is so so SO interested in what their future looks like and almost becomes a pest, asking any and all question he can think of. MM Mikey takes it in stride. ( EDIT: MM Mikey has any and all questions for 2007 Mikey as well. Forgot to say that RIP )

--Scholarly discussions of pizza and things that can be put on it. Both agree that Yes! Waffles on pizza IS good

--In the first part I mentioned how MM Mikey notices how 2007 Mikey is stuck in the little brother role; alongside this, he also gets to hear about some of the family drama. 2007 Mikey is a chatty guy and is smart enough to keep from giving explicit details but this is where the image of a functional unit begins to slip.

Even in it's vagueness, it was clear that 2007 aren't just being cagey; whatever it may be, they are also keeping quiet about some things. MM Mikey takes notes and shares this with his brothers later on, and in doing that, all of the little weird things they've noticed begin to line up, especially with Cool Uncle Raph.

--2007 have a lot of good reasons to keep aspects of their lives to themselves. They don't know if this dimension hopping will effect MM or if it is at all. They don't know if MM have their own Shredder or Utroms or whatever else they have encountered. In keeping quiet, they hope to not jinx MM. There's also the fact that they have their own insecurities; seeing their younger selves so informal and carefree, how relaxed they are with each other. Even with how rude they can be...

They are jealous in a small, ache-y way. Think of a paper cut.

They can only imagine what it's like to not have to hide anymore, to be accepted by the public. It hurts, sincerely. 2007 don't want to let this get in the way of them enjoying these kids.

--On the opposite side, MM do share a collected sense of pity regarding this. This pity manifests as time goes on. Seeing these adults that haven't, and may never, get to escape the sewers is incredibly sad. It's part of the reason they make an attempt to therapy 2007 outside of the issues they're seeing.

========>>>

( I'll leave you to ponder that but back to general ideas! )

--The Great Dominos vs. Pizza Hut debate. Mostly cause it's funny? Both groups can't just walk in and have real New York pizza so their stuck with the franchise shit. THAT SAID, MM can do whatever they want to now and 2007 do have April and Casey to help refine their palettes, but they were eating the franchise shit most of their life.

--2007 Donnie get offended that MM consider the Bo to be the worst weapon and makes it a point to Make Them Respect the Bo.

--Going back to the dojo, 2007 are internally vibrating at what they see. They were taught how to be real ninjas while MM were taught to be approximations of ninjas. Like they are ninjas, but in the discount variety.

So when they see MM in action, they see everything wrong with their form etc. etc. And to be real, MM only started to get good when they were actively fighting people and gaining that experience. A week, maybe two weeks, of fighting people who don't know how to fight back does not replace a decade and a half of training and fighting people who know how to counter you.

--As a result, 2007 take to soft training them. Showing the difference between *whapp whapp* and *WHAPP WHAPP*.

It gives them a chance to show off too. It's fun to entertain kids sometimes!

--2007 Donnie tells the story of how it took a year and a half to install a swamp cooler in the lair which promptly earns him critical looks.

( "You can invent tech but you couldn't install a air conditioner...?"

"First: it's a 'Swamp Cooler', and second: installation is entirely different. Certainly not a one person job!" )

--MM, upon first arriving: " The pollution smells different. "

--MM and 2007 have a discussion about food when MM sees the kitchen and 2007 Donnie gets very VERY concerned about MM's diet. Almost goes into a lecture about food health but is unanimously ignored by MM, save for MM Leo. ( The one thing that 2007 noticed and was shocked by at first was how blunt MM can be, even unintentionally. )

--The Great Goku vs. Superman debate

--April has a lot of fun hanging out with MM cause it reminds her of when she met 2007 the first time. That same feeling of discovery and bonding. :)))

--We Get Board games! Card Games!! Tooth and Nail UNO!!!

--MM get super curious about the memento shelf, with some dodging questions on 2007's part.

--MM make a very honest attempt to make 2007 understand modern memes with lackluster results. ( "Boomers...")

--They try their damndest to explain modern day trends and events and just...2007 just can't understand. ( Shit, I don't even understand everything. )

========>>>

Aaaaand that's all I can manage today. I hope you all enjoy this and by all means, if you want to steal these ideas, go right ahead! Do anything you want with them. I don't mind in the slightest.

[clericofshadows]

Shepard aaaaaask!

3, 14, 21 (give me details! hehe), and 33 😉

thanks for the ask :D

fifty shepard questions

3. What’s their relationship with Anderson?

For Regis it's... not great. I've written some fic on it, but the TL;DR is that Hannah wanted Regis to have a good mentor, and he said fuck that to any sort of meddling and mostly just respects the man for his skills alone and keeps him at a far distance. He doesn't quite like that he was blindsided about being evalutated for Spectre status nor does he appreciate his visions being brought up in front of the Council.

He does nominate him for Council since he doesn't really trust Udina either, and in his mind it's a lesser of two evils. Their relationship never really goes beyond, in Regis's mind, "coworkers I have to tolerate."

For Nyx, it's cordial. He doesn't have much of an opinion on Anderson and sees him as a decent ally to have. Nyx, however, nominates Udina as the Council rep since he doesn't like the idea of putting a military man on the seat despite being a First Contact War veteran. Or maybe because he's a FCW vet... :)

14. Any good at flirting?

Regis is pretty good at it and can even ramp up the charm as needed for missions. And he also managed to get Zaeed in his and Kaidan's bed while on Omega during vorcha mafia nonsense and a pissed off merc who's mad that his target was now focused on two alliance idiots...

Bonus gif from same gender romance mod's flirt option for Hock lmao

Nyx is extremely good at flirting and can charm the pants off of anyone (or rather any man). He's very confident and into himself, which can be pretty attractive. He's also quite observant and has a good feel for what a person might like. And he was able to get Kaidan in his bed pre-ME1 for a one night stand, and I typically headcanon Kaidan as not being into that sooooo yeah :)

21. Do you have any AUs for your shepard?

I have a few :)

Regis's canon is technically one big AU in the sense that I get rid of canon things I don't like (Liara as Shadowbroker, for one, Virmire being a no win scenario... etc), but in Nyx's canon, Regis is actually a doctor on Omega with his uncle, Vikram, and leads a bit of a merc life with Zaeed. On the other hand, Nyx in Regis's canon never rejoined the Alliance after an extended time after the FCW and stays as a civilian engineer, who also stays in his relationship with Hackett. In Nyx's canon, he breaks up with Hackett, later enters a relationship with Kaidan pre-ME1, and then later the three of them become a triad.

There's also the fact that Nyx's canon is a sort of No Reapers AU... in the sense that the Protheans failed to fully extinguish most Reapers and a few still remain, but not enough to be a galaxy ending one.

Regis as a doctor/merc also exists in a Kaidan/Hackett fic I've been slowly writing as well. But other than that, I don't really have any modern AUs or anything of the sort since I see my Shepards already existing as big ol' AUs.

33. What skills do they have that are a surprise to the people around them?

Regis is good with metalworking and making jewelry, and he is quite skilled with making custom weapon mods. Not as good as Zaeed, which he gloats about, but it's something he learned on the side. And despite his degree being public, it's always a shock that he knows his way around cybernetics and can talk real technical when it comes to biotic amps and VI and AI...

Plus he can make really good desserts.

Nyx moonlights as a hacker and is well known on many extranet forums as Phoenix, which should be obvious given his callsign in the war being Phoenix, but to the greater 'net it's a mystery. Like, yeah, he's an engineer who is good with tech and is good with cybersecurity, but a hacker who posts tricks and takes down shit in his free time? Not so obvious.

He's also really good with intricate braids and loves braiding his hair and beard and offering his skills to the other long-haired folks on the ship.

[stitchy-face]

I wanna hear more about MUTTS!! who are the characters?? where/when does the story take place? any sneak peaks? 👀

OHHH where to begin except the location!! :-) The M.U.T.T.S. takes place in the fictional town of Mountsridge, Colorado in what you could consider ""modern day"" (we keep it vague not because there's some "secret twist", but there are personal narrative reasons for it involving other stories!). Mountsridge is an average town with a small population, a tourist destination that's past its heyday since the Ski Lodge's closing. It is nothing exciting, and is quaint at best. However unbeknownst to most- the sleepy suburb of Mountsridge is home to the largest community of refugee werewolves in the United States.

The cast of charactes is no secret! While there's side characters to meet yet the cast so far (from left to right) is Jinx, Kastor, Louis, Remus, Sara, and Roman! (Kastor is technically a side character, but I wanted to get his design on paper).

Jinx is a desk clerk at her dad's mechanic shop "Harold and Daughter" (though she was meant to be an apprentice, she spends most of her time scouting locations for them to investigate on the work computer). Sara is a barista at a cafe, who volunteers time at the local library. Remus and Roman both found work in tech repair, though Roman attends university. Louis is... new to Mountsridge, you'll have to wait to learn more about him! The cast does have a small surprise though . . .

.... as you can probably guess, most of them are werewolves as the story implies :)

In the sneak-peak zone though I'm not sure what else to share right now that I haven't yet- but we are moving to the penciling stage so that is going to change here soon! (Many thanks to my wonderful partner Cedar who thumbnailed and did the most work for our script!)

Thank you for your ask and interest- I look forward to sharing more as we amp up!!

[jcmarchi]

Despite Speculation, Microsoft Will Reportedly Launch This Year's Call Of Duty On Xbox Game Pass

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/despite-speculation-microsoft-will-reportedly-launch-this-years-call-of-duty-on-xbox-game-pass/

Despite Speculation, Microsoft Will Reportedly Launch This Year's Call Of Duty On Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch this year’s Call of Duty on its Xbox Game Pass subscription service, according to The Wall Stree Journal. This follows reports in previous weeks indicating Microsoft and Xbox were mulling over whether or not to launch the next iteration in the franchise on Game Pass, out of fear it might hurt sales. 

After acquiring Activision Blizzard for a colossal $69 billion last year, fans and analysts have speculated about how Microsoft will handle the Call of Duty franchise moving forward. It will obviously be a big draw for Xbox Game Pass, pulling in new subscribers, but most every year, the new Call of Duty is the best-selling game of the year – save for last year, where Hogwarts Legacy took that crown – and a Game Pass launch could affect those sales numbers. 

[embedded content]

However, this new report from The Wall Street Journal seemingly clears the air around that topic. 

“Microsoft plans a major shake up of its video game sales strategy by releasing the coming installment of Call of Duty to its subscription service instead of the longtime, lucrative approach of only selling it a la carte,” the story reads. 

Of course, things could change so we’ll see what happens. It’s likely we’ll be learning what the next Call of Duty game is next month as part of the gaming showcase summer that includes Summer Game Fest, Ubisoft Forward, and an Xbox Games Showcase followed by a secret direct that is probably focused on Call of Duty.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

What setting do you hope the next Call of Duty takes place in? Let us know in the comments below!

[holly-louisexox]

Ribcage X Andy Biersack- Part 17

Masterlist

“There’s one thing you should know about me Delia Vincent, I don’t date. Got no heart to break and emptiness is safe, keep it that way.”

He was adamant in his choices…

…But then things changed.

"So whilst you were at university, did you just do this? Fiddle with the soundboard and stuff?" Jake asks out of curiosity; it had become his habit to hang out with Delia before sound check to try and learn things from the talented woman he was on tour with, he found it fascinating how she was so confident and could solve pretty much anything. He could never understand half of what she was doing for the most part.

"Sadly not. It was balanced as 60% running a performance and the sound tech, and 40% a written exam. In the exam, I was given different scenarios and I would have to write what I would do and why I would choose to do it and what the outcome would be of that decision." Delia explains whilst ensuring the balance of the audio and amps were correct.

"Wow, that sounds more complicated than I thought for, no wonder you're so confident with this stuff." Jake nods; a conversation itching in the back of his head but unsure whether it should be brought to the surface.

"Yeah it was a rough 5 years but I wouldn't change it for the world. I love my job and love being able to do these things. Touring and seeing different places has by far been the best experience of them all though." Delia smiles looking back at Jake.

"Well I for one would love to have you back on tour with us, I'm sure the others would agree." Jake smiles before that conversation idea pops back into his head. "I must ask Delia, and I hope this is not an upsetting ask of me, have you been eating properly this tour? It's just that, I know touring is hard, especially when it's your first one and... All I'm saying is you gave us quite a fright when you fainted the other day."

"I've been eating Jake don't worry, but I appreciate the concern." Delia dismisses it in hopes that he drops the subject and moves on to something else.

"Is everything okay Delia? People normally don't just faint for no reason." Jake continues to ask out of worry.

"If I am to tell you something Jake, please keep this between us." Delia turns to the guy she would like to hope is her friend.

"Of course, Delia." Jake nods softly willing her to continue.

"A few years ago I was working on a local production of The Phantom of The Opera." Delia sighs, the memory of the event bringing pain and difficulty breathing to her chest. "The woman playing Christine had a sister living in Seattle. The sister went missing and... 2 weeks later they found her body... In the Seattle ferry landing pier."

"Oh shit Delia." Jake gasps placing a gentle hand on her shoulder in comfort. "And that's why you?"

"Yes." Delia nods "Guess it just freaked me out a little bit. It's silly really."

"It's not silly at all, it's completely understandable actually." Jake smiles "At least Andy was there to catch you so you didn't hurt yourself."

"Yeah, at least." Delia smiles awkwardly.

"Delia, what's going on between you and Andy?" Jake asks removing his hand from her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Delia asks feeling herself panic slightly; surely Lonny didn't spill the gossip.

"I just mean, Andy, he seems almost happy. I've known the guy for years, I know what he went through with the divorce, and I saw how he changed. But he seems conflicted with you. This guard, this fake version of himself he has created to protect himself, it seems to disappear when he's with you." Jake explains sincerely to Delia which makes her speechless. "Delia, have you slept with him?"

"Jake!" Delia gasps before regaining her composure "No, no I have not." Lies. As soon as the lie left her mouth she could think nothing more but Andy, the way his lips were delicate on her skin, the way his fingers traced her body as if she were the finest of chinas; how he managed to make her feel as if she was on top of a pedestal as he worshipped her.

"All I'm saying is please be careful Delia." Jake sighs "As much as I would love to see Andy happy again, I can't ignore the amount of women he's slept with and dumped the next day. I don't want to see you get hurt by him."

"I won't Jake." Delia smiles.

Deep down she was hoping that to be true. As much as she wanted to say she did not feel anything for Andy, she could not deny the way she was fascinated by him. She could not deny she loved the feeling of him, it was almost enchanting.

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

"Great show as always guys!" Shevy smiles and she and Delia bring the food into the backstage room for everyone.

"4 more shows left guys!" CC screams.

"Man I love touring but I cannot wait to spend Christmas with my wife and son." Jinxx smiles.

"Yeah, I'm excited to see my parents again, as much as I love seeing the different states, it's weird being so far from them. I've never been far from them apart from when I went to study in Italy." Delia explains with a sad smile.

"After a while, you learn to focus on yourself and ignore other's feelings." Andy states dryly. "The only person you can ever rely on is yourself."

"Dude, that's cold." Jake replies looking at his bandmate.

"I'm just saying." Andy shrugs "I'm glad your marriages have turned out well but that is never promised. So what's the point? It's just easier to rely on yourself." At this Andy looks towards Delia. 

Andy did not want to hurt Delia, he knew that feeling all too well himself, but he was running out of options. Despite his best efforts, he was continuously drawn to Delia and he wished he was not. He promised himself he would never get close to someone again, not after Juliet. He thought Juliet was his person, the love of his life and the one he was to grow old with. Instead, things got messy, things became unhappy and both of them turned to alcohol, which was ultimately their downfall. Of course, Andy blamed himself entirely, he believed he was the problem. The voice in his head reminded him of that on the daily, reminded him of all the pain he was trying so desperately to hide.

"Look all I'm saying is..." Andy trails off before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter, forget I said anything."

"Woah, Andy, where are you going?" Shevy asks as he stands and starts to walk towards the door.

"I'm going to the bus, I'm tired." Andy lies. "Boca Raton tomorrow, as CC said, 4 more shows left. Let's make them count."

"Andy..." Delia calls after him. 

"Don't, Delia." He starts. "Just don't. It was a mistake to think that we could be friends, it was a mistake to trust we could be civil and comfortable around each other. Well, guess what? I'm done with all this pretending, after this tour, I never want to see you again."

After one final glance at the sound tech girl he could not stop thinking about, he turns and walks out of the room before heading towards the busses; leaving Delia and the rest of the group staring after him. 

Delia..." Shevy starts but finds no words to bring comfort to her friend.

"I'm fine." Delia fakes a smile.

No matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief. The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained. Delia knew Andy was bad for her, yet she allowed things to get this far and she didn't think she would ever understand why.

[jedi-lothwolf]

Augusnippets Day 4: Amputation

Fandom: The Bad Batch

Summary: Hunter knew standing close to Separatist tanks was dangerous. He didn't expect the one he was next to to blow up and he definitely didn't expect the damage to take his arm.

    Hunter knew he shouldn't have been so close to the Separatist tank. While he wasn't sure what had happened after he heard the tank explode, he knew passed out.

    One of his few memories involved a medic taking. "Put a tunicate on his arm, he's going to lose the limb anyway. If it gets much worse, we're going to have to do a field amputation."

    The clone remembered thinking, "did he just say 'field amputation'?" Trying to argue, Hunter tried to sit up. He found he couldn't move. Then the world went black.

    When he woke up, he was in a medical bay. Wrecker sat beside him on a chair. Tech was in the chair in the corner and Crosshair was sitting at the foot of the bed. They were talking about some memories from their cadet years.

    As Hunter stirred, he startled Crosshair. "Hunter."

"Yeah" he said quietly.

"Hey! We thought we were going to lose ya!" Wrecked yelled. He stood up and went to hug his brother.

Reacting to the situation, Tech also stood up. "Hugging Hunter is not in his best interest. He is still healing."

"Aww okay." Wrecker pouted. Then he sat back in his seat.

"What happened?" Hunter asked.

"You were injured by shrapnel." Tech began. "The medics brought you to the service location they could find. While there, they made the decision to amputate your left arm at your shoulder."

That couldn't be right. "What?"

"Your left arm has been amp-"

"I think he knows Tech." Crosshair cut his brother off.

"Are you okay?"

Hunter's arm was gone. Moving the blanket, the clone looked at where his arm should be. After a moment, he put the blanket back and just stared at his brothers.

"Are you okay." Wrecker repeated.

"I don't know."

"Losing a body part is a startling process. From the initial trauma to learning to cope with the loss of the amputated limb, it can take a while to fully heal. However, they should be able to fit you with a prosthetic." Tech walked over to Hunter as he talked.

"Something tells me this is not what he wants to hear." Wrecker spoke. He looked at Hunter, "do you want some alone time?"

"Yeah." Hunter didn't look at them. Instead he kept looking at the ceiling.

"We'll be nearby if you need anything." Wrecked touched the end of the bed as he spoke. Then Tech, Crosshair, and him left the room.

Trying to process what had happened to him, Hunter continued to stare at the ceiling. He knows Tech knows what will happen next but he's not sure if he wants to know. Prosthetics had advanced significantly over the years but they could never truly replace a flesh limb.

The amputation was to save his life, Hunter knew this. Still, he wondered why it had to happen. Why did he have to be so close to the tank that exploded? Why did the shrapnel land where it did? Whatever this cruel twist and fate had been, Hunter knew he had to live with it. After all, he had no choice.

[ur-mag]

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ | In Trend Today

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones was left ‘speechless’ after learning about ancestor on ‘last slave ship’ Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS

[katecursed]

oh man your art is amazing. any tips on how to get creating art with old tech like you do? I love the idea

thank you!!! <3 there are soooo many different ways to approach it. really any old CRT TV/monitor you can acquire is a perfect start. ask around if you don't have one, they might get harder to find but in my experience a ton of boomers still have em lying around (and will be overjoyed to part with them)!! as for camera, I used an iPhone SE for years and loved it, you don't need anything too fancy.

if the CRTs are all dead or no longer easy to find, you can definitely use an upscaler and a capture card. don't let the CRT hunt scare you away; it's like a tube amp but for visuals. it's not gonna make or break good art, and i've used a capture card for a different aesthetic as well! it's just one of many ways to render the analog signal.

beyond that, if you already have a digital art style or have the discipline to develop one, just pick up a copy of Aseprite and an HDMI to composite converter and you're good to go! whether you learn traditional pixel art techniques to adapt, or just downscale your art style, it's a pretty low barrier to entry there.

if you're more hands-on and want a glitchy aesthetic, the Dirty Video Mixer by Karl Klomp is a go-to first build. a camcorder + VCR/DVD player + dirty mixer combo is a classic setup for video artists. or if you're more into software, you can build an 8-bit creative code machine with an ESP32 devkit; there's an Arduino library for analog video based on Sega Master System emulation.

if you want to do the vector-style aesthetics like my oscilloscope pieces, look into 'oscilloscope music'! I personally use OsciStudio hooked into Blender, but there's free software as well.

last but not least, just follow your sense of wonder, experiment, try whatever. except don't open up the case of your CRT TV because it has super high voltages even when unplugged and will kill you

[paintcloset]

Plus Plan 2, Electricity Doesn't Make Noise

I realized recently I actually enjoy learning new things. I like thinking and exploring concepts if they intrest me. And I like researching. I started realizing this when writing the assignment for theory about the post soviet influence of Kazakhstan's contemporary art, but due to the limited word count, I didn't have enough space to spread my theoretical writing wings.

On my first flight to make it back to Rotterdam, I started rewatching Evangelion, yes the anime, and remembered how much I like the mysticism of seemingly advanced technology. Same reason for why I liked Akira's aesthetic. When you don't know how a computer works, or in this case a futuristic mecha flesh robot, it may as well be magic. The lines blur when you don't know enough to understand.

Rewatching Evangelion reminded me of the playlist I made years ago, "Shinji's mental breakdown in the cockpit", which is mostly house/electronic music. Music which I associate with feverish tech, unstable electronics as well as with technological mysticism. Not knowing how it work but still going along with it. Very similar to the main character, Shinji, just going along with piloting the giant mecha robot because it's easier to along with what you're told to do. The anime also explores themes of human connection, how we yearn for it yet avoid it out of fear of pain, the hedgehog theory ect.

But where I'm going with this tangent, is that the digital music made me think of visuals that I associate with the sounds that I hear.

None of the following statements are backed up by science that I know of.

Most things make sound. Natural (vs Manmade) objects have sounds that they are predisposition to make certain noise this can be evaluated/ calculated with a visual analysis. Sound doesn't equal Visual, but when you see a piano, you associate it with the sound it makes. You can knock on a table and predict the sound it makes. Physical music can be quite intuitive to make and play and i think also listen to.

But what about digital sound? Digital instruments and digital songs? And how do these unnatural sounds become associated with certain visuals? I feel a certain level of uncertainty when staring into FL Studio, and this feeling has been following since I first got it when I was 13. What do all the commands mean and buttons do? There's no intuition that can help you in a lawless technological mind field.

So I decided for plus weeks I just want to continue researching, thinking, learning and writing about the connections between digital sounds, their associations with visuals. I'm starting from roughly learning about music theory. I played the piano for 7 years and never learned how to it works lol so that would be a nice gap in my knowledge to fill. I will be following the following course:

Understanding Basic Music Theory | Open Textbooks for Hong Kong

It also covers the physics aspects of why music musics which I'm also interested in, and I think it will help me know which aspects to further research to answer my questions. I like learning about physics, i just never had any good teachers to get me interested or teach me anything about it. Fuck you middle school and high school physics teachers!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe I would have been an astrophysicist if not for your dumb fucking asses that don't know how to teach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a very deep and personal grudge towards physics teachers.

Oh yeah I'm also being motivated to do more music related things because I got my first guitar that mine and mine only!! And it's a silent guitar! Which is an electric guitar that you can still play without an amp or headphones and hear it very lightly

I don't know how electric guitars works but I wanna know more cus I love how they sound and I love my new guitar

I don't really know where all of this investigation will lead me but it's something that's grasping my attention and curiosity so I just want to roll with it and see where the research will take me !

physics