#i can edit/delete this no problem if either of you don’t want these additions in the reblogs

[copperbadge]

Well, Still Salty.

I was cranky yesterday and I thought a good night's sleep would provide some adjustment in perspective, but unfortunately "spending yesterday not on tumblr" also offered perspective and got there first.

Up front: feel free to comment or reblog on this post (replies may be heavily delayed) but if you feel the urge to Like, I'm going to ask you to take one more step and go to https://www.tumblr.com/support, select "feedback" as the category, and enter a line or two about the new dash. It can be as simple as "Your new dash design is difficult to use and is driving people off the site". I'm not asking everyone to do it, but if you're going to Like this post, that would be a helpful action in addition. You can delete any response they send; no reason to expose yourself to the unique combination of incompetence and condescension with which they handle feedback generally.

Also up front: yeah, if I find somewhere else to go and go there, I will certainly let you guys know beforehand, I'm not going to just evaporate. I'll be broadcasting about Tumblr's replacement on Tumblr very heavily. But I can't deny that it is now an active goal of mine to find a viable replacement for this site. (More on this in a moment.) You will always be able to find me on AO3 as copperbadge, or via copperbadge@gmail.com. (More on this in a moment also.)

This kind of thing is why I refuse to fuck with staff now or ever; I don't trust them and I never will. Watching @wip respond to almost every complaint or suggestion with "but that would be really hard" is telling. Whoever is pushing blocks around at Tumblr wants a lucrative site that's easy to code, but lucrative is hostile to community and code is difficult by nature, and when the architecture of the meeting hall is hostile and cheap, people don't stick around.

I've been watching the site as every change made it incrementally worse, from a buggy post window that doesn't allow ease of editing to the new dash (which is the reason I'm writing this in a text window off Tumblr). I genuinely do not think I can use desktop Tumblr like this unless I can install something that will put it back the way it was, and roughly 40% of the content you guys get HAS to come through desktop. It's impossible to do on a phone or so time-consuming it's not worth it. I cannot code Radio Free Monday on a phone; it's a struggle to code it on a single-monitor laptop (I usually write it on my work computer, where I have two monitors). Even writing image IDs on the phone is difficult and something I rarely do. Tumblr is becoming an actively difficult place for me to make content, introducing friction left and right.

But where does one go? I've tried other platforms and they're either worse to use or they don't have the constituency. The problem with a lot of discourse around internet addiction is that it often points out how glued people are to their phones without asking what it is they're doing on those phones. I'm not addicted to social media; I don't doomscroll, I don't care what celebrities have to say, I don't find 140 characters useful or interesting, I don’t find most “funny” videos very interesting. I create a lot of original content for public consumption, significantly more than many social media users, and if that becomes difficult, then the site suffers more than I do. But it's undeniable that social media, and this social media in specific, is where my people are, and yeah, I like seeing you all every day. It makes it difficult to leave even when Tumblr is the best of a bad set of options.

It seems like a lot of the internet, lately, is the best of a bad set of options.

All that said, Tumblr forced a sudden, unwanted, and unchangeable reskin on me a day after I listened to a two-hour podcast about addiction while working on building a newsletter system for my author site. I spent the evening before this happened in contemplation of my relationship to social media and to my readership and how I might alter it to my benefit regardless of whether that's also to Tumblr's detriment. Their poor timing, I suppose. A lot of the theories advanced on the podcast were, to put it kindly, bunk, but one of the suggestions for people questioning their relationship to an activity was a dopamine fast -- removing something in your life that gives you quick but unsustained dopamine hits, so that you can take some time to level out and examine your behaviors. On the one hand, that's not at all how dopamine works; from the jump it's a bad theory. But on the other, pulling back from something you think may be causing you difficulty is generally speaking a good tactic.

Removing myself from Tumblr yesterday was an active process: because I have ADHD and often will forget something exists if I don't systematize my engagement with it, Tumblr is normally pinned to my browser, with the app on my phone's top screen. Removing the app and closing the window meant that while I occasionally reached for Tumblr, it was less frequently than I expected, and the lack of access reminded me why I wasn't there. I missed you guys, but I didn't miss getting distracted from work by my dash, or the pressure to respond to the volume of communication I receive through the site daily. I don't think my use of tumblr as my sole social media has been unhealthy, per se, but certainly yesterday felt both quieter and calmer after I walked away.

But that's a temporary relief, because you are my community, and not only do I not want to leave my community, it's a resource for me. One of the reasons I do things like Radio Free Monday and the weekly Hug on Saturdays is that I try to make sure that resource is reciprocal. Leadership involves service. Leaving would be easy in the short term, but in the long term, leaving my community without having another place to meet it, or another community to go to, would be harmful to both of us. I'm already someone who isolates, and while I have a strong brickspace circle of friends, they fulfill sometimes different needs.

Though I do appreciate the wild vote of confidence from the comments to my last post telling me people would come with me where I went. That means a lot to me. I will attempt to make it either unnecessary or as painless as possible. Just know, I see your faith and friendship and I appreciate it.

Sometimes at my old job I'd be in very tumultuous meetings where a lot was discussed and not much agreed on, and the most useful thing to me was always to say, "What are our next steps? What would you like me to do because of this meeting?" So what are next steps, all this being the case?

First, I'm going to be off Tumblr, mostly, for another couple of days, because clearly I need the break and a few days won't matter too much. Again, I will be back either to continue on the site or to let you guys know, at length and volume, where I'm headed. The former is much more likely.

Second, I'm going to be actively looking for both a widget I can install to reset the dash (recommendations welcome, I currently don't even use xkit) and a wholly new platform that's a realistically viable alternative. Even if the dash gets reset, the shitty post editor is here for good. Attempts to source alternative platforms in the past have taught me that it needs to have a mobile-friendly site or an app, a similar structure to tumblr, and a reasonable chance of actually attracting users. That's a heavy venn diagram unlikely to be fulfilled anytime soon, but I'm now invested in finding it, instead of just passively waiting for it to happen to me (as Tumblr did when it pulled me off LJ).

Third, I do have an email newsletter in the works! I'm just wrestling currently with setting up how people sign up for it. This wasn't meant to be "my main broadcast platform"; it's meant to be a once-monthly email to share book news, targeted at people who aren't on socials or who just really love content from me, I guess. :D The plan was for me to assure Tumblr users that it was not extra content, just select content repackaged into a digest. But it will be one way to ensure that if I'm moving around outside of Tumblr, you'll know about it. I hope to have a link to a signup page soon. (I'm....dealing with some code issues.)

Fourth, I'm going to be combing through the last ten years I've spent here and pulling anything I think is of value into an archive. For now everything will remain here as well, and I'll let you guys know if I think that's going to change, but it's clear that this space is moving only one direction, towards a place I can't exist, and when/if it crumbles I want to have already evacuated what's important.

So there you go. I'll possibly be posting sporadically (the Saturday Hugs are queued six months in advance so that'll happen) but if nothing else and if not sooner, I'll be back full-time next week starting with Radio Free Monday. I appreciate your patience and your kindness in the meantime!

[11thwardtls]

Memory Defrag | TRACK 5 - Data Corpulence | Azekawa Kinari's Ward Mayor Novel Translation

Warnings and Disclaimers:

This translation is not professionally done and is not proofread. Edits and clean-ups may come at a later date.

Not a 1:1 translation either and some liberties into localization were taken into account.

This novel will contain spoilers for the Ev3ns Main Story: "Chained Up Scarlet".

Appropriate Content and Trigger Warnings will be added if needed.

May be used for quotebots/masterlists etc.

I am not fluent and self-studying Japanese (albeit at turtle speed), this was translated by ear and with the help of a JP dictionary, so please feel free to point out any errors!

—/—/—/—/—/—

I came out of semi-conscious mode and awakened all at once.

By my bedside, there was a plastic water bottle, with a note stuck to it: “Are you thirsty? Here, if you don’t mind.” in Raito’s handwriting. 

As I am an android, my mouth does not get dry, yet I drank from the bottle anyway.

The room’s interior has been plunged into azure-hued darkness.

I could hear the flapping of the nocturnal birds resting in the trees behind me.

———[At the very least, you could say what’s on your mind in your own words.]

Father’s words repeated several times within my auditory system.

Whenever I recall these words, I start to feel something, slowly.

It’s something that I’ve not been able to properly verbalize.

But now, I’m searching for a meaning within Father’s words, of which I had previously felt nothing upon hearing them. 

“Were his intentions similar to Master’s own words?”

I threw my question into the void.

I suppose that the true nature of Father’s hopes for me, was similar to Master’s own desire to treat me as if I were a fellow human being. 

What Father wanted at the time was not for me to be in a state to channel Kinari’s spirit, but for me to speak out using my own words. 

Rather than words that have been programmed into me, he must have wished to hear my words from the heart.

As I thought, I still deeply regret that I could not do that even at his deathbed.

Yes, there’s some sort of feeling of regret. Likely so. Surely, I thought.

And this sort of emotion is quite surprising in itself.

Because, as an android, I feel an emotion called ‘regret’. 

But looking back on this incident and understanding how I felt while reviewing those memories, perhaps someday I too will gain those 21 grams.

By analyzing, considering, and reflecting……

As Kuguri has previously said, these records can turn themselves into memories. 

[Further verification is still required.]

For that purpose, any and all records shall be preserved without being deleted.

I thought about it for when I have the free time to browse these past data bit by bit, but a message box appeared hovering over my retinas.

[The additional information related to the emotion base is building data corpulence at this time. Would you like to delete those additional parts?]

This newly acquired data is a highly valuable resource that is connected to 21 grams, therefore it cannot be deleted. I selected [No]. 

[The screen glitches for a moment.]

The moment that I’ve made my choice, the image reflected in my retinas became distorted and a noise appeared.

“...?”

I checked on my systems to see if a small error had occurred, but there was no problem.

Right now, I cannot afford to shrink down on my memory any further.

The everydays that would increase from here forward would be also valuable pieces of samples.

With that in mind, I laid down on my bed.

—/—/—/—/—/—

“Today’s a whole extra super awesome ‘nother lesson day~! After finishing with warm ups, we’re doing formation checks, alrightyyyy?” 

Chihiro’s cheerful voice resounded throughout the lesson room this morning.

He always took the initiative whenever it came to practicing.

As always, I put out the tablet and started to record our dance formation———

—But he appeared troubled almost immediately.

“Oh whoopsies! My hard disk is full already~ I can’t record anymore.”

“Isn’t that a large capacity tablet? Why’s there so much data…? Plus, didn’t you say the same thing last month?”

Tao rushed in to check quickly. Chihiro pouted, cheeks puffed up, “I’m an influencer, aren’t I? Don’t tell me you forgot?!”, he retorted.

These two always have this kind of conversation all the time.

“Hahaha, well yeah, your job’s to take pics and all that. So I guess my smartphone…

Ah, right… I dropped it in the bath yesterday and it broke.” 

“Haaaaa. It’s like, soooo unbelievable that such a high-key moronic guy exists in this world!” 

Raito made an offer to do it on his behalf, but then was quickly rejected.

Kuguri gave Raito the stink-eye, as he had no intention of ever lending his own device.

“Welp, there’s no choice then. Kinyari~ can Chii twouble you to do it?”

“Understood.”

In the past eras, humans have used their eyes as a camera when photographic equipment cannot be used. Their video recordings would be burned onto their retina, be available as an output and viewed on another device.

I began to film our dance routine while looking into the mirror.

“Tao, stop. Your hand placement is off by three centimeters.”

“Tao, stop. Your arms are not fully extended.”

“Tao, stop. You mustn’t do this move from your chest, but from your shoulders.”

I added detailed annotations about our mistakes, and by the time I finished them, Chihiro would hug me and say, “Luuuuv ya, Kinyari!”

Chihiro does this more often than not. He also happily rested his cheek by my hair.

“Ahhh, you smell so nice, Kinyari~ Haaaa, you’re just the bestest, the cutest, I loooove you~” 

“Mm. Thank you.”

“Oi, Chihiro, quit messin’ around already. Keep doing that and it’d count as sexual harassment.”

“But if it’s me and Kinyari, we make a super mega cute picture together, so it’s a-okay!” 

“Eh… That so?”

Tao warned him, but Chihiro bit back.

He seemed a bit distressed after listening to Chihiro’s absurd reasoning.

Raito laughed softly as usual, saying, “I’m glad that we all get along so well.”

On the other hand, Kuguri interjected, “Nyushi, if I were to join in as well, wouldn’t it be even prettier?”

This sort of interaction between us unit members had now become the norm.

Chihiro often talked about me so lovingly, yet according to Tao, “Ain’t it because Chihiro used to be an idol otaku and likes cute things?”

Can this kind of love be classified as something that fulfills my father’s hopes and wishes that [Someone who loves you will surely appear]?

I don’t know it yet, but I have long since accepted this circumstance.

“Man, at the end of the day, I was still the one who made the most mistakes again.”

“Tao, you’d be training on your own again today, wouldn’t you? I’ll join as well so let’s do our best together.”[4]

“By the way, Kinari. I accidentally let it slip that you slept longer than usual this morning to Ushio. He seemed quite worried so if you could, please show yourself to him later to let him know.”

“Plüss, won’t you at least punish this wretch of a man for saying something so unnecessary?” 

Chihiro and Tao started to whisper amongst themselves about everyday this and that, while Raito and Kuguri, who were wiping away their sweat, also chatted for a little while. 

I’d say, “Shall we proceed to play and observe the formation video I took on my camera on another device now?”, all four of them, Kuguri—to an extent, would watch somewhat seriously. 

Thus, our discussion on how we could further improve it would then begin. 

I, for once, would like to repeat this moment an innumerable amount of times.

……The thought of it was not at all unpleasant.

“Please give it your all in singing, dancing, your idol activities and live happily!”

This is my firstmost and top priority order I needed to fulfill. It is my very core of being. 

My most important standard of behavior.

However, rather than having to meet that standard, little by little, the desire to fulfill it instead is being born.

What to call this sort of ‘emotion’, I don’t know it yet.

But, I can feel it. I know so.

Emotions that I cannot name yet will continue to grow within my heart.

Surely. Probably. Maybe. 

Someday, even… 

———is what I thought.

—/—/—/—/—/—

Translation Notes: 

1 - This chapter’s title name was very… difficult to word, as 肥大 in particular could be any of the words related to gaining weight/fat. In accordance with this, I used the word corpulence instead to achieve the same meaning across. 

2 - Took liberties with Chihiro’s gyaru-speak. Also yes he did say all of that part (I have screenshot receipts). 

3 - Again, Tao did actually say that. Quite literally in fact too!

4 - I don’t know who said that, but basing off the prose that followed, it seems to be Chihiro? I’m not sure if he’s ever called him anything other than Taotao so please correct me if I’m wrong here! 

—/—/—/—/—/—

Directory:

Main Page | TRACK 1 | TRACK 2 | TRACK 3 | TRACK 4 | TRACK 5

[a-captions-blog]

[Plain text from OP: 1. I am going to be homeless in 30-37 days. 2. This will be pinned, so check the former Pinned post for payment methods and further details in terms of financially and otherwise. Halloween will not be a very treatful time for me, as it seems. \End PT]

[First reblog plain text: October 14th, 2023 Writing at 4:50 PM EST. \End PT]

[Second reblog image descriptions, taken from alt text: 1. "An ask from @ DifferentsThings that says: (start caps) I am disabled Black single mother with 3 kids I shouldn’t have to explain to anyone (end caps) what I'm doing in my everyday life too get help because believe me or NOT but I am actually in programs and in touch with every resource possible in my area for housing, food, and medical help!!! My Goal is $310 but now I have received $114.71 please help me. (start caps) donate anything/share, rb If you want to help me and my 3 kids because we need 15 people to donate $195.29 please help me and my 3 kids, thank you. (start caps) donation page in bio (end caps) Text has been added to the screenshot saying, ‘Please don’t harass her, I implore y’all. Help her. I am unable. I blocked for my own reasons. No one deserves this amount of suffering.’ Answer from OP: …*sighs* Okay so. I didn’t know how to respond to this. But…this felt extremely familiar and not in a good way. I am sorry for your situation, and I can emphasize with it. That’s as far as I’m able to go on that. In addition to being triggered from the simultaneous screech noise from multiple devices in the place I am staying in. This ask triggered a flashback to…well. I’ve had enough on that. I am only answering this ask to affirm a boundary I wish I didn’t have to reinforce again. As much as I’d love to help you, I can’t, not financially. The most I can do is answer this ask but that’s as far I can go without depersonalization and elongated dissociative periods. Boundary: if you send this type of ask to me, or DM me similarly, and I do not know you; please be aware your ask and/or DM will be deleted and you will be blocked if it is pushed to me further. 2. I know what it’s like to be smothered cruelly and on your last of ropes, I wouldn’t wish it anyone. These initiate flashbacks I don’t wish to relive again. I do not have the mental capacity to continue to endure what I have from being altruistic and helping folks left and right in a honorless battlefield. I can’t do it anymore. Certainly not now. I’m trying to stand on my feet again after all I experienced. No. I hope you find the financial help you need. I wish the best for you. Don’t send me this kind of ask again. Text edited onto the screenshot says, ‘I was triggered from the indicated ask’s contents, it sent me into a mental space I was fighting to avoid already; so pardon my harshness. Normally I wouldn’t have a problem, but it happened right after the above post.’ The next reblog in the chain is from OP: (start italics) *Just had to block and remove an ask from my inbox in this fashion* (end italics) Lemme…lemme be clear. The warning above is your only warning. If I seem selfish for this then selfish I will be. • If you are following me hoping to ask for money, shares, and otherwise; and I find out or even suspect of such intentions, you’ll be filtered and blocked. • I am minding my business, asking for help when needed. If it’s seen that I give to others and not to you, it is nothing short of the fact that I don’t know you and I don’t have what’s needed to even help you. • Consider the fact that this is the wrong blog to go to for these kind of things. This is my main content blog. I have two others, and those are not to be floored and flooded with these kinds of asks either. • Respect my damn boundaries or be blocked. If I am cruel so be it. I don’t have the patience to be honorable in an honorless battle. Play someone else. Not me. This is tagged #boundary setting and #reblog ask]

[Third reblog plain text: November 7th, 2023 Update on CJoat becoming homeless. I wish to update this post. I don’t think raising 500K at minimum, as spoken about here, is going to work, according to the realtor I contacted, housing vouchers don’t seem to help with purchasing a home, rentals sure; but not mortgages. Despite the gravity of my situation, it’s been at least 2.5 years for trying to hear word on Section 8, but other then renewing these applications, buying a home will not provide me housing any faster than within 6 days, (as of yesterday it was 6 days until the 12th the day I would have to leave. As such, I asked for an extension, they’re (the family I’m staying with) providing an extra week; and will allow my mail to continue to come even after that. This is good news, albeit buying time; but I’m going to need help still with housing before November 19th. See my payment links provided. Other than that, this situation has been wearing worse on my mental state, and I’ve having been slowly noticing that when I reblog posts, the reblog doesn’t adopt the tags from the reblogged post. I am so sorry about that, especially on @cjoat-boost and @mars-da-volcanic-elemental reblogs are not tagged accordingly, with content warnings and trigger warnings. Becoming homeless has weighted heavily on my mind, to the point of constant terror. I can barely function these days even with trying to do what I can to uplift folks’ voices in need. I will do better as I go. I’m exhausted and cramping excruciatingly. So I will end this post here.]

[Fourth reblog plain text and image descriptions: November 12th update Image 1: Screenshot of an email titled, ‘Your online AT&T bill is ready.’ The email states that a payment of $64.43 is due on 20 November 2023. Image 2: A second email with the same title that states that a payment of $142.97 is due on 26 November 2023. Image 3: A screenshot showing the confirmation screen for a payment of $64.43 on 12 November 2023. \End descriptions]

I’m shaky, tired, and stressed as I type this but-

I am going to be homeless in 30-37 days.

Um…I have stayed the extent of the time I’ve been able to stay with the folks I’m currently staying with. I had stayed a few months already. Since mid-May 2023. No one expected me to come and stay this long. They were able to house me longer term. Life just had other plans. They did as they were able. They know my situation. They, nor I, can’t control the systems and all. But I do need to go.

I’ve received 30 days notice. They can extend a week, but no further (thus the 37 days). I’ve put in housing applications, to help with housing, and I’ve checked with other friends that I could possibly stay at, in this state at least. But neither are able to take me in. Which I knew already as they explained their situations and I’m not going to add myself to the mix of their daily lives. I’m grateful for the family I’ve been with and their hospitality. I have run out of options in terms of safe places to stay. I saw it coming a few weeks back I just…

Everything I’ve worried about came flaring up again. I can’t go back to my abusive mom. Nor any of my family, as the majority of them are Christians. I don’t want to live in that atmosphere anymore. The only reason I know the folks I’m in is because of an ex-partner, and their network which…I’m no longer dating due to traumatic reasons. I have reached out to others to see what else I can do immediate-wise.

I don’t…I don’t know what else to do; or where else to go atm within state. It’s bad timing too, just on my part, It’s getting cold. I haven’t located my winter coat. The most I have is my winter boots and sweatpants and sweatshirts as winter clothing; along with other things, which may not even all fit in my one suitcase.

I knew it was coming but…It……I’m…really fucking scared. So I come to y’all. I will…turn off my throne wishlist for now. Without an address to send things to, I can’t receive them without complications. 30 days from now is November 12, 2023; 37 days is November 19, 2023.

I’ll pack starting tomorrow. I…need financial support, encouragement, love, or…miraculously a place I can call my own without a landlord involved. Landlords are already shitty in majority. Very little are truly good folk.

I don’t want to be driven to the dark depths of my mind that put me in where I may take my own life as it’s better than this constant up and down whiplash of lash. I’m not in that state of mind. I would like to keep it that way. I have promises to keep. Promises that keep me alive and would affect many if I don’t keep them.

This will be pinned, so check the former Pinned post for payment methods and further details in terms of financially and otherwise. Halloween will not be a very treatful time for me, as it seems.

Thank you for reading.

[yandere-sins]

A (tiny) tutorial on how to download Twisted Wonderland if you are not US/CA for IOS

Because I know some of you also struggled with this, here is how I did it! Before I go into detail, please note these little problems I encountered:

You won’t be able to connect your Paypal account with an Apple ID that is not located in the same country. I am not sure about the credit card option, but gift cards won’t work either since they are country-locked (aka, it will tell you that your gift card can only be used in an Apple store of the same country where you bought the card) That means you will be F2P if you want or not.

Even if you change back to your original Apple ID you won’t be able to charge that one if you want to buy anything in-app. It’ll give you an error message that payments need to be done on the Apple ID that the app was downloaded with, so tough luck with that...

I am not sure about the legality of creating a new Apple ID account. You will need to put in an address before accessing it, and I am not sure if that is actually a bit fraud-ish. Thus, I don’t take responsibility if you decide to do this method and somehing happens! (Though so far I haven’t heard about anything like that. Just don’t try to scam with that ID lol)

Additional Edit 02/16/22:

You can absolutely buy gift cards from those regions to use on your US/CA account if you don’t want to stay F2P. You’ll need to switch back to that account and redeem it there but it should work. However, there might be an additional cost to the gift card instead of just the price you are purchasing! Remember to stay on that account for the purchase before switching back to your regular Apple ID!

Important if you are using Apple Music: Your entire library will be deleted upon switching accounts! If you have a Apple Music backup on your computer, you can just transfer all the music files back onto your device, or alternatively, you need to make one or several playlists with all the songs and enable “Sync Library” in the settings. Apple will delete all songs and albums but it keeps your playlists; with this method, you can quickly redos load everything without manually searching for each and every song.

Those are the only negative points I found so far trying around and testing things, now, here’s how I did it:

You need an US or CA Apple-ID, however, after using it to download the app, you can switch back to your normal one! To get a new one, log out of your old one (make sure you know your login for this one again later!) and when logging in again choose ‘new account’. I had the problem that I couldn’t find this option on my mobiles, so I went to   appleid.apple.com   and in the top corner chose ‘create your apple ID’

Once you followed the creation process (you can choose the same telephone number but different emails as your other ID), take your new ID back to the mobile device of your choosing and log in. It should automatically prompt further inquirement from Apple to add Name & Address. You will absolutely need a postal code from the country you chose, everything else seems to be open for wrong information. Though it will also accept if you use your personal information and then just change the city & postal code to one from the country you chose for your ID.

Once you’re done, you should be able to finally download the game yay! (Please download the game first before changing back to your original ID) You don’t need to worry about updates as they will still work as long as you are connected to the internet, even when you change back to your original Apple ID (and I recommend going back to your normal one for your other apps, payments, music, etc. If you have automatic payments they don’t seem to be cancelled while you are changing around, but it might be better to check them afterwards!)

Enjoy playing! ♥

The thing I was afraid of was having to constantly having to change back and forth between IDs to update the app, however, updates can be done even if your Apple ID is not the same that downloaded an app, so it should be fine! Lmk if you try the same and find more additions so I can add them to the post! I hope you guys can enjoy the game ♥

Also, I just want to say that without the help of my good friend Hime I probably wouldn’t have come this far, so all the credit for helping me and setting me up to Hime! ♥

[despazito]

Complete list of all problems known so far in Pokemon Sword and Shield with data and/or proof for each problem

[I am copying this post from the pokemon subreddit from u/Terotu]

Seeing as there's a lot of people that don't quite know the extent of the issues and that there's no real compilation of the problems, I feel like everyone needs a list with info and sources of each and every current problem with the games, it's a long list but I've tried to put it all together, it's not just dexit people. I will post everything that is 100% confirmed and known so far, there's potentially other problems, but this is made as a somewhat "quick" digest with info that has been 100% proven, for anyone out of the loop that wants to know exactly what's happening with these games.

1. The number of usable Pokemon has been cut, only less than half are now usable, known as Dexit, it means that you won't be able to use these pokemon in the new games, you won't be able to transfer them in, and you won't be able to do anything with them sans sticking them in home for the foreseeable future (Home will probably be a paid only subscription based service just like its predecessor), for all intents and purposes, these Pokemon are basically removed from the main games franchise and they will take probably years to come back, if ever. An image with the cut/not cut pokemon can be found here, pokemon in green are confirmed to be in, pokemon in purple have galar forms, pokemon in yellow are in the data, but there's nothing for them, they could be leftover data like the items and other things, could be giveaway/event only, could only come from other games, etc, there's no way to know what's the plans for them at the moment, if any, pokemon in red are cut. The excuse GF used for this culling was that it let's them work on delivering better animations and a more carefully crafted game, since they don't have to put more time and effort into redoing the models. This is complete BS as the game polish is worse than ever, and the models seem to just be somewhat edited XY models.

2. Just like the Pokemon cut, about 144 moves were removed, 99 moves excluding the let's go and other outlier moves, this includes extremely important and used mainstay moves like Hidden Power, return/frustration and Pursuit, on top of extremely old moves that have been there since gen 1, some of these moves were important for the viability of several Pokemon, which may cause them to be way less effective if not way worse when it comes to battles, on top of this, it also removed some SIGNATURE MOVES of certain Pokemon. The full list for deleted mainstay pokemon moves can be found here Attempts at transferring Pokemon with these moves will apparently get this message: "This move can’t be used. It’s recommended that this move is forgotten. Once forgotten, this move can’t be remembered."

3. Short game, the first streamer beat the champion at around the 14 hour mark, while he did this by skipping a fair amount of trainer battles, other streamers are clocking in about 16-20 hours, seems like the average will be about 18 hours to beat the game. Here's one of the many streamers, he's right before champion and clocking in at 14:34.

4. The graphics are extremely mediocre, it constantly looks worse and less polished than LGPE, the textures are often inexcusable. Examples of the bad graphics seen here 1 2 3 4 5 6 A comparison with LGPE can be seen here and here Here's a game recently released for switch, another picture found here, the difference is unreal.

5. There's constant graphical issues, not just low quality graphics, pop in is present at all points of the game due to bad coding, trainer models will also disappear mid battle when an attack with a high number of particles is used, this also happened in SM, however, SM moved the camera away to avoid people seeing it, they didn't even try this time. This means it's either a carry over from SM and they just copy pasted most of the code, or they somehow have to remove the trainers to avoid a switch from somehow getting fps drops. The pop-ins can be evidenced here and here. Trainers dissapearing mid battle can be evidenced here

6. Animations, one of the main reasons why GF cut pokemon, at least in the interviews, are as shoddy as ever. There's extremely lazy animation all over the game, from normal attacks to key moments in the game, such as the encounter with the box legendaries. Most of the animations are also completely copy pasted from older games, one example seen here with Hau(the entire character of hop is basically a copy paste of hau.) Most of the animations for the camp are also copy pasted from xy amie, evidenced here. Pokemon battle animations are just as bad as before, if not worse, pictured here is a pokemon headbutting with its feet. Another example found here, THE MAIN BOX ART POKEMON CINEMATIC, THIS IS THE GAME CLIMAX, another example on the other version found here In fact, it could be considered way worse if compared to the last gen, example of upscaled USUM cutscenes. (Notice the graphical change isn't that big, the only difference here is increasing the resolution)

7. Cutscenes and restrictions, like previous Pokemon games the cutscene and story forcing and restrictions are insane this time around, seems to be even more intrusive and in your face than before at times, while keeping the same level of cutscene intrusion than past gen. The video for this point was taken down, but if you wish to see this you should be able to find it by searching the gameplay clips/streams online

8. The difficulty, just like the cut scene problem, this carries over from earlier games and it's even worse.There were constant heals, to the point where in the first routes you're not able to go beyond 3 trainer fights without getting a full heal. The first streamer avoided fights and didn't train at all, it still was one shotting gym leader dynamaxed ace pokemon.This can be seen here.

9. Post-Game is almost non-existant, as usual since masuda-Ohmori started directing, there's no frontier, there's also no frontier like facility. The post game consists of battle tower and a very short sequence of missions where you beat some dynamax pokemon for your rival to catch the other legendary. Not only this, but the battle tower is also an inferior version of past towers, it doesn't have super single nor super double battles, it has no triple battles and there's no "tower bosses", it's just random trainer npcs after another.

10. Problems with game design and behavior, beyond difficulty and progression, there's other problems in the overall game design. Examples of this is not being able to catch Pokemon in the wild areas until you got a badge allowing you to do so, which usually covers your current level. Meaning if you find a level 31 shiny or a level 31 pokemon you really want, you won't be able to catch it until you go and beat the next gym. For shiny hunters, this one is gonna be really important, you cannot see if your Pokemon is gonna be shiny or not in the overworld, this means that on top of the badge limit, you also got this potential problem. Evidenced here.

11. Removed past features with virtually no new additions, seems like this is a mainstay in Pokemon, removing older features so they become one of a time gimmicks, but unlike earlier titles this new game doesn't adds anything new except dynamaxing, which is limited to gyms only. This particular gen removes Mega Evolutions and Z moves, mega evolutions in particular were a huge deal and seeing them suddenly removed means that there's little reason to get involved with any new addition, no matter how mainstay or how much GF forces it when it will very soon be gone. A list of these removed features can be found here.

12. No scaling whatsoever, models are the same sizes of XY (giving more plausibility to them not really redoing the models).Any argument against this is thrown out of the window when dynamaxing exists, since the models seem to be edited XY models then the problem remains. Here's the non scaled model in sword and shield. Here's an scaled model, released in a game that came out 15 years ago for a the Nintendo Gamecube, something way less powerful than the switch.

13. No GTS, retera thread on the discovery found here, the only strings that refer to the GTS are leftovers from Let's Go code, as seen here and here. This is most likely due to Home(this means that you will have to pay for switch online+home for services older games already included) Thanks to /u/c_will for pointing this one out and gathering the info.

14. A 20 dollar price increase for less content than earlier 3DS games, with subpar graphics and removal of features, an overall shoddy release for a higher price point.

15. Performance, game is locked to 30 fps, and while that's not a big issue by itself, this is coupled with slowdown at certain moments such as dynamaxing, it can drop fps to the floor and turn the game into a slideshow for a while. Evidenced here. Still gathering more info on this one, as it's a relatively new occurrence that hasn't happened to all users, take this one with a grain of salt

16. The overall lack of quality, polish and effort put into the game, this is all the minor/somewhat minor but still very telling problems with the game. This is apparent in many ways all throughout the game, things like the wrong backgrounds or just voids for pokemon battles. Two example of the wrong backgrounds seen here and [here] (https://clips.twitch.tv/FriendlyCleanOstrichArsonNoSexy) One example of the void background seen here (these happen on indoor fights and some non indoor but scripted battles)Examples of backgrounds on indoor and everywhere else in both LGPE and colosseum, seen here and here. Then there's complete lack of music in the game story most important moments, seen here. Starters are also shiny locked. The entire world freezes when using certain objects, as seen here. To this, you add up the emptiness of the wild area and the badly implemented weather changes that don't make much sense, both seen here No animation for flying, no elite 4, no victory road, etc, this is added to all the other problems that show the lack of effort put into them.

This franchise deserves better.

You deserve better.

These games are not only a huge step down from earlier titles, but it goes beyond what used to be already barely  tolerable standards to way below standards, keep in mind this is the biggest, most profitable franchise on earth.

This is the first time a pokemon main game is released on console, people were excited for game freak to finally do whatever they wanted and it's been done with the most minimal of  efforts, all the money you've spent on Pokemon didn't went on making this a better game, it went straight into the pockets of the people in charge, those that made sure this was made with the most minimum effort and those that cut  corners.

Companies that made games decades ago on hardware less powerful than the switch shouldn't be doing a better job than game freak, and companies doing work in the switch have completely obliterated game freak when it comes to developing a video game.

Keep in mind that your purchase of these games causes this:

Continue the yearly release cycle that makes the games rushed and forces the devs to insane crunch time, creating the low morale problem

Tells them that you're ok with these problems, and they will keep lowering the bar and cutting corners on development

Your money will continue going into the pockets of those responsible for these problems

I implore you to be a smart consumer, I've played Pokemon since I red, ever since I was a child, I can no longer support this franchise, I probably won't buy a Pokemon product ever again if this is gonna be how they're gonna treat the games and its fans.

[kyanitedragon]

I hope you two don’t mind, but I thought your tags were really good:

#anon i see ur also aro so i dont wanna speak over u #but like #idk i thought ppl were just over-reacting to rep for so long #a character shares your identity? whatever #what does that even do for anyone? #and then i saw a sliver of myself reflected somewhere else and i sobbed for so long #i didnt even realize how much i needed that #and now the few more slivers i see get ripped apart #and written over bc its not shipping compatible #and idk maybe im a whiny little baby but one day i wanna be able to feel represented again #without people trying their hardest to deny things

As well as @kidrat’s reply:

[ID: A tumblr reply from @KidRat that reads “Honestly for aros [with] romance repulsion, canonical aros are the only characters that are *safe* to project onto and are a relief from seeing every other character ever getting paired up. so to then come to fandom and see people erasing aro characters, that doesn't only remove [representation], it tramples over the small safe moments to *breathe* that canonical aromanticism affords us.” END ID]

Aroace tryna understand y it’s bad to ship aro characters here..

I’m not saying it’s OKAY to in majority of context bc like as u said almost entirely they r doing it w/out giving a shit abt how actual aro ppl view/feel abt the situation

But I still believe in the scenario they r respectful n listen to the aro folks they absolutely can

Again tryna grasp this T-T

for me, i do not get to see myself represented often. I can actually count on like one hand how many popular canon aro characters there are, and on the whole, none of their identities are respected. people constantly try to weasel their way out of actually writing aro characters, or they just ignore or deny their identity outright. fandom spaces (hell creative spaces in general) are at best not welcoming to aros, and at worst actively hostile towards us. So when the first question brought up when a character gets canonically confirmed as aro is “okay cool but can i ship them???” or “that’s nice but how can i still write about my fave ship that involves them??” i want to fucking scream. its a slap to the face and it shows that people really do not give a shit about aros. you say stuff like that and all i hear is “my fictional ship is so much more important than representing a marginalized minority identity” so instead of me just sitting here and saying “yes you can totally ship aro characters, as long as you’re respectful!!!” i’m saying “can you stop and think why you want to shove an aro character into a romantic relationship at the first chance you get?? maybe you have some arophobia you haven’t worked on?? maybe since we live in an amatonormative world, you’re letting that influence your views??” because that question being the first thing out of peoples mouths when they see a character they like confirmed as aro? it makes me feel like shit. it shows me that my most important identity is just an obstacle to everyone. “how can I avoid writing an aro character actually being aro? how do I take an alloromantic characterization and dress it up in enough aspec terminology to get it past the mean aros who don't like when I erase identities?”

[yoolee]

Actual, real world advice from Lee: Useful corporate phrases

I have no idea if anyone still checks this blog, and if they do, this has nothing to do with what usually gets posted, but I’ve done two of these, so here’s a third!

“Thanks, you’ve given me something to think about.”

Use it: When you get feedback you don’t agree with - especially if you have an immediate emotional reaction to it.

Why: Because it acknowledges but doesn’t agree. Basically buys you time to react privately without damaging the relationship. Immediately (and emotionally) jumping into telling someone why they’re wrong is only going to strain the relationship. When you’re getting feedback, you want the other person to feel heard (science says even having the opportunity to air negative feelings makes people feel more positively about the thing). That doesn’t mean you have to AGREE. This statement lets you acknowledge, while buying you time to process. This also gives you an out on things like opinions people have on presentations or projects: if they bring it up later you can say you thought about it, but decided to keep what you had because A/B/C and by then you’ll have had time to craft an ironclad response. 

“I can’t, I have a prior commitment.”

Use it: When you’re being asked to work hours that your coworkers aren’t, or that you are not part of your regular schedule, or, you know, when you have a prior commitment and don’t want to give details.

Why: Your time is your time and you don’t owe an explanation! Yes, it’s important to be a team player, and it’s important to be flexible and get the work done when it needs to get done, bit if you’re in a situation where, say, a parent isn’t asked to come in the weekend because your boss knows they have kids, and you are because they know you don’t, draw the line. There’s often a temptation to justify unavailability (lie and say doctor’s appointment, family event, traveling) but you do not owe justification for your time being your own, and not wanting to take the burden of additional responsibility without additional compensation in return. Being in the habit of not providing justification will come in handy if you ever don’t want to disclose something later (eg, private appointment, interview at another workspace) - it won’t seem suspicious that you’re suddenly being vague. 

“The goal/outcome for this meeting is...”

Use it: When you’re running a meeting.

Why: You would be amazed how different everyone’s perceptions of their role in a meeting are, and setting expectations so obviously may feel silly but wow it helps. Let’s say I schedule a 1:1 with my boss. I just call it, Lee/Boss 1:1. I walk in and start venting about how Coworker is always late in responding to my emails. What does my boss do? In this case, my boss doesn’t know if I want them to fix my problem, if I want them to just let me air my grievances, or if I want them to give me advice, etc. If they do something other than what I want, we’ll both be frustrated. If I instead I preface it by saying, “I’m going to handle this on my own, but I just need to say it and be heard.” or “I need some advice.” then we both go into the convo knowing our roles. This works on big meetings too, “I’m going to make the final decision but I schedule this meeting to hear your input…” “At the end of the meeting I want to walk away with a budget we’ve all approved…” 

“What is the most important thing for us to accomplish [during this meeting]?”

Use it: When you don’t know the expectations for a meeting, you don’t think you need to be in the meeting, the meeting has a lot of people on it, or you’re getting frustrated because you don’t know why there’s a meeting in the first place.

Why: So that you and the person leading the meeting don’t focus on different things! See the above entry :)  

“Hypothetically, what would the ideal outcome look like?”

Use it: When someone is stuck on a problem (including yourself).

Why: We tend to artificially impose limits on our problem-solving, which stops us from being creative, going into an open-ended hypothetical offers a new vantage point.

A lot of times when we’re stuck, we try so hard to make do with what we’ve got that we fail to consider how much more is actually available to us. Start with the ideal and figure out which components of it are accessible. Then work backwards with what/how/who questions. What/how/who are open-ended. They make you think! Consider: “Can you rent space by this weekend?” this is a closed decision, it limits you to yes/no, and puts limiters on the delivery (what comes to mind are event halls, restaurants, etc) Compare to: “What kind of space do you need?” which could prompt something like, oh, just space for 10 people - what about a park? Open-ended questions are your friend when trying to help someone solve a problem (even if that ‘someone’ is yourself!) 

(not a phrase)  Save ‘I’ for remediation, passive voice for problems

Use it: When you have to communicate a problem that is not your fault.

Why: Because you shouldn’t take responsibility for something that isn’t your responsibility - but throwing someone else under the bus is NEVER a good look. Putting the ‘I’ on action shows you’re working on it. Consider, “I don’t have bandwidth to take on this project right now” vs “This project will require more analysis than that timeframe allows, but I can start on it [later ETA].” The latter is stronger - the fault is on the project, not your time management (or your leadership’s inability to see that your plate is full). Also, “I haven’t finished because Bob hasn’t sent me the graphics.” vs, “The project’s just waiting on graphics. I should be able to wrap up by Tuesday if they arrive Monday. I’ve reached out to Bob, his ETA is [ETA]”. Same thing - it’s communicated that the project isn’t finished, but the fault is left sort of nebulous. You’re not artificially taking it one, and you’re not tossing Bob under the bus. Takes some practice, but definitely makes life easier. Caveat (there’s always one): If you screw up, take ownership and do it fast. It is always, ALWAYS better to control the narrative of failure than for your leadership to find out you failed from someone else.

(not a phrase) KEEP TALKING

Use it: When you’re interrupted by someone being obnoxious.

Why: Because you’re not done, and they’re being rude, and this communicates that without calling them out. Legit, just finish your sentence like you don’t hear them talking. Don’t miss a beat. Not to make this about gender, but this is something I, as a female on mostly all-male teams, have found to be EXTREMELY effective, to the point of other people reaching out to me after like wow that interrupting person was kinda bein’ an asshole, sorry, and me being like no biggie thanks for noticing and taking my back. Has that secondary reach out ever happened when I just meekly cut myself off for them? No. Caveat - maybe don’t do this if the person interrupting is like, a VP/CEO they won’t take it well. Also, second caveat, have some grace for your coworkers if it’s not something they do often and you work with them frequently - we all get overexcited and interrupt unintentionally. This is specifically for use in scenarios where a) you are not being heard  and you need to be b) you are the authority (either by knowledge, seniority, or scheduling) c) to make someone who interrupts habitually aware they’re doing it to you.

Edit: The fantastic and wise @han-pan​ offered as well, “Can I finish?” quoth she: “I find it helpful because it identifies that person has interrupted, it is stark and direct enough to startle someone out of talking louder and louder until you finish, and it’s really hard to be mad at someone for asking your permission when you’ve fucked up.” AND I AGREE. This is a good one to use in those ‘have some grace’ moments, as it’s less likely to damage the relationship.

“Sorry, but I don’t have the decision-making or budget authority.”

Use it: When someone on LinkedIn wants you to try their service...

Why: Because they’ll leave you alone, usually.

“What’s the most important issue for you to solve/question for you to answer?”

Use it: When you’re disagreeing on approach with someone.

Why: Again, expectation aligning!

Sometimes people just dig their heels in on something. There’s usually a reason. Let’s say Coworker A and Coworker B are both working a presentation for Director C. Coworker A is frustrated because they’ve been given strict instructions to keep it to 15 minutes, but Coworker B keeps adding slides, even after A deletes them. By asking B what the most important question for them to answer is, A can use that as a guidepost to focus the presentation. (Likewise, if B asks, what’s the issue, they’ll understand A is really concerned about going over time)

[waxesnostalgic]

Making Normal Channels in GIMP (with njob)

Hello everyone! I was explaining how to do this in the Sims of History discord server and realized how much of this process I learned through trial and error. There isn’t really a good step-by-step tutorial about how to do this in GIMP, only in Photoshop (at least no text-based tutorials). While I use both Photoshop and GIMP for various things, I prefer to make my normal channels in GIMP. This tutorial will walk you through the process and hopefully demystify normal channels in GIMP.

Normal channels (bump maps) add additional depth beyond your mesh, which is useful for things like folds, painted on pockets, and buttons.

This tutorial is particularly for how to make Create-a-Sim items, not objects, but a lot of steps should be transferable.

You will need (all free programs):

GIMP

njob

Sims4Studio and/or CAS Tools

First, open your diffuse texture in GIMP. I often try to use the light/base texture rather than one I have colored already, but if you have already colored it and didn’t save a base, don’t worry, it doesn’t make much of a difference. Don’t use an image which has a pattern applied to it, as that will create a bump on the pattern and appear like applique or something along those lines (unless that is your goal).

I recommend doing this step after you have tested your diffuse texture image and mesh (if applicable) in the game. If you have any last minute changes to either of these, you will probably need to re-do your normal from scratch.

If your image is in layers for recoloring, or not, choose to flatten the image.  Transparency isn’t helpful in making normal channels, so get rid of it so you won’t have to worry about it later.

Once you have flattened it, the background usually turns either black or white. It doesn’t really matter which one, it won’t make much of a difference in njob.

Now, select the crop tool. You can see the current dimensions of the image in the “aspect ratio” box. For a CAS items, the original will be 1024:2048, which is 1 x 2. We will need to crop the image into a 1 x 1, or perfect square.

To have your normal channel as high quality as possible, you should use 1024:1024. This will work for clothing items like full body outfits, tops, bottoms, gloves, socks, and tights (basically anything mapped in this bottom portion of the UV map). For all of these items, you must use a square and cannot crop it to be smaller. For shoes, this means a very large blank area.

For accessory items like jewelry and hats, the cropping is different. For instance, a hat would be 512:256. If you are unsure of the dimensions to use, export the normal channel on the maxis item and copy its dimensions. The following instructions will assume you are making a clothing item and not an accessory item.

Click anywhere on the image while you have the crop tool active, then adjust your dimensions in the box to the left. You can manually type it in or drag the box and follow the size in the box as you drag.

The box should be perfectly aligned with the bottom and have no space below. If you have space below, just drag it as far to the bottom as you can. GIMP will stop you from dragging it outside of your current dimensions. If a little is sticking out at the top, that is okay. Nothing can be mapped outside of the 1024:1024 dimensions, so it is probably just bleed over or space filler that you are cropping off.

Press “Enter” on your keyboard to complete the crop.

Optional Step: If you desire, you may want to decrease the brightness and increase the contrast on your image so there will be more for njob to pick up. If you already have a lot of contrast, you may not need to do this.

Next, export your image as a PNG or BMP. Be sure to not overwrite your original diffuse texture.

You can now close GIMP, though you will need to open it again later.

Open njob, then your saved, cropped image.

Maximize your screen so you can see what you’re doing.

Go to Filter > Diffusemap > Heightmap and select that option.

The screen will pause to load for a bit before opening up a new box.

Your image will convert to black and white and may look a bit strange. The first step is to change your “Course Detail” setting to the lowest (or close to the lowest) setting and your “Fine Detail” to the highest setting. I generally play around with the “Mid Detail” and “Scale” until I get what I want. Try to have what you want to be visible stand out, while folds should be soft and fuzzy but still somewhat distinguishable.

Once you have what you need, click OK and go to Filter > Heightmap > Normalmap

There are two settings, “Scale” and “Blur Radius.” Neither of them have “ideal” settings, so you will need to adjust as you need. “Scale” controls the depth of the contrast and “Blur Radius” impacts the softness of the image. If your edges are too harsh, your normal map may look odd in game.

You will probably also have lines in areas in no texture. This is normal, and I will go over how to remove those later.

Once you are satisfied with how things look, save the image as a bitmap.

Now, open your bitmap image in GIMP. It is time to clean up the image and get rid of the artifacts. Unfortunately, unlike a specular, a normal map doesn’t have a mask to prevent bleed over onto skin or other textures. The unused areas need to be a midrange, solid grey. It is easier to edit at this step before you create your transparency.

Select a midrange blue color from one of the blank areas with your color selector and make it your background color by using the arrow button between the foreground and background colors.

Select the areas that should be blank and delete them, which will replace the lines with a solid blue color. This would be areas around the neck, wrists and ankles, and also places like the filler beneath skirts and tops that doesn’t need texturing. Be sure to select the odd lines around the image, which are usually a bright teal or hot pink color. Those can be very visible.

Sometimes, you may need to take your paintbrush and clean up the artifacts if they are in curved or very small areas. If anything looks too sharp, you can also use the smudge brush to smooth it out (very lightly). But don’t move anything around too much.

Once you have cleaned up your image, export it again as a bitmap. This is just so you can go back to it if you make a mistake later or need to modify it. Usually I save it as a new image, but you can overwrite the old one if you are feeling confident.

I have to point out that sometimes you can get away with not cleaning the artifacts from your image. But I have had too many issues with it in the past to skip this step.

Now it is time to make the normal map. Finally!

In the layers area, right click on your single layer and add an alpha channel to it. There is also a small button at the bottom you can use to add an alpha channel. You will need this transparency for the next step.

Next, go to Colors > Components > Decompose.

A small box will open up. Change your color model from RGB to RGBA to enable the alpha channel as a separate channel (layer).

Now, a new image will open that is your bitmap but greyscale. You will see four layers on the side called red, green, blue and alpha.

Select the red layer and click CTRL + A on your keyboard to select the entire layer. Then, click CTRL + C to copy the layer. (If you don’t have a keyboard, you can do “Select all” and “Copy” but this takes longer).

Now, go to your layer named alpha and press CTRL + V (paste) and CTRL + H (to anchor the layer). Now, you have replaced the alpha channel with the red channel.

Next, go to the green layer and select and copy it. Paste and anchor it into the red and blue layers, just as you did before with the red layer and alpha layer.

Your image won’t look too much different right now, it will just look like the green alpha channel rather than the visible red alpha channel when you opened it. Go back to the top bar and choose Colors > Components > Recompose. This will alter your original image, so the one you have open in layers will stay open. Go back up to the top and select the original image to go back to it, or close your layered image.

Now, your image should have changed from mostly blue to a transparent, mid-range gray with only a few elements visible. This is how it is supposed to look. If you don’t have transparency or it looks very different, then you probably messed up somewhere. Generally, I find it easier to go back to the original cleaned up bitmap (that you saved for future use) and start from scratch rather than trying to figure out where I messed up. That is usually faster.

Next, export your single-layer image as a PNG or DDS file (your preference). You will need a DDS plugin to save DDS files.

Open your item in Sims4Studio and import your new image file in the normal texture category. You will see a small preview in the box, which will probably show more details than you were able to see in GIMP. If it looks correct, save it and go to check it in game or in CASTools (which has a feature for previewing bumpmaps that can help you check for alignment problems). CASTools can be particularly useful if your computer doesn’t open the Sims quickly and you want to preview multiple bumpmaps. The only issue with CASTools is that it doesn’t really look much like it will look in game.

In CASTools. You have to select to see the bumpmap in the Previewer tab.

In game.

As I have only been making normal channels for a few months now, it’s possible I have missed some things, so if you know an easier or better way let me know and I can update the tutorial. I hope this is useful to you!

[madomagitransparent]

Live2D viewer usage guide

jp.rika.ren offers a lot of tools for Magia Record players - from an in-game news mirror, through a user look-up, a place to download the game’s APKs, a file mirror, a background gallery, a video player for transformation animations, and a lot more. Lots of these are useful for editors, but today I’ll focus on the usage of their L2D viewer, found at jp.rika.ren/live2d/

1. Basic

The L2D viewer has a lot of buttons, but it isn’t very complicated. The biggest problem may be locating a character at first - I recommend learning hiragana, as most characters use it in their first names. In other cases, this tool is very helpful: magireco.fandom.com/wiki/User:MaidenOfHope1702/Sandbox/IDList

Keep in mind that some browsers (for example, older versions of Mozilla Firefox) may export the images without the extension. Just add .png to the filename if that happens.

The image shows what-does-what pretty well. Keep in mind that while regular alts (except April Fools ones) get tagged under the character’s main ID (for example, 1001 for Iroha) in costumes, dual units tend to be scattered. Rika&Ren unit is entirely under 3501 - クリスマス (Christmas), but Yachiyo&Mifuyu one is partially under 1002 - Nanami Yachiyo; only Mifuyu’s uniform is under Mifuyu. Tsuruno&Felicia unit is entirely under Tsuruno.

It’s also worthwhile to memorize what some costume names means. The character name outfit is the girl’s Magical Girl outfit, 変身前 refers to “personal clothes” (usually school uniforms, but not always - Yozuru, Livia, Mitama, Yachiyo, Sudachi and a few others wear regular casual outfits). シャドウ refers to Shadow - Magical Girl clothes but with a darker overlay and hidden eyes. 部屋着 and 寝巻き are sleepwear, クリスマス is Christmas, 水着 is swimsuit, 晴れ着 is haregi, バレンタイン is Valentine, PAPA is magirepo-style stickers,  制服 refers to uniforms if a girl doesn’t already have one,  黒 / 黒羽根 refers to Black Feather’s robes,  ハロウィン is Halloween, メイド refers to maid. You probably don’t need to memorize all of this.

2. Advanced

This was only using the built-in features. You can extend the functionality with some tampering.

umaar.com/dev-tips/174-drag-drop-image-local-overrides/

This tutorial will introduce you to overrides. I recommend testing it out with some texture recolor - you can find the base ones at jp.rika.ren/magica/resource/image_native/live2d/XXXXXX/ , XXXXXX being the costume’s ID. The textures can be found in either model.1024 or model.2048. Keep in mind that you cannot add anything like additional hair decorations or bracelets by tampering with the textures. You’d need to edit the model, which I cannot help with. You can, however, delete elements by erasing them. This may be used to get rid of accessories, but also may make changing the character’s hands easier (you’d need to do it in some image editing program though).

You can also swap a girl’s motions with another character’s. Download a motion you want to use, and go to your overrides folder. Make a mtn folder in the first one’s costume’s folder, and paste the motion. Keep in mind that the motion will look a lot different - especially when it comes to hands and arms. You can also dig deeper into the file. I recommend always deleting some lines that refer to the mouth’s movement - sometimes they completely block expressions. 

So that’s it! Now you can export your own L2D model transparents from Magia Record!

EDIT: Recently, a new version of Live2D was implemented into the game. Thus, all characters and outfits released after July 29th, 2021 are inaccessible via the L2D viewer linked above. Please follow this link instead. Note that currently, the “unfollow” function does not work. To bypass that, use the “tab” trick described in the screenshot above in light blue. EDIT 2: The Unfollow function now works correctly. However, keep in mind the L2D V4 viewer still has issues regarding facial animations, especially eyebrows - you need to be very quick to capture them before they change.

[painted-crow]

hey paint i know primaries burn or explode but is there a word for when your secondary gets real tired? i like my rapid fire actor bird secondary, but lately it’s felt like it’s acting all the way down—like when i dig through all the toolboxes and personas i’ll just come out the other side. it worries me in a mirrorball-by-taylor-swift kinda way (which isn’t really helped by my lion primary haha).

Secondaries burn too, and I think you're on the verge of that--the feeling of exhaustion you describe is a key characteristic. It seems like your masks conflict with your primary; if you're using that tactic a lot lately for one reason or another and it's starting to freak out your Lion, you could end up fully burning your secondary.

(You also mention rapid fire Bird, but it sounds like the Actor Bird masks are more the problem. Usually tools don't feel like something you hide behind. If they do to you... maybe they aren't really your tools, like you didn't get to choose them, and someone pushed them on you? Just a thought.)

Caution: HOT

Assuming that sounds right, you want to avoid burning your secondary, if possible. I'll try to offer some advice, but this is going to be a bit of a shot in the dark, so it's hard to say what will apply to you... otherwise, *offers internet hugs*

A note before we get into this: do what you need to protect yourself. Using masks isn't wrong or bad, but given what you've said, I'm concerned for you--I know how exhausting they are to keep up long term, even if you aren't a Lion. But if it turns out that using Bird masks is what you need to do to survive, don't feel bad about that--keep yourself safe.

Identifying the problem

First, it sounds like you're using your masks more often than usual, and there's probably a reason for that. My guess is that there's something that feels unsafe or unaccepting to you, and since you're noticing this problem now, there's a good chance that it's new.

A new environment, new relationship, new circumstances... something is stressing you out. Toxic work environment at a new job? Friend who isn't really a friend? Situations you can't prepare for easily?

Our friend @magpie-of-a-birb has a brilliant suggestion for figuring this out through Lion primary:

Slow down and break down the situation. Make each aspect as small as possible and essentially hold every aspect up to your lion one at a time. See what pings, see what doesn't, and don't ignore any pings saying something is wrong, and especially not the ones saying you feel unsafe. If anything, investigate them further.

Basically, use your lion consciously. There may be pings that you're missing that would be helpful (like signs that you're uncomfortable with xyz behavior from someone else).

(Slightly edited for pronouns etc, but that's all Magpie. She's super smart you guys.)

Potential fixes

Once you've figured out what's wrong, you have a few general options for dealing with it.

Different tactics. Can you get by with a different Bird tool? Pick up a model of another secondary, maybe try out Badger mirroring instead? (Which, to me, feels more genuine than my Bird masks, and takes less energy.) What happens if you lower the mask a bit, if it's safe to do so? Is there possibly a different mask you could use that feels more like you/is less exhausting?

Change the situation. This might mean setting healthy boundaries, adjusting your schedule, backing off on some of the work you've taken on... you'll have to figure out what this means for you. It might also mean seeing a therapist who can help you through some of this.

Leave. This is a bit of a nuclear option, but sometimes you have to. You can't change a toxic work environment, for example, and you shouldn't undervalue your mental health. Consider continuing to look for work on the quiet.

There's one last option you might be thinking of: trying to get your Lion to be okay with your Bird masks. It might sound like a good idea, but masks aren't a good long-term tactic, specifically because of the amount of energy they require to maintain.

Believe me, I know.

Story time

I keep writing about this next experience in different posts and deleting it because it didn't seem relevant enough, but... I guess this is the time.

I have a "serious/smart/competent/masculine" Bird mask. I developed it in high school, and started using it constantly when I started studying programming in college. I was an anxious, depressive, barely 17-year-old loner girl (usually the only girl in the class) trying not to be rejected by a crowd that's notorious for being exclusionary.

And not without reason. There's a huge elitism problem in tech. I remember trying to lower the mask a few times, and getting pounced on. Not everyone did that, of course, but a handful of my professors did, as did many people I met at networking events. So basically, just the people whose approval I actually needed, career wise.

I had no flipping idea I was using a mask, and not until I left tech, years later, did I realize:

a) that I had the mask in the first place;

b) that I could drop it; or

c) how much energy it had taken to maintain.

Each of those realizations came separately. It took a while. I don't have a problem with any of the traits in the mask, see; each of them is mine to a degree (as with all my masks), but performing them constantly, and loudly enough to work, became too much for me.

Some masks take more energy than others. That one takes a lot, because I am not competitive, or terribly assertive, by nature. I have another mask ("soft/friendly/feminine/optionally shy") that I use in situations where I care more about being liked than respected. I can keep that one going longer, but it gets on my nerves eventually--either because it's not entirely me, or because the way some people treat that mask is really annoying.

It sounds like whatever mask you're using is on the energy-sucking side. There might be an easier one that you can gradually switch into (harder than it sounds, I know), but even then, it's not a great long term solution.

In short: masks are useful for things like making good first impressions or getting out of a bad situation, but not for getting a toxic community to accept you indefinitely. It's a really, really good thing that you're picking up on this now and not later.

(special credits to @magpie-of-a-birb, who discussed this with me and made this post better, in addition to supplying that quote--go follow her if you aren't already!)

[jollywastelandfan]

Mac Os X Server Download

Mac Os X Server Iso

Mac Os X Lion Server Download

Apple Mac Os X Download

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Mac Os X Installer Download

So, you’ve decided to download an older version of Mac OS X. There are many reasons that could point you to this radical decision. To begin with, some of your apps may not be working properly (or simply crash) on newer operating systems. Also, you may have noticed your Mac’s performance went down right after the last update. Finally, if you want to run a parallel copy of Mac OS X on a virtual machine, you too will need a working installation file of an older Mac OS X. Further down we’ll explain where to get one and what problems you may face down the road.

A list of all Mac OS X versions

Download Free Mac Apps and Mac Games for Apple Mac. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize.

Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, develop software, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices, remotely access your network, and more. OS X Server is an application you can add to OS X right from the Mac App Store.

The latest version of OS X Server is unknown on Mac Informer. It is a perfect match for Automation in the System Tools category. The app is developed by Apple Inc. And its user rating is 4.7 out of 5.

Apple's macOS Server (formerly called OS X Server) is specially designed for macOS and iOS powered hardware devices to easily configure iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac devices, share files, sync contacts, schedule meetings, publish wikis, develop software, remotely access network, host own website and many more things in easy way. MacOS Server is the software application available for macOS.

We’ll be repeatedly referring to these Apple OS versions below, so it’s good to know the basic macOS timeline.

Cheetah 10.0Puma 10.1Jaguar 10.2Panther 10.3Tiger 10.4Leopard 10.5Snow Leopard 10.6Lion 10.7Mountain Lion 10.8Mavericks 10.9Yosemite 10.10El Capitan 10.11Sierra 10.12High Sierra 10.13Mojave 10.14Catalina 10.15

STEP 1. Prepare your Mac for installation

Given your Mac isn’t new and is filled with data, you will probably need enough free space on your Mac. This includes not just space for the OS itself but also space for other applications and your user data. One more argument is that the free space on your disk translates into virtual memory so your apps have “fuel” to operate on. The chart below tells you how much free space is needed.

Note, that it is recommended that you install OS on a clean drive. Next, you will need enough disk space available, for example, to create Recovery Partition. Here are some ideas to free up space on your drive:

Uninstall large unused apps

Empty Trash Bin and Downloads

Locate the biggest files on your computer:

Go to Finder > All My Files > Arrange by size Then you can move your space hoggers onto an external drive or a cloud storage. If you aren’t comfortable with cleaning the Mac manually, there are some nice automatic “room cleaners”. Our favorite is CleanMyMac as it’s most simple to use of all. It deletes system junk, old broken apps, and the rest of hidden junk on your drive.

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.4 - 10.8 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.9 (free version)

Download CleanMyMac for OS 10.10 - 10.14 (free version)

STEP 2. Get a copy of Mac OS X download

Mac Os X Server Iso

Normally, it is assumed that updating OS is a one-way road. That’s why going back to a past Apple OS version is problematic. The main challenge is to download the OS installation file itself, because your Mac may already be running a newer version. If you succeed in downloading the OS installation, your next step is to create a bootable USB or DVD and then reinstall the OS on your computer.

How to download older Mac OS X versions via the App Store

If you once had purchased an old version of Mac OS X from the App Store, open it and go to the Purchased tab. There you’ll find all the installers you can download. However, it doesn’t always work that way. The purchased section lists only those operating systems that you had downloaded in the past. But here is the path to check it:

Click the App Store icon.

Click Purchases in the top menu.

Scroll down to find the preferred OS X version.

Click Download.

This method allows you to download Mavericks and Yosemite by logging with your Apple ID — only if you previously downloaded them from the Mac App Store.

Without App Store: Download Mac OS version as Apple Developer

If you are signed with an Apple Developer account, you can get access to products that are no longer listed on the App Store. If you desperately need a lower OS X version build, consider creating a new Developer account among other options. The membership cost is $99/year and provides a bunch of perks unavailable to ordinary users.

Nevertheless, keep in mind that if you visit developer.apple.com/downloads, you can only find 10.3-10.6 OS X operating systems there. Newer versions are not available because starting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.7, the App Store has become the only source of updating Apple OS versions.

Purchase an older version of Mac operating system

You can purchase a boxed or email version of past Mac OS X directly from Apple. Both will cost you around $20. For the reason of being rather antiquated, Snow Leopard and earlier Apple versions can only be installed from DVD.

Buy a boxed edition of Snow Leopard 10.6 Get an email copy of Lion 10.7 Get an email copy of Mountain Lion 10.8

The email edition comes with a special download code you can use for the Mac App Store. Note, that to install the Lion or Mountain Lion, your Mac needs to be running Snow Leopard so you can install the newer OS on top of it.

How to get macOS El Capitan download

If you are wondering if you can run El Capitan on an older Mac, rejoice as it’s possible too. But before your Mac can run El Capitan it has to be updated to OS X 10.6.8. So, here are main steps you should take:

1. Install Snow Leopard from install DVD. 2. Update to 10.6.8 using Software Update. 3. Download El Capitan here.

“I can’t download an old version of Mac OS X”

If you have a newer Mac, there is no physical option to install Mac OS versions older than your current Mac model. For instance, if your MacBook was released in 2014, don’t expect it to run any OS released prior of that time, because older Apple OS versions simply do not include hardware drivers for your Mac.

But as it often happens, workarounds are possible. There is still a chance to download the installation file if you have an access to a Mac (or virtual machine) running that operating system. For example, to get an installer for Lion, you may ask a friend who has Lion-operated Mac or, once again, set up a virtual machine running Lion. Then you will need to prepare an external drive to download the installation file using OS X Utilities.

After you’ve completed the download, the installer should launch automatically, but you can click Cancel and copy the file you need. Below is the detailed instruction how to do it.

STEP 3. Install older OS X onto an external drive

The following method allows you to download Mac OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks.

Start your Mac holding down Command + R.

Prepare a clean external drive (at least 10 GB of storage).

Within OS X Utilities, choose Reinstall OS X.

Select external drive as a source.

Enter your Apple ID.

Now the OS should start downloading automatically onto the external drive. After the download is complete, your Mac will prompt you to do a restart, but at this point, you should completely shut it down. Now that the installation file is “captured” onto your external drive, you can reinstall the OS, this time running the file on your Mac.

Boot your Mac from your standard drive.

Connect the external drive.

Go to external drive > OS X Install Data.

Locate InstallESD.dmg disk image file — this is the file you need to reinstall Lion OS X. The same steps are valid for Mountain Lion and Mavericks.

How to downgrade a Mac running later macOS versions

If your Mac runs macOS Sierra 10.12 or macOS High Sierra 10.13, it is possible to revert it to the previous system if you are not satisfied with the experience. You can do it either with Time Machine or by creating a bootable USB or external drive. Instruction to downgrade from macOS Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS High Sierra

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Mojave

Instruction to downgrade from macOS Catalina

Before you do it, the best advice is to back your Mac up so your most important files stay intact. In addition to that, it makes sense to clean up your Mac from old system junk files and application leftovers. The easiest way to do it is to run CleanMyMac X on your machine (download it for free here).

Visit your local Apple Store to download older OS X version

If none of the options to get older OS X worked, pay a visit to nearest local Apple Store. They should have image installations going back to OS Leopard and earlier. You can also ask their assistance to create a bootable USB drive with the installation file. So here you are. We hope this article has helped you to download an old version of Mac OS X. Below are a few more links you may find interesting.

These might also interest you:

OS X Server 5.1.7

Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, develop software, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Mac, iPhone, and iPad devices, remotely access your network, and more. OS X Server is an application you can add to OS X right from the Mac App Store. Anyone can quickly and easily turn a Mac into a server that’s perfect for home offices, businesses, schools, developers, and hobbyists alike.

Here’s what you’ll get with OS X Server:

File Sharing

File sharing for Mac, PC, iPhone and iPad

Standards-based SMB, AFP, and WebDAV file services

Flexible file permissions

Spotlight searching

Profile Manager

Mobile device management for Mac and iOS devices

Simplified management and deployment of iOS and OS X.

Distribution of institution licensed apps and books purchased from the Volume Purchase Program to users or devices

Install Software Updates on devices running iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan

Device Enrollment Program integration

Web-based administration console

Self-service user portal for clearing passcodes, remote lock, and remote wipe

Caching Server

Speed up the download of software distributed by Apple

Locally cache apps, books, iTunes U, software updates, and OS X Recovery images

Accelerate the download of iCloud data, including documents in iCloud Drive and photos.

Fault-tolerant design with multiserver cache replication and load balancing

No client configuration required

Xcode Server

Use Xcode to create continuous integration bots that build, analyze, and test on any Mac running OS X Server

Configure bots to integrate at a specific time, or continually as code is committed to the repository

Automate testing of OS X and iOS apps, executing on multiple connected iOS devices

Host your own Git repositories on OS X Server or connect to remote Git or Subversion hosts

Remotely access detailed integration summaries and nightly builds using the Web interface

Time Machine

Provide a backup destination for Mac computers on your network

Monitor which computers have backed up, when they last backed up, and size of backup

Set limits on the amount of Time Machine storage a user can use

Calendar Server

Share calendars, schedule meetings and events, and book conference rooms

Standards-based CalDAV server for access from Mac, iPad, iPhone, and PC

View availability with free/busy lookups

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Synchronize contacts with Mac, iPad, and iPhone

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Standards-based SMTP, IMAP, and POP server

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Remote access for your network services

Encrypted VPN connections for Mac, iPad, iPhone, and PC

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Block-level SAN file sharing with concurrent read/write access

Xsan volume hosting and configuration

Volume management, storage pooling, stripping, and volume mapping

Real-time monitoring, graphs, and event notifications

Metadata controller failover and file system journaling

Server App

Local and remote management

Users and group settings

View real-time graphs of server usage

Receive alerts on network changes, certificate expiration, storage usage, and more

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[raziakhatunblr]

Maplestory private server illegal, Tricks to avoid penalty

Maplestory private server

 Is it safe? Let us understand the background and distinctive contents of private servers.

 More Information

Maplestory private host

It helps MapleStory fans better enjoy the hard work involved with constructing successful MapleStory servers. However, what about punishment?

 Personal Servers are somewhat illegal because they breach the TOS or Copyright claims or something. If Nexon has captured a private host, they'll send a notification to you or sue you enjoy they did to and which no longer exist.

 The reason behind most personal servers is either from people who talk about the leaked info. The manufacturer of OdinMS created his personal host, or they're rebels such as The Resistance vs. The Blend in Half-Life 2.

 But, there's absolutely no possible way for Nexon to prevent all private servers. They are continuing to be advanced from moving v55, v63, v72, and so on.

 How Is a Private Server like Maplestory Made?

After all the years of unsuccessful leveling, upgrading, and recruitment of guild members, together with a destroyed Ghost Boat Exorcist badge onto a three-year-old Mechanic, I chose to retire into a MapleStory Private Server.

 Additionally, $600CAD to find nx and buy stuff (for example, meso sacs and store permits) to get items across and find things out in M.S. the challenging way. Yes, I sacrificed $600CAD in substantial school lunch money to get things like hair coupons in M.S. once I might have used that money to receive a supercomputer.

 Nexon is observing everything

The ruined GSE badge within my 3-year-old 210 mechanics. (through celebrity improvement window) and Nexon's shortage of gear reimbursement finally led me to do the one thing nobody would ever encourage me to do: I gave up on GMS. With no GSE badge, I can not continue on GMS.

Furthermore, I wasted a lot of real cash to sell items to acquire more Mesos. Instead, I've more insults than Mesos from players. Such as"Shoo."

 [caption id="attachment_1282" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Maplestory Private waiter [/caption]

My big problem here is how do you create a MapleStory Private Server (whether it is a v83 or the most recent version)? Like, do they divide into Nexon's H.Q. and extract all of the sprites, maps, sound effects, etc., off their computers and then rebuild it like a jigsaw puzzle?

 If they did, then I will need to pack my bags and fly to California to do this. Like, the M.S. files will need to come from someplace. Also, it's the sole way to acquire the Wizet Invincible Hat. Besides, you'll find guidelines on other Personal Server sites.

 Mesos

That says things like"no hacking, injecting of tools/unauthorized equips/packets, no wz document editing, etc.". I feel like I deserve a holiday from this game, but don't wanna devote another 1-2-3 years recollecting all the Mesos and equipping myself.

 I would like to compensate for the 3 years of the wasted moment on M.S. and get my movie/animation jobs finished at precisely the same moment.

 In addition to the hat, the G.M. class itself is making me envious. Yes, they're a class referred to as"SuperGM." So with a Personal Server (a Private Server intended for my personal use ), I will see exactly what it is like to be a G.M.

And bypass all other personal server site rules. Plus, there's a skill known as"Super Dragon Roar" that really does %1000 damage to all animals on screen.

 While we are on this subject of hacking, why are robots poor? I never uttered before, but as a fantastic player from GMS, I find the only fair use for them would be to let me farm Mesos while doing home chores. I could call in my friend to play M.S. while I create breakfast/lunch/dinner, do laundry, etc. Why are robots taboo to MMORPG moderators like MapleStory private servers? That and having my friend drama M.S. for me personally will make no difference (at least that's what I presume ).

 A side question: why or how are Personal Servers bad? Besides the fact that they permit one to play the sport and get stuff free, I really don't see how Private Servers are poor. Additionally, when you produce a Personal Server, do you, as the admin, get a Wizet Invincible Hat?

 Also, how do I protect my P.S. from Nexon so they don't locate it? ExtaliaMS got closed down when Nexon found their I.P. address. But I want to take additional precautions to avoid going to court to face Nexon.)

 So for this, I will have to place my MMD project on hold for now. I have to wait until the introduction of MS2 so that I can port its models to MMD.

 (this is where Time is Money. Much like E.G., construction of a condo in a boom-town; the employees need to build it quickly to allow more residents to proceed.)

 Additionally, you're only allowed to perform a daily event once a character. That's like more kids than Octomom should feed.

 And that I consumed almost an entire day to do daily quests on all of them because of how many negative aspects in the match slowed me down since the days passed! When it's terrible hackers, DCs (that is an online game term for"disconnections") (no matter whether I have a great or poor internet connection). Unscheduled server maintenances, or other things along those lines!

 Can not you compare with a v83 Personal Server right into a quit game console like the Gamecube or even the PlayStation 1?

How can we play an old game from several decades back without a machine that's capable of doing this? So yeah, how can we try the previous skills and senior classes of the elderly servers if we can't even play with the older servers of Tonight Now? Please refer to this link for additional info about discontinued games and game consoles: A significant Note about Emulators for Game Developers.

  More Information

Also, can't you compare with an MMORPG Private Server into a Jailbreak (like IAP Cracker and Installous) for iPod Touches/iPhones/iPads? For games such as Tiny Tower, Subway Surfers, Candy Crush, and so Forth, even with no Jailbreak/with the official server. I am able to go the distance and find those games completed 100 percent without having to spend a single cent.

 The programmer (s) that created these match (s) plans to place them up to download free of cost. But I can't waste any more time on these types of server-sided matches because I have other important things to do.

 Besides internet service, how does a Private Server need funds to operate? Since most P.S. sites say in their community guidelines. "If possible, please contribute as Personal Servers need funds to operate...

 How to Create a MapleStory Private Server [v83]

First, go to C:\

 As soon as you find three folders, call all you want, but I will name them'ZenthosDev,'''Downloads,' and'MapleStoryV83' with this tutorial.

Download these programs/files.

 (64bit)

MySQL Query Browser

 JCE Unlimited Power Records

WampServer

LocalHost v83

ZenthosDev v83

MapleStory v83

W.Z. Files

Make certain you selected the appropriate variant matching your Operating System (O.S.) to avoid any difficulties.

 Installations:

Before we start, make sure to extract everything if it's in a .rar format.

 Installing MapleStory v83:

 Install MapleStory with the download provided. It is a really straight forward installation. Follow the instructions.

 Delete the following files/folders in the C:/MapleStoryV83 folder should they exist.

 MapleStory.exe

Patcher.exe

GameLauncher.exe

shield (folder)

Installing WampServer:

Follow the directions and install it.

 C:\Wamp

 Don't be concerned about putting your email and these at the end. Just press finish.

 Left-click it and click put Online'.

 Then left-click it again and click on begin All Services.'

 The Wamp icon must look totally green (if it is red or reddish, you have a problem).

 Installing the MySQL Query Browser:

It is straightforward, runs the installation record, agrees to the conditions, and follow the instructions.

 According to which system kind your computer as you may install 32bit or 64bit.

So set up the corresponding file.

For another simple installation, follow the directions.

Documents placement:

Paste them into these areas, overwrite when prompted.

(The (jdk1)/(jre7) folder version could differ. It is fine ). C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_01\jre\lib

3. C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.7.0_01\jre\lib\safety

Copy each of the folders and files within the ZenthosDev folder that we made before. So it seems in this way.

 Now replicate the W.Z. folder within the ZenthosDev folder.

 So it must look like this.

 SQL setup:

Username: root

 Then click on the document' button in the menu bar, and select open Directory...'.

 Proceed to C:\enthosDev\SQL and open the document called'ZenthosDev.SQL.'

 Following its opening, apply the file.

 Preference installation:

(This component is optional if running the server to Receive your computer only)

 You might also make any alterations to have the server to function how you need it.

 Wait 10 minutes, and then your bat file must look similar to this.

 Code:

 ZenthosDev has started:

 World Launched

 Login Launched

 Channel Launched

 Is Maplestory’s personal server really safe?

I ask this question as somebody who has been part of the Maplestory personal server" community."

(unsure whether the neighborhood is the best term to describe it, but oh well) to get many of years now. I would not call myself a"host hopper" per se, but I have tried out a decent variety of servers to see what they provide. Most servers market towards Maplers, who prefer the old-school/pre-BB encounter.

 The sole thing that differentiates them will be the attributes they supply. Some have higher or lower EXP/Meso/Drop prices to make things more or harder. Some make H.P. Washing"Optional." Some provide custom content...you get the notion.

 Anyway, this question popped into my mind when I tried out a host known as"AvalonMS." I recall having a few conversations using a streamer there. He was currently looking for a server to repay. This man had hoped that Avalon would perform well. Eventually, he left because he could not see the server becoming successful and remaining alive for more than a few months.

 I really don't remember his precise words. However, I believe he said something along the lines of"Private Servers need to be run with at least a small bit of professionalism, like a business nearly."

Along with the proprietors of this host, since he put it, were not too professional. Among the substantial issues was that they weren't transparent enough with the area concerning what sort of content/updates they'd do with their game. I tried looking around for their host just a minute before. And they appeared to have vanished off the face of the internet. No big surprise there.

 A personal server such as Maplestory has been around. So what is the issue?

I got me wondering how many private servers have been around for a while to stay successful. When I say successful, I usually indicate they could maintain a decently-sized busy player base for an extended period. That, if you consider it, is already hard enough as it is. In any kind, Maplestory, whether it be the official game or the personal servers, isn't a super popular MMO.

 The official sport is nowhere near as popular as it was during its prime. And therefore, you would think the subset of all gamers/Maplers that prefer old-school private servers inside the official game is most likely a pretty little demographic.

 We've got SOME powerful servers such as Royals, Legends, Saga, etc., which have existed for a couple of decades. And these"powerful" servers hold a reasonably large percentage of personal server gamers.

 I mean hell, even as soon as you go past the 6th or even 7th rated server on gtop100, you begin getting into the servers that have less than 100 active players. And needless to say, the personal server community is most likely dwindling.

 There are just so many men and women who have played pre-BB Maple.

And they would prefer it on the modern versions. Finally, those folks will likely proceed with their own lives and stop playing with Maplestory entirely because nostalgia can maintain a player round for such a long time. I must wonder how many more years we have before Maplestory Private Servers die off completely. I hope we have a little bit more.  More Information

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Otomate Party 2015 Hakuoki Live Drama - Petition from the Soldiers with eng subs

Fist post of the month, so I’ll end by asking you to please support me if you can either on ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/V7V2W0HO) or through paypal (paypal.me/KumoriYami )…. also let me know if you have any hakuoki drama cds that you’d be willing to share that are on my looking for list since i don’t have the audio for those…..  Also check out my patreon (https://www.patreon.com/KumoriYami) for early access to my stuff and blog translations or just to support me.

Rant: i had way too many problems with this video to care if there are any more issues with this lol. 

First, I had issues with subtitles.... regarding positioning since i didn’t want to screencap the video with subtitles saved onto it after screencapping it, with the title on it separately (that’s what i did for the Karakuri Oni drama), and i ended up learning about subtitle positions (which only worked on potplayer and strangely not vlc media player though that doesnt really matter since i need it for screencapping on potplayer). then for some reason, the subtitle synch kept on going off with the player, which made it so that i had to manually adjust the timing (again) which caused a few things to get more messed up.....so if there are subtitle issues or grammar problems (I went through at least 7 versions of this video because of grammar/missing code/things that were supposed to be removed or deleted/spelling issues).... don’t tell me about them.

Second, I had issues with my screen capping of the video with audio.... which for some reason kept on picking up grainy background noise which made it so that i would screecap the video with subtitles, remove the audio, then throw that on top of my original video layer..... and making sure everything line up... is. a. serious. pain. in. the. ass. lol. 

After that, i noticed that the sakura in the opening my screencap vid (at this point i was probably on version 9 of the video, with 4 being edited so that the audio was fixed) was about 1mm off in terms of size and positioning.... which was the result of my screencapture window being taken at the wrong window size (i had it set for the full-window mode that hides the bottom desktop toolbar and not the default)............. which caused for a sliver of the all the videos to be slightly cut off and for me to redo everything again.

Basically. if there are problems with this video regarding audio/video synch, video size, don’t tell me about them. seriously. 

i’ll quit publishing english subtitle videos for these live dramas.... or something. lol. live drama problems. never need to worry about these issues with audio cd stuff.

Anyway. Enjoy. Additional edits were made based on audio. 

[justlightthefirstspark]

As promised, my analysis/opinion/thought piece on today’s MUWFC game vs Spurs. Everything is chronological which I feel like should go without saying but in the interest of clarity 🤷🏽‍♀️ but not everything is tagged to the minute cause I am an idiot that didn’t realise that that would be helpful til like the 2nd half. Also, if I missed anything, or got players mixed up or anything pls lemme know and I’ll edit accordingly! I’ve never really done any from of sports based writing before (I don’t think tweets count lol) so pls be nice, merci 😘

Line up as follows, I guess this is pretty common knowledge but you know, coherency and such.

Tbh it was kinda hard to see *a lot* of this game, especially on the far side of the pitch and by both goals because of the weather, felt like I was watching Silent Hill for a little while there, but I did my best. My wifi is also horrendous atm, and we all know that the FA Player can be problematic so there’s a very good chance I might have missed something due to a lag or buffering btw. Just drop me an ask if you notice anything that mightn’t be quite right, and I’ll fix it asap! Some ~analysis~ (if you could call it that lol) is more detailed than other bits cause there was a lot happening and today I learned that it’s kinda hard to write one thing and watch another at the same time lol

First half:

Quick, fast and almost successful start. A much-needed improvement on the stagnancy vs Bristol a few weeks ago, and obviously we couldn’t see the midweek game vs Brighton so I can’t compare them.

I have to say I’m not a massive fan of all the back passes, all the time. I think a more attacking FB might be needed in the summer, or maybe Ökvist should be given some time to acclimatise to the WSL soon? I was never the biggest fan of Harris last season, I personally don’t think she’s fast enough – she gets outpaced down the flank by attackers 90% of the time, which isn’t good. I think A. Turner is the strongest FB option currently, at least defensively, and she’s shown she has a decent attacking ability, and has a wicked long ball, as well as crossing. My only issue is sometimes those tackles of hers can be a liability, giving away unnecessary fouls. It’s almost like she doesn’t think before she flies in sometimes, which is a shame, cause I love them. A lot.

There were a couple of really good chances in the first half, including a great ball in and run up from Galton, which should have resulted in probably the opening goal but whether it was as a result of the weather or just misjudged timing and placement from both Ross and Sigsworth, the chance went to waste. Groenen had an excellent chance to net her first for United but unfortunately sent it just wide. Another glorious link up between A. Turner and Galton led to another decent chance, a gorgeous cross in from the right to the opposite side of the box, and the perfect header which unfortunately was aimed straight at the keeper. Very unlucky to head in at the break with nothing.

There was an incredible double save from Earps around halfway through the first half. I have to say, I have some anxieties with her sometimes. She is quite good, but has a tendency to make some silly mistakes, and doesn’t always make the right call for a save. But my god she was on her game today, even if a potential error might have led to the first save. Didn’t disappoint me anytime she was called on this afternoon.

A few frustrations started to show around the 30 min mark, a few sloppy passes and challenges making the rounds. It was also around this time that I realized I’d picked a pretty poor game to start this thing on because I could barely see anything.

Zelem seems to be back in form, which can only be a good thing. But I would very much like it if somehow she could drag some of the other girls back up with her.

There were a fair few soft calls going Spurs way, which I wasn’t entirely convinced by. But then again I’m probably just naturally biased towards my girls.

Another great ball in to Sigsworth from A. Turner which was just *chefs kiss* but unfortunately came to nothing. There was also a spin move either to commit or avoid a challenge, I couldn’t really tell tbh, which was very impressive, as was her chase down on Mitchell at around 43 mins. (Amy’s my favourite player, can you tell?)

Booking for Kirsty Smith just before half time, but I gotta be honest I couldn’t see it due to the fog, so I have no idea what happened. Couldn’t find anything about it in the United post-match report either so apparently we’re just deleting that from the history of the earth which is completely fine by me to be honest.

Second half:

My main takeaway from this game is that both Sigsworth and Ross always seem to be looking for the same ball in the penalty area, and there very rarely seems to be anybody else around looking for a potential rebound. I think that James (who missed today’s game due to suspension) seems to be our main (only?) front line creator and finisher; Sigsworth is fine, that girl works like a dog and always gets the job done, I think she may have just needed another goal to boost her confidence, but I have no real concerns with her. Ross, however, I’m not entirely convinced by, I think a lot of her finishes have been a bit lucky and flukey so far. I’d start Toone over her for the rest of the season to be honest, Ross hasn’t done anything that tells me she deserves the starting place. Feel free to disagree with this of course, this is just my own personal opinion.

56 mins – confusion has entered the chat. McManus ends up pretty much through on goal, and then the ref whistles for what I assumed to be an offside. So naturally I nearly kicked my laptop out the window. The ref then awards a United penalty, and I’m even more confused now than I was in the beginning. I genuinely didn’t see anything but did hear a few shouts from what I’m assuming was the United bench for handball, so I have no idea what happened here.

‘58 – GOAL. Who else? God bless Katie Zelem is all I’m saying.

‘61 – Hanson 🔁 Ross. I think this was a good swap. I don’t think Ross was particularly good today, and Hanson immediately sparked that RW. I would have subbed Ross off sooner but that’s my only issue.

’64 – GOAL – Sigsworth with a pretty perfect if slightly scruffy strike from a corner.

A much better corner than previous attempts, and Spurs hadn’t defended any of them particularly well. I think that we have a major issue with set pieces, I dunno what exactly the problem is, whether they need to allocate a new taker or whatever but before today had we scored from a corner all season? Lemme knowwww.

’65 – A few decent chances for Spurs around this time. One pretty clear run in from the right, and one or two shots bounced right of the crossbar and the post. Basically my heart stopped for about 8 mins.

’66 – I DO NOT WANT TO SEE BACK PASSES IN THE BOX AS OPPOSITION PLAYERS SWARM IN. CLEAR IT. I DON’T CARE WHERE IT GOES JUST GET IT OUT. (sorry for the caps but my anxiety was out in force this afternoon)

United started playing much better after both goals, think they just needed a kick up the arse. *Ahem* A confidence boost. 👀 Much better intensity for the final 30 mins than the previous 60 imo.

’68 – Another decent chance for Spurs, with Earps coming way too far off her line than sat right with me. Very lucky nothing came of that.

’69-72 – Around this time I started to get *very* confused between Amy and Abbie cause they both had yellow boots on and literally the only thing I could see on the far side of the pitch was feet. That was fun.

’73 – The wasteful corners made a return. Slightly less panicked about that one considering we were already 2-0 up but still, I would like to see the glaring set piece issue sorted asap thanks girls x

’75ish – Toone 🔁 Groenen. Man I love Jackie Groenen. She really has been immense for us so far, and there’s a definite difference in how we play without her.

’78 – Harris 🔁 M. Turner. I’ve said my piece about Harris above but man, can we take a second to appreciate Millie Turner. She never, ever stops. Literally the heart of our defence.

’86 – GOAL – Oh captain, my captain. Beautiful strike from a free kick just outside the box, with the perfect bend around the wall and subsequently the keeper to make it 3-0.

United were very obviously stronger in the second half, almost looked like a completely different team at times. Whether they just got the hairdryer treatment at the half (I would imagine Casey is terrifying when she’s mad.) or the goals gave them that spark they desperately needed to kick on, they definitely made up for all the missed chances in the first half.

’90 – 4 additional minutes.

’92 – Another United free kick. McManus found herself almost clear in (again!), but due to an unlucky fumble with the ball at her feet unfortunately nothing came from this one. Surely a 4th goal otherwise.

’93 – FIIIIIIIIGHT. Kinda. You love to see it. Spend a little while conducting some, scientific research 🌚 and have concluded that Toone was tackled from behind just as the ball left her feet, which led to the ~scuffle~. Have to say that Amy walking away with Ella was extremely 🥰🥰🥰 (This is my research - https://twitter.com/48hours8/status/1218896406020349953?s=21)

’94 – Red card for Tooney. I would assume for her reaction more than anything but the camera didn’t catch it so I guess we’ll never know. I would have thought a yellow would suffice, considering that’s all the Spurs player in question received, but apparently not. 🤔 I’m still kinda confused tbh.

’95 – Full time.

Thus concludes what was certainly an interesting match. Please enjoy this comparison of United vs Spurs chaotic energy from @danieljamesmufc

Also thanks for reading if you got this far, it’s a bit stop-starty and clunky cause I just wrote down thoughts and whatever as they came into my head and then pieced it all together later on. I also just wanna say that I was massively impressed with Smith today. She hasn’t had many chances to prove herself this season, but that combo of herself and Galton down the left was lethal today imo. 🔥

Some extra thoughts:

I’m not a huge fan (like, at all) of fans singing men’s orientated chants. Let the women’s rivalries develop on their own, in their own way, and don’t drag the vulgarities across! That said, I do think that particular group of United fans has the potential to be a very, very good thing.

Also, just wanna say that these are my girls, and I would die for every single one of them. None of my criticism is meant to be intentionally negative, I just tried to be as objective and realistic as possible, without being a fangirl lol. Even my faves aren’t immune to criticism unfortunately.

And this picture is now my favourite thing ever to exist

[lovemesomerafael]

Best That You Can Do                Chapter 3:  Disclosures

Chapter 1  Chapter 2   Read it on AO3

Carisi is smiling indulgently.  He thinks Dodds’s women problems are adorable.  Of course, Carisi’s a newlywed, and he thinks the whole world is a lovely garden of joy tinged pink with happiness.  Which is weird, Mike thinks, since he married the crankiest, snarkiest man Mike’s ever known.  No accounting for tastes.  Still, it’s a good thing, because Barba’s apparently happy, too; he’s been about a tenth of a percent nicer since they got engaged.

“You don’t understand, man. If you saw her, you’d be volunteering to shoot Susan to get her out of the way.  I’m tellin’ you, Kaitlyn’s that great.”

“Then get after it,” Carisi tells him.  “She can’t hate you that much, after last night.”

“She does, though. That was…  scotch, and hormones.  And she threw my ass out the second it was over.”

“I like her style,” Rollins comments, smiling.

Mike slumps back in his chair.  “You assholes are not helping.  I need advice here.”

“I need work here,” Olivia Benson interrupts from the door of her office.  “And can I remind you what it is this unit does? This wouldn’t be an appropriate workplace conversation anywhere, but it’s especially inappropriate here. Focus.”

“Sorry, Lieutenant,” Mike mumbles, and they all move to go back to work.

“You ever think of writing her a letter?  Sending her an email?  She may even delete it, but she’ll eventually go get it out of sheer curiosity.  Nobody can resist something like that.”

“Rafa!”  Olivia scolds, giving him an exasperated look.

Barba just shrugs a little and smirks.  “I don’t work for you.  Anyway, that’s it for my advice.  I’m out.” He leans over and kisses Sonny quickly and chastely before he strides out of the squad room.  “Love you,” he whispers.

It may be quick, but nobody misses the look that passes between them.  The squad is still trying to get used to the idea of Rafael Barba in love.  Carisi, sure. That’s easy.  But Barba, that one’s a little… out there.

Mike turns Barba’s idea over in his head.  It’s not bad, actually.  He gives a mental shake of his head at the strangeness of getting romantic advice from Barba, but then Mike saw him at their wedding, and Carisi’s said some things. Barba’s actually a tender-hearted, sappy romantic.  Not a side of him Mike (or anyone but Sonny) will ever get to see, but it’s there.  

Mike looks like he’s working, but what he actually does for the rest of the afternoon is compose an email to Kaitlyn.  He desperately wants her to know what happened, and that he’s not what she thinks. At least, he’s not quite what she thinks.  

Carisi flat out refuses to edit Mike’s email before he sends it, saying that it had to be his own, unvarnished words.  Rollins has no such scruples, and shreds the first version.  Finally, when he sends it, Mike thinks the message pretty much lays the facts out without throwing anyone but himself under the bus.  He’s never had such trouble getting himself to hit “send” as he does with this email.  But he does it.

Dear Kaitlyn,

I hope you’ll read this. You deserve to know that I did not disrespect you the way you think I did.  You were right.  It was my fault Susan kind of thought she was still my girlfriend.  But she wasn’t.  I broke up with her before I met you.  I just didn’t act as much like it as I should have.  That was wrong, and I’m sorry.  I’ve apologized to her, too.

We met and we dated (casually!) for a couple months.  Except that, toward the end, she started getting possessive.  At that point, I told her it wasn’t gonna work, and I broke it off. But she kept in communication about as much as we had when we were dating.  I didn’t shut her down, because as far as I was concerned, we were through. But we could be friends.  I didn’t see any point in being rude.  

And yeah, we went out a couple of times together after that, but for me it was just as friends. I did NOT sleep with her after we broke up.  But I admit that sent mixed signals at best.  

That’s it.  It’s just that Susan’s from an old money family with a “summer cottage” in the Hamptons you could fit my station house into, and she’s used to getting what she wants.  So when I told her honestly why I didn’t answer my phone that morning, she lost it and showed up at your office.  

I talked to her about that, and told her not to contact either one of us again.  She’s spoiled and pushy, but she’s normal.  She won’t bother us anymore.  

I’M SORRY.  I really want to see you again.  I think you know how much.  Please give me a chance.

Mike

 Mike’s disappointed Kaitlyn doesn’t write back.  It’s been a week.  So much for Barba’s “irresistible curiosity” theory.  Anyway, Mike’s been working pretty much round the clock, so he hasn’t had time to think about Kaitlyn as much as he otherwise would.  He’s forcibly reminded of her, however, when his dad walks into the squad room.  

“Hey, stranger,” he greets Mike, slapping him on the shoulder in greeting.  Mike’s just tired and discouraged enough that his dad’s approving smile feels nice.

“Hi, Dad.  Sorry, we’ve been crazy around here.”

“No, I know.  I’m not busting your chops, I just missed you. We still on for Alonso’s tonight?”

“Yeah.  Been lookin’ forward to it.”

“Excellent!  Say, what would you think about inviting Kaitlyn to join us?”

Mike thinks fast. “What?  No!  Angelo’s, that’s our thing.  You and me.”

“No girls allowed, is that it?”  Chief Dodds’s amused smile makes Mike feel inexplicably guilty.

“I like it being just the two of us.”

“Fine, fine.  I’ll see you at seven.”

“See you then.”

The Chief moves into Lieutenant Benson’s office to do whatever he’s here for.

 The dark, heavy, masculine atmosphere of Angelo’s feels soothing on Mike’s frayed nerves.  They’re going to have to work through the weekend, so Liv’s given the squad the next day off, and Mike plans to take the opportunity to enjoy some of Angelo’s nice whiskey selection.  He orders a round for himself and his dad while he waits. Chief Dodds comes in not much later, immaculate as always, while Mike feels like a street urchin out of a Dickens novel.  He really is tired.  

The drinks arrive about the same time Mike’s dad does, and they know the menu by heart, so they order and then sit back, sipping a nice single-malt Mike splurged on.  

“This is nice,” William comments.  Then he squints a little at Mike.  “You look beat, Son.  You should get some rest.”

“I will.  I’m off tomorrow, so I’m gonna have several of these,” he indicates his glass, “and sleep until Saturday.”

They discuss the cases SVU’s working for a little while, and the undercover work Fin is doing right now. When dinner comes, William orders red wine, but Mike asks for another whiskey – a little less upscale one this time. As always, their steaks are superb, and they enjoy their meal with very little commentary for a while. Inevitably, as they get full, they slow down and conversation starts back up.

“So, Mike, I’ve been meaning to ask you about Kaitlyn.”

“What about her?  You see her every day.”

“Yes, but I can’t very well ask her.  How did things go after I left last week?  Have you two gone out since then?”

Mike chews thoughtfully, because he’s made a decision he didn’t even know he was considering.  He comes clean.

“Dad, listen.  I think you can forget about me and Kaitlyn dating. We’re probably not even going to be friends.  She really doesn’t like me.”

“What are you talking about? She does, too, she told me so.”

“Well, of course she did, Dad, you’re her boss.  What’s she supposed to say, ‘He’s a weasel’?”  

“Why would she say that?”

“Because I sort of am. I fucked up, Dad.”

“What happened?”  The disapproving sigh Mike’s spent a lifetime avoiding hits him hard in his current depleted state.  

“I… We… did spend some time together.  And you were absolutely right about her.  She’s terrific.  But then, when we were together, Susan called, and Kaitlyn thought I had a girlfriend.”

“Well, just tell her she was mistaken!  Seems simple enough.”

“Really.”  Mike fixes his father with a flat stare.  “Dealing with a jealous woman seems simple to you?”

William raises the last of the wine in his glass.  “Touché.”

“Yeah.  She said I must’ve done something to make Susan think she was still my girlfriend, and the thing is, she’s right.  I broke up with Susan, but she just kept calling and texting and I just kept responding.  We even went out a couple times.  Just as friends-” he adds quickly, seeing the look on William’s face.  “No touching, no nothing.  But, I mean, that doesn’t seem very broken up, now, does it?”

“What a load of hogwash! Susan doesn’t get to unilaterally decide you’re her boyfriend, no matter how much money her old man’s got.”

“But I acted like we were still a thing, sort of, and I’m not going to blame her for being confused.”

“Oh, for cryin’ out loud, Mike.  I think you’re being a little overgenerous here.  Does Kaitlyn know all the facts?”

“No.  She said she doesn’t want to hear it, and believe me, I tried to explain.  I even sent her a long email – Barba’s idea – telling her what happened.  Nothing.”

“Well, first of all, you know you’re in trouble when you’re taking dating advice from Rafael Barba.”

“Yeah?  He’s happily married.  You and me, we’re sleepin’ alone tonight.”

William ignores that. “And second, I know Kaitlyn.  She understands shades of gray.”

“Not this, she doesn’t. So, like I said.  Cross her and me off the list.”

The waiter returns to take their plates, and they order another glass of the expensive whiskey they began with.  William’s thoughtful, which Mike doesn’t like.

“Dad, please let this go. I really like Kaitlyn.  I’d prefer she not think I’m a pathetic loser in addition to a cheating bastard.  Just let me cut my losses here.”

“All right, Son,” William Dodds lies.

 Eleanor’s pleasantly surprised to see Mike Dodds come through the door.  She hadn’t been expecting him, but his father is in his office and not in a meeting, so his timing is good.  

“Well, hello, Mike. He’s here, but let me just see if it’s OK to send you back.”

“He’s expecting me.  He said he needs to talk about something.”

Eleanor smiles as she says into her phone, “Mike is here.  Can I send him back?”

A confused look flickers across her face.  “Oh, all right.  I’ll let her know.”

Eleanor hangs up and, with a smile that’s a little off-center, says, “He needs to make an important call, but he says Kaitlyn can help you with what he needs.”  She glances down at a panel next to her phone.  I can see she’s not on the phone, why don’t you just go on in?”

Mike could give Eleanor a few answers to that question, but he’s a bit off-balance now.  “What’s he want, did he say?”

“He says Kaitlyn knows. It’s about a staffing issue.”

Mike refrains from rolling his eyes as he turns toward the short hallway where Kaitlyn’s office is. When he gets to the door, he sees that she’s wearing reading glasses that make her look like every naughty secretary fantasy he’s ever had, and her hair’s up in a haphazard bun held in place by a ball-point pen.  Her forehead is scrunched and her eyebrows close together as she scowls at whatever is on her computer screen.  She looks so good, he just stands there for a few seconds, watching her, before he knocks a few times on the doorframe.

She looks up, taking her glasses off at the same time.  Mike’s a little disappointed.  

“Apparently, my dad wants me to see you about some staffing issue?  I was supposed to meet with him, but he’s tied up and said you knew what it was. Eleanor told me to just come back.”

Kaitlyn misses a couple of beats before she says, “Come on in.  Close the door, please.  It’s not confidential or anything, we just have a rule because noise carries in this hallway.”

“Yeah.  Sure.”

“Have a seat.”  

Mike is happy to see her put her glasses back on, and watches her click around on her computer for a minute.  

“All right.  Here it is.  Come around and take a look at this.”

Mike goes around Kaitlyn’s desk and stands next to her while she shows him some graphs and explains the problem.  It’s minor, and it could easily have been handled on the phone.  In fact, it’s a problem they’ve had before, and it was handled on the phone.  Which tells Mike instantly that his father’s at it again.  Gotta hand it to him, Mike thinks.  If nothing else, he’s one hell of a wingman.  

Mike decides to go for it. He’s got nothing to lose, after all, and those glasses are killing him.  He leans down and puts a hand on Kaitlyn’s desk, pretending to be taking a close look at the graphs.  Holy shit, her hair smells fantastic.  He sees her stiffen up.  Good. He wants to get to her.

He’s shameless about brushing his cheek against her hair, and positioning his lips so that, when he talks, his breath tickles her ear.  He knows it’s working, too, because pretty soon he sees tiny glints of sweat at her hairline, and he’s so close he could swear she’s trembling ever so slightly. He tells her what he’s going to do about the problem, and she enters the numbers, which correct the graph.  She sits back slightly – problem solved – but he doesn’t move, and she makes no move to get further away from him.  

Instead, she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.  Given how out of sync they are right now, it’s shocking to him how well he understands what she’s feeling.  He goes down to one knee, which puts his face pretty much on a level with hers, and turns her chair.  He’s glad to see she’s not wearing a pencil skirt today, because he pulls her forward and situates himself between her knees.  And she doesn’t protest.

“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Mike says, pulling the pen out of her hair so it falls over her shoulders.  He slides both hands across her cheeks, burying his fingers in her hair and pulling her lips to his.  He keeps waiting for her to object, but she is very definitely kissing him back.  In fact, she’s the one who invades his mouth with her tongue, and slides her hips forward on the chair to get closer to him.

“You’re a scumbag,” she gasps against his lips as he pulls her blouse free of the waistband of her slacks. “Lock the door.”

Mike wants to give a lascivious laugh at that, but he doesn’t dare.  He just does as he’s told and, when he comes back to her desk, she’s standing next to it, breathing deeply and looking flushed.  His arms go immediately back around her and he’s kissing her again.

Her slacks have some kind of hook that is too complicated for Mike, who’s entirely too horny to try to figure it out and would tear them off if they weren’t in her office in the middle of a workday.  As soon as he makes a frustrated sound, she takes over and gets them unhooked and unzipped without hesitation.  Instead of reaching inside, though, Mike changes tactics and slides his hands up her back to unhook her bra.  He can feel her smothering moans as he fills his hands with her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs and rubbing his erection against her, pinning her to the edge of her desk.  

“Fuck, Mike,” she whispers hotly.

“I’m crazy about you,” he murmurs against her neck, where he’s trying to kiss her without leaving telltale marks.  “Tell me you read my email.”

He keeps playing with her breasts as he slides a palm down her abdomen and under the waistband of her lacy panties.  She gives an involuntary gasp as he slides one long finger inside her.  

“Tell me.”

“I… didn’t.  ‘Course I didn’t.  I hate you.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” he chuckles against the sensitive place just under her left ear and slides another finger inside her.  She can say what she wants, but her panties are soaked.  She’s moving against his fingers now, wantonly rubbing her clit against his hand.  She bites into his shoulder to keep quiet while she unhooks his belt and unbuttons his pants.

“You don’t hate me,” Mike whispers.  “You like me. And I like you.”  They’re struggling against one another now, as she tries to get his pants off but he’s blocking her access with his forearm, because his hand is still inside her slacks.  Now he’s scissoring his fingers, and she suddenly gives up.  She takes her arms from where they’d been tightly wrapped around him, roughly pulls her own pants down, then puts her hands on the desk and pushes herself up so she’s sitting on the edge.  From there, it’s easy for her to use her legs and feet to push his pants down.  She pushes his hand away with no resistance from him and he takes the step toward her and touches his cock to her, but doesn’t push in.

She whines and tries to pull him into her.

“Say it,” he growls.  “Tell me you don’t hate me.  Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

“Fine.  You bastard…  I don’t hate you, OK?  Now fuck me. I need your cock inside me…  I need… Mike…”

That’s plenty good enough for him, and he buries his cock in her.  He’s holding her upper body up with just the upper part of her ass in contact with her desk, her legs wrapped around him as he plunges into her again and again.  They’re both trying their damnedest to be quiet, but Mike’s half out of his mind with how good Kaitlyn feels, surrounding his dick with her wet, tight heat.

She starts to come much too soon, and the way she says his name tips him over the edge with her.  Mike’s a little relieved, in a way, because there’s been a very high likelihood of them getting caught.  The door might be locked, but they’d have to explain that, and if Kaitlyn’s any indication, one look at them is all it’ll take to see they’ve been fucking.  Besides, he’s not sure they’re not already busted, because they weren’t entirely able to muffle their cries just now.  

They dress in silence, helping each other straighten and smooth their clothes so there’s at least a chance they’re not entirely obvious.  

“There,” Kaitlyn says, running her hands down Mike’s torso.  

He takes her hands in his and steps closer to her, looking down into her face.  “Kaitlyn, talk to me.”

She looks like she’s wrestling with herself.  He desperately hopes she is.  “Please,” he adds.

She turns away from him and goes to stand by the window behind her desk.  

“Read my email.  At least do that,” Mike says when a whole minute’s gone by and she hasn’t responded.

Still, she says nothing. He goes to her, not touching her, but standing so close he can feel her body heat.  “Isn’t there anything I can do to get you to give me a chance?  Because I’m trying here.  And you gotta know this whole meeting, this was my dad.  Had to be.  So he’s trying, too.”

Her voice is very small as she sighs, “I’m sure you’re right.”

Having gotten a few syllables out of her, he doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the fragile possibilities in this moment.  He doesn’t move to touch her.  He doesn’t even breathe.  It works. She turns toward him, and he’s surprised to see tears in her eyes.

“Kaity…”  He doesn’t know where the affectionate nickname comes from, but he’s never been able to stand women’s tears.  He stands there, waiting for some sign as to what he’s supposed to do.  He’ll hold her while she cries if that’s what she wants, but he’s not sure it is.  She’s just looking at him, with a sad expression on her face.

“I can’t, Mike.  I won’t.  It’s that simple.  I’m sorry. I really do like you, but… no.”

“Tell me why.”

“Does it matter?”

“Fuck, yeah, it matters! You and me, we…”

“Yes?  We what?”

“We could have something!”

“Yeah.  We could.  And then you could fuck some other woman and blow my life apart.  Thanks, but no thanks.”

“That’s completely unfair! That is not who I am.”

“Susan would beg to differ.”

“Kaitlyn, would you please read my email or let me explain?  It’s not like that!  She was not my girlfriend, and she knew that, she just-“

“Trusted you.  Believed what you let her believe.  Which is why she called you, worried about you because you weren’t answering your phone-“

“You did read my email.”

“Fine.  I read it.  It says you cheated on a woman who trusted you.  End of story.”

“So what about you and me? What about this?”  He indicates the place on the desk where her bare ass was very recently parked.  

“Yeah,” she says softly. “I guess there’s not much I can say about that.  I’m attracted to you.  Very attracted, apparently, since that’s twice now I’ve…”  She looks over at him with a completely different expression for a moment.  “And what happened to consent and condoms, by the way?”  Then, as though that had been some kind of commercial break, her face returns to the sad expression and her voice drops again.  “Anyway.  We’re adults and we had sex.  And it was great.  I don’t hate you.  I’m just not going to date you.”

Mike doesn’t know what to say to that.  Until he does.  He tries to inject as much compassion into his voice as he can.  “What happened?  Who was it?”

“What difference does it make?”

“I don’t know.  But I’m not much good a quitting.  So…”

Kaitlyn folds her arms over her chest and leans against the windowsill.  Mike hates the acid that suddenly drips from her words.  “My father.  Not that it makes one bit of difference.  The man is a fucking gold medalist in chasing women.  The entire NYPD knows, because he’s completely open about it.  It’s disgusting.  I haven’t spoken to him since the day I turned eighteen and could get out of the house.  He’s destroyed my mother, but she will not leave him.  It’s like she’s addicted to him.  I’ve been watching this fucking freak show my whole life, and if you think I’m going to live it, think again.”

Mike ping-pongs between anger and sympathy.  Anger because she’s comparing him to such a rotten motherfucker, and sympathy because he suddenly completely understands her reaction to his call from Susan.  Unfortunately, he feels anger win.  

Mike speaks slowly, through gritted teeth.  “I am not him.”

“And I’m not her,” Kaitlyn spits back.  “So now you know.  We’re done here.”

Mike steps over to her and stands as close as possible to her without touching her.  He looks deeply into her eyes.  “We are not done.  I’m leaving right now, but I’m not giving up.  Not the way I feel about you.  I told you, I suck at quitting.”  

He unlocks the door and leaves it open behind him.  

 Mike’s learning about scotch.  He likes it in general, and he’s learning about different blends and tastes.  Which is what they mostly talk about when he’s sitting in Sonny and Rafael’s living room that night.  He and Carisi have been close pretty much since he’d come to SVU, back before Sonny and Rafael had disclosed their relationship.  Out of friendship for Carisi, he’d learned to like Barba, and vice versa.  

But he didn’t come to talk about scotch.  He came to talk to Carisi, who’s been his best friend for a while now, about the mess he finds himself in with Kaitlyn.  And if Carisi’s husband can help, too, so much the better.  

Because the thing is, Mike’s pissed.  He did a little research, and Kaitlyn’s father is a lowlife who’s been on foot patrol his whole career because he’s not just a womanizer, he’s an all-around waste of DNA.  Mike wonders how a guy like that raised a woman like Kaitlyn.  Carisi thinks Kaitlyn just watched what he did and did the complete opposite, which seems as reasonable as any other explanation.  Mike’s trying not to be as insulted as he is that Kaitlyn can think he’s in any way like her father, but he’s struggling.

Barba used to know Kaitlyn’s mom, it turns out, when he was just starting out in the Brooklyn DA’s office and she was a beat cop like her husband.  He tries to be kind with his description, but it’s clear she was never going to set the world on fire.  She retired from the force when she got pregnant the first time, and stayed pregnant pretty much constantly for years, which is why Kaitlyn’s one of seven kids. As far as Mike can tell, Kaitlyn’s brothers, who work for NYPD, are OK guys.  He doesn’t know anything about her sisters.

“You realize you got it bad for this girl, right?”  Carisi asks gently, but with a bit of a grin.

“Believe me, I know,” Mike groans.  “I wish I didn’t.”  

“Ready for some Glenmorangie?”  Barba holds up a bottle.

Mike nods, and Rafael explains a little about the differences between that and the Glenlivet they just had.  Mike knows most of it, but he thinks it’s cute to watch Carisi pay rapt attention like Barba’s reciting fucking poetry.  He’d like to be in love like that.  Instead, he has to have a thing for a woman who’s wrapped in barbed wire and thinks he’s a creep.

They don’t come up with any brilliant insights that night, but at least Mike feels better.  Could be all the scotch, but whatever.

 Just after that night, Mike again gets wrapped up in work, pretty much to the exclusion of all else. There’s a corrections officer who’s apparently raping inmates.  It’s a messy, extremely politically explosive situation, and it takes over the squad for quite a while.  He’s glad for the distraction, really, because he keeps trying to get Kaitlyn to talk to him, and she keeps refusing.  He’s explained the situation to his father, who’s offered to help, but Mike is adamantly opposed to that.  Besides which, it’s a weird situation employment-wise, with Mike’s dad being Kaitlyn’s boss, and they both agree it’s best for the Chief to stay out of it.  

And then Mike’s taken hostage by the corrections officer, Gary Munson.  The news that Mike’s been shot rips through the NYPD like lightning. And the news of Mike’s death hits the department like a nuclear bomb.

P.S.  TRUST ME.  HOW CAN THERE BE MORE CHAPTERS IF MIKE’S DEAD?

[ourbadboys23me-blog]

How to manage Samsung Galaxy S8 Camera Settings, configure shooting modes, take screenshots [Tutorials]

Your Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 12-megapixel primary camera that, by default, already captures standard quality pictures. New and average users don’t need to change settings to be able to take good pictures but if you are one of the people who have a little or advanced photography background, there are settings you can manipulate to take even better images.

In this post, I will walk you through on how to take pictures with your Galaxy S8 camera and use other features. I’ve also tackled the shooting modes you can use and how to manage the settings of the camera. Read on to learn more about your phone’s camera.

If, however, you found this post while looking for a solution for a problem you’re currently experiencing, visit our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems with this phone. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to take pictures using your Galaxy S8 Camera

Taking pictures with your Galaxy S8 must be one of the most common things you can do if you own a phone with an impressive camera. Just like any other smartphones, it’s easy to manipulate the camera to take really good pictures. But if you’re new to the phone and still learning how to use it, here’s how you take pictures with it:

From the home screen, swipe up to access Apps.

Find and tap the Camera icon to open the app.

Use the display as the viewfinder and aim the camera at the subject. You may use the following options to enhance the picture:

To focus the shot, tap the screen. When you tap the screen, a brightness scale is displayed. Slide the light bulb up or down to adjust the brightness.

To add an effects filter, swipe to the left and tap a preview filter to apply it to the screen.

To add a shooting mode, swipe to the right and select a mode.

To quickly switch between the front and rear cameras, swipe the screen up or down.

Tap the capture icon to take a picture.

There are times when you have to quickly open the camera to take important pictures but unlocking your phone, swiping up to access Apps and tapping on the camera icon take time. You can actually use the Power key of your phone to immediately open the camera and this is how you set it:

From the home screen, swipe up to access Apps.

Find and tap Settings.

Tap Advanced features and then Quick launch camera.

Now tap the switch to toggle it On.

After setting this, you can now double press the Power key to open the camera. You can also take advantage of the camera and the new Bixby Vision. If turned on, you can point your camera at an object or location to search for products online, discover new places nearby, or translate text. To do so, follow these steps:

From home, swipe up to access Apps.

Tap Camera > Bixby Vision and follow the prompts.

Additional Information

The following options can be found in your camera’s viewfinder and here’s how they work:

Animated filters and Beauty: Adjust skin tone of faces. Add animated effects to live self-videos.

Gallery: View your picture or video in the Gallery application.

Capture picture: Take a picture.

Record video: Begin recording video.

Bixby Vision: Use Bixby Vision to search or shop for similar images on the Internet.

Modes, camera, or effects: Swipe right to change the shooting mode. Swipe left to add an effects filter.

Switch cameras: Switch between the rear camera and the front camera.

HDR (Rich tone): Enables the light sensitivity and color depth features of the device to produce a brighter and richer picture.

Flash: Activate or deactivate the flash. Toggle through flash options—on, auto, or off (rear camera only).

Camera settings: Opens the camera settings menu and lets you change additional camera settings.

How to configure Galaxy S8 Camera shooting mode

The default setting for your camera’s shooting modes are already good and if you only have a limited idea how to configure the shooting mode in your phone but still want to produce moderately good pictures, then leave everything as is. But for those who are curious enough and want to try a thing or two, the following information might help you:

From the home screen, tap Apps.

Find and tap Camera.

Swipe to the right for the Mode options and then feel free to use them with these information in mind:

Primary Camera (rear)

Auto: Allow the camera to evaluate the surroundings and determine the ideal mode for the picture.

Pro: Manually adjust the ISO sensitivity, exposure value, white balance, and color tone while taking pictures.

Panorama: Create a linear image by taking pictures in either a horizontal or vertical direction.

Slow motion: Record videos at a high frame rate for viewing in slow motion. You can play a specific section of each video in slow motion after recording it.

Hyperlapse: Create your own time lapse video by recording at various frame rates. The frame rate is automatically adjusted depending on the scene being recorded and the movement of the device.

Food: Take pictures that emphasize the vivid colors of food.

Secondary Camera (front)

Selfie: Take selfie shots and apply various effects, such as an airbrushed effect.

Wide selfie: Take wide-angle selfie shots to fit more people into your pictures.

Common to both cameras

Selective focus: Change the focus of pictures after they have been taken. You can focus on subjects near to the camera, far away from the camera, or both.

Virtual shot: Create multi-directional views of objects.

Download: Download additional shooting modes from the Galaxy Apps store.

More options: See more options for the camera modes.

How to manage Galaxy S8 Camera settings

Your phone’s camera has already been configured so that users could just point it at the subject and shoot and produce standard quality pictures. For most of the owners, the default configuration is enough but for those who have advanced knowledge in photography, you can try manipulating the settings of the camera. Here are the available options for you:

Primary Camera (rear)

Picture size: Select a resolution. Use higher resolution for higher quality. Higher resolution pictures take up more memory.

Video size: Select a resolution. Use higher resolution for higher quality. Higher resolution videos take up more memory.

Tracking AF: Focus on and track a subject selected on the preview screen.

Shape correction: Correct distortion in pictures automatically.

Timer: Take time-delayed pictures or videos.

Secondary Camera (front)

Picture size: Select a resolution. Use higher resolution for higher quality. Higher resolution pictures take up more memory.

Video size: Select a resolution. Use higher resolution for higher quality. Higher resolution videos take up more memory.

Save pictures as previewed: Save the self-portrait or self-recording as viewed on the camera screen, not as flipped images.

Ways to take pictures: Tap screen (tap the screen to take selfies) and Show palm (hold your hand out with your palm facing the camera to have your picture taken in a few seconds).

Tap heart rate sensor: Once your face has been recognized, tap the heart rate sensor to take a selfie.

Timer: Take time-delayed pictures or videos.

Common to both cameras

Motion photo: Create a short video by taking pictures.

Video stabilization: Activate anti-shake. Anti-shake helps to keep the focus steady when the camera is moving.

Grid lines: Display viewfinder grid lines to help composition when selecting subjects.

Volume key function: Use the Volume key as the camera key, the record key, a zoom key, or for system volume.

Location tags: Attach a GPS location tag to the picture.

Review pictures: Set to show pictures after taking them.

Quick launch: Open camera by pressing the Power key twice in quick succession.

Storage location: Select the memory location for storage. This option only appears if an optional memory card (not included) is installed.

Voice control: Take pictures by saying “Smile,” “Cheese,” “Capture,” or “Shoot,” or record videos by saying “Record video.”

Floating Camera button: Add an extra camera button that you can move anywhere on the screen in Auto and Selfie modes.

Reset settings: Reset the camera settings.

How to change default camera storage in Galaxy S8

It might be just one of the options or settings you can find in your phone but it’s actually very important to many owners especially those who love taking pictures and recording videos. Your phone has enough storage space to handle your most important files, data and even apps. But 40GB of usable storage isn’t enough to hold thousands of pictures and videos and that’s the reason why Samsung included an SD card slot in the S8 to make its storage expandable. Once you have inserted your SD card, here’s how you change the settings so that your phone will automatically save pictures or videos into it:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.

Tap Camera.

Tap the Settings icon in the top right.

Tap Storage location.

Tap one of the following options:

How to delete pictures and videos from your Galaxy S8

Deleting the pictures or videos that don’t look good always depends on you but if you really want to discard some of them, please note that you could no longer retrieve them:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.

Tap Gallery.

Tap the 3 dots icon.

Tap Edit.

Tap each picture (or album, if applicable) to be deleted.

Tap DELETE.

Tap DELETE.

How to take screenshots with your Galaxy S8

There are actually two options you can use if you want to take a screenshot with your phone. Here’s the first method:

Navigate to the desired screen.

At the same time, press and hold the Power key and the Volume down key.

When the white border appears around the edge of the screen, release the keys. The screenshot has been captured.

Screenshots are saved in the main Gallery application folder or inside the Screenshots album.

And this is the second one, which I think is a lot easier than the first one:

Navigate to the desired screen.

Place the edge or your hand flush and perpendicular against the left side of the screen.

Swipe right until the white border appears around the edge of the screen. The screenshot has been captured.

Screenshots are saved in the main Gallery application folder or inside the Screenshots album.

Read More :  How to manage Samsung Galaxy S8 Camera Settings, configure shooting modes, take screenshots

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