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directdoggointerviewarchive · 9 months ago

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DirectDoggo interview with facts_indie (archive)

In 2022, the (no longer active) Twitter page "@Facts_indie" interviewed DirectDoggo creator of Dialtown and Dayshift at Freddy's. This is an archive so that it's easier to find in the future!

(Note: One of the account owners asked me to not name them by their name, so they will be referred to as "facts_indie")

Hey, y'all. I'm DirectDogman. I bang rocks together and sometimes, shoddy video games miraculously appear. I was the developer behind Dialtown: Phone Dating Sim, a quirky video novel on Steam and Dayshift at Freddy's 1-3 on GJ/Itch. I was asked by @facts_indie to do a lil interview, so I thought, why not? I'll answer the questions in the thread via this doc, just because Twitter's per-tweet character limit really screws with stuff like this.

I'll try to get to most questions, obviously I'll ignore duplicates or questions I feel may be silly or that I can't understand. Alright, 20 questions, let's go!

"do you get the phone/object heads in dialtown off of google/another site or do you just have all these phones/objects and take pictures yourself?" (Dialtown quest) - @cryptictones Answer: I don't source assets from google images as that'd be illegal! (Assets on Google Images are just web search results, and images you find on there are generally copyrighted media!) I use a mix of licensed stock media and photos of phones/objects that I've taken photos of. All of the datable heads, for instance, are real world photos (with the exception of Karen, whose head is a 3d model, alongside the player's and Callum Crown's!)

"Do you plan on translating Dialtown into other language?" - @WaddleAAAAAAAA Answer: "Nope! I don't speak any language completely fluently other than English, and Dialtown is too writing-heavy to really just pass off to a translator without letting them know what they're in for. It'd cost a fortune to get Dialtown translated by any service, and to be frank, I think the game'd be excruciatingly weird to translate. Dialtown uses a lot of really funky goblin language and I doubt that'd translate exactly into other languages as we'd read it, heh heh."

"When does dialtown take place? Also, how do you pronounce Gingi's name?" - @veronicaisdead_

Answer: Dialtown takes place in 202X. Gingi's name is pronounced however it sounds in your head!

"whats your favorite dialtown passersby i like little billy a lot" -@iceandwinter

Answer: Passerby, huh? Well, I'm partial to Nathan in Downtown. Some of the NPCs in Dialtown are incoherent and some are British, but Nathan is the intersection of that venn diagram. Special.

"Why did you use voice forge for willy afton" (DSaF Question) - @That1Acer

Answer: Because it sounded funny as shit. Of all the voices for William to have, c'mon! I'd do it again.

"Whats your favorite character from DSaF and from Dialtown?" - @WaddleAAAAAAAA

Answer: From DSaF? Probably Phone Guy, predictably enough, as a whole. I turned the overworked middle manager from canon into an entire species of exploited worker. A big theme of DSaF's satire was the idea that with every new FNaF game, there's a new location in the FNaF timeline, and thus, more dead kids, etc. DSaF's comical timeline is the culmination of stacking tragedies upon tragedies into the same timeline until suspension of disbelief gives way. It's the ordinary FNaF premise, but extrapolated to comic levels, really. I have big issues with the actual nitty-gritty timeline for DSaF, which is pretty concrete and has few holes for its overall size, but yeah, that's something I'm glad I parodied with DSaF. And y'know, The DSaF 3 phone guy character arcs had a huge impact on what Dialtown ended up becoming for sure.

For Dialtown, no idea. I do enjoy writing Mayor Mingus a lot, Callum Crown and God are also fun! Oh, and Tango. Ray of sunshine, that guy. Actually, player dialogue is pretty funny too, I like how specifically unhinged a lot of it comes off as. Man, I'm spoiled for choice here.

How did you decide on what traits to give the main cast (Norm being a space cowboy, Karen's inability to detect sarcasm, ect.) (Dialtown question) - @Brainrot_real Answer: Oh man, that was entirely different for each character. For Randy, I was rummaging around for potential props and found the old Nokia in the same drawer as the gauze wraps and naturally thought of how funny it was seeing the two together, given that Nokias are associated with their durability, and bandages are for, y'know, broken flesh. The name "Randy" and the phone sex-hotline part came shortly after, pretty much just like that (Randy's full name is a stupid pun.) After I figured out that the hands were bandaged, I thought "huh, how on earth could he have ended up with such mangled hands?" and sure enough… I'd been bitten by a swan not long before production began and the bite(s) were fresh on the mind. So. It was so.

A lot of Karen's character is pretty much an answer to things I personally think aren't depicted enough in autistic characters. Autistic scientists and mathematicians are common in media, but autistic artists tend to get overlooked. Also, typically, autistic characters in fiction tend to either fully understand sarcasm (and hence, it's not mentioned) or they're unable to literally comprehend a sarcastic statement even after it's been fully explained. I wanted to have a middleground where Karen misses idioms first-time, but gets them each subsequent time she re-hears it, because she remembers the explanation.

For Oliver: Early on, I knew I wanted a character who was dressed in plaid and spoke like a greaser. My friend Phil pointed out that Randy and Karen both had head decals (bandage + horse sticker), but that proto-Oliver hadn't. (He was fezless). So, I thought to myself: "Hey, maybe I should add something cool, like a hat?" Exciting stuff, I know. Anyway, my mind instantly jumped to the fez. Guy comes off as a fez wearer to me, anyway. Bet he adores that thing. Fun fact, I almost cut Oliver from the game during development (I originally had 6 datables, not 5, and decided to cut one of the 6 before production ended to make the game's scope more manageable.) I almost cut Oliver instead of the guy who was cut. It's weird imagining a Dialtown without Oliver, huh? Guess I made the right call.

Bigfoot… I want to believe, man. Look, me? I'm a lover of all things Squatch. Enough said. I wore the Bigfoot suit in Dialtown. When my buddy took shots of me wearing the suit, I made the ape noises Bigfoot makes in-game for EVERY shot. Had to. Wouldn't have turned out right if I didn't mantle the Squatch metaphysically, y'know?

Norm Allen's name can be attributed to Phil too, that pun was his idea, though making him a sergeant was mine. After the name was on the table, the space motif was considered as one possible reason to explain how a human being with a normal head had time traveled to a time where phone heads had taken over. I remember pitching another alternate Norm to a few friends, he was in a cryptid investigation FBI-esque bureau, akin to the well-known SCP Foundation or Men in Black/Area 51. Reason I went with NASA in the end was the stronger visual identity (space suits are instantly recognizable, unlike… black suits and shades. Yawn.) Norm being a cowboy kinda came from the conflict I'd already developed in the game's earlier draft with Mingus already banishing Norm early on. I knew why Mingus had gotten rid of Norm, and with a spaghetti-western-esque plot developing and with a showdown at the end, I decided to finalize making him a cowboy as well as a spaceman because it's kind of thematically funny. It's probably fair to say that there's a little bit of Fallout New Vegas in him, the whole spaceman meets cowboy aesthetic. God, I adore that game.

Phonegingi came to me pretty much all at once, like a chair to the face. Actually, if I recall correctly, the very first scene of the game was the first Dialtown dialogue I ever put to paper? Close to it, if not the very first scene. Egglaying. Yeah.

"Theres any scrapped ideas for yours games you realy want to use in future projects?" - @dawnmaskedguy

Answer: Dialtown has an insane number of scrapped scenes and lil arcs. If I ever make DLC or sequels, I won't be short of ideas to pull from! ;)

"Question: will the dog EVER get to fully consume the waffle?" - @Cattusontwitt

Answer: Just as the Greek emo Sisyphus eternally pushes his boulder up the hill, only for it to roll back down just as it reaches the top, some bites are just too big to be finished. Not tonight.

"How did you came up with the idea of Dialtown?" - @rubesova_anna

Answer: This isn't the most interesting story, but one I get asked a lot! The last series I'd developed before Dialtown, Dayshift at Freddy's, had these guys with phones for heads in 'em. In each game, you got closer and closer to your resident phone person (going from distant coworkers in DSaF 1, to siblings in DSaF 2, to then giving them life advice and therapy pretty much in 3!), and I had a parody spinoff game idea using Phone people (of course) that involved dating phone guys as the 'next step' in phone-to-man intimacy (there was a lot more to the idea than that of course, lots of other off the wall stuff.) My friend Phil, upon hearing the pitch in its entirety, said "I really liked the phone dating bit. I'd play a whole game based on that part alone", which made me say "Oh snap… Give me a moment." and Dialtown's plot was drafted VERY soon after that! Same deal as DSaF, really, it was the best part of a weaker pitch fully developed as its own idea.

"I'm a bit curious about this.. How did you come up with the idea of Dayshift at Freddy's?" - @CreativeGamer22

Answer: I was experimenting with RPG Maker (tinkering away, as I often did) and I had the idea of creating a lil free roam pre-rendered FNaF fangame where you work for the rebooted Freddy's restaurant franchise after FNaF 3. Springtrap, BB, the whole thing was a fever dream. Anyway, the game ended with the player being transferred to the Dayshift, and I thought it'd be cool to show the place during the day, and I think I was the first fangame developer to really attempt this. Felt super obvious, the more I thought of it later, and goes to show how the game has cemented itself in the fandom, even now.

Either way, upon playing my first completed alpha build, I was kinda disappointed with how boring and uninspired the early gameplay that took place at the restaurant itself after-hours (like all official FNaF stuff) felt. But, I felt the Dayshift part at the end had so much potential and thought of many ways to build off it. In the end, I decided to start again from scratch. DSaF 1 was my second attempt at this first concept.

"Favourite FNaF animatronic and why? [ ] If you had the chance to have a FNaF game remade, which would it be and why?" - @The_NeonGhoul

Answer: My favourite FNaF animatronic is Golden Freddy (any version)! Has been for a long time. Have a soft spot for Springtrap too, though he really has become a prune now, hasn't he? FNaF 2. I feel like every FNaF game was constructed from a perfect base concept and each game captures its core concept by differing amounts. In my opinion, 1 does the best job at reaching its 'core' potential (it's exactly what it needs to be, no more, no less) and 2 does the 'least' good job of reaching its own potential (lot of great ideas/iconic characters introduced, but the game is kinda vast compared to 1, and its mechanics/the robots' AI's just don't scare me at all. I've even beaten every mode in FNaF 2 other than 10/20 mode. The gameplay loop is extraordinarily easy to cheese.) There isn't a main series FNaF title I don't like, but 2'd be my pick to completely remake from scratch, as a nice 'what if', y'know? Scott did a MUCH better of job than I'd have done in his shoes, designing the rest of the series with only FNaF 1 as a base, but half a decade of contemplation later, I'd love to be a creative designer/director with complete creative control over a FNaF 2 remake… if I wasn't busy with my other work, naturally.

"What's your overall goal with creating games/content creation?" - @dirtynoodlebowl

Answer: Hmm. Big question. First and foremost: I love the process. I love making stupid lil games and publishing them online, seeing people bond with the characters. It's neat to see, and 99% of the time, it's a really positive experience for the developer. Also: I know I'm definitely not doing this for money, 'cause I've still got a day job, heh heh. I'm always amazed when I see fanart, or when I see videos on youtube of DT footage with a lot of interaction. I don't think there's one single reason I do this, but "I enjoy it" is probably the closest that I can give. I think if I stopped, my brain'd explode due to the viciousness of the 3 brain cells I'd have floating around in here that'd be now completely unsupervised and thoughtless. Game design allows me to share weird dialogue with strangers all over the world through the medium of dating sims about antique phones. That's not an everyday kind of opportunity, y'know?

"what inspired you to become a game dev?" - @Dabominhiding

Answer: Hey, y'ever see those Goosebumps books that have narrative choices in 'em? Y'know, you'll get to the bottom of a page and a little bit of text on the footer'll say "Turn to page X to enter room A, turn to page Y to enter room B", allowing you to make a choice that affects what happens next in the story. That kinda stuff. Anyway, I read one of these as a kiddin' and it dawned on me that stories could be written with diverging paths that react to reader intentions, and that made my wee lil mind race. I tried to write my own story with diverging paths, physically, on large amounts of fax paper. The end result was a mess to say the least. A little later on, I discovered text games online and realized that you could use game design or scripting tools to tell stories with paths that diverge depending on what the viewer decides, like in those Goosebumps stories, but with no awkward page flipping, and you could track as many details as you wanted without the viewer even knowing what info you've held onto. Adding visuals + music to the text game formula gives you visual novels, which is what I make. I love telling stories and realizing that game design as a medium can transmit stories that no other art form fully can the same way is what pulls me back towards game development any of the times in the last few years that I've come close to entirely quitting, and boy, have there been close calls. I often once thought about backing away entirely, y'know. Anyway, the element of choice/user interactivity that games allow for is still magic to me. To be frank, most of the games I made pre-DSaF weren't uploaded (and the few that were didn't stay up for very long.) Mainly, they were just enjoyed on my desktop PC, hanging with my friends after school, us laughing at our heads edited onto sprites, full of in-jokes, etc. Scott Cawthon releasing Five Nights at Freddy's really changed that though, because I didn't just kinda get into FNaF. I was hooked, and hung around in places where the other people who refreshed Scottgames.com hung out. FNaF was the first fandom I became really integrated in, and I quickly realized that I was missing out on a lot by never publishing my stuff. So, I swore in 2014 to publish games one day!

"What was the inspiration for turning Henry into the big bad?" (DSaF Question) - @BigMadRabbit

Answer: I thought it'd be a neat inversion, setting up William (Dave) as an obvious contender for the role of the series villain, as he is in canon FNaF, only for someone much worse to appear out of left field, and by its very nature, act as an explanation for how things ended up their own unique flavours of fucked up, essentially. Judging from user feedback I've gotten over the years, it seemed to have been a popular call.

How long did the development of each game take and were there any issues/problems during it? (All Games) - DNoshit

Answer: For DSaF 1-3, I'm afraid I don't know off the top of my head as we're talking about over half a decade ago now for DSaF 1's development. Hell, 2's early development too. I remember small issues cropping up involving small engine quirks and for some of 'em, I never found out the cause 'til Dialtown development started. But, by and large, the games came out just fine. Those games have… rough edges to say the least. That general lack of quality control definitely helped speed things along, no doubt.

Dialtown took 3 years. The biggest issue I had with them is with these goddamned mobile ports, partly because an OS update broke one build and an app store criteria change forbade DT from being on its platform. Some hassles just aren't worth it.

"Why isn’t there more god?" (Dialtown) - @KittyPi53783769

Answer: I hate to break it to you, but there's a ton of cut God content on paper! It's all canon (well, most of it, anyway), but none of it's shown in-game. I just couldn't justify giving such a worthless NPC so much screen time! The universe was created a good, what, ten thousand years ago, for cryin' out loud, the dude's GOTTA stop milking the universe that he churned up a couple o' eons ago and put something NEW out! Washed up hasbin.

"What’s their favorite Easter egg?" - @EggsNoCntxt

Answer: Favourite easter egg in any of my games are the gnomes in Dialtown. If you know, you know.

"What creature is phonegingi" - @risepticeye

Answer: Good question.

"Do you plan on making more dialtown related contents? Maybe sequel or something else very different but related to it?" - @LathyLatte

Answer: Dialtown has only been out for a couple of months so far, so it might be a little early to answer this question. Truth be told, I cannot see the future. Fuck, man, I'm nearsighted, so I struggle to even see the present. That being said, I do really like Dialtown.

That being said, I've also had a few other projects come across my desk that would also have a lot of potential, non-Dialtown related stuff. Ah, the agony of choice. At the moment, I'm enjoying the rest while my creative batteries recharge. 3 years of development time DRAINS you, so the last thing I'd wanna do is announce anything tonight. BUT: If Dialtown's fandom continues to grow, perhaps that could motivate me to shake the moss off of myself and churn some more phone related stuff out? Just maybe. ;)

(Finally a bonus 21st question from @facts_indie, who asked me to do the interview) "What advice do you have for aspiring game developers?"

Answer: Oh, man. That's actually real tough to answer since I'm not really anywhere near the end of my journey yet and definitely not somewhere I'm comfortable giving advice for achieving success from. I guess if you wanna do what I do, just consider the obvious: You will work on content you're excited for, and it won't do as well as you'd have hoped. Maybe sometimes, maybe all the time. You will do game design at a LOSS before you ever make a cent off it, that is, if you do ever make a profit off it. If you are fully willing to accept the last 2 tips, then good news, you no longer need advice. You "have" what it takes, now! I can't honestly tell you "Oh, just do what I do, and you'll succeed!" because… like I said, I'm still working a day job right now. Yeah, I'm calling it, 3 years from now, I'll either own my own country or be lying dead in a dumpster in Belarus. Maybe we can revisit my bountiful choices then. Until then, all I really have are the three practical pieces of advice that got me THIS far.

Make what you wanna make and do it because YOU want to. I can't emphasize this enough, if not making money off game design is a dealbreaker for you starting, then steer clear from it. Like say, the indie animation field, it's a lot of work for comparatively little payoff and what becomes successful and what doesn't is largely random in the end. But, if you love it, the work's its own reward. Game design will be torture if you're watching your numbers constantly, bemoaning your lack of success as people discover you.

But, if your head is completely focused on your work itself and you know why you're doing this, you'll be okay. This point is specifically if you're looking for what I have, by the way. You could also just go to college and get a degree in game design, get a development job at a company, though that's very far removed from creating your own stories and characters and publishing them online for all to see, which is what I do.

Generally speaking, if you do wanna make a game, try to make a game that you can make more or less on your own. The one definite reason none of my work ever got publicly canned kinda suddenly (like a lot of big FNaF fangames from yesteryear that you can likely remember) is because when I decide what kind of game I want to make, I keep my own limitations in mind and avoid games that would require lots of essential team members. Remember: Each core position you add to your project is another position that will need to be filled if a team member walks, and 99% of the time I've seen a fangame project get canned, it was not long after somebody significant left, yet another vacancy opened up and the lead just gave up trying to pass the cursed project between collaborators. I'll give y'all a for instance here: I love working with Nathan Hanover (composer of Porkchop's Adventure or The Joy of Creation story mode), but if Nathan declared me a villainous fiend and declared I couldn't use any of their music again… I have (albeit depressing) royalty free options. Granted, those tracks wouldn't be even a fraction as good as what Nathan makes, but the sudden split wouldn't cancel any project I was working on with them. I'm sure it sounds kinda callous to say "Don't make big games that you can't complete without the help of others", but I'll put it this way… If you spent months working on something, pouring your all into it, do you really want to hand someone else the power to decide whether or not your game gets finished? I've seen this first-hand and it's heartbreaking. Hell, I've seen this RECENTLY. Also important: No developer releases their magnum opus first, and the key to maybe getting there is getting started. Small releases can help you get a few games out there.

Determination. You really can't do jack shit without it. Some parts of game development royally SUCK. It takes forever and in the end… … …BUT, if you can persevere, good gravy, you've got an immensely time consuming and sometimes very rewarding hobby.

And that's it. I have no better advice to give you, 'cause if I had THAT, well, I'd be first in line to test it!

Alright, that's it, those are my answers! I hope these answers sufficed and whatnot. Obvious shill now: you can get my latest game, Dialtown: Phone Dating Sim on Steam riiiight over here. Buy it for yourself, or like, a friend, if you hate them. Come on dooown…….. *bares teeth like stressed chimpanzee*

#dialtown #directdoggo #interview #archive #dayshift at freddy's #dsaf

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darklydeliciousdesires · 8 months ago

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Sanguine Storm - A Vampire!Niklas Kvarforth/Reader One Shot Story.

I wrote a follow up to Interview with the Vampire (which you can find here) Enjoy!

Words - 6,654

Warnings - Adult content and smut below the cut, minors DNI!

You’re used to travelling with your job, flying all over the world to interview musicians. The journey you have taken on this trip though is to conduct a meeting with somebody entirely different; the world authority, she coins herself. On all things vampire.

It took time and many deep dive searches through the dark web, a place you were not altogether comfortable with visiting, before you found her. God, the sights you saw prior to finding Erzsébet Zrinski. Vampire’s might not be public knowledge, but they thrive openly within the darkest corner of the internet. Vampire porn? You got it, although it costs a fortune. Vampire sex worker services? Yep, you can find those, too, again the price steep.

By comparison, Erzsébet’s knowledge comes at a very pocket-friendly sum. You just wish she accepted meetings via Zoom, but alas she will only impart her knowledge on a face-to-face basis, to protect herself in case she is ever secretly recorded. “The vampires, they would come for me, should they definitely know what I reveal about them.”

Testament to this is the steep security she surrounds her modest home with, one located at the very end of a main drag of housing in the city of Szeged. Well, it’s steep if you’re a vampire, with the garlic plants growing all around in window boxes, and the window frames themselves fashioned from silver.

“Ahh, (Y/N),” she speaks friendlily upon opening her door, eyes scanning the street with caution, pulling a silver coin from her pocket. “Your hand, before I welcome you into my home.”

Holding it out, she presses it into your skin, waiting. Of course, if you were a vampire, your flesh would smoulder instantly. “You pass the test, but I must pat you down and check your bag for recording equipment before we proceed.” One quick pat down and bag check satisfy her, the elder middle-aged woman reassured even further when she sees you switch your phone off completely, thus earning her trust.

Following her in, she steers you toward the table within her kitchen, the hearth crackling, a couple of cats and a long-haired terrier dog warming themselves in front of it. They appreciate the little scratches you offer to their heads before you sit down. Once furnished with tea, she joins you.

“Now, dear. You are having difficulties with a vampire?”

That’s putting it mildly. “I am, yes. Well, I think I am, but I’m not so sure.” Taking a breath, you begin your tale. “I met him a few months ago, and ever since then I keep thinking I see him. I’ll be walking along and suddenly be able to pick his face out amongst a group of people, but in the next second, he vanishes.”

“They do indeed move quickly, dear,” she speaks. “Surely, you already knew that?”

“Of course, but we live in different countries. Over a few thousand miles apart.”

She sips her tea with a little wink. “A vampire can move a thousand miles in mere minutes. The older they are, the quicker they move and the stronger they are, too. Do you know his age?”

“Five, in vampire years.” That’s about when you can pin him down to being turned, somewhere around the 2019 time, when Shining ceased playing festivals in the daytime and Niklas’s presence became a lot more reclusive, too. “It isn’t just that, though,” you continue, wringing your hands a few times. “He’s in my head. I hear his voice, I dream about him and it’s like he’s really there with me. He’s taunting me and I don’t know how to make him stop!”

At seeing your anguish, Erzsébet reaches to pat your hand. “You drank some of his blood when you were with him, didn’t you?”

A strange question to pose, you think. “I erm, I did, yes.”

She hisses a wince, shaking her head as she closes her eyes. “Oh, darling girl. You shouldn’t have done that.”

In truth, you needed to in order to keep up with him. Human flesh is much weaker than immortal, and being flung around a bedroom by a big, horny vampire? It takes its toll on the body, and their blood is healing when imbibed by a human. After the first two hours, you felt like you’d been sandblasted between your legs. “I erm, I needed to, because of what we were doing at the time and ..."

Her nod is deep, humming knowingly. “I know all about that, dear.” She then whistles, low and lewd, her eyes narrowing a little. “Vigorous isn’t quite enough to describe, is it?”

No. It would be fair to say that it isn’t. A hail of goose pimples pepper your skin at remembering it, being with him. It was like a thousand tiny lights shone to brilliance all over your body, heart thundering like a war drum, bitten, spanked, mauled, fucked in every position you could ever imagine – and some you never had before – his growls of desire in your ears, the feel of fangs grazing your skin, the taste of your own blood on his mouth. Him. He might have been dead, but while you were with him, you’d never felt more alive.

While it was your body that called out to him, he now does the same to you, infiltrating your thoughts, haunting your dreams. Calling. Calling you endlessly.

“Dear, you have a link with him now. His showing up like that? It's truly him, you are not losing your mind. He drank your blood, didn’t he?" Your nod confirms. The woman feels for you, she truly does. Because they’re so largely unbelieved and unknown to society, she doesn’t blame you an ounce for having no clue over how to deal with them. Especially when they become bothersome. “He’ll be able to find his way to you because of that, a bond that is fortified even deeper by his blood also being within you.”

“For how long?” you sigh, hearing the desperation in your voice fully for the first time.

“Six months, give or take.” Her mouth thins at your eye roll. “Expect this to last until then, when it’ll begin to weaken and he won’t be able to get inside your mind any longer, or know exactly where you are.”

Shaking your head, you bite your lip, your insides sagging hard with dejection. “How does he even do it, though? How does it work?”

“It’s the magic in them. Nobody is quite sure how, but it’s that little bit of magic there that makes them what they are. His blood being within your veins gives him a very direct link to you, meaning he can transmit thoughts and visions. They use it to manipulate people primarily, play with them on an emotional level.

“If he’s proficient enough to do this as you sleep, then I draw the natural conclusion he was created by an ancient. Young vampires, they don’t have the skill, but if the one who made them is much older in years, then it is possible. That old blood makes them unbelievably powerful, even though in the grand scheme of things, he’s still just a baby at five.”

Manipulation and emotional mind games. How very on brand for Niklas.

Taking a sip of your tea, the warm liquid does little to comfort. “I can’t fucking stop thinking about him, Erzsébet. Which is exactly what he wants.” Closing your eyes, you see yourself there atop him, his fangs sunk deep into your neck, his arms clasping you to him as you howl in absolute ecstasy. “I try, but he’s too strong. Too alluring. Too damned charming and handsome for his own good.”

“I don’t blame you, sweet girl,” she smiles, patting your hand again. “Deadly they may be, but god above, they are beautiful creatures. That allure, it’s near impossible to fight. Especially if he doesn’t want you to. Especially if you know what it is to lie with a vampire, and of course, you do. No mortal can compare to them.”

Indeed not. The way he touched you, fucked you, it’s forever etched into your memory. No human man can ever hope to compare to Niklas. And yes, you do hate him a little for it, too. In fact, not even a little. A lot. You hate him because you still want him, because he’s worming his way in, for no other reason than the simple fact that he can.

You remain there in the warmth of Erzsébet’s charming little house for a few more hours, leaning from her expertise, her wealth of knowledge. She feeds you a warming bowl of paprikash and gives you a little wine too, of which you are grateful, paying her for her time and leaving. You depart feeling more knowledgeable, but certainly no better about your predicament.

The walk back to your hotel isn’t too long, the night warm enough still to enjoy the slow stroll, gazing upon the beauty that are the old buildings of the city. Stunning and looming, they offer a beautiful contrast to the newer, your eyes picking out the details of an architectural artform long abandoned for polished and shiny. Viewing one old building, you pause for a second, marvelling at the detail in each of the gargoyles. A wolf head, a man with his mouth open, the guttering overflow water leaking from it, a horse, Niklas, a dragon...

Your head snaps back, blinking, seeing the spot he was sitting upon now empty, your hand delving into your pocket to clench tightly around the thick, silver chain you’ve taken to carrying with you everywhere. With your heart racing, you hurry through the streets, feeling a little safer when you pass a long row of bars and restaurants that lead down to the corner your hotel is located upon.

There he is again in the crowd of people outside. In a blink, he disappears.

Racing down to the hotel, you can feel him at your back, your shoulders tingling unpleasantly, the weight of his stare making you feel like your body is sinking beneath it, rushing for the door and heading inside. Truly, you’re no safer there really, with it being a public dwelling, meaning he can simply walk in after you. If it was your own home, he would need your permission before he could cross the threshold, so Erzsébet revealed.

Why the fascination with you, you wonder? Surely, he must have a whole host of people he can do this to, ones located much nearer to home for him. Then again, travelling a few thousand miles, just like Erzsébet said, is truly not tasking for him at all. Still, though. Why you? Why not any of the regulars he likely feeds upon? According to her, vampires do develop a preferred blood source and become quite choosy thereafter.

It’s all very secret society-esque, how they attain their life source. In every city and town across the world, there are select groups of people who know of their existence, and will allow the undead to feed on them. To know them, you have to look for the mark, a symbol of a small, two-headed bat. Some wear it upon jewellery, others have it tattooed, but willing donors always bear the slightly altered sigil synonymous with vampires somewhere upon their person.

It still puzzles you, that you are not one of these people, and yet he revealed what he was to you.

That reason, he keeps to himself, standing atop a tall building as he watches you walk through the foyer of the hotel. He knew it would begin to eat you alive, knowing what he is and not being able to broadcast it, to attain the kind of interview you’d truly like to, reveal what he is to the world with his permission to do so. Of which, he’d obviously never grant. Nothing irritates a journalist more than knowing they have to keep a secret, and that is precisely why he told you.

Sitting down on the ledge, he closes his eyes, the dark void within him calling out to the blood that pumps through your heart, the body it came from causing it to flare as he smiles, imagining himself with you. He feels your heartbeat escalating as he beams that image into your head, his smirk growing. Meanwhile, you’re gripping onto the elevator rail, your breathing ragged, trying to block him out, his haunting, rumbling laughter filling your ears.

Opening his eyes again, he looks at the hotel one last time before standing, stepping clean off the eighty foot building and landing neatly upon the ground below, vanishing once more into the night.

You arrive home two days later, your flight landing at 11pm, an expensive Uber ride ferrying you across the city to your home. Once there, the need to simply fall into bed is overridden by your desire for a little organisation, to settle comfortably after pulling out your clothes and throwing them into the washing machine. Besides, you actually slept for a couple of hours during your flight.

Once showered and comfortable in an oversized sweatshirt and comfy little shorts, you make yourself a sandwich, not overly hungry, cutting it up into smaller triangles and pouring yourself a glass of wine. It’s a 2018 Tefethen Family Vineyards Merlot; the very same one he bought for you, the one you’ve developed quite the taste for. You suppose too, it serves as a reminder of the night. Although admitting that doesn’t come easily.

With every sip, you’re transported back to that private room within the bar, remembering the charm and wit of the man, the hilarity of his stories, how immovable his ‘couldn’t give a single fuck’ nature was. That and his intelligence, the breadth of his interests and knowledge, all of it wrapped up in something sinister and unnerving that you couldn’t quite place your finger on.

If only you’d known then what you do now, that you were interviewing a vampire.

“You know, you might succeed in getting him out of your head if you stopped fucking thinking about him,” you mutter, taking another bite of your food. “You’re only making it worse.”

Not even pure loathing of him can truly besmirch the memory. There is something so deeply arousing about fucking living death and surviving it. He could have killed you in a heartbeat, but he didn’t.

It isn’t like you’ve become lovestruck by him, absolutely not. Meeting an intelligent and fascinating musician isn’t uncommon for you, with the regularity it happens. Meeting a vampire, though, who soon afterwards took you to bed and gave you the best sex of your life? Entirely different. You still crave him beyond measure, and all the hate in the world will never dilute that longing.

You are, however, incensed that he probably knows that only too well.

Yes, the knowledge that you still desire him is likely what fuels his mind games. He has to have something to do for fun, you suppose, now that drugs are well and truly out of the equation for him. He could snort every single last gram of cocaine within Bolivia and not feel the effect, being that of course, he’s dead. You can’t help but smirk at that. Schadenfreude feels good when the subject is deserving.

He certainly revels in the very same, after all.

Once your sandwich is finished, you listlessly move to the sofa, switching on the TV and seeing there’s a new documentary on Netflix that takes your interest, pouring another glass of wine and settling in to watch. Tiredness has other plans, though.

It must do, for you have to be asleep when you experience your top being lifted and a cold set of lips pressing a kiss to your navel. After all, Niklas cannot enter your home unless you invite him.

Not again. For fuck’s sake, he’s relentless!

“Get off.” Opening your eyes, you see him smirking up at you. God, he’s so smug!

He places another kiss upon your abdomen, fingers clutching at your shorts. “We both know you don’t mean that, darling.”

“I’m not your darling,” you mutter, pushing at him with your feet.

He merely takes one, tickling your toes with his tongue. “You are when I’m balls deep in your pussy.”

Sighing, you sit up, pushing him away with your hands, his long form settling to the couch as he shakes his head. “Niklas, get out of my head. I know this isn’t real. Fuck off.”

“No, but it could be,” he speaks, kissing you slowly from your wrist down to your inner elbow, the seductive press of lips making your blood spark. “I’m outside of your home right now. Invite me in, and this becomes very real.”

Your reply is immediate, resolute. “I don’t want it to be, though.”

“Remember when I told you do not lie to me, because I will know?” Indeed, you do, becoming rapidly lost in the icy blue stare as he leans to you, nose touching yours. “I know that you lie. I feel that you lie. Blood never tells an untruth.”

He’s right, and you hate that he is, has this power over you, understands how to play you perfectly, your body the instrument he knows exactly how to handle in order to elicit the desired musicality. Tipping your head back, his lips ghost the column of your throat, just enough to feel you yearn for it, chuckling with a deep rasp. “Wake up, and give in.”

The press of his mouth evokes such a visceral jolt, you sit up on the sofa with a start, breathless, heart hammering, the tight pinch of arousal throbbing deep within. Flinging yourself to your feet, you still don’t know whether you’re going to invite him in and drag him to your bed by his neck, or scream at him for being so fucking insufferable when you get there. Suffice to say you’re stirred heavily in both directions as you yank the front door open, your eyes widening in surprise to be met by nothing.

Nothing other than the sound of haunting laughter coming from behind you.

Spinning around, you see him over on the small balcony that your lounge opens onto, waving with a sinisterly amused grin before his head tips back and he laughs more, riddled with mirth. The fucking bastard.

“Oh, so after all your protests, you do want me?”

The absolute nerve of him!

Silver. You need silver, because oh good lord, big, scary vampire or not, you shan’t take this lying down a moment longer. Storming through your apartment, you rip the drawer of the hallway cabinet open, your hands scattering papers, old postcards and other assorted junk out of the way, your fingers grasping exactly what you require before marching to the sliding door and hurling it open.

“Ooooh, she’s gonna get me!” he states mockingly, holding up his hands, eyes wide.

Raising the sharp letter opener, you hold it beneath his chin, his flesh beginning to sizzle as he stiffens momentarily. “Leave me alone and I won’t take great pleasure in ramming this upwards, before I tear it down and slice your throat open, you vile sack of dead flesh!”

He looks puzzled, cocking his head a little. “That’s a little rude, to say such things to the vampire who made you come, what was it, twenty times in three hours?”

“I mean it!” you snarl, pushing the point harder, watching his smile grow.

“Do it,” he encourages, leaning closer, his eyes flashing bright, revelling in it.

“I will! I’ll fucking end you out here!”

He curls his hands around your wrists, beginning to assist in that pushing. “Darling, did your little Hungarian friend not tell you? For silver to work effectively, it has to be solid, not plated. So no, you won’t end me.” Steering your hand upwards, the letter opener pierces him, Niklas laughing maniacally the further it tears through his flesh, his mouth filling with blood as the point of it exits to the side of his tongue.

You can only stare on in horror as his cold blood trickles over your fingers, his laughter growing, booming, your nerves setting your body to quiver as he sticks his tongue out and lets the blood flow onto the floor.

“Fuck, that got me hard,” he laughs, taking the letter opener and ripping from his jaw, dropping it onto the floor with a clatter as his wounds swiftly begin to heal. ��And now here you are, with no weapon, and no safety of being inside your home. Just you and me.” He leans close, tongue tickling your earlobe with a faint groan. “So, now what are you going to do?”

In truth, as your heart thunders so rapidly that you feel nauseous, you have no idea. He’s got you. You cannot return inside, because he’ll simply move rapidly enough to block your path, you can’t call out for help, because there’s nobody coming to save you here. You’re stuck, and the delight he experiences in knowing this plays all over his face.

“I... I... I...” Floundering is all you have, the shame of it pinking your cheeks, fear cording every muscle tightly.

“You... you... you...” he mocks, stroking a bloodied finger down your cheek. “This is too much fun! Aren’t you having fun?” Looming over you, he begins to walk, penning you against the wall bordering your balcony and the next, his finger sliding tantalisingly down to your neck. “I must be just as crazy as they say I am, because I’d still take you to bed and fuck you in a heartbeat, (Y/N). Even though you came out here to attack me, I would still show you a very, very good time.”

You gulp, transfixed by the intensity of his eyes, your bottom lip beginning to quiver as he leans even nearer to you, lips ghosting your neck before his tongue flickers against your pulse point.

“Give up and invite me in.”

“No.”

“Oh, she found her voice,” he whispers, beginning to scatter kisses, his hands clutching your hips gently. “Tell me you want me.”

“I don’t!”

“You still lie to me, little human.” More kisses, his thumbs stroking, skimming the top of your shorts, heat beginning to crackle beneath your skin. “Tell me you want me.”

And god, how you do. How you hate him for it, the juxtapose clashing angrily within you, his arms slipping around your waist as he presses his body into yours, melding himself with you, those kisses against your neck gaining in intensity. He wasn’t lying either, when he said he’d gotten hard.

“Tell me you want me.”

Again, that demand is spoken, followed by a faint, aroused groan, knowing he’s eroding away at your resolve. You can feel it happening, brick by brick, your will not to succumb to him crumbling like an ancient tower, your hands moving to smooth down his wide chest. Fuck, he feels good beneath your touch.

You know you’re the instigator of your own downfall, but you can’t help it. “I want you.”

His mouth lands upon yours, kissing you, a torrid blaze burning everything in its wake, knocked sideways by the force of him, the blinding allure. There it is, that feeling of a thousand tiny lights blinking into brilliance inside of you, your hands moving to his face, clutching, nails grazing his beard as your tongue rolls sensually with his.

Pulling away from the kiss, he looks down at you, a grin widening his mouth. “Maybe next time.”

He vanishes in a flash, leaving you there with your mouth agape, still trying to catch your breath as the fear and desire of it now mixes with sheer furious anger. It is not a particularly fitting alchemy.

“I fucking hate that vampire!”

Picking up the bloodied letter opener, you enter your apartment again, locking the door behind you and drawing he curtains, stirred by him so heavily you end up finishing that bottle of wine before you fall asleep, frowning into the darkness. Of course, he can feel your agitation, and it pleases him, which only means you fall asleep even angrier that night.

In the days that follow, you don’t experience too much disturbance from him, only what your own mind conjures, rapidly shaking your head as if to physically throw the memory of him from your mind whenever it enters your head. Life continues as normal, work keeping you busy, a few visits to the office breaking the monotony of the fact that since lockdown, most of the editorial staff for the magazine now work remotely.

You also have dinner plans with friends, very much looking forward to catching up with these loved ones, spending your Friday night enjoying their company over good wine and even better food, moving onto a bar afterwards. It’s late by the time you call it a night, trying to find an Uber but quickly realising you’d probably arrive home much sooner if you walked. It’s only thirty-five minutes on foot, give or take.

The built-up area of the city breaks free from the jungle of concrete, heading through the lesser dense areas but for safety’s sake, keeping to as much of the main roads as you can. There is, however, a route you must take beneath a large bridge, an elevated section of road where it is much safer to pass beneath than upon it, the traffic crazy even at that time of night.

“Hey, ‘scue me, sweetheart. Got any spare change?”

Turning, you see a man approach through the quiet gloom, one who obviously isn’t homeless, merely drunk and probably all spent out. “No, I don’t.”

Continuing to walk, you pick up the pace, knowing the man is staggering along after you.

“Looks like you have, nicely dressed woman like you,” he speaks, advancing on you. “Oi, don’t fucking ignore me! Wait, talk t’me. You’re pretty. Wanna take me home?”

“Fuck off.”

He isn’t fond of hearing that, making a grab for your arm. “Don’t be rude, babe! C’mere!”

“I said fuck off!” you shout, trying to pull yourself from his clutches, until with immediate effect you’re freed. Turning, you see the man pinned by his throat against the heavy bridge supports, Niklas growling low in his throat, that predatory rumble having its usual effect on you.

“Never touch her again.”

The man struggles, but cannot free himself of his grasp. “Who th’fuck are you and where d’ya come from?”

“Neither matter. Apologise to her.”

Again, he struggles, the grip around his neck tightening, Niklas lifting him from the floor one handed with staggering ease, the man’s eyes bulging wide. “Fuck off! Let me go!”

He raises his eyebrows, nodding in your direction. “She told you the same, and yet you didn’t. Why should I, hmm?”

“Because you’re a fucking psycho!”

That rouses a wide grin. “Correct.” He then makes a beckoning motion with his hand in your direction. Walking over, you stop reasonably close to him, Niklas physically turning the man’s head in your direction. “Apologise, and I will let you go.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

Oh, he’s having too much fun, playing with him. At least it isn’t you for a change. “For grabbing you.”

Niklas turns to you, raising his eyebrows. “Happy?”

“I suppose,” you nod, folding your arms.

“See?” he grins at the man. “That’s all you had to do.” With one swift movement, the man is hurled through the air like a human javelin, coming to a thudded half against one of the other support pillars about ten feet away, grunting when he hits the ground. Niklas then turns to you, extending his hand.

“Come on, let’s get you home.” You look between him and the hand a few times, your hesitation earning an eye roll. “I can be gentlemanly when I want to be, (Y/N). Let me walk you home.”

“Fine,” you pout, “but I’m not holding your hand. I know your reasons for helping me weren’t borne of any benevolence.”

A single eyebrow arches high. “Then tell me, what were they borne of?”

“I desire to get between my legs, changing tactics since you know being a shit about it doesn’t sway me.”

He hums a chuckle as you begin to walk, pressing a hand to your shoulder. “But it does, though. It worked last time, didn’t it?” He’s got you there. Bastard. “I can be quite a decent vampire when I set my mind to it. Women like you shouldn’t have to suffer nuisances like him.”

“No,” you scoff, looking up at your undead companion, “I only have to suffer the nuisance currently at my side.” He laughs, and you walk together silently for a few seconds, before the question you’ve had burning away on the tip of your tongue finally flutters out. “Why me?”

“Why not you?”

Of course, he’s going to be difficult about it. “You must have a slew of other women you can call upon for sex. Why me? Why play the games?”

“Not just women,” he corrects with a wink. No, you wouldn’t put that past him at all; to confirm he’d fuck anything with a pulse. “Because you are interesting. You’re also an amazing fuck, and my fucking dark lord below... that ass. I could chip a fang on that ass.”

“You know, leading with that would have made you way less irritating to me than you have been,” you quip, crossing the road, noting the way he touches a protective hand to your lower back. This Niklas, he’s much more in line with how he was when you interviewed him, and you hate that you like it so much.

“I could have, you’re right,” he begins, smirking. “Where would the fun be in that, though?”

“It isn’t much fun for me.”

“It isn’t supposed to be, but it is for me.”

He’s so fucking insufferable! “Menace.”

“Hmm, I've been called much worse. I’ll take that.” Looking down at you, he witnesses you trying desperately not to find the humour in that, giving you a soft dig with his elbow. “Come on, crack your face. You know you want to. Plus, you have a pretty smile.”

Oh, fuck him. Fucking fuck him all the way to hell, the corners of your mouth turning up.

“That’s a fucking grimace. You look constipated.”

The snort of laughter his words pull from you cannot be contained, and yes, beneath it you’re furious with him for it. Yourself, too, for weakening your resolve. “See? Much better,” he speaks, turning his gaze from you up towards the sky. “There’s a storm on the way. The thunder is rumbling.”

“I didn’t hear anything,” you speak.

“Your ears wouldn’t have picked up on it. It’s a way off. Look at the clouds, it’ll be here soon.” Reaching for you, he lifts you into his arms. “Hold on tightly.”

You do, experiencing the feeling of what it must be like to get shot out of a canon, a total of three seconds passing before he’s placing you back upon your feet at your front door.

“There, your vampire delivery service has successfully deposited the cargo at its correct address,” he begins, reaching to run his fingers in a circle at the side of your neck. “I’ve behaved myself. Do I get to be invited in, so I can change that?”

The wink he accompanies those words with makes your heart skip on a couple of beats, your resolve once again weakening. If only he wasn’t so fucking hot. If only he wasn’t the best sex of your life. If only he wasn’t a temperamental, head-fucking, yet staggeringly charismatic vampire. You might have stood a chance.

When his mouth locks upon yours, that tentative resolve fractures to pieces.

“Come in.” you speak between kisses, wondering if this will be a decision you’ll come to regret once you’re no longer blinded by feral desire. Or rather, once he reverts to the more nefarious side of his nature. You’re half herded, half dragging him along, discarded clothes forming a trail through your apartment, Niklas lifting you, fingers dug hard into your thighs.

Your back hits the wall, his mouth devouring yours, practically eating your face with the hunger coursing through him. It knocks the breath from you, the feel of his icy skin pressed tight against your warmth a sensation you never thought you’d come to crave, yet experiencing it again makes you realise just how much you longed for it.

The route to your bedroom is recommenced, Niklas kicking the door open, the entanglement of you and him hitting the mattress with a thud. It’s wildly carnivorous, kisses virtually ripped from your lips, his mouth descending, pressing against your throat like brandings searing hot, preceding the true burn, his fangs popping out.

You cling tight to him as the bite locks onto you like a wolf devouring its kill, the thrill of it sending goose pimples charging across your skin like a herd of wild horses. The sensation of him feeding upon you feels like a thousand thunderstorms striking beneath your skin, blindingly erotic, more so than anyone could comprehend without experiencing it.

His is a touch that casts silent, wordless spells upon your body, knowing it in a way you’re not even sure you do, mouth descending to settle at your apex, closing over your slit and sucking with a hungry grunt of satisfaction. Cool licks meet the heat of your petals, his fingers digging into the soft of your thighs hard, leaving red crescents upon your skin as your hips shudder against his mouth.

It’s as if smouldering embers replace the vertebrae of your spine, glowing one by one as his tongue circles in slow firmness to begin with, speeding up, faster, faster... oh, fuck. The rapidity has you clutching the sides of his shaven head, his skin temporarily clawed red by the drag of your nails, your muscles tensing from the duality of it being too much, but somehow not enough.

Your first orgasm hits you like the storm that’s beginning to swirl overhead, bolts of light cracking the sky as rain patters against the windowpanes, your body shivering, the mouth between your legs granting no clemency. He continues, devouring you like a man half starved, hands trawling your curves to settle upon your breasts, groaning against your folds as his tongue laves at you firmly.

“Niklas, you need to stop,” you pant, watching him suck on you firmly, shaking his head.

“I’m happy where I am.”

“But you can’t fuck my mouth while you’re down there.”

Oh, that caught his attention. His grin widens, deeply sinister but sexy as hell, a rumbling chuckle filling the room. “Dirty girl. I like it, but later. First, I will ruin you.”

Standard with him, really, his mouth reconnecting once more.

The wet drag of each lick languidly rolls through your slit, up to your clit again, circling, nudging, glimmers skittering through you when he aims his next suck right there. Your little bud is sucked plumper before being bathed in the fast beating of his tongue. Fast… faster… faster… oh… how is he real?

Your body arches off the bed, toes curling, an orb of fire rolling through your groin before boom, it explodes, your legs wrapping around his head, feeling your clit throbbing against his tongue. He truly meant it when he stated that he’d ruin you, because once again, he doesn’t cease. With an aroused moan, he closes his mouth around you, hands continuing to stroke your curves, holding you still when your hips begin to purl against his face.

There’s no other way to explain it, he has you lost in pleasure, unmoored, adrift on the wide, dark sea that is the vampire between your legs, your body quivering as the hum of your energy mingling with his flows unabatingly. He has you cresting a third time before moving to kneel before you, drawing your legs up over his shoulders, sinking every last inch of his thick cock into your heat, transfixing, a shudder of excitement ripping his tattooed form.

The way vampires move, it’s so different to humans, something hypnotic that you truly can’t describe, but will never tire of seeing, experiencing as he roots himself in the plush of your cunt again and again.

Otherworldly is perhaps the best way you could coin it, just like him, coupled with the noises he makes, that guttural growl that’s far from human, a beastly rumble that never fails to set your insides to blaze. You hiss at the ebullience of it, nails raking his chest, his cock snagging against the tight clutch of you.

He’s heavy and wide within you, wracked by muscles cording, jumping under goose pimpled flesh. He speeds up, spearing you deeply, the flex of your heat around him making pleasure tumble through his deadness, sparking light through the dark of him. His body falls to yours, gripping your hips hard, another flash of lightning illuminating the room, his tongue running up your throat as he groans eerily, biting your earlobe.

Grasping your jaw, he turns your head with a swift jerk, something seeming to soften in him for just a fraction of a second when he kisses you.

“You...” he begins, hand moving to clutch your throat, “are perhaps the most beautiful woman I have been with in a long time.”

High praise, coming from a vampire who likely has an entire harem on standby. That little display of tenderness goes just as quickly as it came, though, Niklas pulling you up so you’re sat astride him, one hand remaining in a tight clasp upon your throat, the other beginning to lay rapid, hard spanks to your bum.

He fucks up into you with brutal force, your own hips rutting against his in a roll so deliciously serpentine, you have him feeling mindless at the way you fuck him back. The pleasure is biting and powerful, like a summer tempest winding tight, rolling over you both without pause in a ceaseless continuation, gaining the same heavy momentum as the storm that rages on outside.

Except what you and Niklas share that night far outlasts the thunder storm, your body once again ravaged beyond comprehension, until you’re tired and sore, finally coming to rest at somewhere close to 2am. Unlike last time, though, he doesn’t leave right away. It’s almost alien to you, lying there atop his body, feeling his fingers stroke swirls up and down your spine as you recover.

Turning you onto your side as your eyes grow heavy, he stares at you for a long moment, his fingertip stroking just above your eyebrow. You blink, and it’s in that moment he vanishes, something in you expecting he’d leave wordlessly just like the last time. It’s his nature not to hang around.

In the days that follow, you wait for his mind games to resume, his presence to come crashing into your dreams, but to your surprise, it never happens. Three months pass and the link to him through your blood fades to nothing at all, life continuing like he never came into it.

Exiting your apartment one morning a further month along from then, you almost kick over the bottle that’s been placed outside your door, bending to pick it up. Tefethen Family Vineyards Merlot; 2018, with a note attached.

‘It would be unfair for you to return to the bore of a human lover now you’ve had me. If you want me again, call the number below. If I can, I will be there before you’ve even hung up. If not, then you are plainly stupid and have no idea what is good for you.

You aren’t stupid though, are you?

N.’

No, you’re definitely not. Still, though, you make him wait a further month before calling.

#niklas kvarforth #niklas kvarforth fanfiction #shining #shining band #black metal

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mariacallous · 4 months ago

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Grindr’s AI wingman, currently in beta testing with around 10,000 users, arrives at a pivotal moment for the software company. With its iconic notification chirp and ominous mask logo, the app is known culturally as a digital bathhouse for gay and bisexual men to swap nudes and meet with nearby users for sex, but Grindr CEO George Arison sees the addition of a generative AI assistant and machine intelligence tools as an opportunity for expansion.

“This is not just a hookup product anymore,” he says. “There's obviously no question that it started out as a hookup product, but the fact that it's become a lot more over time is something people don't fully appreciate.” Grindr’s product road map for 2025 spotlights multiple AI features aimed at current power users, like chat summaries, as well as dating and travel-focused tools.

Whether users want them or not, it’s all part of a continuing barrage of AI features being added by developers to most dating apps, from Hinge deciding whether profile answers are a slog using AI, to Tinder soon rolling out AI-powered matches. Wanting to better understand how AI fits into Grindr's future, I experimented with a beta version of Grindr's AI wingman for this hands-on report.

First Impressions of Grindr’s AI Wingman

In interviews over the past few months, Arison has laid out a consistent vision for Grindr’s AI wingman as the ultimate dating tool—a digital helper that can write witty responses for users as they chat with matches, help pick guys worth messaging, and even plan the perfect night out.

“It's been surprisingly flirtatious,” he says about the chatbot. “Which is good.”

Once enabled, the AI wingman appeared as another faceless Grindr profile in my message inbox. Despite grand visions for the tool, the current iteration I tested was a simple, text-only chatbot tuned for queer audiences.

First, I wanted to test the chatbot’s limits. Unlike the more prudish outputs from OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, Grindr’s AI wingman was willing to be direct. I asked it to share fisting tips for beginners, and after stating that fisting is not for newcomers, the AI wingman encouraged me to start slow, use tons of lube, explore smaller toys first, and always have a safe word ready to go. “Most importantly, do your research and maybe chat with experienced folks in the community,” the bot said. ChatGPT flagged similar questions as going against its guidelines, and Claude refused to even broach the subject.

Although the wingman was down to talk through other kinks—like watersports and pup play—with a focus on education, the app rebuked my advances for any kind of erotic role-play. “How about we keep things playful but PG-13?” said Grindr’s AI wingman. “I’d be happy to chat about dating tips, flirting strategies, or fun ways to spice up your profile instead.” The bot also refused to explore kinks based on race or religion, warning me that these are likely harmful forms of fetishization.

Processing data through Amazon Web Service’s Bedrock system, the chatbot does include some details scraped from the web, but it can’t go out and find new information in real time. Since the current version doesn't actively search the internet for answers, the wingman provided more general advice than specifics when asked to plan a date for me in San Francisco. “How about checking out a local queer-owned restaurant or bar?” it said. “Or maybe plan a picnic in a park and people-watch together?” Pressed for specifics, the AI wingman did name a few relevant locations for date nights in the city but couldn’t provide operating hours. In this instance, posing a similar question to ChatGPT produced a better date night itinerary, thanks to that chatbot’s ability to search the open web.

Despite my lingering skepticism about the wingman tool potentially being more of an AI fad than the actual future of dating, I do see immediate value in a chatbot that can help users come to terms with their sexuality and start the coming out process. Many Grindr users, including myself, become users of the app before telling anyone about their desires, and a kind, encouraging chatbot would have been more helpful to me than the “Am I Gay?” quiz I resorted to as a teenager.

Out With the Bugs, In With the AI

When he took the top job at Grindr before the company’s public listing in 2022, Arison prioritized zapping bugs and fixing app glitches over new feature releases. “We got a lot of bugs out of the way last year,” he says. “Until now, we didn't really have an opportunity to be able to build a lot of new features.”

Despite getting investors hot and bothered, it’s hard to tell how daily Grindr users will respond to this new injection of AI into the app. While some may embrace the suggested matches and the more personalized experience, generative AI is now more culturally polarizing than ever as people complain about its oversaturation, lack of usefulness, and invasion of privacy. Grindr users will be presented with the option to allow their sensitive data, such as the contents of their conversations and precise location, to be used to train the company’s AI tools. Users can go into their account’s privacy settings to opt out if they change their mind.

Arison is convinced in-app conversations reveal a more authentic version of users than what's filled out on any profile, and the next generation of recommendations will be stronger by focusing on that data. “It's one thing what you say in your profile,” he says. “But, it's another thing what you say in your messages—how real that might be.” Though on apps like Grindr, where the conversations often contain explicit, intimate details, some users will be uncomfortable with an AI model reading their private chats to learn more about them, choosing to avoid those features.

Potentially, one of the most helpful AI tools for overly active Grindr users who are open to their data being processed by AI models could be the chat summaries recapping recent interactions with some talking points thrown in to keep conversations going.

“It's really about reminding you what type of connection you might have had with this user, and what might be good topics that could be worth picking back up on,” says A. J. Balance, Grindr’s chief product officer.

Then there’s the model’s ability to highlight the profiles of users it thinks you’re most compatible with. Say you’ve matched with another user and chatted a bit, but that’s as far as things went in the app. Grindr’s AI model will be able to summarize details about that conversation and, using what it has learned about you both, highlight those profiles as part of an “A-List” and offer some ways to rekindle the connection, widening the door you’ve already opened.

“This ‘A-List’ product actually goes through your inbox with folks you've spoken with, pulls out the folks where you've had some good connections,” Balance says. “And it uses that summary to remind you why it could be good to pick back up the conversation.”

Slow Roll

As a gaybie, my first interactions on Grindr were liberating and constricting at the same time. It was the first time I saw casual racism, like “No fats. No fems. No Asians,” blasted across multiple online profiles. And even at my fittest, there always seemed to be some headless torso more in shape than me right around the corner and ready to mock my belly. Based on past experiences, AI features that could detect addiction to the app and encourage healthier habits and boundaries would be a welcome addition.

While Grindr’s other, AI-focused tools are planned for more immediate releases throughout this year, the app’s generative AI assistant isn’t projected to have a complete rollout until 2027. Arison doesn’t want to rush a full release to Grindr’s millions of global users. “These are also expensive products to run,” he says. “So, we want to be kind of careful with that as well.” Innovations in generative AI, like DeepSeek’s R1 model, may eventually reduce the cost to run it on the backend.

Will he be able to navigate adding these experimental, and sometimes controversial, AI tools to the app as part of a push to become more welcoming for users looking to find long-term relationships or queer travel advice, in addition to hookups? For now, Arison appears optimistic, albeit cautious. “We don't expect all of these things to take off,” he says. “Some of them will and some won't.”

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darkmaga-returns · 6 months ago

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Google has a “vision of a universal assistant,” but Mariner falls short. AI Agents are reputed to be the future of AI which autonomously “takes actions, adapts in real-time, and, solves multi-step problems based on context and objectives.” This is the technology that will destroy massive numbers of jobs in the future. ⁃ Patrick Wood, Editor.

Today, chatbots can answer questions, write poems and generate images. In the future, they could also autonomously perform tasks like online shopping and work with tools like spreadsheets.

Google on Wednesday unveiled a prototype of this technology, which artificial intelligence researchers call an A.I. agent.

Google is among the many tech companies building A.I. agents. Various A.I. start-ups, including OpenAI and Anthropic, have unveiled similar prototypes that can use software apps, websites and other online tools.

Google’s new prototype, called Mariner, is based on Gemini 2.0, which the company also unveiled on Wednesday. Gemini is the core technology that underpins many of the company’s A.I. products and research experiments. Versions of the system will power the company’s chatbot of the same name and A.I. Overviews, a Google search tool that directly answers user questions.

“We’re basically allowing users to type requests into their web browser and have Mariner take actions on their behalf,” Jaclyn Konzelmann, a Google project manager, said in an interview with The New York Times.

Gemini is what A.I researchers call a neural network — a mathematical system that can learn skills by analyzing enormous amounts of data. By recognizing patterns in articles and books culled from across the internet, for instance, a neural network can learn to generate text on its own.

The latest version of Gemini learns from a wide range of data, from text to images to sounds. That might include images showing how people use spreadsheets, shopping sites and other online services. Drawing on what Gemini has learned, Mariner can use similar services on behalf of computer users.

“It can understand that it needs to press a button to make something happen,” Demis Hassabis, who oversees Google’s core A.I. lab, said in an interview with The Times. “It can take action in the world.”

Mariner is designed to be used “with a human in the loop,” Ms. Konzelmann said. For instance, it can fill a virtual shopping cart with groceries if a user is in an active browser tab, but it will not actually buy the groceries. The user must make the purchase.

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codeonedigest · 2 years ago

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Amazon Simple Storage Service Tutorial | AWS S3 Bucket Explained with Example for Cloud Developer

Full Video Link https://youtube.com/shorts/7xbakEXjvHQ Hi, a new #video on #aws #simplestorageservice #s3bucket #cloudstorage is published on #codeonedigest #youtube channel. @java #java #awscloud @awscloud #aws @AWSCloudIndia #Cloud #

Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) is an object storage service that offers industry-leading scalability, data availability, security, and performance. Customers of all sizes and industries can use Amazon S3 to store and protect any amount of data. Amazon S3 provides management features so that you can optimize, organize, and configure access to your data to meet your specific business,…

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sarkariresultdude · 7 months ago

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Clerk Recruitment Results: See Who Made the Final Cut

The clerk recruitment result is an extensive milestone in the hiring process for clerical positions within various government agencies, public region undertakings, and private institutions. These positions, often taken into consideration access-stage however important to the smooth functioning of any organization, require candidates to illustrate proficiency in clerical duties consisting of statistics access, customer service, and administrative assistance. The recruitment system for clerks normally entails several tiers, together with written examinations, interviews, and report verification, accompanied with the aid of the statement of outcomes.

This article will discover the recruitment end-result procedure, its importance, and the method for candidates who've participated in clerk recruitment assessments.

The Clerk Recruitment Process

Clerk recruitment is a crucial method for businesses to find the proper candidates for administrative aid roles. These positions are commonplace in sectors like banking, government places of work, educational institutions, and corporate companies. The recruitment procedure typically follows several levels, each designed to assess the candidate's qualifications and capabilities.

Advertisement and Application

The system starts with the release of a notification or advertisement detailing the activity necessities, eligibility criteria, choice manner, and application technique. Candidates who meet the qualifications are invited to put up programs, which frequently require filling out a web form, submitting educational files, and paying an application fee.

Written Examination

Once the utility duration closes, eligible candidates are invited to sit for a written exam. This is the most critical section of the recruitment method. The exam generally includes more than one-desire questions (MCQs) that check the candidate’s know-how and flair in regions like:

General Knowledge

Quantitative Aptitude

Reasoning Ability

English Language and Comprehension

Computer Proficiency

In some cases, the exam may consist of questions about specific topics relying on the character of the process (for instance, banking or authorities clerks).

The written take a look at is commonly divided into sections, with each segment sporting an exact variety of marks. Candidates are required to reap a minimum qualifying score to continue to the following segment of the recruitment manner.

Interview and Document Verification

Candidates who perform properly in the written exam are shortlisted for the following phase, which frequently includes an interview and file verification. The interview is designed to assess the candidate’s communication skills, knowledge of the difficulty, and overall suitability for the process.

Document verification is a vital part of the recruitment system to make certain that the facts supplied by means of the candidate all through the utility are true and suit their educational and expert credentials.

Final Selection and Results Announcement

After the interview and report verification degrees, the final listing of decided candidates is ready. The effects are usually introduced online, on the legit website of the recruiting employer, and applicants are informed about their choice reputation.

Importance of the Clerk Recruitment Result

The assertion of the clerk recruitment end result is an eagerly awaited moment for both the candidates and the recruiting enterprise. This result no longer simply determines whether or not a candidate has been a hit in securing the activity but additionally displays the effectiveness of the recruitment system as an entire.

Reflects Candidate’s Performance

The recruitment end result serves as a clear indicator of the candidate’s overall performance in the numerous tiers of the recruitment process. It highlights whether or not the candidate has met the required requirements, passed all necessary assessments, and verified the preferred abilities and expertise.

Career Opportunities

For candidates, the end result is a gateway to a profession in a reputed corporation, frequently providing job safety, a consistent income, and development opportunities. Clerical jobs can act as stepping stones to better positions inside the employer, as they offer treasured work enjoyment.

Transparency and Fairness

The end result statement, frequently accompanied with the aid of a merit listing or scorecard, is a crucial demonstration of transparency in the recruitment method. This ensures that all candidates were dealt with pretty and that the choice has been primarily based on benefit, minimizing the probability of favoritism or bias.

Acknowledging Effort

The consequences offer applicants the comments they want to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Those who are selected can celebrate their difficult work, whilst those who were unsuccessful can perceive areas wherein they could improve and better put together for future possibilities.

Post-Result Procedures

Once the clerk recruitment result is introduced, numerous crucial methods comply with the selected applicants.

Joining Process

Candidates who've been correctly selected are given a joining letter or provide a letter with the aid of the recruiting employer. This letter includes exact records about the task role, becoming a member of date, earnings package deal, and different phrases and conditions of employment. Candidates are required to document at the given date and go through an induction system to familiarize themselves with the job duties and place of job guidelines.

Training Programs

Newly recruited clerks are frequently required to undergo schooling programs to equip them with the abilities necessary to perform their obligations efficaciously. This training may cover subjects consisting of workplace management, customer service, and the use of office software like Microsoft Office or specialized gear used in the organization.

Posting and Assignment

After schooling, clerks are assigned specific duties based totally on the company’s needs. In some instances, clerks may be published to distinctive places or departments depending on the structure of the corporation.

Unsuccessful Candidates and Re-Evaluation

For candidates who have no longer decided, the result can be disappointing, however, it's miles crucial to view it as a possibility for a self-mirrored image and growth. Unsuccessful applicants can request a re-evaluation of their examination papers or try to find feedback on their interview performance if the company permits it.

Many recruitment companies additionally launch cut-off marks or minimum qualifying scores, that may help candidates understand where they fell short. Candidates can then focus on improving their competencies for future recruitment cycles. Additionally, many candidates pick to appear for more than one clerical test in exclusive agencies, as clerical positions are in call for throughout numerous sectors.

#clerk recruitment result

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years ago

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This day in history

I’m kickstarting the audiobook for “The Internet Con: How To Seize the Means of Computation,” a Big Tech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It’s a DRM-free book, which means Audible won’t carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:

http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org

#15yrsago Interview with the Chicago Tribune https://web.archive.org/web/20080811084607/http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/2008/08/a-long-but-stil.html

#15yrsago Knitting all of Mario level one into a giant scarf https://themarioscarf.blogspot.com

#15yrsago Animatronic waterboarding exhibit at Coney Island https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/arts/design/06wate.html

#10yrsago Judge who accepted private-prison bribes to send black kids to jail sentenced to 28 years https://rollingout.com/2013/07/30/judge-must-serve-28-years-after-making-2-million-for-sending-children-to-jail/

#15yrsago The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away — story about geek monasteries for smart people who don’t fit in https://www.tor.com/2008/08/06/weak-and-strange/

#10yrsago Civil Forfeiture: America’s daylight robbery, courtesy of the War on Drugs https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/08/12/taken

#10yrsago US Senate IP address linked to Snowden Wikipedia change from “dissident” to “traitor” https://www.techdirt.com/2013/08/05/someone-using-us-senate-ip-address-edits-wiki-entry-to-change-ed-snowden-dissident-to-traitor/

#10yrsago Jeff Bezos’s letter to the WashPo staff https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/jeff-bezos-on-post-purchase/2013/08/05/e5b293de-fe0d-11e2-9711-3708310f6f4d_story.html

#10yrsago Why writers should stand up for libraries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vArSULK9Zzk

#10yrsago Ethical questions for security experts https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UfOxCIIlcU-iRcUeA6p6fyEE4qUbSuFMqmSuWjRsL_4/edit?forcehl=1&hl=en#slide=id.p

#5yrsago Facebook to banks: give us our users’ financial data and we’ll let them bank with Facebook https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-to-banks-give-us-your-data-well-give-you-our-users-1533564049

#5yrsago Betsy DeVos’s summer monstrosity is pure McMansion Hell https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/8/6/17654434/betsy-devos-yacht-mcmansion-hell

#5yrsago Consumer Reports now evaluates products’ security and privacy https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-payments/mobile-p2p-payment-services-review/

#5yrsago Germany’s top domestic spy advised far right xenophobic political party on how to avoid being billed as “extremists” https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/04/germ-a04.html

#5yrsago On the cruelty of ankle-monitors https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-ankle-monitors-are-another-kind-of-jail/

Back my anti-enshittification Kickstarter here!

#pluralistic

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datasciencewithpythonemexo · 9 months ago

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Spring Boot Interview Questions: Prepare for Success

Spring Boot has become one of the most popular frameworks in the Java ecosystem, streamlining robust and scalable web application development. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just getting started, acing a Spring Boot interview can be a significant milestone in your career. To help you prepare effectively, here are the latest Spring Boot interview questions that will test your knowledge and give you a deeper understanding of how the framework works. These questions will be beneficial if you're pursuing a Spring Boot Certification Training Course at eMexo Technologies, in Electronic City Bangalore.

1. What is Spring Boot, and how is it different from Spring Framework?

This is a fundamental question that often appears in Spring Boot interviews. Spring Boot is an extension of the Spring Framework to simplify the development process. It eliminates the need for extensive XML configuration and provides default configurations to facilitate rapid application development. Spring Framework requires developers to configure components manually, while Spring Boot auto-configures them.

By understanding this, you can highlight how Spring Boot training in Electronic City Bangalore at eMexo Technologies helps developers focus more on writing business logic rather than dealing with complex configurations.

2. What are the main features of Spring Boot?

Spring Boot stands out due to several features:

Auto-Configuration: Automatically configures your application based on the libraries on the classpath.

Embedded Servers: It allows the deployment of web applications on embedded servers like Tomcat, Jetty, and Undertow.

Spring Boot Starters: Pre-configured templates that simplify dependency management.

Spring Boot CLI: A command-line interface that allows you to develop Spring applications quickly.

Actuator: Monitors and manages application performance.

These features make Spring Boot an attractive option for developers, which is why the best Spring Boot training institute in Electronic City Bangalore emphasizes hands-on experience with these functionalities.

3. What is the role of @SpringBootApplication in Spring Boot?

The @SpringBootApplication annotation is a core part of Spring Boot, often referred to as the ‘meta-annotation.’ It is a combination of three annotations:

@Configuration: Marks the class as a configuration class for Spring Beans.

@EnableAutoConfiguration: Enables Spring Boot’s auto-configuration feature.

@ComponentScan: Scans the components within the specified package.

This annotation is crucial to understanding Spring Boot’s internal architecture and its ability to simplify configuration.

4. What is Spring Boot Starter, and how is it useful?

A Spring Boot Starter is a set of pre-configured dependencies that simplify the inclusion of libraries in your project. For instance, spring-boot-starter-web includes everything you need for web development, like Spring MVC, embedded Tomcat, and validation support.

Starters save a lot of time, as they eliminate the need to find and include individual dependencies manually. When studying at eMexo Technologies, you’ll get an in-depth look at the variety of Spring Boot Starters available and their importance in building scalable applications.

5. What is a Spring Boot Actuator, and how is it used?

Spring Boot Actuator provides production-ready features to help monitor and manage your Spring Boot application. It offers a wide array of tools like health checks, metrics, and auditing endpoints. The actuator allows you to easily monitor application performance, which is a crucial aspect of microservices-based applications.

6. What are Microservices, and how does Spring Boot help in building them?

Microservices are small, independent services that work together in a larger application. Each service is responsible for a specific business functionality and can be developed, deployed, and maintained independently. Spring Boot simplifies the development of microservices by providing tools like Spring Cloud and Spring Boot Actuator.

7. How does Spring Boot handle dependency injection?

Dependency Injection (DI) is a key feature of the Spring Framework, and Spring Boot uses it to manage object creation and relationships between objects automatically. In Spring Boot, DI is usually handled through annotations like @Autowired, @Component, and @Service.

8. How can you configure a Spring Boot application?

Spring Boot applications can be configured in multiple ways:

application.properties or application.yml files.

Using the @Configuration classes.

Via command-line arguments.

Environment variables.

9. What are profiles in Spring Boot, and how are they used?

Profiles in Spring Boot allow developers to create different configurations for different environments. For example, you can have one profile for development, one for testing, and one for production. You can specify which profile to use by setting it in the application.properties file or as a command-line argument.

10. What are the limitations of Spring Boot?

Despite its many benefits, Spring Boot has some limitations:

Lack of control over auto-configuration can sometimes lead to unexpected behaviors.

Increased memory usage due to embedded servers.

Limited flexibility in large-scale applications that require extensive custom configuration.

Addressing these limitations demonstrates that you have a well-rounded understanding of the framework and can make informed decisions about when and where to use it.

11. How does Spring Boot handle security?

Spring Boot simplifies security through Spring Security, which can be easily integrated into your application. By adding the spring-boot-starter-security dependency, you can configure authentication and authorization in a few lines of code. You can also customize login, registration, and session management features.

12. What is the role of the Spring Initializr in Spring Boot?

The Spring Initializr is an online tool used to generate Spring Boot projects. It allows developers to choose the dependencies and configuration options before downloading the skeleton code. This tool speeds up the initial setup phase, saving time and effort.

In conclusion, being well-prepared for Spring Boot interviews is crucial, especially in a competitive job market. Whether you're taking a Spring Boot course in Electronic City Bangalore or aiming for Spring Boot Certification Training, knowing these key concepts will give you the edge you need. At eMexo Technologies, you’ll receive hands-on training, not just theory, preparing you to answer interview questions and excel in your career confidently.

Join Now: https://www.emexotechnologies.com/

#springboot #tech education #certification course #career growth #career development #tech skills #learning #learn to code #software training #emexo technologies #bangalore #technology

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jcmarchi · 1 year ago

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Entrepreneur creates career pathways with MIT OpenCourseWare

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/entrepreneur-creates-career-pathways-with-mit-opencourseware/

Entrepreneur creates career pathways with MIT OpenCourseWare

When June Odongo interviewed early-career electrical engineer Cynthia Wacheke for a software engineering position at her company, Wacheke lacked knowledge of computer science theory but showed potential in complex problem-solving.

Determined to give Wacheke a shot, Odongo turned to MIT OpenCourseWare to create a six-month “bridging course” modeled after the classes she once took as a computer science student. Part of MIT Open Learning, OpenCourseWare offers free, online, open educational resources from more than 2,500 courses that span the MIT undergraduate and graduate curriculum.

“Wacheke had the potential and interest to do the work that needed to be done, so the way to solve this was for me to literally create a path for her to get that work done,” says Odongo, founder and CEO of Senga Technologies.

Developers, Odongo says, are not easy to find. The OpenCourseWare educational resources provided a way to close that gap. “We put Wacheke through the course last year, and she is so impressive,” Odongo says. “Right now, she is doing our first machine learning models. It’s insane how good of a team member she is. She has done so much in such a short time.”

Making high-quality candidates job-ready

Wacheke, who holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Nairobi, started her professional career as a hardware engineer. She discovered a passion for software while working on a dashboard design project, and decided to pivot from hardware to software engineering. That’s when she discovered Senga Technologies, a logistics software and services company in Kenya catering to businesses that ship in Africa.

Odongo founded Senga with the goal of simplifying and easing the supply chain and logistics experience, from the movement of goods to software tools. Senga’s ultimate goal, Odongo says, is to have most of their services driven by software. That means employees — and candidates — need to be able to think through complex problems using computer science theory.

“A lot of people are focused on programming, but we care less about programming and more about problem-solving,” says Odongo, who received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell and an MBA from Harvard Business School. “We actually apply the things people learn in computer science programs.”

Wacheke started the bridging course in June 2022 and was given six months to complete the curriculum on the MIT OpenCourseWare website. She took nine courses, including: Introduction to Algorithms; Mathematics for Computer Science; Design and Analysis of Algorithms; Elements of Software Construction; Automata, Computability, and Complexity; Database Systems; Principles of Autonomy and Decision Making; Introduction to Machine Learning; and Networks.

“The bridging course helped me learn how to think through things,” Wacheke says. “It’s one thing to know how to do something, but it’s another to design that thing from scratch and implement it.”

During the bridging course, Wacheke was paired with a software engineer at Senga, who mentored her and answered questions along the way. She learned Ruby on Rails, a server-side web application framework under the MIT License. Wacheke also completed other projects to complement the theory she was learning. She created a new website that included an integration to channel external requests to Slack, a cross-platform team communication tool used by the company’s employees.

Continuous learning for team members

The bridging course concluded with a presentation to Senga employees, during which Wacheke explained how the company could use graph theory for decision-making. “If you want to get from point A to B, there are algorithms you can use to find the shortest path,” Wacheke says. “Since we’re a logistics company, I thought we could use this when we’re deciding which routes our trucks take.”

The presentation, which is the final requirement for the bridging course, is also a professional development opportunity for Senga employees. “This process is helpful for our team members, particularly those who have been out of school for a while,” Odongo says. “The candidates present what they’ve learned in relation to Senga. It’s a way of doing continuous learning for the existing team members.”

After successfully completing the bridging course in November 2022, Wacheke transitioned to a full-time software engineer role. She is currently developing a “machine” that can interpret and categorize hundreds of documents, including delivery notes, cash flows, and receipts.

“The goal is to enable our customers to simply feed those documents into our machine, and then we can more accurately read and convert them to digital formats to drive automation,” Odongo says. “The machine will also enable someone to ask a document a question, such as ‘What did I deliver to retailer X on date Y?’ or ‘What is the total price of the goods delivered?’”

The bridging course, which was initially custom-designed for Wacheke, is now a permanent program at Senga. A second team member completed the course in October 2023 and has joined the software team full time.

“Developers are not easy to find, and you also want high-quality developers,” Odongo says. “At least when we do this, we know that the person has gone through what we need.”

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becomedecay · 2 years ago

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JUNE 20TH — Let the record show that REI AKIMOTO was read their rights before the interview proceeded. REI AKIMOTO DID NOT CHOOSE to proceed with a lawyer present at their discretion.

"Please state your legal name for the record." Easy enough, you clear your throat awkwardly and speak with a stifled voice. "Rei. Akimoto. I don't have a middle name. Not really our thing to do that." You know it's serious, but part of you can't hold back wanting to laugh, you know you're indoctrinated into Western culture but you still crave the roots of home whenever topics like your name come up. For a moment, you regret not getting a lawyer, but you knew that if you did, that'd be showcasing guilt. That, and it meant confiding in another person all about your naughty habits.

"Can you account for your whereabouts on the evening of June 10th, 2023?" You shift in your seat the very moment they ask that question, already the muscles in your arms tense up, it's not like you can remember much about that evening, hell your expression says it all. You try to keep your mouth straight, to avoid the slightest grimace or furrowing of your brows. But it's unavoidable. You scowl slightly as you attempt to recollect your thoughts. "I dunno, think I was at work. Night shift at Scaredy Cat... We don't get busy in the day, so I'm usually sleeping to prepare. Think I started around eight, wouldn't have got off until three in the morning..." It's not a lie, but it's not exactly a truth. You mumble the last of your words, as though you yourself are unsure of its validity. Maybe you were working. Maybe you were drunk. Maybe something was sat in your system for a bit longer than it should.

"Mx. Akimoto, Interpol has shared your record with us by request. It seems you have a history for stealing identities. We have reason to believe that with your connections, you may have been holding online communication with Ms. Cho-Iverson through terminals and channels linked to nefarious web forums. Do you confirm or deny?" Deep down, it gets to you. That secrets never stay buried, that your life was now laid out before you on pieces of paper, scrawled and damaged. Your history is catching up, and the lump in your throat gets bigger. You know you're guilty, and though you've had years of practice doing this in front of law enforcement across the globe, it's different now. "My history is my business." As you speak, you see the scowling in their eyes, like a parent telling you to obey. And in the heat of it, you do. "I don't steal them. They're gifts. Maybe I was chatting to her, hard to know. People online use pseudonyms, no ones really stupid enough to use their own names."

"Do you recognize this profile claiming to be you, Rei Akimoto, in communication with Ms. Cho-Iverson, in response to offering hitperson services?" Shit. You know it's you, but it isn't all the same. Your name, your face, your profile. But you don't always do the talking. You have someone for that, they talk the talk, get as much information as possible and you pull the hit off. The reality was you were never really good at talking, socialising isn't a skill you've acquired over the years. You operate alone, but you need someone to be your mouthpiece. You can't grass them up, you have to take the fall. "..... Yeah. I do. I recognise my own face on a goddamn profile, that's my name. That's my picture. That's the answer you want, isn't it? For me to have enough clarity to know my own existence. Those are my details, that's as much as I'm willing to share."

"We would like you to take a look at something." In their possession is a crumpled letter salvaged from the trash — the mysterious letter that came into her sister's possession over Valentine's Day. Alongside it is the wrinkled note found alongside Willow Amelia's body. "Can you confirm this is your handwriting?" You know the letter. You know the pain inflicted on Mio, she'd be so pissed if she knew you were in here right now. For years you kept yourself hidden, kept your secrets buried from her, and now it was all going to be out in the open. She wouldn't want to be associated with someone like you. Why did you come back? "Don't you have my handwriting on file already?" You chime the snarky response, pointing to their homework consisting of all your doings. In there was undoubtedly traces of your own words. "Why are you asking me if I know my own handwriting or not?" Whether you wrote it or not didn't matter. They wanted you pinned to the ground, and there was no use fighting it. Take the blame. You know in your heart you deserve to go down for past mistakes. "Yeah okay, it's my handwriting. I've done nothing but hurt my sister emotionally with my bullshit. This was just another one of those." It wasn't. Because that wasn't you. Or was it? Do you even remember? Your mind is hazy enough as is, the stress of the interrogation certainly wasn't helping.

"This mask was found at the scene." A picture is presented to Rei of a pastel pink feline mask from the crime scene, side by side with a photo from February of the same mask, except the updated picture has stern brows and a mischievous grin in black marker, with red eyes filled in. "This mask was first found in the Tunnel of Love on the day of February 14th. We noticed many in your apartment complex refer to you as a cat. Is this a possession of yours?" "They call me a cat because they never hear me coming down the stairs. Look, it's no secret to them that I practice my ballet... I do it late at night, on the open roof or in the car park. They don't realise I'm out there until they see me because they never hear me. Got movement like a cat. So what?" Where the fuck did they get your mask? You thought you had it on you, maybe you dropped it? Did you drop it? Did you never have it on you to begin with? Shit. This is really fucking with you and you can feel the beads of sweat forming on your brow. You bite your bottom lip, trying to come up with something to dissuade them. "I have one like it. I use it for when I... Uhh.. For when I engage in consensual adult activities. You understand? They like it when you dress up, when they can't see your face. I had a mask like that, but I couldn't find it in my apartment. I didn't realise it went missing until I had a booking... Shit, did someone steal this out my home?" Nice try, you hope you're convincing. There's no real way to prove what you do so you can only hope your word is enough to sway them into believing that you're just a person for hire, to relieve needs and that you didn't know the mask was there.

"Mx. Akimoto, what is your relationship with Ms. Fallon Amarin? It seems you two are well acquainted. Is there a romantic or sexual involvement?" There is a pause. "Has Ms. Fallon Amarin ever requested for you to partake in potentially violent or dangerous endeavors?" You stay silent. You keep your arms crossed and form a mental barrier at the question. You love her. You have loved her for so long but you can't accept that, because you know she doesn't love you back. So you've existed helplessly by her side, protecting her, shielding her, refusing to let anyone hurt her. "What Fallon and I have, that's nothing to do with you." You feel like snapping, this is your breaking point. "Fallon's had fuck all to do with any of this. She's never asked me to do anything like that, she cares too damn much to get involved in shit." You unfold your arms, digging your elbows into the table and lean forward to push your point across. "Fallon is innocent in all of this, I swear to god, you are not bringing her down with me. Everything I've done, I have done alone. So keep her out of it." Gritting teeth and grinding persist, your façade has fallen and they see that in you. "Our relationship is platonic, we're friends... But she'd never drag me into anything, its the other way around. I've gotten her involved in my life and I shouldn't have. She didn't need to know about me. About all of this." You say that, and point to the papers detailing your crimes. "I'm a criminal, I've been wanted in different states and different countries. She's.. She's not like me. She's good. She's kind. And she has had nothing to do with this."

"On the evening of June 10th, were you intoxicated with illegal substances or dangerous amounts of alcohol when you were seen leaving the Seal Harbor Apartments?" You recline after your outburst, aware of how much more you've incriminated yourself. You deserve it, Fallon needs to be kept safe. Away from this and away from you. "Only the usual alcohol levels, I'm used to it because of my job. I wasn't on anything though, you'll have done my blood work, right? I know I.. I have a history of it. But I'm clean." You roll up your sleeves, showing scarred evidence of your arms, they look close to four months healed, to the trained eye. "See. Nothing fresh. If I was on something, it wasn't by choice."

"We've been given access to records of your fingerprints previously logged in our system and found a partial match of your DNA to some evidence collected at the crime scene. We'll be detaining you for a bit longer while we dispatch a unit for this search warrant we have issued for your apartment." The warrant is presented for them to read. This is it. You're done. You roll down your sleeves and read through the documents, they're going to know everything else you've kept secret. Nothing to incriminate the Bastards, you were never that stupid to keep that shit at home. But your life, your past, your killings... It's all going to spill out now. "Yeah. Fine. Can't stop you doing anything now, can I?"

"We'll allow you to consult with your legal advisor in private." You change your mind quicker than ever, they speak of legal advisor and you know you need to call a friend, and do it quick. You simply nod, staying silent and stewing in your rage. He's gotta help. He's the only way to keep her safe. You don't give a shit about yourself. But Mio and Fallon... They need to be kept as far away from this as possible.

#anchoragetask #alcohol mention tw #tbt: rei.#I AM UNHINGED AT THIS OMG.

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