#trying out a new watermark for this blog specifically

[bringerofdarkness-fancomic]

My foul boy. I am going to smack him upside the head (affectionate)

[stocious]

how to spot stolen/uncredited gifs + how to work the search function

there's been a lot of talk about not stealing gifs and not supporting people who do, but it might not be easy to spot shady posts for everyone. so i made this little guide with things i personally look out for. at the end there's also a guide on how to work the search function. i hope this will help out there on the wild tumblrmachine!

the gif has a watermark that doesn't match the poster and there's no "gif by @[username]" under the gif. please note that a lot of people don't watermark their gifs at all, but this is one of the biggest give aways to a gif being stolen and reuploaded.

the gif doesn't stretch across the entire post. very seldom does a gif maker go through the entire process of making a gif and not making it cover the entire post space. in the example below, the gif was most likely a part of a set, as a second gif would fit perfectly right next to the one posted.

"theme posts" with gifs of different sizes and/or quality. in the examples below, "mickey smiling" has gifs of different sizes and no "gif by" credit under either of them. "theme posts" can still be made with proper credit to the gif maker, like "road trip" to the right.

new posters and no "my gifs" tag. if you're unsure if the gif is stolen or not, click the top of the post and go the blog and look at the tags attached to the post. if someone made the gif themselves, there's usually a "my gifs" or a similiar tag under the post. this might be a good thing to do if someone is new to the space has started posting gifs. this is not 100% foolproof method, but it can help you give an idea if the gif is stolen or not.

so how do i work the search function? how do i get the gifs i want?

good question! in the example of "mickey smiling", try searching for just that - "mickey milkovich smile" and you should get some good results. in the case of grabbing a specific gif from a specific post, i'll try to make a guide down below. if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

first, find a post you want to use a gif from. we're gonna use this set from @heymacy.

open the post you wanna use and copy the url to it. then make a new post and hit the gif search button. paste the url and it should find you the first gif of the set. click the gif and tumblr brings you back to your post with the gif and the "gif by heymacy" at the bottom.

but say you want the last image in the set. we're gonna use a tiny bit of html but don't fret.

first, do the previous step i just explained above.

click the cog wheel at the top right corner, scroll down and choose "text editor - html". go back to your post and it should be a whole bunch of text instead of an image.

search the text for "img scr" and then delete everything between the two quotation marks following that, it starts with https and ends with gifv.

go back to the post with the gif set and right click the gif you want (in this case the last one of the set), and choose "copy image link" and paste it between the quotation marks where you deleted stuff before. make sure not to delete any quotation marks and that your new link placed between them!

please note: you might get an error message from tumblr that the post contains unsupported html, just ignore that.

then click the cog wheel again, and change the editor back to "rich text". you're new image should be there, with proper credit!

bam, you're done! i'm also including a video below of me doing these steps so you can follow along. sorry my os is in swedish, but the thing i right click on is just "copy image link" as stated above.

here's a more in depth guide to this method, but it can be a little confusing if you're not used to working in html.

as you add more images and text to your post, the amount of text after you change to the html editor will increase. it might be hard to find the exact gif you want to change, but play around with it and try it out. the more you use the method, it'll be easier to work with.

thank you for coming to my ted talk, i hope this helps! 🫂

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

Yes Rosa is a thief for stealing a lot of stuff off your blog that was specifically meant for your blog but the recent sighting post would’ve made it to twitter anyway. I’ve seen plenty of people already post it without crediting you and no one is calling them out so I don’t see why anyone would specifically call her out for doing it. It’s a Facebook post. It’s not something that was specifically meant to only be posted on here. Seems kinda silly to get so worked up about it. If you’re going to call out Rosa for this post then please call out the others who have posted it without credit to you.

i'm not trying to be funny, but did you read the text associated with the screenshot i posted? i'm specifically calling out rosa because she has made dozens and dozens of posts calling me a rat in response to me making posts outlining her thievery, as if it were some kind of farce.. as if she has never visited my blog explicitly to steal commentary and content. this is not about me ''getting worked up'' about someone cross-posting a screenshot, one which i already credited an anon for alerting me to! it's about the utter ridiculousness of this woman so brazenly continuing to farm content from other peoples accounts and attacking them when approached about it.

outside of.. well, rosa, i try not to be a stickler for people innocently reposting things. reposting a screenshot is not the problem here, and i think anyone following this ''saga'' knows this. obviously i'm not here to gatekeep, i'm here to do the opposite in freely sharing things that some would like to keep amongst their circles. but i'm human. i hate watermarks - i don't like to use them and i never have. but you have to realize that it is very disheartening when you see people taking content you have compiled, created, edited, thought out to write, etc. and people just repost the stuff as their own, without ever indicating the very source from which they received that content.

an example of this is the amazon reviews. i was not the first person to find his amazon account - far from it. but i spent hours and hours across several days scouring the internet via obscure search engines and other whacky means to find ones that had not yet been publicly shared, to my knowledge. i did compilations and edited them together for easy viewing. people took those and reposted them all over twitter, tiktok etc. and never once linked back to my account, who did the work. i didn't say a peep about that, but would i have appreciated a shoutout? of course. again.. i'm not a bot. i'm a human. i have a life outside of this blog and i want to share things that make folks happy or entertained, which takes some time. every single time a person has reached out to me to share a lead, a new photo, etc. i have explicitly asked if they wanted public credit on my account when i posted it, as a courtesy and respect for those who contribute. i have never wanted to seem like someone who just slaps my name on something and calls it mine, and to a certain degree i would hope most would operate this same way. hopefully that is reasonable to you.

[obm-avenquire]

✫彡 mini faq/extra info post ✫彡

tags

#msheepisaga - for furry mc comics/canonical story things

#msheepi - for anything furry mc related

#avensandras - for my obm demon oc andras :)

#avensengel - for my obm angel oc engel :)

#avenwrites - writing/fics/more nuanced headcanons

#aventips - for anything from obey me in game tips, merch help and art tutorials

[everything else, like specific obm charas are tagged accordingly :) i try to tag completed finished work with #art and asks with #ask too, but i forget to often]

using my art do’s and don’t’s

icons/header images/wallpapers - okay provided there’s credit if applicable (so like, if it’s your personal wallpaper on your computer im not going to expect you to slap a watermark on it, but if it’s your icon on a public profile shove my @ in your bio please!)

edits/reposts - ask first!

tracing - no thank you!!

referencing - yes, within reason! i don’t mind people using my stuff to try to learn or to get a hang of things or just try out new art style stuff, but depending on how heavily referenced it is credit would also be a need, please! [the above does Not apply to commissions (ask before using those) and anything stated otherwise :] thank you for respecting my boundaries]

other

nsfw?

im keeping my account sfw/inexplicit atm! im an adult so like...idm talking about nsfw content etc just that this account is not the place im likely to do so! might make a side blog sometime or not! who knows! might just tag things im still on the fence

[eggoatt]

Hi! I know I left a comment on my reblog, but I felt the need to send something a little more heartfelt. I'm going to try to be normal about this lol

That picture you drew was the first thing I saw this morning, and it has been sitting on one of my monitors ever since, just so I can glance at it any time I want—which quite honestly has been incredibly frequent.

It might seem like I'm a little too excited about this, but it's a huge deal to me. Before I started putting fics out (just south of a year ago now) I hadn't written anything in nearly a decade, so I didn't really have any expectations for what I put out. Of course, I thought about how cool it'd be if someone drew something directly inspired by something I wrote, but I always considered that a kind of a lofty thing? Would be nice if it happened, but I wasn't expecting it. And if it did happen, it'd probably happen much later on when I'm a little better at writing.

All of that to say this is the first time I've inspired anyone to make art from my material. That means so much to me and I am unbelievably grateful to you for that. Also, WOW, it's from someone who has also drawn one of my absolute most favorite SciSet pics ever too?? I adore the way you draw Sunset, so when I saw this was from you I actually gasped so loud my wife heard me from the other room lol.

I mentioned this briefly in my reblog, but I really love the way this picture is composed. When I write scenes, they tend to play out in my mind in full motion with great detail, so what I envision can be incredibly specific, yet I really feel like you managed to capture details I hadn't really put words to. The color scheme in particular—lots of blues and purples, but with just the right amount of saturation to match the pink. Visual arts are not my forte, so I apologize if that doesn't make the most sense.

Lastly, I would like to ask just a couple things:

Would you be alright with me posting a blog about this on fimfic? This might seem like kind of a weird question, but I always like to make sure I clear this kind of thing with someone first. Naturally your username and links to everything would be prominently featured.

May I put this in the author's note of Chapter 8(b)? Just like before, your username and links will be prominently featured alongside it (also, if you'd like to send me a watermarked version, I'd be alright with putting that up too). I just really love this picture and would love it to be the way people visualize that part of the chapter, but I want to make sure that's alright with you first, and I also want to make sure you get the credit you deserve.

Anyway, I won't ramble any longer than necessary. Sorry for throwing a book in your inbox, but thank you for the picture, and for ensuring that no matter what else happens today, I have something to be happy about 🥰

hi!!

we've actually been mutuals for a little while (you reblogged something of mine, and i liked your taste in horse content) but back in april by complete coincidence i stumbled across your fimfic account as well and kind of fell in love with your work. the way you write sunset, your inner voice for her, speaks to me on an insane level to the point where it's informed some of my personal projects (ocs) a bit. i also really enjoyed seeing how rapidly and drastically your writing had improved over the works you had up at the time-- it made me really excited to see what you would do in the future! i even made a new account and started using the site again just so i could keep up :3 if nothing else, you've touched this creature's heart very deeply

like i said in the original tags, i've been meaning to make fanart of this scene for MONTHS and finally releasing those brainworms felt a bit like an exorcism, lol. i'm so happy i hit the mark and brought you as much joy as you've brought me !!!!

to answer your questions!:

sure!! it is fanart For You after all

same as above, go for it :3 (it is actually watermarked already! i prefer making it difficult to see so it's not distracting. take a closer look at sunset's elbow)

silly bonus trivia about the drawing: i needed a visual reference to help me with the poses, and the best ref i found just so happened to be a picture with obama in it. it's not my fault they look so tender

[mariacallous]

The White House has struck a deal with major AI developers—including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI—that commits them to take action to prevent harmful AI models from being released into the world.

Under the agreement, which the White House calls a “voluntary commitment,” the companies pledge to carry out internal tests and permit external testing of new AI models before they are publicly released. The test will look for problems including biased or discriminatory output, cybersecurity flaws, and risks of broader societal harm. Startups Anthropic and Inflection, both developers of notable rivals to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, also participated in the agreement.

“Companies have a duty to ensure that their products are safe before introducing them to the public by testing the safety and capability of their AI systems,” White House special adviser for AI Ben Buchanan told reporters in a briefing yesterday. The risks that companies were asked to look out for include privacy violations and even potential contributions to biological threats. The companies also committed to publicly reporting the limitations of their systems and the security and societal risks they could pose.

The agreement also says the companies will develop watermarking systems that make it easy for people to identify audio and imagery generated by AI. OpenAI already adds watermarks to images produced by its Dall-E image generator, and Google has said it is developing similar technology for AI-generated imagery. Helping people discern what’s real and what’s fake is a growing issue as political campaigns appear to be turning to generative AI ahead of US elections in 2024.

Recent advances in generative AI systems that can create text or imagery have triggered a renewed AI arms race among companies adapting the technology for tasks like web search and writing recommendation letters. But the new algorithms have also triggered renewed concern about AI reinforcing oppressive social systems like sexism or racism, boosting election disinformation, or becoming tools for cybercrime. As a result, regulators and lawmakers in many parts of the world—including Washington, DC—have increased calls for new regulation, including requirements to assess AI before deployment.

It’s unclear how much the agreement will change how major AI companies operate. Already, growing awareness of the potential downsides of the technology has made it common for tech companies to hire people to work on AI policy and testing. Google has teams that test its systems, and it publicizes some information, like the intended use cases and ethical considerations for certain AI models. Meta and OpenAI sometimes invite external experts to try and break their models in an approach dubbed red-teaming.

“Guided by the enduring principles of safety, security, and trust, the voluntary commitments address the risks presented by advanced AI models and promote the adoption of specific practices—such as red-team testing and the publication of transparency reports—that will propel the whole ecosystem forward,” Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a blog post.

The potential societal risks the agreement pledges companies to watch for do not include the carbon footprint of training AI models, a concern that is now commonly cited in research on the impact of AI systems. Creating a system like ChatGPT can require thousands of high-powered computer processors, running for extended periods of time.

Andrew Burt, managing partner at law firm BNH, which specializes in AI, says the potential risks of generative AI systems are becoming clear to everyone involved with the technology. The Federal Trade Commission began a probe into OpenAI’s business practices last week, alleging that the company participated in “unfair or deceptive privacy or data security practices.”

The White House agreement’s stipulation that companies should commission external assessments of their technology adds to evidence that outside audits are becoming “the central way governments exert oversight for AI systems,” Burt says.

The White House also promoted the use of audits in the voluntary AI Bill of Rights issued last year, and it is supporting a hacking contest centered on generative AI models at the Defcon security conference next month. Audits are also a requirement of the EU’s sweeping AI Act, which is currently being finalized.

Jacob Appel, chief strategist at ORCAA, a company that audits algorithms for businesses and government, says the agreement is welcome but that general assessments of large language models like those behind ChatGPT are insufficient. Specific, high risk use cases of AI, such as a chatbot fine tuned to generate medical or legal advice, should get their own tailored assessments, he says. And systems from smaller companies also need scrutiny.

President Joe Biden will meet at the White House today with executives from the companies that joined the new AI agreement, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Microsoft president Brad Smith, and Inflection AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman. His administration is also developing an executive order to govern the use of AI through actions by federal agencies, but the White House gave no specific timeline for its release.

[lexi-destria]

10 July 2023

[This is a cross-post from my iNaturalist, though it contains minor edits. I intend to make several cross-posts between iNaturalsit and Tumblr in the future. Whereas iNat will focus mostly on the natural elements and observations related to the journal posts, Tumblr will expand upon the cultural and historical significance of each featured site, and provide citations whenever referenced.]

I recently hit two very important milestones as a self-teaching Naturalist. Both the 20th and 24th of June marked 5 years since I began recording Trailwalks throughout Indiana and Illinois (which have yet to post to another channel or content-hosted site at this time). Additionally, the 13th of July will mark 3 years since I began posting to iNaturalist, which has taught me to become a better researcher, photographer, and videographer. Most importantly, it has taught me to respect and appreciate nature.

With five years of observations and three years of research, it was time to start imposing personal guidelines as motivators in not only building up the confidence to start posting my Trailwalks for the world to view, but also to ensure that the data I am collecting in relevant and promotes some form of scientific value.

Beginning 13 July 2023:

- With the exception of documenting a life first, a drastic environmental change, or a concerning observation (i.e., a deceased animal not from natural causes, a suspected new invasive species, etc.), once a specific location has posted, it will NOT be revisited. This is partially to encourage branching out of comfort zones and visiting new sites, yet also give previously-visited sites a final “hurrah” of sorts.

- Specifically-visited sites will be accompanied by a journal post detailing the timeframe that observations are expected to post; provide information regarding the site’s geographic location, environmental factors, and notable landmarks; and state the cultural, historical, and ecological significance of the specific site(s) featured. I intend to keep the posts on iNat limited to observational research only. Unedited posts with full citations will be available via a dedicated blogging website (currently a Tumblr separate from my main account.)

- I am going to try for a minimum of three (3) observations posted daily, though I expect life situations will make this impossible on certain occasions. Those posts will spill over into the next day.

- Observations for the featured locations will post no less than three months after the initial exploration date. The only exceptions will be for the first tour through Channahon, future Citywide Nature Challenges/Bioblitzes, and for one-off posts documenting the aforementioned exceptions. (I sadly have the sheer bad luck of coming across dead birds. A lot.)

- Finally, I feel as though I have been very generous in the circulation and availability of my photographs. Unfortunately, and very recently, some bad actors (outside of iNat) have tested my patience. All my photos are and will still be available to use with proper credit, but I WILL NOT remove the watermarks from the photos which I have deemed to be higher quality. Any and all of my observations posted prior to 13 July 2023 will remain without a watermark since they are considered published, and of course you may still use any of my observations, watermarked or none, for research, school, educational purposes. But never for 3rd-party puzzle game apps.

I’ll try to find a way to properly archive all my posts. In the meantime, thank you very much for reading!

-Lexi Destria.

[nox-creations]

Guidelines

Welcome! Here I do icons/avatars, headers/banners, gifsets, stimboards, reply icons, userboxes, and wallpaper/homescreens/lockscreens.

(Rest of guidelines under the cut)

--

What Do I Accept?

I can do requests with a specific theme/aesthetic, group/squad requests, ship requests, LGBTQ+ themed requests, specific image sizes, ect. Just send a request and let me know what you want!

Disclaimer: I do not accept any ship related requests that include incestious relationships or relationships with a concerning age gap.

I will accept requests relating to systems, kin, and IRL/DAs

If you need any adjustments made to one of my posts let me know!

--

Some Useage Guidelines

If using something I made I would appreciate if you credited me where/if applicable

I do not agree to anything I make here being reuploaded, espically on other platforms. The exception being you may use any gifs made in stimboards/gifsets in your stimboards, just link back to the post you got it from (or just credit me if linking back is not able to be done)

Do not make any money off/monetize my content. Do not sell anything that includes my content. So on so forth

If saving something I made please reblog it if you can. While likes are nice they ultimately don't a whole lot. If my content is hardly seen by anyone then it's hard to get new requests

Note that I may or may not add a watermark to some things. Sometimes people forget where they got something from, so any watermarks are for the sake of helping trace back to the source should someone need it again. Please do not edit out any watermarks. I will try to make any watermarks as out of the way as possible

If needed you can edit minor adjustments to icons I make. Just, again, do not remove any watermarks please

--

DNI

There are certain groups/people I'd prefer to avoid having any interactions with online. So in other words I kindly ask you do not interact with this blog if you fall under any of the following:

Proship, Nontraumagenic systems and Endogenic supporters, Kink blogs/blogs centered around NSFW content, Anti-MOGAI, Ace/Aro exclusive, Blogs with a lot of content based around yanderes, Transmed, Terfs/Radfems

I, like anyone else, reserve the right to block anyone without any notice or reason given. Please do not message me about anything in this section

--

WHITELIST+BLACKLIST

Let's continue to my whitelist and blacklist. The whitelist is not an exclusive list of things I am willing to do, so if you want to send a request for something not on the whitelist you can! And if you're unsure feel free to ask. Both lists are prone to updates

Disclaimer: An item being on the whitelist or blacklist does not reflect how I feel about it. Not everything on the whitelist are things I like, they are just things I am willing to make content of. And not everything on the blacklist are things I dislike, they are just things I'd rather not make content of for whatever reasons I may have.

--

Whitelist:

Minecraft

Steven Universe

Danganronpa

My Hero Academia

Kakegurui

Bugsnax

Ghost and Pals

Genshin Impact

Undertale

Deltarune

Twisted Wonderland

Tears of Themis

Obey Me!

Mystic Messenger

Vocaloid

Project Sekai

Detroit: Become Human

MCSM

Welcome Home

Animal Crossing

DDLC

Splatoon

Enstars

The Elder Scrolls

Fallout Games

Animals

Fantasy creatures

--

Blacklist

IRL people (characters in live action media are fine, though)

South Park

Minecraft SMPs

Killing Stalking

Yandere Simulator

Yandere themes

Heavy gore (no guts and stuff, minor fake blood is fine)

--

Extra: Tagging System

General:

! rules of the night - ! [Guidelines - Can also be found under #guidelines. But you're already here]

! nox speaks - ! [Posts that aren't content, such as any updates - Can also be found under #general stuff]

! talking with the moon - ! [Answering non request asks - Can also be found under #chatter]

! the night calls back - ! [Request accepted! - Can also be found under #accepted]

! nothing but silence - ! [Request denied - Can also be found under #denied]

! uncertainty in the stars - ! [Asking for clarification in a request - Can also be found under #clarifying]

Content Tags:

! nox's creations - ! [Stuff I make - Can also be found under #nox content]

! nox's icons - ! [Icons - Can also be found under #icons + #avatars]

! nox's banners - ! [Headers/Banners- Can also be found under #headers + #banners]

! nox's wallpapers - ! [Wallpapers/Homescreens/Lockscreens - Can also be found under #wallpapers + #homescreens + #lockscreens]

! nox's gifsets - ! [Gifsets - Can also be found under #gifsets]

! nox's stimboards - ! [Stimboards - Can also be found under #stimboards]

! nox's reply icons - ! [Reply icons - Can also be found under #reply icons]

! nox's userboxes - ! [Userboxes - Can also be found under #userboxes]

Any content tags not listed here will follow the same formatting.

Tagging Content:

I will try to tag content appropriately, and I will try to use multiple tags to make sure anyone's filtering system can pick up on it. Feel free to ask me to tag a specific post.

If any content has flashing lights I will put it under a cut. However I do not have much knowledge on what else could trigger epilepsy, so if any of my content lacks a epilepsy warning when it should have one please let me know.

--

Additional notes: If you know me personally please keep that to yourself. This is just an icon blog

That concludes the guidelines. Thank you for reading!

[yeojaa]

commissions by @yeojaa

howdy, folks!  after some careful consideration and support from wonderful friends, i’ve decided to open up my commissions.  i will officially be accepting both writing and gfx requests. 

to find out more information, keep on reading.  🤡  

001.  guidelines

as of 11 july 2021, my commissions are closed as i’m on an unplanned hiatus.

i don’t have set turnaround times unless you’ve specified a deadline.  i try to complete things as quickly as possible but for writing specifically, it could take anywhere from a day to a few months, depending on the length.  (i’d like to think i write pretty quickly but writer’s block can be a thing.)  

i will not write anything involving underage characters, incest, or explicit abuse.  i am fine with darker/angstier themes but will address those plots on a case-by-case basis.

unless you request otherwise, all commissions will be posted on my blog.  obviously, graphics will be appropriately watermarked so they are only for use by the requestor. 

i will always do my best to keep communication open and ensure your expectations are met. 

for writing examples, please check my masterlist.  for gfx examples, click here.

002.  how-to (the process)

please fill out the request form and i will be in touch within three (3) days.  in case you’re unable to access the form, feel free to shoot me an ask and we can go from there.

this is new to me, so please have patience as i bumble my way blindly through it all.  if there’s anything i haven’t covered above that you’re curious about prior to submitting a request, don’t hesitate to reach out.

003.  prices

i really haven’t fleshed this out very much, so prices are negotiable.  the word counts aren’t set in stone and will have a small variance (usually more, occasionally less).  all prices are in usd and payment will be made via ko-fi.  prices updated 15 january, 2021.

short drabble (<0.5k):  $3

long drabble (<1.5k):  $9

short oneshot (<3k):  $18

long oneshot (<5k):  $30

other writing (5.5k+):  to be discussed

mobile header (simple):  $3

mobile header (w effect/complex):  $6

icon pack (5):  $3

masterlist banners (8):  $12

other banners (simple, set of 3):  $6

miscellaneous gfx:  to be discussed

to go hand in hand with my commissions now being open, i have closed requests, unless otherwise indicated.  i will likely only open requests for celebratory reasons (my armyversary or a milestone, par exemple).

if you have any interest in commissioning me, feel free to do so, but please don’t feel as if you must.  i am grateful for your support every single day and this is just something i’m trying out.  thank you for being on this journey w me!  💖

[20dollarlolita]

Your blog is amazing & the best thing I've found in 2020, no joke. I had one not-quick question RE: replicas. How do I know if something is a replica or not? Particularly a design replica. For example, those star shaped bags that I think?? are supposed to resemble AP's star shaped bags. I would've bought one from Loris without knowing it was AP's design had I not seen an AP bag on Lace Market the other day. How do I avoid products like this if I'm not intimately familiar with Brand products?

My strategy is to find something I like, and then search for that specific thing, if I’m buying from a place that I know is likely to be selling replicas. If I think they’re using stolen images, but i like the image in the products, I’ll reverse google the image and see if I can find it there. If I can’t, I start looking in databases (lolibrary is your friend) and sales histories (Lacemarket, and old EGL Comm Sales posts on LJ) and see if I can spot trends.

There’s also a difference between a company recognizing that a design is successful and then copying the design motif, and a company recognizing that a design is successful and copying the design.

Example A: Ooh, someone’s making money selling bags shaped like peppermints. Let’s make a bag shaped like a peppermint and cash in on the trend! Bag #1 was a bag made of sewn-together pieces of red and white vinyl, had short handles. Bag 2 was black crossbody bag with the peppermint motif applied with large patches of glitter. This is a knock-off.

Example B: Ooh, Mary Magdalene made a successful OP that everyone wants. If we copy that exact design, but sell it for cheaper, we’ll get the money!

This is a design replica. It’s built to copy every element of the design exactly.

So if we’re talking the Angelic Pretty Twinkle Star Purse,

Here’s a replica of that. Same colors, same shape, same style

And here’s one off Walmart.com that is a crossbody shooting star bag, but not a replica. 

(People who say that print replicas are bad but design replicas are okay because “there’s only so many ways to make a star purse and everything would be copying something” don’t want to address that there’s a pretty obvious difference between trying to copy a design and trying to copy an idea)

So you need to judge if the thing you’re looking at is an actual design replica, and then, if you are, where the origin comes from. Check around similar listings of the item, until you find someone with a watermark. Search up that company, plus “replica purse” and see where that gets you. Do they regularly replicate a specific company? Search up a descriptor of the purse, one of the brands they use, and “replica” and see if you can find your purse. No luck? Check the next brand. The good news is that Google doesn’t charge per search, so you can just keep refining and changing your search until you think you’re somewhere. Eventually, you’ll run into someone who’ll put the replica and the original name next to each other.

And then, if you want a star-shaped purse, but don’t want to buy a design replica, you can check out if anyone’s made a nice knock-off design that’s in your price range and still feels like it’ll work. AP owns the Twinkle Star Purse, but they don’t own every star purse, so keep looking!

And thank you for liking the blog :)

[mxtcha-tea]

[g ｕｉｄｅｌｉｎｅｓ　運ダゴ]

✕ PLEASE READ ALL OF THE RULES BEFORE REQUESTING OR SO ON. THIS IS TO AVOID PROBLEMS AND TO RUN THE BLOG SMOOTHLY. thank you :) ✕

—i don't really accept requests for this blog but when the request box is open, you're free to order whatever you want

✎but if my mind can't process more than a few scenarios for the request, it will be short.

✎i've decided to make this blog mostly self indulgent because i don't work well under stress, hope you understand :).

✎HOWEVER, as much as i would love to hear your requests, there's a limit on how many you can request so first come first serve.

—if you want to request something, make it ~unique~

✎i've seen a lot of writings that had already been writen over and over again, and i thought, "why not try something new?"

✎don't worry, i still take the normal requests but as i said just now, it'll be short.

—DO NOT STEAL/PLAGIARIZE MY WORKS

✎please just don't, you'll prolly get no benefit from it.

✎this includes either plagiarize, translate or repost in other platforms.

—as i said in my old blog, DO NOT SPAM REQUESTS

✎i'll put a list of what i have to write on the nav (requested and not).

✎if some of it are requested, i'll write who requested it (whether it's off or on anon).

—please specify the request

✎includes things such as gender, format, or others

—what do i write?

✎crack (obviously my favourite)

✎fluff

✎angst

✎horrors/dark fic (but without the other dark stuffs, will list down below)

✎hurt/comfort

✎anything that's bearable to me

—what do i don't write?

✎r*cist/p*do/inc*st/sexist contents

✎shaming in every way possible (race, religion, skin, body figure, disability, etc)

✎NSFW (only a few suggestive contents but other than just that is a no-no)

✎duncons/noncons/yandere themed

✎alpha/omega/beta things (it always been used in smuts right? even tho i don't specifically write smut, you prolly can use it for non-sexual subjects but i still don't understand it fully)

✎characters x characters (only on ao3) (watch me feel soft because of bokuaka aye—)

✎anything that i'm not comfortable writing

—who/what do i write for?

haikyuu

✎everyone lolol

jujutsu kaisen

✎itadori, sukuna, megumi, nobara, inumaki, gojo, nanamin, junpei, will add more...(i'm late to caught to the anime :'D, maybe i'll continue by the manga)

danganronpa (dr1 only) (yes, haven't finished dr2 and i can't find dr3 :'))

✎everyone except monokuma (if you like monokuma then please go see a therapist)

More to be added soon!

[r ｅｑｕｅｓｔｉｎｇ　日奥ト]

—headcanons

✎honestly no limit but if i get so self indulgent in it, i might make it into 2 separate posts or something. (limit : no limit)

—imagines

✎it can be scenarios about a few characters, teams or literally anyone. (limit : 5)

—drabbles

✎kinda short. prolly will only be the title, pairing and the drabble itself. (limit : 1 only)

—timestamps

✎the time and short story. that's all. (limit : 1 only, i think)

—songfic

✎won't post this type often. the title of the song as the title of the fic, some info about the fic and then the writings. (limit : 1 only)

—fic

✎the same kind like the song fic BUT without songs as titles and gonna add some panels *wink* *wonk*. (limit : 1 only)

—SMAU/Texts

✎title, pairings, maybe some warnings, and boom, dumb and unfunny texts B). (no limits)

[ f ｏｒｍａｔｓ　旺引や]

—not a lot for this one but no, i don't take request

✎i only take requests for small fun activity (like doodling someone as a cat hehe)

—DON'T STEAL/REPOST/TRACE MY ART

✎please don't repost it and claim it as your own, this includes posting it in other platforms even tho you credited it.

✎dm me first if you want to use it for personal use, whether you just wanna save it or use it for any occasions (includes SMAU or others and put credits)

✎don't crop out the watermark. if you're even thinking about doing it, no <3

[ d ｒａｗｉｎｇｓ　鋭ィニ]

—if you want to know me, then feel free to ask questions or ask on how i'm doing

✎i swear that i'm a friendly person, and just forget on how i act on the old blog :')

—don't talk about anything hurtful or bad

✎this includes talking r*cist, talk about p*do, talk about inc*st, or just anything that's very offending in general. i wanted to make this blog a peaceful and safe place.

✎also, read my dni and byf before interacting/following

—hate anons or hate asks or BOTH will be deleted

✎as i said just now, will make this place peaceful and won't have serious drama.

✎"but what if they attack you through dm's?"

✎well, they have to deal with the block button of course.

[ i ｎｂｏｘ　因岡ゴ]

[cjeez]

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[violetsystems]

Microsoft has added to the slowly growing pile of technologies aimed at spotting synthetic media (aka deepfakes) with the launch of a tool for analyzing videos and still photos to generate a manipulation score.

The tool, called Video Authenticator, provides what Microsoft calls “a percentage chance, or confidence score” that the media has been artificially manipulated.

“In the case of a video, it can provide this percentage in real-time on each frame as the video plays,” it writes in a blog post announcing the tech. “It works by detecting the blending boundary of the deepfake and subtle fading or greyscale elements that might not be detectable by the human eye.”

If a piece of online content looks real but ‘smells’ wrong chances are it’s a high tech manipulation trying to pass as real — perhaps with a malicious intent to misinform people.

And while plenty of deepfakes are created with a very different intent — to be funny or entertaining — taken out of context such synthetic media can still take on a life of its own as it spreads, meaning it can also end up tricking unsuspecting viewers.

While AI tech is used to generate realistic deepfakes, identifying visual disinformation using technology is still a hard problem — and a critically thinking mind remains the best tool for spotting high tech BS.

Nonetheless, technologists continue to work on deepfake spotters — including this latest offering from Microsoft.

Although its blog post warns the tech may offer only passing utility in the AI-fuelled disinformation arms race: “The fact that [deepfakes are] generated by AI that can continue to learn makes it inevitable that they will beat conventional detection technology. However, in the short run, such as the upcoming U.S. election, advanced detection technologies can be a useful tool to help discerning users identify deepfakes.”

This summer a competition kicked off by Facebook to develop a deepfake detector served up results that were better than guessing — but only just in the case of a data-set the researchers hadn’t had prior access to.

Microsoft, meanwhile, says its Video Authenticator tool was created using a public dataset from Face Forensic++ and tested on the DeepFake Detection Challenge Dataset, which it notes are “both leading models for training and testing deepfake detection technologies”.

It’s partnering with the San Francisco-based AI Foundation to make the tool available to organizations involved in the democratic process this year — including news outlets and political campaigns.

“Video Authenticator will initially be available only through RD2020 [Reality Defender 2020], which will guide organizations through the limitations and ethical considerations inherent in any deepfake detection technology. Campaigns and journalists interested in learning more can contact RD2020 here,” Microsoft adds.

The tool has been developed by its R&D division, Microsoft Research, in coordination with its Responsible AI team and an internal advisory body on AI, Ethics and Effects in Engineering and Research Committee — as part of a wider program Microsoft is running aimed at defending democracy from threats posed by disinformation.

“We expect that methods for generating synthetic media will continue to grow in sophistication,” it continues. “As all AI detection methods have rates of failure, we have to understand and be ready to respond to deepfakes that slip through detection methods. Thus, in the longer term, we must seek stronger methods for maintaining and certifying the authenticity of news articles and other media. There are few tools today to help assure readers that the media they’re seeing online came from a trusted source and that it wasn’t altered.”

On the latter front, Microsoft has also announced a system that will enable content producers to add digital hashes and certificates to media that remain in their metadata as the content travels online — providing a reference point for authenticity.

The second component of the system is a reader tool, which can be deployed as a browser extension, for checking certificates and matching the hashes to offer the viewer what Microsoft calls “a high degree of accuracy” that a particular piece of content is authentic/hasn’t been changed.

The certification will also provide the viewer with details about who produced the media.

Microsoft is hoping this digital watermarking authenticity system will end up underpinning a Trusted News Initiative announced last year by UK publicly funded broadcaster, the BBC — specifically for a verification component, called Project Origin, which is led by a coalition of the BBC, CBC/Radio-Canada, Microsoft and The New York Times.

It says the digital watermarking tech will be tested by Project Origin with the aim of developing it into a standard that can be adopted broadly.

“The Trusted News Initiative, which includes a range of publishers and social media companies, has also agreed to engage with this technology. In the months ahead, we hope to broaden work in this area to even more technology companies, news publishers and social media companies,” Microsoft adds.

While work on technologies to identify deepfakes continues, its blog post also emphasizes the importance of media literacy — flagging a partnership with the University of Washington, Sensity and USA Today aimed at boosting critical thinking ahead of the US election.

This partnership has launched a Spot the Deepfake Quiz for voters in the US to “learn about synthetic media, develop critical media literacy skills and gain awareness of the impact of synthetic media on democracy”, as it puts it.

The interactive quiz will be distributed across web and social media properties owned by USA Today, Microsoft and the University of Washington and through social media advertising, per the blog post.

The tech giant also notes that it’s supporting a public service announcement (PSA) campaign in the US encouraging people to take a “reflective pause” and check to make sure information comes from a reputable news organization before they share or promote it on social media ahead of the upcoming election.

“The PSA campaign will help people better understand the harm misinformation and disinformation have on our democracy and the importance of taking the time to identify, share and consume reliable information. The ads will run across radio stations in the United States in September and October,” it adds.

[bitsandbobsandstuff]

A love that never leaves (11)

Summary: Sometimes when you go looking for the past, you find things you never expected. When an accident brings him face to face with something he never knew he lost, Bucky Barnes begins to understand an age old truth – it’s so easy, sometimes, to love the things that destroy us.

Characters: Bucky Barnes x Reader Warnings: Bad language. Descriptions of depression. Some pretty heavy sads. 

A/N: Flashback time. Grief can be all consuming and overwhelming. This time, we follow her while she tries to learn how to live again, before a night in 1946 changes everything. 

And again...I am sorry.

Links don’t work, so if you want to access the full ALTNL Masterlist, just click the MASTERLIST header on my blog.

Previously...

In her hand, is a ripped piece of faded blue cloth, with a familiar gray patch sewn into it; smudgy rust-red splotches color the edges like fingerprints.

Wings. Gray wings. Nostalgically familiar, because back in the war, each of the Howling Commandos wore one on their left sleeve, a mirror image tribute to the one painted on Steve’s helmet.

Including Bucky. Who wore one on the left sleeve of his coat.

The left sleeve of his blue coat.

Now, he stares uncomprehendingly at the piece of cloth. “What - “ he starts, but his voice fades. Small shivers are running through her body as she watches him, her face filled with dread. Taking a shaky breath, she whispers.

“There was one other time we met.”

*****

February 1945

The telegram informing her of Bucky’s death, written in Steve Rogers’ messy, cursive scrawl, sits on her kitchen table for a week. Across the creamy white paper are crinkled watermarks and trickles of black ink, where the paper swallowed her teardrops and bled out the sorrow of Steve’s words. One night, in a fit of anger, she tears it to shreds and feeds each piece to the hungry flames licking up the stone wall of her fireplace. There is immediate relief at the words disappearing, but even without their physical presence, the grief always returns.

March 1945

The plush wool feels soft in her hands. A week after his last visit, she saw the bundle in a storefront and bartered two of her old dresses for it; the color was a simple heather gray, but she knew it would look perfect against the deep blue of his coat. Every evening, she would knit until her fingers ached, but in a few weeks, she had a thick wool scarf, one of her old hair ribbons tied around it for a bow. She thought she would keep it as his birthday gift. Now, on what would have been Bucky’s 28th birthday, she wraps it around her neck and crawls into bed. Sleep doesn’t come, but every memory of him arrives like a fresh bullet, punched clean through her chest.

May 1945

Over! The war is over! Relieved cries reverberate through the town when VE Day arrives, children running down streets screaming with excitement, mothers and widows weeping joyously in the streets. Healing will take decades, but with those words, the world begins to plan for what comes next. Life is breathed back into the village and in the crowded town square, she lifts her face to the sunshine and closes her eyes. Fingers the chain around her neck holding the St. Michael medal Bucky gave her for their engagement, and wonders if she will ever be warm again.

July 1945

Wildflowers grow in riotous bursts of yellow and red and purple, filling the space behind her chicken coop with color. Laying amid the blooms, she sits in the baking summer sun, tracing her fingers over the colorful images on the postcards Bucky gave her. She thinks about traveling. About visiting those places, seeing them with new eyes, free from war. When she looks at the Brooklyn postcard, she wonders about visiting his family, but then she sees the crooked hearts he drew on the back, and she knows it would be too much. She puts the cards away.

September 1945

Leaves begin to fall, carpeting the grassy bank near the stream. Going through the motions, she dumps clothes from her basket, dunking them in the gurgling water, scrubbing them clean under crystal clear moonlight. Humming under her breath, she sings to pass the time, but the only words she can find are the ones she sang the first night Bucky found her by the creek and walked her home. We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when. It hurts too much, so she just stops singing.

October 1945

Soldiers have been returning for weeks. Gaunt and haunted, new men arrive every few days, and do their best to pick up the threads of their old lives. One Saturday morning, she walks through the stalls of the market, examining produce and talking with the vendors. A young soldier steps aside to let her pass, quickly pulling off his hat and smiling. Offering a quiet hello in response, she finishes her shopping and leaves; the soldier jogs after her and nervously asks, could he perhaps walk her home? The earnest look in his eyes is so familiar, it makes her sick. She gently tells him no.

December 1945

Taking a sharp kitchen knife, she goes into the trees and cuts an armful of pine boughs. She spreads them through her house, taking deep breaths of the sharp, piney scent. In the white vase on her table, she tucks them carefully in place and adds a small sprig of holly, the red berries shining brightly. Curled in the armchair beside her fire, she drinks tea and listens to the staticky crackle of Christmas hymns on her new radio. It’s a daily battle, but it happens. Life really does go on.

February 1946

Coming home late one evening, she unlocks her back door and hangs her coat in the hallway. Rubbing chilly hands together, she walks into her kitchen and turns on the light. She skids to a stop. Filling the small space, are two hulking men dressed in black. One steps forward and quickly grabs her arms, while the other plays with a length of rope and smiles at her. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you. Someone wants a word.”

There’s a cursory struggle, but she doesn’t fight hard. She thinks to herself, if they kill her, maybe she’ll see Bucky on the other side.

That thought makes her smile, before the world goes dark.

*****

For the second time in her life, she awakens in a cold cell. Stretching her aching limps, she knows immediately this most certainly isn’t heaven.

Hell has a very specific look to it. One she knows far too intimately by now.

The small cell is clean, containing a lumpy bed and a worn blanket; in the corner is a pitcher of water and a bucket, and high on the wall is a small window letting in slivers of light. Her hands are bound in front of her, rough pieces of rope looped so tight around her wrists, the skin has rubbed itself raw. Blood soaks into the bristly rope fibers, staining it with streaks of black.

Where is she this time?

Leaning back against the wall, she blows out a long breath and there’s a strange satisfaction in her realization.

She just doesn’t care.

*****

Hours or maybe days later, her door creaks open. Outlined in the doorframe, is a tall Hydra guard dressed all in black, a mask over his face, a pair of reflective goggles covering his eyes. When he sees her, the gun in his hands trembles the slightest bit, before it steadies once more.

So, she thinks. Here it comes.

Motioning with the gun, the guard indicates she should stand, but she mutinously stays on the bed. If she has to go, she will be defiant to the end.

Stepping forward, he hesitates briefly, before grasping the rope and jerking her to her feet. Balancing his gun at the back of her neck, he pushes her forward.

Down a long hall they go, moving through a set of wooden doors. With a mute resistance, she refuses to walk, forcing him to physically drag her instead. Finally, he simply picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, stalking down the hallway with a series of breathless grunts.

She kicks him the entire way.

When he arrives at a heavy oak door, he bangs three times and throws it open.

The room is surprising. This is no torture chamber, filled with metal tables and metal chairs and the metallic taste of electricity on her tongue. It is warm and cozy, a roaring fireplace on one wall, armchairs strewn casually around, tall shelves lined with books. 

In the middle of the room, stands Colonel Richter, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“Please, come in,” he says cordially, laughter in his voice. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

The guard dumps her in a sprawling heap and departs. In the flickering firelight, she struggles awkwardly to her feet and readies for battle.

“You again. What do you want? You know I won’t help you,” she snaps, her eyes roaming around the room, searching for threats.

Richter looks amused. Sipping his whiskey, he comes slowly closer until he is only inches from her face.

“First things first. Before, when you stole away in the dead of night - that was a bit rude, don’t you think?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

The quick crack of his backhand sends her stumbling sideways. The heavy ring he wears rips open a fat gash on her cheek and she instantly feels blood begin to ooze.

“Such language for a lady. Did you learn that from him? Let’s try again, shall we? I have a story for you and I’d like you to listen,” he says. “A few months ago, we were working on him and in the middle of one of his delirious rants, I hear something interesting. Can you guess?”

Glaring at him, she remains silent.

“No guesses?” he grins, raising his eyebrows. “Alright then. Through all the screaming and crying, I hear him say your god damn name. Imagine my surprise.”

The first prickles of confused fear skate up her back. “What the hell are you talking about?” she spits out.

“It took some digging, but we managed to trace the path he and that wretched group of assholes from his unit made the last couple years of the war. I sent a few search parties out, and low and behold - here you are.”

Bucky told her once, how he and Captain Rogers parachuted from an airplane. She remembers him laughing about the free-fall, how it made his stomach swoop in a million directions. That feeling of free-falling sweeps over her now, turning her blood to ice.

“What do you mean? Who?”

Richter smiles widely, his eyes gleaming. Grabbing the bloody ropes around her wrists, he yanks her forward and pushes her into the shadowy corner of the room.

“Wait here. I have a surprise for you.”

Outside the door, she hears voices arguing. The scuffle of feet and the sharp bite of an angry voice. Suddenly, the door swings open and four guards enter, dragging a fifth man.

From the dark shadows, she muffles a scream.

Bucky looks exhausted. Dressed in a long-sleeved green shirt and ragged brown pants, he’s thinner than the last time she saw him. Rings of black circle his eyes, the vibrant blue now dull and listless. All his beautiful dark hair has been buzzed short and she can see bloody sores scabbing over along his temples. The left sleeve of his wool shirt is empty, pinned up at his shoulder and his right arm is tucked behind him, a leather strap looped around his wrist and stretched across his chest, keeping his good arm immobile.

“You didn’t tell me it was a party,” he rasps mockingly. “I would’ve put on my fancy clothes.”

One of the guards grabs a fistful of his shirt and drags him closer. “Jesus Christ, I am so fucking sick of your fucking mouth,” he sneers and Bucky shoots him a cocky grin.

“Sweetheart, you’re adorable when you’re mad,” he stage-whispers. In the blink of an eye, the guard draws back his arm and smashes his fist into Bucky’s face. Dropping to his knees, Bucky’s mocking laugh turns into a rattling cough that comes up with a spray of blood and he spits strings of red on the floor. “Like being kissed by your mom,” he says weakly.

Swearing ferociously, the guard moves to kick him, but Richter holds up his hand.

“For god’s sake, every fucking time. You know he does this, why do you let him get to you?”

The guard is visibly furious, but he says nothing. Instead, he grabs Bucky by the back of his shirt, hauling him roughly to his feet. Bucky sways precariously, before he finds his balance. Taking several deep breaths, he fixes his mouth back into that mocking smirk and lifts his chin.

“Evening boys. What the fuck can I do for you today?”

Richter gives him a congenial smile. “We have a visitor tonight. I thought perhaps you’d like to meet her.”

Bucky barks out a hollow laugh. “I sincerely fuckin’ doubt that.”

Richter’s smile grows impossibly larger. “Well, let’s see, shall we?”

Pulling her from the shadows, he throws her forward and she stumbles into the light.

Here’s the thing.

Bucky Barnes is so weak, he can barely stay on his feet. For the last five days, he’s eaten nothing more than a loaf of bread and a pitcher of water. When he walks, he greatly favors his right side, still unbalanced by the loss of his left arm even a year later, and when he speaks, his voice has a perpetually guttural sound, his vocal cords shredded from months of screaming. Sprinkled across his shaved head, are a mess of pink scars where the dull razor blades they used bit cruelly into his scalp.

He looks exactly as one would expect. A prisoner of war.

For weeks, he’s been on the verge of collapse, but the moment he sees her, none of that matters.

Horrified disbelief fills his face and his eyes flick from the tears on her face, to the trickle of blood down her cheek, to the blood-soaked ropes around her wrists.

With a feral howl, he lunges toward her.

Throwing off the shocked guards at his side, he head-butts the man in front of him, sending him flying back. With a well-aimed kick, he knocks the legs from under the fourth guard and the man falls hard, before Bucky levels a savage kick to his head.

Richter laughs delightedly as he watches the show, until Bucky rushes for him. Lifting his gun, he sets it casually against her temple and cocks it. At the click of the hammer, Bucky skids to a stop, his mouth still twisted in a vicious snarl. Sweat dripping down his face, blood dripping from his busted lip, his chest heaves furiously.

“You god damn motherfucking cocksucking piece of shit, you let her go. Let her fuckin’ go, or I’ll fuckin’ gut you.”

“I thought so,” Richter says smugly. “So, our Soldier has something to fight for. How utterly inconvenient.”

“You’re god damn straight I fuckin’ do,” Bucky hisses, staggering under the rush of adrenaline. “Hurt her and I swear to god, I swear to fuckin’ god, I will slit your fuckin’ throat.”

With a dramatic sigh, Richter keeps his eyes on Bucky and bends down to speak in her ear.

“Apparently this one’s special, fights harder than anyone I’ve ever seen. Every time we wipe him, every memory comes back in a couple days. I don’t know what Zola did to him, but his brain fixes it too fast. Basically, he just won't fucking stay down.”

“Fuck no I won’t,” Bucky interrupts.

“See what I mean? You know what happened last time,” Richter says softly, his breath hot in her ear. “I don’t care if he is Zola’s little pet, he’s a wild fucking animal and I’m not above putting him down. So here we are. You fix him or I kill him. Your choice.”

“What the fuck is he talking about,” Bucky asks, looking directly at her now. “What - darlin, what the hell does he mean?”

Looking into his eyes, she thinks about that lovely blue. For the rest of her life, she knows she will see it everywhere. In everything.

Behind him, the guard he head-butted lumbers to his feet and manages to get his forearm locked around Bucky’s neck. 

Richter stands behind her, waiting. Against her skin, he presses a light kiss and she shudders at the hideous feel.

“Come now. You love him, don’t you? Do the right thing.”

Clasped in a tight chokehold, she can see Bucky’s face turning red as he splutters for breath.

“No,” she chokes out. “I won’t. I won’t.”

Cruel fingers dig into the back of her neck and he hisses in her ear. “If you say no, I will put him in that chair and fry his fucking brain every single day for the rest of his life and I will make you watch. Even if he heals fast, he still screams like a baby. Trust me on that one.”

Bucky is still fighting, his throat working uselessly as he tries to draw a breath.

Every scenario, every choice, every possibility, flies through her head. Trying desperately to come up with a solution, with a way to save them both, she thinks and thinks and thinks.

And she comes up empty, because the answer is simple.

There is no solution.

There is no solution.

Then what choice does she have?

She remembers the parade of men from before, the sound of their screams as the chair rocked bolts of electricity through them again and again. The thought of Bucky strapped in that chair, his body convulsing as the electric currents wrack his body, as he screams for her to help him - it is inconceivable. She knows what she has to do. She knows.

What choice does she have?

“Yes,” she sobs, her eyes filling with tears. “Fine, yes, I’ll do it, please just - let him go.”

Motioning to the guard, Richter points at the floor. The man releases his death-grip on Bucky’s throat, kicking his feet from under him and Bucky falls hard to his knees. Wrenching herself from Richter’s harsh grip, she rushes to catch him before Bucky’s face hits the floor.

“You have one minute,” Richter warns, fading into the shadows of the dark room. “And then you do it. If you leave anything behind again, I will kill him.”

After everything, here they are. Together.

Kneeling in front of the fireplace, the warm light cocoons them in their own world, one last time.

Bucky rests his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes when she cradles his thin frame against her. In the quiet room, his short, shallow breaths echo raggedly. Carefully, she runs her fingers soothingly up his neck, over the spiky tufts of dark hair and his body wilts in her tight embrace.

Sighing wearily, he picks his head up and touches his forehead to hers. Cupping his face, she brushes her fingers over the scratchy stubble lining his sunken cheeks and he gives her a rueful smile.

“Hey, I’ve been thinking. You okay with a one-armed husband?” he breathes. “Promise I can still love you just as hard.”

Tears streaming down her face, she returns his smile. “I love it. It makes you look dashing.”

“That’s exactly what I said,” he replies, pushing his nose against hers. Precious seconds slip by as they sit in silence, breathing each other in. Both trying their damndest to remember everything about the other, before they lose it all. Finally, she whispers her favorite words in his ear.

“I love you, Bucky.”

He hums contentedly and smiles. “I love you too. Don’t ever forget it, okay? I know I won’t.”

It takes every last drop of willpower for her not break down. Because he will forget. He will forget, and she will make certain that he does.

Rubbing her cheek against his, she presses her lips to the shell of his ear, giving him one more thing that the rest of the world cannot take. Something that is theirs, and theirs alone.

“You’re everything for me, Bucky Barnes. You’re the love of my life,” she murmurs, and he leans his head against her. When he opens his eyes, she finds an endless ocean of sadness pouring from the blue depths and he speaks quickly under his breath.

“Listen to me. Whatever happens, I need you to do something for me, okay?” The desperate urgency in his voice makes her heart skip. “No matter what happens, don’t you dare stay here. I can see it in your face honey, don’t you stay here, stuck in this room inside your head, thinking you could’ve done something different. You understand me?”

Swallowing hard, she tries to answer, but he cuts her off. The words are full of fear, holding a message he needs her to accept. “Please, I’m begging you. When you get out of here, you find a way to go on. Find a way to live.”

Losing him again will break her. That fact is as certain as the sun rising in the east.

There’s no way she can do this again, but in her heart, she knows that’s not what he needs. He needs her to agree, he needs her to try, and if she has to send his mind into a graveyard of buried memories, at least she can do this one thing for him.

She owes their love that much.

“I will,” she says. “I promise, I will.”

“That’s my girl,” he whispers with a tired smile. Staring into his eyes, she does everything she can to memorize the love she finds there, before Bucky gives her a crooked smile and tells her one more secret. “You know what? I don’t regret anything that happened. If I had to do it all over, I wouldn’t change one damn thing. It all led me to you, and I’ll remember every piece of us to the end. Because this kind of love, it never leaves. Right?”

“No, it never leaves,” she echoes. Placing her hands on his cheeks, she kisses him full on the mouth, tasting blood and salt and love, trying with her whole heart to carve even a small bit of herself into his bones.

Breaking the kiss, her heart plummets at the sight of his sweet smile.

Blinking away her tears, she takes a deep breath.

And then she tears her entire world apart.

Surprise fills Bucky’s face when he feels the heat begin to pulse from her hands, when he sees the soft glow of white light from her fingers. Watching her in confusion, his lips part as though he wants to say something, but no words come. Concentrating harder than she ever has before, she gathers everything, all those beautiful memories that make Bucky Barnes the man he has become and she wipes them all away.

All his stories about the Howling Commandos. That spring day he caught a foul ball at a Dodgers game. Steve Rogers’ floppy blond hair shining in the summer sun at Coney Island. The way his mother sang while she baked, and the fairytales he read his sister before bed. How he felt looking in the mirror the first time he put on his uniform, pale and scared to death. Watching a brilliant red sun sinking in the ocean, the day he sailed for England. Every memory he has of her. The thrill of their first kiss and the way she held his arm when he walked her home from church  and the first time they made love and how nervous he felt asking her to marry him.

How god damn much he loves her.

Every colorful memory he owns, she siphons away. Nothing is left behind, because this time, she can take no chances.

The white light burns hotter, so bright Bucky squeezes his eyes closed and still she watches him through it all, until finally, finally, finally -

She lets go.

Bucky slumps unconscious, his chin tucked to his chest. Pressing one final kiss to his forehead, her silent tears splash to the floor. She wants to stay forever, to be there when he opens his eyes, to force herself back into this new life, to make him remember her. To make him remember who they are together.

My god. Oh my god, what has she done.

Before she can say a word, the guards rip him from her arms. Dragging him away, his head lolls to the side and the last thing she sees, before they exit the room, are Bucky’s eyes beginning to flutter open.

“Wait -“ she says, panic filling every last cell in her body, “no, please wait, don’t - please, where are you taking him?”

“He has work to do,” Richter says dismissively.

Sick with heartbreak and drowning in regret, she remains kneeling on the floor, and every last piece of her soul shatters.

*****

Day later, there’s a screech of metal, and her door bangs open.

Richter saunters in, a length of cloth folded over his arm. Behind him, is the Hydra guard who escorted her from her cell last time, his gun cocked and aimed.

Caked in dried mud and an obscene amount of blood, the bright blue of Bucky’s Howlie jacket is nearly unrecognizable. The left arm is mostly torn away, the thick material hanging in ragged strips below the elbow. With a grunt, Richter tears away a piece of fabric at the shoulder and tosses it at her.

“Here. Thought you might want this,” he says coldly.

At her feet, the cloth looks dark and dirty, but in the midst of grimy blue, she sees the gray wings Bucky had sewn into his jacket sleeve. She remembers tracing her fingers over them, asking what they meant. Bucky had grinned, his chest swelling with a bit of pride, before he wove tales for her about the Howling Commandos. He glossed over their missions and focused on the men instead, and she remembers how wonderfully he could tell a story. The small bits of humor he found amid the bleakness of war painted a bright world for her to see.

Now, she picks it up, touching the rusty-red smudges lining the edges of the wings. She looks up at him.

“Why?”

Richter says nothing, but a grim smile pulls at his lips. He draws out the pause, savoring the expectation in her face, before carelessly dropping a bomb.

“Zola lost him during a routine experiment. He coded on the table. Guess we haven’t made our soldiers as durable as we need just yet.”

This bomb, it finishes the job Steve’s telegram began. For the second time, she learns the love of her life is dead and now there is nothing but cold emptiness where her heart used to be.

“We no longer require your services. We have a new machine that should work just fine,” he tilts his head, looking down at her. “But thank you for your help.”

Spinning on his heel, he shoves the remains of the blue coat at the guard still waiting in the doorway.

“Burn it,” he orders. “And leave her here to rot.”

The door bangs shut and the lock clicks with a sickening finality.

*****

No food. No water.

For two days, she hears footsteps marching back and forth in front of her door. Something seems to be happening, but through it all, no one pays attention to the woman locked in the cell at the end of the hall, waiting to die.

In her dreams, she sees Bucky strapped to a table exactly like the one they used for her. Was he scared? Did he go willingly or did he fight? Did it happen quickly? Did it hurt? Did he realize what was happening before his heart stopped?

Was there any part of him, maybe buried deep down, that loved her to the end?

She dismisses that last thought. No, of course there wasn’t. She made sure of that fact.

In a strange way, she finds a perverse relief in Bucky’s death. At least this way, he will never know how she betrayed him.

Perhaps if there is an afterlife, someday she can find him there and beg his forgiveness.

On the morning of the third day, sunlight flows through the rectangular window near the ceiling and she waits on her bed. For someone to come. Anyone. To save her. To kill her. Either would work, she’s not picky. Watching the slow crawl of sunlight move across the floor, she counts the minutes, until she notices something peculiar.

Silence.

Sitting up takes a massive effort and rising to her feet almost knocks her out. Knees wobbling dangerously, her sweaty hand presses to the wall for balance, and she stumbles to the door.

“Hello?” she croaks, but it comes as nothing more than a rough whisper. Wrapping her fingers around the bars of the door, she rests her forehead against the cold metal. Summoning her strength, she tries again. “Is anyone there?”

Silence.

No one answers. No lights illuminate the hallway. There is no hum of electricity, no sound of a distant radio playing, no raucous laughter. There is no one there.

So. They left her to die then.

Angry tears fill her eyes, and she bangs a weak fist on the door. Without expecting a solution, she grabs the door handle and rattles it, hot tears spilling over and streaking through the dirt on her cheeks.

But miraculously - the door opens.

Stepping cautiously into the doorway, she scans the hallway and finds nothing. Perplexed, she looks down and her confusion grows. Outside the door, a cloth bundle is propped against the wall. Crouching down, she hesitantly pulls at the loose knot and it falls open, revealing a loaf of bread, a wedge of cheese, two apples, and a cracked leather canteen full of water.

Common sense screams at her to think, but she throws caution to the wind. Grabbing the canteen with trembling fingers, she flips the lid and chugs the cold water. It has a dusty, alkaline taste, but she cries with relief. Tearing off a hunk of bread, she stuffs it in her mouth, her eyes drifting closed at the taste. It hits the hollowness in her belly so fast, she almost retches, but she manages to keep it down.

The rest, she wraps up in the cloth sack and hugs it to her chest.

She walks down the hall. Through a small office, down another hall.

With every step, she expects to be stopped. But nothing happens.

At the end of the hall, is a heavy black door. When she opens it, sunlight spills in and she takes a deep breath of fresh air.

From the outside, the base looks like a series of old buildings, but there is literally nothing else. No people. No vehicles. Nothing but the peppy chirp of birds warbling in the trees. For one brief moment, she stands in the morning light and thinks about giving up. Such a soothing thought.

But then the sound of Bucky’s voice fills her head.

Find a way to live.

The years that follow will be filled with devastating sadness, but beneath it all, she will hold these words close to her heart. She can do this for him.

So, she starts walking.

Down the ruts of the narrow access road leading away from the building, one foot in front of the other. She anticipates bullets hitting her from behind, but nothing happens. On she walks, through a forest of trees, one step after another. Into the open, where the access road joins up with a small country lane. She turns left and keeps going. Five slow miles she traipses along, until a town appears.

On the edge of the main street, she sees a small grocery store and walks inside. Covered in grime, shivering from head to toe, she tries to speak, but instead, she collapses. An older woman looks up from behind the counter, and her curls of thick black hair bounce when she rushes around the front counter shouting in Italian for help.

For two weeks, she stays there recovering, but no one comes.

In that sleepy Italian town, she finally understands.

After everything she has done, after everything they stole from her, after they broke her one last time - it appears that Hydra really was finished with her.

With freedom should come relief, but that is an emotion reserved for saints, not sinners like her. What she has done, she can never undo.

She will live with that fact, from now until the end of her days.

*****

Next Chapter

*****

[expelliarmus]

I saw that ask meme with questions for gif makers going around, but I felt like answering them all on my own lmao

1. What are your top 3 favorite sets you’ve made

This one, this one (if the timing works lmao), and this one (I’m so proud of my AU gifsets... where did all that creativity go??)

2. What is your least favorite set you’ve made

I honestly don’t know... I don’t think I hate anything I’ve posted though. If I don’t like how it’s turning out, I just won’t post it lol

3. Which of your sets has the most notes

The most notes ever is this one I think

4. A set that flopped but deserved better

I don’t know... there’s a bunch, but I’m fine if a gifset flops

5. What is your favorite movie/TV show to gif

DOCTOR WHO

6. What is your least favorite movie/TV show to gif

I really don’t gif anything else lmao...

7. Who are your top 3 gif makers

I’ll just pick 3 people off the top of my head :) @shatner​, @melodyspond​, @stupidape​

8. What gif trend do you hate

The pale/black and white gifs that are so hard to see.......

9. What/who inspired you to start making gifs

I wanted to gif my favourite parts of DW that I didn’t see anyone else doing, so I was like alrighty, time to learn how to do this!! I think the people that inspired me are long gone from tumblr, or I’m no longer following them because they’ve moved blogs (Natasha aka lumos-maxima... wherever you are, I MISS YOU... also Courtney aka needlebug I MISS YOU TOO)

10. What was the first gif you ever posted

THIS ONE! I remember being so happy about posting it, haha. Also, I still love that Confidential episode so much. I miss my space hipsters...

11. What is that one set you made that just won’t die

The Zoboomafoo one

12. What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever giffed

Everything I’ve ever posted

13. Where or from whom did you learn how to gif

Various tutorials on here and just by experimenting. I don’t even think I used Photoshop to begin with, since back in my Neopets days I used Paint Shop Pro to make graphics so I think that’s what I used first to try making gifs of videos.

14. How long does it usually take you to make a set

45 minutes to an hour or so?? It’s been taking longer and longer because the screencaps are so huge though and my poor laptop can’t handle it.

15. Have you ever had gifs stolen and reposted

Yes, and don’t think that I can’t tell when those are my gifs, even without a watermark!!

16. How long have you been making gifs

Since 2011...... my god

17. 10 sets, 8 sets, 6 sets? How many gifs to you prefer in a set

As many as it takes!!!!! But usually between 6-8

18. For the aesthetic, for the laughs, or for the feels what your preference

For FUN!

19. What is your gifting process like

Open video, find scene, screencap, load screencaps in Photoshop, resize to gif dimensions, add colouring, curse myself for picking a hard-to-colour scene, continue adjusting colouring and become increasingly frustrated because it’s not turning out the way I want it to, give up, add text, save gif, POST!

20. Mac or PC

PC

21. PSDs or original coloring for each gif

Original colouring. PSD who???

22. What fandom/movie/show/person etc do you gif the most

DOCTOR WHO and more specifically, David Tennant... I think his tag has the most :’)

23. What is the thing you gif when you don’t have anything else you want to gif

Any episode with Ten and Donna, or The Eleventh Hour, or the Day of the Doctor, or Blink

24. 480p 720p 1080p? What is the minimum quality you’ll gif from

I used to be all good with giffing 480p back in the day, but I guess now it’s 720p since the gif limits have gone way up.

25. Old dimensions or new dimensions and why

New dimensions because they look nicer on the dashboard.

26. How many un posted sets are in your drafts right now

ZERO.

27. Have you ever made a set, decided you hated it and deleted it? What was it

Probably at least one or twice, but I don’t remember.

28. Have you ever posted a set, regretted it and immediately deleted it

No, I don’t think so. I’m leaving my mistakes there for all to see!

29. Have you ever posted a set, realized you made a mistake later but it was already too late

Yes, I did this just the other day with that Missy, Bill and Nardole set. I got the dialogue slightly wrong lmao..... shh

30. How frequently do you like to post

I try to do at least one gifset a day if I can!

31. Do you schedule/queue posts or do you post right after you’re done

Right away. These gifsets are fresh off the grill.

32. What is your favorite tool/adjustment layer in Photoshop

Selective Color or Color Balance

33. Do you like to/can you make edits and graphics too or only gifs

Yes, I can do both but gifs are way more fun imo

34. A set that took you a long time/was really hard but you’re really proud of how it came out

I’m gonna say this one again because I was so proud of it when I made it, and I can’t believe I used to put that much effort into my gifs.

35. Do you change your giffing style a lot or do you have a set routine

I have a routine, as described above. My gifs are pretty much all made the same way as I describe in my colouring tutorial too.

36. Do you gif with something specific in mind or do you just wing it

Usually a mixture of both. I like to try to gif a different Doctor each day, so I’ll know who I have in mind but I’m not planning on a specific episode. I’ll just open up one of their series and go from there!

37. What sets if any do you have planned to make in the future

Idk, I was thinking of doing yet another gifset with Donna in it since I just finished her Big Finish series... but maybe I’ll do one with Eleven and the Ponds??? We’ll see.

38. What are you really excited to gif that isn’t out yet

The next Doctor Who holiday special?? :D

39. How often, if ever, do you delete old sets that you don’t like anymore

Never!! I love seeing how my gifs have slowly changed and improved over time.

40. Why do you make gifs

Because it’s fun, and it’s a way for me to relax after a long and busy day at work.

41. What is your least favorite part about your gif making process

When it takes forever for my screencaps to load, and when it takes forever for my gifs to save sometimes

42. How is your gif folder organized? Is it organized at all?

Lol nope.

43. Do you keep videos forever or delete them once you’re done giffing

I keep the episodes forever, but honestly I think I keep everything forever because I forget about getting rid of the other stuff like trailers and interviews... I should go through my downloads folder.

44. Ever had a gif become a meme? Would you like that if you haven't

I’ve had people use my gifs as reaction gifs and it is a weird feeling, especially seeing the gifs being used on websites other than tumblr. I remember seeing one of my gifs used in someone’s book review on Goodreads and I was like “WAIT THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR!!”

45. Ever gotten hate over a set

Not really hate, but I do get a lot people that are like “WHERE IS ______?” in their tags. And sometimes I just want to be like “Make your own gifs if you think they should be there!!!”

46. Ever gotten a really sweet compliment over a set

Yes :’)

47. Any advice for novice gif makers/people who want to start making gifs

Don’t give up!! Make gifs of whatever makes you happy, don’t worry about the notes too much, and use your tags! KEEP PRACTICING!

48. How would you describe your giffing style

I don’t know??? If someone else has a way to describe my style, then please let me know haha

49. How much would you say you’ve improved since you first started giffing

It’s been almost 9 years since I’ve started, so I hope I’ve improved quite a bit! :P

Well, that was fun. Congrats on making it to the end of this post!!! Now I will go make a gifset.