#putting that cs knowledge to use

[aguineapigcouldntdothis]

if you cant learn anything in college without using AI then why the fuck are you in college. college is optional, you go there knowing that you will spend a significant amount of time and energy gaining knowledge in a specific discipline. sure you might be able to float by using chatGPT for everything, but what happens when you join the workforce and you know absolutely nothing. is AI gonna tell you how to do brain surgery?? is AI gonna chew your food for you and shit it out for you??

and yeah college is hard. thats the whole point, a degree is an accomplisment for a reason. youre meant to put effort into shit you care about, and if you find yourself not caring you can switch majors or even just drop out. if youre a 4.0 student and youve never actually done any work then youre inherently less respectable than a student who gets Cs and Ds and does everything themselves.

[hereforuconnwbb]

The Study of Us - CHAPTER 8

paige x azzi (pazzi)

au fic!

word count: 5.8k

warning: language

hey yall heres chap 8. not much to say abt it cs its nth crazy but js that it wasn't edited so idk if some bits even make sense 😭 lemme know what yall think ! hope u guys enjoy 🫶🏽

‼️‼️this wasn’t edited

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Paige shoved open her door with 1 shoulder, letting it swing closed behind her with a soft thud. She dropped her gym bag to the floor, kicked off her crocs, and stood in the middle of her room for a second just breathing.

Her arms ached. Her legs ached. 

She was also tired. Not the dramatic, exaggerated kind, either. The real, bone-deep kind that settled into her joints and behind her eyes like fog. She blinked slowly, took another breath, then flopped face-first onto her bed with a groan that probably echoed down the hall.

For a full min, she didn’t move. Just let her body melt into the mattress and tried not to think. Of the endless notes from film. Of the weight room that felt more like a warzone than a training space today.

But then her brain gave her a lil reminder.

Azzi. Tonight.

She rolled over with a grunt, propping herself up on her elbows. Her phone buzzed somewhere at the edge of her blanket and she fished it out lazily, swiping through notifications until she landed on Azzi’s name in her messages.

She stared at it for a beat, then started typing.

Paige: js got back to my dorm

Paige: u can come over around 6 ??

Paige: gives me time to clean n maybe nap so i dont die mid sesh lol

She hit send and stared at the screen for a second longer than necessary. Then, as if struck by a sudden bolt of awareness, she bolted upright.

“Oh my god,” she muttered, looking around the room.

The clothes. The dishes. The actual chaos that had accumulated on her desk.

“Okok. I said I’d clean. I can clean.”

It wasn’t dirty, not really. It was just lived in. There were 2 crumpled practice jerseys slung over the back of her desk chair, a single sock peeking out from beneath the bed, and a pile of notes and empty gatorade bottles occupying most of her desk surface. She shoved her phone into her pocket and got to work, redoing her hair up in a loose bun and putting one of her playlist that made it feel less like a chore and more like a montage.

Paige moved with energy—half fuelled by the desire to make the place presentable and half fuelled by the knowledge that Azzi would actually see this place. That she’d be here. In her room. 

By the time the clock read 2:30 pm, Paige had made some pre solid progress. The laundry was either folded or hidden, the dishes were stacked neatly in the tiny sink, and she even lit 1 of the candles Ice had given her last Christmas which was some weird vanilla-honey scent that actually smelt kinda nice when it wasn’t overpowering.

She stood in the middle of the room again, surveying her work.

“Acceptable,” she declared to no one. “Barely.”

Her bed looked freshly made, the desk was cleard, and she even managed to find the whiteboard markers she’d lost a few weeks ago.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten, so she grabbed a protein bar and flopped back onto the bed. She opened her messages again, half-hoping Azzi had already responded.

When the reply came a few minutes after she had messaged, Paige couldn’t help but smile.

Azzi: sounds perfect

Azzi: see you at 6 :)

Azzi: i will bring snacks and flashcards like i said i would

Paige stared at the screen, the little warmth in her chest building slowly.

Paige: u r srsly too good at this. i owe you big time.

Paige: see u soon :)

She set the phone aside and stretched her arms above her head, letting herself relax again. Everything was ready—or close enough. She had just under 3 hours now. Plenty of time to shower, wear something simple that didn’t smell like gym floor. And, if she was lucky, sneak in a short nap before Azzi got here.

Paige stood up and grabbed a towel, heading toward the bathroom for a quick shower. The hot water was a relief against her skin, helping to loosen the tension in her shoulders that she didn’t even realize was there. After she finished, she wrapped herself in a towel, then pulled on a pair of grey trackies and a black nike sports bra.

She stepped back into her room, feeling the familiar weight of the day lifting as she moved around. The clean scent of body wash still clung to her skin, and she felt a little more like herself.

Paige climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over her shoulders, letting her body relax into the softness of her sheets. Her playlist still hummed in the background, a familiar rhythm in the quiet room. She let her mind wander to the evening ahead—Azzi sitting with her, focused and sweet, laughing at something dumb she said. 

Something normal. Something calm. Something good.

She hadn’t realized how much she was looking forward to tonight until now.

With a soft sigh, Paige let her eyes slip closed, allowing herself to drift off, thoughts of Azzi still lingering in her mind.

—-----------------------------------

Azzi stood in front of her mirror, still dressed in the comfortable sweats she’d thrown on after she settled back into the dorm earlter. Her mind was half-focused on the clock, the other half wandering back to the thoughts that had crept in earlier of Paige. Her room. Tonight.

With a soft sigh, Azzi tugged her hoodie off and turned toward the bathroom. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Paige. Just imagining sitting with her, the easy rhythm of their conversations, her smile lighting up the room, it felt different than anything she’d experienced in a while.

The bathroom door clicked shut behind her, and Azzi turned the water on, letting it warm up before stepping in. The hot water hitting against her, the steam filling up and wrapping around the room. She tilted her head back for a moment, letting the water fall across her face, and for a second, everything else faded away. The weight of the day, the lingering tension in her shoulders, all of it was washed away with each passing minute.

She let her mind wander again as she worked through the routine, scrubbing off the day’s sweat. The thought of taking a picture of Paige earlier still lingered, that sharp image in her mind of the way Paige would look sitting at her desk, looking just a little too cute with that casual, effortlessly unposed vibe. She bit her lip as a sudden flush crept up her neck, the memory of the polaroid camera she’d jus got making her feel unexpectedly shy.

When she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, she took a long look in the mirror again, feeling that familiar pull toward something that felt more and more like a quiet certainty with each passing day.

It was already a little past 5:30, just a couple of minutes before she’d head over to Paige’s dorm. She moved quickly to change. She pulled on a plain, oversized hoodie and matching trackies, it was nothing flashy but it was perfect for the evening ahead. Comfortable, laid-back, and just right for the session.

She grabbed her bag and began packing her things. Snacks, flashcards, her books, laptop, and charger. and then, without thinking, she reached over to her desk and picked up the camera.

It felt different in her hands now. The camera was light, but holding it made her feel strangely aware like it meant more than it should. She kept thinking about Paige, maybe smiling, maybe mid-laugh. What if she could capture that ? Just 1 small, quiet moment. Nothing posed. Nothing big. But real. The thought made her stomach flip, and she looked down at the camera again. 

Azzi swallowed, feeling her cheeks warm at the thought. She gently placed the camera into her bag, making sure it was secure. She still wasn’t entirely sure why the idea of taking a picture of Paige made her feel like her heart was doing a slow, steady flip, but she knew that it was something she couldn’t quite shake.

With a final glance at her reflection, Azzi grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, stepping toward the door.

Azzi tugged the door shut behind her, the strap of her bag slung over one shoulder, the weight of it comforting against her side. The air outside was cooler than she expected, and the faint golden hue of the setting sun casting shadows across the pavement as she made her way across campus. The sidewalks were quiet, just a few students here and there, mostly retreating back to their rooms, the buzz of evening starting to settle in.

She kept her steps even but not hurried. There was no need to rush. Still, her heart beat a lil quicker with each stride, and it had nothing to do with pace. Her thoughts were ahead of her already on Paige. Paige, in her dorm. Paige, who would probably be in another hoodie and trackies, maybe a lil sleepy from a nap, maybe sitting cross-legged on her bed with a bag of chips between them as they studied. That’s what Azzi pictured anyway.

As she stepped into the dorm building and started walking down the hall toward Paige’s room, Azzi heard muffled shouting, a sharp burst of laughter. She smiled to herself before she even reached the door.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS ? Bro is really emoting on me. That’s not even—ok, rez me, rez me—ICE, BRO, COME ON—”

Azzi paused outside the door, listening. Paige’s voice rang through, loud and animated.

“HE��S ONE SHOT. HE’S ACTUALLY ONE. KK PUSH LEFT. LEFT ! LEFT—no, not that left. Geez, we’re cooked.”

Azzi grinned, her fingers curling into a light fist as she knocked softly once. No response.

“NOOOOOO This is actually criminal,” Paige growled from inside. “Dude, how did he third-party from that angle? That’s literally the dumbest—KK, stop emoting and rez me bro, I swear to God—”

Azzi knocked again, louder this time, and leaned in.

Still nothing.

“Hol up, I’m hearing something. Someone’s at the door ?” Paige’s voice dipped slightly, distracted. “Did I order food ? I didn’t order food.”

Azzi waited, biting her lip to keep from laughing. A second later, the door clicked open.

And there stood Paige, headset still snug over her ears, a controller still in 1 hand, her other pushing the door back lazily. Her grey trackies were low on her hips showing the top of her boxers, and she stil hadn’t bothered to throw a shirt or hoodie on yet. Her face still held that soft look of someone who had just napped, and her glasses sat slightly crooked on her nose. Her hair was up in a loose bun, messy, cute, effortless.

Azzi blinked.

She had not been prepared for this.

“Azzi ?” Paige squinted at her, a little breathless. “Wait—shit, is it six already?”

Azzi nodded, her lips parted slightly, her mind struggling to find a neutral landing point. “Uh, yea. Just about.”

Paige looked confused for half a beat before her eyes widened slightly. “Shit, sorry. I fell asleep earlier and then hopped on with KK and Ice. We’re running trios. I promise I won’t be long. You can come in.”

She stepped aside, tugging the door open wider and turning back toward her desk, still talking into the mic. “Yea, yea, I’m back. Chill. Hopefully y'all didn’t get me killed.”

Azzi stepped inside, her smile spreading again. Paige’s dorm was warm and tidy, everything in its place except for a single hoodie draped over the back of a chair. A faint vanilla-honey scent from the candle Paige lit up earlier hung in the air. But Azzi wasn’t looking at any of that.

She was looking at her.

Paige, hunched slightly forward in her chair, thumb flying across the controller, legs tucked up, headset still on. Her glasses kept slipping a little lower on her nose every time she tilted her head, and she had this intense focus, mouth slightly parted as she yelled again, “HE’S BEHIND THE TREE. I’m not even trolling—BRO. Ight he’s knocked. Ice, clean up.”

Azzi lowered her bag gently and sat down on the edge of Paige’s bed, eyes never leaving her. She reached into her bag without really thinking, fingers brushing past flashcards and snacks until they found the soft shape of the polaroid camera. She lifted it slowly, quietly.

Paige was still mid-game, too caught up to notice.

Click.

The flash went off.

“What the— ?!” Paige flinched, glancing over her shoulder while quickly muting her mic. “Did you just—did you take a picture of me?”

Azzi grinned, holding up the developing photo. “I couldn’t help it.”

Paige’s eyebrows shot up, but her smirk followed quickly. “While I’m mid-sweat ? Wow. Bold.”

“You looked focused,” Azzi said softly, biting back her own smile. “And kinda cute.”

Paige’s smirk faltered for half a second, her cheeks turning just a hint pinker behind her glasses.

“You think so ?” she asked, voice low now, just for her.

Azzi nodded, still looking at her. “Yea. I do.”

There was a pause then, just a beat between them, the game still running in the background, the clack of buttons and KK yelling indistinct things through the headset.

Paige’s mouth quirked again as she glanced back at her screen. “Well… I’m glad you caught my good side, then.”

“Hard to miss it,” Azzi replied quietly, her fingers fiddling with the photo’s edge. Her heart thudded unevenly in her chest. “You have a few.”

Paige looked at her again and the moment stretched between them, lingering, soft and charged.

“I won’t be long,” Paige murmured, suddenly shy again. “Then we can get into whatever nerd stuff you’ve got in that bag.”

Azzi laughed under her breath, a small shake of her head. “Take your time. I’m good right here.”

And she was. Watching Paige as she unmuted herself, admiring her, sitting in a room that suddenly felt warmer than any space she’d been in all day.

The photo finished developing in her hand, the soft colors settling onto the image: Paige, headset on, one hand gripping the controller, the other mid-gesture, lips parted like she’d just said something she meant.

Azzi stared at it a long time before tucking it carefully back into her bag.

On the other hand, Paige was fully locked in now.

“NAHHHHH, THAT’S WHAT YOU GET, YOU DUMBASSSSS,” she shouted, standing up slightly in her chair, her voice almost cracking. “YOU WANNA EMOTE ON ME EARLIER ? LEMME JUST T-BAG YO DUMBASS RIGHT NOW. SWING AGAIN. I DARE YOU.”

She pressed her joystick down repeatedly, making her character crouch repeatedly over the knocked body. “stupid idiot emoted on me earlier.”

Azzi, still sitting on the bed, burst into laughter. “Wow” she said, raising her brows. “You’re actually toxic.”

Paige glanced over her shoulder, unbothered. “He emoted on me when he knocked me before. I have to make it fair.”

From her headset came a burst of chaotic voices shrieking over each other.

“PAIGE, WHO IS THAT ?? WAIT—IS THAT AZZI ? IS THAT AZZI IN THE BACKGROUND ?”

Azzi looked up, curious, hearing the faint squealing but unable to make out any words. “What’s going on?”

Paige’s eyes went wide. She hunched her shoulders, pulling the mic slightly away from her mouth. “Nothing. It’s nothing,” she muttered, her voice suddenly lower, face heating up immediately.

The headset voices only got louder.

“OH MY GOD IT IS AZZI”

“Y’ALL ARE SO CUTE OH MYYYY”

Azzi tilted her head as she heard more muffled screaming from Paige's headset. “They ok in there?”

“They’re just loud,” Paige muttered, fidgeting with the thumbstick. 

The squeals kept coming. “P BOOGERS LIKES AZZI SO MUCHHHHH LIKE SOOOO MUCH” KK sang dramatically. “OH MY GAWSHHHH, AZZI, YOU’RE SO COOL, YOUR VOICE IS SO SOOTHING—PAIGE, IS THAT WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE WHEN YOU TALK TO HER ?”

“I do not sound like that” Paige hissed into the mic.

“YES YOU DOOOO,” both of them chorused.

Azzi, still smiling, shook her head and reached for her water bottle. “They sound pretty wild.”

“They’re unwell,” Paige said through gritted teeth, her face now fully red. “Actually diseased.”

From the headset, “YOU GUYS WOULD BE SO CUTE TOGETHER. JUST KISS HER ALREADY.”

Paige instantly yanked the mic away. “Geez bro, I can’t with them—”

Azzi blinked. “What?”

“Oh nothing” Paige said, spinning back to the screen like she was avoiding cross-examination. “I’m hopping off after this game anyway. Got uhhhmmm, school things.”

The end of the game came fast. They cleaned up the last team with a push. Paige headshotted the final player mid-air and let out a yell.

“LET’S FUCKING GOOOOO !”

She leapt to her feet, flexing hard with both arms overhead. “VICTORY ROYALE, BABY”

She turned to Azzi, still shirtless, a lil sweaty from adrenaline, smug as hell.

Azzi, caught mid-sip of her water, choked slightly and looked away fast.

“Ok, wow,” she mumbled, covering her mouth to hide a very unchill smile. “That was… something.”

Paige grinned, still high off the win. “Told you. Revenge arc. I’m nasty wit it.”

The headset still on Paige now had KK’s voice coming through loud and clear.

“Ok but for real,” KK said, calmer now. “Paige. Be honest. You gonna try and be a lil bold tonight ?”

“Yea,” Ice added, “like, look at her. You can’t not flirt. Just a little.”

Paige leaned closer to the headset. “You are both on thin ice.”

“Just do subtle stuff” KK said. “Eye contact. Stare at her lips when she talks. Laugh at her jokes.”

“Touch her arm,” Ice added. “Like casual, not weird. But enough to be like I’m noticing you.”

“Compliment something,” KK said. “Not like ‘you’re smart,’ but like ‘you look good’ or ‘I like your voice’ that stuff works.”

“Take notes, Rizzler,” Ice cackled. “Wow, who would’ve thought we’d be giving you advice.”

Paige sighed dramatically, but her brain was taking notes. Quietly, carefully.

Eye contact. Laugh at her jokes. Subtle touches. Compliments. Stare at her lips.

Bet.

“Alright, alright, I’m hopping off,” she said, glancing at Azzi, who was now reading through one of her notebooks with her legs swinging slightly off the bed.

“Have fun being emotionally repressed!” Ice yelled.

“Good luck, P Boogers,” KK called. “We believe in you.”

“Bye, losers.” Paige said before turning off her console and taking the headset off and settling the controller next to the console.

She turned to Azzi and shrugged, trying to act casual, even as her ears were still pink.

“Ok,” she said. “I’m all yours now.”

Azzi looked up, still grinning a little. “Well, that’s good. I was starting to feel like I had competition.”

Paige blinked. “From Fortnite?”

Azzi laughed. “From the two in your headset.”

Paige snorted and sat down next to her, close—but not too close. “Trust me,” she said, voice dropping just a notch. “They don’t stand a chance.”

Azzi paused, eyes flicking toward hers briefly, and something passed between them just for a moment.

“Good,” she said softly, nudging her bag toward Paige. “Now. Let’s get nerdy.”

Azzi unzipped her backpack and started pulling things out: a small stack of flashcards, a neatly tabbed notebook, a worn textbook, and a half-crushed bag of chips.

She tossed the snacks on the bed between them, then reached back into the bag. “Oh,” she said casually, “I also brought these. Thought we might need a lil sugar boost.”

She pulled out a frozen bag and set it on the blanket with a casual thud.

Paige’s head whipped around so fast it was a miracle she didn’t get whiplash.

“Is that—Wait. Is that Tru Fru ?”

Azzi blinked. “Uh, yea. Why?”

Paige stared like she’d just seen a miracle. “Are you serious right now?” she said, reaching for the bag with almost reverent hands. “This is elite behavior. You just brought Tru Fru like it’s casual?”

Azzi laughed. “It is casual. I like them.”

“No. No, Azzi. This is amazing.”

Azzi grinned, watching her tear open the bag like it was treasure. “Glad you’re easily impressed.”

“I’m not.” Paige said, already popping one into her mouth. “Ok, maybe I am. But still—Tru Fru ?”

She offered the bag to Azzi with a look that bordered on romantic devotion. “You want one?”

Azzi took one and nudged Paige with her foot. “Alright Rizzler. Focus.”

Paige choked a little, glaring. “You heard that?”

“Bits,” Azzi said with a shrug. “Enough.”

Paige groaned and muttered something under her breath. Then, with a quick glance to make sure Azzi wasn’t looking, she checked herself. 

Eye contact. Laugh at her jokes. Casual touch. Compliments. Lips. Got it.

She exhaled slowly, rolled her shoulders, and leaned in.

Azzi pulled out the flashcards and handed half to Paige. “Ok. Let’s do the derivatives first, and then hit matrix operations. Sound good?”

“Sure.” Paige leaned slightly closer. “Coach always says hit the fundamentals before the fancy plays, so. Makes sense.”

Azzi nodded. “Exactly. Derivatives are like… reading a defense. You’re not just reacting to a play, you’re predicting how it’s going to change. Like, if you’re driving the lane and the defender’s momentum is moving left, you already know to cut right.”

Paige raised her brows. “Okay… yea. Yea, that actually makes sense.”

Azzi flipped to the next flashcard. “What’s the derivative of 3x²?”

“6x,” Paige said immediately, then grinned. “Quick first step.”

Azzi chuckled. “Not bad.”

Paige tilted her head, letting the silence linger for just a second longer than necessary. “You’ve got a good teaching voice, by the way.”

Azzi blinked. “What?”

Paige shrugged, playing it off as casual. “I’m just saying. Like, it’s calm. Explains things well. Makes stuff less scary.”

Azzi opened her mouth, then shut it again, just barely ducking her head. “Thanks,” she said quietly.

Point one. Compliment. Executed. 

Paige smiled, trying to hide the way her own pulse had jumped.

Azzi moved to the next card. “Alright, what’s the derivative of sin(x)?”

“Cos(x),” Paige answered, still watching Azzi.

When Azzi looked up, Paige met her eyes, holding it just a beat longer, before offering a small smile. Azzi faltered. “Right,” she said, blinking once before looking back down. “Correct.”

Eye contact. Check.

Paige scooted a little closer and reached across to grab one of the notebooks Azzi had opened, brushing their arms together. Her fingers grazed Azzi’s wrist, then lingered there just a second as she pulled the notebook toward her.

“Sorry,” Paige mumbled, but didn’t move her arm away.

Azzi didn’t either.

Touch. Casual. Executed.

They moved on to matrix multiplication. Azzi leaned in to explain it using a basketball example.

“Ok,” she said, “imagine each row in this matrix is a player, and the columns are stats—points, assists, rebounds. When you multiply by this matrix, it’s like applying game conditions—home or away, fast or slow tempo, pressure defense. It changes the output.”

Paige nodded, absorbing every word—but her eyes were flicking, just briefly, to Azzi’s mouth. Her lips, the way they moved when she talked, the little quirk in her smile when she finished explaining.

Stare at her lips. Not creepy. Just once. Nailed it.

Paige leaned in a little more, then draped her arm over Azzi’s shoulders and let it rest there. Her hand slid down to Azzi’s far arm, light and steady. She didn’t make a big deal out of it. Just… settled.

Azzi barely reacted. She was used to it now—Paige’s warmth, her arm casually thrown around her like they’d done it a dozen times. Paige’s hand resting on her shoulder as they leaned over notes together. Normal.

But then Paige’s fingers tapped lightly against her shoulder. Absentminded. Gentle. Azzi tried to focus on the next example.

“And if we look at—uh—so if this row is the defensive scheme, then…”

She trailed off, eyes flicking down.

Paige’s bicep flexed a little as she adjusted her grip, anchoring them both together. Azzi blinked, her brain stalling for just a second. Her gaze dipped lower then back up quickly.

Focus.

“Anyways” she said, voice just slightly thinner. “That’s how you interpret the output. It’s… it’s predictive.”

Paige nodded, focused and calm, totally unaware of how her muscles were being lowkey studied.

Azzi tried again, flipping a page.

Paige leaned in, chin brushing close to Azzi’s temple as she peered at the notes. “You’re smart,” she murmured. “Like, actually.”

Azzi paused.

She turned her head slowly, met Paige’s gaze up close.

Paige smiled again, soft and maybe a little too honest. “I mean it.”

Azzi’s eyes searched hers for a second too long, her heart thudding. Her mouth opened like she wanted to say something but she didn’t. Just nodded faintly and looked back down.

Paige didn’t move her arm.

They worked through the rest of the practice problems slowly, surrounded by flashcards, open books, and the remnants of snacks. Every so often, Paige would make a little joke or laugh at Azzi’s quips, just enough to keep the mood light. The tru fru bag was nearly empty.

—-----------------------------------

Azzi scribbled something into the margin of her notebook, trying to stay focused. Paige’s arm was still draped comfortably across her shoulders, her fingers resting against Azzi’s upper arm like it was second nature. It was distracting. In the most confusing, quietly electric kind of way.

Paige glanced over at Azzi’s backpack again and tilted her head. “Hey,” she said, nudging Azzi’s knee with her own. “You just get that camera ?”

Azzi looked up, blinking. “Oh. Yea.” She reached over and pulled the small, pastel pink camera out from where it was half-buried under a notebook. “Received it this morning. Been wanting one for a while.”

Paige’s eyes lit up. “It’s cute. The colour is nice and kinda soft. Feels very you.”

Azzi gave her a skeptical look. “Soft ?”

Paige smirked. “In a good way. Like… deceptively powerful. Sneaky-soft.”

Azzi rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Ok, sure.”

Paige leaned closer, eyes flicking to the camera in her hands. “Also, by the way,” she added casually, “you can keep that pic you took earlier. Of me.”

Azzi paused, fingers tightening slightly around the camera.

She didn’t say anything for a moment. Just looked down at the camera like it had betrayed her.

“I mean,” Paige continued, voice a little gentler now, “not that I’m, like, obsessed with how it came out or anything. Just… you know. You took it. It’s yours.”

Azzi glanced at her, surprised by the softness in her tone. “Ok,” she said. “Thanks.”

There was a small pause.

“You wanna take one together ?” Azzi asked, not quite meeting Paige’s eyes. “Like… for the study archives or whatever.”

Paige beamed. “Absolutely.”

Azzi turned on the Polaroid and flipped it around in her hands. “Ok, it’s set… we’ll have to, uh… get close.”

Paige’s heart jumped just slightly but she kept it cool. “Right. Cool. Yea, no prob.”

She adjusted her position without moving her arm from Azzi’s shoulder, instead pulling her a bit closer, their bodies shifting naturally until their sides were pressed together.

Azzi inhaled a little too sharply.

The camera was held out in Azzi’s hand, a little shaky, so Paige reached her other hand up to help steady it. In doing so, she dipped her head slightly, letting her cheek rest gently against the top of Azzi’s head.

Azzi froze. Her heart was doing something weird.

“Ok ?” Paige asked, voice soft right above her ear.

Azzi swallowed. “Y-Yea. Good. Smile.”

They both smiled—maybe too much, maybe too soft. Paige’s eyes had crinkled a little at the corners, and Azzi’s dimples showed as her lips curled with that barely-there shyness she only showed when she wasn’t guarding herself.

Click.

The camera whirred and slowly spat out the photo.

They stayed like that for a second longer than necessary.

Neither moved.

Then the photo popped out, and Azzi reached for it quickly, setting the camera down.

The image was still developing, colours slowly blooming into clarity.

Paige leaned over to peek, cheek brushing against Azzi’s hair again. “Nawwww that’s actually kinda cute.”

Azzi held it up between them, her thumb brushing the edge. “Yea,” she murmured. “It… is.”

The photo showed them pressed close together, Paige’s arm curled protectively around Azzi’s shoulders, her cheek resting on Azzi’s head. Azzi was leaning just barely into her. They both looked comfortable. Happy. A little flushed. Like more than friends.

Azzi glanced up at Paige, who was already looking at her.

Neither of them said anything.

Paige just smiled, softer now. “You can keep that one too, if you want.”

Azzi blinked, something tugging in her chest.

“Thanks,” she said again. And this time, she meant something more.

She set the photo carefully beside the flashcards.

“…Ok,” she said after a beat, “but now I want one to keep for myself.”

Azzi looked over, intrigued. “Another one?”

“Yea,” Paige grinned. “But this one’s gotta be stupid. Like, completely unserious. I want chaos.”

Azzi blinked. “Chaos ?”

“Yeah. A silly one,” Paige said, reaching for the camera again. “Like for balance. You keep the soft, wholesome one. I keep the unhinged one.”

Azzi gave her a slow, suspicious look. “Define unhinged.”

“Like… we commit. Dumb faces. Chaos energy. No regrets,” Paige said, sitting up straighter with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Azzi laughed despite herself. “Ok, fine. But if this ends up on the internet, I’m suing.”

“No one’s seeing it but me,” Paige said, holding the camera up again. “Unless u start slandering me publicly. Then it’s going on every social media platform I use.”

Azzi scoffed, scooting closer to get in the frame again. “I’m literally tryna help you pass.”

“Exactly why I’m letting you in this iconic moment.”

They shifted again, bodies brushing, legs pressed together. Paige slung her arm right back over Azzi’s shoulder like she belonged there and grinned.

“Ok,” Paige whispered. “How about you do the disgusted look. Like, ‘ew what the fuck’. I’ll go dumbass mode.”

Azzi bit back a smile, but she nodded, glancing up at Paige as Paige tilted her head toward her dramatically.

At the last second, Azzi turned her face, giving Paige a dirty—chin tucked, eyes narrowed, lips curled like she couldn’t believe she was associated with this person. Her head rested right on Paige’s shoulder, angled up, expression perfect.

Paige, meanwhile, crossed her eyes hard and stuck her tongue out to the side, her nose nearly brushing Azzi’s from how close they were.

Their cheeks were flushed immediately but they held still.

Click.

The photo slid out again with a whir, and they both burst into laughter immediately, faces still close enough that Paige had to pull back slightly to avoid accidentally bumping lips.

“That was ridiculous,” Azzi muttered, but she was smiling so hard her eyes had almost disappeared.

“Iconic,” Paige corrected, already grabbing the photo and waving it gently in the air to help it develop. “Frame-worthy. Poster-worthy.”

When the image started to appear, they leaned in again to look—Azzi’s dramatic look, Paige’s deranged expression, their faces way too close, and somehow still cute.

Paige blinked at it, a slow grin spreading across her face.

Azzi tilted her head. “We look…”

Paige snatched the marker from the desk, uncapping it with her teeth before scrawling the date along the bottom of the photo. Then, trying to play it cool despite the buzz of excitement under her skin, she stood and slapped the photo onto the corner of her whiteboard, holding it in place with a magnet.

Then she turned back to Azzi.

“We lwkey look like a couple.”

Azzi blinked. Her breath caught in her throat.

Paige didn’t say it like a joke.

She said it with a little smile and a shrug, like the observation didn’t scare her. Like maybe she’d been thinking about it for a while.

Azzi opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again.

“I—yea,” she said, voice quieter than before. “We kinda do.”

Their eyes held for a moment longer than they should have. Long enough that Paige’s teasing smile started to fade into something softer. Something neither of them could name yet.

But neither looked away.

—-----------------------------------

Time had slipped by unnoticed. Now, the clock on Paige’s desk glowed quietly—9:02 pm.

Azzk’s gaze flicked to it, reluctant. She shifted a little on the bed, tugging her hoodie sleeve over her hand, suddenly too aware of how late it had gotten and how long she’d been there.

3 hours. 3 entire hours of studying, laughing, and taking couple-like polaroids with someone she never thought she’d be like this with.

She shouldn’t have been thinking about how good Paige looked like this with her bare shoulders, messy bun, those grey trackies still hanging low on her hips. And those glasses. God. It was like some twisted test designed to expose all her weak spots.

Paige, meanwhile, stretched with a soft groan and stood up, glancing toward the door like she’d just remembered Azzi had to leave at some point. She looked over, eyes soft.

“You heading out ?”

Azzi nodded slowly, rising to her feet. “Yea. I probs should before I end up just… staying.”

Paige chuckled. “You wouldn’t hear me complain.”

That made Azzi pause for a split second, but she forced a little smirk and reached for her backpack.

Paige walked her to the door without thinking, her hand finding its way to Azzi’s waist as they moved side by side. Natural. Familiar now. Her touch lingered even as they stopped at the threshold.

Azzi turned to her, backpack slung over one shoulder, a little flush high on her cheeks. “Thanks for today,” she said quietly. “This was… actually kinda fun.”

Paige smiled, stepping closer. “Yea ?” Her voice dropped a little. “I like hanging out with you.”

Azzi swallowed, eyes flicking down, and then back up. “I like hanging out with you too.”

They leaned in at the same time hugging like it was routine now. Like this was what they did.

Paige wrapped her arms around Azzi’s waist, slow and easy, pulling her in. Azzi’s hands found Paige’s back, fingers curling gently into the bare skin.

The hug lingered. Just a little too long. Just enough to feel everything.

Paige’s hand moved slowly, softly up and down Azzi’s back. A quiet caress. Thoughtless, but tender.

“Text me when you get back ?” Paige murmured near her ear.

Azzi nodded, eyes fluttering shut. “Yea I will.”

Paige hesitated, lips close enough to brush the edge of Azzi’s cheek but not quite touching. “I could walk you back,” she offered softly. “It’s dark.”

Azzi shook her head gently, still in her arms. “You don’t have to. That’d be… too much.”

Paige smiled against her hair. “Too much, huh ?”

Azzi breathed a soft laugh. “Yea.”

They pulled back slightly, but their arms stayed in place. Just swaying there in the doorway, faces close again, unspoken things passing between them.

“I’ll see you soon ?” Paige asked, voice a whisper now.

Azzi nodded, eyes warm. “Yea. Soon.”

Then slowly, they let go.

Paige watched as Azzi disappeared down the hallway. The warmth of her still clinging to her skin. And when she closed the door, she didn’t move for a long time.

Just stood there.

Smiling.

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

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[sofia-d-asb]

Converting your ChoiceScript game to Twine - Cheat sheet

Previous Twine related posts:

Switching to Twine - Sample code to get you quickly started

Twine/SugarCube ressources

Below is a transcript of the handwritten notes I took while converting Arcadie: Second-Born from ChoiceScript to Twine.

Note: I used Twine 2.4.0.0, and SugarCube 2.36.1. The notes below can only be useful if you have working knowledge of ChoiceScript, and some knowledge of both Twine and SugarCube. Terminology might be off; I'm not a programmer.

*create

You don't need to *create your variables in Twine, but it's good practice to do so, so that you don't lose track of them.

Create a StoryInit passage, and put all your variables there.

Boolean variable: <<set $var = true>> String variable: <<set $var = "Hello">> Numeric variable: <<set $var = 0>>

*comment

/* comment */

*set

You can set several variables at once:

<<set $var1 = 1, $var2 += 1, $var3 = "text">>

Below, operators in CS -> Twine equivalents:

CS->Twine + -> += - -> -= * -> *= / -> /= % -> %=

*hide_reuse

<<if not hasVisited("name of passage")>>[[Choice->NameOfPassage]]<</if>>

*if

<<if $var = true>> <</if>>

*elsif/else

<<if $var == 0>> <<set $var -= 5, $var2 = true>> Outcome1 <<elsif $var == 25>> Outcome2 <<else>> Outcome3 <</if>>

*temp

<<set _var = true>>

Will only exist for the current passage.

*rand

Generate random number

<<set $var to (random(x,y)>>

x,y = range; for example, 0 to 10

*page_break

<<button[[text|passagename]]>><</button>>

*choice

[[Choice text->PassageName]]

*Capitalize (!var)

<<print $var.toUpperFirst()>>

Inside a link: $var.toLocaleUpperCase()

or create a separate, capitalized variable

[death-at-20k-volts]

Hai, I saw ur post on generative AI and couldn’t agree more. Ty for sharing ur knowledge!!!!

Seeing ur background in CS,,, I wanna ask how do u think V1 and other machines operate? My HC is that they have a main CPU that does like OS management and stuff, some human brain chunks (grown or extracted) as neural networks kinda as we know it now as learning/exploration modules, and normal processors for precise computation cores. The blood and additional organs are to keep the brain cells alive. And they have blood to energy converters for the rest of the whatevers. I might be nerding out but I really want to see what another CS person would think on this.

Btw ur such a good artist!!!! I look up to u so much as a CS student and beginner drawer. Please never stop being so epic <3

okay okay okAY OKAY- I'll note I'm still ironing out more solid headcanons as I've only just really started to dip my toes into writing about the Ultrakill universe, so this is gonna be more 'speculative spitballing' than anything

I'll also put the full lot under a read more 'cause I'll probably get rambly with this one

So with regards to machines - particularly V1 - in fic I've kinda been taking a 'grounded in reality but taking some fictional liberties all the same' kind of approach -- as much as I do have an understanding and manner-of-thinking rooted in real-world technical knowledge, the reality is AI just Does Not work in the ways necessary for 'sentience'. A certain amount of 'suspension of disbelief' is required, I think.

Further to add, there also comes a point where you do have to consider the readability of it, too -- as you say, stuff like this might be our bread and butter, but there's a lot of people who don't have that technical background. On one hand, writing a very specific niche for people also in that specific niche sounds fun -- on the other, I'd like the work to still be enjoyable for those not 'in the know' as it were. Ultimately while some wild misrepresentations of tech does make me cringe a bit on a kneejerk reaction -- I ought to temper my expectations a little. Plus, if I'm being honest, I mix up my terminology a lot and I have a degree in this shit LMFAO

Anyway -- stuff that I have written so far in my drafts definitely tilts more towards 'total synthesis even of organic systems'; at their core, V1 is a machine, and their behaviors reflect that reality accordingly. They have a manner of processing things in absolutes, logic-driven and fairly rigid in nature, even when you account for the fact that they likely have multitudes of algorithmic processes dedicated to knowledge acquisition and learning. Machine Learning algorithms are less able to account for anomalies, less able to demonstrate adaptive pattern prediction when a dataset is smaller -- V1 hasn't been in Hell very long at all, and a consequence will be limited data to work with. Thus -- mistakes are bound to happen. Incorrect predictions are bound to happen. Less so with the more data they accumulate over time, admittedly, but still.

However, given they're in possession of organic bits (synthesized or not), as well as the fact that the updated death screen basically confirms a legitimate fear of dying, there's opportunity for internal conflict -- as well as something that can make up for that rigidity in data processing.

The widely-accepted idea is that y'know, blood gave the machines sentience. I went a bit further with the idea, that when V1 was created, their fear of death was a feature and not a side-effect. The bits that could be considered organic are used for things such as hormone synthesis: adrenaline, cortisol, endorphins, oxycotin. Recipes for human instinct of survival, translated along artificial neural pathways into a language a machine can understand and interpret. Fear of dying is very efficient at keeping one alive: it transforms what's otherwise a mathematical calculation into incentive. AI by itself won't care for mistakes - it can't, there's nothing actually 'intelligent' about artificial intelligence - so in a really twisted, fucked up way, it pays to instil an understanding of consequence for those mistakes.

(These same incentive systems are also what drive V1 to do crazier and crazier stunts -- it feels awesome, so hell yeah they're gonna backflip through Hell while shooting coins to nail husks and demons and shit in the face.)

The above is a very specific idea I've had clattering around in my head, now I'll get to the more generalized techy shit.

Definitely some form of overarching operating system holding it all together, naturally (I have to wonder if it's the same SmileOS the Terminals use? Would V1's be a beta build, or on par with the Terminals, or a slightly outdated but still-stable version? Or do they have their own proprietary OS more suited to what they were made for and the kinds of processes they operate?)

They'd also have a few different kinds of ML/AI algorithms for different purposes -- for example, combat analysis could be relegated to a Support Vector Machine (SVM) ML algorithm (or multiple) -- something that's useful for data classification (e.g, categorizing different enemies) and regression (i.e predicting continuous values -- perhaps behavioral analysis?). SVMs are fairly versatile on both fronts of classification and regression, so I'd wager a fair chunk of their processing is done by this.

SVMs can be used in natural language processing (NLP) but given the implied complexity of language understanding we see ingame (i.e comprehending bossfight monologues, reading books, etc) there's probably a dedicated Large Language Model (LLM) of some kind; earlier and more rudimentary language processing ML models couldn't do things as complex as relationship and context recognition between words, but multi-dimensional vectors like you'd find in an LLM can.

Of course if you go the technical route instead of the 'this is a result of the blood-sentience thing', that does leave the question of why their makers would give a war machine something as presumably useless as language processing. I mean, if V1 was built to counter Earthmovers solo, I highly doubt 'collaborative effort' was on the cards. Or maybe it was; that's the fun in headcanons~

As I've said, I'm still kinda at the stage of figuring out what I want my own HCs to be, so this is the only concrete musings I can offer at the minute -- though I really enjoyed this opportunity to think about it, so thank you!

Best of luck with your studies and your art, anon. <3

[icryaboutit]

Common Sense!Yuu

Just got a thought and I can't stop thinking about it now!

Like think of a Yuu who uses his common sense, but his common sense isn't really that common like:

***

CS!Yuu: What do you mean befriending demons is weird? Isn't it a commodity here?

***

Ace: Prefect WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!!?

CS!Yuu holding and petting an extinct/horrendous/venomous creature in his hand: It's Gary, why?

Jack who knows about the dangers the creature can cause: Yuu, please put down the creature before it bites you...

Sebek who once saw such a creature mauled a giant predator with ease while exploring with his grandfather, whispher screaming at CS!Yuu: HUMAN PUT THAT MONSTER DOWN!!! DO YOU SEEK DEATH?!?!?! THROW THAT THING AWAY!!!

CS!Yuu looking at them with confusion: What are you guys so panicked about? It's just Gary? And no Sebek, Gary, and his family have lived here before me and Grim, I can't just kick out a dorm resident!

The First Years: THERE'S MORE OF THEM?!?!?!?!

***

CS!Yuu holding a gun, aiming it at a box: Okay last one-

Deuce who happens to come in to see what CS!Yuu is doing: Prefect I came t- YUU NO-!

CS!Yuu looking at Deuce with raised brow: Hmmm? What are you doing here Deuce? I thought you and Ace had to attend a dorm gathering?

Deuce: Before that- WHY RE YOU HOLDING A GUN PREFECT?!

CS!YUU being confused: Huh? It's to wrap up the bow of course??

Deuce: What do you mean wrap up?! You'll break that bow if you shoot it!!

CS!Yuu looking at Deuce with an unimpressed emotion: Oh come on Deuce! It's common knowledge to use a wrapping gun. Here I'll show you...

*Before Deuce could even stop CS!Yuu he had already fired the gun to the box. And unlike what Deuce had thought, the box actually got wrapped in colorful paper.

CS!Yuu to a wide-eyed Deuce: See? Well, I guess your mom hasn't told you this too before, like those eggs for clarification huh?

[incorrect-jojolands-quotes]

some interesting things to consider with chapter 13

Spoilers below and I might add more to the list soon.

Dragona's mispronounced name is a play-on Dragona's name and the word for trash. In Kanji, the first part of Dragona's name can be reinterpreted as JoJo (do-ra) and the term used for trash (gomi) is often used as an insult to call someone useless, shit, worthless, etc. So, Dragona is basically called "JoJo trash/useless JoJo" under the guise of mispronunciation. If we were to translate this into English, Dragona would be miscalled "Crap-ona" since Ds can be misread as Cs and Gs as Ps.

A popular drama known as "The Glory" became popular overseas around 2022 due to its story about a girl severely bullied by rich students ultimately gaining revenge. It was praised for the rawness of the bullying portrayed and it was based on a real life situation in 2006 where the victim of bullying experienced what was portrayed in the drama. What was not portrayed (I think) was the experience of the real life victim having their chest mutilated to the point of scarring.

Dragona mentioning about not wanting to live due to the circumstances reference Bruno echoing similar sentiments to Giorno before passing away. Both felt like they have nothing left to live until the Joestar gave them hope due to their actions.

Jodio's thoughts on why things happen reference Pucci having similar sentiments after Perla's death-- which leads him to reunite with DIO. While Pucci wonders why the knowledge he was forced to take in hurt him, Jodio wonders why the knowledge he was denied to have hurt him instead. We see how his quality of being methodical also has a flaw that explains him mentioning in chapter 2 how the "unfairness" of the world drives him mad.

To be blamed for the insurance payout and Barbara Ann being mostly a stay-at-home-mom means Jodio and Dagona's father must have been very high ranked to end up in such a situation while serving as a breadwinner of the family before his abandonment. Jodio and Dragona's father leaving is similar to Jotaro abandoning Jolyne for their safety. Both had to leave their children behind because otherwise their children will be harmed.

Meryl Mei's detail about school tuition is interesting due to McKinley High being a public school and initially thought to be an error. Remembering how Barbara Ann mentioned Jodio's academic performance earlier, she could have put him in a private school intended to bring his performance up, and that's why Barbara Ann mentioned school tuition. It makes me wonder if Jodio had just started going to public school; did he actually improve, was tuition ultimately too much, or did Meryl Mei manipulated things to put him in her high school so she could keep better watch on him?

Howler references King Crimson song "The Howler", which comes from an album trilogy (Discipline, Beat, Three of a Perfect Pair) that came out after the band's hiatus and known for introducing a brand new sound. Discipline features the song "Matte Kudasai", Beat has "The Howler", and Three of a Perfect Pair is yet to be referenced. There's a song in Beat called "Requiem", which caused the group to break up due to creative differences but later reconcile.

Three of a Perfect Pair has exactly 9 tracks with one side representing the New Wave style that Beat introduced and the other side representing the Industrial style that Discipline introduced. I got a whole post made about the albums here.

As a infrastructure group worth 50 billion dollars, they may have great influence over the community similar to that of Meryl Mei and branches that hire people for contract and whatnot. Is it possible that Usagi's father used to work for them? Is it possible that Jodio's father has some sort of connection to the insurance payout that Usagi's family currently live off?

Howler could be a play-on the Hawaiian world Haole, which is used to describe something not native to Hawaii, particularly foreigners. There are a few irl construction/infrastructure companies called Howler that are notably not from Hawaii. Given rich corporations' histories with exploiting resources such as land, Howler could be a company with malicious intentions towards Hawaii's lands.

The Japanese term used for "absurdity" can also be translated to "illogical", "nonsensical", and interestingly "unjust". When we see the characters mentioning absurdity, they could just not only be saying things don't make sense but things aren't fair or equal. It makes a callback to Chapter 2 more interesting.

ABSUЯD is a song written by Guns N Roses from their album Chinese Democracy, which was known to take a long time to come out and a rather very unpopular album due to how different it sounded from Guns N Roses' previous music.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[lhs3020b]

To judge from my reblogs this morning, none of us like One Drive, do we?

For home machines, it's now one of the first things I uninstall; I do not trust it, and that's putting it lightly. It's kind of amazing how bad Windows and Windows applications have got. And this is just how things are on my home machines, where I still have some control and can tame the worst excesses of Microsoft et al.

Probably, I suspect, for most "generic" users out there, the desktop experience is probably closer to the daily hell that is interacting with my work laptop. (This one is completely locked down and I have no administrator privileges at all.)

The other day, on my work box, I needed to open a locally-saved document in Word, and just trying to even find the directory-browser took some serious digging. And this was a thing that worked reliably in the literal 1990s, for goodness sake!

I've seen some discussion here and there about how today's youth are apparently surprisingly not-computer-literate (things like university CS depts having to put stuff like file formats back on the curriculum as it's no longer just "assumed knowledge", etc). A point I don't think I've seen made is just how bad the user experience has got even for desktop computing, and how this might be feeding into the lack of IT literacy. If it's basically impossible to interact with a system beyond a very-curated and very-nipped-and-tucked surface-level (bad) experience, how can you learn?

Even as recently as six months ago, I could still relatively-easily get to the file menus on my work box. As of yesterday? Nope, it took work, and I was only able to find it because I knew it was there, somewhere.

For most "generic" users, this is probably what the "normal" computing experience is like. Given that, is it any wonder there's a basic computer literacy crisis? They've become near-impossible to interact with in any useful way, and they're getting visibly-worse. How can you be computer-literate when the computer hides everything from you and does its best to stop you interacting with it in the way you want to? You can't learn from a book if the librarian's hidden it in a locked cellar on another continent.

Even in just half a year, I feel like my user-experience with Windows has got noticeably-worse. (And the experience was already bad circa June 2024, and worse than it felt in, say, June 2019. And I wouldn't have called the experience "good" back in 2019.)

I don't really know where I'm going with this rambling, but I do find myself wondering how any of this is sustainable.

[blu3-j]

Hey There! Can I request a Home X Reader please? Like reader is housesitting for Wally?

Knock, Knock, Knocking On My Heart

Home x Puppet! Reader

TW: Small tense scene

Hello, hello, hello, there! Oh, absolutely, you can!! I'm so excited! I've never written for Home before besides headcanons! So new, so exciting!

Oh! Also! New announcement!! I now have interwebs access at my humble abode! This will make putting these up on here much easier. In the meantime, I hope this fanfic will appease you all!

Thump!

You set the last heavy box in the trunk and closed it with a thud. You listened to the hushed voice of Wally comforting Home as you grabbed up his small bag and placed it in the backseat of his car. It was almost never used, as nobody---Wally and yourself included---really had any reason to leave the neighborhood. His car was bright red like a newly ripe apple, and so clean and shiny from not being used you had to keep from looking at many parts of the exterior so you wouldn't go momentarily blind. Today, however, was a special occasion for Wally to finally use it.

Wally had told you him and a few of the other neighbors---Barnaby, Julie, and Frank---would be leaving on a few days trip. Due to Home being alive and Wally caring deeply for his companion building, asked you to watch over them while they were gone. Wally had never specified what the trip was, only making small mention of a convention of some kind and something about fans.

"A convention about fans?" You asked him. "My, why would anyone need to hold a convention about fans? You can just buy them at the Bugdega. Are there really people that like fans that much?" Barnaby laughed, putting his paw on your shoulder, which ended up being more on most of your arm with your size difference.

"But Teacup, it's more than just fans. It's A/Cs, it's freezers, it's---" Barnaby was interrupted by Wally's monotone robotic laugh.

"Oh, Y/N, it's something you'll learn about soon. You're just not ready yet. Maybe we'll take you and show you next time what we really mean." You quirked an eyebrow at your fellow puppet friend. You could never tell what thoughts or knowledge were behind those unchanging eyes of his. Barnaby always knew, though. Plenty of times were had where you wished you could do the same. Kind of like now.

"Oh, Home, it's okay. I'll only be gone for a few days. Y/N will be here to keep you company until I get back. And some of the other neighbors will still be here, too." You turned to face Wally and patiently watched him pat Home's side as the latter continued to protest and whine through their creaks and knocks.

"Wally," You called out to him. Wally paused his hushed comforts to Home, but continued to stare up at it. You noticed in the corner of your eye Home's gaze turned to you. "Wally, it's all packed up. Ready to go whenever you want." Wally patted Home once more and upon meeting Home's gaze, nuzzled his face against Home's wall. Home creaked once more. It was hard not to notice the distinct shattering sound from somewhere inside, but Wally ignored it.

"Oh, Home," Wally cooed. "It's okay. I'll be back soon. I have to go now. Goodbye, Home. I love you." The two of you watched Wally walk away and get in his car. He adjusted the rear view mirror and his smile grew wider upon seeing the two of you. That was the last of him you saw for the next few days as he drove off into the horizon.

Feeling a knot twist up in your stuffing for the old building, you patted Home's side as they stared off where Wally once was. "It's okay, Home." You called out to the building. "He'll be back before you know it." Yet Home's longing stare never left that road. You racked through your felt head for ideas on comforting Home, until finally...

"Aha!" Your yelp finally drug Home's eyes away from the road and down to your small figure. "I know, maybe we can make something for Wally when he gets back! What do you think, Home?" You turned back up to Home and waited. They only stared back. You were beginning to become unsure of your idea working when you heard the faintest creak from the building. You quirked your eyebrow and tilted your head.

Oh, right. You can't understand Home.

It was strange to you. Everyone else in the neighborhood could understand Home to some degree, but for you---as the newest resident only having moved in a month ago---had no idea what Home was ever saying. Usually whenever Home would talk to you, another one of your neighbors would be there to translate. Wally was often the one to most often translate for you due to the two of you being best friends and Barnaby would be the one to translate when Wally wasn't there (which you recall only happening once.) You, Wally, and Barnaby were an unbreakable trio, but now there was just one of the three here: you. With no one to help you understand.

This is going to be a problem.

Home was quick to notice your expression and rolled their eyes. Faintly, the ringing of a phone was inside. Home opened the door for you, and you walked in.

The inside was painted in warm colors and sunlight, and the living room sat as it usually did. With chairs in various colors and shapes and paintings and photos of your friends, Home, and other parts of the neighborhood lining the walls. Memorabilia from the neighborhood’s past adventures sat neatly placed upon a shelf, right beside Wally’s only apple—a fake one Barnaby had secretly replaced when the old one got rotten. You had been sworn to secrecy to never tell the third person of your trio. A small canvas in the corner of your eye caught your attention. You barely noticed it hanging in the corner of a wall, but painted on it was you. Laughing away under a bright colored tree on a warm spring morning. Dirt, grass, and flowers adorned your hair, almost forming a crown upon your dainty head.

"Stay still..." Wally hummed away a tune as he painted on the canvas. You did your best to keep your form as still as it could possibly be. You were sitting under his favorite tree, admiring the sky's clouds to take your mind off of being a muse.

It was quite flattering when the shorter puppet had asked you to be as such. The others nearby encouraged you to take the offer, telling you how great of a muse you would be and how well Wally painted. It wasn't uncommon to the others for Wally to paint them from time to time, and soon enough it would be a common occurrence to you and you'd get used to it. So you did.

Wally's canvas faced towards Home and Barnaby so they could watch the two of you. Barnaby noticed how stiff you were, and decided to begin making jokes. Sarcastic jokes, puns, improv, one liners, everything he knew to get you to laugh. At first Home had scolded him---at least according to Wally---and reminded him how difficult it can be to stay still when you want to laugh. But within the next few minutes, you heard squeaks and creaks from the house and monotone laughter from Wally.

Yet you remained strong. You needed to be still for Wally's painting, after all. But Barnaby continued, pushing even further to make you laugh. It started as a sweet rush, then a bubble, then restrained giggles, until finally you couldn't take it anymore. You broke out in laughter and brought a hand up to stifle it. But---uh oh---!

"Wha---Oof!"

Your body tipped over. Your only support was the very same hand you used to cover your smile and giggles. The others broke out in full uncontrollable laughter. You felt your face go hot. There you were with your new neighbors and friends, laying on the ground from making the dumb decision of using the wrong hand, now with smudges of dirt across your clothes and face along with grass stains. Your head tipped down as your entire face began to feel warm. Home was the one to stop laughing---you assumed that's what it was---and began talking.

"Oh, you're right, Home." Wally responded after his laughter had died down. Barnaby quieted his own laughter to listen as well and things went quiet. You refused to look up at them. How could you? You just made a fool of yourself! You pushed strands of hair out of your face and began smoothing out the wrinkles in your clothing. Maybe you can brush it off like it was nothing. Maybe you can still recover and make it seem like it was on purpose so you won’t look like an idiot. Maybe---

A blue furry hand caught your eye. Barnaby and Wally stood over you. Barnaby was offering you his hand, while Wally held some cleaning wipes.

"You okay there, Teacup? Didn't fall too hard and stop working that head of yours, right?" Barnaby smiled his usual lazy goofy smile down at you. You stammered for an answer, and your face flushed even hotter. After a moment, you reached for his hand, and he pulled you up as if you were light as a feather. Before you could process what was happening, a wet wipe was smudged across your face. It tickled. Your larger friend ruffled your hair and made a few small jokes.

You couldn't help your laughter. It bubbled out of you before you could even stop it. Home was the first to laugh alongside you. Then Barnaby, and finally Wally.

It was such a sunny warm day. The perfect day to laugh with your best friends.

It wasn't uncommon for you to have ever been in Home, but it felt...empty without Wally or Barnaby by your side. Like it had a spark, but it was just a spark on the outside. With no optimism or energy or motivation behind it. It was just a shiny light.

The red phone on the side table continued to ring.

You picked up the receiver and brought it to your ear. Which of your neighbors was calling?

"Yes. I think that'd be a great idea, Y/N." A whisper slithered from the other side.

Your breath hitched. "Who..." You paused. A little twist formed in your stuffing.

It made you feel sick.

"Who is this?" Another pause, but from the other side of the line. Then that same whispering voice.

"Home." The windows turned to eyes to look down at you. In this neighborhood, despite being short, you had never felt small. This was the first time. But the feeling dissipated as soon as it formed.

"Oh, Home!" You chirped. "I didn't know you could do this! That's so cool! I can understand you now!" Your cheeks flushed warm as you noticed the stare of Home. "I'm sorry I couldn't before." Another pause.

The silence was deafening.

"It's okay. You'll learn." Yet another pause. But this time the air felt lighter. Home’s stare wasn’t boring into you as much anymore. That’s right. Home isn’t a threat to you. "What about a painting?"

You nodded and skipped over to a cabinet. Inside were Wally's paints and paintbrushes, and stored in a nearby dresser were his canvases. You quickly set two canvases up for the two of you before a thought occurred to you. So, you put the receiver back to your ear and called to Home.

"How will you be able to paint on the canvas?" There was no answer, only silence. Then a small tap on your shoulder. You bolted around, expecting some figure to be lurking behind you—but instead finding something much more peculiar. A curtain reached out to you as if it were an arm, and the end was balled up to act as a hand. You looked to the other curtain, and in its other make-shift hand was a brush. You gawked at the sight, and Home creaked in a rhythmic tone. It echoed through the walls and halls, and you heard that same whisper laughing through the phone.

"I can do so much more than you think." The voice echoed, a bit less monotone now.

And that was the start of your friendship with Home. Before you had always seen Home as another neighbor, but there was a solid wall between the two of you to keep you from getting closer. And now that wall was demolished. Over the course of the next few days, Home had taught you some basic "building language", the two of you had created many things and done so many activities together, and had conversations that lasted for hours at a time.

The first night you had stayed there, Home had reassured your fears of the dark and monsters in the halls, and talked with you about meaningless things throughout the night until you fell asleep. The second night Home had told you stories of the neighborhood and of a world long ago—long before you even existed, you were sure. The third night you fell asleep with no problems. You were safe with Home. You knew that by now.

You had found Home had many stories to tell, and was much more friendly and wonderful to get to know than you had first realized. With Home, you never had to worry about making a fool of yourself. With Home, you could be yourself completely, and they adored it. They adored you, just as much as you adored them.

By the time Wally, Barnaby, Julie, and Frank came back there was something different between the two of you. The spark that seemed to leave with the others was back stronger than ever shared between you and the colorful building. Stronger than any spark you had with everyone else. More bright, more colorful, more meaningful. You two were inseparable. Well…metaphorically speaking, that is.

Who knew a random average puppet like you would mean so much to a living building? And who knew an average building like Home would mean so much to a wonderful puppet?

[best-element-poll]

(the 2 most voted elements will continue onto round 2!)

More info about each element (and propaganda for the ones I like) under the cut. pleeeeeeeeease read some of them at least the one about francium

(disclaimer: these are based off short wikipedia reads and my crumbling high school chemistry knowledge. correct me if I'm wrong about anything.)

HYDROGEN: Hydrogen is the lightest element (consisting of only one proton and one electron). It is also the most abundant element in the universe, it's a gas (at room temperature) and it can explode. It's also quite representative of acids, having the (Arrhenius) definition of an acid straight up saying that it has to dissociate in water to form H+ ions. It's also quite an efficient fuel. Hydrogen is anywhere and Hydrogen is everywhere. If you like explosions, sour beverages, or acid in general, consider voting Hydrogen!

LITHIUM: Lithium, under standard conditions, is by far the least dense metal and the least dense solid element! You may primarily know him from your phone's Lithium-ion batteries. There are Lithium-based drugs used to treat mental illnesses. You can throw a block of lithium in water and it will make a really big explosion. The metal is soft and silvery. I'm running out of things to say about him. If you like batteries vote Lithium? (edit: just realised lithium is used for batteries, and batteries are connected to robotics and engineering. if you like robots and cool mechanical stuff vote lithium!)

SODIUM: You must know him from table salt. That's actually NaCl, his best known involvement. There are many more very important and very commonplace compounds that involve sodium, such as baking soda (NaHCO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (that's probably the most famous base?). It's also very important to the human body (you shouldn't eat more than 2300mg a day). If you've ever used table salt or baking soda while cooking, consider voting Sodium!

POTASSIUM: Their name was based on the word potash, which was based on an early and easy way of obtaining potassium, from putting ash in a pot, adding water, heating, and evaporating the solution. It's used in a lot of fertilisers because it's an essential plant nutrient. It's also involved in a ton of important compounds: KOH (a strong base), KNO3 (often used as salt bridges in electrochemical cells), K2CrO7 (an oxidising agent often used in organic synthesis), and K2CrO4 (I don't know what this one does). If you have ever eaten food from fertilisers consider voting Potassium!

RUBIDIUM: Rubidium compounds are sometimes used in fireworks to give them a purple color. They've also got a cool name, based on the latin rubidius, for deep red (the color of its emission spectrum). I'll be real, I don't really know much about them beyond that, but that is one cool name. Vote for Rubidium if you like cool names.

CAESIUM: Caesium is used in the definition for a second, meaning that an entire SI unit is based on it! A second can be defined as "the duration of 9,192,631,770 cycles of microwave light absorbed or emitted by the hyperfine transition of caesium-133 atoms in their ground state undisturbed by external fields". It was also discovered from mineral water. Did you know that they had to use 44000 liters of water to find her? If you've ever experienced time or had a conception of it in terms of units, consider voting Caesium!!!

FRANCIUM!!!: Caesium... TWO! It's sad that no one will probably read this far but this is my favourite element in this poll. This element is characterised by instability. Her longest half-life is 22 minutes. Her entire existence was conjoint with Caesium before they discovered that she was her own element. She has never been seen. They literally never confirmed what color she is. She was born in a wet cardboard box all alone. Through the hands of different scientists, she was going to be named after Russia, Virginia, or Moldavia at different points in time. At one point the name catium was proposed (for "cation", since she was believed to be the most electropositive cation), but was rejected because it sounded like a cat element. Which is so fucking sad. We could've had cat element but we ended up with France element. That's right she's also named after France. Just tragic fascinating existence overall. Also isn't it just insane that her half-life is only 22 minutes? Dude, you don't get it, the most of her that's ever existed in one place is a mere 300000 atoms. She's here and she's gone. What the hell.

The charm of Francium can be summarised by the wise words of my good friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

[phantomime-para]

Ahemm, ahemm... This will be the last post regarding the issue involving the owner of Evaa

As we had stated in a post priorr, it was figured that the actions of the owner were out of influencee, not just with Eva but with other OCs as well within the universe that she's involved in noww

It has been figured out that the issue of influence seems to be correct from the actions that the owner has shown towards us devs todayy, and actions speak louder than wordss. Not to mention her lying to the public as to what universe Eva was from prior to her putting her in her workk (this is relevent here towards the following paragraphh)

If you would rather not prove yourself to not be influenced by someone who is not welcome heree, and instead simply dismiss the issue and defend the person who isn't welcome heree (and also lie to us again as proven through your actionss), then you're not welcome here eitherr

You wasting our time asidee, you putting your OC that you made for our work into your own would've been alright as long as we made an agreementt (which we hadd, as stated heree), but you lied about where she had originated from to the public as well as proved yourself to be lying to us again when confronted through your actions alonee, and that's the straw that truly broke the camel's backk

For those who have OCs for the project of CS, please do not lie about the origins of your OCs to the publicc. This should be common knowledge but apparently some people wish to make things complicated for us and waste timee, and we do not wish to work with people who make things complicated for us and waste our time and hard workk

Thank youu

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[tideandtale]

Mastery Journal Entry: Reflecting on Business Venture Research Class

Going into m Business Venture Research class, my main goal was to get the understanding of how to properly do research and learn the different research methods while learning and evaluating how to launch a successful business. I was using this class as a way to develop the skills I needed to be in marketing, and how to learn about the trends within my writing industry. I also wanted to learn about the structure of my own business idea with using real data from people who already did the research, and I just had to find it to see how well I would pair off in my field.

Needless to say, this course met my expectation because it equipped me with the tools on how to conduct research with valid resources on different aspects of my writing business. I looked at many different case studies, I read different articles, and the assignments I did helped me assess the market demand and how I should refine my business model to make it better, and how to make it stand out above the others.

The key takeaway from this course would be how important it is to actually do research and make sure its thorough before putting your business out there. You want to make sure you stay on top trends and that there is a demand in the market for your business. Some of the readings I found extremely useful would be:

The Five Cs of Opportunity Identification: The five Cs would be Customer needs, competition, context, and capabilities. These principles had given me a structured format to visualize when creating my business idea.

Business Research Methods by Naval Bajpai: Specifically I want to talk about chapter 1. The chapter went over the differences between basic and applied research. The purpose of these two types of research is to help you decide to develop or contribute your knowledge. It went over the importance of the techniques and procedures for doing the research.

Startup Opportunities by Brad Feld and Sean Wise: This is another noteworthy resource I found helpful. In Chapter 3 it talks about the criteria for an opportunity. An idea but be durable, timely, attractive and it has to add value to the buyer. If it doesn't meet these four criteria's then there is no opportunity, and it won't be successful.

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: This reading had given me an understanding about the methodology of the Lean Startup. It had focused on creating products and get feedback from customers so that we could better our business and products. This approach would be essential or me simply because with my content creation I want to create content people want, and in order to do that I would need to gather my reader's and clients feedback. It's essential to my success.

In my business, I would utilize the skills I learned in this class and apply al of the research methods and evaluations so that I can make my freelance business better and more appealing to my clients. More importantly, I would utilize the Five Cs of Opportunity Identification so I can better understand the market, trends, clients, and my readers. This would help strengthen my confidence in my ability to do proper research but also help me gain the knowledge for my writing. This class has helped me make better decisions and gave me the kills I needed to help me during my decision-making process and how to properly find opportunities for my business.

Mastery Journal

[excessive-vampires]

Dealing With Demons Chapter 11: That's the Problem Part 1: Riley

Masterlist with CW

Taglist: @demyxdancer @softvampirewhump @d-cs

Avi looked tired.

Which was ridiculous and weird because Avi was a shapeshifter. If they were tired their appearance should be closer to their true form. Maybe a pearlescent tint to their skin or the faintest outline of scales. Sharp fingernails or a dull glow.

It didn't make sense for them to have dark circles under their eyes, for their hair to be unstyled and their face to be even more pale than usual. Avi was dressed more casually than they normally were when working with the team too. A simple blue blouse over a long sleeved black undershirt and loose black knit pants.

Even more strange, they held a cup of coffee in their left hand—they seemed reluctant to move their right arm, also puzzling—and made a disgusted face after every drink they took. Why drink coffee if they didn't like it? Did the caffeine do something for them? That would require a functioning metabolism. Was Avi really that powerful? Why hadn't Riley ever seen them use that much power?

Riley didn't get it. Why were they putting on such a show of looking human?

"Hello, earth to Riley?" A hand waved in front of their face and they realized they had been zoned out staring at Avi for several minutes.

"Oh, uh, yeah, did you say something, Mike?"

"No, but Coleman did."

The cafe was empty except for Coleman and the team. The director had paid the manager to turn the sign on the door to "closed" and get everyone working to take an early lunch break after making drinks for the five of them. They were sitting in the back, having pushed together two of the cafe's small tables, and keeping their voices down. As long as Avi kept refusing to go inside the base this was the most secure location to discuss things.

"Sorry, Sir," Riley said. "Um, what did you say?"

"I said we need a plan of action. We've gathered all the information we can—"

"Actually," Avi interrupted. "There's something you need to know. Cliff tried to break into my apartment last night."

"Fucking hell!"

"Agent Green!"

"Sorry, Sil. It's just... Jesus, what happened?" Mike scrunched up his face in concern.

"I almost threw him off the roof of the building."

"Almost?" Coleman asked.

"He seemed confident that without him we'd never find those he'd taken. I doubt that's the case but I couldn't take that chance. He must somehow know I'm bound to the case. Then he attacked me and teleported away without a physical medium for his rune."

"He attacked you?!" Riley exclaimed. "And he won?"

Avi looked down. "I underestimated him in the past and that was a mistake. He is immensely powerful and knowledgeable."

"Are you okay, I mean, did he hurt you?" Mike asked, leaning forward and looking Avi over. 

"Nothing that won't heal in time."

"I've seen you recover from gunshots in a second. What did Mason do?" Sil asked.

Avi looked out the window and bit their lower lip. Then they turned back with a sigh and looked directly into Riley's eyes.

"Silver. Pure silver is harmful to demons. Even a plain simple circle of it can trap the weaker ones. Cliff had a silver ring with a spike, I didn't see it in time."

Riley reached up and touched their amulet. That was probably why they had to take it off when Avi teleported them. They figured it might be rude to immediately write that down.

"I understand what it means for you to tell us this," Coleman said. "Thank you, Avi."

"I'll take your gratitude in the form of you not using this against me."

"Not unless you give us a reason to."

"Well, at least you're honest."

"Why would he need to break into your home? Why can't he just summon you again?" Sil asked.

"If he tried to summon me I'd be able to tell it was him and refuse. As for why he broke in, maybe he needs something belonging to me in order to... to take me like he took the others."

"But none of the victims reported break-ins before they were taken," Sil continued.

"Well, I'm different! I'm a demon! He'll have to come up with a whole new ritual for... for me." Avi took some heaving breaths. "Sorry, sorry I snapped, I just... goddammit."

Then Avi started crying. Riley's mouth fell open in shock.

"I'm sorry," Avi repeated as they wiped the tears from their face and visibly fought to stay composed. "It's just I've never actually been in danger like this before. And this is compromising my ability to fulfill my end of a deal, you have no idea how wrong that feels." Then their voice dropped to a whisper. "I know it's not my fault. But..." Suddenly they inhaled deeply and put a sinister smile on. "So, how are we going to kill this bastard?"

Riley decided to ignore Avi's emotional outburst, mostly because they had no idea how to respond to it. "We were able to track down a few properties with ties to past generations of the Mason family that might have the kind of basement you described. Hopefully from there we'll find some evidence of where he's keeping everyone."

"Yes," Coleman picked up where Riley left off. "We're sending a team out to do recon on each one. I'll let the other teams know he doesn't need a physical medium for his runes. Proceed with extra caution but stick to the plan." She pulled a folder out of her bag and put it on the table. "This is where you'll be going."

Sil reached for the file. Avi reached faster.

"A cabin in the woods. How original." They handed the file over to Sil. She snatched it from them.

"We'll need to pick up some equipment from the base for this mission," she said.

"And there's some paperwork back in my office I really need to get to," Coleman added.

"Perfect, you all do that, I'll stay here, and you can bring the car around when you're ready."

Sil rolled her eyes at Avi's nonchalant tone and got up from the table and started toward the door. Coleman and Mike followed. Riley made a snap decision.

"I'm staying," They said abruptly.

"What?" Sil asked.

"You guys go on ahead, I'm going to stay with Avi and talk."

"Okay," Sil said, and shrugged. She and the others left and it was just Riley and Avi alone.

"So, Riley..."

"Avi..."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Why make yourself so vulnerable?"

"Well, you kind of backed me into a corner with the whole silver thing. I had to tell you to help with the case. I mean, it might count as endangering myself but that's not really the type of danger I was envisioning when I made the deal and--"

"Not what I'm talking about. You made yourself look tired, you cried. You let us see that you can't handle this alone. Why?"

"Because I can't handle this alone, Riley. I need your help. And I see no shame in admitting that. Sometimes you need to reach out to the people in your life or else you'll lose what matters to you."

Avi sounded sincere. Riley couldn't help but believe they were telling the truth.

"You're not what I thought a demon would be like."

"Because I'm emotionally competent?"

"For a lot of reasons. So, what are you so afraid to lose?"

"My life, my freedom, and my ability to enjoy them. All the selfish things," Avi said flippantly.

"It's not selfish to want to live a good life."

Avi chuckled. "You're not what I thought a Bright Bureau agent would be like."

"Because I'm not morally colorblind?"

"For a lot of reasons. All of you have surprised me, really. Unless this is all some elaborate trap you've set to try to banish me. But I doubt that's the case."

"Yeah, I'm not sure we could pull that off if we tried. It sounds really complicated..." Riley decided to ask what they really wanted to know. "Why do you act so human? I've been wondering ever since that day you gave me a ride home."

Avi smiled. "I may not be a demon of envy, but that doesn't mean I can't feel it."

"You're envious of humans?"

"Not so much anymore, but definitely before I could live like you. There was so much I couldn't experience or have back then, I just wanted to be a part of this. Remember how I told you some demons build up gangs around themselves so they can live in the human world?"

Riley nodded. "Yeah, you did that?"

"Me and a demon of lust. We split up because I wanted more things and she wanted more social power. She kept the lackeys," Avi made a pained face at this admission. "But it all worked out for me. Eventually."

"I can see that. So is this why you have a human friend? To connect yourself to society?"

"What?"

"CosmicCat on Spotify, she seems human, from what I can find."

"Have you been looking for her?" Anger flashed in Avi's golden eyes. But only after a brief instant where they went wide in apparent fear.

"No, I mean, not really." Riley put their hands up disarmingly. "I'm just curious."

Avi took a deep breath. "Okay. To answer your question, yes. She makes me feel like a real part of human society, in more ways than I could possibly explain."

"Does she know what you are?"

"Yes. We met when I made a deal with her."

Riley's eyebrows went up and they stared at Avi. "She's your friend, but you're going to eat her soul? How can you do that to her?"

"Deals don't have to be for souls."

"Was hers?"

"Yes," Avi admitted. "Among other things."

"How could you?" Riley repeated, angrily this time.

"What better way could a creature like me care for someone than to want to make her a part of myself?" Avi posed it like a philosophical question, like a hypothetical, even though they were talking about a real person.

Riley ground their teeth in frustration. "God, every time I start to feel comfortable around you I find out something like this."

"I'm just being honest with you, Riley."

"Yeah, that's the problem."

"I'm not going to die, but humans always do, eventually. And unless I own their souls when they die I lose them. Can't you understand the desire to keep her with me?"

"I understand it's a selfish desire to pervert the natural order and keep her soul from becoming one with the universe because you can't let go! Because you want more power! Have you even thought about what's best for her?"

"Have you even thought that maybe she wants it this way?"

"I'm sure that's what you tell yourself. And what the hell, maybe it's true. Demons are pretty convincing creatures. You even had me convinced that I could treat you like a real person."

Riley's words almost knocked the demon back out of their chair. Their face twisted into an angry snarl and they started to stand but they stopped, took a breath, calmed down.

"Riley—"

"No. We're done."

There was a tense moment that lasted until Mike and Sil pulled up outside the cafe. Riley stood up from the table without another word and put in their earbuds as they walked out, desperate to drown out the demon's presence with music. They got into the car and ignored whatever it was Mike said to them, and ignored Avi getting into the seat next to them. But no matter how much they turned up their music, they couldn't ignore the feeling of betrayal in their chest.

Which was a stupid thing to be feeling since they weren't friends with Avi or anything. There was no trust between them to be broken. The only thing that Avi was betraying again and again was the image Riley had of them in their head, the image of a creature that desperately wanted to be human. And that frustrated Riley to no end because it made all of their behavior seem incongruous.

The only solution here was for Riley to stop believing they could ever understand the psychology of a demon. So they didn't think about Avi. Instead they thought about their music, and about saving Clara Bolton.

[virtualgirladvance]

hi! im applying to college soon and ive always wanted to do human sciences, but recently ive switched one of my subjects to CS and decided i want to do something more objective and math-y. i think having a degree related to computers will give me more time to think about the field i want to work in. this decision was a bit impulsive and tbh you played a big role in sparking my interest and making computing seem accessible. in general i feel like ive always been interested in it (my dad knows a lot), but ive just never considered it a real opportunity that i would ever be able to do. Rn i feel like all cis guys built their own computers since they were 11 and would have an advantage over me (in this country unis require you to show personal engagement and skill relating to the course you apply for). i wonder if you have any opinions on whether its even worth to do computer-related stuff in uni if i dont have any real knowledge about it besides "useful in life", how poorly will i be treated in the field as a trans guy, and if you have some suggestions on the topics and materials i can study to improve my knowledge

honestly even if you dont go fully into CS just having a course or two will help you get started in doing really useful things in whatever direction you end up going. the amount of times i hear someone becoming crazy useful just because they know some basic scripting or something is amazing.

i put my own computer together in highschool and beyond know what parts are in a pc and how to install an operating system it didnt really help at all in uni. if you have time and the interest look into maybe doing a basic programming course or a bridging course. having a few basic projects to show youre interested and willing to work on it looks really good to applications i imagine(schools here are just entrance on grades so I dont for sure but ive heard good things)

honestly uni is most just exploring stuff to help you figure out what you vibe with enough to peruse, its really common to change degrees part way through cause locking into a field of study in your teens is just not fun

as for the cis dude dominance yeah i got nothing, i know plenty of not cis guys doing well and some putting up with bs for it. if you enjoy the field then do it, going to be putting up with shitty people regardless so might as well do something you enjoy/are interested in.

ive been out of the loop on what are good starting resources but honestly finding an intro course/tutorial on C or python seems like a good way to get a taste for it. hopefully others can add some recommendations

hope you have luck and fun in whatever choice you make, i know its a tough decision to make so props to you for reaching out

[that-wizard-oki]

Oki I'm begging you, I just found out that they're planning on removing the furniture sets from the crowns shop and when I tell you I will cry if they do so, idk if you have any pull in these decisions but please if there's a way to make them stop then please do something 😭😭😭 sorry to ask this but those are some of the best items in the game and I love decorating houses, it won't be the same without it 🥺

Hey anon! So I can kind of answer this concern, but please know that whatever statements I make in this post may not be 100% what will happen- I am a character animator, so I don't normally know of/ any crazy changes to the crowns shop or other items for sale.

However, I am the animator specifically involved with the product team at KI- meaning, when I'm not working on stuff for the mainline wizard release, I'm the one who normally animates mounts/pets and some other stuff that's coming to the crownshop or will be in a bundle/pack/so on. If it Moves, i probably know a bit about it, but if it doesn't Move (so, furniture stuff lol), I usually don't.

I had no prior knowledge they were planning to remove some of the furniture packs- HOWEVER, I did talk to my product coworkers about it, and what happened was that **these packs were probably removed because a good many of them haven't sold AT ALL on over a year or more.

If something's not selling in the CS, we normally want to replace it with something that will. (kind of like how, if you're running a restaurant, and customers haven't bought your tomato soup bisque in six months, it might be time to take it off the menu and add a new soup to attract more customers & keep revenue/business going).

However, it sounds like their plan was to bring the furniture packs back for a limited time every so often, like for holidays or throw back Thursdays, etc.

Again, this is not an official statement by or from KI, so please don't treat this is fact. It's just some information i wanted to share because I totally get why it seemed like a sudden choice, and please feel free to (RESPECTFULLY) provide your own criticism- it defo helps us in decision making, or reconsider choices that have been made.

**Just a side note, we keep track and actively look at what is & isn't selling in the CS, among like, sooooo many other things. It's very rare that we (or, any company selling anything, really.) just "randomly" make choices on what to put/take out of the CS. It's not part of my job title to know/do that of course, but i do know our product team looks at these numbers every week to predict what we should do next, both short term and long term speaking.

Anywho, i hope this quells your anxiety anon! Just speaking as a player, those furniture sets are SO good so i was also nervous when i first saw the post xD But yea it (so far) sounds like they will return every so often and aren't going to be gone for good!

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[scary-grace]

fic writer tag game

I got tagged by @mirkwood-hr-department for this game several days ago and at long last I have time to sit down and do it, so --

How many works do you have on Ao3?

Sixty as of Halloween night!

What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,958,061. And we're not even halfway through Kairos. Yikes.

What fandoms do you write for?

The Tolkienverse (namely the Hobbit) and My Hero Academia.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i ain't changed, but i know i ain't the same -- bnha erasermic hanahaki fic

seeking a friend for the end of the world -- barduil zombie apocalypse au

Kairos -- barduil SLOW burn historical haunted house romance set in 1977

Show Me My Silver Lining -- bagginshield band AU (my first grown-up fanfiction)

more than words can wield the matter -- after the Elves return to their forest at the conclusion of the Battle of the Five Armies, a certain elf starts writing Bard some very questionable letters

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I usually don't respond to them in thread, but I thank everyone for them in the author's note of the next chapter, and I respond to specific questions there or on Tumblr!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Undoubtedly i'll follow you into the dark. For now.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Show Me My Silver Lining. For now.

Do you get hate on fics?

I used to get it, back when I was writing on fanfic.net. I get the odd inexplicable comment these days, but so far I've been lucky on Ao3.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I write smut. I think. Mostly it's the nonexplicit variety, but I recently started using the three Cs when needed, so maybe it's explicit now?

Do you write crossovers?

I do not! The closest I've ever come to a crossover is naming all the non-canon background OCs in my BNHA fics after characters from a certain other manga. Nobody's guessed what it is yet.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No to that as well!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! My collaborators include incredible writers like @lonelyheartsmotel, @dogblessyoutascha, and @corndog-patrol!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Barduil, no contest. The sheer number of words I've put into that pairing is unreal. The fact that I even have another ship is thanks to the sheer power of @corndog-patrol and e-girl!Mic.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I intend to finish them all, and am trying to finish at least two this week. But as for unpublished stuff, probably the barduil 'a quiet place' AU. I didn't make it too far, and I definitely lost motivation.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty solid at writing plot. Nothing makes me happier than leaving foreshadowing lying around and seeing if readers catch it.

What are your writing weaknesses?

As evidenced by my Ao3 word count, I'm not very concise.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't think I've ever tried it. I usually indicate dialogue that's supposed to be in another language with italics.

First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel. On fanfic.net. Dark times.

Favorite fic you've written?

Mm, I think Kairos is still my crowning achievement. But I have to say that I'm really proud of Love Like Ghosts, the first fic I ever wrote entirely in the Notes app on my phone and the first fic where I avoided ever using the main character's name.

I'll go ahead and tag @dogblessyoutascha @phantombstone @sophsiaaa and @melkors-defense-attorney!

[cyberstudious]

hi, im an high school sophomore interested in computer science and im also new to your blog. i was wondering if you would recommend conputer science and what have been your strengths and pitfalls with the field? thank u so much for your time.

Hi! Welcome to my blog, haha thanks for stopping by and sending an ask!

My path was self-taught game dev/web dev -> CS degree -> cybersecurity, so that's the perspective I'm writing from. My current job is basically just writing code for cybersecurity-related things (which I really like!). I do enjoy computer science and I think it's a great field to get into because you can do so many different things! I listed out my personal pros/cons under the cut but the tl;dr is that CS is a good field if you like constantly learning things, building things, and knowing how stuff works under the hood.

things I like about computer science:

so many options and things you can learn/specialize in

having programming skills and knowing how computers work gives you the foundational knowledge to succeed in a lot of things, both practical and theoretical/research-based. if you don't really like programming, there is plenty of theoretical math stuff you can do that's related to CS (this is what my partner is going back to grad school for haha)

lots of info available online for self-guided learning

do you want to learn how to make X? someone has almost certainly already written a tutorial for that and put it online for free. there are lots of open-source projects out there where you can read their documentation and even look at the code to figure out how things work!

there is always more to learn

tech evolves and you have to keep your skills up to date - that means there's always something new and interesting happening!

being able to build things

do you want to make an app? a website? a video game? a quick script to automate some annoying task that you do all the time? you can do that. all you need is a computer and some time! once you have some skills, it's amazing when you realize you can just Make Stuff literally whenever

understanding how things actually work

in a world of apps & operating systems that actively try to hide the technical layer of how they work in favor of "user friendliness", there is power to understanding what's actually happening inside your computer

problem-solving mindset

this kind of goes hand-in-hand with being able to build things, but eventually you get the hang of looking at a problem, breaking it down, and figuring out how to build a solution. this is something that I knew was an important soft skill, but I didn't really have any concrete examples until I started working with some technical but non-programmer coworkers. knowing programming & how to build things really does just help you solve problems in a concrete way and I think that's pretty cool.

things that can make computer science difficult:

programming is a cycle of failing until you succeed

programming is not something you get right on your first try - there's a reason that patches and updates and bug fixes exist. this might take some getting used to at first, but after that it's not an issue. failing constantly is just part of the process, but that means that solving those problems and feeling great when you figure it out is also part of the process!

there's so much to learn, you will have to go out and learn some of it on your own

a CS degree will not fully prepare you to be a professional developer, you will likely have to learn other languages & frameworks on your own (this is kind of a good thing btw - the average college probably isn't updating their curriculum often enough to teach you relevant frameworks/some professional coding things).

there is always more to learn

this is the other side of tech always evolving - sometimes it can feel like you're constantly behind, and that's okay - you can't learn literally everything! just do your best, explore a bit, and figure out the subset of things that you're actually interested in

lots of screen time

there are tech jobs where you can be active and move around and stuff, but I work from home and write code most of the day so I spend a ton of time in front of my computer. this isn't a huge problem, I just make an effort to spend time on my non-computer hobbies outside of work. something to note when you're looking for jobs, I suppose!

occasional toxic culture?

I'm thinking of "leetcode grindset bros" here because that was a common character at the college I went to - just ignore them and do things at a pace that feels comfortable to you, you'll be fine

on a related note, in my experience there will always be some dude who has been programming since like the age of 5 and seems to know everything and is kind of an ass about it, ignore these people too and you'll be fine

things are getting better, but CS is still very much a male-dominated field. however, there are plenty of organizations focused on supporting minority groups in tech! you can find a support group and there will always be people rooting for you.

that got kinda long lol, but feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!