#oh also all of the programs I use for this are open-source which I'm very happy about

[arielsewhere]

Hope it's alright if I add on to this - I'm seeing people in the notes who want to make their own FreakTV-style TV channels, and as someone who was inspired to set up something similar after first seeing these bumpers, I wanted to share some of the basics of my methods~ (continued below cut)

If you have a computer connected to the internet and the space to store the content you want to watch, you can use ErsatzTV (a personal IPTV server) and Jellyfin (my preferred personal media server (Plex or Emby are also options)) to set up any number of channels, and set them to play more or less anything you want on any schedule you want, as long as you have the files of the media you want it to play - the setup for both of these server programs is fairly straightforward, and both have a ton of accessible tutorials (like these) available on their respective websites. How you get media files of whatever shows you'd like to include is up to you to figure out.

If you want to share access to the servers (which host your TV channel/s) with friends but don't really know anything about networks, Tailscale is a VPN that assigns you a secondary IP as part of a virtual local network, but you don't really have to know what that means in order to use it. Since there aren't as many accessible tutorials for this specific use of Tailscale, here are the basics of copying my Tailscale setup, where I use Jellyfin's built-in IPTV support to watch my ErsatzTV channels:

1.) After setting up Jellyfin and ErsatzTV, make sure you've followed this tutorial for making your ErsatzTV channels accessible in Jellyfin 2.) Install Tailscale and create a Tailscale account on the computer running ErsatzTV/Jellyfin (you may want to set up 2 Tailscale accounts, one for users and one for admin - though doing this is a little more complicated than you'd expect, and just having 1 account is probably fine if you can't/don't want to figure it out) 3.) Install and log into Tailscale on whatever device you want to watch your TV channel/s on 4.) Go to the Tailscale dashboard in your browser, find the Tailscale IP address of the computer running ErsatzTV/Jellyfin, and copy it 5.) Paste that IP into your browser's address bar, and add ":8096" to the end of it (you can also follow this step in a Jellyfin client app instead of a browser, which I'd recommend at least trying out) 6.) The Jellyfin Web-UI should now be open in your browser, which you should be able to use to watch your ErsatzTV channels

For what it's worth, when I've used Tailscale to stream my TV channels or anything via Jellyfin to my phone, for reasons beyond my understanding, the quality has genuinely been flawless, even over mobile data - I can't recommend it enough.

As a disclaimer, there are probably faster ways of setting this up, but as I have enjoyed investing a lot of extra time into my Jellyfin server, I haven't done the experimenting to come up with any. If you really just want one TV channel and nothing else, setting all this up without also setting up a media server like Jellyfin is possible, but it would introduce a couple of new issues you'd have to find solutions for, one being that ErsatzTV doesn't come with a built-in player to actually watch your channels with. So, whether or not you want to experiment to find different methods is up to you.

Anyway, hope this is useful to some of you, go nuts ✌️

here's a compilation of Every FreakTV Bumper That I've Made, in chronological order of creation, along with titles and reviews of them.

FreakTV is a fake TV channel my friends and i created to be used as a discord bot that streamed randomly selected episodes from our favorite TV shows, 24/7, in a dedicated channel. between each aired episode there was a "coming up next" break, and one of hundreds of bumpers that all of us created over time

[utilitycaster]

actually taking the last bit out of the tags of that post because here is the thing. and I'm going to use specific examples, because I think it's illustrative.

the two groups of people in this fandom who have specifically harassed me have been, as I've said before, imo/dna fans mad I don't find the ship very good, and (to be fair, only on one occasion) shadowido/mauk fans who got mad that I said that tagging ao3 fic about throuples with individual pairs sucks. [hilariously the latter was not even about them at all, it was about me looking for imogen and fearne ship fic that wasn't witchy trio fic and finding it almost impossible to filter].

I do not like these people because they have engaged with harassment. It is not about identity; it is about actions. My closest friend, and the first non-family member I talked to on Wednesday morning, is a bi woman in an open marriage to a woman, with a longterm male partner. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding. The last time I visited her, in September, I was joined by other mutual friends, who are similarly in an open marriage with longterm partners and at least one relationship between two women.

I am entirely secure, in my personal life, that I am kind and accepting to queer women (of which I am one) and to poly people (of which I am not), and so I hope you can appreciate that if someone attempts to attack me on the internet on these grounds because I do not have the same exact opinions on pretend people kissing, my response isn't "oh my god I should go off and die because I'm a terrible person," it's "get a load of this moron making wild assumptions about my personal life based on a single data point in my preferences in fiction; I'm going to make them regret doing this to me, and hopefully anyone else, because this is genuinely a detrimental behavior in the fandom space." And also, you know what. If they were a homeless person on the street and asked for a dollar I would still give it to them if their attacks were merely verbal (yes, I know the idea of someone screaming "YOU'RE A LESBOPHOBE FOR HATING IMO/DNA can i have a dollar" outside the grocery store is rather comical, and I think that is how you need to consider statements like "um actually I won't help pro-shippers." Imagine that conversation happening in an irl activist group. Everyone would be like "uh...anyway, how do we fight back against this hostile bench architecture.")

I think right now it is vitally important to remember what actual bigotry looks like and what needs to be fought, and the reason I tapped the sign of this post last night is literally that I think you are wasting time and energy engaging with people who think bigotry is "criticizing the pretend guy Ashton Greymoore for concrete but pretend choices they made" when I also think most people criticizing Ashton would, if Ashton were real, still toss them change if they needed it, or are people who currently donate to or otherwise work with local programs that assist nb people, disabled people, or unhoused children.

I like to argue and I like to engage in fandom and I will continue doing that because it is a source of enjoyment and comfort for me, but I really urge everyone to ask yourself "am I arguing about genuinely different readings, or do I think that everyone who doesn't like my blorbo ship is a bad person" because if it's the latter, I think you need to nip that in the bud of online fandom before it grows into something darker and worse. A lot of irl hate and bigotry starts from a place of "everyone who doesn't agree with me and give me what I want all the time is wrong and evil" and perhaps I am too optimistic, but I think many people who say things like that in fandom just are caught up in the drama of it all and are capable of exercising empathy when they stop treating shipping or interpretation like a popularity contest that, if they lose, indicates that everyone around them is irredeemable. But I also think it can be the start of a really bad path.

[tamelee]

hi tamelee!

I'm here to ask for a little bit of advice if that's okay (: about a month ago I bought a Wacom drawing pad so I could start experimenting with digital art. artists like you here on tumblr have really inspired me to start making art. but I feel kinda.. lost. I've been mostly drawing naruto manga caps and I'm getting better but I guess I don't know where to go from here. coloring and shading scares me lol. I'm using clip studio paint and it's just a little.. intimidating. I feel discouraged, like I won't be able to do it. how did you do it tamelee? did you watch a lot of tutorials, or did you experiment until you figured things out? any advice you'd have for a beginner artist I'd really appreciate.

thank you veryvery much for your time ^^

Hi Nonee! 🧡 Sure!

Oh I think that’s a very good place to start. As well as drawing subjects you like ^^! Hmm, tbh I’ve just experimented a lot, but I don’t think my way of having done things was the most efficient. You might want to follow tutorials step by step? You can try coloring only with flat colors until you feel a bit more confident with that as well as cell-shading (toon-shading/non-realistic, like in anime) instead of rendering further as that can all be confusing at first. I personally never truly understood shading until I studied cell-shading and made my art a lot more readable. A lot of Anime uses this; 

You see how there is a base color, a darker color for shadows and highlights? (Sometimes not even highlights.) 

When you start to study it from existing work you’ll start to notice things like color always being in the same area of saturation and when you suddenly have a color that is way more saturated than the other it can look off. (See example.) But this is a guideline, not a rule. In your own art you can especially use saturation and brightness to help aid you to direct a viewer's focus and even tell a story.

I LOVE ‘How to train you dragon’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda’ for this because their coloring is so inspiring and if you truly want to learn from professionals... well those are the type of media to look for of course! I have an entire folder to inspire me just based on those.

Do you see how calculated those color combo’s are?!?! Here you see both analogous and complementary schemes and it is actually through looking at the things I like that I learned it >< The orangey colors stand out and are bright which helps you to focus on that area whereas the complimentary scheme is used to bring characters together.

If drawing Manga-caps is something you love to do, then maybe for coloring you can study screen-caps from Anime or even other animated films. I’d recommend to take it step by step, though I haven’t really applied it myself, from the video’s I’ve seen and artists I’ve followed it is always advised to have an art-goal that you can work toward. Maybe you first want to focus on lineart and then laying down a base color where the colors are harmonious and next would be cell-shading maybe and then you can start adding another light-source etc- eventually you can decide to create more depth or practice with monochromatic coloring, maybe even greyscale to learn values. But right away that can all sound a bit intimidating doesn't it? Find things that you like and then maybe you can open them in your program and just study. Find a brush you like, put on some music or a show on the background and for a moment play around with it without needing to create a finished piece. This is also how I learned how things like adjustment layers work or what all the different kinds of tools do. I have to agree with you, CSP is intimidating for me as well >< so this is kinda how I approach it as there are so many add-ons and additions within it but I try to only learn what I need for that moment so I don't overwhelm myself.  I definitely try to find video’s that can help me with creating Manga though! ^^ There are plenty!  It'll get easier eventually, you'll learn the program and you start to recognize placements for shadows and you will get a feel for the coloring- no worries 💪 Learning something new will always stay intimidating, every time I open up a new document I feel it too. It's not easy at all, but you kinda have to allow yourself to experiment and even make mistakes because practice is never perfect. I have some beginner tips written here- I hope any of this is somewhat helpful 🌷🫶

[tryingtimi]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Thank you @aninkwellofnectar for the tag! 💖

1) What motivates you to write?

To connect to people in a way I wouldn't be able to in any other form. I am not good at articulating my thoughts to others, so this is one of my ways to try to.

2) A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

Lonel stole a glance from the decorative clock on the nearest wall.  It ticked, as her words ticked something in him. The anger she was spitting those tearful words; that was way too familiar. He listened, keeping his eyes on the woman. It was clear that this was her moment, the time to open up and embrace whatever she was feeling. Yeah, he understood that, respected that. To an extent, it must have been great. Just great. 

From Lonel's first chapter, where he listens to someone in their support group.

3) Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

Well, if we stay on Project Lonel, then it's Odena. She's a very intelligent woman with great humour, devotion to those who she loves and having a pretty neat level of self-awareness. It's hard for her to acknowledge when she was wrong, but when she does, she does it properly. She has a lot of empathy, but she is not naive. Not even the least. (which is an absolute blast to explore as someone who is the opposite lmao) She's also very sweet, and playful when you are close to her. She's basically someone who I'd look up at irl, to be honest.

4) What process of writing do you enjoy the most?

The typing, when you have the chance to play with words, and metaphors and descriptions. Oh boy, the descriptions, I'm definitely guilty in overdescribing things, but I love it and no one can stop me, I'm sorry. I also discovery write a lot of part of the story, but it goes way smoother for me if I have at least a very vague chapter by chapter outline. So, I can exceptionally enjoy the process of making that outline too, to be honest.

5) What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

Setting the atmosphere and the mood. With a wall of description, yes.

6) What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The friendliness and the direct support. I'm not a part of any other community outside of writeblr or tumblr itself, tho I was on Wattpad for a while. However, in comparison to WP, tumblr is much more, well, direct and that makes it a quite wholesome experience honestly.

7) A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

Not specifically a writing program, but I use Notion to store and organise my things. My OCD loves it to bits, and it helps me get inspired I think. With all the costumization possibilites, I can make a page that will always get me in the mood of my story.

8) A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

The Crimson Shadow Pub&Bar, which is an important gathering point for all vampiric activity. Especially that orgy kind of thing where they invite humans who offer their blood willingly and gather them to store for later, since they trade with blood. You see, in Lonel, when a vampire drinks someone's blood, they extract that person's best ability with it. For example: a runner has their stamina in it. And if another human drinks that, they gain that specific ability in a big dose temporarily. It's like a funky steroid or something. Which is why it also addictive to humans, and so the vampires started a business with it in secret.

9) What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Can't say a better one than Nectar: read books! They are the perfect source for encouragement, and inspiration. It's a must for me to read before I start to write because then that goes so much smoothly too. And if you found a story that speaks to you, that will help you get back on track with your project too, in my experience.

10) Tag some people whose works you love/have been your biggest supporters:

Here are some of my biggest supporters / people whose writing I enjoy.

@aninkwellofnectar, @bloodlessheirbyjacques, @the-void-writes, @circa-specturgia, @aschlindartroom, @dyrewrites, @blind-the-winds, @muddshadow, @odysseywritings

[goombasa]

Installing Linux Casually

So, after a few comments that I got back on my post about using linux casually, I got someone who said that they didn't think that installing Linux was easy and that they'd had a difficult time with it in the past.

I realized that I'd done exactly what I was hoping I wouldn't do with that post and that was assume a certainly level of comfort on the part of other people when it came to Linux and how it can be used, and so I thought that this week, I'd do a quick tutorial on how to install Linux. This is going to be aimed at someone who has never done this before, and so will be using the path of least resistance, but I will make multiple recommendations when I can, so if you're interested in at least trying Linux out, I hope that this helps to get you to the point where you can at least explore the new desktop. So let's get started.

Step 1: Prep Your Computer

This step is a lot less intensive than it sounds. Basically you just want to make sure that you have backups of anything you want to keep on your computer. Get yourself an external hard drive or some cloud storage, and put copies of any important documents, photos, videos, etc. on there so that you don't lose something if anything goes wrong. The odds of that happening are slim, but you never want to take any chances when it comes to computers, finnicky little bastards that they are.

Oh, and you should also make sure that any programs you use frequently are either compatible with Linux, or have a linux equivalent that you feel okay with using. Yes, there are ways to install Windows programs on Linux, like Wine and Bottles, but in my experience, while it can work fine for simple programs, it's not going to play nice with most professional software, especially stuff that needs to be always online and updates itself frequently. It won't be a problem if you're used to using open source software or largely use web apps, but just keep in mind that if you need or use something like the Adobe Suite frequently, Linux might be an issue.

Step 2: Choose Your Distribution

Like I mentioned in the ‘using linux casually’ post, Linux comes in a lot of different flavors, and you'll want to do some research into specifically what each distribution offers and how easy it is for a computer layman to use without issue. My personal recommendation on this front is definitely Linux Mintas it has a layout that is decently similar to something like Windows 10, it has a very straightforward installation process, and pretty much anything that Windows can do from a GUI for basic navigation and settings, Mint can do as well, so you shouldn't have to touch the Terminal at all. Hell, I still haven't come across anything in my daily use that requires me to open the terminal.

This tutorial will go forward assuming you're using mint, but most beginner friendly distributions are going to have the exact same installation process, so here are a few others that are often cited as beginner friendly. Please note that I can't speak to if they actually are or not, as I haven't used a ton of them, but I'm putting them here for completeness:

Ubuntu

Zorin OS

Linux Lite

Pop!_OS

MX Linux

Once you've made your decision, download the distribution. ALWAYS be sure to grab the distribution from the official website! Not only are you guaranteed to get the most up to date version of the operating system this way, but you can also be sure that there's nothing nasty put in there as well. It will most likely be an ISO file, which is a format that basically mimics am installation CD. Now that your computer is ready and you have your distro in hand, let's move on to the fun part.

Step 3: Flashing Your Linux Distribution to A Thumb Stick

Don't worry, this step is a lot easier than it sounds. All you have to do is download a program made to flash ISO files onto external hard drives and storage devices to make them bootable, and make sure you have a spare USB stick, of at least about 4 gigs. I'd recommend at least 8 personally, but 4 is fine in most cases. I would recommend Balena Etcher for newbies, as it is about as simple as a program can get. You can also use Rufus if you want, as it does the same, and gives you a few extra options, but for beginners, you aren't going to be using most of those options, so we'll go forward assuming you're using Balena Etcher.

When you open up the program, first click on the Flash from File button and navigate to where you saved the ISO of your distribution. Unless you've gone out of your way to change it, it'll probably be in your Downloads folder. Select it and click open.

Next, choose the target you want to flash the ISO to. Make sure your USB stick is inserted and is being seen by the computer, and make sure you select it from the list. The program will most likely identify it as a generic USB device, and will also tell you how much storage is on the stick. After you select that, just click flash and wait for it to finish flashing. This can take a little while depending on your computer, but it generally shouldn't take too long to finish.

Now we get to the point where some folks start to get tripped up.

Step 4: Boot into Linux Mint

Now we have to make it so our computer will boot into Linux Mint on the USB Stick. To do this, we have to restart our computer with the USB Stick inserted. One it starts up, quickly tap the key at startup that the computer tells you will take you to the boot menu. It's generally one of the Function keys (F1, F2, F11, etch), but can also be ESC or Delete keys as well. This will take you to a boot menu where you can change the order in which the computer looks for bootable devices. Put your USB stick at the very top of the list, save the chances, and hit Escape to exit. Depending on the age of your computer, you might be able to use your mouse for this, but older forms of the menu sometimes require you to navigate by keyboard. From here, the computer will restart and will boot from the USB Stick.

After a few moments, you should see what's called a GNU GRUB menu with a few options on it. You should be able to just choose to start Linux Mint. Don't worry, we're not installing anything yet. It'll take a little while before it starts up, but that's mostly because it's loading off of a small USB Stick. But so long as you're seeing the Linux Mint logo, you're fine.

Step 5: Try It Out!

This is one of the best parts of Linux Mint. When you boot into it from a USB stick, it takes you into what's called a Live Environment. You are essentially running the entire operating system off of the stick, so it's not going to be super fast or anything, but it lets you poke around, check out the default layout, try installing some basic stuff and such. Just be aware that some programs and applications won't work in the live environment, but enough is functional to give you a gentle idea of the layout and navigation. If for whatever reason you change your mind and don't want to install Linux Mint at this point, then you can just shut down your computer from the home menu and remove the USB stick, and it should boot up back into Windows normally the next time you start it up.

Step 6: Install it!

Once you're done poking around and are ready to fully commit to an install, you'll see an icon on your desktop below the Computer and Home folders that looks like a CD, called Install Linux Mint. Double click that to start the install process. From here, it's a very straightforward process, but let's go through each step real quick:

Choose your language. There are a LOT of languages to choose from, but English will be the default.

Connect to the internet. You can skip this if you want to (unlike SOME operating systems), but connecting at the start is recommended because of the next step.

Tic the box for third-party media codecs. This will download all the packages that Linux Mint needs in order to properly play most forms of media. Due to licensing, they can't have this stuff installed by default, but offering the end user the ability to install it now gets around that.

Choose an Install Type. I recommend just erasing the disk and installing Linux Mint as the only OS. If there's another operating system already on the disk, you can choose to install Mint alongside it and Mint will even do the heavy lifting for you and resize the other OS partition and everything, but for simplicity's sake, I prefer to just erase the disk and run Mint as the only game in town.

Select your timezone. This one's pretty self explanatory, just select whichever region of the world you happen to be a part of, or the closest to it.

Select your keyboard layout. Again,s elf explanatory, and a lot like languages, there is an impressive array of keyboards to choose from, but regular US English will be the default. You can also type in the box below the choices to test it, or just click the ‘detect keyboard layout’ button if you don't want to search for it and are using something a bit more exotic.

Enter your personal details. All of these have to be populated, but you can basically put in whatever you want for your name and the computer's name. The computer's name is basically how it will be identified on say, a local network. Your username should be something easy to remember, as you will need to know it, and the password can be anything you want it to be, but if you're concerned about other people getting into your PC, might want to make it something decently strong. You can also choose whether or not you want to log in manually with your password every time you start the computer or wake it up, and can even choose to encrypt your home folder to keep it safe from people trying to get into it locally.

Enjoy the welcome slideshow. It'll show you most of the default programs preinstalled on Mint and give you some idea of how to use the layout while everything is installing in the background. Once it's finished, your computer will ask to restart, and you can either continue testing or start immediately. Once you restart your PC, remove the USB stick when prompted and you should boot into your brand new Linux Mint PC.

Step 7: Poke Around and Start Outfitting It!

At this point, we're basically done, but just to get you started, I thought we'd leave off on exploring how to get stuff on your computer. Rather than hunting down and downloading stuff on web sites for most of your programs, you'll install most stuff from repositories. I know it sounds weird, but if you've ever used a mobile app store, you'll feel right at home.

First, go into your home menu and type in ‘software manager’ When it comes up, click it to go to what is essentially the free software store of Linux Mint.

Now that you're in the software manager, you can browse through the various categories to find programs that you want, or you can just search for specific programs in the search bar. When you find one you want, click on it and then you can either install it right then and there, or, in some cases, choose if you want to install the ‘flatpak’ version or the System Package version. This is a bit beyond the scope of this video, but I will say, if you're just getting into Linux, it doesn't really matter what you choose, as they both have their own positives and negatives, but either way you're going to get the program that you want. For now just think of it this way: If you want the absolute latest stable version of a program, go with Flatpak. If you want something that's a little bit older but is easier to modify, go with System Package. I personally prefer Flatpak, but this is more a personal preference that I only arrived at after like a year of working with Linux. Also, some programs are only going to be available as one or the other, so keep that in mind.

After that, just click install and it will install on your system and you can access it from the home menu like you would on Windows, and of course you can pin it to your task bar or put it on your desktop for easy access later on. Oh, and you can also launch the program from the Software Manager as well after it's installed. This is also where you'll go if you want to uninstall a program as well.

The End

And that's about it for this post. I do hope it helps some people out and makes the installation process for Linux Mint a bit less daunting. It should be noted that the Linux Mint site itself does have extensive documentation on installing the distribution that goes a bit deeper than this does as well, so you might find more information on a topic there, this was basically meant to be as streamlined as possible for new users.

Before signing off, however, I wanted to give a quick, short list of resources for new linux users. Some of these aren't specifically aimed at beginners, but might give you some ideas on what's possible with your shiny, new operating system, and once you find yourself getting a little bit bolder, might help you to learn a bit more about the more advanced features, when you feel comfortable enough to try them. So in no particular order:

Gaming On Linux: An excellent resource for anyone who plays games to keep up with recent developments in that space, as Linux has become more and more compatibe with games over the last few years, ever since Steam introduced their Proton compatibility layer and more tools like Lutris have become available that make it much easier to install and play older games that might not be available on Steam.

Flathub: This is the main repository for Flatpaks, and allows you to browse through the incredibly large selection of different programs by category and see the latest changes to each one.

The Linux Experiment: A youtube channel that focuses mostly on Linux news, but also does a lot of opinionated video essays and tutorials on various topics and is a bit more approachable than other Linux channels that focus on more complex or in-depth parts of the operating system.

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

The Reaper and the Death Angel Snippet 1 - The lab

This can be read at any time, including when I've gotten past the slow burn and Jax and the OC are together but fits best between parts 9 and 10. This isn't one story, it's lots of little ones that don't justify their own chapter.

Part 9

Contains: Forensic anthropology, dead bodies, exposition, Tig being Tig, only the OC and her brother are my own, I've stolen Captain Holt from Brooklyn nine-nine this time, Clay is a dick.

1.2K words

Comment if you want to be tagged.

From the grand tour to quiet lunches, who doesn't love a museum department that deals with corpses.

"Welcome everyone. Since Little Brother brought you here after closing, you have me all to yourselves and I've cleared it with Professor Holt so you guys get to see the back rooms."

You were in your scrubs, they were the standard blue, but there were patches of bright, happily patterned fabric every now and then; today's theme is ladybugs.

"I like your shirt!" Juice stood closest to the door, moving from foot to foot in childlike joy.

"Thank you Juicy, I love ladybugs. They are cute but voracious predators. I use them as natural pest control." Clay was looking unimpressed with his arm crossed.

"Isn't it a little unprofessional?" You shook your head.

"My job is very sad at times, my bosses don't care what I do as long as I do my job and my childish uniform make all the death a little easier. Is that understandable?" Clay gave a dismissive nod.

"This way gentlemen."

You took them through the lab first, showed them all the different rooms and equipment and introduced them to your co-workers, next were the archive rooms.

"Here we have the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, the largest one found is more than 1000 pounds." You pulled back the tank cover to show them the preserved specimen.

"Aren't these the ones that Sperm Whales eat?" You smiled and nodded.

"Yes, some Sperm Whales actually have scars from fights with large squids."

You walked them over to another section.

"This is the baculum or penis bone of a walrus who has the largest in the world." You could see the guys giggling.

"Penis bone?" You huffed.

"Yes Tig, a penis bone. Now into the weapons archive."

You walked them through a set of doors into another room.

"This is a 1882 mousetrap, the gun would be loaded each day in preparation for the mouse but it wasn't very popular." Happy looked a little sad.

"Don't worry Hap, it didn't sell well, it also rarely worked." You guided them down a flight of stairs.

"This is my favourite room, the Egyptian archive. We even have a bed that's a direct recreation of Queen Cleopatra's bed." You paused, "Yes I have napped in it, it's very comfortable."

The final stop was bone storage.

"This is where the remains of unidentified people stay until we're ready to help them, I'm not going to take you in because it's basically the embodiment of limbo which is not fun. But as you can see by the size of the room, I'm far too busy to worry about anything outside of these people waiting to have their stories told." They all seemed to understand what you were saying.

****

"Oh hello Jackson, what brings you hear today?" He put down a bag from your favourite coffee shop.

"Sam said you were having a rough few days so I thought I bring you some lunch." You looked in the bag, it contained your favourite cake, and a large ice coffee.

"Thank you Jax, you're very thoughtful. Do you have the time to keep me company?" he nodded and sat down and you split the cake in half to share it with him.

"How's Wendy doing." He took a sip from his own coffee and reached into the pocket of his Kutte.

"Good, she gave me this yesterday." He handed over a sonogram photo.

"Look at his little nose, he's gorgeous Jax." Jax smiled big and wide, it made his eyes wrinkle at the corner.

'Yeah, he is."

****

"Hi Juicy, is everything ok?" He nodded and came into your office.

"I was wondering if you could show me your database program, you mentioned it was opened sourced and I wanted to know a bit more about it." You got up to take him to your computer expert Angela.

"Angela would be better equipt to tell you, I'll introduce you to her a little more than I did the first time and you guys can talk, I'm sure you'll get along great."

****

You were happy you convinced the museum to hire Anvil for security, it made life a lot easier to turn people away if you didn't want to see them.

"Deputy Chief Hale is here to see you y/n, should we let him in?" You picked up the phone with one hand and continued to type with the other.

"No thank you Travis, if it's got to do with a case he's more than welcome to call me." you hung up and went back to your work, you hoped that Hale wouldn't become a problem.

****

"Clay, how can I help you today?" He walked in and sat down without asking.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you know anyone here who can source rare orchids?" At least he was here for a good reason.

"For Gemma?" He nodded.

"Dr Todd would be the best, she's an expert in rare flowering plants. I'll page her to come over."

Dr Tood arrived about 20 minutes later and you left her and Clay to talk.

"I have an exam to do so I'll leave you guys to it."

****

Jax's lunchtime visits have become a weekly occurrence, he would come in with a coffee and your favourite cake and sit with you in your office until you had to return to work. You would talk about anything and everything, but the talk drifted to Abel and the club most of the time.

"Wendy's stopped returning my calls, I'm really worried about her but she seemed fine when I went to check on her." He sounded worried.

"Give it time, she'd be feeling him move around now and it might be getting a bit much. If you like I can go and see how's she doing?" You could see Jax visibly relax.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it."

"Your friend Harry is out of Chino, isn't he?" Jax nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't know if he wants anything to do with the Club, he's working at the mill right now." You shook your head.

"Hard on the body and shit pay, Oswald should be ashamed of himself." Jax huffed.

"Clay loves the man, thinks he's going to keep Charming a small town." you rolled your eyes.

"We know that's not true, the moment his land is worth more to him developed he'll sell it off." Jax shrugged.

"I know, but Clay likes to be in business with people we know." He sounded fed up.

"Well he's better than Jacob Hale so that's a plus." Jax chuckled at you in agreeance.

****

Jax was back again for another lunch, this time you brought food for him. Your lunches had gone from once a week to whenever you both had the time, which meant you were spending a lot more time together.

"Have you heard from Wendy?" He shook his head.

"She hasn't been returning my calls either, I don't know whether I should pop by your house to see if she'll talk to me. I've been meaning to ask you for a few days." He was more slumped than usual.

"Nah, I doubt she'd even come out. She's probably just feeling overwhelmed. You leaned in a little closer.

"Well if you change your mind, I'm here."

"Thanks y/n."

Part 10

[carlyraejepsans]

hey, sorry for bothering you but i'm seriously considering starting to draw digitally (i have never drawn before except for when i was a little kid). i love your art so i was thinking if you would maybe give me some tips? about anything, really. like if i should at first just purely focus on the basis and nothing else, graphic program recommendations (preferably free or cheap ones since i'm not 100% sure if i'll actually keep drawing long-term), etc.

just anything that you think would be useful for me.

thank you a lot in advance

OOOH BOY where to start (｡・//ε//・｡)

it partly depends on whether you already know how to draw a little. I'm not saying you have to be good at it, but if you've already put some work into your traditional skillz it's going to help. oh also, if you do have some tradart background and you switch to digital? be prepared because with your first few drawings it's either going to be the best you've ever drawn or it's gonna feel like you're picking up a pencil for the first time in your life all over again. both of these stages are temporary, and generally settle on an equal middle ground in a few days, at least until your hand's gotten used to the medium

my FIRST chance at digital art? drawing with my finger on my phone. it's far from ideal, as you can probably guess, but it got the job done while i played around with the things only digital art could do. the next step, still on mobile devices, was getting one of those pens for writing on your phone. no pressure sensitivity, accuracy was still shite, but it did allow me to draw in a way that was more similar to how i drew traditionally. try to check if your device has compatibility with digital pen accessories, you might get one that's a bit more sophisticated than literally just a tube with a flat nib that works through normal touchscreen. i bought the sketchbook app back when it was still property of Autodesk. I haven't updated it since, so i have no idea how the new company is handling it, but it was a pretty solid app when i used it

if you already want to go full drawing tablet then DO NOT, for the love of god, DO NOT buy a screen tablet. i promise, drawing on a screenless one is in no way harder or more unnatural, you hand-eye coordination adapts to it very quickly. they're super cheap compared to screen tablets, more portable and better suited for a beginner. my first serius tablet was a wacom intuos back in the time when wacom partnered with clip studio paint, which was a DEAL because now i have a lifetime access to it despite having bought the tablet years ago and the PRO version of the program costing like 50 fucking dollars. definitely keep your eyes peeled if they do anything like that again because it's very much worth it, but if they don't you can also choose a cheaper brand. fuck wacom, go small corp.

for pc/laptop art programs your best bet in the open source scene is 100% krita. it has a couple of unique settings that make it weird to draw on for people who are used to "standard" professional art programs (which is the reason I don't go back to it anymore), but if you have no experience with any other art program, then absolutely go check it out, it won't be an issue. it's got a thriving community that keeps updating and adding stuff, so they're not gonna drop you off out of nowhere. as for the drawing itself? once again that's gonna depend on where in your art journey you are. it's been wayy too long for me to remember good videos for absolute beginners, but if you've got some of the bases down then proko and sinix design are some of the best teachers i can recommend wholeheartedly. i do have a couple more people on YouTube in mind, but I haven't seen their work in a while, so i wouldn't wanna risk sending you in the wrong direction.

one final tip that's worked out very well for me. y'know what's one of the best things you can watch? drawfee. animator vs cartoonist. pros animating in gartic phone. not only because karina and julia are the funniest motherfuckers on earth, but because seeing people's drawing process in real time (coupled with the sense of companionship of watching a group of friends have fun for your entertainment) actually puts you in the mindset to draw yourself and lets you study their work in a way that simply viewing the finished product never could.

trace trace trace, trace references, trace photos, trace art you like (but don't post it) and do it smartly ie try to figure out WHAT you're tracing, the shapes you're actually putting on paper and how they interact with one another and their environment. take your time, experiment with different techniques, take a break when you need to, watch your neck and back posture, draw from your your shoulders, not your wrist, those 30s "do this and this and this to draw this thing" style tutorials that don't explain the thought process behind those passages are a scam so fuck em, make mistakes make SO MANY MISTAKES, then learn from them, grow from them and make some more.

oh, and have fun, of course.

welcome to art :D

[lastsonlost]

Woke' warriors on San Fran school board deny gay white dad with bi-racial daughter place on volunteer parent committee because he's not diverse ENOUGH!

Seth Brenzel, a gay white father of a bi-racial child, was denied a spot on the San Francisco Board of Education's volunteer parent committee

The issue of whether to allow Brenzel to volunteer for the 15-person parent advisory council was debated for almost two hours on Tuesday night 

His candidacy faced opposition from some board members and members of the public who argued that there wasn't enough diversity on the council 

Those who opposed his candidacy were concerned with the fact that he is white 

The 15-person council currently only has 10 members: Two black mothers, one Asian-American, three Latinx, one Pacific Islander and three white 

Brenzel, who is the executive director of a music program for children, is openly gay. He lives in San Francisco with his husband and their young daughter

If approved, Brenzel would have been the only father on the council 

The issue of whether to allow Seth Brenzel to volunteer for the 15-person parent advisory council was debated for almost two hours on Tuesday night during a board meeting. 

The parent advisory council, who had unanimously supported Brenzel to join their all-female committee, had submitted his name to be approved by the school board. 

His candidacy, however, faced opposition from some board members and members of the public who argued that there wasn't enough diversity on the council - even though there are five seats currently empty.

Those who opposed his candidacy were concerned with the fact that he is white. 

The 15-person council currently only has 10 members: Two black mothers, one Asian-American, three Latinx, one Pacific Islander and three white. 

Brenzel, who is the executive director of a music program for children, is openly gay. He lives in San Francisco with his husband and their young daughter. 

If approved, Brenzel would have been the only father on the council. 

After the lengthy debate, the school board eventually decided against voting on his appointment at all and asked the council to find alternate candidates for them to consider. 

Brenzel's appointment to the council was just one of the agenda items for the meeting that ended up going for seven hours. 

Another item on the agenda was about reopening San Francisco schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It is the same school board that last month voted 6-1 to strike the names of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln from the district's institutions.

As a result, 44 schools had to change their names after board members deemed the historical figures to have ties to racism or have 'dishonorable legacies' despite basing the decision on incorrect Wikipedia articles. 

The issue of diversity was a main argument in deciding whether to appoint Brenzel to the council. 

One person, only identified as Tara, said during the meeting: 'They are not a diverse group of parents as far as I have seen, I have noticed and have observed.' 

Others who opposed Brenzel's appointment argued that the council 'does not even mirror Joe Biden's cabinet' and that other 'voices need to be heard first before white queer voices'. 

Commissioner Matt Alexander - who described himself as the lone white board member - had said that it seemed 'like the white members are over-represented on the P.A.C.' and that there was an under-representation of 'Arab, Vietnamese, Native American folks'.

'I'm probably going to get complaints now I'm telling white parents not to be involved or something. I want to be clear, that's not what I'm saying,' he said, before later adding that 'white parents also in the city tend to have a lot of privilege and power and access the board of ed in various ways.' 

Several others, however, defended Brenzel's candidacy, pointing out that he would bring diversity because he is gay and a father.

'I see no reason why Seth should not be confirmed. I think this is just honestly just a political show so you can say that you stopped a white person from getting on,' one speaker said. 

Another member of the public said: 'I'm very upset we are focusing solely on race. Seth would be the only male on the pact. He would be the only LGBTQ member. He has a bi-racial child.

'I mean, this notion of oh, he's just a white person therefore we can't have him, it's absolute nonsense. There's diversity beyond the color of our skin and I think it is important to consider diversity beyond just race and the intersectionalty of parents.

'We are all diverse in our own way and Seth brings a lot of diversity to a pact that has no men and no LGBTQ parents.' 

It comes as the school board president Gabriela López, 30, defended last month's decision to rename the 44 schools honoring historical leaders who have since been branded by activists as racist.  

San Francisco Unified School District had been criticized for voting by 6-1 last month to change the name of one-third of the city's schools.

Parents and residents became concerned when it emerged that historians had not been consulted by the renaming committee.

Instead, committee members allegedly used references from Wikipedia and other non-scholarly sources to determine which personalities were racist and problematic. 

Several of those citations have now been proven to be factually incorrect, including a false claim that American poet James Russell Lowell did not want black people to vote and that Paul Revere's military activities were tied to 'the conquest of the Penobscot Indians'. 

Gabriela López, the head of the San Francisco Board of Education, continues to defend the decision claiming in a tense interview with the New Yorker that she doesn't want to 'discredit the work that this group has done' despite their use of inaccurate information.

She claimed that she did not believe the names had been selected in a haphazard way, even after being read a list of the misinformation that was used in some of the decisions. 

'No, because I've already shared with you that the people who have contributed to this process are also part of a community that is taking it as seriously as we would want them to,' Lopez argued about the errors made in the research process. 

'And they're contributing through diverse perspectives and experiences that are often not included, and that we need to acknowledge. 

'What I keep hearing is you're trying to undermine the work that has been done through this process. And I'm moving away from the idea that it was haphazard,' she said in the strained Q&A. 

Lopez also pushed back on the complaints that historians were not consulted as part of the process. 

Among the names included on the list that had provoked pushback from residents and historians was President Abraham Lincoln.  

Lopez said that she did not believe Lincoln was a person she would 'admire or see as a hero'.

'I think that the killing of indigenous peoples and that record is something that is not acknowledged,' she said.

'It's something that people are now learning about, and due to this process. And so, we just have to do the work of that extra learning when we're having these discussions.'

Lopez also claimed that the renaming was only facing criticism because 'people will always have a problem with the discussion of racism', not because of the inaccurate information.

'That is what I know. That is why I'm getting death threats. That is why people aren't open to other possibilities. Because when we have this discussion, that's the outcomes no matter how good it's set up, no matter how open we are,' she said. 

'No matter what, people are going to have an issue with that. That is what I know, given my experience. Of course, I'm hearing what you're saying, but I don't think it's going to change the outcome. People are still going to be up in arms when we're doing this.'

Among the other criticism received by the city's board of education was that it had voted on the renaming when there appeared to be no plan in place to bring students back to in-person learning.

'What I cannot understand is why the school board is advancing a plan of all these schools renamed by April when there isn't a plan to have our kids back in the classroom by then,' San Francisco Mayor London Breed had said.

The city of San Francisco has also since sued the board of education and school district claiming they have violated a state law that required districts to adopt a clear plan during the pandemic as it relates to in-person education.

Lopez claimed that it is 'completely false' to say they don't have a plan and accused to the mayor of jumping at 'any opportunity to cause further division'.  

[aurosoulart]

i know in your faq it says you use ps and csp for art but what program do you use for those vr pieces? i dont have vr yet but ive been considering getting it, and ive like literally dreamed of having a program like that where i could just draw in 3d around me since i was a kid. that very well might be the thing that finally convinces me to drop all my money on vr lmao

OH! first of all thanks for making me realize I need to add that info to my FAQ, and second

I use Tilt Brush, and also its open-source version Open Brush (which is free!)

Tilt Brush went open source when Google decided to stop development of the program and to also totally axe the website that allowed people to easily share their art between headsets (Google has a long history of doing things like this lmao)

anyways! many passionate artists obviously fought back against that decision, and now Open Brush is the current biggest replacement and it's being worked on by some of the original people from the Tilt Brush team. there is no VR art sharing yet - but there will be on Icosa Gallery. you can check out a bunch of my works in 3D in your web browser through Icosa, HERE!

also, if you're looking for helpful and responsive communities with tons of tutorials and resources, I'd highly recommend joining the VRArtlive and/or Icosa discord servers. everyone I've talked to in both places has been friendly, inclusive, and just all around passionate about art

this might just be my idealist personality speaking, but the VR art world feels like the early days of pre-corporate internet where it's just a bunch of super-creative people building new worlds for people to enjoy and explore.

there is a kind of collective spirit of 'Building the Metaverse' of virtual reality, where we all hope that VR ends up being THE next step for what personal computing will be for the tech world. (I've gotten JOBS doing VR art!! from like a legit tech company in NY!!)

I know you didn't ask for a history lesson here like I'm rambling about (sorry lol 😅), but I'm just like... really passionate about this medium and think that if people have the money to try it out they absolutely should. it like CHANGED me the first time I tried it - it really does fulfill that exact childhood dream of creating in 3D space all around you. it's truly magical and there's nothing else like it

[churkey]

your gifs are some of the most hd i've seen. what do u use to make them?

Oh, man. What a question, lmao. Especially considering that I was working on my custom gif making scripts earlier today, after coming up with another idea to make them (hopefully) even better. I haven't even been posting the ones I've made with my new (hopefully) improved methods. Like... this:

And I'm not even sure I'd count this as entirely done. A few more things I could play around with.

The good news is that everything I use to make gifs with is free! All open source software. The less good news is that it's all command line stuff.

For going through videos and identifying clips for gif'ing, I'm using mpv. It's a terminal video player that's *very* customizable. I wrote a script so I can quickly go through videos and copy time stamps. I think I can go through an S&L episode in about an hour these days and my hands never have to leave the keyboard!

After that... it depends. My usual tool is ffmpeg. I use this for extracting clips, frames, adjusting colours, and making the gifs themselves.

The only graphic tool I use these days is nomacs for cropping, because their cropping utility is the best (at least in version 3.14... they changed it in 3.16). It's fast and easy to use.

Very recently, I started using imagemagick, particularly Fred's magickscripts, for adjusting colour/brightness/etc. Not always, but I got much better results with this scene using imagemagick than ffmpeg.

Last step is, you know, making the gif itself. How I do this depends on if what I used to edit the images. I'll use imagemagick if that's how I edited or ffmpeg. The above gif is something new, where I touched up the images with imagemagick but made the gif itself with ffmpeg. I'm pretty happy with the results.

Any adjustments to how quickly the gif plays, I use gifsicle, because it's fast and easy.

Short summary of my gif making toolkit: mpv, ffmpeg, imagemagick, nomacs, and gifsicle.

I haven't posted too many using my newer tools, so the gifs you're talking about were all made with ffmpeg (if we're talking about the process of only making the gif). It's honestly a great program and easily the best tool for working with audio or video. It also has a learning curve. Not worse than, say, photoshop, I think (which I find baffling and impossible to use).

I did write a tutorial about my old workflow...

[hellbentredhead]

Tell me everything about your project 👀

Okay okay okay

SO I was playing around online and stumbled onto this really cool choose your own adventure game on a website called Playfic. And then I learned that you can create your own on the website. However its based on a program called Inform 7

Now the issue with this is that Playfic didnt have near as many available setting and customization options as Inform did. But it still gave you the same menu. I wanted to have access to those options because I felt handicapped without them in the process of trying to create something similar to the game I had played.

I had already come up with a concept and everything. The real issue arises with the fact that I'm limited to my chromebook, as its the only computer I have. Unfortunately Inform is not avaialble to download in a chromebook compatible form (let's face it almost nothing has a chromebook compatible form).

So I went searching for anything and everything I could find that would be a suitable substitute for said program. And I happened to find a mention of a website called Twine after looking for like a week.

This is where you sit down and buckle up because that was just the intro.

So I got to digging into Twine and oh good gods its amazing. I cannot recommend it highly enough to someone looking for an accessible, user friendly open source tool for creating a text based game.

Just right off the bat, the best thing is that you dont even have to download anything to get full access to all of its features. The thing about Twine is that it is entirely based in your web browser.

This means that everything is stored within your browsing data. The one downside to not downloading is that projects arent transferable between devices unless you export it first. But I really just see that as a minor inconvenience more than a true downside. And it also makes it kinda scary in a way because if your browsing data is somehow erased, so are all your projects, so I really wouldnt recommend thi if youre someone who clears their data often.

Another absolutely cool thing about Twine is that it allows you to be as simple or as complicated as you want with the actual creation. It runs purely on HTML and CSS coding language. Which gives me the opportunity to learn those languages while I'm creating the game in a way that actually drives me to learn, creation.

I havent gotten very far in the actual creation of it but I have the concept fully figured out. And I'm already really proud of how far I've gotten in just the first day!

Ive learned how to use CSS to override the default display setting, so I can customize to my hearts content.

I learned how to set and adjust variable like health, stamina, etc. AND how to get those changes to display with each change in the adventure.

I figured out how to acces a built in feature in the Twine format I'm using that isnt actually listed and edit text into it to constantly display your stats (it took me over an hour and it turned out to be stupid simple but worth it)

And my favorite, I learned how to get the text to appear on screen as if its being typed out real time!

I cant wait to continue on the project and see what it turns into. And once its finished (this is my absolute favorite ascpect of Twine) the project is exported as an independent .html file. WHICH MEANS it can be opened in any web browser on any device its saved on even if the user id offline! Im so excited to share it with everyone when its done.

AND FINALLY. Last but not least. The concept of the actual game Im working on. It's called "The Tale of You" and its about exploring your own subconscious landscape with the help of the latest technological advancements, however the technology is still in its testing phase and the user gets stuck, your goal is to escape.

[queenlua]

hey, i started following you recently and ur bio says ur a hacker? any tips on where to start? hacking seems like a v cool/fun way to learn more abt coding and cybersecurity/infrastructure and i'd like to explore it but there's so much on the internet and like, i'm not trying to get into anything illegal. thanks!

huh, an interesting question, ty!

i can give more tailored advice if you hit me up on chat with more specifics on your background/interests.

given what you've written here, though, i'll just assume you don't have any immediate professional aspirations (e.g. you just want to learn some things, and you aren't necessarily trying to get A Cyber Security Job TM within the next three months or w/e), and that you don't know much about any specific programming/computering domain yet.

(stuff under cut because long)

first i'd probably just try to pick some interesting problem that you think you can solve with tech. this doesn't need to be a "hacking" project at first; i was just messing around with computers for ages before i did anything involving security/exploitation.

if you don't already know how to program, you should ideally pick a problem you can solve via programming. for instance: i learned a lot back in the 2000s, when play-by-post forum RPGs were in vogue.  see, i'd already been messing around, building my own personal sites, first just with HTML & CSS, and later on with Javascript and PHP.   and i knew the forum software everyone used (InvisionPowerBoard) was written in PHP.  so when one of the admins at my RPG complained that they'd like the ability to set multiple profile pictures, i was like, "hey i'm good at programming, want me to create a mod to do that," and then i just... did. so then they asked me to program more features, and i got all the sexy nerd cred for being Forum Mod Queen, and it was a good time, i learned a lot.

(i also got to be the person who was frantically IMed at 2am because wtf the forum is down and there's an inscrutable error, what do??? basically sysadmining! also, much less sexy! still, i learned a lot!)

the key thing is that it's gotta be a problem that's interesting to you: as much as i love making dorky sites in PHP, half the fun was seeing other people using my stuff, and i think the era of forum-based RPGs has passed. but maybe you can apply some programming talents to something that you are interested in—maybe you want to make a silly Chrome extension to make people laugh, a la Cloud to Butt, or maybe you'd like to make a program that converts pixel art into cross-stitching patterns, maybe you want to just make a cool adventure game on those annoying graphing calculators they make you use in class, or make a script for some online game you play, or make something silly with Arduino (i once made a trash can that rolled toward me when i clapped my hands; it was fun, and way easier than you'd think!), whatever.

i know a lot of hacker-types who got their start doing ROM hacking for video games—replacing the character art or animations or whatever in old NES games. that's probably more relevant than the PHP websites, at least, and is probably a solid place to get started; in my experience those communities tend to be reasonably friendly to questions. pick a small thing you want to do & ask how to do it.

also, a somewhat unconventional path, but—once i knew how to program a bit of Python, i started doing goofy junk, like, "hey can i implemented NamedTuple from scratch,” which tends to lead to Python metaprogramming, which leads to surprising shit like "oh, stack frames are literally just Python objects and you can manually edit them in the interpreter to do deliberately horrendous/silly things, my god this language allows too much reflection and i'm having too much fun"... since Python is a lot of folks' first language these days, i thought i'd point that out, since i think this is a pretty accessible start to thinking about How Programs Actually Work under the hood. allison kaptur has some specific recommendations on how to poke around, if you wanna go that route.

it's reasonably likely you'll end up doing something "hackery" in the natural course of just working on stuff. for instance, while i was working on the IPB forum software mods, i became distressed to learn that everyone was using an INSECURE version of the software! no one was patching their shit!! i yelled at the admins about it, and they were like "well we haven't been hacked yet so it's not a problem," so i uh, decided to demonstrate a proof of concept? i downloaded some sketchy perl script, kicked it until it worked, logged in as the admins, and shitposted a bit before i logged out, y'know, to prove my point.

(they responded by banning me for two weeks, and did not patch their software. which, y'know, rip to them; they got hacked by an unrelated Turkish group two months later, and those dudes just straight-up deleted the whole website. i was a merciful god by comparison!)

anyway, even though downloading a perl script and just pointing it at a website isn't really "hacking" (it's the literal definition of script kiddie, heh)—the point is i was just experimenting a lot and trying a lot of stuff, which meant i was getting comfortable with thinking of software as not just some immutable relic, but something you can touch and prod in unexpected ways.

this dovetails into the next thing, which is like, just learn a lot of stuff. a boring conventional computer science degree will teach you a lot (provided you take it seriously and actually try to learn shit); alternatively, just taking the same classes as a boring conventional computer science degree, via edX or whatever free online thingy, will also teach you a lot. ("contributing to open source" also teaches you a lot but... hngh... is a whole can of worms; send a follow-up ask if you want that rant.)

here's where i should note that "hacking" is an impossibly broad category: the kind of person who knows how to fuck with website authentication tokens is very different than someone who writes a fuzzer, who is often quite different than someone who looks at the bug a fuzzer produces and actually writes a program that can exploit that bug... so what you focus on depends on what you're interested in. i imagine classes with names like "compilers," "operating systems," and "networking" will teach you a lot. but, like, idk, all knowledge is god-breathed and good for teaching. hell, i hear some universities these days have actual computer security classes? that's probably a good thing to look at, just to get a sense of what's out there, if you already know how to program.

also be comfortable with not knowing everything, but also, learn as you go. the bulk of my security knowledge came when i got kinda airdropped into a work team that basically hired me entirely on "potential" (lmao), and uh, prior to joining i only had the faintest idea what a hypervisor was? or the whole protection ring concept? or ioctls or sandboxing or threat models or, fuck, anything? i mostly just pestered people with like 800 questions and slowly built up a knowledge base, and remember being surprised & delighted when i went to a security conference a year later and could follow most of the talks, and when i wound up at a bar with a guy on the xbox security team and we compared our security models a bunch, and so on.  there wasn't a magic moment when i "got it", i was just like, "okay huh this dude says he found a ring-0 exploit... what does that mean... okay i think i got that... why is that a big deal though... better ask somebody.." (also: reading an occasional dead tree book is a good idea. i owe my firstborn to Robert Love's Linux Kernel Development, as outdated as it is, and also O'Reilly's kookaburra book gave me a great overview of web programming back in the day, etc.  you can learn a lot by just clicking around random blogs, but you’ll often end up with a lot of random little facts and no good mental scaffolding for holding it together; often, a decent book will give you that scaffolding.)

(also, it's pretty useful if you can find a knowledgable someone to pepper with random questions as you go. finding someone who will actively mentor you is tricky, but most working computery folks are happy to tell you things like "what you're doing is actually impossible, here's why," or "here's a tutorial someone told me was good for learning how to write a linux kernel module," or "here's my vague understanding of this concept you know nothing about," or "here's how you automate something to click on a link on a webpage," which tends to be handier than just google on its own.)

if you're reading this and you're like "ok cool but where's the part where i'm handed a computer and i gotta break in while going all hacker typer”—that's not the bulk of the work, alas! like, for sure, we do have fun pranking each other by trying dumb ways of stealing each other's passwords or whatever (once i stuck a keylogger in a dude's keyboard, fun times). but a lot of my security jobs have involved stuff like, "stare at this disassembly a long fuckin' time to figure out how the program pointer got all fucked up," or, "write a fuzzer that feeds a lot of randomized input to some C++ program, watch the program crash because C++ is a horrible language for writing software, go fix all the bugs," or "think Really Hard TM about all the settings and doohickeys this OS/GPU/whatever has, think about all the awful things someone could do with it, threat model and sandbox accordingly." occasionally i have done cool proof-of-concept hacks but honestly writing exploits can kinda be tedious, lol, so like, i'm only doing that if it's the only way i can get people to believe that Yes This Is Actually A Problem, Fix Your Code

"lua that's cool and all but i wanted, like, actual links and recommendations and stuff" okay, fair. here's some ideas:

microcorruption: very fun embedded security CTF; teaches you everything you need to know as you're doing it.

cryptopals crypto challenges: very fun little programming exercises that teach you a lot of fundamental cryptography concepts as you're going along! you can do these even as a bit of a n00b; i did them in Python for the lulz

the binary bomb lab is hilariously copied by, like, so many CS programs, lol, but for good reason. it's accessible and fun and is the first time most people get to feel like a real hacker! (requires you know a bit of C beforehand)

ctftime is a good way to see when new CTFs ("capture the flag"s; security-focused competitions) are coming up. or, sometimes CTFs post their source code, so you can continue trying them after the CTF is over. i liked Stripe's CTFs when they were going, because they focused on "web stuff", and "web stuff" was all i really knew at the time. if you're more interested in staring at disassembly, there's CTFs focused on that sort of thing too.

azeria has good ARM assembly & exploitation tutorials

also, like, lots of good talks out there; just watching defcon/cansecwest/etc talks until something piques your interest is very fun. i'd die on a battlefield for any of Christopher Domas's talks, but he assumes a lot of specific x86/OS knowledge, lol, so maybe don’t start with that. oh, Julia Evans's blog is honestly probably pretty good for just learning a lot of stuff and really beginner-friendly?

oh and wrt legality... idk, i haven't addressed it here since it hasn't come up in my own work much, tbh. if you're just getting started you're kind of unlikely to Break The Law without, y'know, realizing maybe you're doing something a bit gray-area? and you can cross that bridge when you come to it? Real Hacking TM is way more of a pain-in-the-ass than doing CTFs and such, and you'll learn way more with the latter, so who cares lol just do the fun thing

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Dangerous Love (Pt. 08 of 13)

Pairing: Bruce Wayne (Batman) X Harley Quinn's sister!Reader

Word count: 2.9K

Summary: You're Harley Quinn's sister, Havoc, one of the many villain's of Gotham. But you've been caught, and has been tortured constantly for an year in Belle Reve. But when your think your life can't be anything else than the nightmare you find yourself into, Bruce Wayne, the Batman, takes you in for a project. He has a program to rehabilitate villains, and you're his lab rat. But soon enough confusing feelings start getting in the way. You know falling for Bruce is stupid. But can you keep your heart under control?

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{Justice League - DC Masterlist}

×

Home isn't Always a Place

You're pushed forward, a gun on your back. You step down the ramp, the sunlight blinding you for a while. The headquarters were built here, in some sort of field. There as soldiers everywhere, and they're immediately aware of you. Of course they are, you're a threat. With a gun on your hand, seven bullets means seven men on the ground, crying in pain. You hardly miss.

“Sister!” A yell gets your attention, and you turn to its source. Harley comes running, throwing her arms around you. “So good to see you. Where have you been?”

In paradise. “Same place as I've been for the last year. Isn't it obvious?” Shrugging your shoulders casually, you try not to look to misplaced. Wait. Why would you look misplaced here?

“Well, now we get to have fun and some family bonding.” As she speaks, a soldier walking by gets her attention. “Hey, you. Can you help me with something?” She says in a flirting tone and walks away.

“Now it's a party.” A rough voice says, and you soon recognize the owner.

“Killer.” You greet him with a smile and a quick hug. “Nice to see you'll be here to have my back. Who else is here?”

“Deadshot is arguing with a soldier. Diablo is seated in some corner whining.” He smiles, gesturing at his left. “Long time no see. How's life?”

“Life's fine. As fine as it could be.” You start walking over where Deadshot is, watching as the soldier rolls his eyes. Floyd is gesticulating a lot, which means he's pissed.

“I won't have it like it was the last time. Now go, be a good puppy and tell this to your boss.” He says, turning his back at the man. “Havoc. Hi.” He says, exchanging a glance with Killercroc. “Ready for another stupid mission?”

“It's not like we have a choice, right? I–”

“Listen up, assholes! Your dirty things are in these boxes. So change and let's get the hell out of here. You have five minutes.” A man shouts, and everyone rolls their eyes.

You make your way to your things, and as you expected, your box is filled with your old clothes. All in shades of lilac, purple and pink. As usual, the soldiers just stand around you, not caring too much, as you change. You never liked that. Harley doesn't seem to care, and many eyes lay on her. But you do care. And you care a lot more now.

“Guys. A little help?”

Floyd and Killer grab some of the dark plastic bags that lie on the the floor, as you take a dark purple sleeveless jumpsuit. You move to stand near a wall, and the guys turn their backs at you, holding the bags high so you're shielded from anyone's eyes. They did the same on the first time, and you're very thankful for that.

“Thanks, guys. I'm done.” You tell them, fixing the jumpsuit on your body. The hard material makes you feel strong, like Havoc again.

“You're welcome.” Killer says.

“To the trucks! Now!” A man barks and you have no choice but to do as he says.

All of you go in the back of one of the trucks, together. Harley seems to be the only one excited about it, since she's trying to flirt with a soldier named Tom. You wonder what Joker would think about that. Oh. He's stuck on a bed for the rest of his life. He won't be saying anything, you bet.

As you move through the town, you can't help but think about what you did before leaving the house. The kiss. You can't believe you actually kissed him. What in hell were you thinking? You're very brave to do such a crazy thing like that. And you should've at least stayed to see his expression. To see if he was mad or not. But even if he didn't like it, you trust him enough to know he won't break his promise. He still keep helping you after you beat him up twice, so it's not a peck in the lips that will make him change his mind.

Being sure of this is a weird feeling. Your head is so much clearer now, you're not as scared as you were. And you're liking who you're becoming. This mission is just a inconvenience. It'll be over and you'll head back to the house, back to the way of getting a real life. A good life, a life you'll actually enjoy having.

You stop suddenly, and you're ordered out of the truck. “There's a small group here. Eyes open. They might have put mines here so... Don't blow up.”

You get two guns, one in your hand as you walk the perimeter. Harley stays close to Tom, but it doesn't bother you. You walk near Killercroc and Floyd, your head too far from this place.

“Hey.” Floyd elbows you. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I'm just... Thinking.” Shrugging your shoulders, you need to focus on being casual. “How's you daughter?”

“She's great. Best student of her class and she's in a hella good school. The best of Gotham.” He looks at the sides, making sure nobody is too close. Killercroc is a few steps ahead and he doesn't really care about these stuff anyways. “You will never guess who put her there. And also guaranteed her a good University, any one she chooses.”

“That's freaking amazing, Floyd. Who did all that?” It couldn't be Amanda. She's not that good.

“Batman.” The mention of Bruce makes you blush, your heart aching from his absence. You look down, running a hand through your hair.

“Batman? In like the man you hate with all your strength?”

“How can I hate someone who does that for my kid? No, no. I respect him. Even admire him now, doing this after I tried to kill him half a dozen times.”

“Floyd, he's...” You need to let out out your chest, and having someone to talk about it would be nice. And you know you can trust Floyd, even more now that his hate for Bruce is gone. So the words roll out your tongue in a whisper as you both stop walking. “...Batman is the one helping me... Rehabilitating me.”

“Oh. So the rumors are true. I knew they took you somewhere else, just didn't know where.”

“You two. Walk.” Someone says and you start moving again.

“Yes, he... I'm going well. I...” Floyd looks down at you, raising one eyebrow. “He said it was mostly just me, but he did help. He treated me with kindness, believed me. I don't know how to explain but I'm different.”

“I did notice something was off with you. But I'd never guess.”

“Really? I was trying to keep it cool.” As you speak, three man come from the corner, immediately shooting at you. You duck behind a car, peaking just enough to lay eyes on them and aim. But they're easily put down without you having to shoot.

“All clear!” Harley says, smiling.

“So...” You continue when you start walking downtown again. “I didn't want to come, but he promised me it would be the last time.”

“Uhm... He's making promises?”

“Yes.” You don't get his tone. “He's very kind to me. Unlike anyone else... He even threw me a birthday party.”

“Happy birthday by the way, and sorry it's a little late.” You turn the corner, carefully at first. “How kind?”

“Kind.” What else can you say? That his touch is so soft, so gentle that you couldn't help but fall in love with him? “He... Cares. I think.”

“You fell for him.” Floyd bursts out, and it's not even a question. It's an affirmative. How did he get there so fast?

But you're fast to dissimulate. “What? No.”

“It's called Stockholm Syndrome.”

“It's not like that!” You exclaim. “You know I've been kidnapped before. Twice by the Joker, who kept me hostage for five months... I did spent three of them just to play tricks on his mind and get some of his money but you get what I mean. Batman didn't held me hostage. He spoke to me, helped me get clean of the drugs they used to give me at Belle Reve, he... He won't let the door locked anymore. He wants me to be able to live in society again.”

“I was teasing you. But since you went into great lengths to defend your relationship with him... You did fell for him.”

“Shut up, Floyd.” You mutter, too much on your head. Increasing your pace, you reach Killer, walking beside him.

Your feelings are pretty clear, as much as you don't want to admit it. And hear it like that just makes it even worse. The kiss... All you think is about that kiss you shouldn't have given.

You're thankful when the action starts, because you have something else to focus on. It doesn't resumes in shooting, you eventually get into hand to hand combat. And you can deal with it pretty well. Of course, it's easier because the guys have your back. You guess they somehow noticed you have no pleasure on doing this anymore. Diablo, as usual, doesn't participate much.

When you stop, hours later, you feel your body complaining a little, but you know it'll get worse. But you also know you can deal with that. And you will, because this time you have somewhere nice to return to.

The commotion goes on for a couple of days. It gets messy, and it only gets worse when the granades start falling from the skies. You're all bruised up again, but not as bad as you were in the hell hole. How is it possible that you're in the middle of a war and you're not as much hurt as you were inside a prison?

As you approach the terrorists base, things get worse, and even the soldiers seem to get anxious. So that means they're extra evil to you. One of them denied you a bottle of water, what made Killercroc almost get his head blown out for arguing with the man. That reminds you that you don't have an explosive this time, but the soldiers told you they will put a bullet through your head if you try anything. But they can rest their minds because the only thing you want is to end this soon.

A week later, the soldiers decide to settle for the night, and push you into a half destroyed house. Harley uses all the hot water, so you have to endure the cold. But it feels good to clean up, and you can take a look at your wounds. A few cuts and purple bruises, nothing you can't deal with. The only bad part of the times you stop to rest a little before start moving again, is that your mind involuntary floats back to Bruce. You can't help it, everything comes back. When he left his gala to dance with you, the dreams, the birthday surprise, the kiss... Why can't you take this man out of your head?

You're alone in a room where half of the wall is down. The others are downstairs, but you want to be alone. You can see the stars from here, and you wonder if Bruce is staring at them too. “Hey, freak.” A soldier comes in, throwing a small radio at you, that looks like a very rustic cellphone. “Someone wants to speak to you. You have five minutes.”

Watching as he leaves, you lie back on the floor, approaching the radio from your ear and mouth. You know who it is, and your stomach goes crazy, with a thousand butterflies flying around.

“Hi.” He answers. “How are you?”

His voice is so familiar, like home. “I'm surviving. Enduring. Just want this to be over soon.”

“It will. And you'll be back here.”

“I hope so... We're near their base now. So only a couple of days more and we'll reach it. Take them down.” You close your eyes, hoping that his voice will be enough to make you dream of him tonight. You would give anything to have him here... Or to be back home. You mean, back at his house. “How's everything there?" Stupid question, he's fine, everything is fine.

“It's weird not to have you here.”

A smile comes to your lips. “Is it?” You whisper, taking a deep breath. You're scared you'll lose control, and the words will roll out your tongue. “Our time is almost over but... Thank you, I... It's good to speak to you.”

“Just remember I'm waiting for you.” You hear his heavy breath, as if he's suffering too, tired, exhausted.

Then you hear a little static, and you know he's gone... There's a weight on your chest and you can't help but let a single tear roll down your cheek. You keep the radio near your face, as if you could hold Bruce with a little longer. “I miss you so much.” You say, barely recognizing your weak voice.

“I miss you too.” The sudden answer scares you, your eyes widened.

“I- I thought you hanged up.”

“No, I'm still here. And I miss you very much, sweetheart.”

The pet name makes you lose it, and now you're crying. “Bruce, I–”

“Time's up, Havoc.” The soldier comes back, hand reached out. “Say goodbye to your protector.”

“I gotta go. I... I miss you.” You burst out before another sentence, far more dangerous, leaves your lips. You give the man the radio back, curling up on the floor, bracing yourself.

From tomorrow, you'll fight harder. You need to go back.

• • •

“Their base–” The soldier who announces is shot in the throat, right beside you. You're duck behind the barricades, waiting for the big guns to arrive. You cannot approach with the risk of being blown up, and they're not allowed to spend you just yet.

“That's it. Shoot to kill, that's an order.” The commandant yells, and the bodies start dropping faster. But not from your gun. You keep aiming for their knees, but another bullet always finds the man you leave collapsed on the floor. “Are you deaf, slut?” He barks at you, leaving his post and pulling you up by the shoulders. “Don't you think you can trick me just because the Bat took you into his wings. Do what you do best and kill those terrorists.”

“I don't kill, sarg.” You tell him, making your way back to your post. But the grabs your arm violently, squeezing right on a wound you got. You groan, trying to pull away.

“You don't kill? Nice try. You will do as I say!” He yells right to your face, and you can feel his disgusting breath. But you won't back down, and you won't take a life just because he told you to.

“I don't kill.” You repeat, standing as tall as you can, head up raised up to look the man in the eye.

His gun makes sudden contact with your face, in the apple on the right cheek. Your head jerks to the side, and you're knocked down, a sharp pain spreading through the skull.

“Hey! Leave her alone!” Killercroc comes running, and you see through the corner of your eyes as he engages in a fight with the man.

You're done here. Crawling away from the fight, you hide yourself behind a building, seated on the floor and resting your back against the wall. They seem to be dealing with that very well, so they don't need you. You're tired of fighting, tired of being in pain.

“Havoc?” Floyd calls, startling you a little. “Are you ok? Your cheek is–”

I'm (Y/N). “Yes, I'm ok. But I'm not going back there.”

“You'll have to tell them you're feeling unwell or else–”

“I don't care, ok? I just need to go back home. I'm sick and tired of this shit.” You burst out.

“Home?” He questions, not seeming too excited to head back to the battlefield.

“Yeah, just... I'm confused, I'm hurt. I'm not thinking straight.”

“I have to head back. Sorry.”

Nodding, you close your eyes, taking in the explosions and shooting. The only thing you want is peace now, silence... Bruce's arms. A heavy, cold rain starts falling, and you're soaking wet in a matter of seconds. Your head spins around, and you lie down, eyes closed tight.

Suddenly, you're pulled into a heavy sleep.

• • •

“Lucky bitch. We should be taking her back to where she belongs.” A rough voice wakes you up, and you sit up, eyes opening slowly. You're in a truck, in the back, on the metal floor. Your hands are tied by huge metal handcuffs, that cover both hands, reaching the middle of your forearm. It's heavy.

“Let's teach her a lesson. Just like old times.” A man say, and you recognize two out of six, both were your guards in Belle Reve.

“Don't leave too many bruises. She'll be with Batman in ten minutes, he'll notice.”

Ten minutes... You're going back. This truck in taking you back. Lowering your head, you smile, breathing deeply.

“She was with the Task Force. He'll think she got them there.”

“Fine then.” You're pulled back, a dark, heavy fabric covering your head. “This is just to remind you of who you are, Havoc.”

“And to give you a nice memory of home.”

The beating starts, and your body easily collapses to the floor again. But you're lifted up, again and again. You should fight. You should do something, but you can't. You're not the superpowerful girl you thought you were. You break too, and you get hurt. And you are hurt, with countless cuts and wounds through your body. When you were high on whatever they gave you, you could keep moving. Now you can't. Being vulnerable, weak, feels awful, but there's just no strength in you. You just need to make it through the last ten minutes that separate you from home.

Home.

When exactly did the house became that?

Or is it Bruce? Is he the one becoming your home? Is it even possible? You hope it is.

×

@redwolf-7 @glitterypinkkitty @mybabyboytony @chipster-21 @agustdpeach @yaakimoon2 @chloe-skywalker

[potscenarios]

Hiiii! I don't know if I'm requesting right but headcanons or scenario (whichever you prefer) with Yandere!Sanada finding out that his darling has been engaged to another guy by her parents? Thank you if you get to answer this 😆

Yup, don't worry, you did send in the right format! Thank you for following the rules! ♡ 

Mmmm yessss, yandere boys are my favourite!! *chef's kiss* as you can tell from how long this became oopsies

Tw: yandere (duh), stalking, possesive behavior, toxic parents, death

Sometimes you feel like you're being watched.

It's a weird feeling, to say the least. Whenever it happens, there’s a very subtle change in the air, but you always gets goosebumps at the back of your neck, and you know that something - no, someone, is watching your movements from the shadows. Whoever does it conceals their presence so well, you don’t think anyone around you ever realizes. The only reason you realise that something feels wrong is because you've been raised preciously in your traditionally oriented family, and you've learned to take cues and be cautious of everyone else's needs, so you’re quite sensitive to changes in your surroundings. 

You’re thankful that you’re childhood friends with Yukimura Seiichi and his younger sister, because somehow you end up being friends with the whole Rikkai Dai tennis club members, and that means you can always count on them to walk you back home. Even though practice mostly run until late, you would rather wait and watch, because it’s still better than going back alone, and you don’t exactly have other close friends. Your parents doesn’t like it, but you manage to convince them that it’s better than being alone in case something happens, since you’re not allowed to have a cellphone.

Besides, you can always count on Marui to stop by some newly opened cake shops, Yukimura to entertain you with his stories of how he had just added a new plant to his collection, and Kirihara to drag you to the convenience store near the school to sneak in some light snacks before dinner. 

But out of all of them your favorite is still Sanada; mainly because he always seem to know what’s in your head.

On the times you don’t feel like going back home (there are very minimal entertainment sources in your house, because your parents hates technology with a passion), he would ask whether you want to drop by your beloved cafe and spend some time here until it’s right before dinner time. Whenever you feel like taking a walk outside before going back home, he’s always there to accompany you, buy you a drink when you’re tired, and sit in silence with you as you stare at the orange colored sky. He just knows.

Sometimes it feels like if you ask him to steal you away from that stuffy prison you call your home, he would comply without question.

There’s a part of you that desperately want to confess to him already.

But that’s unfair to him because you know you’re going to get married off to some guy you never met before. Your parents don’t change their mind that easily, and they’ve continuously drilled this knowledge into you way back since you entered middle school, and the implication is clear in your head - you’re not allowed to have boyfriends. Period.

That, and it’s shameful to confess first, being a woman. Or at least that’s what your parents taught you. You used to think it was common sense, until you saw girls confess to their crushes under the infamous Rikkai sakura tree and you saw how happy they look as a couple at school. It was the first time you realized that maybe your parents aren’t some kind of holy existence that never makes any mistakes.

You think you can just go on with your life. It’s what you’ve been doing all your life; being the perfect daughter for your parents, and then the perfect wife for whoever they want to ship you off to. That’s just how your life is.

“I don’t think that’s what you really want,” Yukimura’s younger sister said when she stopped by your house after the shopping trip to look for Seiichi’s birthday present, and you tell her your situation, “I still think you should just confess to Sanada-san. He’ll make it work somehow.”

“How?” you ask, frowning.

“.... I dunno, but knowing him, he’ll do something about it,” she tilts her head, “I didn’t want to say this but one time onii-chan told me Sanada-san also loves you very very much.”

Ironically, the very morning you decide you would take your only female friend’s advice, is the same morning your parents stop you from coming to school.

“Omiai...? Now? But... I... I have school....”

Your mother says she has already contacted the school. Your father says it doesn’t matter, since once you get married you can just stop attending school altogether. You stare at them in disbelief, unable to believe that this was happening so fast. You’re only in high school. You’re not even an adult yet by law.

You really can’t do this anymore.

You find that your soon-to-be husband is a few years older than you (honestly Sanada would have passed as an adult as well). He’s healthy, first-born son of a well-off family, did fairly well on his academics (Sanada generally does well on his academics too) and is splendidly helping to manage his father’s company (you imagine Sanada as a civil servant or an office worker and you think he’ll just look even better wearing a suit). He’s quite handsome (though Sanada is more handsome, you think) and has no criminal records (you’re pretty sure neither does Sanada). Your parents think he’s perfect (you don’t).

He’s throwing polite compliments to your mother, empty praises to your father, and tells you that you look beautiful in a kimono. If only your parents know how devoid of emotion your smile is, compared to the smile you showed when Sanada awkwardly tells you the same praise upon seeing you with casual clothes for the very first time outside school. If only your parents sees you as their daughter and not mere object. If only.

You’re seeing them off outside the kaiseki restaurant when you feel it. Eyes watching your back, somewhere, somehow. The car of your fiancé drives away, and when it turns into a corner you let out a heavy sigh, which draws the attention of your parents.

You really can’t do this anymore.

“I don’t want this.”

Nothing prepares you for the force against your cheek upon your slip of tongue. Your knees feel weak and you fall down onto the ground, eyes blinking back tears of pain, mind in disarray. Your left cheek stings and your hand instinctively comes up to cover it. Your other hand prickles as they graze against the rough ground. Despite this, the two adults look apathetic as they glare down at you.

Their words of scolding enters your right ear and goes out your other ear without being processed in your brain.

You really can’t do this anymore.

That night, you don’t remember how you manage to sneak out from your house at two in the morning, but the next thing you know you’re already sobbing into the nearest payphone pleading for help, and in just five minutes Sanada shows up, wraps you in his jacket, grabs your freezing cold hand, and leads you to his home.

For some reason he readily has the t̵̜̓ea you like on hand, and the guest room is perfectly prepared and cleaned. It’s as if he knows things would turn out like this.

But then again, he always knows, and you’re so tired and the futon is so comfy and Sanada’s arms feel so safe, so you slip into a deep, deep sleep.̵

When you wake up the next day, you feel a lot lighter and fresher than usual.

It’s thankfully Saturday, and so Sanada lets you sleep in, which is very nice of him. You know he’s a man of routine, so you assume he’s probably doing some kind of training, and you don’t want to disturb him. It would be rude to wander about the house you weren’t formally invited as a guest in, and you can’t just leave without telling Sanada first. There’s a TV in the room, and so you excitedly switch it on, flicking through the channels aimlessly.

It’s when you flick over to the news channel that your excitement completely disappears and is replaced by shock.

Your house - or at least what's left of it - is showing on the TV screen. The wooden building is barely standing, burnt pillars looking like it might crumble any second. In fact, several sections has given out, ashes and soot piling up. The sight is so familiar and yet so foreign. You can point out where the kitchen was, where your bedroom would have been, and yet they don't look like anything you remember.

You listen silently to the news anchor's words but they don't make any sense.

"..... police suspect it's accidental fire....."

"..... the spread was exceptionally quick....."

"..... two unidentified bodies were found and transported...."

Maybe it's five minutes later, or it could even be five hours later, you don't know. But when you hear your name and you turn towards Sanada, your eyes are red and the crushing sadness in your chest has been replaced by a hollowness you don't know if you'll ever be able to fill back in.

"Sanada-san....."

He briefly glances towards the television screen. The burnt down house isn't displayed anymore, but seeing the news program and your physical state are enough for him to piece the information together.

But all he says as he hands you what he was carrying is, "I brought ice for your cheek."

"..... Oh. Thank you."

The coldness feels good against your slightly swollen cheek. The television shuts off. You can see Sanada quietly sitting down in front of you. Still, you keep your head down, not really able to think of any conversation topic at the moment. Not when your world feels like it's falling apart rapidly.

"How are you feeling?"

Surprisingly it's him who tries to start the conversation. Sanada might not be as rigid and silent around you, but you're usually the talker - the one who entertains him, because you're groomed to do so.

"... Not... Good...."

You were always taught to smile and pretend things are okay, but... But it's fine if it's Sanada, you suppose. And it's not like your parents are around anymore to correct your behavior.

The soft call of your name - your first name, makes you look up, eyes wide in surprise. It's so foreign to hear your name in his voice.

"It's going to be okay."

You don't know how he can sound so convinced.

"How can... But I don't... I don't know what to do now..."

You're pretty sure Sanada is preparing to launch into a whole lecture in mind. He's going to tell you to go to the hospital and the police to sort our everything. He's going to ask you whether one of your relatives are in town and bring you there for the time being. And when no one offers you to stay with them, which is very likely seeing as your parents were definitely not the most social people on Earth, then-

"Then leave everything to me."

"..... Huh?"

Sanada sees your shock and apparently interprets it as rejection, for his frown deepens and something dark seems to shift in his eyes.

".... Would you rather go back to that... appointed partner of yours?"

You hadn't even thought of that possibility, and you shake your head immediately in response, a strong denial at the tip of your tongue - before the thought hits you and this time you look at Sanada in confusion, "H-How.... How did you know about the arranged marriage?"

For a moment, the male in front of you looks a tad guilty, but he quickly schools his face to his stone cold expression, though you can still see warmth and concern in his eyes.

"Don't worry about that. More importantly, if you do not wish to be engaged to that man, then-"

"Sanada-san, were you the one who had been stalking me all these time?"

The words come out before you can stop them, sharp and accusatory and it’s as if they echo within the suddenly quiet room.

Please say no.

Maybe all the while you've already known, because how else can he just seem to know what you did whenever he's not around? But the very thought that someone you love, someone who is always so courteous and kind, had been doing such a creepy thing behind your back was just...

Please say no.

"I wasn't stalking you," he says calmly as your heart is palpitating faster.

Yes. Oh, thank g-

"I was guarding you. Making sure you got home safely. That no one is giving you a hard time."

No. No no no nonono no-

"That-That's still stalking," you manage to say, though your voice is shaky and you think you're about to burst into tears or vomit the entirety of your stomach or maybe both, "I can't believe- Of all people, w-why did it had to be you?! Why now! H-How could you..!!"

Again, the sweet sound of your name comes from his lips, and he’s using that soft, loving tone that normally always made you feel all tingly and warm inside, “You need to calm down.”

It's unfair that he's acting like this when you have nothing left to hold on to. You shouldn't be content with crying into his chest; you should be running away and telling the police. It’s unfair how is he so comforting and gentle, with calloused fingers running down your back to comfort you, when you should be pushing him away. But how are you supposed to push away the only person who’s keeping you sane in this bleak nightmare?

"You have me. You have nothing to worry about."

First your family, and now the man you love.

"Let me take care of everything."

It seems like your fate is to be a bird trapped in a birdcage.

"I will make sure n̴o one can hurt my dearest future wife, ev̴er again."

[grown-clone]

Hi! Can I have a matchup please?¿

Appearance : 5'4 ace/heteromantic gemini girl ambivert.Dark brown hair/eyes(glasses) a little chubby/muscled and pale skin+permanent smirk/smile/ neutral face. My style varies a lot (always comfy) but I never wear dresses heels/makeup. I love to imagine outfits with symbols from fandoms or my own drawings so I have a rather unique style who changes a lot

MBTI: INTP (I am an ambivert but oh well)

Personality : .Sassy sarcastic a little naive but I have a backbone (don't bother flirting with me and if you feel that I am flirting with you which happens a lot then it's just my personality and on the rare occasion I notice they have to confess or I won't believe it) ,calculative,protective,creative,expressive,,tsundere,manipulative,a devil's advocate,prideful,charismatic,smartass,bookworm,daydreamer,a little insensitive/blunt because I'm more on the logical side so I don't really understand or recognize emotions,vengeful,mischievous,a huge tease,open minded,very curious,gets annoyed easily,impatient so kind of a bad temper,observant but not romantically,sadistic to a point but I stop myself if it's a friend.Indifferent to most things,open minded,morally...unique. With my friends I am either laughing, goofing around or annoyed. Those who don't talk to me see me as a nerd aggressive smart and blunt person (maybe even prideful) and strangers as a polite sweetheart. But I am a chaotic good/neutral. I notice a lot of details because I don't let my guard down even if I daydream plus I have a photographic + sound (very good ears) memory and they work very well in all situations which can be a bother when I try to concentrate.

Dislikes: I hate injustice and fight for my beliefs,trust and family issues so I never talk about my problems. Daylight. Cooking. Slow things or people. When I get teased a lot (yes I am a hypocrite here). People who don't pay attention to a conversation and then ask to repeat it more than once. People who change side easily and always criticize forgetting themselves. I tend to be aggressive and expose an annoyed face easily (I am moody), plus I hate orders and love pressing people's buttons unless it's a sensitive subject

Likes: I love cats/laughter/pranks/dark humour/ a true crime and Supernatural enthusiast and I love science especially concerning space, chemistry, robotic and psychology. Books, sleep, drawing and video games too. Oh and debates I love them. Surprises too I hate routine and runs away from it

Hobbits : Reading, getting lost in a book, drawing, learning, debating, daydreaming, sports (fighting ones), art (music/drawing/writing) and video games

have some bad habits like biting my nails (I just got rid of it)/lips and moving my leg up and down because I am always nervous, disorganized room/sleep and eating schedule plus I am lazy. Of course if someone tried to address my problems I will change the subject or use humor. I don't understand a lot of references because I'm either too lazy to watch or I don't care/predictable. Also I might try to hide it but I am very competitive and a sore loser

Thanks a lot 🌌

Oh my god YES You are SCREAMING Cyber-Vigilante at me right now.

Okay, so I think your quirk would be called Taste of Truth, so you can taste lies and falsehoods whenever you speak them. The hero life never really was suited to you, that much was clear to you and your friends. A few ended up at U.A. or Shiketsu in the support courses, using the endless resources to build support items of all kinds. But you? You threw yourself into code, binary, programming, engineering, whatever you could get your hands on. Computers discovered from the trash, old radios, even gaming systems. You built a super-computer in a abandoned library deep in Hosu, you could track anyone and anything within three hours. You would gather everything you could find. And, you were often a contact source for many heroes in the area needing a lead on someone. The had dubbed you The Oracle, with your spot on information and great relationship with different heroes. And, most favorably, you worked with Eraserhead.

"Oh, Eraser, you spoil me darling." You said, smirking as the Oddly-Goggled hero dumped a box of old U.A. school laptops on your desk. You swung your legs on the side of the desk and winked. The pro just shook his head and rolled his eyes, making a "gimmie" motion with his hand. You rolled your eyes and sat up, bouncing your foot as you spoke. "Your guy lives on Branch Avenue, near the convenience store I always get your fruit snacks from. Thank god his wife reached out, this man has been pumping himself full of ADHD meds in the morning and whole bottles of alcohol at night. Seriously, I don't how how this bitch is still standing. Anyway, he's also way in deep with a gambling problem. So, on top of beating his wife, destruction of property when he roughed up that bar window, illegal quirk usage, illegal gambling on underground fights, AND illegal fighting in underground fights, this man has been chugging drugs that he steals through the Pharmacy he works at. That's gotta be......Seven, nine, carry the two...A fuck ton of time in jail." You said. You pressed the spacebar on your keyboard, and the video and photo evidence of his crimes popped on screen. Eraserhead nodded, adjusting his goggles on his face.

"Great work as always, Oracle. I'll be sure to give you an update later tonight." Eraser poked the little cat figurine on your desk, smiling slightly.

"He normally leaves the bar at around three AM, and I happen to know he will be getting a very nice text saying his last bet won him around 50,000¥ about halfway back to his house. If he is sober enough to understand what that means, you'll have enough of an edge to take him out before he activates his Quirk." You said, tossing him a pair of handmade quirk nullifying cuffs. This mans Quirk was very dangerous, causing him to produce highly radioactive bile whenever he was angry. Eraser nodded once again, turning to leave.

"You know, Goggles, You keep coming around every night and I might start getting some crazy idea that you like me or something. You might owe me a drink at this point." You winked again, laughing as Eraserhead flipped you off before disappearing into the night.

-----

Morning are your worst enemy. Being a nighttime vigilante meant just that, you worked at night. Your eyebags were so big they could have carried the box of supplies you had in your arms, but alas they have no real purpose in life other than to look bad. Standing in line at the coffee shop was taking forever, and your arms were growing tired. Finally, it was your turn to order, but someone cut ahead of you in line. You were about to make them regret choosing to leave the safety of the womb when you heard a familiar voice.

"I'll have a large black coffee, and whatever she's having." Your friendly neighbored Goggles looked down at you, before he winked. "What? You said I owed you a drink."

------

When Aizawa asked you to visit him at work, you thought he meant his agency or on patrol.

Not at a school full of kids.

Since your sidejob-that-is-really-your-mainjob-because-nobody-pays-vigilantes was petering out with a new tech repair office in the area with overworked and underpaid grad students, you were in need of something to fall back on.

And for some reason, Aizawa thought the high school he taught at was a good idea.

You knocked on the door, wary of the chaotic noises coming from the other side. The noise abruptly stopped, and Aizawa answered the door.

"Quick, get in before they escape." He said, dragging you inside. Twenty pairs of eyes stared you down, unblinking as you moved to the front of the room, sitting on Aizawas desk.

"Students, today we are here to learn a very important lesson about being a hero. Having connections in the underground." The class just stared, confused, but listened nonetheless. "The person standing next to me has single handedly put more people in jail in one month that Endeavor did all of last year. While she is not technically a pro, she is no less a hero than you or I. Sometimes, you have to cheat the system. I want to make sure you know who to trust." Eraser side-eyed you and smiled, just enough that his rowdy kids couldn't tell (Except for Midoriya, that bitch always caught everything.).

"Um, hi? I go by Oracle, and I'm a Cyber-vigilante."

There was silence. Then, finally, some yellow haired kid spoke.

"Woah.......Awesome." was all he said.

And then the class erupted. There was a broccoli shaped boy firing off question after question, a few of the girls had crowded around you , asking all sorts of questions of their own. Everyone seemed to be talking at once, making your ears pound.

"Alright, enough! Everybody quiet!!" You shouted, glaring across the room. "I get you're all excited," a bitter taste filled your mouth. "Or at least some of you are. But I cannot respond to eight-five fucking questions at the same time, I do not have that many sets of ears or mouths. So sit down, shut up, and raise your goddamn hands like they taught you in elementary school or I'm sending you all to a time-out."

Butts fell in seats faster the the rocks fell in Ochaco's improvised super-move. Silence fell across, the class, with wide and earnest eyes waiting for your next move. You put your hands on your hips and smirked.

"How did you do that." Aizawa said, glaring at you. "If you don't tell me right now I'm never bringing you another old laptop again."

You gasped, truly wounded. "You wouldn't." He put on his "I'm serious" face and you hmphed, crossing your arms. "Anyways, who has questions?" You pointed at the green-haired kid from earlier.

"Do you have a quirk, and can you explain what it is?" He clicked a pen in an almost ominous way, but you couldn't blame the kid for taking notes on quirks. It had saved your life more times than you could count.

"I do. Its called Taste of Truth, and basically, whenever I say something and its truthful I get a sweet taste in my mouth. Whenever I say a lie, or something that isn't true then I get this awful taste instead. The intensity varies on how close the the truth I am. So, very helpful in my particular line of vigilantism."

"Tch. What a useless quirk." Muttered some blonde kid as he spun his pen in his hands.

"Isn't it your naptime? You can talk shit about my quirk when you've dunked on more people than I have an never been caught. Uh, you with all the pink!"

"How did you put so many people in jail!"

"With my superior brainpower and a truckload of energy drinks. You, with the mask!"

"What is Cyber-vigilantism?"

You licked your lips, making a few faces as you seemingly talked to yourself in your head. "Well. Mostly everything I do is through a piece of tech. Think about it, we have traffic cameras everywhere, security cams in just about every store ever, and we all carry mini computers everywhere we go. There is no point in time where you cannot be found, whether its by a support item or the Instagram story you just posted, or when your picture got taken when you ran a red light. We have built a society where we have eyes and ears everywhere, yet people get away with so much. Everyone leaves a foot print, whether its in the sand or in binary code. I just happen to be very good at using the binary code to determine what footprints you've left in the sand." You shrugged, scooching back further on the desk and sitting criss-cross. Every hand went up.

You had a feeling you were going to be here for a while.

--------

"Jesus CHRIST, your kids are such blabbermouths!" You said, yawning as the last student finally started walking home for the evening. Aizawa stood next to you, shoulders touching, and made a noise of agreement. You honestly didn't want to leave, with your nightly duties looming over you there was a slim chance of getting a good night's sleep tonight. Aizawa sighed, glancing down at you.

"Y/N, you stand any closer and I might get the idea you like me." He said, his eyebrow twitching upwards as he smirked. You bluescreened, your brain short circuiting.

"What-didjebaduh-You can't just say that!!!" You said, not to fond of his teasing smirk. He just leaned down into your face, raised his eyebrows and winked. He turned and walked away, calling back to you.

"You coming?"

You hesitated, knowing you had stuff to do. Aizawa turned back to you, walking backwards.

"I'll tell you what, you end up following me, there's a cup of coffee and a date in your very near future. You head back home, and we can go back to our very professional and totally not flirty relationship."

-------

You sighed, wiping the sweat from your forehead as you FINALLY finished up tonight's task. The night was long and draining, and you would be lucky if you could nap for an hour when you got home.

Thank god you had that coffee date beforehand.

[indecisive-v]

NINJAMUFFIN DOING ANOTHER AMA ON TWITTER, HERE'S MORE SHIT FOR YA! keep in mind i'm just sharing the funkin related stuff, though i am including WAAAAY more than what i shared before 👍 go check out ninja's twitter profile for questions about stuff like ritz! questions in blue, answers in orange. if yall don't wanna read everything i MIGHT make a version of this post where i replace the answers with my own summaries of em (and if the questions are long, those too)

and here's a link to the ama tweet itself! dunno if it's still goin

Q: I figure the answer will be yes but do you have more plans to implement more guest appearances from people in the newgrounds community into FNF? Or are you all gunna focus on OG lore and stuff going forward

A: for guest appearances, I think we have always seen it as getting a healthy mix of both. PERSONALLY I'd like to lean towards having more OG stuff than guest stuff, BUT it's all a matter of what other boys think of that as well. I'm not the sole person working on game!

Q: Are you gonna release the full FNF game or are you gonna be releasing week after week? Like, are you gonna release week 8 or are we gonna wait some years until The Full Ass Game comes out?

A: Release plan for FNF right now is a few more updates or whatev to the 'demo' we have out right now, and then a long silence of probably no updates whatsoever until the full game is done (which will likely be a few years). That's partly why we made kickstarter for game.

Q: Hey so like, how much will Fnf cost after it's finished? And when will you ask the supporters what they want the game on?

A: It's all subject to change, but right now it prob gonna be standard 15-25$ lil steam indie game.

We will ask Kickstarter pledgers and whatnot what they want the game on SUPER close to when its released, to keep options open if we get onto anything like a console people want.

Q: 1. how was your day

2. are you releasing a week 8 song early like week 7, or are you goin full lockdown

A: I am doing GOOD today, and I think recently I've been good in general.

up to the mood, but so far we doing good about not having anything leak or whatev, so I think it'd be fun to have update come out with people not knowing what to expect at all. Build dat intrigue

Q: Will fnf ever get official plushies?? Seems like an untapped market

A: FNF plushies will prob happen some point, we have a lot of current merch stuff on our plates already though! (Mostly kickstarter type stuff, shirts, pins, posters, and all the physical OST stuff) Its a lot to sort out, but in time more and more stuff will happen. We r jus 4 boys!

Q: did you ever expect your game to blow up as it did? what was your first reaction to seeing it become super popular

A: FNF never had a humble moment, literally day 1 before the prototype even came out, the vid on twitter had like 5K likes overnight. Then when ludum dare version came out, it got 5K likes again, like it wasnt just a fluke. Was crazy, and def felt like somethin was different wit FNF

Q: Do you plan on getting other people to come in to help with the music? That seems like a lot of work to dump on one person, what with the erect mode and whatnot.

I guess the question could apply to all aspects of development. Will you be bringing on more people to help?

A: We definitely are getting help from other people. We are always keeping an eye on people for various different things. In terms of programming, already I've gotten 2 people (MtH and Geokureli) to help with certain Week 7 stuff (charting/polish, and loading stuff). Shit like dat

Q: Oh, also, will the Steam version be Workshop compatible? That'd really help streamline the process of downloading mods.

A: Steam version of FNF will likely NOT be Steam workshop compatible, because we want all the mods to NOT be spread out through different places. There WILL be modding support that is as streamlined as Steam workshop though. Mainly for non-steam versions of the game!

Q: Are there any chances that the game will have a physical release? Also any updates on a switch port? I remember one of you guys talking/joking about it.

A: Not impossible for FNF to get a physical release. We would want to see how far we could go with it though. I think it'd be super easy to do something wit people like LimitedRun games or whatev, but I think stuff like that can only go so far. I wanna see Funkin in mf Walmart!!!!!!

not that LimitedRun isn't going to be an option! Just we consider and pursue many different things! FNF release is years away, so we have time to think about everything. Whole mindset can be different just a few months from now.

Q: Out of curiosity, how are you dealing with all the popularity? It blew up so fast id barely be able to handle it if I was in your shoes.

A: The only way I've been able to handle it is having the other boys on the crew and being able to talk to them about all the overwhelmingness.

Part of it feels very lonesome, feels like NO ONE can come close to comprehending exactly how I'm feeling, except them. also other PALS!!!

Q: Do you own any of the bootleg FNF merchandise? Like any bootleg plushies or anything?

A: i dont, i genuinely think they r a waste of money, and I know any bootleg shit that gets made, we can prob go about and make it, and make it 100x cooler because we actually put effort into shit. bootleg shit just in it for the coin, so they aint gettin that from me

Q: How did you go about getting in contact with sr pelo for skid and pumps vocals?

A: Pelo i think was familiar and pals wit PhantomArcade a bit thru various Newgrounds things and collabs and whatnot.

pelo retweeted the first OG FNF posts first ever, and brought a LOT of attention to it. to pay him back, we put skid and pump in game! ask dave for more info prob

Q: what's the plan for having the full ass game open source if it's gonna cost money? couldn't people just download the source and compile the game for free?

A: when FNF is fully released, the full source code will be released as well.

the game will be DRM free so it will be way easier for people to redistribute the released/offical .exe instead of compiling it, so that's not the issue anyways. people will pay for things if they like it

Q: What are the chances of it getting on consoles like switch or Playstation, ps5 would definitely be my preferred way to play

A: it'd be a matter of hiring someone to build out backend stuff for those specific consoles. someone who knows their way around all the wacky code stuff, AND knows console hardware stuff. Then its just a matter of hittin up those console manufacturers (Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo)

the CLOSEST one is SWITCH. pretty much all of that backend is already made, so it just a matter of gettin all that access and shit.

i think in any case though, there's a lot of NDA stuff required, i dunno how much we'd be able to talk about it even IF we get that stuf sorted

Q: any ideas of releasing it on epic store or another platform?

A: Right now, the only thing that is 100% confirmed and WILL happen is a Steam version, itchio version, and mobile versions on respective app stores. Other storefronts aren't out of the picture though, but we don't want to spread ourselves too thin with it.

Q: Will you continue using HaxeFlixel to make the rest of FNF?

A: yes, because it is what I'm the most technically proficient in, and generally is VERY flexible. just a matter of ME becoming a better coder. It's ALL open source, so if I need something done a certain way, either I can do it, or we can hire someone to do it.

Q: have you seen game theory's videos on your game yet and if so, what do you think about them? (not talking about his predictions because i dont want spoilers. i like mystery)

A: it is always good silly fun to watch the Game Theory vids about Funkin with some pals, and see what matpat thinks of the game. i lov the vids, but wish he used my face less! Or at least used a cuter pic of me like this one!!

Q: Ok so: What does the future of FNF look like to you?

A: future of FNF is a rhythm game that not only exceeds every expectation that people have of it, but subverts most expectations and conventions as well.

Q: Do you plan on retouching on older weeks once the game is fully out? Like reanimating sprites, redoing some charting, updating the background, etc

A: retouching and probably overhauling certain aspects is almost definitely gonna happen. Everything is fluid and can be changed (and should be changed when necessary). i dont think anything should be too attached to, especially this early on in development

Q: I honestly do not care if the answer to this is vague as hell to keep surprises and shit lol but… Since Week 7 was the closest we’ll get to a playable girlfriend (still bf controlling tho), do you have plans to make girlfriend playable in spin-off things or just freeplay?

A: wouldnt be out of the picture for a playable GF, i don't think we've had some hard thing AGAINST it. just a matter of what we want out of the game, and what sort of story or whatev we could do with that concept

Q: How do BF and GF manage to meet famous newgrounds characters (such as pico, tankman and the others to come) like is this all in one universe/ timeline or are they being brought in?

A: i think they are all just there existing. i think there's a lot of wacky things in other media that try to justify crossovers, like MULTIVERSE bullshit or TIMELINE shit, but i dunno, its like subspace emissary. Captain Falcon and Olimar from Pikmin just hang out. Shit like dat

disclaimer that all lore shit is in phantomarcade head pretty much and maybe there is wacky dimensions or somethin

Q: Will the game have dlc?

A: its not too unlikely that we'd have expansions of some sort, but i mean right now we plan on packing in as much as we can into base game, and trying to make that as pure as possible.

if there is ANY dlc, i would personally want it to be 100% free updates

Q: How did you meet Phantom Arcade, Kawai Sprite, and EvilSker? And what do you think about the community and its controversies?

A: me and phantomarcade been fukin around NG for years so years and years ago we naturally crossed paths and became pals

about 2 years ago i found kawaisprites music on NG, and started talkin wit him, made Ritz wit him and we fell in lov

and evilsk8r i met cuz of FNF!!!

quik elaborate on evilsk8r, wanted artist for gamejam FNF was for (ludum dare), and OG person i asked wasnt available, so he referred me to evilsk8r, who I have never met or talked to before ever.