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doubleddenden · 7 months ago

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I see some people worrying that the Teraleak will cause Pokemon projects to be delayed or canceled (thanks to a fake leaker who lost his credibility trying to stir the pot like usual), especially ZA.

I'm not a leaker with inside info, I'm not a TPC employee, I'm just a lifelong fan like many others- just to preface this.

My opinion is this, for what little it may matter: I don't think any game projects are in any rush to be canceled or completely restarted from scratch. This leak is huge and does cover other facets of the franchise like anime and movies- those could be possibly affected, but I'd say the chances of anything deep in development being outright canceled is near zero- not impossible, but very low.

Imo the worst that may end up happening across the board is that stories in the works may need to be rewritten, characters planned reworked, certain new Pokemon or forms shelved for later or permanently jailed like other beta Pokemon, or maybe get delayed a bit longer than what they normally would have.

That being said, there's something very important people need to realize about this: Pokemon isn't a passion project, it's a franchise that makes more money than any other. They are a business that makes products to be bought, watched, consumed, all in pursuit of appeasing people in suits who like money. That sounds like a cold take to some, and I'm sure there are plenty involved that are passionate about their work, but money is the MAIN objective here- I think we can all see why SV released so early despite clearly being unfinished with that understanding.

In other words, there are billions of dollars tied into a lot of projects going on. Shareholders and investors will want their money back and extra. Employees need to be paid for their hard work, and while the games don't make nearly as much as mobile games or merch, that's still a pretty heavy billion or more dollars earned with each release, quality not really important. This year, they're banking on merch, tcg, mobile games, and especially TCG pocket to help make up for the gap year.

However that still leaves the next year or two. They are balls deep in ZA and gen 10 production right now, it is literally too late to turn back now or risk SV but WORSE, and to drop it all because of a leak is tantamount to lighting billions of dollars ablaze and shooting your own ass with a pistol.

A source code and a possible PC build being out there can lose a little money, but let's be real: most Pokemon games have leaked before their scheduled launch date to be available for some form of Piracy. I can attest that this has been the case since- from my own memory- HGSS's and BW's initial releases. In recent times, SwSh and SV both were being emulated days and weeks before commercial launch.

And you know what happened? They still made so much money that the more recent games have collectively sold more than most of the older gens.

Sure, you can emulate, you could try the pc build if it ever leaks- but the pc build supposedly requires specific specs to play- in other words, it is most likely a dev build meant for simulating the Switch or Switch 2 specifications. Emulating is harder to do the more recent a game is, and not all pcs are made for it in general (my "gaming" pc can play plenty of Steam Games just fine, but it absolutely shits itself trying to run an RPGmaker game or trying to emulate anything more complex than the gba or n64). Even then, most fans would prefer to play the games on original hardware because it simply WORKS the best and as close to intended as possible, and it is just easier to buy a game than figure out how to get just the right settings to run a Switch game at lower fps and overall quality, let alone find a source for a game that doesn't come preloaded with a virus or a tracker to get you fined. In other words, people who emulate are probably a very small percentage of the total player base, and people who would emulate a more recent Pokemon game are probably smaller in that group. And let's be real- the people who will emulate were already planning to anyway.

Let's be clear- a source code can be worked wonders with... if you have the time and know how to figure out how to do it and THEN the time and know how to also do it. If you're a game studio and it is your JOB to work with it, you get paid to do so for many hours a day. If you're a fan trying to get a game to run natively on pc or other devices, you're most likely going to be doing this while you're off work or dealing with other life commitments, and it'll still probably take more time than if you were someone who originally made it.

Here's 1 more important thing: yes, this is probably the earliest a Pokemon game project has gotten leaked, but A. It is not leaking to the public YET other than 2 or 3 small bread crumbs that barely mean anything OOC and only stated by the one guy who has it. B. Although ZA is playable, even the Leaker himself said that the game still needs to have more side quests and things worked on. It's not the final product yet, in other words, meaning even if he did go back on his word and leak everything, there will still be things missing they haven't added as of August of 2024 when GF was breached. That definitely includes Pokemon, plot lines, etc.

All of this being said- people will buy the games. Simple as that. That's guaranteed money. That's money they want and need. So what this means overall is that ZA and gen 10 will most likely not be canceled- least of all as a way to "punish" fans for the actions of 1 guy.

A delay, perhaps? Well, all we know about ZA's release window is what we've already been told: 2025. That's it. No point in 2025, just the year, anywhere from January to December. If they decide to redo huge portions of the story- which I doubt they'll erase too much- we probably won't even know about it until the next big leak (which if gf have half a brain they'll invest more in their cyber security, if nothing else than for their own safety) or unless we are told to our faces by them directly, which I doubt. Any delays will strictly be internal rather than on our end- maybe they'll need to delay from April to November of 2025 for ZA, but we don't know that because all we know is 2025!

In simple words, if something changes, we won't know anything until after the fact. We won't see a difference from our perspective until later, like how we're now discovering a bunch of new gen 3 and a few gen 5 beta Pokemon 22 to 15 years after the fact. Worst outcome is maybe they'll cut content and blame the leak- but let's be real, they cut content anyway because of anything from time constraints to "kids and their smart phones."

It'll be fine. Don't stress about that.

#pokemon #pokemon leaks #pokemon legends za

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anons-has-hlvrai-aus · 1 year ago

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HLVRAI B-Side rapid fire, let’s go! Some of this is similar information to an older post and some of it is new.

Character Information

The Player (Wicker) and Barney Benrey

Benrey’s player is a Twitch Streamer named Johnwicklover1994, but he informally goes by “Wicker” by his chat and people that collaborate with him. Wicker found out about a special Collector’s Edition of Half-Life after another Twitch streamer played through the OG Half-Life through this special edition.

Playing this Collector’s Edition of Half-Life suddenly blew up as a popular trend after the original stream. While Wicker is not much of a trend follower, he DOES enjoy games with janky NPC behaviors, and the AI seemed to fit the bill just fine.

All the Player Characters in the Collection are AI like their companions, but their existences as such is part of a much larger series of glitches that resulted in the collection never being released. The PC’s personalities are partially molded by the actions of their Player…Benrey is seemingly okay with this because Wicker is a very friendly player.

Upon finding out he can say pretty much anything and completely influence the game, Wicker started making it his goal to become best friends with ALL of the AI, even if it means tricking the game into thinking that soldier he found was a former best friend.

Wicker has never actually SEEN the original HLVR streams, he just knew the names of the character and put those names in when he was setting up the game. He wanted to see if the game would let him change Barney’s name, and it did. He was able to justify this change in-universe to Benrey being a jokester that frequently changes his name to see if any of the high-ups will notice.

For all intents and purposes, Benrey and Wicker are the same person when Wicker is in-character.

Background information (Under the cut)

B-Side takes place in a universe where HALF-LIFE VR is part of a Collector’s Edition of the OG game and all its original expansions that started development after Valve’s contributions to VR technology in 2013. The VR was intended to be an optional feature so that even players that didn’t have it could still enjoy the original games.

The AI was an additional feature created to bring more life to all players since some players wouldn’t be playing on VR anyways. The scope of the AI was never supposed to go as far as it did, but somehow the developers implemented self-learning technology.

The AI implementation ended up creating issues that could not be solved due to how the AI was learning, and the code was eventually rendered unusable as the game would frequently crash due to the AI attempting to pull resources from other games in the same way that GMod does for Source games.

The Collector’s Edition was supposed to utilize a custom engine that bridged Goldsource and Source engine.

The files for the Collector’s Edition were backed up and eventually leaked by an unknown individual. This individual would also encourage for an unofficial release of the collection, but in closed conversations would provide the condition that they were allowed to oversee development as an uncredited person. While it took a while for a group to accept the project due to this controversial condition, it was eventually accepted. The individual’s singular contribution was a line of code that seemed to prevent any form of hardware or software crash while the game was running, even with exploits that crashed the original games.

One of the game’s features included with the AI was smooth level transitioning that prevented any of the pausing or freezes associated with loading a new map.

Each game in the collection comes with a set of customizable companion AI that the player can pick and choose to have accompanying them when one starts a new game.

For OG Half-Life, the possible starters include one of each of the basic scientists and a security guard, however the data for the AI also includes the G-Man and a “rival” in the form of a randomly assigned soldier; also included is a “custom companion” slot whose default is a random image of a dog.

One of the custom backgrounds for AI is “alien imposter” and it is an understandably popular choice after a certain multiplayer game released. This background was meant to be locked out from player use in the final release as it was a background made specifically for the G-Man’s AI, but the devs of the unofficial release thought it was too funny to NOT keep accessible.

You are not supposed to be able to have the Rival and the G-Man as companion AI. Wicker’s game being fucked up is the only reason he was able to do that, but a similar achievement can be done by modifying the code.

The reason Wicker’s game is so weird is because he did some shoddy coding in an attempt to get the HUD from Blue Shift into the OG Half Life. For some reason, it is not possible to modify the colors themselves, so the next best thing he was able to do was fuck around with the files and trick the game into running the OG game’s maps in Blue Shift, allowing him to play Half Life as Barney.

There are explicit warnings in the READ ME file to not run any of the campaigns outside their original game due to the AI companion listings not all being compatible. Some games have more slots for AI companions than others, and the devs wanted to get a patch in that would pull the companion AI slots from one BIG pool instead multiple smaller pools on a by-game basis since the result of, say, running Half-Life through Blue Shift while requesting Blue-Shift exclusive AI might result in incredibly buggy companions.

#hlvrai #hlvrai au #hlvrai b side #hlvrai another swap au #half life but the ai is self aware #half life vr but the ai is self aware #totally wicked gamer [wicker]#benrey

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qocsuing · 2 years ago

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Why did one of my car’s power window switches stop working?

Q. The power window switch on the passenger side of my 2014 Toyota Avalon isn’t working, but the switch on the driver’s side with all four is working fine. Is this a sensor or something else? Get more news about power window switch supplier,you can vist our website!

A. The switch communicates through a computer network to the car’s main computer. The issue could simply be a faulty switch, but it could also be a communications problem to the computer. This can be checked with a professional level bi-directional scan tool that can read the window commands and also command the window to move.

Q. Can you tell me how much it costs to replace both front wheel bearings on a 2009 Nissan Murano SL with all-wheel drive? The prices seem to vary, and I want to make sure I’m not getting taken advantage of. A. The wheel bearings are actually part of the front hub assembly. The bearing and hub have a retail cost of approximately $230 each. The labor to replace the hubs, depending on shop labor fees, is about $300 (about two hours at $150 per hour). You could save a little money with an aftermarket part, but be aware part quality can vary greatly. Once the repair is performed the vehicle should have a wheel alignment to prevent tire wear.

Q. My daughter has a 2004 Hyundai Elantra. About two months ago, the alternator was failing in heavy rain. This triggered the battery icon and the check-engine light to come on. I’ve replaced the alternator, but the check-engine light still appears. The diagnostic code is PO456, indicating a very small emission leak. I would like to know if alternator issues can create and store a false code in a car computer.

A. The most common reasons that a 2004 Hyundai Elantra has code PO456 are most of the items you have changed. The gas cap is most common, followed by the EVAP canister, vent solenoid, then the purge solenoid, then a leaking fuel filler neck, leaking evaporative emissions lines, and in a very few instances the fuel pump was the issue. At this point, the best thing to do is find a shop that can “smoke test” the evaporative emissions system to look for a leak. At nearly 20 years old it is entirely possible the fuel filler could be the source of the leak. Q. Why does AAA and other places charge to keep your old battery when they put in a new one?

A. All battery retailers have a battery “core” charge. In reality, the core charge is a recycling fee, in some cases legally required for the sale of car batteries. These recycling fees and deposit refund programs help encourage people to properly dispose of old car batteries by returning them to retailers or manufacturers who can dispose of them for you. Several years back we had a battery round up-where we asked AAA members to bring us their old batteries, and we got hundreds that were sitting in basements, garages, backyards, and fields. The core charge is built into the battery cost. The old battery is palletized and shipped back to a recycler, and about 98 percent of old battery material can be processed and reused to make new batteries, limiting the impact on natural resources. Q. I have a 2010 Toyota Camry with 142,000 miles. Two months ago, the car just shut off while underway. The local mechanic put in a new aftermarket fuel pump and it was running very well, for a while. After another month it stopped and wouldn’t start. I towed the car to another mechanic. He said the fuel pump was not good so he changed to a Toyota fuel pump. It ran well for another two weeks, and now after driving for 10 minutes it shuts off again. I am guessing that maybe it is time to change the spark plugs and ignition coil. What would you do? A. Since the fuel pump at least temporarily solved the issue, I would look in this general direction. At this point any diagnosis should start with a thorough visual inspection, followed by a complete scan of the computer system. Since the engine stops running after 10 minutes, the shop should hook up their diagnostic equipment and monitor the data, up until the engine stops running. Could it be an ignition coil? Perhaps, but to avoid guessing, some additional diagnostic time is necessary to find the actual problem.

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ceiling-karasu · 2 months ago

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I really thank you again for the compliments!

I actually wondered if the previous post was going to get reblogged over here, funny enough.

Yeah, I can see why you would really not want to even think about changing the codes.

I was drawn to the show because I like older style animations, but the actual effort put into the plot ideas was fantastic! It is easy to tell that the crew working on it was passionate in what they were attempting to do, even if the physics and animation are not quite right sometimes. They were doing their best with what they had, so that is really admirable.

One thing I forgot about with the transmissions was the numbers stations, which I posted about before. North Korean scouts communicate a lot through numbers stations, such as 11545 kHz (Lincolnshire Poacher in WW2), and with the static that occurs between programs with North Korea's international radio station Voice of Korea. They send through bursts of seemingly gibberish sounds or a series of numbers that would only make sense to the spy and handler assigned to the specific sounds and codes (which is really the only way radio static Morse code could work in that one chapter where it is used, I think).

It is possible for planes to pick up on these stations, so I hear, so stealing a plane would allow Geumsaegi, Juldarami, or Scout Goseumdochi to turn to that specific channel and input a coded cypher through the radio somehow. It is notable that in episode 6, Geumsaegi does not appear to actually speak the message, but instead taps it in while the narration translates.

So, it is possible that he was using one of the numbers stations. A channel of radio static might mean nothing to the Weasel Unit, but Flower Hill would have someone monitoring that channel specifically for such codes from specific scouts. The Weasel Unit could monitor the stations, but they would not understand the cypher.

Aekku, as the scout commander, might have recognized the codes as codes and have been interested in studying the ciphers and numbers channels, though.

Although, it might have been a shifting frequency tactic instead. You would definitely have a better idea of what any of them were doing with those planes and radios.

Alternatively to the numbers station, he could have shifted frequencies to one the weasels don't really pay attention to, which he would probably know about since he was the Guard Commander. It is implied that the weasels don't really expect much from Flower Hill (the mice Juldarami and Geumsaegi disguise as were sent in to see if Flower Hill even HAD adequate defenses), which is why they don't seem to pay attention to civilian air traffic as much (that hot air balloon drifting into restricted areas still gets me), and why it is possible for them to not pay attention to air traffic channels that are not important to them.

Of course, it is also suggested that it is not safe to constantly use the same messaging source, which is why the scouts' methods vary throughout the series. It does feel like using planes and the warship are emergency measures, though.

Why the tapping device was already flower shaped brings up other questions. But, then again, the Weasel Unit does not necessarily associate flowers with scouts. Juldarami is easily able to walk around with a scarf with flowers embroidered on it in full view, and no one questions it even when he is disguised as Mulmangcho.

“Squawk number xxxx,” if definitely something that could come in in a humorous scene, I am thinking. It could also be serious. Either way, this specific phrase as you put it creates a lot of powerful scenarios right now involving distractions, desertions, and information leaks that would not necessarily require its own story arc.

To be fair, an insider in FH's FIR office would be very simple. It was only Aekku's specific Tokgasi spy ring that was broken up and captured, after all. I feel like we see from the beginning that General Commander Jogjebi had his own ring of scouts consisting of Field Mice (could possibly be Japanese dormice, which are more closely related to squirrels than mice) disguised as squirrels, that very few people know about.

Geumsaegi is perturbed to find out about the existence of Field Mouse Number 6, who has been scouting around Flower Hill, after all. It would not be too far fetched for Jogjebi to have other scouts embedded around FH, and in the FIR office or even regular military ATC. And since Jogjebi is dead, they might as well stay for a while and help other Weasel Unit individuals escape or something. Especially since Geumsaegi and FH focus on Aekku's scouts, and seem to forget that Jogjebi might possibly have other scouts spying on FH, such as Field Mouse number 8 and others.

So that easily opens up disguised FPL plots, I would think. Probably Field Mouse Number 8, that hat he wears makes me think that headphones would fit nicely under there. If not in the AU, then some of us have been discussing him a lot and trying to figure out where he could have gone. At the very least, he is known as a loyalist to Jogjebi, so he would not have been caught up in the Tokgasi raids.

Some sort of Air Traffic Controller job kind of makes sense for him, I think, if his job is to monitor unusual increases and decreases in traffic. most likely, if so, then his job would have been to make sure Field Mouse Number 6 was able to come and go from the Flower Hill air base in his little plane, perhaps, since Number 6 was going back and forth between Flower Hill and Jogjebi in that plane. After all, the Weasel Unit ATCs recognize his plane, and if he was disguised as a squirrel civilian when he went to the festival, his plane might have been disguised as well.

The disguised helicopter later in the season doesn't have any such issue since it came from the Sturgeon base, and they only needed the jewel necklace to get back inside.

Although, I have the feeling that having a disguised aircraft around FH would not really be something that could be used often without raising too much suspicion. A surprise attack using that method, might actually require multiple scouts in the ATC to allow the plane in question to get close, and they would likely be captured afterwards if they did not die in the attack as well.

I feel like a disguised aircraft FPL might be useful in a background desertion plot (or just a headcanon about the field mice now), where weasels and mice could use it to sneak away from the Weasel and Wolf units in order to desert. I think Flower Hill would figure it out if they did it more than a few times, but they might just pretend they don't know and ignore the plane, because allowing it to exist might bleed the enemies lines dry.

I think that fits in more with one story I read about at least one group in WW2 deserting the army by doing exactly that.

Hi, just want to let you know that I’ve always enjoy reading your tags, it’s a lot of fun reading your clever insights and observations on my arts. I really appreciate them.✨

Your art improve amazingly over these past few months and I’m looking forward to the direction it will take in the future. I also admire your dedication when it comes to writing, finishing 30+ chapters series is definitely not an easy tasks and I think that’s really cool. \(^^ )

Thank you very much! I'm looking forward to completing another 30+ chapters series in the future.

I really like your art and how the color schemes seem to match the personalities of the characters. They always look so crisp with the right amount of style on character positioning.

I always thought it was really cool how you managed to have so much detailed backstories and world building, alongside managing to create pictures and comics to go along with the chapters and stories you write. It has been really inspirational!

Although, funny, enough, I have been thinking about asking you if you had any preferences on sources to start researching universal aviation codes and the differences in between civilian and military planes, jets, helicopters, and airships, and which you think might sound better when used by militaries vs civilians. I think I am going to have to do a lot of studying on IATA, ICAO, PAT, Mode-S, VFR, and transponders, as well as codes used in towered vs non towered airports. I feel like I am going to have to do a lot of study on aviation and plane/jet/drone schematics for future chapters.

#I mean the desertions plots were more of a lily bell thing and they had to walk #but imagine if they used a plane #weasel unit couldn't shoot it down because it is a FH plane in FH territory and FH wouldn't shoot down their own #maybe the plane is on a secret mission on a need to know basis for all they know and hey it is scheduled #although it would be harder to sneak into another country so they would still have to stop somewhere #lily bell in the thorn thicket #the rod that blocks the lightning #currently working on standardizing heads and helmets and hedgehog quills #might take a page from you and draw one pose and then have a bunch of different duplicates for the quill shapes #squirrel and hedgehog #no but why does commander goseumdochi appear to tilt his head to the left a lot?#I keep staring and comparing it to regular ACH helmets and it just looks wrong so warhammer 40k cadian helmets for reference it is

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grox-empire · 2 years ago

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Really hoping someone out there will rip all of spore's dialogue someday, It's SO good but a lot of it is so fucking situational that you never see it

#spore #spore 2008 #spore galactic adventures #this is why i'm dying for a spore source code leak #a spore source code leak would be a dream come true for me #I've lost hope that the “demo” is ever gonna be found because realistically it won't be #but a source code leak is still VERY much possible

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elonaackerman · 4 years ago

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In a few hour's the spoiler leaks are going to be released for the final chapter of Attack on titan manga and the official translation on April 9th so before all that happens what are you're thoughts and predictions between the character's and the end of the storyline?

https://ww7.readsnk.com/chapter/shingeki-no-kyojin-spoilers-raw-chapter-139/.

Hello Kian ! I see several of your questions about the ending and I must say I was lost myself with everything happening. However, I think I elaborated a good theory now !

Theory number 1: Eren is alive

This is the theory I acknowledge the most. Many people say that Eren not dying would be too strange after he already survived so much times to his expected deaths, but I don’t think so. Isayama loves to take some clichés and to twist them:

Here is a brief list:

- The MC not dying in the first episodes

- The power of will and friendship (which is shown to be useless in the Trost arc)

- The guy protecting the girl (Mikasa is Eren’s bodyguard, not the contrary)

- The main trio sticking together until the end

- The MC being « special »/being the « chosen one » (Eren is an usurpator)

Something very used in films/books is to use the absence of body as a way to cancel the absolute truth of a death. By showing us a body, Isayama can fool us by transgressing this common rule of « body=dead ».

Also Eren’s death in chapter 138 was just serving Mikasa’s development arc climax. It didn’t solve any matter of their world.

You know I feel like Eren was very relaxed when he saw Mikasa approaching to kill him. He probably already knew what she was going to do and even closed his eyes when she did it (you can see it since on the last panel, Eren has his eyes closed). I feel like if Eren acted this way, it’s because he transferred his consciousness to his body (all this time his head was controlling the titan so he may have regenerated a head on his body). It would explain why this concept was introduced to us with Reiner in season 3 and then never used again.

Plus, Grisha said everything would go along to Eren’s plan, but if Eren didn’t succeed, the Rumbling is stopped and hell awaits eldians: they will be killed after what happened, considered too dangerous, more than they already were. And even if the titan power is removed, there will still be a large part of hate and of revenge in the Rumbling survivors’ hearts. I don’t believe the « Code Geass theory » which says that Eren did the rumbling so the world could see Eldians defending it, and stand united with Mahrs against him (in the role of the bad guy), especially since some Eldians sided with Eren and that he exposed them in Revelio or even in Paradise with his devoted Yeagerists. It’s not realistic at all and it doesn’t fit nor Eren’s character, nor SNK spirit.

Eren had defined goals: « exterminate them all », and that’s what he did, he doesn’t seem to want to stop the rumbling on this panel:

Isayama said he didn’t like characters who weren’t true to their goals, that let the story change their plans and motivations too easily. He wouldn’t give to his MC the traits of a writing he despise.

Another reason why I believe the guy is alive is because his POV was hidden all this time. What’s the point of not giving to us Eren’s perspective while his final battle, when it would have been more powerful, if you did not have a big secret/plot twist generator to hide ? I think Eren and Ymir, who smiles like a creep in 138, manipulated everyone: the way Armin came with all the titan shifters in 137 with the help of Ymir was already really suspicious. Kruger, for example, had no reason to stand against Eren.

Chapter 137 was Armin, 138 was Mikasa so we will surely get Eren perspective for 139. And it will be weird if we have it while the guy is dead. Of course we’ll see what happened in chapter 130 between Eren and Historia (I can’t wait for their POVs) and Historia’s baby. The final panel makes me even more sure that Eren is still alive otherwise who on earth would say « You are free » to a new born child ? Eren x Freedom is canon.

• The Attack Titan

We know the path is a place out of time. It’s in this place that titans are sculpted by Ymir, and that’s why I think it makes sense for Eren to be the first owner of that titan: the attack titan is the only one who ascends in the past instead of descending in the future. If physically it seems to be passed down following the classical timeline, all of it is actually playing in the paths. The Attack Titan was only possessed by rebels, directly influenced by Eren’s mindset. It disappeared at a time, and it was also a part of Ymir’s titan: it’s her rebellious part designed to « attack » the world 2000 years later. I think Isayama might add depth again to the title of the story in 139.

• Major deaths

I can’t help but think: why did Eren let Mikasa cut his head and even indicated his location with titan marks ? I think that it’s possible he wants his last friends to fly away from the battle, thinking they have won when they didn’t, so that he can restart the Rumbling without killing them. The survivors would be Levi, Mikasa, Armin and probably Annie. I think Reiner will die to let Gaby eat him, so that Falco and Gaby, representing the future, can be saved.

It makes sense for Reiner to sacrifice himself for his little cousin: he lived for the ones he loved even if he didn’t wish to live himself, and since Gaby represents the new generation, hope, and that she was the potential inheritor of the Armored Titan, I am convinced she is the one who will eat him.

After that the most probable thing is that Levi and Mikasa, who grew incredibly closer, will live together, same for Annie and Armin. Eren will achieve the Rumbling then go back to Historia and we will have that Akatsuki no Requiem ending.

However, a darker possibility is that everyone except Falco and Gaby might die. I am in denial 😄✌🏻

But, I ask myself how Eren will make titans disappear. I think he might have plotted something with Ymir, after all isn’t she free from King Fritz now ? Or maybe Falco will eradicate the worm (bird vs worm is kinda obvious). However I do not think the people transformed into titans will turn back to normal, it’s not Isayama’s style to « bring back » dead characters, it would make Jean’s and Connie’s deaths less tragic. I think that only shifters will loose their ability and the 13 years thing.

Theory 2: if Eren is dead

• Ymir’s manipulation

I don’t wanna believe it but what if all of this was Ymir’s plan ? If he IS dead, it’s Ymir who is the mastermind and manipulated him so that the parasite would die and that she could get out off the paths. « I took the world’s freedom to gain mine » what if it’s YMIR TALKING in 133 ? She could even had sent the dream to Mikasa in 138 so that she would know WHERE Eren was and kill him, all of this after Ymir took revenge on the world. Remember, the titan who protected Zeke came from earth, and Ymir entered in contact with « the source of all organic life », which means she could be the one behind the birds we keep seeing, including the one on Mikasa dream. She could be smiling because her plan WORKED.

Also remember in the paths where Eren was talking to the Alliance ? He was in his kid Eren form, like Ymir, we didn’t see his eyes, showing his slavery and a strange alike-look. Ymir was standing right next to him, in the exact same position, mirroring him as if he was a sort of reflection/puppet of hers. Everybody thought the contrary until now, that Ymir followed Eren. While she was here, Eren was saying that the only way to end all of this was to take his life: what if Ymir made him say that ?

It makes even more sense when Ymir helped Armin with summoning shifters and that they also had their mouths don’t moving.

• Eldian Society ?

The only way to resolve everything if Eren is dead is to create an Eldian empire domination with the rest of the world being weak and wiped out. Everybody would live on Paradise and would be teached about the cycle of hate and the heroes who stopped the Rumbling as new Helos, giving us an explanation of that picture in the opening (it could also be Eren’s society as well meant to not repeat the same mistakes as well)

I hope you liked it ! Let’s not suffer too much during the waiting and organize cottagecore RM and EH weddings with the beach Aruannie one instead of crying 💁🏻‍♀️

#rivamika #snk #aot #ackerman clan #erehisu #levi #levi ackerman #ackerman #mikasa #eren #snk 139

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years ago

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Pokemon Gold/Silver Beta Pokemon: The April 2020 Leak

Look, 2020 was a rough year. So maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised that the April 2020 Gold/Silver source code leak flew almost entirely under my radar. If you Google about it, you’re find it’s very rare for news outlets to cover it. This is probably because many folks are hesitant to cover leaks. Also, the US was warming up to a truly awful pandemic around that point, not to mention other civil unrest, so it’s no surprise some people were a tad distracted.

But the fact is, another leak turned up in April of last year, following a recent trend of huge Nintendo leaks. And this one was a doozy. I’ve only truly realized its full extent in the past few days. As such, I’d like to do a post that covers some of the new information. In particular, I’m focusing on beta pokemon that were cut or heavily reworked.

Now, back in 2018, the Spaceworld ‘97 Pokemon Gold/Silver Demo was leaked online. I made a post about some of my favorites. So, from this leak, we already knew of a while slew of beta pokemon. However, as it turns out, there were still more new faces to find-- and a lot of them! I list 45 new beta pokemon here, in fact!

In the April 2020 leak, several sprite sets were found as internal files, each at different phases of game production. The sprite sets were dated May 6, 1998, June 13, 1999, June 21, 1999, and September 17, 1999. The August 17, 1999 Spaceworld ‘99 Demo build was also found, so we have information on that as well.

Essentially, if you want to see this information at The Cutting Room Floor, then head to this page for the sprites discovered as internal backups/sprite banks. Head to this page for the Spaceworld ‘99 demo information page. And, if you need a refresher for the older leak, you can go to this page for the Spaceworld ‘97 demo build.

For this post, we will focus on the May 6, ‘98 set of sprites, which contain the vast majority of new faces. So, without further ado, onward to the pokemon!

(#300) Kokopelli Pokemon/Celebi

(May 6, ‘98) (Spaceworld ‘99 Demo)

This first pair of sprites looks very much like Kokopelli, a fertility deity of some Native American cultures. This deity can be seen in ancient Native American petroglyphs, as a humpbacked flute player with feathers on the head. Surprisingly, we find that Celebi in the Spaceworld ‘99 Demo seems to be an updated version of this design, making Celebi’s design origins much different than expected. However, its fertility diety inspiration is still somewhat apparant in the modern Celebi, as a creature that causes plant life to flourish.

(#301) Eel Pokemon

While the sprite files did not reveal a name or other data, this eel’s sprites were numbered right beside the Gurotesu (Grotess) and Ikari (Anchorage) sprites, suggesting it once was the start of their evolution chain.

(#304) Fire Fox Pokemon

This little fellow is a fox that seems to have a fiery tail. It’s possible this fire fox was inspired by kitsune (just as Vulpix/Ninetails were) and that it was later redesigned as Fennekin.

(#305 - 308) Snow Bunny Evolution Line

These four pokemon seem to belong to the same evolutionary line. The second one seems to based on the Yuki Usagi, a ‘Snow Bunny.’ In Japan, these cute little critters are made in the snow (using leaves for the ears). They also sometimes make these Yuki Usagi as little marshmallow or mochi treats. So this pokemon line could be inspired by either of these. Considering the leaves and the snow, I would guess these would have been Grass/Ice.

(#309) Elephant Pokemon

You might wonder if this chonky boy-- looking tough with horns on his head and back-- was an early version of Donphan, but Donphan and Phanpy were present in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo. Indeed, this elephant and Phanpy/Donphan both exist in the same set of sprites from May ‘98, so it was simply a case of two types of elephants. This pokemon also calls to mind a glimpse of a cut beta pokemon we saw from Generation 1 (from ‘Satoshi Tajiri: The Man Who Made Pokémon’):

Same fierce eyes, at any rate! Alas, these both never saw the light of day. However, it’s possible this elephant was reworked into Piloswine, which is not in the May ‘98 collection but does appear in the June 13 ‘99 collection (although Swinub is absent). While Piloswine and Swinub are more akin to wild boars, there is also some relation to mammoths (an inspiration more heavily leaned on with Mammoswine in later games). Then again, there’s another pokemon you’ll see a little further down this list that might have inspired Piloswine instead.

(#311) Natu/Xatu Mid-Evolution

What is clearly a mid-evolution (its file number sits between the two). Has a peacock-like tail. Honestly, I think this works really good as a mid-evolution, and I don’t know why it was cut. I want to name it “Watu.”

(#313) Drunk Kiwi Pokemon

This one is just hilarious to look at. It appears to probably be a kiwi-bird? A very crazy-eyed, loopy one. I can see why this one was cut. The goofy, simple design kind of looks like a knockoff cartoon character for children.

(#314) Scorpion Pokemon

A pretty badass-looking scorpion, although a rather basic design. I dig the funky head, though. It seems like it has a single, beady eye and is rather menacing. This pokemon may have been later reworked into Gligar, a pokemon that first appears after this sprite set, in the June 13 ‘99 group:

Admittedly this is rather different from the Gligar we know, but it is an early design.

Or, who knows-- maybe this little fellah was later reworked into Skorupi. (If so, it’s a shame, as I don’t dig the weird accordian-like design of its limbs and its evolution.)

(#315) Quail Pokemon

A pudgey little quail pokemon. Doesn’t seem related to the kiwi pokemon. It’s a very cute little thing, and has lots of potential to evolve into something interesting, but it seems they scrapped it pretty quickly.

(#316) Music Note Bird Pokemon

Although these sprites are numbered right after the quail, and they are both birds, the designs are very different, so they seem unrelated. It seems the beta pokemon were simply blessed with a lot of birds. This little bird is in the shape of a clef, giving this bird a musical theme. It seems very likely it was later reworked into Chatot, a bird with a music-note shaped head and metronome tail.

(#319) Boar Pokemon

A cute, grumpy little boar with antlers. Probably what eventually led to Piloswine found in the June 13 ‘99 group. A bit of a shame, in my mind, as I kind of prefer this design.

(#325) Spikey Dog Pokemon

The curious thing is that this dog looks very similar to “Pudi,” a pokemon we saw in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo, which was intended to be a pre-evolution of Growlithe. But Pudi is also in this same collection of sprites!

Perhaps they were toying with the idea of re-designing Pudi (and had already scrapped a bunch of baby pokemon) and just hadn’t bothered to remove the old Pudi yet. It’s hard to say. Ultimately, these both were scrapped, but at least we still have Subbull/Granbull.

(#331) Yūrei Ghost Pokemon

This little ghost has two things that are common in Japanese folklore: the hitaikakushi (the white cloth headband it wears) and the two little balls of fire called hitodama. It is unknown why this ghost pokemon was scrapped, but perhaps they thought the little fellow wouldn’t translate well overseas?

(#344) Viking Ship Pokemon

Look at this beauty! A pokemon based off some sort of Viking ship. I absolutely adore this one. It’s creative and charming. I hope to see it in the future.

(#349) Wooly Dog Pokemon

This canine-like creature is fluffy as all out. Honestly I think it’s a tad odd, with how tangled and disheveled its fur looks. I can’t help but compare it to the early desings of the three Legendary Beasts, since they also are very canine-like:

These three designs are present in this same May 6, 98′ sprite collection as the representations of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Were they possibly playing with a different design idea for the Legendary Beasts? Perhaps Suicune. The Wooly Dog is just such an imposing sprite, that I can’t help but wonder. All pure speculation, of course.

(#350) Rabbit Pokemon

This rabbit has a rather intense look about him, and it makes me curious what the ideas were behind it. TCRF suggests it’s a possible pikachu clone.

(#351) Snake Pokemon

This cute little worm or snake seems to be wearing a feather headdress, suggesting its design may also be Native American inspired, like the Natu line. On the other hand, this could be inspired by Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent deity in Aztec culture. I would have loved to see this little guy’s evolutions.

(#352) Scarecrow Bird

A bird with a hat that kind of looks like a scarecrow. Honestly, it’s a super-cute idea.

(#353) Gargoyle Pokemon

This crouching beastie sort of looks like a gargoyle with a long, sharp tail. I can’t quite tell if those bits on the side are little wings or just a part of its legs. It would be interesting to see this creature standing in a different position-- I feel like that would give us a better understanding of what it looks like. Interestingly, there are striking similarities with Aerodactyl:

I wonder why they are so similar?

(#354 - 356) Manbō Evolution Family

The first of these three fishies was someone we already met in the Spaceworld ‘97 demo-- it was named ‘Manbō 1.′ In the demo, it evolved into Ikari (Anchorage) and then Gurotesu (Grotess). It seems it’s now been split off from those and given a new evolution family here. While I find that neat, and I quite like the expressions on these fish, they are admittedly a little bland.

(#360) Flying Squirrel(?) Pokemon

TCRF guesses this is a flying squirrel, and it seems to be wearing a sheathed sword. Not sure about the headgear it’s sporting. Is that a ninja star?

(#364) Early Cyndaquil

So, this May 6, ‘98 collection is really exciting. The original Gold/Silver fire starter line we saw in Spaceworld ‘97 (Honooguma’s line) is still present in this collection (as is the water-type ‘Cruz’ line and Chikorita’s line). So, what we have here seems to be an early Cyndaquil before they decided to turn it into a fire type and make it the fire starter! In fact, those spikes might even be icicles (like Alolan Sandslash), for all we know. If so, Cyndaquil’s typing pulled a 180.

(#377) Early Furret?

Possibly an early Furret. Looks pretty awkward, not gonna lie; I’m glad it was probably refined into modern Furret, with more body definition between the head and tail.

(#378) Stork Pokemon

It’s a stork, based on the myth of where babies come from. A cute idea, although its curly ‘hair’ looks a little funny to me.

(#380) Squid Pokemon

A squid with drills for its mantle and arms. Since that’s kinda Beedrill’s thing, I’m glad they scrapped the idea. The backsprite lacks drills so it’s probably from a different design stage.

(#382 - 383) Early Burmy/Pineco

Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim is based off the bagworm. Bagworms are grubs that use silk and lots of bits of leaves, bark and other objects to create a camouflaged cocoon. When they turn into adults, some species of female bagworms just look like their larval stage, while the males turn into winged moths. That is why Burmy/Wormadam/Mothim have their unique evolution situation. Clearly, these two beta pokemon are playing around with the bagworm idea. They probably went on to inspire both Pineco (another pokemon based on bagworms!) and the Burmy line in gen 4.

(#386) Koala Pokemon

It’s so cool to see they were thinking about a koala pokemon this early. We would not finally get one until gen 7′s Komala.

(#387) Tanuki Pokemon

A Tanuki that is carrying campfire kindling on his back, but the kindling has caught fire. Apparently based on the Kachi-Kachi Yama folktale, which is a surprisingly violent story, but I suppose folktales often are. Who knows why it was cut, but Sentret is the closest thing we have to a tanuki pokemon for now.

(#392) Megaphone(?) Bird Pokemon

Yet another bird pokemon! There sure were a lot of beta birds. This one appears to have a megaphone-shaped beak. Or, possibly, its head is shaped like a gas mask (the strange eyes seem to support this idea). Honestly I really dig the look of this one.

(#397) Frog Pokemon

It’s tough to tell but it has a small horn on its head. It has a long tongue and is probably shouting “ribbithhhhhh!” It’s cute, but a little plain.

(#400) Tiny Hippo Pokemon

Look at this little weirdo. I think it’s a tiny hippo? With a mohawk and a big grin and wild eyes. It doesn’t really seem to have a head, its mouth/eyes/ears are just stuck directly to a body. Looks pretty awkward, probably needed some polish. No idea what they were going for with it, but it’s interesting.

(#401) Skeleton Pokemon

A very spooky, bipedal, living skeleton beast. It has a long snout and sharp teeth, almost like a crocodile or a dinosaur-like creature. Its head and shoulders have bony spikes and the front of its snout has markings that seem to be a nasal cavity. Very detailed. It also reminds me of Missingno, as some Missingno used the fossil skeletons as their front sprites. I would have loved to have this pokemon, and it’s a real shame they didn’t use it.

(#402) Rodent Pokemon

A mouse or bunny with gigantic, spotted ears and no arms. Those are some serious ears; it almost looks like it could fly with them.

(#403) Fly Pokemon

A bug-type!! It has a huge, creepy face, curly antenna and wings strangely really close to its head. I love it?? But it’s a bug, so of course I do.

(#404) Plant Pokemon

The Snow Bunny was likely part grass-type, but other than that, this is our first grass beta! It has one eye, a spikey head, and almost foot-like roots. I love how grumpy it looks. There’s a possibility it was a pre-evolution for Sunflora, before they had created the idea of Sunkern (which is not present in this collection).

(#405) Ant Pokemon

Another bug!! This one looks a lot like a winged ant. (Those do exist-- usually a temporary thing for mating flights) It’s possibly related to the fly pokemon above, sporting very similar wings. However, it doesn’t really seem like an evolution.

(#406) Dinosaur Pokemon

A little dinosaur-like pokemon, looking up at you. It’s unclear if that’s a tough, bony skull, or if it’s maybe a hat. The clubbed tail makes me wonder if it’s related to #415 below, but it’s probably unlikely. However, it is pretty likely that this later became Cranidos.

(#407) Early Cherrim

This clearly was a design that was picked up later, in gen 4, to create Cherubi/Cherrim’s sunshine form. I am glad the design was improved, because the lips on this one scare me.

(#412) Early Dunsparce

Dunsparce looking quite different. No wings, no drill tail, with a much more typical snake-like face.

(#415) Dinosaur Pokemon

It looks like an aquatic version of an Ankylosaurus or something similar. It’s possible it’s related to the Viking Ship pokemon (as a pre-evo), but there’s no way to know. I quite like it, though.

(#416) Flying Fish Pokemon

This magnificent beast, this miracle of creation, is surely my favorite beta pokemon of all time. Revel in its glory. You may not like it, but this is the ideal pokemon body. What a perfect way to round off our collection of betas.

#pokemon #pokemon gold/silver #beta pokemon #april 2020 leak #pokemon betas #pokemon beta content #mycontent #pokemon discussion

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stonefreeak · 4 years ago

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I am so sorry this has taken me so long. I can’t believe i missed updating in February entirely! Work is busy, and I have moved and am trying to get everything in my apartment put together and it’s just A Lot right now. But I will work hard to not forget to update again!

Shaak Ti walks through the halls of Kamino, projecting the sort of calm she knows she's become known for over the years. In times of upheaval, anxiety, and unrest, being a source of calm and peace is helpful not just for yourself but also to the people around you. She's long since learned to keep a tight leash on her emotional responses.

It's not that she doesn't feel, to suggest such a thing would be ridiculous—she's hardly had the emotional centres of her brain damaged or removed after all—she's merely cautious with how she lets herself express it. If she becomes agitated, if she lashes out, she risks bleeding her own agitation into the Force and affecting other people and beings around her, stoking their agitation. Not to mention that she risks entering a feedback loop with the Force, where she projects her emotions into it, and it sends those emotions back to her causing a spiral into ever deepening loss of emotional control.

As a Force Sensitive being, allowing your emotions to get the better of you means you risk losing control of yourself entirely. Usually that means that people get hurt, and Shaak Ti has no interest in people coming to harm.

She locks her emotions down, catalogues them, acknowledges them, and leaves them for meditation later when she's alone and has the time to properly dissect what she's feeling and why she's feeling it.

A side effect of this is that she has an amazing poker face—none of her fellow council members will play Correllian poker with her anymore—and as she tries to investigate the supposed chips inside the troopers' brains, it more than serves her well.

The people of Kamino have very limited emotional reflection in the Force, it seems to be an inherent trait of their species. That they're also so foreign to her that she still cannot accurately gauge their emotions from their facial expressions—limited as they are—means that she's always in a precarious situation when she speaks with them on sensitive matters. Being able to tell if they're deliberately hiding something from her or if they simply don't know is more than a little bit difficult.

But if Master Kenobi is correct, then they are deliberately hiding something from them all. Something that Former Chancellor Palpatine likely knows about, was told about, but which they haven't shared with Master Kenobi despite him being the new Chancellor.

She doesn't like the sound of that, the idea that they wouldn't speak about it with any Supreme Chancellor, but rather only Palpatine. It gives her a bad feeling, and she wonders if, perhaps, the Former Chancellor is corrupt in a way they have yet to discover? She's been told by the rest of the Council that he's been found guilty of some milder charges—as far as any corruption charges are mild—but perhaps there's more to the whole thing. Perhaps there are things that the investigation couldn't find, because all evidence of it existed only in Kamino's data systems, far beyond the reach of the investigative team.

When Master Kenobi had first brought it up, she had agreed despite her own scepticism—she is not one for dismissing possible dangers off-hand, after all. With how things have developed... Well, she's starting to believe that he was on to something, even though her own research so far has not yielded much results.

Of course she realises that if the Kaminoans wish to hide these chips from them, her access codes would not give her access to anything that is related to the chips. But she had to look into it through official and open—to her—channels first. There is no good reason to treat people as untrustworthy criminals when you have not even the smallest bit of proof that they are that. She had originally planned to simply ask the Kaminoans about the chips, but once she was about to, a sudden feeling of unease swept over her, and she held her tongue.

But her general research has failed, and now she's facing a very difficult choice: either she asks the Kaminoans directly regarding the chips thus tipping them off to the fact that she knows about their existence in the first place, thus risking them looking more closely at her actions following said discussion, or she tries to conduct covert and far from legal entrance into their systems before she so much as ask them about it.

She pauses and realises that she's made an error in judgement. While it's true that the Kaminoans would keep a closer eye on her if she were to bring any of her concerns up to them... They are unlikely to believe she would trust any trooper.

Of course, if the chips exist at all, then the problem comes in the form of what the chips do. She has never sensed any sort of duplicity or danger from any of the clones she's ever trained or interacted with. They are good and loyal men, men who deserve more life than what the Republic is willing to give them due to their status as clones, so she does not fear trusting them.

The question is... Who should she ask?

There is sure to be capable and subtle troopers among those stationed here. All her men are capable of course, though not all of them are subtle.

She needs to find a trooper who can be trusted to work covertly, but also without being detected. They also need to be without pride, because if they get caught, they need to allow her to run interference in any way she can, and trust her to be doing so for their sake.

Perhaps she should lay a false trail, express worry about information leaks, and ask the Kaminoans regarding their security. Vaguely, not pressing for any details of course. However, just as with doing any clandestine breaking and entering the secure data centres of Kamino herself, she is too noticeable a figure. She cannot blend in or hide herself away, and if she asks too many questions, she risks making them suspicious.

If the Kaminoans are hiding something from the Jedi and the Chancellor—possible because the new chancellor is a Jedi—then she cannot tip them off to the fact that they are suspicious. That they are trying to investigate.

She would like to walk into this potential fire first, ahead of her men, as the Jedi do... But in this particular instance, she is quite certain that her presence at the metaphorical front would do more harm than good. She will need to send a trooper in her stead, and put her hope in their skills and strength.

She'll look into it, there are sure to be some who stand out as appropriate choices. Some who will be willing to help her with her covert mission. The clones have no love for the Kaminoans, as far as she knows, even though they seem to consider Kamino their home world. As far as she's been able to ascertain, their loyalty is with the Jedi and the Republic—even though the Republic has never given them anything, and the Jedi has never been able to give them anything except a clear command structure and the occasional meditation help and teachings about the Force.

Perhaps once this war is over, the clone troopers who still live can finally be given personhood and a place to live and stay. Perhaps when they're all finally free from this terrible war, her men can be allowed to flourish in any which way they want.

Not just on the battlefield.

For now she'll speak with the Council again. She cannot tell them openly, just in case the Kaminoans keep some sort of watch on their communication channels, set up to trigger on specific keywords. If they do, then they may already know that she is looking, so all the more important to not let them know any of what she's planning. But while she cannot speak plainly, she can speak in the kind of code that will have the Council send out a fleet to Kamino under some sort of pretence, and through that, she can send back a coded flimsi message containing any and all information she's found until then. Whichever trooper she finds for this mission will have to go with the fleet, and perhaps that will be the safest way for them all.

The Council will be able to request the trooper's aid far away from Kamino and the Kaminoans, and without any risk of them overhearing it. The Temple, at least, is safe enough that jammers alone will keep the information safe.

If she were to use any here, it would most likely make anyone looking to overhear her conversations suspicious.

The last thing they want is anyone trying to hide away the evidence.

They cannot afford any mistakes. It's too dangerous for that.

She lowers herself to her knees and places her hands gently in her lap, focusing on her breathing as she wraps the Force around her.

She will meditate on her next step before she makes any move at all. It wouldn't do to move too quickly and make a mistake.

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

#Supreme Chancellor Obi Wan Kenobi #star wars #Shaak Ti #my writing #update

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asherisimmortal-archive · 4 years ago

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tfatws weekly ask 3

j*hn 👏 walker 👏 is 👏 a 👏 man 👏 child 👏

extra hope battlestar is a parody of the black best friend trope please let him be a parody please please please

zemo's intro sucked. the dude is ratigan-level gay-coded (he looks stunning in his fur coat, schemey fashionista, strokes buckys chin). villains like that are hard to write because you have to toe a line between poetic and cheesy. that intro crossed the line.

rant on machiavelli, the author Zemo reads in prison. Machiavelli was a famous italian writer and diplomat during the early renaissance; his magnum opus was the prince, a book for powerful politicians guiding them on how to rule and stuff. the main parallels that most ppl might draw between machiavelli and zemo come from machiavelli's famous sentiment that "it is better to be feared than to be loved". as a leader, you want to be both feared and loved to maintain your power over the populace, but if you have to choose one, he said, pick fear, because then at least you have control. zemo is all about fear. he gets what he wants through brute force, through the power of his name, through fear. he doesn't care about being loved, because that doesn't get him through locked doors. there's also the psychological term machiavellianism, which describes the intersection of manipulativeness and amorality. by some assessments, zemo might be described as machiavellian in that sense too. but my favorite parallel between zemo and machiavelli is much broader. zemo's whole goal is that he doesn't want anybody to be deified, treated as idols, as that removes moral accountability. machiavelli too is seen as a "godless" thinker. he was one of the first european writers in a long while to take god's perspective on politics in a major political text. he didn't say "you should govern this way because it's godly". he says "you should govern this way because you're morel ikely to maintain power and order”. thus, both machiavelli and zemo focus on viewing those in power not as divine but as human, and separating power and divinity.

the breakout was a nice way of showing fans this show is gonna do zemo justice. i'm really happy with what they're doing. loved the marvin gaye, "he's totally out of line but he's not wrong" moment. i love me some juicy gay-coded villain

friendly reminder this screenplay is far from perfect and every few seconds i hear a line that didn't need to be said aloud. especially by baron helmut "gay exposition man" zemo

i remember seeing fanart of sam and bucky bickering labeled "married couple" and zemo in his fur coat in front of them labeled "sugar daddy" if you have seen this pls lmk i need to reblog asap (zemo ships sambucky so hard)

i saw something else saying that zemo > j*hn because at least zemo gives bucky the dignity of calling him "james" when j*hn calls him "bucky" despite knowing him for like 2 seconds which is trueeee like zemo has a code, he has respect, he kills and does awful things because he has a goal and doesn't care about the moral ramifications of getting to that goal. j*hn is like, my motivations are being an asshole to everyone including but not limited to bucky, sam, and the entire Black community

smiling tiger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the party scene was completely useless plot-wise, story-wise, character-wise. except for the 2 seconds of zemo dancing that made it worth it

i thought sharon would come in this ep and stay, while zemo would come in this ep and leave. surprised it's the other way around. i think it'll probably be more interesting this way but still sad that women's screentime is minimal. poor sharon didn't have much to do. she just stood there, looked sad and hot, and beat ppl up. not bad but not as good as i was expecting at all

zemo low-key comparing captain america to h!tler is stupid in and of itself but also kinda funny in that the original helmut zemo was a literal n@zi so it's ironic that this version talks about h!tler derisively

karli chatting with flag smasher buddy could have been better. one of those scenes that's supposed to make us bond with the characters but mostly makes me upset that their dialogue is such blatant exposition dumping

as much as i simp for zemo in this ask....it takes a real idiot to kill so many perfect intel sources. just because you think you're done asking questions doesn't mean you are, helmut!

i just realized what makes daniel bruhl such an interesting face. he's got baby eyes that make me want to give him a hug so what makes the dude so evil? it's his mouth. it's a little bit curved so he looks like a cat. tell me i'm wrong

when bucky straight up went “imma take a walk” and zemo and sam didnt ask any questions i was like. ok then yall are blind

Yes 👏he 👏is 👏

I’m hoping he is too.

I thought his intro was alright. I think it could’ve been done better, but it wasn’t terrible imo. I see where you’re coming from though.

I don’t know anything about Machiavelli but that’s super interesting.

I looovee what they’re doing with Zemo rn. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Yeah, sometimes it’s a bit on the nose, if that’s the right term. I think it’s because this is still a Marvel thing and Marvel is very popular and popular things have to cater to the dumb people, but it’s still a bit annoying.

I have not seen this but now I want to 👀

Yes. J*hn is an actual peice of shit and I really hope he gets killed off at the end of this series. Zemo’s also not a great person but at least he 1) knows what respect is and 2) is entertaining as all hell.

Smiling Tiger :D

The party scene was probably just there to stretch out the episode as long as possible. Also the guy who plays Zemo says that that clip of him dancing was originally much longer and I really hope it gets leaked or something.

I’m expecting Sharon to come back later since she’s in the promotional images, but I was still surprised that she didn’t stick around. I was expecting Zemo to stay and I’m very glad he did.

I agree that that was dumb and ironic. I wouldn’t be surprised if a small part of that is that they’re trying to push the fact that this version of Zemo is not a n@zi. Maybe I’m looking too into that one though.

They could’ve done so much with thattttt and makes me so mad. If these guys are gonna be the fake-out (I think that’s the right term idk) villians that a lot of people (including myself) are begining to believe they are then you have to use them for more than “this is what happened, this is what’s happening.”

I agree. At first I thought that maybe he just wanted to have as little witnesses as possible, but with the thing that night in Madripoor I’m starting to think that he’s just not as smart as he thinks he is.

I’ve always thought his mouth was weird but now that you’re pointing out the cat-likeness of it I totally see it.

The fact that even Sam didn’t realize that something was up was annoying. Sir, you are an Avenger, wouldn’t you be able to pick up on somebody spying on you?

#fatws spoilers #falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #fatws #falcon and the winter soldier

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seo-news-bangladesh · 4 years ago

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Things Web Designers can learn from Web Developers

With so much competition, how can web designers maintain a premium identity for their work while also forging a successful career in web design? The solution is found in the design approach. Web designers must exit the race by competing on a completely different level.

An overview of the existing race in Web Designing

As people are spending more and more of their time online, digital user experiences are becoming the foundation for almost every large organization.

Businesses that do not have a proper website risk missing out on an excess of growth opportunities. They can reach far more people through the internet than they can through any other medium of advertisement. Therefore, organizations both globally and in Bangladesh who jumped into the boat of digital user experience, are having their website be the focal point of their company's online presence.

As a result, the number of web designers and web developers in Bangladesh, as well as web design and development firms, has increased to meet the demands of the growing popularity of startups and businesses seeking to go online.

While the supply is plentiful, so is the competition.

The web designers' goal should be to create distinctively one-of-a-kind design works for their clients, which elevates them above the competition and contributes to the development of a diverse, one-of-a-kind, and strong body of work.

Web designers frequently concentrate their efforts on the visual aspects of a design. How do the colours compliment one another? Is the design balanced? Is the spacing ideal? As designers, it is normal for them to want their work to be as visually appealing as possible since it has a direct impact on the overall quality of the experience.

However, designing an excellent website entails far more than simply making it visually attractive. Therefore, to improve web design skills, one of the most effective things designers can do is to connect with web developers for inspiration.

Web developers bring a website into its full functioning form by developing both the front-end and back-end part of a website. After the website’s design is made, designers hand it over or work side by side with the developers to bring the website into its life. Afterwards, the developers work their magic. However, after the site is published, developers have the access to its performance analytics. So, they can provide valuable information on improvement factors of the design as well as information about the modern technologies they can implement.

At Dcastalia, one of the best web development companies in Bangladesh, professional web developers and designers work closely together on a project. By following the Agile Methodology, the whole team collaborates with the user, to create segments of the website design and functionality, test it and then repeat the whole process for another segment. In this way, the web designers get valuable insights from both the expert developers and the clients which they can utilize to generate the visual aspects of their next design.

Ensuring Security for Website Visitors

Source: Pixabay

Web protection is now more important than ever. With technical innovation comes a slew of new attempts to breach online defences. Every hour new malware strains are being produced and other groups of data mining taking it to the next level.

The State of Cybersecurity in Bangladesh and how web designers can improve

Bangladesh has risen from 73rd to 65th and ranked 2nd in South Asia in the UK-based National Cyber Security Index's global cybersecurity Index (NCSI). According to a press release published by Dhaka Tribune, the index was created by the NCSI to assess countries' preparedness for basic cyber-attacks as well as their efforts in handling cybercrime and major crises.

While this gives up hope but does not give us the guarantee that our information is secured. Therefore, web designers in Bangladesh need to be up to date on web security and technological expertise. Considering site protection from the beginning of website design and collaboration with the web developers in Bangladesh will reduce the likelihood of potential cyberattacks.

Security while generating customized-display

Customization is all about helping companies better satisfy customers using their websites but at a cost. Modern websites are designed to collect personal information from users (from cookies), or while opening accounts which is then used to give a more tailored experience. This applies especially to business sites or eCommerce sites that take in customer's payment details.

Credit card compromises rose by 212% a year, credential leaks increased by 129%, while malicious applications grew by 102%.

(Source: Purplesec )

As a web designer, it is important to provide security and priorities more than personalization. The designer must consider the demographic of customers for the websites. For example, if the percentage has more senior people visiting the site, then ensuring them that their data is safe through visualization is vital.

Even if it is just a name and email address that the site is requesting from customers, designers need to learn how to get that information through visual cues which ensure security. In this case, Chrome browser, for example, indicates that the site is served on HTTPS which is a more secured server compared to HTTP. However, most of the customers need a more prominent signal which is easier to understand.

Defense against front-End vulnerabilities

A cross-site scripting vulnerability (XSS) that causes a company to shut down its service is the last thing any company needs to deal with.

Web designers must pay special attention to preventing client XSS and should exercise extreme caution when using Iframes, CORS, and cookies, as well as HTML5 elements and APIs, which are considered to be fraught with vulnerabilities.

Web designers are now expected to be more security conscious than ever before, and they have no choice but to live up to standards.

The designer and the developer must discuss issues such as the above while building a website. Only through this type of teamwork can the best outcome be obtained — one based on how the website is supposed to look and perform, as well as the criteria for handling and protecting users' data.

Top web design firms in Bangladesh such as Dcastlaia, comprises a team of professional and experienced designers and developers who work together in bringing out highly secured websites for local clients. Dcastalia’s in house production of their very own customizable eCommerce platform: Store -Up proves their established methods and concern for web security and thus ranked their services such as web development, eCommerce development as well as web security and maintenance high up in the country.

Responsive Websites – Is it the responsibility of the designers or developers or both?

Source: Unsplash

According to Statista, mobile traffic accounted for 52.64 per cent of all global traffic in 2017, implying that a website that is not responsive or mobile-friendly is losing roughly half of its traffic.

Responsive websites are those that adjust to all screen sizes and resolutions, not just desktop, but also smartphone, tablets, and, in some cases, smart TV.

Despite the advancement in modern technologies and growing designers and front-end developers, there are still abundant websites that are not responsive. This is because many designers are still learning the principles of responsive design, and front-end developers are hesitant to take on the responsibility since according to them, website responsiveness appears to be in design territory.

This resulted in the presence of blind spots in a typical Design - Frontend setup, which is located at the junction of design and development.

To begin with, none of the design tools available for web designers allows for truly responsive interfaces to be created and the available tools prove to be inefficient. Designers cannot fully grasp the principles of a responsive website unless they dive into the code. Front-end developers, on the other hand, front-end developers either lack the authority or the neOnst to make design decisions directly in code.

As a result, the blind spots are ignored, and the internet is flooded with ordinary websites. Building responsive sites is impossible unless there is a connection built between design and frontend development.

Share the responsibility – Break the ice with your Front-End Colleague

There is a major difference in the responsibilities for a web designer and a web developer which is a whole other topic.

The solution is not for the web designers to learn to code and start programming but to consider the fundamentals of responsive website development and to be conscious of the technical options available. In the meantime, web designers can share their design concepts and knowledge of good and bad user interfaces with their front-end colleagues.

Rise of responsive web development in Bangladesh requiring designers to stay updated

Bangladesh's ICT sector has grown at a 40 per cent annual rate since 2010.

(Source: UNCTAD).

The emergence of a large number of young entrepreneurs and their passion, as well as the government's strong emphasis on "Digital Bangladesh," are key driving forces in Bangladesh's ICT industry.

As Bangladeshis become more reliant on technology, many businesses began to establish online presences to participate in the evolution of Digital Bangladesh. Therefore, the need to have a unique and responsive website to represent the company’s value has mounted to attract customers. With that, over the last decade, Bangladesh's web development industry has grown exponentially.

The constant quest for web designers to use creativity and innovation has resulted in a drastic change in the way websites are developed today. Web developers in Bangladesh are now using advanced techniques and methods to create functional websites that have unique user experiences and are mobile-friendly.

With the emergence of new website design trends and techniques, web designers in Bangladesh are making the design development process more exciting. As with every other creative discipline, experts in the web design industry in Bangladesh often pursue the latest trends to better serve their clients.

Renowned web development companies in Bangladesh such as Dcastalia follow SDLC for web development.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a method used to design, develop and test high-quality software. This method induces the collaboration of web designers and developers especially in the designing phase of the process where the designer has to produce more than one design approach and document it in the Design Document Specification (DDS) which is then reviewed by all the important stakeholders such as the developers and clients. This process ensures high quality, robust and mobile-friendly website design and development.

Optimizing Accessibility – What the developers have to say

Source: Equalize Digital

According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( WCAG), Web accessibility refers to the design and development of websites, resources, and technologies so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can:

- perceive, recognize, navigate, and communicate with the Web

- participate in the Web

Web accessibility includes all disabilities that affect access to the Web, such as:

- Auditory

- Emotional

- Neurological

- Physical

- Voice

- visual

Current role of web designers for implementing accessibility

Accessibility is initiated during the design process. To build for usability, the designers must consider the users' needs. The inclusive design ensures that digital materials meet the needs of the greatest number of people, regardless of age or skill.

Understanding the needs of disabled users is important for creating better and more inclusive experiences for them. One of the most difficult aspects of designing for accessibility is determining which individual user type needs to be addressed.

Colour and contrast

Colour is a powerful tool for defining a brand, conveying thoughts, feelings, and ideas; however, the power of colour is diminished when a user cannot see or understand it differently. Colour blindness affects approximately one in every 200 women and one in every twelve men .

Web designers usually include a non-colour identifier, such as icons or text descriptions, to help distinguish between colours and avoid oversaturated and high-contrast colours, which are common in autism spectrum disorders. It is best practice to maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between the foreground and background colours.

Images

It is also the designer's responsibility to consider the context of images and determine whether the image is merely decorative, conveys meaning, or contains the text.

Designers can transform image information into alt text so that screen reader users can understand the image's meaning. A screen reader is a program that reads out loud the contents on the screen to visually impaired users.

How developers ensure web accessibility and what designers can learn from them

The developers usually have to consider accessibility as soon as they begin writing code. While there is a learning curve at first, writing accessible code takes about the same amount of time as writing inaccessible code.

Developers and designers need to collaborate the accountability for improving accessibility in a website, especially when it comes to making user interfaces for several adaptive technologies such as screen-readers. Their collaborative goal should be to create a website that at a minimum meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) which is established through the W3C process in collaboration with individuals and organizations all over the world, to create a common shared standard for web content accessibility that addresses the needs of individuals, organizations and governments worldwide.

During web development, it is important for both the designers and developers to frequently audit and test for web accessibility. It can be done by checking the website in a browser to ensure that the display and the functionalities work correctly or not. There are many browser plug-ins and tools that assist in auditing the code for accessibility. Finally, testing the website or web application with a screen reader is recommended but not always required.

Bangladesh’s contribution in terms of Web Accessibility for all

Around twenty million out of 166 million people in Bangladesh have a disability. While Bangladesh aspires to become an ICT-based digital economy, there is a frightening likelihood that a substantial percentage of the population with varying degrees of disability and illiteracy will be left behind. While ICTs have the potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the lack of web accessibility is a significant barrier.

In November 2015, a2i, the Bangladesh government's innovation activator, conducted an internal accessibility audit and discovered various barriers to accessing government websites. As a result, a national web accessibility guideline for Bangladesh has already been drafted under the leadership of a2i and the Prime Minister's Office. A web accessibility toolkit is currently being developed to make all websites accessible and barrier-free for all.

In this regard, it is mandatory for web designers and web developers in Bangladesh to implement accessibility while building a website. Dcastalia is established as a prominent web development company in Bangladesh with over a decade of experience. The company excels at creating scalable, responsive and accessible websites to help companies establish a strong online presence. Their supremely talented and experienced developers and designers create effective, user-friendly web sites through mutual collaboration and by following the WCAG standard for web accessibility.

Last but not the least: Staying updated as a Web Designer

Source: Unsplash

Web designers who keep up with web design trends have an advantage over those who stick to what they learned in universities. This is very common among web developers who like playing with modern tools and languages and are always trying to incorporate that in their work.

Instead of focusing on the basics, designers can give clients new solutions for their needs if they are aware of what is trending in the web design industry. Creating new design work regularly that combines current trends with the designer’s style will transform their online portfolio into a one-of-a-kind visual destination for other designers and clients alike.

There are a few different ways to stay up to date with web design trends and keep that at a higher standard. It is not difficult, and all web designers can do it, whether they are fresh graduates, self-taught, or have been in the industry for over a decade.

Thinking outside the box

Sticking to the comfort zone is one of the biggest shortcomings of a web designer. Repeating the same steps for each new design project would just trap the designer in a box.

Web designers must look for ways to expand their imagination, encourage their ambition, and learn new skills. International web designer forums are a great place to share ideas and see what other designers are up to. Taking a course or watching a video on something new to do or not entirely comfortable doing can be a way of learning new trends.

No limit to learning

These days it is not very difficult to find a learning resource. Online courses and tutorials for learning new skills are all plentiful on the internet now. The tutorials on the internet are created by web designers who are keeping up with trends and giving back to the web design community.

Co-working with other designers and web developers

Web designers have a surplus number of resources at their disposal to stay in touch with one another and showcase their work in a community setting. Sites like Behance, Dribble, and Interaction Design Foundation are some of many great places to not only keep the portfolio up to date but also to meet other designers and developers and see what they are working on. Online communities are great, but joining a design association that hosts regular events and competitions can make things even more interesting.

Final Word

Lastly, by understanding the points of improvements and the things developers can teach in terms of web designing, designers can not only create unique work for the clients but will also be able to build a strong body of design work for themselves.

They will be able to show that good design is not something that can be purchased off the shelf and that if a potential client wants a distinct and unique web presence, it's something worth investing in.

Dcastalia is one of the leading web design and development company in Bangladesh and has a dedicated team that carefully considers the client's needs and curates creative, adaptable, responsive, accessible and cost-effective websites. The company offers versatile services such as web development, eCommerce development, web design, experience design and many more.

Frequently Asked Questions - Regarding Web Design

Source: Pixabay

How much does designing a new website cost?

The cost of a web design is determined by the requirements of each individual project. Every website is unique and necessitates different components; web designers design and develop custom websites for each business.

How much input can the clients provide in the process of designing?

A great deal! The clients’ input and feedback are critical to the success of the web designing process. The clients have to be clear about their needs, likes, and desires, and then work with the designer to create the perfect look and functionality.

What if the client wants to redesign a website?

The process is the same as making a design from the sketch. The client meets with the designer and other stakeholders in the team to share the requirements, goals and have an in-depth discussion about the design. After that, the designer starts making wireframes and prototypes in which the client provides feedback.

Do you make designs on pre-made templates?

Every website the designer creates is one-of-a-kind and custom-made for each client. Designers usually do not use any pre-made templates or themes unless the client specifically asks for them.

Can I add features such as an email sign up form on my website?

When web designers design your website, they will incorporate all of the features you desire, including an email sign-up form. Since they usually design the website from scratch, they can ensure that it complements your website's style and branding.

#seonewsbangladesh

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indecisive-v · 4 years ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: 1. how was your day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Q: Will the game have dlc?

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

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

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

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

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

and evilsk8r i met cuz of FNF!!!

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

#friday night funkin #fnf #fridaynightfunkin

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photiniainsummer · 4 years ago

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A Little Audience Participation Can Tip the Scales (4/?): Curiosity Killed the Cat...

Genre: GenFic - Action, Mystery, Humor

Rating: Teen and Up

Story Summary: There’s a strange group living at the old Markiplier Manor.

They’re the villains of their tales, they’re looking for information, and they need your help putting Mark’s scattered egos back together to get their lives back.

And stop Mark and the Entity breaking reality.

Small goals.

(Second Person POV, vaguely fem-coded Reader)

Chapter Summary: The one where you almost die.

Word Count: 5407

Author’s Note: I promise we're almost to the real meat of things - let me know what you think!! :)

On Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30510852/chapters/76436726

Curiosity Killed the Cat...

“Oh, come on,” you sigh, easily opening the metal door at the bottom of the outdoor staircase to Jonah’s apartment. He’s forgotten to lock it for the thousandth time, which always makes you slightly anxious - something you could really do without right now. His carelessness never ceases to amaze you; you’d gotten copies of the keys to both his doors early on in your friendship because the man could barely go a night out on the town without losing them. You’re the only reliable person that’s also foolish enough to go out drinking with him, so he dubbed you his personal keeper of the keys. At first it had been a mantle you bore begrudgingly, but it had been a big part of you two becoming so close - having to drunkenly help someone into their own apartment will really bond folks, you had learned. So far, you’ve never needed to use them without with him around, nor had you let anyone else borrow them, even for a bit of light pranking. Maybe it’s silly, but if you’re honest with yourself, the simple key ring feels like Jonah’s trust embodied. Nothing so far has proved to be worth more than that to you. Ascending the old stairs, you wonder if he’s noticed.

So far, your plan to check up on the crime reporter is not turning out to be the quick detour you had hoped. Lunch hour traffic had eaten into your hour and some change, and Thistle, the owner and proprietor of the downstairs combination health store/cafe had been no help. He had been busy serving up roasted halloumi paninis when you poked your head in a few minutes ago, and after investing time into waving off his concern about your busted-up face you’d found that he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Jonah since he’d left for work yesterday morning. “I went out before he got back, I suppose, and I was horribly drowsy this morning - big night,” he’d said with a wink. “So he could’ve left this morning and I just didn’t notice.” When his lack of information only deepened the furrow you’d been carrying in your brow all day, Thistle had pulled an apologetic expression before trying to sell you a CBD tincture for wrinkles.

The bushy-bearded man could be like that - simultaneously thoughtful and mildly insulting - but he made a mean panini, so you had taken one at his insistence. As much of a bust catching up with him had been, given how long-winded and very intent his sales pitches can be, you’re glad that you at least won’t go back to the office hungry. The sandwich’s warmth leaks through the paper bag at your side as you knock on Jonah’s door. It’s a beat-up thing, paint-chipped and worse for wear. Its best feature is that it keeps a whopping three-quarters of the rain out. It looks even more crooked than the last time you were here, something you hadn’t thought possible, and you make a mental note to rag Jonah to have his landlord fix it properly this time.

You listen for the man’s tell-tale heavy footsteps, wondering if he had just taken the day off. Maybe he unplugged the landline and curled up in bed to mope all day about not getting to go on your great adventure to the Manor. It sounded like something he might do - although the thought of all you’d been through as a ‘great adventure’ feels like the most gross mischaracterization you can think of. But here you’d be, banging on his door, a nervous wreck under your extensively bruised surface, having run halfway across town because he hasn’t called you back. He’d look at you like you were nuts and tease you mercilessly, you know. How did people cope before cell phones, you wonder, knocking again. Regardless of what Jonah might say, you’d happily bear the embarrassment for the comfort of seeing him in the flesh. Something really isn’t sitting right with you about all this.

“Jonah? It’s me, I brought lunch,” you call for good measure. Maybe food would tempt him out, if he was wallowing around inside and being a big ol’ sad sack. As you wait a little longer, you lean over slightly to the nearby window. Against your better judgement, you check for wrinkles. It’s not so much that you mind having them, if you do, but you hadn’t noticed them happening. Is time really moving so quickly, ravaging you already? You twist a few errant bits of your curly bangs to get them to hang right and peer at yourself, raising your brows and lowering them, just to see. Sure enough, a few persistent, thin lines remain when you relax your brow. Then you furrow it, even as you know it’s counterproductive. Cool, cool cool cool. Next will be the gray hairs. Maybe I need to drink more water…?

You meet your reflection’s gaze properly. You look more tired than usual, that’s for sure, and your bruises don’t really lend toward a relaxed expression. Your brow is slightly drawn up, stuck in a constant flinch against the steady, low-level pain of your sore face. It draws a sigh out of you - either you’re exhausted by it or you’re relaxing now that you’re conscious of it, but which one isn’t clear. At least that deer-in-the-headlights look you’d caught in the shattered mirror at the Manor hadn’t stuck around. That memory alone is enough to remind you that these aren’t normal circumstances, that nothing about this is normal by any stretch of the imagination. You realize just how much you can’t wait for this all to be over, for the simple explanation to win out and for your nerves to take a breather. Once we get all this sorted out, I’ll take a serious couple of naps, eat at least one vegetable, and I’ll be good as new. The thought sounds a lot more optimistic than you feel.

Finally, realizing nobody’s coming and Jonah is probably out, you resignedly turn from your self-involved and low-key mope session and make to descend the stairs and head back to work. But your eyes catch something as they unfocus from your own reflection, and you turn back to the window.

You can see into Jonah’s living room, which is odd, since you’re certain this window had blinds the last time you were here. Looking up, you realize said blinds hang at a sharp angle, half-torn from their molding and revealing the inside of the apartment. It’s a complete wreck. Furniture is overturned and papers are everywhere, as if a bomb had gone off.

“Jonah?” Your voice sounds unfamiliar, distant and panicked, as you knock on the door more insistently. It swings loosely inward from the force, the deadbolt already having been snapped through the weak wood of the doorframe. What the busted door reveals is much worse than the snapshot the window provided. Nothing is where it’s meant to be - pictures lie shattered on the floor or hang at strange angles from their nails; books’ pages are torn from their spines and scattered around; the floor is covered in a thin layer of cotton and feathers, the guts of cushions turned outward and furniture torn open. It’s devastating and all-encompassing, and you can barely process the wreckage laid out before you.

I should go get Thistle, is your first thought. Get someone, call the police, get away and get safe, is your second. Whoever had done this could still be inside, and you are now a witness. They could walk out from the back at any moment. They could be armed. But what if Jonah’s still inside, is your third and most arresting thought. Thistle had said he never heard him leave this morning, and he’d been out last night -- how recently had this happened? Your mind works quickly. It would have had to be at least some time between yesterday evening and now, of course, but there was no telling for certain. He could still be in here. He could be hurt. He could be dead.

Stepping over the threshold, you work to steady your breathing, which has become shallow in the shock. Like hell you’re going to ditch without even checking if he’s inside, attacker be damned. The part of the wall where the deadbolt typically slides into place is now splintered outward, ugly and sharp, and as you shut the door behind you, the piece of metal easily but ineffectually returns home. The metal casing from the doorframe lies discarded on the floor among the rest of the wreckage. Nearby are bits of shattered plastic, and tracking them to their source reveals the remains of an old landline. The cord has been pulled from the wall, the body broken open so its wiring curls in sad gnarls. It brings a new meaning to the line being ‘dead,’ you think humorlessly, but you have at least one more answer than you did before - Jonah didn’t answer this morning because he couldn’t. And yet, this only leaves you with a whole new pile of questions.

You move cautiously through the ruined apartment, not wanting to disturb the wreckage more than you have to. You’re already considering the inevitable police investigation, and you are going to make damn sure the police have as much unsullied evidence as they can find to put Jonah’s attacker away. Or attackers. You stop by his CD shelf - something you had teased him mercilessly for having the first time you visited because, seriously, who still has a CD shelf? It lies bare, now, contents scattered on the floor, but thankfully undisturbed behind it is a baseball. Jonah keeps it for moments like this, you imagine. Although, the hypothetical scenarios he had prepared for had probably involved him being the one wielding it You lift the bat to your shoulder. Just in case.

You continue your search, into the tiny half-room Jonah generously calls his study. Despite the room being equally torn apart as the rest of the apartment, the blinds here are intact. You crane your neck to see through their slits, careful not to touch them, wondering if something lies behind. Past the fire escape on the other side of the glass, the side of the neighboring building fills the window’s view. Directly across is a large window, propped open, curtains dancing slightly in the breeze. Without the blinds here, whoever lives next door would have a perfect view in, if they had a care to look. Someone was careful. Turning around, you can fully take in both the study and dining area - and the scope of their destruction. Sunlight falls across it all, cheerily at odds with how the floors are barely visible for the wreckage. There’s a path where you picked your way through, but otherwise it is trashed. Every shelf is laid bare.

Suddenly, a realization makes the hair on your neck prickle. As chaotic and troubling as the scene is, it isn’t random. The destruction is consistent - there is no corner untouched. No book remains intact, no container or bit of furniture unturned.

This isn’t random violence. It’s too careful. Like with the blinds being left up to shield the wreckage from prying eyes. Someone had come here, intentionally, and they had been looking for something. They had no idea where it could have been, but they were thorough in their search.

Had they found it?

You’re getting distracted, you’re not a cop building out a crime scene. You’re here to find Jonah and make sure he’s okay. Readying your bat in case you’re about to startle his attacker out of hiding, you call out. “Jo…?” Your voice betrays you, shaking. You clear your throat and push on. “It’s me, are you here?” No response, so you move through the mess more quickly, now. If whoever did this had found what they were looking for, they would have left Jonah behind. What state they would have left him in, though, is what you’re not sure of.

You worm around his overturned drafting desk table and check the back rooms. His bathroom and bedroom are a similar mess, clothes turned inside out and dumped everywhere, his medicine cabinet hanging open and the floor a mess of pill bottles and half-used shampoo. But there’s no sign of life. And no blood, either, you note with not a small bit of relief. You poke around the piles of Jonah’s clothes scattered through the bedroom and hallway, just to make sure he’s not hidden under them and wounded before returning to the study.

You feel lost, pumped full of adrenaline yet without an outlet. There aren’t any obvious clues to where Jonah could be, or where he could have gone. Had they taken him? Moreover, who had taken him, and why? What could Jonah have done to warrant… this? Taking a steadying breath, you pull your phone from your pocket, deciding that getting the police involved is the next logical step.

Then, voices, footsteps on the metal staircase.

Your heart rate shoots up as you strain your ears to pick out the voices, but they aren’t familiar tones. Without thinking and with your panic rising, you dive under Jonah’s upended desk, crouching yourself into a ball in the small space it makes between a bookshelf and the wall. It’s close, a little dark, and your breathing seems to echo in it - too loud and too hot all at once. Ignoring how your knees protest against the sudden, tight position, you press yourself further into the corner as the front door creaks open again.

“Je-sus, they really tore the shit out of this place.”

“Yup. Had to make sure he wasn’t hiding anything else, apparently. Muscle found a couple copies of stuff he’d hidden in different places, trying to be real slick, so they went through with a fine-toothed comb for good measure.” The first voice, reedy and exasperated, sighs and shuffles their feet.

“Really doesn’t make our job any easier. How’re we supposed to make any of this look normal? It’s insane.”

“That’s out of my pay grade, and yours. They’ll… put a dog in here or something, say it went bonkers being locked up alone. Give it a few days, it’ll live the mess in. But we gotta get it at least kind of decent, first. Now c’mon, help me with this couch.” The apparent clean-up crew shuts the door behind them and begins to shuffle around in the mess of Jonah’s apartment.

Your mind reels - so Jonah had been snatched up by god knows who, had been hiding files in his apartment, and now they were going to make it look like the break-in was… what, an accident? Like he had disappeared and left everything a wreck himself? What were they going to do with him? Unfortunately, you can’t say that this is the first time he’s gotten his nose in too deep about something, but you would have thought he had learned his lesson after his brush with being harassed and the rigamarole of getting restraining orders in place.

As sleepy as your city can be, there are a few folks everyone knows not to mess with. Everyone, of course, except Jonah, at least in any delicate sort of way. You laud him for his commitment even when the police balk from digging deeper, for being so full up with righteous fury that he puts stories to print as soon as he can. Even on the politics beat, you’ve come across your fair share of illicit wheeling and dealing - but there are ways to sound them out, you’ve learned how to sit on things and work with authorities until the time is right and publishing your piece won’t put you in imminent danger. Jonah, despite having a good number of years on you, seems not to have picked up on the same lessons. That, or he’s too committed to care. You mentally flip through the last few cases he’s mentioned that could be possible explanations, but nothing comes close to deserving something like this. Except…

But it seems ridiculous, like a murder mystery novel. There is no way whatever is going on surrounding Mark could possibly warrant Jonah being straight up kidnapped.

A heavy thud shakes the floor, and the deeper voice of the second intruder curls itself around some colorful curses.

“My foot was there, dumbass-”

“Maybe you oughtta move it, then,” the first snaps. The second seems to lose whatever is left of their patience, grunting in frustration.

“What the hell is going on with you? You’ve an attitude all damn day, I’m not doing this job with you in a huff.” It goes quiet, and after a while, the first intruder sighs.

“...I dunno. Johnny was just. He was running off at the mouth, you know him. It’s nothing.”

“Like hell it’s nothing, got you all worked up like this.” Another sigh. Is this… are they really doing a debrief in the middle of covering up a crime scene? You try to keep your breathing quiet as they continue.

“Basically called me too dumb to move up to internal affairs,” the first mumbles.

“Oh, hell, I’m gonna pull Johnny’s head out of his ass just so I can shove it back up there myself next time I see him. You know that’s bull, they said you just needed that computer class, right? Come on, what is it Mark always says?”

There’s a pause, but finally the first answers in a tone not unlike a sullen teenager. “...life is ours to choose.”

“There you go. And he runs us on that, right? And you’re choosing to move up, right? So he’ll see that, and I bet he’ll promote you soon as you graduate. Now c’mon get that look off your face and let’s get this done, huh? Dinner’ll be on me, and so will Johnny’s next knuckle sandwich.”

The pair returns to their work, but under the desk, a coldness has seized you. This cinched it - as absolutely insane as it sounds, it couldn’t possibly be a coincidence that these goons were answering to someone named Mark, cleaning up the kidnapping scene of someone who had been secretly digging into the mysterious history of a dead man with the same name. That the kidnapped man had only gotten suspicious because he works at one paper out of many that have been erasing or squashing any mention of said dead man, despite him being a native and a once-celebrity. That said paper, despite its lead editor’s obsession with careful filing, was missing any of those nixed stories. And that same filing system had been hiding a thick file, seemingly addressed to the dead man himself. Maybe you’re taking too many liberties, too many leaps in reasoning, but… despite how tenuous it all feels, it’s too much to ignore anymore.

How long had all of this been going on, right under all your noses? You feel sick, like the biggest idiot in the world - like you’ve been going about your life blindfolded all the while walking dangerously close to a cliff’s edge. Jonah had been the only one to see it clearly, and still, look where that got him. You remember the men at the office, Walker’s scared gaze. Had they been there about Jonah? If they had been here first and not found what they were looking for…

The folder’s weight in your bag, still slung across your chest, seems to chain you to the lightly feather-covered floor. Your heart pounds against your ribs, thunders in your ears. And god, your head aches like hell, everything just too much as you try to keep your breathing quiet. No wonder the men at the Manor had been so paranoid about you. If Mark could pull off something like this, disappear someone and send people to both destroy their place and clean it up to make it look like something else, all for just digging around on him, you’d be paranoid of anyone who suddenly busted into your hideout.

Well. You’d be paranoid anyway. But doubly so.

You know there’s no way you can stay here. The two workers are busying themselves around the apartment, the first apparently comforted enough by the second’s threats of violence against Johnny to hop to it. Discussing how to organize their approach, you can tell they’ll move on to the study soon enough. But they’re between you and the front door, will definitely get a head start on you as you awkwardly crawl out from behind the desk to escape. You could push it suddenly toward them once they were close, psyche them out and make a break for it while they’re startled. Which will only work if they’re close enough together and don’t flank you…

As you fumble for another option, the blinds behind you bounce slightly against the windowsill. A soft breeze caresses your face. Turning, you can see that the window is slightly open. Backlit by the afternoon sun, the dark metal of the fire escape casts a shadow across your face. There. It’ll be tight, but you can definitely crawl through the window from where you are without having to reveal your presence. At least, you won’t before you have the window between you and the clean-up crew. Then it’s just get down the escape before they do and book it as fast as you can.

As it’s the only route you can think of that doesn’t involve having to fight the men off, you decide it’s your best bet. Quietly scooting yourself toward the window, you crane your neck to ascertain the workers’ lines of sight. They’re occupied in the living room, trying to wade through the mess of stuffing and ripped up pages, well enough away and not looking in your general direction. You take your chance. You slip your hand behind the blinds and push up on the window.

The squeak it emits as it sticks, then rises sharply as you push it harder could shatter eardrums.

You only vaguely note the exclamations of the pair as panic overtakes you. Pushing out from behind the desk and under the blinds, you fling yourself out onto the sun-baked fire escape. The sunlight crashes down around you, forcing you to squint as you land and immediately scramble back to the window to close it. You shove down on it as hard as you can and the old thing jams crookedly in the casing with barely a half inch of space open at the bottom. Panicked fingers poke out from under it, trying to pull it up to no avail. The men holler in frustration behind the trembling blinds. With no time to waste, you turn and begin descending the metal scaffolding at a quick clip.

You stop, though, as you recognize a pair of broad shoulders at the mouth to the side alley you’re perched above. Even from a distance, just from the way he holds himself, you can tell it’s one of the burly men from the office. The cold feeling of the scar-faced man’s gaze fresh in your mind, you spin on your heel and hurry back up the shaky steps. You’ll find another path down somehow, you’re sure of it. The workers are still desperately attempting to open the window as you pass, your fast steps rattling the metal beneath your feet and only inciting their ire. “Hey, hey, get back here! Get-- Laney, go get the guys, go-”

But your panicked pace has already alerted ‘the guys’ to your presence - the sound of the shaking metal echoing clearly in the tight brick alleyway has seen to that. As you take the next flight, you can see that the man at the entrance to the alley is already closing the distance to the bottom of the escape. Heart leaping in further panic, you will your legs to go faster as you climb, tightly rounding the bend on each flight of the stairs. The building is only a few stories tall, so you quickly reach the top. Your hands grasp your bag tightly to your chest to keep it from slapping against your legs as you start to run across the roof, just trying to put distance between you and whoever is making chase.

But you have no idea where you’re running to.

Jonah’s building backs up to another, slightly taller one, and so you cross the roof and scramble over the small wall that divides them. You check this building for a way down, swearing when there’s no obvious rooftop entrance to the building nor fire escape. The next building is too close to warrant one, but pushing yourself onward, you hop easily across to it. Nothing here, either, so you hurry across to the next, and the next, each time pulling yourself up the small walls or crossing the short gaps between the buildings. Your hands quickly get rubbed raw, chest aching with hard breaths. You hear yelling from behind you, now, multiple voices calling and the sound of pounding feet. The sun is hot, beating down on you as you force your legs to pump, to keep going, leaving off searching for an escape in favor of just trying to lose your pursuers. You cross building after building, thankful for a reason you never would have imagined before now that Jonah had decided to live near the densely-packed shopping district.

Your luck soon runs out, though. Now out of the dense, main collection of antique shops and specialty grocers, the buildings grow farther and farther apart. Your jumps leave you more and more startled when you land them, the last one far enough that you can’t even control your fall onto it, smacking into the roofing gravel hard. It finds you, but you’re in full panic mode at this point, run ragged, exhausted, and still having to push onward. From the dusty, gravely concrete, though, you see the scarred man steadily approaching, taking the jumps between buildings in stride. Whoever he was with before that you heard yelling must have peeled off, leaving just the two of you.

You push yourself to your feet, palms burning from being so skinned up and pushed into the hot, dirty roof. Your body hurts all over, something you’d think you would have gotten used to by now. As you turn to continue onward, you find yourself limping slightly, leg aching although it’s not clear if it’s just a cramp from your panicked run or something worse. Regardless, you find that the next gap between buildings is shorter than the last one, for sure. I can make it.

“There’s no point,” the man calls. “Even if you get away, I know you. Where you work… Where you live will be easy.” You turn now to see the imposing man, still on the opposite roof. He stands there, watching you with that same cold stare, his voice so assured it makes you sick. As if he knows you’ll give in, that he’s already won. “And I know you have something that belongs to my boss. So why not make this easy and just give it to me now.”

You edge back slightly toward the next gap, and the man’s face twitches. You still have energy left, air in your lungs. This isn’t over. But maybe if you can keep him talking… “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He stares you down. “You’re familiar enough with our work, now, I think. Your friend’s car, his apartment... I just want the file, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Just leave me alone, all I know is that you started chasing me--”

The man growls and suddenly rears himself back. He leaps, landing on the roof only a few short feet away from you. It’s freaky, nothing about the motion feeling real or like something any human could do. It’s like a movie. You stumble backward toward the edge, leg bumping against the ledge. It twinges painfully. The man rises up and begins to approach, one pale, thick hand extending toward you. His scar is so obvious in the sun, from this close. His eyes are so cold.

“Give me the file.”

“Get away from me, I don’t. I don’t have any file.” You’ve apparently run out of lies for the day - it sounds weak, even to your ears. You step up onto the ledge, ignoring how your leg protests, readying to jump. Below you is a steep, multi-story drop into a trash-filled alley below. If you took a leading step, you could make the jump, though, you’re certain of it. But your heart is racing, your thoughts spinning. What if I fall? What if he grabs me? The man is approaching quickly now that you’ve stepped up, and you wind back.

“Just give it to me, and we can make this all go away…” His powerful hand reaches out, within your arm’s length, looking as if he’s offering to take your hand. Time seems to slow to a crawl around you. The man’s hand continues toward you as you make for the edge. You turn to face the open air, but your body feels like lead moving through deep water. The next building over is so close - maybe he won’t make this one, and you can get away properly.

You take the last step and leap. Pain spikes through your leg as you shove off, but you push as hard as you can.

As soon as your ascent begins, you know you won’t make it. You didn’t have enough lead-up, your push-off hindered by whatever you’ve done to your leg. Gravity quickly reasserts itself, and you’re falling. You twist in the air, curling around your bag to keep it from being snatched. Turning to face the sky above, you see the man still reaching for you, the sun catching in every drop of sweat on his bulging face as he hangs over the edge. Even shaded from behind, his cold eyes, lit with fury, are still visible.

You shut your own then, the wind rushing up around you. You don’t want to see what it’s like when you hit the ground. Maybe someone will see you fall, find you and the file before the man can get off the rooftop. Maybe the police will get ahold of it (and your pursuer) and some random girl falling to her death will be the thing to blow Mark’s operation open. Maybe someone will find Jonah, if he’s still alive. How would that be for the end to a grand adventure? It’s so cheesy and stupid that all you can wonder, wryly, is this is really my last thought?

Your courageous self-sacrifice is rather rudely interrupted, though, as you’re seemingly hit by a freight train. Something solid going almost as fast as you are knocks the breath out of you, and the next thing you know, you’re tumbling across the ground ass over tea kettle.

When you come to a stop - surprise - everything hurts. It’s worse this time, though. Nothing feels like it’s in the right place anymore, your joints protesting like hell. You’ve never been hit by a car before, but you imagine this is what it might feel like. The sun is blinding you, and you wonder for a moment if what hit you was the pavement of the alley, if it had just knocked you out of your body and straight into heaven. Or whatever afterlife there might be. You’re no theological expert, but you feel like you recall that the afterlife isn’t supposed to hurt.

You groan, and a deep voice nearby echoes you, although it melts into a big belly laugh. Turning toward it and away from the sun, you blink your eyes open properly and relocate your limbs. Squinting past the spots in your eyes and the protesting of… well, every bit of you, you push yourself up and realize the owner of the voice is right here next to you, already starting to brush himself off. His dark hair is mussed and grass has stained his yellow button-up, but his crinkled-eye smile is the same as the night before. Another laugh bubbles out of Wilford, truly amused as you both come back to yourselves in the grass.

“Good lord, dear girl, you really don’t do things by half, eh?”

#markiplier fanfiction #markiplier egos #markiplier lore #who killed markiplier #mad market pliers ramblings

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jaybug-jabbers · 4 years ago

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Top 3 Favorite PokeGods

For the unaware, PokeGods were schoolyard rumors back in the days of Gen 1, of powerful, secret pokemon hidden in the games. Many of these rumored pokegods were entirely fabricated, while others were apparently based off poor memories of seeing snippits of actual pokemon designs planned for the next gen of games.

I thought I’d make a list of my top 3 favorite pokegods, since I’ve been in a top 3 sort of mood.

#1 - Shadybug

Shadybug has an interesting detail to his tale; rumors of his reality persisted longer than other pokegods. Up until fairly recently, he had an entry in Bulbapedia, claiming that Shadybug was a pokegod based off glimpses of a real beta pokemon design.

This supposed design was called “Kage no Mushi” (‘Shadow insect’), and was a pokemon design supposedly uncovered in a Japanese web archive.

This is a sketch supposedly along similar lines to the fan sketches of Honōguma and other beta pokemon (or perhaps an attempt at concept artwork from the game creators themselves):

However, this is in all likelihood not a real alpha/beta design– there are few sources for this supposed design leak. For further discussion on this, go here.

All this talk aside as to whether Shadybug is a real beta design (no evidence for this at all), it IS a real Pokegod. In other words, there really were rumors in the 90s and early 2000′s circulating about him along with the other pokegods.

Rumors of course differ, and some rumors said Tricket, another bug-type pokegod, was the evolution of Shadybug, while others said they were two unrelated bug-type pokemon.

In any case, the two always really intrigued me. I’m honestly thrilled and impressed that bug-type pokegods were even invented by kids, as bug type was traditionally viewed as the weakest. And yet, they exist. Bug types were also included among the pokegods that were evolutions of pre-exisiting pokemon (usually evolved via the mythical ‘Mist Stone’): Beedrill evolved into ‘Beepin,’ Butterfree into ‘Locustud’ or ‘Locustod,’ Parasect into ‘Brainsect,’ etc. Even Metapod had a pokegod evolution, oddly enough– Metazap, a presumably Bug/Electric type created when you gave it ‘the Lightning stone.’

Getting back to Shadybug, though, if we look at the original pokegod rumors, we don’t know much about it. Typically it’s only described simply as “a bug that protects itself with a leaf.” The Kage no Mushi design seems to take it in a design direction similar in ways to Paras or Nincada. My favorite fan interpretation of Shadybug can be found at this post here, which honestly is so adorable I want to scream.

#2 - Tricket

This pokegod had a very consistent rumored ‘code’ for how to obtain it, something copy and pasted among the many 90s websites of young pokemon fans:

This code is for TRICKET! a new Pokemon for Gold/Silver.

First, you must carry ALL 6 BUG POKEMON in your party in this order: Caterpie, Metapod, Butterfree, Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill. Then, open an empty box in your PC without any Pokemon in it. Go into the Safari Zone and catch a wild Venonat and a wild Venomoth. You cannot catch Venomoth before Venonat.

Then, catch a wild Paras and a wild Parasect. Same rule applies for Parasect not before Paras. Keep them all in your PC box and do not change for any new ones. You do not need Scyther or Pinsir because they are rather rare to find. You’ll see them on the Victory Road, however, by catching all of the other bug Pokemon. That’s a pre-code.

Yes, along with Scyther in Red, Pinsir will be in Red too, and along with Pinsir in Blue, Scyther will be in blue! It’s the truth. Beat the Elite Four all the way through with the 6 Pokemon told. Do not allow Caterpie, Metapod, Weedle or Kakuna to continue to evolve, just press B to stop them from evolving.

Its best for them to be on high levels. Such as L50 Caterpie and Weedle, L60 Metapod and Kakuna and L75 for Butterfree and Beedrill. You can use Rare Candies and Gameshark to boost them up. After you win all five(Gary too) matches, Professor Oak notices you have all your Bug Pokemon. He asks if you’re a bug collector, YES or NO. If you answer NO, he says, “my mistake” and then the Hall of Fame comes up. If you answer YES, then, he takes you a cage where TRICKET the CRICKET lives! He lets you take it and use it for future battles.

Tricket is on Level 65, the same level as Gary’s final Pokemon. Tricket knows Spore, Twineedle, Mega Kick(crickets like to kick their legs) and Sing. I do not know if it learns any moves. It has no link with Shadybug. Shadybug is an entirely different Pokemon. They’re just bug pokemon.

There’s appeal to this code– unlike a lot of the wild ‘codes’ for obtaining pokegods that relied on doing something an exhausting number of times (and thus was hard to prove wrong), this was a single challenge run that sounded quite possible, albiet difficult. I also admit with my bug type bias and my love of pokemon bug runs of the game, I love the heck out of it for that reason too.

There’s a few other rarities about this code that I like; for one, Tricket is a very pokemon-sounding name. It seems to rely on a simple and appealing word-mash of ‘Trick’ and ‘Cricket’ and a rare moment of genuine quality for pokegod names. A lot of pokegod names are rather outlandish and sound very much like young kiddos made them up: Anthrax (this was during an anthrax scare in the US, keep in mind), Mysterio, Doomsday, Zapmolcuno …

Additionally, the moves described for Tricket are all real in-game moves. Again, usually when moves are described for pokegods, they’re invented with outlandish names. But the moveset described adds to the realism here. Admittedly, ‘Spore’ and ‘Sing’ are needlessly redundant, though. I would suggest swapping Spore out with something else, such as Screech or Razor Wind or something.

Anyway, there are a number of charming fan interpretations of this pokegod. One popular design is this one here, which is a rather straightforward but cute cricket with surprisingly big fists, akin to Ledian. Seems to suggest some punching moves in addition to the kicking ones.

Another sketch posted to Tumblr that only has a few notes is actually a very unique and awesome Tricket design, in my opinion, right here. A wizard cricket sounds fantastic, and it’s well executed in this sketch. The original moveset suggested for Tricket seems to have a physical attacker emphasis, but this version would probably be Bug/Psychic and more of a special attacker. We have yet to even have a Bug/Psychic type in pokemon, so the idea is an exciting one.

#3 - Mysterio

The interaction between pokegods and glitch pokemon is a complex one. It would be inaccurate to say glitch pokemon inspired all pokegods, or that all glitch pokemon were granted pokegod status, because that’s definitely not always the case. It was sometimes, though.

In many cases, it appears that pokegod rumors came about first, and that later on, Gameshark codes were assigned with the different well-known and well-loved pokegod names, with the tantilizing promise of easily obtaining these mythical creatures. Some authors who made these assigments were very direct and upfront about their arbitrary selections: they heard the pokegod rumors, knew them to be false, but liked to dream about them, and so they decided to assign names to the glitch pokemon just for fun. Other authors seemed to pass along these code lists and earnestly insisted that they were the genuine pokegods. Occasionally these authors made short notes about how the pokegods would ‘appear like messed-up blocks/like Missingno.’ but that they were indeed real despite this fact. In these cases, it seemed most fans agreed that the glitchy appearance was a dissappointment or a downside; people probably preferred the visions in their minds of great, powerful pokemon, not glitches.

The influence of glitch pokemon on pokegod lore was more sublte in other cases. Sometimes, the names of glitch pokemon would bleed into pokegod names. For instance, Blastoise’s pokegod evolution, Rainer, was possibly influenced by glichmon hex C4. This pokemon’s name appears as ‘PokéWTrainer’ in full, but due to the spaces in its name, often only appears as RAINER. It can be accessed via the Mew trick/trainer escape glitch, although its front sprite crashes the game. “Pokemaniac” also appears on many, many pokegod name lists, and this is a glitch typing of glitch pokemon also available through the trainer escape glitch.

Still, these are simply names. Something that seemed far less common were glitch pokemon inspiring any sort of detailed pokegod lore. Mysterio seems to represent at least a few attempts at this, though. It was a name given to ‘M, the sister species of Missingno. that also shares pokedex number 000. It could be encountered along with its sister Missingno. during the surfing along the Cinnabar coast/old man trick.

The relationship kids had with these two glitchmon was complicated. Missingno. and ‘M were typically treated with awe and fear. The false rumor that Missingno. could destroy your savefile or your entire game was incredibly common even back then, which probably explains why this rumor is still so staunchly believed even to this day. (See endnote.) Other kids valued Missingno. and its sister for its ability to duplicate items and used it for that but advised against daring to capture it, lest you put your game at risk.

It’s hard to say what other glitchmon possibly influenced pokegod lore. However, considering that encountering glitch pokemon without a cheating device (via Old Man Trick or the Trainer Escape Trick) seemed fairly well-known and easy to execute, and that the Gameshark codes were well-circulated for those lucky enough to own such a device, kids definitely were exposed to these glitchmon– making for ideal circumstances for rumors and stories to grow and flourish. It’s also noteworthy that glitchmon often had extreme stats; some were incredibly weak but others were incredibly powerful, with stats far exceeding any real, natural pokemon. They also fulfilled two other major expectations of pokegods: they were hidden and could only be revealed with special in-game tricks or Gameshark codes, and their pokedex numbers often exceeded 150. It’s quite possible these factors seriously influenced the rise of pokegod rumors in general, especially the various “tricks” that promised to grant you access to the land of the pokegods. Since these tricks for acquring M’ were real, for example, surely that meant other tricks could do the same for others? What else was waiting out there for discovery?

That same adventuresome, wonderous curiosity is something I feel is still kept alive today with glitch hunters. People are still discovering amazing ways of exploiting glitches and exploring the inner ‘guts’ of the game. Some of the glitch exploits sound like they stole a page right out the pokegod lore books, especially for arbitrary code execution. That’s why I have Mysterio listed as my final favorite pokegod. I feel it bridges the gap between the pokegods and the glitchmon. Quite frankly, if you’re searching for the pokegods, I’d say they have already been found: powerful, mysterious, occasionally dangerous, and completely alien, surpassing even the most wild young kid’s imaginations.

End Note on Dangerous Missingno. Rumor:

While encountering or capturing Missingno. and ‘M does not dangerously damage the savefile, it does visually corrupt Hall of Fame data, which is part of the savefile. This possibly contributed to the rumor that they can harm the save file. There also is a chance of crashing the game if you capture a pokemon at an abnormal level (lvl 0, namely) while having a full party and transferring it automatically to the PC, and then attempting to withdraw it. (Go here for details.) Because pokemon encountered during the Old Man trick, including Missingno. and ‘M, can appear at abnormal levels, this also may have contributed to the rumor.

However, to be perfectly honest, another reason is probably a case of mistaken identity. Missingno. was the first glitch pokemon to be discovered, most likely– certainly the one that was popularized and easy to access. Kids probably applied the name to all glitch pokemon. There are plenty of glitch pokemon that can severely corrupt your game, via glitch moves with unterminated names (called ‘Superglitch moves’). Poor, innocent Missingno. and ‘M were possibly blamed for their cousin’s crimes instead.

Finally, it should be noted that Missingno. in pokemon Yellow is far more ornery then in Red and Blue. With the Trainer Escape glitch, its front sprite can often lock up the game upon encounter; additionally, if successfully captured, it can cause various graphical glitches upon returning to the overworld.

This is a repost on a new blog. The original post was on Jan 14, 2019.

#pokemon #pokegods #top3 #shadybug #tricket #mysterio #missingno #missingno.#mycontent #pokemon favorites

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miraclejune · 5 years ago

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HERO’S SOUP: CHAPTER 17

District 9

Minho and Felix popped inside through the window. A hint of snow wafted around as Felix transformed back into human form. Minho quietly emerged from the dark corner.

Woojin helped Woong from getting some extra chairs from one of the rooms. They settled down and paid attention to the heavy conversation that was bound to happen.

"Jisung got kidnapped. Jeongin met another one of Merlin's apprentices. Changbin almost got killed. And Chan has real friends outside the mansion."

"Really? That's one of the big issues?" Chan rolled his eyes after receiving no response from Hyunjin. "I've heard about all of that except for the last part." Woong chuckled as he spoke.

"How?”

“Rumors spread faster than the plague here. And the Sofia's aren't good at keeping secrets." the vampire couldn't agree more. He heard a lot of chatter before at the clan, mostly some petty quarrels and scandals. Rare cases would be fights and disagreements within their 'businesses'. They spread petty rumors about other people but not even the slightest information from them was leaked.

"So, basically every supernatural being knows?" Woojin slumped down as he saw Woong's soft nod.

"Is it all connected though?" Jeongin asked.

"I hope so. It'll be much easier to deal with." Minho responded. He was right. If the following scenes came from different sources, it would be very difficult to handle. They didn't have the resources nor the time to do so. When it comes to manpower, they do have Jisung and Chan.

"Do you guys think they're tracking us?"

"Jeongin, you watch too many detective movies." Felix chuckled, moving to sit in between the boy's legs. "Well," Jeongin leaned forward and placed his hands on Felix's shoulders. "I do watch a lot of those films but maybe it's possible? No harm in finding out.”

"Let's hear him out." Minho suggested. He nodded at the boy signaling him to continue. "So, Jisung had been kidnapped before, right? Thankfully we all got out alive. Which is weird?"

"How is that weird?" Seungmin furrowed his eyebrows. Woojin put out a hand to calm him down, he noticed his tone was rising for a bit. "Go on." he said.

"O-okay." Taking a big breath, Jeongin calmed his racing heart.

"They let us go so easily. No backup. No follow up attacks. No nothing. It was too peaceful for my liking. A couple of weeks passed by peacefully, except for that one encounter with Ms. Yoo. Do you guys think she was somehow warning us? That something bad would happen soon."

"Kazuo has been giving us hints as well." Seungmin added.

Hyunjin rested his chin on his hand. "Ms. Yoo didn't hurt you. But she did scare the shit out of you." Jeongin nodded. To be honest, he did almost piss his pants.

"I tried to find her. But I couldn't get a grip of her. I couldn't ask around because people might question why I, an alpha wolf, is looking for one of Merlin's Descendants with no valid reason to state." Hyunjin turned to the alpha. He was also part of that search team.

"What we know for sure is that she's not our enemy nor our ally. I haven't seen her around the university ever since." Seungmin added. It somehow made sense. After not seeing her at the campus, weird things started to happen.

"We keep on encountering Kazuo though." Seungmin pointed out. Everyone in the room went still. "He's helping us." Chan replied. "We're not so sure about that." Minho retaliated. Chan didn't respond back.

"Two days ago. I received a letter from my former master." Seungmin's confession drew everyone's attention. "It was mostly monthly updates on how the academy is and some special events. But she did disclose a hidden message."

Hyunjin tilted his head. "Huh, as far as I know. No secret code nor language can't be deciphered by your former academy. Everything that comes in and out is to be sorted and searched very thoroughly." It was common knowledge for everyone.

Not only Seungmin's former witch academy but most of the facilities regarding students and workers. "That's the problem. They scrutinize every detail of it except for the very simple ones. They tend to overlook it."

He snapped his fingers and a sealed amazon box fell onto his lap. He reached out for Woojin's hand, who was beside the sofa sitting on a different chair.

On cue, the alpha's nails grew longer. "You just used our alpha as a cutter to open up the box.." Changbin shook his head in disbelief.

"Anyway, it said something about another package that was sent to me via mail." Seungmin ignored the wolf's remarks.

He stopped halfway through opening it.

"Like, normal mailing." what he meant was, normal human mailing.

"Yeah, the FedEx box is a dead giveaway." Felix commented.

"I planned on opening it the day I received it, but I forgot." the rest weren't paying attention to his words. They were excited to see what was in the package.

Seungmin pulled out a bunch of old letters, books, and smaller boxes. "Oh, these are just stuff I left there." He flipped through some of the books, handing one or two to Woong, the rest wondered why Seungmin had Woong's belongings.

"She scares me." Woong thanked him, sighing in agreement with what he said. "Seriously, she knows the exact time and place we would meet. Even when you're gonna open the package."

"You guys went to the same academy?" Jeongin asked.

"Yup!" Woong snapped his fingers, a big book appearing from thin dust. The book floats in front of everyone. It was sort of like a yearbook. Something straight out of Harry Potter. It flipped through the page where Woong's class was featured. "I was in my last year when Seungmin came in. So, we didn't see each other often." Seungmin waves his hand in the air, flipping through the pages once more until it stops at his class photo. "I hated taking these class photos," he confessed.

"Why'd you get the book?" Seungmin asked. "I also got the tablet. But I don't know where I placed it." Basically, their academy offers two options for the 'yearbook' either print or digital. Hey, it's a new age.

Woong threw the books he received at the shelf. They slowed down and squeezed neatly on a few vacant spaces. "Why didn't you just search for her there?" he pointed at the book. "Ms. Yoo is older than both of you.. so, it won't make sense."

"The book shows every class from the beginning of the academy to the last." Woong proclaimed proudly. "Damn, why wasn't I cursed as a witch." Changbin completely forgot about his words earlier. He was impressed.

Seungmin thinned his lips before answering.

"I did."

The book closed. The cover slowly changed into a different color, as well as a year printed on the front. It opened and flipped through a couple of pages stopping abruptly on the last page. "This was Ms. Yoo's class. There were only 10 of them and I heard that all of them were expelled."

They all leaned in to see an empty sheet with only the year printed on top of it, the ink was runny. It looked creepy as hell...

"Why haven't we heard of this?" Chan looked at Seungmin and Woong exchanging glances with each other. "An expelled student is normal but a whole class was definitely sketchy. We have no idea how and why. We were just given a warning not to bring it up if necessary."

The room sat in silence.

Jeongin observed the book, shifting his gaze to the two witches. Woong snapped his fingers and the book disappeared.

As they were settling on their seats, Jeongin spoke up. "You guys are cursed."

Woojin walked across the room, kneeling in front of the boy. "How did you know?" softly caressing his cheek, he asked. "I just know." Jeongin wasn't quite sure as to why he knew. He just blurted out the first thing that came to mind and based on Woojin's actions, he knew also.

"We are." Woong gave a sad smile.

"Cursed not to talk about it." Seungmin murmured.

"But how? You guys just mentioned it." Minho tilted his head after asking. He was boggled by what was happening at that moment. "We can talk about the whole class being expelled, but not the reason why."

"So, you are cursed not to talk about it?" Felix asked again.

"No. We can say what happened but not the details."

"Why not?" Chan asked this time.

As soon as he did, they all shut their mouths. They got it. The witches were cursed. They're just repeating themselves, not really getting anything out of it. It was an endless cycle. It sent shivers down their spine.

Chan recalled Seungmin saying something about a curse he wanted to be removed as he entered the neutral zone. So this was it.

A curse that had a purpose won't be able to break in neutral zones. He glanced at Changbin who searched for every neutral zone in South Korea just to find a way to undo his curse. But it didn't.

"Let's move on." Woojin broke the silence, smiling amongst the agitated faces of his friends. He stood up and went back to his seat. "So, there was nothing special about the package? Why would your master send it through normal mail?"

"Oh, there is something there." Woong implied.

Seungmin emptied the remaining contents of the package.

"Woong, if you mind." he neatly removed the contents of the coffee table, asking the others to hold on to their cups for the meantime.

Seungmin placed the box on top of the table, holding out his hands in the air. Woong walked to the opposite side and mimicked Seungmin's actions.

After a few seconds, the curtains closed and the lights dimmed, engulfing the room in darkness. The box levitated in midair, glowing as bright as the witches' hair.

The rest of them expected some cool outcome or important information. However as they felt the climax reaching its point, the box fell, and the witches fell on their knees as well.

"This sealing is so complicated." Jeongin looked at the box as he helped Woong get on his feet. "She really sent something so cryptic even though she knows we can't remove the seal easily." Seungmin thanked Woong who supported him when he was about to fall.

"Jeongin, don't touch it." Chan was too late. The boy had already picked up the box.

He momentarily stopped to realize what he had done and proceeded to turn it over to its original position. "Chan, it's fine. It's not harmful." Woong reassured.

"So, you can't open it?" Hyunjin mumbled.

Seungmin snorted. "I didn't say we can't." Both went back to their original positions. "It'll be much easier now." Woong continued.

And so, they did. It only took a few seconds before the box was engulfed in flames; no trace of ash nor residue was left.

"District 9." the witches said in unison.

"That place?" Minho probed.

"That's where Origin is." he continued. "Rank 1?" Felix nodded softly at Jeongin answering his question.

The strongest of the 11 families. No one has a clue about them. What they are capable of, who their leader is or where they’re from. Rumor has it they attacked the lower ranked families that’s why they vanished, but no one has proven anything yet. No one even knows how many members they have, or if its just one person.

"Was." Woojin corrected Minho. "They're gone."

"We don't know that." Hyunjin argued. "It's been a couple thousand years." Woojin replied. "They probably perished after getting rid of the other families.” he continued.

“That’s not possible. They can’t just disappear like that!”

“Hyunjin, don’t you fucking dare raise your voice at me.” Woojin's growl left the room in a terrifying silence. Every natural body movement was on hold.

Jeongin could hear his pulse banging in his ears and there was sweat dripping down his back. Even Woong was frozen in fear. He had seen Woojin in a bad mood before. He was not frightened nor was he afraid. What he felt was beyond such mere nouns. And he knew everyone else in the room except Hyunjin was feeling it.

Hyunjin hastily stood up, balling his fists as he stared down on Woojin. Out of all the members, he was the only one who wasn’t scared of Hyunjin. He is the beta. Second in command. And he’s not gonna let his alpha push him around just because he’s second.

“Hyunjin, stop.” Chan demanded. But the beta was not hearing anything else. He only heard the anger in his body slowly rising, wanting to be let out. He hated how Woojin was staring back at him intensely, obviously asking him to cut the crap and just quietly sit in the corner.

Seungmin felt the nauseating atmosphere, he couldn’t bear it. He noticed Hyunjin slowly inching towards Woojin, who was beside him.

He abruptly stood up, creating a temporary wall between the two. “Hyunjin, you need to calm down.”

Changbin walked behind Hyunjin, placing a soothing hand on his back. “It’s not time for us to go against each other.”

“Look, I have zero fucking idea what’s happening, why we’re all getting mad and stuff but it’s not right for us to gang up on each other. We only have each other. I don’t want to be alone again.” all eyes fell onto Felix. His baritone voice had a hint of anger and sadness in it.

Hyunjin's intense stare on the alpha faltered. His eyes fell on the floor. Changbin felt him calming down, so he pulled him into a small hug before going back to his seat.

“I’m sorry.” he murmured. Woojin stood up and kneeled in front of his beta. He lifted up Hyunjin's chin and as their eyes met, he smiled softly. “It’s okay. I know what you’re feeling. I’m sorry.” as they settled back down, the air slowly went back to its normal state.

Chan cleared his throat.

"For now, let's try to find out if they really are tracking us." The next 30 minutes consisted of Jisung refusing to go to the basement with the two witches, Hyunjin detaching himself from Jisung who was clinging to him like crazy, and Felix laughing at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

The three disappeared downstairs, leaving the rest in the living room. "We have to lay low for a while. It's almost midnight outside, so the mansion is guarded. However, we cannot go back home just yet." Chan suggested.

It was dangerous for them to continue with their daily lives for now. Jeongin was worried about school. He hoped that this mess would be finished soon.

“I’m leaving.”

“Ok-Huh? WAIT, CHRIS!!” Before Jeongin could process what happened, the vampire disappeared in the middle of the living room.

“Now, what!” Changbin threw his hands in the air as a sign of defeat. "He never changed! Fucking selfish prick." he exclaimed.

Felix and Minho shook their heads.

"Where's the vamp?" Hyunjin pops out from what seems to be the kitchen because of the piece of bread on his mouth. Woojin followed up from behind.

"Lemme help you with that." Felix took some contents out of Woojin's hands. After placing everything on the coffee table, he straightened up and looked around the room. He broke into a small smile. “He left, didn’t he?” Changbin nodded, rolling his eyes afterwards.

The remaining people settled back down the living room. “Is it okay for us to eat Woong's food?”

“You shouldn’t be asking that as you stuff your face with his bread.” Hyunjin coughed and almost choked to death before Minho would give him a glass of water. “Assholes.” Hyunjin muttered, water dripping down his chin.

“It’s fine. He said to help ourselves since we’re probably gonna be staying here for a while.” Woojin answered. “Anyway, let Chan be. He’s not used to fighting in groups.”

Jeongin smiled. “We can tell.”

“I just hope he reaches out for us every now and then. I’m jealous of all the action he’s getting.” Felix proclaimed.

“Chan doesn’t really fall in line with ‘Character Development’. Well, some aspects of him change but not drastically. He’s still the same old vampire we knew." Felix paused and smiled.

"But that didn’t stop us from loving him, right?” he continued.

The silence around him meant ‘yes’.

They talked lightly for quite a while. Some of them grew impatient and tried poking into the witches’ business.

So, now Jeongin's been playing with 2 wolf cubs, 1 baby fox, and a black kitten.

‘Some of them’ included everyone in the room except him and Woojin.

“I told you guys to just wait.” Woojin giggled loudly, he sat beside Jeongin, taking the 2 wolf cubs onto his lap.

“This isn’t really any different from what you guys originally are.” That statement earned him a bite on his thumb, it was pretty deep but healed quickly. “Changbin, how dare you bite your alpha!” Woojin exclaimed in a joking manner as he tickled both of them.

“We’re done.” The basement door opened in a hurry, they looked back just in time to see a disheveled Jisung limp his way to the nearest chair.

“What the hell did they do to you?” Jeongin stood up, grasping the baby fox and kitten firmly on his arms so they wouldn't fall.

Honestly, he would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so dire. “Dude, you looked like you’ve been molested!” Woojin was like 'fuck it' and laughed after what he said. Jisung would’ve glared at him but he was too disoriented.

“These evil fucking sorcerers have defiled me. MY DIGNITY. MY PURENESS. MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.”

Talk about being over dramatic.

“Oh, shut up. We thought it was just a hoot and a half.” Woong shook Seungmin's hand, making Jisung more and more annoyed.

“We’ll file a lawsuit later, Jisung. For now, did you find any traces?” Jeongin escorted Jisung to the room upstairs to rest, when he got back. They continued.

“We found a few traces of silver inside his body.” Woojin smiled sadly. “Yeah, that’s been there for a long time.”

Seungmin realized it was a sensitive topic. “O-okay. Other than that, we couldn’t find anything. He’s clean.” He tried disregarding his words earlier. Woojin fell into thought.

“Where’s Chan by the way?”

“He left.” Jeongin said.

“Fucking selfish prick.” The boy almost laughed at Seungmin's familiar insult.

“Well, we’ll figure it out once you guys get enough rest. I prepared all your rooms, sorry but you guys have to room with each other for a while.” Woojin bowed his head in apology. “No! Sorry for coming in unannounced. Thank you for helping us, Woong.” Woojin replied.

Woong ushered them upstairs, clearly forgetting about the little ones.

Changbin pleaded, their little feet couldn’t climb up the steep stairs.

“Relax! You’ll transform back in 50 years.”

Hyunjin cried for a while so they were forced to transform them back.

"Crybaby." Seungmin muttered as he closed the door behind him before Hyunjin could claw his guts out.

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shan-joed-blog · 5 years ago

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Wisdom from Years of Android Development

Source of Information: Android Classes In Pune

I still keep in mind that day back in 2014 once I chose to begin Android growth, and this was among the greatest decisions I required in my entire life. It's been approximately two and a half a year today and that I had the opportunity to understand and un-learn a good deal of items in Android.

Originally when I began, I did not have a mentor or someone who could direct me to do things the ideal way. I have done a LOT of errors and wasted a great deal of time later rectifying them.

Afterwards, after one and a half a year, I have the opportunity to use some really gifted and expert Android programmers, who advised me and allow me to shape matters in a far greater manner. Both these stages helped me find out a hell lot of stuff in the tricky way.

It's been quite a while I have been attempting to assist other programmers in a sense possible for me personally, indirectly and directly.

In the following guide, I'll be sharing a few of the gems I have gathered lately. It may help a person to get started quicker rather than repeat the mistakes which I did.

Disclaimer: I could largely be focussing on Android plus a few notions of product and programming development within the following guide, so if you aren't acquainted with some of them, you may rather not read any farther. Others, just dip. :--RRB-

Do not Reinvent the Wheel

Originally I had a lousy notion of not utilizing open-source libraries. Whatever I wanted, I only wanted to make it . It has was severely a terrible thought.

When you've got a problem whilst creating your program, and if this problem was solved by another person earlier and in a fantastic way, why don't you use this? You may save yourself a good deal of time.

Focus on the core business logic of your program. If you wish to create network calls on your program, you do not have to earn a Retrofit yourself.

Bonus: Android Arsenal keeps a record of nearly all of Android libraries made. Go take a look.

Pick Libraries Wisely

You will find lots and a lot of open-source libraries out there in Github that you use at no cost. But do not get too excited and begin using libraries .

Assess the amount of celebrities that library gets, the greater the better. Assess whether the writer of the library also have established some other popular libraries too. Verify the topics (both closed and open ), which may provide you a clearer idea of how powerful and secure the library is in creation.

If you're able to spend the time, then you ought to dip into the code of the library and assess yourself whether its really worthwhile.

You only wish to make certain that the code you're likely to use is dependable, bug-free and high quality.

Pro Suggestion: Try any library hosted straight from the command line with Dryrun.

If you aren't doing this, START today.

Whatever code you're in a position to write now is simply because you've read and heard something, somewhere, someday. It is only a manifestation of what you know. You may just grow and improve your self by studying and learning from other's work.

The fantastic thing about Android is the fact that it's an entirely open-source platform. Dive in the code and assess how they've implemented the frame. There are hundreds and hundreds of open minded libraries in Github. Simply select a library and find out the way the programmer have employed it.

Bonus: here's a curated collection of a few of the greatest libraries and here's a list of nearly all accessible Android programs out there. You're welcome:--RRB-

Should you compare coding together with composing, then coding criteria is similar to your own handwriting.

Since you'd be studying more of the others code, other folks are also studying a great deal of your code and you do not wish to frighten the shit from these, do you really? And if you're working within a business and cooperating with other programmers greatly, do take particular care of it.

Write brief, readable and clean code which you and people reading your code will like thoroughly. Your code should read as a narrative.

Do not complain if you compose a bit of code along with your coworkers do not speak to you for a couple of days.

You Want ProGuard, YesYou Want It!

ProGuard not just minifies your code, but it also obfuscates your code which makes it tougher for reverse-engineers to comprehend, replicate and control it.

Its free and comes bundled with all the Android SDK, and there's simply no reason for you to not use it.

I've observed many developers releasing their program in the marketplace with no ProGuard. It shouldn't require more than a couple of hours to get a not-so-skilled hacker to control an the program published without Proguard.

Pro Suggestion: But if you'd like top-notch protection, then ProGuard is just like a cardboard at the same time you want a secure, and here it's, DexGuard.

Use a Suitable Architecture

You may thank yourself for choosing a suitable structure in the first location.

It's possible to utilize MVP (Model-View-Presenter) structure that may decouple your code to various easy-to-manage layers thereby enhancing code flexibility and significantly reducing maintenance period.

There's a good demo job for you to begin. And if you're having trouble grasping it, here's a thorough guide for the novices.

Bonus: Do provide a check out this, this and most significantly this. Every one these can help you in executing MVP on your undertaking. User Interface Is just like a Joke, Should You Need to Explain It, It Is Bad

Should you work for any company playing the use of"only" a Android programmer, you likely won't have to be overly concerned about that, since there really are UI/UX designers to look after this.

However, if you're a single programmer, you have to get this directly in your mind. I've seen programmers creating really great programs with good performance, however, the UI looks horrible along with the UX makes it a hassle to use.

Layout a clean, easy and gorgeous interface that's easy on the eyes. You shouldn't just think as a programmer, instead you need to focus on igniting the concealed designer in you.

Attempt to make a lasting impression in your customers by designing a gorgeous UI, so they return to your program more frequently than others and often convert more (purchase your premium variant ( possibly ).

You ought to find a kick by eliminating elements from your own design, instead of adding. Keep it minimal and clean.

And there's this book you probably would really like to see if you want to know more about design.

Analytics Is Your Very Best Friend

If you would like to produce a really amazing program, then you have to heavily rely on analytics programs to assess the operation and utilization of different sections of your program.

By analytics, I refer to both the collision reporting and program usage monitoring and you want both of these.

Anything you do, you can't ever make something ideal. When actual users will begin using your program on various Android apparatus and on different Android variants available, you may also find a few of the greatest written code to drop flat on the floor.

Crash reporting programs can allow you to monitor and fix themone crash at one time.

You also will need to begin thinking like a marketer and also examine the use of various elements of your program. This is what's going to allow you to bridge the gap between what you've created and what your customers' actually desire.

Pro Suggestion: I strongly suggest looking for the crash reporting tool in Instabug. You're going to appreciate it.

Make a Marketing Ninja If you're a single programmer, you need to consider beyond being"a programmer" and need to understand marketing too.

I've observed great products fail because of lack of suitable marketing, and also the not-so-good ones become hugely successful only because of fantastic advertising.

If you're seriously interested in your work and need it to reach a huge audience, you want to spend your time and cash in properly advertising your program. But prior to beginning your marketing and advertising campaigns, make certain your program is totally stable with all attributes prepared. You need maximum conversions out of each penny you pay, right?

Spend some time exploring who your opponents are and how you can overcome them. Identify the ones you're able to compete quickly as well as also the ones which you need to keep aside for a long term struggle.

Pro Suggestion: This is an inexpensive market evaluation instrument, I really like to use.

It Is Time to Boost Your Program

This is something which the majority of us don't do, however, you need to and you want to.

Write code which runs fast, takes less memory and absorbs less apparatus storage.

An unoptimized program works well under ordinary conditions, but when placed to various stressful circumstances, it may show you its true colours.

Bear in mind, a very small leak can sink a large ship. Spend some time on knowing how the Garbage Collector works in Java, produce heap dumps and examine your live items.

Pro Suggestion: Use Leak Canary to discover your memory flows. It can save a great deal of time by accomplishing this job for you.

Save Over 5 Hours Each Week with Gradle Builds

It is very very possible that you're utilizing Android Studio to create Android programs and utilizing Gradle as your own build platform. Gradle is excellent but its slow and it becomes much thinner than a snail as soon as your job size begins to increase in proportion.

I recall the countless hours I've wasted just sitting and awaiting the Gradle assembles to complete. On hefty workouts, I wasted around one hour just Gradle assembles and that is like 5 hours each week draining the gutter.

However, there are ways to speed this up too.

It is possible to stick to this and this article to greatly enhance your construct rates. My construct time fell from 4 minutes to less than 30 minutes following appropriate optimization.

Evaluation, Evaluation and When You're Finished, Test Again!

There isn't anything more significant than testing. This is something which needs to be on very top of your list.

Test your program as completely as you can. Create various stressful scenarios for your program and see whether it can endure.

I'd formerly made the mistake of publishing my program from rush and did not spend appropriate time analyzing it. I had been waiting for my customers to confront bugs, report it and then I'd go and mend them.

You may spare a day, or 2, or per week by cutting time from studying, but will most likely have to spend over double afterwards.

Make a visionary. Sow today, reap afterwards.

There are a massive assortment of all Android devices with different display sizes and hardware specifications from plenty of different apparatus manufactures that personalize the OS for their heart's content.

Added to this are the a variety of Android variants at which Google adds/removes API performance from nowhere to raise your workload further (an example here).

By way of instance, not just one Android programmer has completed a program without using SharedPreferences API. It is so common, however it had been broken up in Samsung Galaxy S using Android 2.2 (bug report ).

Spend additional time creating different designs for different screen dimensions. Evaluation on various apparatus, having different variations, different specifications and from various OEMs.

Never presume something could work, simply as it appears so.

Start with Git, Now!

If you're still not utilizing Git, go right ahead and begin using it straight away.

Once I began Android advancement, I was unlucky enough to not understand exactly what the fudge Git was. I used to replicate my whole project regular and keep 1 backup in my hard disk and another from the cloud. Seems foolish? Yes, it was.

Git can radically enhance your workflow. If a person asks me to mention a tool I use everyday and can not quit using? It is Git and Git each time.

And likely after using it for a couple of days you'd fall in love with it and wish to understand how Git works tirelessly, so here it's prepared for you.

And after some time, you'd be starting a large project your self and get confused about how you should keep a suitable branching model, so that you go.

Bonus: If you're only starting out and can not manage to pay the monthly subscription fee for keeping private repositories from GitHub, it is possible to attempt BitBucket which permits you to do this free of charge.

Make It Hard for the Hackers

The open minded nature of Android is exactly what makes it susceptible to attacks.

You do not need it to happen for your program, right?

You ought to be aware of how to safely store API keys everywhere on your program. If you're managing sensitive information from those consumers, then you have to understand how to encrypt themwhat algorithm to select (secure yet quickly ).

It's also advisable to keep the encryption keys safely in the host or locally (if desired ). If you're storing sensitive information in the database, then think about obfuscating it.

If your program includes a premium version that gets cracked and has published at no cost. You'd incur a critical reduction in company, right?

There are many things you can do to stop your program from becoming tampered. There's not anything like 100% safety. Any proficient and recognized hacker with the proper tools, patience and tools may crack your program.

Whatever you need to do is make it hard, rather very tricky for the hacker to decode it.

A luxury apparatus will hide a great deal of flaws while creating your program. Suppose you're doing something from the UI thread that makes its way to get a laggy UI, however onto a potent device, you might never ever observe that.

A classic, low-end apparatus, dumped with a lot of programs makes it perfect for a development apparatus.

That is an investment which will pay you eternally.

Whilst creating large and intricate programs, you may face some common issues that have probably been solved before by somebody more capable than you, that is when designing patterns comes in to play.

Here's a Github job that shows all of the design patterns known to humanity.

Looks like a great deal? It really is not. You'll begin enjoying them after you dip in.

It Is Time to Give Back

Most of us have a great deal of assistance from folks around us and by the net. Lets declare it. When you have a issue, the very first thing you'd do is Google that and find the very first link from StackOverflow. Sometimes you're in a rush and you wind up copying and pasting the alternative in the response with the greatest votes.

Ever believed the amount of libraries you're using from Github free of charge and the way in which they have significantly reduced your development efforts and time. Its because somebody somewhere has taken the opportunity to construct it and donate to make the community better.

Recall the day, if you had been stuck in knowing a challenging idea or something that's completely new to you, and you wind up finding an wonderful blog post that made it super simple for you. Its because someone skipped a film date and wrote this post.

We're active in our work and also we find it too hard to handle time and do something for others. But try to get some time each week to donate and make this particular Android community wealthier.

I've attempted to discuss a few of the lessons I have discovered in this brief journey with Android improvement. I'll continue my trip, find out more and share more. I hope it will help somebody and makes their life somewhat simpler.

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