i follow sims blogs to keep track of custom content but my fucking god the amount of petty as shit drama that goes on over there- it’s like being back at school but instead of being all teenagers, it’s mostly ppl in their 20s and 30s

incredibly stupid physics problems

(crossposting from cohost)

i posted this in the secret fox flux $4 discord channel last night and it reveals A Problem

i mean, a problem besides the barrel's layering being kind of dubious

the pistons stop trying to extend as soon as they're blocked. and here, you may notice, the one extending left pushes the slime a little bit before giving up. this turns out to be caused by a combination of:

the piston is "moving", but it's not using the normal motion machinery (obviously), so it doesn't actually have any velocity.

when object A tries to push object B, if it determines that object B is moving away from it faster than A is moving, it doesn't bother. i don't remember what specific problem this was meant to solve, but it does make intuitive sense — if i'm pushing a boulder down a hill then it's just going to roll away from me and i am going to accomplish nothing. if i let the push happen, i'd make B move even faster (however briefly) which is silly.

as long as the slime is walking towards the piston, everything is fine. but the slime immediately notices it's blocked on one side, turns around, and starts walking the other way. now the slime has a leftwards velocity, but the piston has zero velocity, so the piston thinks the slime is speeding away from it. but that isn't happening, and the slime is still there, so the piston thinks it's now blocked and stops extending.

love it. chef kiss. pushing objects is the hardest thing in the world. anyway i guess i can think of two potential solutions here

① delete the special case for a pushee moving away. checking velocity in the middle of the (hairy) push code is already kind of weird, and it's only done for this specific case. it also shouldn't matter; even if we push something slightly this frame, if it really is moving away from us, then it should be beyond our reach next frame anyway.

i suspect this is a leftover from an older and vastly more complicated iteration of the push code that tried to conserve momentum and whatnot — in which case, doing this even for a single frame would have made A and B look like a single unit, combined their momentum, and given both the same velocity, which means B slows down. so that's bad. but that was an endless nightmare of increasingly obscure interactions so i eventually gave up and scrapped it all. the current implementation won't let you simulate newton's cradle, i guess, but that's not the kind of game this is so whatever?

on the other hand, if i'm wrong and this is still important in some exceptionally obscure case, it would be bad to remove it! exciting.

(if you're curious: what i do now is give lexy — or other push-capable actors — a maximum push mass, and then when she tries to push something, i scale her movement down proportional to how much she's pushing. for example, rubber lexy's push capacity is 8, and a wooden crate weighs 4, so she moves at half speed when pushing one crate and at zero speed when pushing two. i think if a sliding crate hits another one now, they'll both just move at the first one's original speed, but friction skids everything to a halt fast enough that it mostly doesn't come up.)

② give the piston a fake velocity to fool the check. i might want to do this anyway for stuff like climbing, where the player is moving but is considered to have zero velocity because it's being done manually. but lying like this feels like it'll come back to bite me somewhere down the line.

anyway this is just the sort of thing i bumble into occasionally. hope it's interesting. i should probably go try to fix it now

Archive Updates

Hey guys, so things have been very hectic for me IRL that I haven't really had time to go and make updates here regarding the videos that have been coming out, so I figure why not have some links to the various playlists that have been getting updates.

First up is Fate/Samurai Remnant! I believe I'd only gotten up to Episode 2 originally on the queue here before getting too busy to keep doing that AND the ones for Twitter. I've actually had a lot more episodes come out since then, with episode 9 ready to go live this Saturday! Here's the playlist, I highly suggest you go check it out, I've had a lot of fun with the game so far!

Next is Pokemon Infinite Fusion. Last update on here was episode 5, but I believe up to episode 8 is now public on the archive channel. This is another game I'm enjoying, I hope to get to show more of it soon! If you'd like to check it out, here's the full playlist!

Next up is a great classic, the Gunvolt series! I have all 5 games up on the archive channel in their own individual playlists as well as this full series playlist (which should also include my original run through GV3 with the English audio and the series review from the end of that initial run). I highly suggest you all take a look at it and if you enjoy it I hope you can join the community in wanting to see more of this great franchise!

And finally a short little playlist from my time with the 2nd DLC for Pokemon Scarlet. It goes through the story specific stuff with the DLC, not a whole lot of extra content I believe, so the Blueberry story and the Indigo Disk story but not the bonus post-story content or the Epilogue chapter. It was very much just a 1st look at the DLC and I had quite a bit of fun with it. In fact, the next Violet stream will actually start this story! If you'd like to see me messing around with the game and doing some fun voices (as well as randomly referencing stuff one of my friends and I had headcanoned with regards to Kieran's relationship to my Scarlet character, Nyx, while we waited for the Indigo Disk DLC to drop) then you should definitely check this four episode playlist out!

I will be trying to get to promote when the videos go live on here and on BlueSky more, in addition to the ones that are already queued for Twitter (BlueSky is going to be rough because I haven't been able to find a way to go and schedule posts there yet, which means right now I have to remember to manually update it and I'm often streaming at the time the videos get made public). For now, if you'd like to be kept permanently up to date when anything goes live, you can drop by the archive channel itself or the twitch channel and drop by the discord link on them (or subscribe to the archive channel, it's free and you'll get to see the occasional video that doesn't get streamed on Twitch right now) to join the discord, as I've got *THAT* one set up to automatically post updates when a video is made public on the archive channel.

Hi Jess! Any advice for someone considering getting in to DMing?

Hi love!

There are some really great subreddits for that- https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/, https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/DMAcademy/ are all fun.

(note- that I haven’t used DM Academy as much as the others, so I’m not certain about the content on there. Also, it’s Reddit, so some people will be shitty as ever lol)

There are three core DnD manuals (as you probably know)- the Player’s Handbook, the DM Guide and the Monster Manual. The PHB is your new God, and you will worship it as such. The Monster Manual is fun and super helpful. I honestly don’t find the DM Guide that helpful, and I haven’t used it all that much personally. You can find most stuff in them online, and I recommend doing that for all of them (except maybe the PHB if you’re playing in person- having at least one physical copy is super helpful).

I’d recommend running a premade campaign first (not that I ever have because I have Brain Worms). There are loads of them, both official and non-official, and you can tweak any bits you don’t like. 

As the DM, you get to set your own house rules. For example, technically nat 1s and nat 20s do nothing special outside of combat; in reality, many players love the excitement and risk that comes with rolling a 1 or 20, so I tend to treat them as special moments. The most important thing is consistency. 

Inspiration is also a super fun mechanic to use! Basically, if you think a player did something really good, they get inspiration, which is a single advantage roll they can use at any time. By rewarding players with inspiration, you can shape the type of play you see and reward excellent roleplay/ problem solving. Alternatively, give it to whoever brings the best snacks. Who cares? You’re the boss now.

Check the comfort level and expectation of your players before starting. In addition to triggers etc, I also like to check the level of difficulty my players are expecting/ wanting. Some people like knowing that a flubbed roll will lead to a TPK; others view that as anti-fun, as it means they can’t play the way they want to. I often operate under the premise that I won’t kill their character unless they’re actively trying to die- like, if they walk directly into a dragon’s mouth, it’s game over, champ.

Keep an eye on quieter players and make sure they’re being given a chance to shine. Some players are a lot more extroverted than others, and whilst that can be great, it can occasionally dominate spaces. Make sure you take the time say “And X, what is your character doing during this?”. 

DnD has a huge number of nitty-gritty mechanics that many people- myself fully included- ignore. The whole VSM component to spellcasting is often overlooked, as is daily food/water needs, as is tracking ammo/ arrows, as are strict rules on income and currency. Again, you get to pick how seriously you take things. I tend to go off like ‘I assume you have the relevant reagent unless it’s like, a diamond worth 100G’, but it’s really up to you.

Again, the most important thing is to have fun. If a player wants to do something that the rules technically don’t allow, you are well within your rights to let them. One of my players once stuffed his clothes full of gunpowder, ran at an enemy and had the wizard set him on fire in a suicide mission. Should I have let him do that? Probably not! Did I let him do it? Yes! It was sick as fuck! We still talk about it years later! It is better to have fun than to be Right. 

Try not to get caught up in being ‘perfect’. You aren’t Matt Mercer, and that’s okay. There will be people on the internet who have been playing DnD for decades and have VERY STRONG OPINIONS on everything. Ignore them. The point of DnD is to have fun- nothing more and nothing less.

I didn’t know I had that many opinions on DnD! Now I want to DM again, haha. Thank you for giving me a chance to remember why I love this game <3

Giant Bomb is dead, and I care way less than I thought I would. Probably because 83% of the people who I ever cared about had already left or died, or were already relegated to reduced content roles. 

Honestly, though, the writing’s been on the wall for a bit. They haven’t had anything worthy of paying for premium in several years, and, even though they’ve had well over a year to figure out a plan for the COVID era, they maybe made it a month with their plans to have a series of streams daily. I actually managed to forget I followed them on Twitch at all, for about 4 months, because they only streamed the podcasts and the occasional former Harmonix employee (who was literally paid to make content with their games while employed at Giant Bomb, which was funny because he blocked me on Twitter for making a post, addressing no one, back in 2014, which was asking about the legitimacy of the leaked list of “games “””””journalists”””””” who had taken money from publishers for positive reviews, a list which included him and multiple then-coworkers. I didn’t follow him, he didn’t follow me. He was manually searching the keywords, because he was, and is, a prick.) solo Rock Band stream in the last 8 months or so. Even when Jeff would manage to do one of his 20 streams from home a year, it would be on his own channel. There was just no content. And they’re surprised their “pay for our unique premium content!” model failed. They always “feigned” anger at Dan for “making” them do the Mario Party Parties, and literally never promoted his and Drew’s Metal Gear series after the first game... but I bet that, when only those, UPF, and the ad-free versions of the podcasts were premium features, those two series were keeping them afloat. Well, that and the remaining goodwill they miraculously managed to hold onto for a few years after Ryan died.  Shit, I follow several people who are GB staff-adjacent, and... I can’t think of the last time they mentioned anything that happened on-site. Even the people who’ve been directly supporting them for over 10 years were out. 

But yeah, the site is super dead. They pretended in the announcements like they’re going to make a go of it still, but... you’ve got like 4 content people left, and the only one people give a shit about is Jeff. You just saw 3/4 of the side of the site that was still trying these past several months jump ship in a 3 month span. One of those was, by nearly any definition, a founding member. Of which you had already lost one, and are losing another from the main side. Jeff’s been way less active until the last week or two, probably because he heard they were leaving and was like “oops, should probably check on the ship that’s been sinking for years!” Then you have Jason “The Human Mumble” Oestricher, the charisma vacuum, whose legitimate public-facing reaction to first hearing that all but one of his GB predecessors were going to be gone. was, and I quote, “Hoo Boy.” Ben and Jan are the definition of “fine”. They would have been great, as they are today, as secondary members 8-10 years ago. But carry the site, they cannot. They’re down to, what, 5 named members now? It hasn’t been that dire since the beginning of 2009, before they hired Drew, when they hadn’t even started the P4 endurance run. You know, that surprise massive, internet-changing thing that essentially popularized the Let’s Play concept, loosening its definition and making it something that could be as personality-driven as game-driven, made simply to give them something to put on the website, beyond the rare review and, slightly later, quick look. This kinda illustrates the problem with modern Giant Bomb. When they were figuring shit out, flying by the seats of their pants, they came up with great shit, and they gave enough of a shit to make it happen. 0.000% chance they do a 10 hour Thanksgiving Kinect stream if the Kinect was new today. 0.000% chance the core members would have done an endurance run in the last 10 years if CT and Shenmue (which I haven’t watched) weren’t driven by the younger members. And you could see it in the fact that they never made a real, true mobile app. The number one thing that would have made them indispensable this past decade, an app to integrate premium features, the podcast, their video player, etc. all in one place in a mobile-friendly package, that could sync with the website... and they never even raised the idea publicly. I wonder how much of the innovation was the group think-tank of the first 5 years. Beyond Dan’s couple major contributions, I don’t think they added a single new type of content after 2012, which... still means the last 6.5 years lacked any semblance of innovation. I guess that’s a big part of why I fell off tremendously quickly after late 2014. There was just nothing new, and believe me, I was looking. I wanted reasons to stay watching. I supported them with my dollar. I believed in those brave early days. And I went back yesterday to watch the DP endurance run from VJ again. I still miss that rapport. And really, that hurt, too. Vinny moving back east, less than a year after Ryan passed... short term, it was fine. You had more people than ever to cover the gaps. But the spark was gone. The chemistry made the site. When I think of Giant Bomb, I still think of Jeff, Vinny, and Ryan, first and foremost. Those early podcasts, the NintenDownloads, the crazy tangents that everyone could seamlessly follow up on(well, except Brad, because he essentially slept through most of the podcasts, unless he was talking about the thing he did that week), the weird high-concept GOTY stuff... it wasn’t perfect, but you were entertained. You laughed. You were engaged. It never felt like you were watching them working, even though you could see the work they put in. It felt like, when they released something, you were experiencing a group of legitimate friends doing what they wanted to do anyways.(And boy have I seen enough groups do everything they can to NOT be enjoying doing that, and break up as a result due to hating the jobs that they chose to do). 

Part of me would love to make it as simple as “Ryan died, and so did the original spirit”, and... to a degree, it’s true. If you go back to any retrospective they’ve done about the founding of the site, or the podcast they recorded after Ryan passed, you can’t help but recognize that Giant Bomb never happens if these core members don’t all quit their jobs, led by Ryan,  because they respect their boss/manager, Jeff, and know he’s doing the right things(for them, for the reader/viewer, etc.) ahead of what GameSpot management wants him to do. Jeff could have been left in the wilderness, trying find a spot elsewhere, with the rumor going around between executives that Jeff wasn’t going to help them promote anything, essentially killing their revenue. He would have been done in terms of getting employed by a major site. But Ryan first, and soon after, Vinny and Brad, gave up their jobs to make this fledgling little project go. As much as the ERs brought me in and gave the impression that Jeff and Vinny were the long-standing duo, no, it was Ryan who was Jeff’s partner in crime. And, 8 years later, I can comfortably say... Giant Bomb never recovered from losing him. 

But it was so much more. Everything that set them apart slowly went away,  in time. I don’t think they’ve posted reviews for games in consecutive MONTHS since 2017; 2018 at the latest. They have done one Endurance Run in 9 years. They have not had a meaningful live event in 6 years. Unprofessional Fridays were more formulaic and lesser in volume and frequency after the major players started moving east. The lack of coordination between coasts killed the camaraderie, to the point that I think one of the last 5 true gameplay crossovers was their series of 2016-2017 PUBG shitfests. I remember when Vinny starting GBEast was supposed to be the start of a new era of content, and... it was, but not in a positive way, like it sounded. When half of each side seemed to constantly have no interest in making anything, nothing got made. But I guess that’s what happens when your second in command in one of your headquarters is just a former marketing grunt with an attitude problem, and the guy with the biggest ego on the team is the one who refuses to move to join either side, and just pushes out the most self-important drivel as a header to what were literally just copy-pasted articles from other sites every week while sitting at his desk, dreaming of the days Gawker would pay him to plagiarize political drivel instead, because that’s what really gets the soulless clicks. One of your founding members becomes depressed due to losing his two closest work friends, one for real, one to a 3000 mile separation, within a year, while the other one who is left virtually stopped playing anything but DOTA 2 for 2 years. Suddenly your most prominent personalities are the 2 new guys(one the aforementioned charisma vacuum, the other a walking mark) and your previously-mostly-off-camera producer who is best known to the wider Internet for... blinking. So, yeah, lifeless. And NOW, all you’ve got is old melancholy dad, charisma vacuum dad, and the two ADHD kids whose defining trait is that they choose to exclusively refer to their partners as “my partner” in voices that make it sound like they are embarrassed to have partners, while also talking more about what their partners are doing than what they do.  It’s confounding.

But yeah, TL:DR: RIP zombie Giant Bomb. Glad you’re finally getting taken behind the shed. It took 3 years too long, minimum.

@temporalobjects challenged: ♡ + jinwai and pinklei and samin... kyungcha?? lmao

jinwai

Who is the most affectionate? Jin, no contest. He is the one who puts his hands on Iwai frequently like placing them on his shoulders to get them somewhere, caress his hair, let fingertips tap Iwai’s cheeks now and then. The worst part is that his touching can be subtle and so soft because he’s not aware of the effect he can have on poor Iwai so— that’s their life in the future!

Who initiates the handholding? I was going to say Jin but no, this one goes to Iwai. Because handholding is a subtle display of intimacy, I can see Iwai being a bit shy/trying hard-to-be-casual as fingers skitter Jin’s way so he can hold his hand and it is so precious ;_;

Who worries more for the other? Both worry for each other but display it in different ways. Jin is transparent in his concerns so anything he wonders about he will be upfront with Iwai. Iwai may also ask but will probably try to find out more first—

Who is more likely to ask for help? Jin. He can be stubborn but he makes a point to ask for advice if the first attempt at something doesn’t go the way he wants it.

Who is the one always losing the keys? Jin— he can be a bit oblivious sometimes, specially when busy *sweats*

Who leaves little love notes for the other? Jin. He’s going to be the one to put cute little notes in Iwai’s lunch, coffee cup, you name it. But I think Iwai may write him things now and then too bc sometimes he has a hard time expressing himself publicly—

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there? Iwai. Once they get together, he’s gonna get so used to the warm piece of sunshine that the song "you are my sunshine” will resound in his head along with the part of “please don’t take my sunshine away” for the nights when Jin gets up to get stuff ready around the busy seasons. Iwai will probs get up since he can’t sleep and will make coffee for two uwu

Who is more likely to propose to the other? Jin. Though Iwai could also give us the big surprise if Jin decides to wait a bit to be a hundred percent sure Iwai feels entirely comfortable with him.

Who introduced the other to their family first? This is tricky because they met as children and Iwai’s parents know about Jin but! Not in the way Jin’s brothers know about Iwai so uwu Jin takes this one.

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair? Jin. He is so affectionate he will constantly serve as a body pillow so Iwai can rest properly and will caress his hair until he falls asleep. All because Jin likes to see how pouty his lips become when he sleeps *heart eyes emoji on a different level my dude*

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated? Jin. Iwai will probably get a few extra kilos haha— it’s that curvature that develops when you get together with someone who expresses their love not only in the physical way but also with acts of service so— no escaping this!

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other? I think both do after reaching the commitment level. Right now, Iwai doesn’t have a reason to stand up for Jin so he may do it or not, I guess it would depend on how bad the thing would be? But yeah, once committed, it’s a it’s-always-two kind of deal c:

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other? Jin. He adores surprising Iwai so he'd be in charge of the small or big surprises c:

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things? Jin. It starts as a game of remember when we did this— and it becomes an adorable habit uwu

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch? I think both do. In the rare nights Jin is the one who falls asleep first, Iwai does it uwu and when it’s Iwai, Jin makes his way in the couch and cuddles him.

—

pinklei 

Who is the most affectionate? Pinky. I have no idea how she puts up with such a boring, clueless guy! She is the one who has all the humor and sunshine in this relationship tbh Lei is less than a moon– he’d be Pluto probably!

Who initiates the handholding? Pinky. Again, why does she put up with him, he is oblivious to the basics of romance come oooon! 

Who worries more for the other? Lei wins this one finally! He knows Pink is a capable woman and respects her too much to ever think she is dumb, but he also knows that sometimes she forgets important things like having an extra jacket, so he looks out for her in that sense, also providing the food/water, things human bodies need to function. He may be a social klutz but! He at least knows how to take care of Pinky’s health.

Who is more likely to ask for help? Pinky. Lei is too proud and stubborn in spite of his quiet demeanor so he would never admit out loud he needs help with something.  

Who is the one always losing the keys? Pinky. Being so energetic, it’s not that she forgets things but with all her moving around, she probably drops them often so Lei has the spare that becomes the unofficial only set of keys and he’s always accompanying her home.

Who leaves little love notes for the other? I think Pinky does this one. Lei doesn’t use a lot of words so his way to express love is even more scarce in the writing— 

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there? Lei, probably. Once he gets used to having someone around and holding her through the night, he will need that from there on to finally get some sleep.

Who is more likely to propose to the other? Lei. He sees this as his natural obligation? So it'd be him the one to bend the knee and propose. Half the hospital if not all of it will know about it because he’s going to ask how to make a proposal and what girls want from a proposal and yeah!

Who introduced the other to their family first? I’m not sure about this one but Lei may be the one. He hates his family because they represent that traditionalism and classism he despises but because he was brought up there, he can’t shake off these steps of honor and good manners ingrained into his brain.

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair? I'm divided. Pinky is affectionate and Lei likes things that are soft and smell nice so I can picture him being happy playing with Pinky’s hair so! Both.

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated? Both do, but Lei may be more proactive about it by bringing fruit and water with him so when they are on their way to Pinky’s home, she has a snack to replenish her energy without messing her appetite for dinner uwu

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other? I think both are but Lei may be a bit slower on reacting than Pinky!

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other? Pinky— he has no sense of surprise, the only one he’ll give her will be the proposal night xD

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things? Pinkyyyyy. Because she is cute and Lei needs to be explained things like a child sometimes so, it works uwu

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch? Lei. During long shifts and all, he makes a point of checking on Pinky so when she is resting, he will always put a soft blanket over her before leaving quietly c:

—

kyungcha xD

Who is the most affectionate? Sacha, Kyungmin doesn’t stand a chance XD

Who initiates the handholding? I think it would also be Sacha. Kyungmin is too self-conscious to battle past that and be upfront about his affections physically. Inside the room, he’s passionate and stuff but outside from their nest? Yeah, not so much of an affectionate sweet thing ^^: 

Who worries more for the other? Kyungmin does. It’s not that Sacha doesn’t worry it’s more that Kyungmin is constantly worrying so that’s why!

Who is more likely to ask for help? Sacha, because Kyungmin is a dumbass too stubborn to admit when he needs help. Unless it’s about something manual-related like fixing things at home xD

Who is the one always losing the keys? Sacha probably, Kyungmin may be annoyed about this quite a lot so he keeps an eye on where Sacha placed his keys to remind him about it until he learns his habits and is all like, keys? yeah, behind your jacket. 

Who leaves little love notes for the other? I think Sacha would be the one but occasionally, Kyungmin will slip a few notes like “Fighting!” in his lunch box and stuff c:

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there? Kyungmin probably complains that Sacha is too big and warm but he really loves that, the hypocrite xD

Who is more likely to propose to the other? I think it'd be Sacha. Kyungmin is too afraid of disrupting something that’s already good even when he wants more so he wouldn’t want to push it. *like I said, dumbass*

Who introduced the other to their family first? Kyungmin did and it’s a total accident. Probably the whole family accompanied him to the orphanage when they realized he looked like he was in love xD

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair? Kyungmin would do and not notice he's doing it until it’s too late. It becomes a habit uwu

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated? Kyungmin. He has the service-kind-of-love, so he makes sure to get Sacha good meals and there’s always either nice tea waiting for him on rainy days or fresh water in the fridge.

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other? Kyungmin would be quick to snap and defend Sacha but Sacha wouldn’t be too far behind if it’s a reverse situation, he just wouldn’t be vicious and violent like Kyungmin—

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other? I think Sacha would be the one after he notices that Kyungmin likes that kind of thing c:

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things? Sacha because he is a total sweetheart and Kyungmin can bitch all he wants about how this is ridiculous but he will take these promises to heart!

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch? Kyungmin. Again, little acts of service c:

WELCOME, NEW GUN OWNERS!

A Brief Intro To The Whole ‘Gun’ Thing Business Stuff

By Planefag

1. So You Bought A Coronavirus Gun and you’re honestly a bit scared of it. What now?

You already know the four rules of gun safety because 1. the guy at the store told you, 2. it was in the users manual, which you read, and above all 3. you’ve not a redneck going “yee-haw BANG-GATTY!” you’re a goddamn sane human being. In point of fact, this new gun kind of scares you a bit and you sometimes have second thoughts.

Congratulations! You’re already becoming a Responsible Gun Owner.

Y’see, what us gun nerds don’t tell you is that we practice gun safety to the point of obsessive paranoia. Guns don’t shoot people, people shoot people – including by accident. The gun doesn’t do jack diddly shit – YOU do. All that responsibility is on YOU. And if you’re sitting there eyeballing the damn thing like it’s a live snake, it means you respect and fear the power, which is the first step in fully accepting the responsibility of gun ownership. You didn’t buy that damn thing as a dick replacement or to kill tin cans in the backyard, you bought it to protect yourself and your family should the worst happen – i.e. you’re already taking responsibility for your and/or your family’s own safety.

Being a grown-ass responsible adult is what qualifies you to own a gun. That’s it. Everything else is just knowledge, and none if it means diddly squat without the attitude, and as a (likely) reluctant owner, you already have that.

Never forget this.

2. What Nobody Will Tell You About The Safety Culture Of Firearms

You are absolutely going to fuck up gun safety a lot and the entire system and culture of firearm safety is designed to deal with this.

It starts with the Four Rules themselves:

All guns are loaded at all times.

Never point the gun at anything you don’t want to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger unless you intend to fire.

Never shoot an unidentified target and always consider what’s behind it.

These rules are multiply redundant safeties. Just ONE of these rules can and will save your life. You, as an ordinary mortal human, cannot possibly be perfect all the time, even with well-ingrained safety habits, but with multiple safety habits, you don’t NEED to be. Once Upon A Time a friend brought over her husband’s new gun for us to see, and my whole family handled it and tried it out. I asked to try the trigger pull, and before I touched the trigger, I decided to check the chamber – and a live round popped out.

That’s when I realized that, despite all of us having failed to check the chamber, we had all: 

1. Never touched the trigger 2. Never walked in front of the muzzle 3. Never pointed it in an unsafe direction - only at the floor.

My whole family, my friend, and I all fucked up, and nobody was hurt because while you will occasionally forget one or even two rules of gun safety, it’s effectively impossible to forget all four.

This “multiple redundancy” extends to other gun owners, and it’s why gun nerds seem to be such tiresome pedantic pricks about precise terminology – it all starts with “trigger discipline;” i.e. pointing out when someone else has their finger on the trigger when they’re not about to shoot; in a movie, in pictures, in real life, in a TikTok video etc. Muzzle discipline (don’t point it at things you want to destroy) is a close second. This is how gun owners work together to reinforce each other’s safety habits until they are second nature. This is the root of much gun culture – for instance, “silencer” is a perfectly valid name for the round make-gun-more-quieter-can, but lots of people get uptight and insist they be called “suppressors” because they don’t actually literally silence a gun, and your hearing can still be damaged if you fire a louder/bigger gun with a “can” on it and omit hearing protection (“earpo.”) Safety is serious business and you can expect other gun owners to coach you in it.

This system is formally enforced at shooting ranges, where someone called the Range Officer walks around for the sole purpose of making sure every rule of gun safety is observed at all times. With so many people in such tight confines, perfect gun safety is required, which is beyond the ability of any mere mortal. The range officer’s job is to be your second brain, helping you observe gun safety. They will often show you tricks to help avoid common mistakes in gun handling – one RO showed me how to stand sideways to my bench, so that when I manipulated my pistol in both hands, I could hold it sideways (as one naturally wants to do, to inspect it,) while still keeping the muzzle downrange. It’s natural to feel embarrassed if an RO corrects your mistake in gun safety, but you shouldn’t be – RO’s see every knuckle-dragging moron on Earth and can easily tell someone who is trying to be safe from a simple moron who doesn’t give a damn. RO’s treasure earnest newbies, because its easy to teach knowledge and habit, but difficult if not impossible to instill responsibility.

A final note on safety involves storage. To be of any damn use, your gun must be loaded and ready in your home, but many people also need to secure it against children, dumb-ass visiting friends or in some neighborhoods, possible burglary. What you need is a quick-access safe, like this one linked here. Note how the keypad has grooves so your fingers can find it in the dark, and only has four buttons. These tools are expressly designed to keep your firearm readily accessible and also safe and secure. Avail yourself of these.

3. You Don’t Know Jack Shit About Guns And That Doesn’t Matter.

Everything you think you know about guns is probably complete fucking bullshit – but if you know how to point YOUR gun’s loud end at the bad guy and pull the trigger, that’ll do.

Many in my own tribe will rip me a new asshole for saying this, but its true nonetheless. A TON of what you think you know about guns is total bullshit propagated by Hollywood, and some of it’s dangerous because it could get you killed – for instance, if you think your new shotgun doesn’t need to be aimed because it’ll light up half the living room from five feet away like in video games.

But you don’t own every gun from movies or games, do you? You only own YOUR gun. That’s the only one you need to worry about learning right now. You’re probably stuck “sheltering in place” and all the shooting ranges are closed, but that means you have plenty of time to watch youtube videos, and damn are there a lot of good, informative youtube videos on firearm topics. Paul Harrell alone has tons of excellent, down to Earth videos on every topic you can imagine, and he often caters to fresh-faced newbies, such as this introduction to shotguns and what they do. Full30.com is “gun youtube” and has nothing but informative gun videos.

Watching these videos you’ll soon realize that what sounds like basic newbie information to you is being delivered in videos aimed at experienced gun owners – because we gun owners often don’t know shit, either. Even among gun owners ourselves, a great many myths and legends persist; the classic example being old-timers who think the springs in magazines will wear out if you keep them loaded too long (they don’t, any more than the suspension springs on your car do from just sitting in the garage.) These rumors persist because while their recommended techniques don’t help, they almost never hurt, either. Gun owners pursue these almost mythical rituals for the exact same reason they have such strong opinions (and sometimes bitter arguments) over trivial differences in firearm performance or utility – even though the differences are very minor, when you are fighting for your own priceless life, even slim advantages are worth having. Even though most gun owners keep a simple shotgun for home defense and spend most of their money on Fun Shooty Guns for the range and/or competitions, the entire community is, ultimately, rooted in traditions and lessons pertaining to actual practical use of firearms for community, family and self-defense.

Thus: when fellow gun-owners, in person or online, give your selection of firearm shit and recommended ten billion other accessories or methods to buy or use, do not be fooled into thinking your gun is useless or seriously sub-par; almost anything that you can put lead downrange with, where you want it, will do the job. At the same time, understand that this community has such strong opinions on often trivial differences because you’re preparing to defend your and your families lives, and with infinitely high stakes, no advantage is too trivial to consider.

Sights and slings and magazines and such are all well and good to have, but if you need to make a choice, remember that having the gun, and the skill and familiarity to use it is already 90% of the equation. Paul Harrell demonstrates this very very well in his video on using double-barreled shotguns for home defense, which he opens with the line “not everyone can afford thousand-dollar guns,” and “you don’t need the latest, greatest thing to get the job done.” Clint of Thunder Ranch – a man who has in fact shot people and been shot at – is also on-record as warning people that you can absolutely be killed by the oldest, silliest damn Oregon-Trail looking goddamn Elmer Fudd popgun if the wielder knows how to run it well. Look no further than the return of lever-action Old West guns for home defense.

4. The Right Of The People To Keep And Bear Arms Shall Not Be Infringed AND YOU ARE PEOPLE

YES, YOU, YOU LEFT-WING BERNIEBRO TRIPLE-COMMUNIST FROM SOVIET MORDOR. AND YOU, TRANS-QUEER-POC-NONBINARY OTHERKIN. YOU ARE PEOPLE.

IF YOU ARE PEOPLE, THIS IS YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. IT IS NOT CONTINGENT ON YOUR POLITICS, YOUR RELIGION, YOUR SEX, GENDER, OR PREFERENCE OF GAMING CONSOLE. YOU BOUGHT A GUN, NOT A POLITICAL PARADIGM SHIFT. IT CAME WITH A TRIGGER LOCK, NOT A PACKET OF KOOL-AID.

WE GUN OWNERS HAVE FOUGHT TIRELESSLY FOR GENERATIONS TO DEFEND THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PRECISELY BECAUSE WE KNEW TIMES LIKE THESE WOULD INEVITABLY COME. AND NOW THAT THEY’RE HERE, BEING VINDICATED IS ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NO FUN AT ALL, BECAUSE WE’RE ALL IN THIS SHITSTORM TOGETHER.

5. Come Talk To Us – We Don’t Bite

Most gun owners collect guns because we can’t afford to collect cars or old tractors or whatever, and worse, we can’t race them against each other nearly as easily as we can go to an IDPA competition and blap steel pop-up targets. Firearms are exquisite works of engineering, and marksmanship is a science, an Olympic sport, and a true art that was respected as the domain of the experienced and wise even in Antiquity. Most of us were taught gun safety as a case-study in the responsibilities of adulthood, at our parents and grandparents knee, and we find real joy in introducing new people to the joy of firearms ownership and shooting sports.

Gun owners have been subject to non-stop, wall-to-wall abuse for decades due to our views on firearm rights – quite often to our faces, from family members. It makes us scornful and defensive – but it also primes us to welcome fellow supporters of self-defense rights with open arms as long-lost brothers. Hit us up on Twitter or BookFarce or whatever the hell you use. Ask your questions – yes, even the dumb ones. We asked the exact same ones ourselves when we were starting out. We’ll deny it till the sun burns out, but we did, and our guilty memories mock us still.

It often feels like the divides in America are too deep to ever be healed, and even in the midst of this crisis, where there should only be two sides – humanity vs. virus – the bitter recriminations continue. But it’s still the best chance we’ve had to see eye-to-eye with each other, and that new gun of yours, lying in its factory grease still in its factory hardcase, is proof positive of that.

You’re disgusted by this reality, aren’t you? That such ugly measures are necessary? That things have gotten this bad?

Good. So are we. Which is why we need you; you people who wish for a world where guns aren’t needed and people sleep with their doors unlocked at night. People who push forward, finding a way to advance. And this current disaster is why you need us; people who know how bad it can get, how easily the center can fold, who prepare for the worst.

We will need you again in the future. And that is why we are here for you now.

Code’s Top 5 VLD Fics

[***Please let me know if I’ve missed anything on the Content Warnings! I use whatever tags on the fic and warnings before chapters the author puts, then anything I might remember, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read a lot of these!]

Ignorance is Bliss by nikanaiko

Status: Completed

Summary: As it turns out, learning that your house is haunted makes the ghosts a lot more aggressive. Who knew? Ah, well. At least one of them is hot. And he's the less-evil one, too, so that's always a plus.

Relationships: Klance, Minor Hunay, Minor Shatt, Minor Shallura

CW: Suicide, Character Death, Self Mutilation, Blood and Violence, Grief, Fainting

My thoughts: So this one is one of my favorite fics of all time. From the ghosts, the mystery, the romance, to the beautiful writing, to just the time of my life when I was reading it. That was back when I didn’t log into Ao3 and it was ritual for me to manually check when this fic updated. Embarrassing. Now I use the Subscribe button. It left such a profound impact on me, and, if you haven’t read it by now, please do. Nika is such a brilliant writer and there is loads to enjoy and learn from.

A Light in the Dark by usernicole

Status: Completed

Summary: Far away from his friends at the castle, Keith's only way of communicating with them is a battered old phone. This is maybe going to be harder than he thought.A long-distance, friends-to-lovers fic, set during season four.

Relationships: Klance

CW: Anxiety Attacks, Homesickness, Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Attempt (Keith’s thing at end of season four)

My thoughts: I read this one shortly after season four came out. Maybe you won’t like it as much as I did because that season is my favorite, but, nevertheless, I think this story is super important and a fantastic read. It addresses the consequences of some of the things going on in that season that I was just desperate to have answers for. Character arcs were either disrupted or invisible in the show, and this fic shines a bit of light on it. 

there, nestled against his pulse by hiuythn

Status: Completed

Summary: "Found you!" Lance says, vaulting over the back of the couch. He lands with a soft thump that bounces Keith up in his seat. "Hey, I've got a question for you. You don't have to answer it, but, uh, have you met your soulmate?" "No," says Keith, "I haven't." I shouldn't.

Relationships: Klance

CW: Blood and Injury, Character Death (Temporary), Panic Attacks, Violence

My thoughts: Oh, wow. If you want a fic that will make you scream, here you are. You watch them fall in love, and overcome their fears of falling in love, and it’s just so heartfelt and beautiful. I actually just found the sequel while I was looking up the details of this fic, and it’s so good too y’all. If you didn’t know it had a sequel, like me, go check it out. If you haven’t read this one?? Omg please read it. I want to give these boys a hug. 

Dancing on the Roof by BleuSarcelle

Status: Completed

Summary: He picks up the small yellow post-it on the middle, where his diamond is supposed to be, and his blood boils with fury. ‘Better luck next time, Red ~ <3’ it reads, handwriting playful and loopy. That motherfucker. (Or Thief/Spy Au where they are all spies in charge of stealing gems and Lance took it upon himself to steal every single gem Keith is in charge of. Neither of them notice when he steal his most valuable possesion.)

Relationships: Klance

CW: Violence, Injury, Fainting

My thoughts: It’s a short one, but it works with the time it has expertly. It creates a whole story, with realistic characters, humorous voice, excellent banter, and even a dose of drama! It’s just so fun to read because it has their rivalry down, and I love going back to reread it because it just always has a way of making me happy. It’s a quick read, unlike these other recs, so it won’t be a tremendous commitment to try out. If thieves and spies and banter sound good, this might be up your alley.

The Marks We Make by wittyy_name

Status: Completed

Summary: Lance McClain constantly dreams of the day he'll finally meet his mysterious soulmate. They don't say much, if anything at all, but they leave him with gorgeous paintings temporarily tattooing his skin. It's not exactly the situation he hoped for, but when he feels the connection between them, he can't bring himself to resent them. As much as he wishes his soulmate would just talk to him, he's resigned himself to being patient. In the meantime, he has a loving family and good friends to help him get by. Keith Kogane dreads the day he'll finally meet his obnoxious soulmate. He's just an art student who's struggling to find his place in the world. There's so much he hasn't been able to control in his life, and the thought of having a soulmate, just another thing in his life which he also has no control over yet can't do anything about, is a little terrifying. So he ignores the words that occasionally appear on his skin. He has other things to focus on: like being a new student at a big university where his childhood friend and step-brother go.

Relationships: Klance, Background Shallura, Background Hunay

CW: Smut, Alcohol, Talks about: Minor Character Death, Car Accident, Parental Death

My thoughts: This fic was an experience. I followed it for the longest time, and it used to be always on my mind. Usually fics with secrets and suspense always invade my waking hours, so that’s of no surprise, but this one was also going for so long that it became ingrained in my life. I’d see the update and stop everything. Wittyy just has a way, you know? Their prose is freaking beautiful. And this story is enthralling. It’s not just about the secrets, but accepting love into your life, and that stuff always gets me. It’s a college AU, which means there’s also a whole lot of fun, Voltron family going on as well. Warning, though, I still haven’t read the last chapter. I have a problem with not wanting things to end, so last chapters are always hard for me. But, if you haven’t read it, what are you waiting for? Go go now now!!

I Have Loved The Stars, Part 3

Amos Burton x OC

"I want you to come on this mission." This was not what August had been expecting when Johnson had sent for her. Sitting in one of the chairs in his office she took a moment to think. She had heard that he was looking for volunteers for some trip that involved what was happening on Eros but why was he asking her specifically to go? She wasn't an engineer or particularly strong. The best use of her talents was here on Tyco, tending to the seemingly endless ailments of its residents.

"What? Why? I don't even really know that much about this whole mission." "We need a medic...We're not sure what we're going to encounter out there. And the crew of the Rocinante lost their medic while on the Donnager." That's when it clicked, she sighed. "You don't want a medic, you want a spy."

Johnson didn't deny it. Instead, he replied, "I need someone I can trust to make sure the people that have come to our doorstep asking for some pretty big favors can be trusted...and they need a medic."

"Why not make up some reason for Drummer to travel with them," she asked before actually thinking about it. She knew that was a stupid question, Drummer was a lot of things but someone who could sit in the background and report back she was not. Also, Johnson probably needed her to be handling the multitude of other tasks she had as his right hand. "Or someone else, you've got to have people you pay to find out this kind of stuff." Even as the words came out of her mouth she knew she was going to end up on the Rocinante. Not because Johnson would force her to go but because if he was asking he had good reason. She trusted him and he knew that. On the bright side, she mused, this must mean that he trusts you as well. Or that you're expendable.

"We leave in two days. Pack enough for at least five days for yourself. This is going to be about a 75 man operation in all with a minimum of 50 men involved in the assault of the base, so prepare accordingly. Drummer will give you a rundown of the plan later today. She'll meet you when your back at the clinic when she has a moment. She would have been here but she said she knew you'd agree and she had a few more pressing things to attend to."

"Yeah yeah," August grumbled with a sarcastic wave of her hand. "Wait, you know what? If I agree to this I want something in return. You need to give the clinic more funds so we can hire another medic or you know maybe an actual doctor."

Johnson smiled at this. "You're the doctor in everything but title last time I checked. But yes, I figured it would only be fair so we'll be adding funds to the clinic's budget. She didn't bother arguing about the doctor comment. In the past, he'd encouraged her to tell people she was a doctor. She'd gone to medical school after all, but she'd left Earth before finishing her degree and doing her residency. Johnson knew that but didn't seem to care. She cared though.

"Does that Holden guy know about this plan," she asked while simultaneously starting to mentally assess what she was going to bring with her.

"He does. But I can't tell you to expect a particularly warm welcome," he said with an apologetic smile.

---

August thought she had prepared for the crew of the Roci to not be in the best of mood but apparently she had not prepared enough. Alex, their pilot, was unusually reserved and his usually easy-going demeanor had been replaced with that of extreme anxiety. James and Naomi also seemed on edge, but August was also starting to wonder if that was just the default for them. There was no sign of Amos when she boarded but that didn't particularly surprise her. Naomi showed her to her quarters and then how to get to the medical bay and kitchen from there.

"Hey, listen," August paused after the mini-tour or the ship. She ran a hand through her hair. "I know me being here was Johnson's idea. But I'll do my best to stay out of the way and if there's anything I can help with while I'm here, even non-medical stuff, just let me know." This earned her a small smile from Naomi.

"Sorry if we haven't been the most welcoming," Naomi sighed. "These past few weeks...months really, since the Cant, have been hell. I promise we're not always this grumpy."

"From what I've heard, if I was in your position I'd be grumpy too so no need to apologize. And really even if you just need to take your mind off things and play a game of cards, I'm around." August didn't like the fact that to her, her own offer felt insincere because of Johnson's assignment for her even when it was something she was likely to offer in normal circumstances. Naomi smiled again and said, "thanks, I might take you up on that," before heading off down the hall of the ship.

August looked around the med bay and realized that for the next few days before they reached their destination, she was not going to have anything to do. She couldn't remember the last time she had had this much free time. Pretty much since arriving on Tyco every minute of her day had been filled either working, squeezing in some much needed socializing time, or sleeping. She'd downloaded a book for her trip but hadn't expected to actually read it. Now that she thought about it, she wished she'd packed more books. She wished that even more, about eight hours later after she finished the book. Not sure what else to do she went to her quarters and slept.

The next day she wandered the Roci, while trying to keep out of the way. She reflected on how different this ship was from a station like Tyco. It was so quiet, aside from the dull hum of the engine and occasional mechanical beep. It was also boring, she needed something to do other than sleep and stare at the walls.

Eventually, she stumbled upon Amos who was in what looked like an armory. It doesn't look like an armory, it is one. This is a warship she remembered.

"Oh sorry," she said, for lack of something better to say.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked glancing up from the gun he was taking apart.

"Uh...Just didn't mean to bother you."

"Not bothered," he returned his attention to the weapon. In need of conversation, she took a step into the room.

"Can I ask you a question?" He remained silent but looked up at her expectantly. "Does being up here get boring? Like traveling in the ship I mean." She'd lived on Tyco for about five years but was never truly able to kick the habit of talking like an Earther. Not that she expected Amos, another Earther to care, but her friends and her coworkers would have teased her for her Earther turn of phrase.

"We haven't had a lot of time to get bored up here."

"Oh." In retrospect that should have been obvious, she thought to herself.

"And even when there's downtime there's usually something to fix...you looking for something to do?"

His question surprised but she was eager for some type of task. "Yeah but I'm not sure that I'm particularly useful with tech stuff, unfortunately." She self consciously picked at the edge of her sleeve. Amos got up and went over to something was covered in engine grease, she had no idea what it was.

"This thing needs to be cleaned, you up for that?" She swore she could hear some skepticism in his voice. August started rolling up her sleeves.

"Where's the uh...soap?" The soap bit was kind of a joke and he seemed to take it that way, smiling just slightly. He tossed her a rag and a bottle of cleaner and she sat down on the bench opposite of where he had been seated and got to work. August felt slightly relieved when she started on it. It was nice to have something to do with her hands and not feel like dead weight. Also, a manual task would help her take her mind off mulling about the assignment of being Johnson's 'eyes and ears'. She was skeptical that she was going to be able to accomplish anything for Johnson, but she could clean this thing, whatever it was.

My Favorite Writing Stuff

One of the best things about writing is that all you need is a pen and paper!  But we all have our favorite tools and luxuries, and I thought it might be fun to talk about mine below the cut.  Lotsa pics, long post.

Word Processors

Scrivener

The single writing item I use most is my word processor, Scrivener, by Literature and Latte.  At some point waaaaaay back in 2012, I found myself writing Growing Up with You in Microsoft Word...  And having to wait ten seconds for the screen to adjust and load new text as I scrolled.  It was just too danged long for the program to handle.  Just reading my manuscript was a nightmare, let alone copying and pasting to move text, shuffle paragraphs, etc.  Making a new doc for each chapter quickly became a clunky chore.

THEN I FOUND SCRIVENER, AND IT’S THE BEST.

Scrivener is... not very user friendly; there’s definitely a learning curve.  But it was immediately so much better for writing long fiction than Word that I bought a book on the program and read it from cover to cover, which...  I don’t think I’ve ever done before.  That’s how much of a game changer this was.

The feature I rely on most is the binder.

This is the binder for Four Years, which currently has...  Forty-eight chapters.  I corralled the chapters into two folders, one for the first year of college (1), and one for the second (2).  

If I click folder 1, all of the chapters appear, each snug in their own folder.  Once the Scrivener file loads, there is no further loading time.  Each folder can be moved by clicking and dragging, as can each text file inside each folder.  FREEDOM!

This feature alone was worth the price of the program.  They offer a free trial, so please check it out if you’re interested!

Portable Word Processors

I’ve mentioned these before, but I have two portable gadgets that allow me to write on the go, distraction free.

Alpha Smart Neo 2

This might look like the baby of a toddler’s toy computer and a keyboard, but it’s actually my baby.

Just kidding!  Sort of!  The Alpha Smart Neo 2 is a portable word processor that boots up in a second, is powered by three AA batteries for eons, and weighs about 2 pounds.  They are no longer in production (which is a crime), but there are oodles available on Ebay for about $20-30.  

(I used to own and talk about my Alpha Smart 3000.  The Alpha Smart Neo 2 is the latest model before the company shut down, and the keyboard is nicer; it’s quieter and easier on the fingers).

I honestly can’t say enough about this device.  I rarely draft on a computer anymore; it’s just too easy to find yourself surfing the web, falling down a research vortex, or even reading your manuscript instead of writing.  Alpha Smarts can remember what you wrote until you delete it.  That’s it.  That’s all they do.  It’s beautiful.

I write about 800 words/hr on a computer.  I write about 1,500 words/hr on an Alpha Smart.  Distractions are so, so real.

When you’re ready to port your writing from your Alpha Smart to your word processor, all you have to do is connect a printer cable to your Alpha Smart, then plug the usb end into your computer.  Open your word processor, turn on your Alpha Smart, select the file you want to transfer, and hit send.  If you forget any of this, it’s written on the back of the Alpha Smart.

I know that no one should blame their success or failure on their tools, but...  I wouldn’t be able to write nearly as much without my Alpha Smart.  And if you ever do writing meet ups, you’ll be the only person who isn’t fighting for a power outlet!  It also fits easily into a tote bag or backpack.

Oh, Alpha Smart Neo 2.  My partner and friend!

Freewrite

The Freewrite by Astrohaus is... um.  Well, it’s a lot like the Alpha Smart Neo 2, except that it’s waaaay more expensive, much harder to use, and has terrible firmware.

There are cool things about it, for sure!  For one, it has this weird...  Pseudo typewriter feel.  It’s much larger and heavier than an Alpha Smart, and I’m not sure that I actually consider it portable...  But the thick, angled base practically functions as a lap desk.  It’s comfortable to use and has a nice mechanical keyboard.

It has wifi capability, so you can send drafts directly to your dropbox/cloud/email, no cords or transfers needed.  The screen is an e-ink scree, like a Kindle Paperwhite, easy on the eyes and readable in the sun.  It’s also backlit, which is the one major win over the Alpha Smart.

I bought mine used off ebay for a fraction of the list price (this thing is NOT worth $600 on any planet, goodness gracious mercy dang!  I paid about $180), and, um...  I still don’t know if it was worth it, not when I can buy an Alpha Smart Neo 2 for $30 tops.  I mean, I like the e-ink and the backlit screen, but...  There’s a lag between typing and the words populating on the screen.  There are no arrows to fix a typo.  I had to send 10 emails back and forth to tech support to get it updated and working.  It was not broken, and I understood all the directions...  It’s just god awful firmware.  I also lost a draft because it wipes your device if you open their Sprinter program while using your Freewrite.  

I still use it, though!  The tactile sensation is really nice, the keys make a satisfying clickety clackety, the E-ink screen is lovely, I adore the option to write in a not-that-well-lit room, and the wifi transfer is faster than my Alpha Smart’s wired method.  But I still can’t recommend it as long as Alpha Smart Neo 2s are available, not unless you’re some combination of the following: a writing nut who writes so gosh dang much that these toys are worth it, someone who is big on tactile sensation, someone who likes hipster stuff, or someone who would love an Alpha Smart but can’t read the electronic screen well.  If this is you, make sure you also have a strong grasp on how to talk to and understand tech support, because you will need them.

Just never ever EVER open Sprinter...

Notebooks

Leuchtturm1917, hard cover, A5, dotted

MAY I INTRODUCE YOU TO MY LOVE, THE LEUCHTTURM NOTEBOOK.

WHERE DO I EVEN START.

The Leuchtturm is...  Just the best.  The hard cover takes abuse well, stickers hold onto it nicely, it has two ribbon bookmarks and an elastic closure, there’s a folder attached to the back inside cover...  The dot version is unobtrusive and encourages smaller writing, which helps the notebook last.  And it is available in a rainbow of colors!

The paper is lovely, the pages are numbered, and IT HAS AN INDEX.

I’m a scientist, and working in a Leuchtturm is just like working in a fancy, expensive lab notebook.  The set up is done already, man.  You just gotta jot down what pages contain what.  IT’S SO ORGANIZED, with almost zero effort!  Mi amor.

Sure, I could make an index page and number all of my pages manually...  But I’ve met myself.  I won’t do it.  When you combine all of these lovely features, you have one unbeatable notebook.

Plus, they’re easy to obtain in the states!  I order them off Amazon or buy them at my local Barnes & Nobles.

Midori MD Notebook, A5, grid

The Midori has even nicer quality paper than the Leuchtturm, but the cover can’t take abuse, and it lacks the nice features.  I truly appreciate the paper quality, but the other features bring me back to my Leuchtturms every time.

It’s a Japanese item and is more difficult to import to the states.  You can get them off Amazon, though!

Pens

I use Uni-ball Signo 207 gel pens.  They write comfortably, and using them feels satisfying.  They should be available in most Walmart/Target type stores, at least in the states!  

It should be noted that I’m just not a pen buff.  I tried fountain pens, and it was more trouble than it was worth for me.

Folios/Traveler’s Notebooks

Okay, so you found the perfect notebook!  Wanna make it SUPER DUPER FANCY PANTS?!  Well, you could try a traveler’s notebook.  

I only learned what a traveler’s notebook is about a year ago, so if you’re also in the dark...  It’s a leather cover that holds notebooks inside with elastic.  I own these chic sparrows, one for my Midori notebook (or whatever notebook I’m using at the time), and one for my journal.

My full name is etched into them, so please pardon my censorship XD

The chic sparrow traveler’s notebooks are so elegant and decadent and...  I won’t lie, I literally move one or both around the house with me, just so I can look at them.  

The one on the left is a Mr. Darcy deluxe, size A5, in the Wickham color.  The one on the right is an Enchanted Woods deluxe, size A5, in the Elderwood color.

They have lots of pockets on the inside, a pen loop, and elastics to hold multiple notebooks.  This one is strung with a Midori notebook.  I also have a smaller B6 one that I use as a wallet!  It holds a small notebook, so I can write down those ideas that always happen when I’m out and don’t have paper.  The pockets hold IDs, credit cards, and cash.

It’s just this... magical, opulent item.  While it’s likely the least practical thing on this list, it’s very special to me.

Lap Desks

I HAVE A HARRY POTTER RAVENCLAW STORAGE DESK FROM POTTERY BARN AND I FEEL LIKE A WITCH WHEN I USE IT.

Oh dear, I took a terrible picture, it looks so lovely in person.  

The top can slide in both directions, revealing enough storage for several A5 notebooks, pens, and more.  It’s a great way to cart your stuff into your favorite cozy nook for a writing session.  Plus, you’ll feel like a Hogwarts student!  It’s available in all four house designs, plus a Hogwarts crest version.

Pottery Barn puts these on sale occasionally.  I’d aim for 25% off before buying.

My Writing Bag

I decked out a tote bag in writing pins to carry my Alpha Smart, thesaurus, a notebook, and pens.  You can use any bag, as long as it accommodates what you need!  Here are my fave sources for writing-related pins:

Literary Emporium, who makes my favorite pin, “Still I Rise,” a Maya Angelou quote.  They have the most gorgeous pins.

When life gives you lemons, read them, advice for the ages

And fandom:

Digivice pin

My beloved Sailor Moon pin, the loveliest pin I’ve ever seen (not shown because it lives on my Sailor Moon jacket!).  All of the inner senshi are available!

THAT’S ALL, THAT WAS SO MUCH.  Please let me know if you try any of these out!

I'm living for your farm stories. There's a lot of (hilarious and also gross) bad stuff, do you have any stories about cool or fun things happening too? Or something so weird it still leaves you baffled?

Hi! Thanks for the ask! This ended up being longer than I expected, so I hope that’s okay!

This is the only job I’ve ever had where I have fun every day. I get to use really complex, increasingly dangerous tools! Sometimes they break and my coworker and I have to take them apart and fix them, and sometimes we screw up so badly that we have to look at manuals for nearly 100 year old equipment and hope there’s a diagram in it so we can put it back together right. (My coworker is a great mechanic on their own, but when the two of us are together we have a single brain cell that we have to share.) I get to see all kinds of birds and watch rabbits do dumb things and make noises at foxes who think I can’t see them (and scare coyotes away sometimes.) 

I get to see the most beautiful things, like the way the snow swirls around the farm during a blizzard, the way the fog settles like a blanket, and the way the moon rises over the big shed. And the sunsets! I get to watch small birds build nests, raise their young, and teach them to live on their own. I get to watch a plant start from seed and eventually get to take fruit off that plant and pass it onto someone who always always smiles and says, “You grew all these?!”

I’m in love with my job, even on my worst days there (like this one! This has not been a good day but your ask has absolutely delighted me!) And every day, I fall in love with it a little bit more.

But you wanted a story, and my ode to farming has reminded me of a very cool thing I got to do last summer:

So, like, we have to cover our blueberries with netting to keep birds out of them, because birds love blueberries and if we don’t they’ll just devour everything and we’ll have nothing left. One of the problems with bird netting is that birds are tenacious little bastards and will do anything to get under that blueberry net. So three times a day, every day, I go around the farm checking all the bird netting for trapped birds. And I grab them, untangle them, and release them.

And one evening as I was getting ready to leave, I remembered that I needed to do my last bird walk. (I didn’t have to, my boss didn’t know I did them, but I felt so bad for the birds that got trapped in the netting, so I always checked.) So I went up to the acre of blueberry netting...

...and a red-tailed hawk had gotten his big, dumb foot caught in the blueberry netting while he was trying to catch a bird. And he was pissed about it! He was flapping and thrashing and screaming and really carrying on about the whole thing. And hawks, while really smart, are also really untrusting and really mean. And this thing is, like, twice the size of my backyard hens and has a beak twice as strong as my parrot. 

But I’m not going to leave him stuck in that netting, so I go over there, stoop down into the grass a few feet away, and start talking to him. He screams and flaps and makes an unholy racket, and when he’s finally tired himself out long enough to take a short break, I grab him behind the head so he can’t bite and flip him onto his back. 

If you grab a bird behind the head and wrap your thumb and forefinger around his neck so he can’t turn (but not enough to choke) then they can’t bite. It’s the tactic I use for trimming my parrot’s nails at home. A bigger bird, certainly, but still: only a bird and the same principle applies. My bird calms down and gets really submissive when you get her on her back, and the hawk was no exception. No screaming, no wing flapping, no trying to bite, but a quiet bird who peeped occasionally (And hearing a hawk peep is 110% one of the funniest, most adorable things I’ve ever heard.) So once I had him there, I was able to pull out my pocketknife with my free hand and cut him loose.

Then, with one hand still around his neck and the other grabbing his feet, I turned him rightside up and just kind of... yeeted him out of the blueberries. He flapped awkwardly through the air until vanishing, screaming, into the woods.

Every time he was on the farm for the next week and he saw me, he’d scream like he was dying. 

Anthing else max/liz

“I need to ask you something,” Max says, “non-out of this world related.”

He looks nervous and Liz wonders what’s going on. Not huge alien nervous but nervous in a way that makes him look much smaller than he is. She reaches out and grasps his hand, smiling gently to try and show she’s here for him. His lips quirk up before he looks at the table.

“How did you know Rosa was bi?” He asks. Her eyes widen, “sorry,” he says quickly, “I just—“

“No, It’s okay,” Liz says quickly, squeezing his hand. Rosa never comes up. Her death does occasionally but not her. “She told me.”

Max nods and his cheeks start to turn pink.

“Michael told me,” he says, “I, uh, I thought he was gay. I know he’s slept with girls but—“ he shakes his head, “look I want to support him but I keep sticking my foot in my mouth about it. Your sister was, so I was hoping you could—“

“Share tips on having a bisexual sibling?” She finishes, giving one of those smiles he swears he can feel down to his toes. He shrugs helplessly and she chuckles, “I don’t think there’s a road map for it. I said the wrong thing plenty of times.”

Max nods and tries not to look disappointed. Liz wishes there was an easy fix for it. Unfortunately there isn’t. Unless—

“Hang on,” she says, getting up and running into the back. In her dad’s office there’s a stash of books. She knows the one she’s looking for. It’s hidden behind a false cover that labels it a bird watching manual. She comes back and sits next to Max instead of across from him, “here.”

“Birds of North America?” He says.

“How did you keep that secret for twenty years?” She wonders aloud, peeling off the cover to show him the one underneath, “my dad got it, when he thought that was why Rosa was pulling away.”

Max smiles tightly and sadly.

“That happened a long time ago,” he says.

“So then pull him back.”

They both turn to see Arturo standing there. He looks at the book and the pair of them. Liz feels Max tense and almost smiles at the fact that he wants to stand up to greet her father. Like he hasn’t been coming in for years to check up on her in the only way he can. Arturo stands there and looks down at the book, something unreadable in his eyes. But when he looks up they’re serious.

“I’m no one to give advice but you’ll mess up. You have to keep trying,” he clears his throat, “I highlighted some of the pages. Stuff I thought was important to remember. Maybe it can help you.”

“Thank you. Sir.,” Max says. Liz’s smile vanishes as her father gets that look, “uh—“

“No no I like the Sir thing,” he says, “saves me from having to show you where I keep my special spices,” he adds, winking at Liz.

Max looks a bit shell shocked. Liz squeezes his knee which immediately refocuses him on her. Which, okay, she might kind of like. But she also likes that Max is trying to come to her with non alien things. It’s not as terrifying as she thought it would be. Just slightly scary which she pushes aside to focus on his kind, nervous face.

“I can do this one thing for him,” he says.

“Of course you can,” Liz tells him, like he’s not spectacular in fucking things like this up, “just listen to him,” she continues, “this isn’t one size fits all.”

The next day he’s back and looks even more distraught. The book is in his hands and it’s got an alarming number of flags a well. Liz comes over as he sits at the counter.

“Isobel is too.”

“Is what?” She asks.

“Bisexual. Not just because of the whole other thing,” he swallows, “She told me,” he grips the book like it’s a lifeline, “I’ve been screwing it up with both of them this whole time.”

Liz smiles sympathetically and Max’s face falls even more. Quickly she comes around and sits next to him again, making him focus on her instead of how badly he’s messed up by pressing their thighs together. He looks at her like she planned, hunching his shoulders miserably. Liz reaches up and pushes her hand through his dark waves. He closes his eyes for a moment and given the shadows under them, she thinks it might be the first time he’s done that in days.

“I think you’re being a good brother, trying to figure this out,” she says, “respecting this part of them is a big deal around here, even if it shouldn’t be.”

Something dark and pained echos in his eyes. She wonders if he’s thinking of how everyone was in high school to Alex or just the little things that happen every day he probably never thought much about. Sometimes she wonders what it would be like to be a straight white guy. But Max probably wonders that too. She runs her fingers though his hair again.

“What about you?” She asks, “are you bi?”

“No,” he says, but while the n starts out with the voice of a sixteen year old idiot jock, by the time the o comes out it’s much softer. He clears his throat, “no,” he says, “just in love with you.”

She smiles and his gaze goes from tortured or embarrassed to pleased.

“Good answer,” She says, “though you know dating someone of the opposite gender doesn’t make you less bisexual.”

“That I got,” He says, “Michael’s slept with a lot of girls and Isobel,” he winces, “That’s more complicated,” he looks at her, “this doesn’t seem like a big deal in the scheme of things but it’s—i want to do it right.”

“I think it is a big deal,” Liz says, “and you will,” she glances over his shoulder, “look. You’ve got your shot.”

Michael steps in looking like a bad hangover and winces when Liz drops her hand.

“Can i sit or is the petting going to continue?” He says.

“I have two hands, I could pet you too,” she offers cheekily. Michael balks, “i’m kidding. I’d get stuck in those curls.”

“Your girlfriend’s being mean,” he says to Max, but sits only one seat over which Max will take as a victory. Michael looks at him, “jesus what happened to you? You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“My fault,” Liz volunteers impulsively Max turns to look at her, “and i am going to go think about what i did. Long and hard—“

“Don’t do that,” Michael says, something pleading in his voice, “long hard and him are not things i want to hear in the same sentence.”

Liz goes, tucking the book against her chest as she does. Max looks like he wants to call her back but she goes. After a moment he squares up and shifts over another seat so they’re sitting together. Michael makes a noise and picks up a menu. But he doesn’t move away.

It’s a start.

MSA time travel idea (part 4)

Summary: Arthur falls off a cliff and lands in the past. Hellbent spoilers.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Part 5: here

The ghost doesn’t care for his struggles, holding him easily in one clenched fist. The area around him burns an angry purple, heavy and suffocating. There’s no doubt to what the ghost intends to do, and Arthur freezes up lest he hastens his demise with a misplaced kick. Below are rows of jagged stone, glowing lavender-grey. The scenery is painfully familiar. Visions of The Cave briefly pull him from one distressing state into another. For a moment the ghost disappears and is replaced with sickly green. Something is sliding into this mind, picking him apart. Couldn’t breathe. Green. Ahead of him Lewis walks, disappearing into churning shadows. He reaches out, but it’s too late. Lewis is gone.  

His left hand sparks, sending small shocks through his shoulder. He’s back with the ghost and the cliff, frozen against gravity. His arm is gone and its mechanical replacement is a mess. Still, the sparking pain gives him enough awareness to move it up to hopelessly cling to the ghost’s arm.

Their eyes meet, and even with blurry vision, he knows there is nothing but fury and rage.

A burst of angry purple.

“Lewis?”

The world is fuzzy and he’s falling. Lewis’s glare follows his decent, face unmoving in his hate. He slams onto the twisted spikes, chest breaking open.

And he’s…

He’s lying on his back, staring up at an off-white ceiling speckled with mildew. The fluorescent light flickers once, and he blinks spots from his vision. There’s a hurricane, whipping his memories around, making it hard to focus. Even lying against the cold ceramic tiles, he’s feeling hot and stuffy. Where’s Lewis? What happened to the cliff? For a second he is terrified and sick to the stomach. It tugs him down, threatening to swallow him up. He waits, focusing on the smell of damp towels and occasional water drips, and the moment passes. Carefully, he lifts his left hand and stares, wiggling his flesh fingers around. The bathroom, his bathroom at Lance’s place, is quiet.

Right…time travel…He’s two years in the past.

“Ha,” he exhales. What is his life?  

Arthur starts on his breathing: in on four, hold for seven, then eight out. Slowly, he feels out his natural rhythm, and everything around him begins to feel more real. So much for no more freak-outs. He pulls himself upright and explores along his head. No bumps or scrapes so he must have been able to control his decent or had sat down at some point. He doesn’t remember. The blurry vision is probably a side effect of shallow breathing. Not enough oxygen to the brain and stuff. It’s been a while since he’s had a full-on dissociative blackout violent enough that he’s been unable to manually pull himself free with controlled breathing and meditative exercises. A sign that the Lewis Situation has affected him more than he would have liked.

Usually, when he has these sort of troubles, he would talk to Vivi, and maybe Lance if he’s really desperate. Not exactly an option here. Not right now anyway. Arthur leans forward, rubbing his eyes with the base of his palm. He’s still shaky, head swimming, but the fear is tapering off, winding back to its more manageable cousin, anxiety.

Next, he stands, moving slowly to test his balance. Somewhat light-headed, he twists the sink’s tap, running water to splash on his face. As he does, he catches sight of his reflection for the first time since waking up. Their eyes connect, and it’s like meeting a weirdly identical doppelganger.  

Two years isn’t a long time. Not long enough to really make any significant changes to appearance. Not at his age. Yet, the person that watches him from the mirror is a world younger. People say that stress ages you, and -now examining his reflection- he’s inclined to believe them. There are no dark circles under this person’s eyes, his face is full, and he’s practically glowing. All indicative of a balanced diet and plenty of sleep. It's strangely unsettling, and he immediately hates it. Hates the younger him for having everything and still managing to be unhappy. For taking everything for granted.

What did younger Arthur have to be upset about? The minuscule chance that Vivi and Lewis would ditch him for some inane reason which had probably made sense at the time? A fear of becoming the ‘dreaded’ third wheel? Forget that noise. He’d settle for not being hated/maimed, watching his friends be happy together and not whatever broken things they’d turned into. Even if the watching occurred at a distance, he would be happy. ‘At a distance’ might even be optimal because the one thing he now knows for sure is this: He is NOT the younger Arthur.  He turns abruptly away and exits the bathroom, running a hand over his face as he goes.

And he almost slams into Vivi who’s standing right outside. It nearly sends him straight back into a panic.

“Arthur,” Vivi stumbles back, hand raised as if just about to knock, “Don’t open doors like that. You scared the shit out of me.”

“Hehe,” he breathes out, glancing around. Neither Mystery or Lewis are in the hallway. It’s just him and Vivi. Slowly, he relaxes enough and responds with relief boarding on amusement, “I scared you? You almost gave me a heart attack. Maybe next time don’t stand so close to doors you know might open at any second.”

Vivi snorts, then fixes him with a more concerned expression, “Well, you were in there for a while. I came to check up on you. Was kind of worried you’d drowned in the toilet or something.”

“Uh, thanks Viv, but, as you can see, I have not drowned,”

“So you say…” Vivi rubs her chin, taking in his damp face and hair.

Then one of Vivi’s hands is on his forehead and the other on her own, comparing their body temperatures. He tries to keep his breathing at a normal tempo. It’s still slightly faster than usual, not helped by Vivi’s jump scare.

“You feel a bit clammy, but not overly hot. So that’s good I guess.”  Vivi is now staring him right in the eye, face scrunched in consideration.

“I did splash water on my face…”

She leans in close, moving her hand from his forehead to pull at his cheek. So Vivi had noticed something was off. Lewis had probably picked up on his odd behaviour as well. Great. Vivi moves the second hand up to squeeze his cheeks together like she’s trying to reorganise his face. It’s kind of awkward.

“I’m fine,” he tries, batting her hands away, attempting to gauge just how worried Vivi is before saying anything too incriminating.

“You sure? You seem a bit… peaky,”

“Yeah, I mean,” he rubs the back of his head, “I woke up with a migraine this morning. It’s been kind-of distracting and causing a bit of nausea.”  Arthur snaps into ‘excuse mode’ with disgusting ease, quickly running through possible causes for his odd behaviour. He taps his head and put on the old ‘everything’s good smile.’

“It’s not bad enough to put off the painting though. You guys were looking forward to that,” It wouldn’t have fooled the other Vivi, future Vivi, who had developed an almost supernatural ‘Arthur bullshit detector,’ as she called it.

“Oh... Is that what’s wrong. You should have said something. It’s not like we’re on a strict timeline so we could have rescheduled,” this Vivi nods in acknowledgement, humming thoughtfully, “maybe you should stay away from the hard labour. Just for today, I mean. Me and Lewis can do the painting if you’re not feeling too good.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best,” he relaxed back a bit, “I’ll just take it easy,” and maybe avoid Lewis for a little longer because he was so many levels away from ready that he might as well be floating in outer space.

“Actually, I have a new project I’m working on so I’ll probably be spending some time upstairs,” he adds to give himself another excuse.

“Owo, new project,” Vivi lights up, energy returning, “what’s this one about. Are you finally making that ghost detection devise? It is, isn’t it? Please tell me it’s the ghost detection device… Wait,” Vivi puts her hands on her hips, glaring, “is this why you have a headache, because you were up all night.”

His next smile is genuine because Vivi always makes him smile, even when he feels guilty for lying.

“Haha, yeah,” He runs his fingers through his hair, “you got me.”

“I knew it,” Vivi puffs, giving him a light punch in the shoulder. He manages to contain the automatic flinch.

“I told you, water and sleep. It’s the best way to keep headaches away especially in the summer. You have you been drinking water?” The last sentence is said in a way that is almost threatening.

Arthur actually laughs at that one, “Yes, I’ve been drinking water.”

Well, younger Arthur has been drinking water. Probably.

“Obviously, not enough if you're nauseous. Come on, I think I actually have peppermint tablets in my wallet that’ll help,”

He acquiesces to Vivi pulling him in the direction of the kitchen, grateful she’s not about to push him for details. Gone are the days when Vivi would pester him until she was 100% sure he was okay and not downplaying anything. They’re left behind in a never-to-be-lived future with his, most likely, dead body. If he had any say in it those days would never come again.

Right now he’s running on empty, but, as soon as he has space to plan, he would get all this sorted. Or as sorted as he could manage. The bar to success is pretty low, so his chances are good. He’s just been given the motherload of second chances, and he's not about to screw it up, anxiety, panic attacks, and dissociative amnesia notwithstanding. He’s going to protect Vivi and Lewis from that messed up future no matter what.

For now, he needs to focus on getting through the rest of the day.

...

Note: So part 4=Arthur deals with shit and has a small identity crisis. Also, Vivi trying to figure things out, having noticed something is off but unable to pinpoint what. I’m hoping to be able to write a part 5 in the next week.  

Easy Automatic npm Publishes

One common question from people using npm to publish, especially on CI systems, is how best to automate the process, especially when dealing with multiple branches.

For a while now, I've been using a pattern that takes almost all of the human interaction out of it, since I tend to mess stuff up when I type it with my fingers. This works well for automatic publishes from CI or when publishing manually from a terminal.

I haven't manually typed npm publish in a while, which is a good thing.

First things first, have good tests

I am a huge fan of running tests with 100% test coverage. It isn't a perfect guard against every problem out there, but it does keep me from doing stupid things, like assuming that I know what my program does.

My go-to test library is tap, but you can do this with any testing library that supports code coverage. If it doesn't support code coverage out of the box, you can use nyc to run any Node.js process with coverage tracking.

To use it, run npm i tap -D, and then add this to your scripts section in package.json:

{ "scripts": { "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

The npm version Command

The npm version command will figure out what the next version should be, edit your package.json file, and even check it into git with a signed tag. The beauty of this is that it also prevents you from bumping the version when you have untracked changes in your git working directory, and provides some hook scripts that can do other things before or after the version bump.

In the scripts section of my package.json file, I add a preversion script that runs my tests:

{ "scripts": { "preversion": "npm test", "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

Now, before I can bump the version, npm will make sure that my tests pass. If the test fails (or if coverage isn't 100%), then it'll fail and the version command fails.

Publishing on Version Change

Bumping the version is fine, but then it's time to share it. Along with preversion, the postversion command does actions after the version is bumped. So, let's hook onto that to publish the package.

{ "scripts": { "postversion": "npm publish", "preversion": "npm test", "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

Keeping Git and npm in Sync

That's fine for pushing to npm, but then I have to remember to push the changes to git. (I have many times forgotten to do this, and gotten issues because the code on npm is not in GitHub, which is generally a bad sign.)

Thankfully, npm also gives us a way to hook a script around the publish event, so let's use that:

{ "scripts": { "postpublish": "git push origin --all; git push origin --tags", "postversion": "npm publish", "preversion": "npm test", "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

This runs two commands. The first pushes all branches, and the second pushes all the tags (including my newly published version tag).

Branches and Dist-Tags

Occasionally, I'll find myself working on some big feature for a new release that is not yet ready for prime time.

In the feature branch, I'll modify the scripts by adding a --tag argument to the npm publish command to put it on a dist-tag other than latest.

{ "scripts": { "postversion": "npm publish --tag=next", "postpublish": "git push origin --all; git push origin --tags", "preversion": "npm test", "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

Now, I can tell people to run npm install my-module@next to try out the new prerelease version.

On the other side, I might want to land a bugfix or backport a feature for a legacy version. To do that, I create a git branch with the old version, and update package.json to add a legacy tag instead.

{ "scripts": { "postversion": "npm publish --tag=legacy", "postpublish": "git push origin --all; git push origin --tags", "preversion": "npm test", "test": "tap" }, "tap": { "check-coverage": true } }

Bonus Points: Sign Your Versions

Git has support for PGP signing tagged commits. To tell npm to take advantage of this, set these two config values:

npm config set sign-git-commit true npm config set sign-git-tag true

If setting up PGP and hooking it up with Git is too much of a pain, you're not alone. I'm a nerd who's been computering for a very long time, and I can't handle it. Also, I'm always worried about my keys just sitting on my machine in text files, even if they are encrypted with a passphrase. And if they are encrypted with a passphrase, then I have to type it in all the time, and that's just too much work.

I'm a huge fan of Krypton. It stores your PGP and SSH private keys in your mobile device's secure storage vault, and then sends a push notification to allow it to do things with those keys. It's dead-simple to set up, and extremely easy to use, and gives you a hardware second factor for everything that matters.

Of course, and I don't exactly know if this is a bug or a feature, it does mean that whenever I run npm version, between the commit, the signature, the tag, and the two SSH connections, my phone does a lot of buzzing.

Running npm version to Test and Publish

From there, I use the npm version command to do all my publishing. For bug fixes, I run npm version patch. For new features, I run npm version minor. For breaking changes, I run npm version major.

If you use Conventional Commits or similar tools, you could even automate the detection of what kind of version bump it should be, though that's left as an exercise for the reader.

This approach of using npm scripts to automate the process works well with any system where you'll be publishing and committing. Set it up in your next project, and trust your human fingers a little bit less :)

PS: npm Configuration is Very Flexible

You'll note that I did --tag= in the publish commands above. You can also configure npm in many other ways. Any configuration value (including tag in the case of npm publish) can be set:

explicitly on the command line, like --tag=whatever

in the environment, like NPM_CONFIG_TAG=whatever

in a .npmrc file in the root of your project, like tag = whatever

in a .npmrc file in your home directory

in /usr/local/etc/npmrc (or /usr/etc/npmrc on some systems).

This works inheritance-style, so the higher up on that list a setting is, the higher the priority.

For CI/CD systems, this means that you can sometimes set environment variables to control the behavior of npm commands, without having to change the code or inject files into places. If it's easier to control it with a file (for example, checking a .npmrc file into git), then that's also fine.

Hello! Me + Mononokean Info

With the new season, I seem to have gained a bunch of followers so I thought I’d put up a short introduction post about myself and super basic information on the Mononokean manga/anime. (Actually I don’t think I did anything when I first made this blog so whatever.)

I’m Spring, and I’ve had this blog since season 1 of the anime started airing in 2016. I think I started reading the manga after episode 2 and I absolutely fell in love with it in a way that I rarely fall in love with mangas for the art, Wazawa-sensei’s amazing ability to draw body language, the beautiful subtle character development that happens throughout the series, and of course Fuzzy <3 I try to keep the tumblr side of Mononokean up to date with manga information and stuff from the official Mononokean Twitter accounts, and translate Wazawa-sensei’s doodles/other relevant information. I’ve also translated a few of the extra side comics/merchandise related stuff, it’s buried somewhere... You can check my tags...

My Twitter. I yell about stuff other than Mononokean like Tsukipro but if you’re so interested...

I also write fic, although I haven’t written for Mononokean in a while... I need to fix that, but I love writing.

As for Mononokean! The manga is written by our savior Wazawa Kiri, updated monthly online at GanGanOnline on the second Thursday of every month. Crunchyroll translates the same chapter on the last Friday of the same month. If I remember to, I link whenever CR has uploaded the translation. Right after the raw (untranslated) chapter comes out, I also try to do a quick outline-like summary of the chapter, and another user also kindly does a text translation. The next chapter, as of this post, is due to update on January 10th.

Fukigen na Mononokean manga website.

There are currently 12 volumes of the manga, and one “employee manual”, a fanbook released as “volume 6.5″ which had a bunch of doodles, side art, background information, and interviews. Other than that, Mononokean has an official Twitter, alongside the anime Twitter! Wazawa-sensei updates the manga Twitter in person occasionally, and also provides us with lifesaving doodles.

Mononokean manga Twitter.

Mononokean anime Twitter.

Mononokean anime website

Thanks for reading! I hope even a little of this was helpful. For people new to Mononokean or anime-only watchers on the second season, welcome, I hope you have fun! The episodes getting animated are where Mononokean really starts getting into the plot. For my fellow manga readers, we’re going to die. ____(:3

Learning How To Play Guitar

When you ultimately obtain your very first guitar the euphoria you feel after strumming your first awkward chord can be quickly extinguished when you realize you’re mosting likely to have to in some way learn guitar and play things.

The road from Novice to Experienced Guitarist is a harsh one, as well as it’s not a journey for the faint of heart. Many a brave heart has actually started the trek just to have his/her dreams dashed in the process. Slowly however definitely the truth sinks in: Learning guitar can be tough!

If you’re getting ready to travel that path, right here are two pieces of advice from a person who has actually made the journey as well as lived to give it: First, you can do it if you truly wish to. It will take some commitment as well as technique, and even a percentage of sacrifice, but if you intend to be proficient at playing guitar you can.

The only limiting element is just how much you are willing to work at it. You can even learn to play guitar by yourself if you have to.

It could even be a vague and also hazy plan, however you need some kind of plan. There are a number of methods to check out on learning to play the guitar, and also you need to determine where you are going to concentrate your efforts.

I’ve possibly tried it all in my thirty years as a guitarist. Prior to I enter into my thoughts about different techniques of guitar instruction, right here’s https://medium.com/@guitarfxpedal/guitartricks-review-best-way-to-learn-guitar-online-b762e9afafa8 a quick look at how I discovered the instrument so you can much better understand what I mean.

My Journey: How You Can Learn Guitar On Your Own

I got my initial guitar for my 12th birthday celebration, and also it came with a catch: I needed to take lessons. So once a week my parents hauled me off to some crusty guitar instructor who attempted to show me folk songs and also Lionel Richie tunes.

After a couple of months I recognized I enjoyed the guitar, yet did not enjoy Lionel Richie a lot. Rather than concentrating on my lessons I invested my time trying to learn Van Halen and AC/DC songs from cassette tapes. When it came time for my following lesson the guy would assume I had not touched the guitar since I last saw him!

When I finally got permission to stop those darned lessons I keep in mind the instructor saying, “Regrettably you are not working at it”. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I wasn’t giving up guitar, I was just quitting him. In retrospect, he was probably a very good teacher, however he simply wasn’t taking me in the direction I wanted to go.

I spent the following couple of years picking up stuff from songbooks and cds. I remember the first time when I could pick out any note I listened to a guitar player play on a record and learn guitar from that. That suggested anything they can do, I can do, if I only worked hard enough.

When I began playing in bands I found I needed to discover more about music theory. I first counted on instruction manuals in order to help me discover some scales, just how they were built and how to utilize them.

Learning this way, I figured out how you can finest usage pentatonic patterns and also minor ranges to create guitar solos. I at some point got pretty into, and even went back to taking lessons for a bit, this time around from someone who was instructing the things I would like to know.

In college I took a course in classical guitar, and think it or not that helped my rock having fun. That was really one of my most fulfilling and satisfying discovering experiences. Although I think I drove the inadequate trainer nuts aiming to damage me of a few of my habits, such as occasionally stressing the low-E string with my thumb.

With it all I was playing in bands and jamming with other musicians. Recalling, this was a time when I made the greatest leaps as an artist. Playing with other guitar players, bassists and drummers aided to maintain me determined as well as excited to learn new things.

When my days of playing in bands were over (for now) I returned to studying songs concept by publications. I experienced Fretboard Reasoning, which was an eye-opening experience for me after years of having fun. These days, I pick up a few things occasionally, however mostly work on discovering tunes for my own pleasure.

So exactly what have I discovered concerning the best way to learn guitar besides these years? Below are some ideas on each technique:

Learning Guitar by Ear

Learning guitar by ear is a little misnomer. While there are some talented people who have best pitch, for most of us the process of discovering by ear suggests countless hours of paying attention to songs, trying to find the ideal notes on our guitar, rewinding and paying attention once more up until we obtain it.

Nevertheless, this is an approach that has actually helped some of the greatest guitar players in history, and it might not be a coincidence. Discovering music by doing this aids to establish your listening skills, and while you still may never ever have excellent pitch you could absolutely enhance your capability to precisely listen to the notes of the guitar.

Also simply learning to tune your guitar by ear can have big impact on your music understanding.

Pros: Could aid to create a deep understanding of musical tones and exactly how the guitar associates with the audios you listen to on a recording. Aids to debunk the capabilities of even one of the most excellent guitar heroes as well as get to the root of how they do what they do.

Disadvantages: While you could at some point recognize how you can play guitar well, learning this way alone will never help you understand the why of it. Because of this, learning songs by ear is ideal integrated with one of the methods below.

Guitar Lessons

While my initial experience with guitar lessons was not a positive one, 3 decades later I see the benefits of direction from a skilled educator. I likewise comprehend something my moms and dads really did not: To get one of the most from lessons, you have to find an educator that is able to obtain you on the right path.

If you intended to examine art as well as style you wouldn’t go to a college that’s known for it’s great athletics program. In the same way, if you intend to be a rock guitarist you have to find a guitar instructor who understands just what it takes to accomplish your goals.

That isn’t to state you cannot gain from discovering different designs, however you are more probable to stay with it if you are motivated by an instructor you respect. A great instructor can not aid you discover the notes of the fretboard, basic chords and scales, however additionally reveal you how to put it all with each other.

Pros: For designs like jazz and classical music, a curriculum led by a well-informed teacher is a must. For other designs, an educator could obtain you on the best path and maintain you there, something that isn’t really constantly so very easy when attempting to learn by yourself.

Cons: Some minds simply do not work well with structured lessons. Particularly if you remain in school as well as already being in courses all day, the concept of even more homework could be the last point you desire. Do not reject the idea of taking lessons conveniently, but also for me, directly, if I hadn’t stop lessons I most likely would have wound up despising guitar.

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