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blackpearlblast · 6 months

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a rundown on the listed e-sim platforms from this tweet from mirna el helbawi. visit esimsforgaza to learn about this effort. (they also have a tutorial on how to purchase an esim and send it to them)

update v11 (5/5/24) holafly (israel and egypt), simly (palestine), and airalo (discover) are currently in the highest in demand. platforms. if it has been more than 3 weeks since you initially sent your esim and your esim has not been activated, you can reforward your original email with the expiration date in the subject line. you can see gothhabiba’s guide for how to tell if your esims have been activated. if your esim has expired without use, you can contact customer service to renew or replace it.

troubleshooting hint 1: if you are trying to pay through paypal, make sure you have pop-ups enabled! otherwise the payment window won't be able to appear. (this issue most frequently seems to occur with nomad)

troubleshooting hint 2: if you are trying to purchase an esim using the provider's app, it may block you from purchasing if your phone does not fit the requirements to install and use their esims. use their website in your browser instead and this problem should go away.

nomad

for the month of may, first time referrals give 25% off for a person's first purchase and 25% off the referrer's next purchase! it's a great time to use someone's referral code from the notes if you are a first time buyer.

you can use a referral code to get $3 off your first purchase and also make it so the person whose code you used can buy more esims for gaza. many people have been leaving their referral codes in the replies of this post and supposedly a referral code may eventually reach capacity so just keep trying until you find one that works! BACKPACKNOMAD is another code to get $3 off your first purchase, it's been working for some people but not others so try out a referral code instead if you can't get it to work. NOMEXPLORE15 gives 15% off plans until 5/31/24. NOMADCNG is a code for 5% off any middle east region nomad esims posted by connecting gaza. it can be used on any purchase, not just your first but is generally going to give less off than the first-purchase only codes, so use those first. it can be used in combination with nomad points. (nomad promo codes do not work on plans that are already on sale, unlimited plans, and plans under $5)

weekly tuesdays only code on nomad web, PST timezone! it gives 10% off plans 10gb and above. NOMADTUE

nomad also seems to be kind of sluggish sometimes when it comes to sending out emails with the codes. you can look for them manually by going to manage -> manage plans -> the plan you purchased -> installation instruction and scroll down to install esim via QR code or manual input then select QR code to find the QR code which you can screenshot and email to them. often just the act of logging back into your nomad account after purchase seems to cause the email with the code to come through though.

mogo

mogo's website is fucking annoying to navigate and i couldn't find any promo codes, but their prices are massively on sale anyway. you have to pick if you want your esim to be for iphone, ipad, or android for some reason. according to statcounter, android makes up approx. 75% of mobile markets in palestine while iphone represents approx. 25%. so i would probably recommend prioritizing donations of android esims but if you can afford multiple, try buying an iphone one too? if i can find any official direction from the connecting gaza crew on this i will update with it.

a good referral code to use for mogo is 8R29F9. the way things are worded are confusing but as far as i can tell, if you use it we both get a 10% discount on your first purchase. (the referrer gets a 10% voucher that allows them to top up in use esims, they are someone who i know has bought a lot of esims and will be able to make good use of the top-up discount vouchers!) also upon signing up it automatically generates a password for you which you can change by downloading the app. (check your email to find your account's current password)

holafly (also looking for holafly esims for egypt now)

holafly is pricier than the others and the only promo code i could find was ESIMNOW for 7% off. someone in the tags mentioned GETESIM7 as another 7% off code they had received, so if you have already used ESIMNOW or can't seem to get it to work, try GETESIM7. referral codes only seem to give 5% off and they don't stack. (i don't remember the source, it was on some sketchy coupon site i don't want to link to and only can recommend because i tried it myself) you can also use my referral link for 5% off if you can afford the 2% worse deal on your end, it will give me $5 credit which i can put towards buying more esims. connecting gaza has also posted the promo code HOLACNG for 5% off but since it is less than the 7% off codes and as far as i can tell does not give credit towards others to buy esims like the referral links, i would consider it lower priority for use.

simly (note: simly must be downloaded as an app to be used, the website link is to help people confirm they are downloading the right app)

i have not personally used simly so i am going to be going off of the sixth slide of mirna el helbawi's instagram guide, with some corrections from someone who has successfully purchased an esim from simly. after downloading the app and making an account, search for palestine or middle east and purchase your preferred package. the page the app takes you to after your purchase should have the QR code to send to the esimsforgaza email, it won't show up in your email receipt. someone kindly left her referral code in the tags of this post, it gives $3 off your first purchase and will give her $3 credit to put towards purchasing more esims for gaza. the code is CIWA2. (if this referral code doesn't work, try one from the notes of this post!) according to someone in the notes, ARB is a simly promo code for 25% off esims that is still working as of march 3rd.

airalo

some people have noted issues trying to sign up for airalo using the browser version of the website, it worked for me but if you are struggling you can give the mobile app a try and that should work. you can use a referral code to get $3 off your first purchase and give the code suppler a $3 credit for buying more esims. KARINA9661 is a code sourced from this post which is also a wonderful example of how using people's referral codes can really make a difference. if for some reason that referral code isn't working, you can find more in the notes of the original esim post i made here.

@/fairuzfan also has a tag of esim referral codes for various platforms!

(note: mogo and holafly both link to israel esims as there are no general regional packages for the middle east like on nomad and the esims for gaza website specifically linked to the israel package on mogo, so i linked to the equivalent on holafly.)

#esims for gaza #esims #gaza #palestine #free palestine #connecting gaza #despite not having used simly myself i'm fairly experienced with esim services at this point so i will likely be able to answer some #questions and i also have someone familiar with simly i can ask if i am not sure of the answer myself. so please go ahead and ask questions #if you're struggling with donating an esim from any of these sources!

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bogleech · 2 months

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Not long ago I mentioned how in 2001 I had a TV Capture Card installed on my desktop PC, something I asked for as a Christmas present and was immensely excited to get because it would allow me to make these so-called "screen caps" of movies and tv shows! Oh my god no way! We did not have huge archives of media you could download online, or if we did, that was for rich people who could afford high-power computers and incredible 10 megabyte internet connections, people who could conceivably download a whole movie in only like, one day!!! So I was thrilled to bits to be able to play cable television on my computer and take pictures, and the first thing I ever did this with was the day one premiere of "Invader Zim." It took time for the card to generate a screenshot, and it taxed my Windows 95 system enough that sometimes the whole computer froze or crashed, but I was in awe of this astounding new digital power to create jpegs out of tv cartoons.

These are those screenshots, and yes at their original size, which I proudly displayed on a geocities webpage that archive.org never even successfully crawled, so I can't even prove I really put up the first-ever Invader Zim screenshots, but I'm almost positive I did:

I still have some from other episodes also

I can't remember if the card simply couldn't generate larger images, couldn't without killing my computer, or I saved them this size because I thought it was as large as pictures would ever need to be.

#cartoons #invader zim

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river-taxbird · 3 months

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Have YOU got an old Windows PC Microsoft has told you can't run Windows 11? It's time to give it a new life!

How to install Windows 11 on unsupported PC Hardware using Rufus. You can also disable some other Windows 11 bullshit like data harvesting and needing a Microsoft account.

It has been in the news a lot lately that Windows 11 isn't allowed to be installed on PCs without certain requirements, including the TPM 2.0, a chip that was only included in PCs made in 2018 or later. This means that once Windows 10 stops receiving security updates, those PCs will not be able to (officially) run a safe, updated version of Windows anymore. This has led to an estimated 240 million PCs bound for the landfill. Thanks Microsoft! I get you don't want to be seen as the insecure one, but creating this much waste can't be the solution.

(I know nerds, Linux is a thing. I love you but we are not having that conversation. If you want to use Linux on an old PC you are already doing it and you don't need to tell me about it. People need Windows for all sorts of reasons that Linux won't cut.)

So lately I have been helping some under privileged teens get set up with PCs. Their school was giving away their old lab computers, and these kids would usually have no chance to afford even a basic computer. They had their hard drives pulled so I have been setting them up with SSDs, but the question was, what to do about the operating system? So I looked into it and I found out there IS actually a way to bypass Microsoft's system requirement and put Windows 11 on PCs as old as 2010.

You will need: Rufus: An open source ISO burning tool.

A Windows 11 ISO: Available from Microsoft.

A USB Flash Drive, at least 16GB.

A working PC to make the ISO, and a PC from 2018 or older you want to install Windows 11 on.

Here is the guide I used, but I will put it in my own words as well.

Download your Windows 11 ISO, and plug in your USB drive. It will be erased, so don't have anything valuable on it. Run Rufus, select your USB drive in the Device window, and select your Windows 11 ISO with the Select button. (There is supposed to be a feature in Rufus to download your ISO but I couldn't get it to work.?

Choose standard windows installation, and follow the screenshot for your settings. Once you are done that, press Start, and then the magic happens. Another window pops up allowing you to remove the system requirements, the need for a microsoft account, and turn off data collecting. Just click the options you want, and press ok to write your iso to a drive.

From there you just need to use the USB drive to install windows. I won't go into details here, but here are some resources if you don't know how to do it.

Boot your PC from a USB Drive

Install Windows 11 from USB Drive

If you had a licensed copy of Windows 10, Windows 11 will already be licensed. If you don't, then perhaps you can use some kind of... Activation Scripts for Microsoft software, that will allow you to activate them. Of course I cannot link such tools here. So there you go, now you can save a PC made from before 2018 from the landfill, and maybe give it to a deserving teen in the process. The more we can extend the lives of technology and keep it out of the trash, the better.

Additional note: This removes the requirement for having 4GB Minimum of RAM, but I think that requirement should honestly be higher. Windows 11 will be unusable slow on any system with below 8GB of RAM. 8GB is the minimum I think you should have before trying this but it still really not enough for modern use outside of light web and office work. I wouldn't recommend trying this on anything with 4GB or less. I am honestly shocked they are still selling brand new Windows 11 PCs with 4GB of ram. If you're not sure how much RAM you have, you can find out in the performance tab of Task Manager in Windows, if you click the More Details icon on the bottom right. If you don't have enough, RAM for old systems is super cheap and widely available so it would definitely be worth upgrading if you have a ram starved machine you'd like to give a new life.

#Windows #Windows 11 #tech #tech advice #pc #TPM 2.0 #rufus #open source #open source software #technology #tech tips

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thefiery-phoenix · 2 months

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yandere dg hcs if u havent yet?? ty❤️

YANDERE JAMES LEE (DG) HEADCANONS

He's an unpredictable ticking time bomb to say the least. It doesn't matter if he's James Lee or DG, they're STILL the same person. As soon as his eyes land on you, that's when your entire life belongs to him now. He's borderline possessive, obsessive, manipulative and not above gaslighting you emotionally to make you stay with him. There are 2 instances when you could have met him, as James Lee or as DG but it doesn't make the situation any better since they're both the same obsessive psychotic person when it comes to you

If you met him as James Lee, it would probably be when you'd be in school with him or something. You were the sort of person who'd never get involved in fights and always kept yourself under the radar. Your only concern was to just pass the freaking math test this week with a decent score. While you were returning home from school, you spotted James hitting a few people like they were nothing and you glared at him disapprovingly. He spotted you glaring at him and he was amused by your pouty glare. "Aww...don't worry princess, you don't need to worry about bad men anymore" he said in a slightly patronizing condescending tone with a smirk on his face. You just grumbled under your breath and walked away as his eyes never left your figure till you vanished from his sight. He couldn't help but softly chuckle to himself, you were quite intriguing

He'd spend time getting to know more about you which will also involve smacking people around to give him the information he needs regarding you. He won't even be discreet about following you or stalking you at this point, he just has this arrogant cocky grin on his face and thinks he's protecting you and comes up with a number of reasons on why you need him to be around you. He despises it when you pay attention to other people though, they're just mere pests in his eyes. Why would you waste your time with them? Why would you waste your time with those silly little annoying pests you call your friends? You're clearly a naive one if you think they don't have ulterior motives towards you, he's certain they have ulterior motives towards you

Or you could either meet him when he's DG. You could be an assistant of his or a dancer, catching his attention as DG would he slightly more difficult compared to him as James Lee because he's so used to people throwing themselves at him and he just doesn't even bother to react to them anymore. Miraculously if you do end up catching his attention at some point, within the next 10 minutes he'll have every single nitty gritty detail about you one way or another and reads about you like you're some kind of fascinating specimen in his free time

As time progresses by, he'll start growing more possessive and obsessive towards you. It'll get even worse if you're going out with him and in a relationship with him. He'll want to know about every single thing going on in your life and who you're with and what sort of pest he'll have to get rid of to ensure you're his. I wouldn't put it past him to not resorting to installing cameras in your house either because he really would do something like that. What? It's just to ensure your safety, that's all. You'll always have someone stalking you from behind the shadows and you'll never have your moment of privacy again. Say goodbye to your much cherished privacy since it'll go out the window and down the drain and he's the reason for it

He likes you for being yourself. He's met plenty of superficial people and people who's personality changes even faster than the colors of a chameleon but your presence is like a breath of fresh air compared to the usual people he interacts with. You could be plain and simple and he'd still love you. In his own twisted manic way. He's drawn to your humble down to earth nature. He loves it when he gifts you something and you start blushing and turn flustered, he's now made it his personal mission in life to see you get flustered more often since he finds you rather adorable and endearing when you do that. Your cheeks puff out slightly whenever you're feeling embarrassed about something so he'll teasingly caress your cheek with his hand to watch you squirm even more. Your reactions are too cute and entertaining for him. Sadistic MF

He loves to spoil you. Whatever you want, just say the word and you'll have it in the blink of an eye with a shiny packaging wrap around it just for you. However a while later his behavior will start getting much worse. He'll slowly start distancing you from your friends since he wants your attention to be only on him. There's a reason he's called one of the 10 geniuses you know. He'll do it in a calculating manner you won't know and realize he's isolating you from people before it's too late. He won't even deny it when you confront him about it, the way he sees it is he's just doing this for your own good. He's fought against gang members and yakuza leaders and whatnot, there's a reason he's one of the feared skilled fighters around. He doesn't want you going through the same thing as him so just be a good little spouse for him and accept his love for you. Will take you out on bike rides on his bike as well. He loves it when you hold him and rest your head on his shoulder. Night bike rides with him are quite romantic, he'll take you out to a place where the stars are visible and he'll hold you in his arms and you both will enjoy the peace and serenity of the night atmosphere, looking at the stars

Oh,you'll report him to the authorities? Darling, you're just making him laugh with your naivety at this point. He has the power and authority to buy the entire police department or whoever he wants. He's an IDOL admired by the people. When the faith in him is strong, no one can bring him down. It's not like someone would even believe you anyway and even if you do find the one sane enough person to believe you, DG will get rid of them quickly. Don't bother trying to escape from him either, he has all the resources and power to locate you and trace your location in mere seconds. You'll be dragged back to 'your home' and he'll just scold you like you're a child. And all escape routes for you will be destroyed, you'll lose your internet privilege for a month and the security system will be more improved and he'll change the locks too. Look, he might be a ruthless fighter but that doesn't mean he's a monster at heart. He genuinely does love you and care for you, he doesn't want to hurt you. He'd never get physical or raise his voice at you even when he's mad

Will control everything you do. Whatever do you need a job for? It's strenuous to work these days, he doesn't want you getting tired and gaining the attention of some random undeserving scumbag who doesn't have the right to look at you. He's more than enough to provide for the two of you. Let him just spoil you and take care of you

Don't even get me started on what he does to people who hurt you. Now it depends on the sort of person who's hurt you. If it's just some random jealous fangirl or fanboy, he'll use his popularity to his advantage and that person's account will get suspended and they'll have an fanbase hurling curses towards them. Fanbases can be quite scary at times. If it's some gang member or some jerk of a gang leader he will not go easy on them. He'll ensure they live, sure but live a painful torturous life. He'll either make them blind in one eye or both, or cut one of their fingers off or something for daring to hurt you. He'll finish the job quickly and he'll do it by himself. If it's Charles Choi trying to hunt you down for some reason....well, it's been long enough since that old man's been in a position of power and he'll bring him down. It's best if you don't ask where the blood is from

He likes holding you in his arms and having you on his lap. It doesn't matter what you say, you're sitting on his lap one way or another. He'll give you soft kisses on your lips every now and then and loves it when you do basic chores around the house even though you don't need to since there are people to take care of that for him. He likes seeing you in that cute little apron of yours, cooking something or doing laundry or whatever. He'll envelope you in a hug from the back and press soft kisses to your neck as his arms will be wrapped around your waist tightly so you won't be able to escape from his grasp

Overall, he's a good guy with a psychotic hidden personality inside. Just don't leave him and things will be all right

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bigfrozenfan · 3 months

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10-year-old mystery finally solved

One of the biggest riddles of Disney Frozen is how the choir gets up to the gallery. Nowhere in the movie is an entrance to the gallery or an access of any kind to be seen. All we see during Elsa's coronation scene is a completely open construction of the chapel, but there are twelve singers above the altar. How do they get there? Many fans have wondered how this is possible for ten years of Frozen's existence and everyone has puzzled over it. Even in books and comics, not a single clue is given and, stupidly, nowhere can you see the back of the chapel, i.e. from the west. Not even in Mindcraft designs is this side more clearly visible, which proves that the fans have no idea. However, there is Disney concept art and two, almost identical books about Arendelle Castle. The latter is clearly intended for children, but even there you can see the beginnings of a solution to the problem.

I myself was at a loss until yesterday, when I suddenly realised something while downloading screenshots and concept art. And tada!, suddenly everything was completely simple and logical. I could hardly believe it. You're probably asking yourselves now, "So how does that work? I don't believe anything without proof!" No problem. Let's go!

But first I'd like to show you my initial approach - until it turned out to be rubbish and couldn't work at all because of the open construction, no matter how you twist and turn it. Maybe you've already got there yourself.

Then I looked at the concept art of the chapel from the outside and the floor plan. Suddenly everything was clear to me and it made perfect sense. The only thing that didn't quite fit is the illustration in the book "All Around Arendelle" and the almost identical book "A Frozen World". There, the lower windows of the chapel are not shown, which can be seen in the concept art and round off the picture - also to the original model, St Olaf Church! But hey, it's a children's book and, in my opinion, the only incorrect depiction of the actual situation.

Here is the final proof:

Some side thoughts:

it makes no sense whatsoever to see a ladder or stairs in the church. It also makes no sense for something like this to be brought in from outside before every service.

a permanently installed staircase, but invisible to churchgoers, makes much more sense. But it must be easily accessible for the choir singers who a) want to rehearse independently of church services and b) do not enter the chapel at the same time as churchgoers. They arrive in their everyday clothes perhaps half an hour early and only need to put on their robes, which are c) always ready for them in a locked room behind the altar.

The entrance is well hidden behind the altar screen, and it is very likely that this door is even wallpapered in the style of the immediate surroundings, so it can withstand a casual glance from a curious person. In the room behind it, there is either a ladder to the gallery or - more likely - a permanently installed, narrow staircase leading to a hatch in the gallery. The singers' robes are always hanging ready for changing and the hatch at the top is there so that none of the singers accidentally tumble down the steps when closed. The stained glass windows around the small room also let in enough light for the singers to get changed in daylight without being seen, to talk face to face before the service and to get into the right mood with the coloured light from this type of window. There is another good reason for having a room separate from the church. The pastor or bishop can prepare there in peace, store things for the sermon and talk to the choristers undisturbed. I'm sure there are other reasons for such a room that I just can't think of right now, but you can certainly think of them yourselves.

This is how it would look like if the tapestry wall wouldn't be there:

PS: the only thing I haven't been able to solve yet is how to get up into the bell tower. There is a staircase that leads nowhere and no rope to ring the bell. Very strange… But on the real model, St Olaf's Church in Norway, you can see a ladder leading up to the bell tower.

Credits to: Art of Animation for the concept art images, and to GETTY images, David Nikel (for Forbes), Visitnorway.com for the images of St. Olaf Church in Balestrand, Norway.

Here are a few more pictures of St Olaf's Church in Balestrand, Norway, for those of you who are interested:

UPDATE 04/2024:

I stumbled upon a screencap from Frozen Fever where you can clearly see the rear left side of the chapel. And there are windows to be seen! I would say: because it's not only a part of the concept art but is seen in the Frozen Fever short too, my theory is confirmed now.

#frozen #analysis #choir mystery in the royal chapel #finally solved #my idea and edits

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wintersxani · 11 months

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𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤'𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 | Emily Prentiss x Fem!reader

Warning(s): use of y/n, death of y/n, Emily having to witness it, implied SA, just sad overall

Word count: 2041

Characters: Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau, Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid

Summary: When you get captured by an unsub and your team finds out where you are, your lover and coworker, Emily Prentiss, seeks you out. Only she’s too late to save you.

She blamed herself for not driving home with you the night the unsub took you from outside your shared apartment. The work she had done could've waited... and maybe you would've still been with her and your guys' team. "Emily, we might've got something." Derek informed from across the alley they had been in, where the unsub had dumped his last victim. 'Clock's ticking' was carved into the girl's abdomen, serving as a reminder of the time you had left alive was thinning. Desolately, she stared at this poor girl, just like she had the past two. Seeing the state she was in... she knew what their unsub had in store for you, and it made her want to scream- lash out; hurt somebody. Hurt Robert Delmont- the man who was hiding you.

Emily's gaze moved from the lifeless body to Derek, who rushed over with his phone extended. "Okay, talk to me baby." He eagerly spoke into the phone, examining his coworker's distraught expression as his own heart raced. "I found Robert's house. I narrowed down your area and used the information you guys provided- and I found it. 24 Newberg Road, you're about six minutes away."

Emily hadn't wasted a second before running towards her SUV; Derek on her tail replied: "Copy that, thanks Garcia."

"Godspeed, guys. Save our girl." Penelope spoke from the other end, ending the call to inform the rest of the team as Derek and Emily climbed in the car, speeding to the home you were being held in.

Faintly through the singular basement window, you could see flashing red and blue lights. Relief washed over you as tears fell down your cheeks. You struggled against the restraints you were held in, arms sore from being held in the same upwards position for these past 8 & 1/2 hours. You could hear the steel door creek open and shut as footsteps descending followed. Your relief left you as you met face to face with Robert, who rushed towards you, throwing a punch to your face. "They think they're going to save you."

Your lip was already busted, and you had cuts and bruises marking your whole body. He moved behind you, putting a blade up to your neck. Your breath hitched as he pulled your head back by your hair, whispering in your ear; "Time to prove them wrong."

Emily had already been out of the passenger's side before it came to a full stop, rushing inside the home. Derek followed after her, whisper-yelling for her to wait. She didn't oblige, rather rushed in anyway. In no way was she going to string out the little time you had left. She motioned for Derek to search upstairs, receiving a nod in return. They both should've waited for the rest of their team, but Emily already made it clear she couldn't wait, and Derek understood. This was personal... and time wasn't in their favor, if Robert was following his 10 hours spent with each victim.

Her heart was pounding as she neared every corner, pausing when she observed the steel door cracked open. While she should've retrieved Derek for backup, she went down instead, keeping her gun aimed ahead. The door shut behind her, leaving her in total darkness as it made a beeping noise. Only then did she realize that it had no handle on the inside, but that it needed a keycard, likely installed by the twisted killer who brought women down here, guaranteeing that escaping was out of the question. The air was cold and bitter down here, smelling of metal and mildew; agony so potent in the air. She breathed heavily, continuing her descent as she prepared for what laid ahead.

But nothing could've prepared her to meet face to face with you, strung up and beaten. So vulnerable and broken. A tang of pain struck her heart as she watched your face pinch, tears mixing with the crimson on your cheeks. The knife against your neck made her blood run cold as she aimed at the unsub. "Back away and drop the knife." Her voice came out firm as she remained at a safe distance, not wanting to push the Delmont man. "Ah, Emily Prentiss."

"I said back away and drop the-"

"I do that and you put me in prison, or I kill her and you kill me. Doesn't seem like a win-win situation, now does it?"

"Let her go." She ordered, unable to tell the man that she didn't want to shoot him. If anything, she wanted to torture him for the trauma he had inflicted on you. Make him feel every bit of pain you have felt- every bit of pain she had felt in the absence of you.

"I know how deeply you care for her... she's so... extravagant. I'd want her too. Well, I had her... that's for sure." He chuckled as you shut your eyes tightly. Her lip curled as her eyebrows furrowed, reminding herself of the oath she took for this job. An oath that she wished didn't exist in this very moment. "You son of a bitch."

"You want me to slit her throat right now? I will."

"You know what I want you to do. If you comply, we can negotiate-"

"We both know that's bullshit. Don't we?" He stated, turning to put his lips up to your ear at the last part. You tried to pull away, but he yanked your head back. Emily was panicking because she didn't have a clear shot of him. He was perfectly blocked by your shaking body, and you would be hit in order to get him, no matter the angle.

"You walk out those doors and leave, I'll spare her. Leave her for you to find in a couple days."

"I'm not negotiating this with you."

"I thought you wanted to negotiate? Don't you want her alive?" He started, tilting his head as he watched Emily's expression harden. "I can leave her lifeless if you'd prefer... yeah. Yeah that sounds better." Pounding came from the steel door upstairs as all three below heard Derek's shouts. "Clock's ticking." He grinned as Emily's body shivered, mouth opening to speak. "No. Times up." He finalized; In a swift motion, he sliced your neck open as you cried out. Her body stilled, though her reflexes didn't waste a second to shoot his withdrawn arm. He scampered to the side, clutching his arm as he rushed towards her. She was quicker, firing one final shot that knocked him down for good.

Her gaze moved back at you, watching the blood pour to the ground below your bowed head. "Y/n-" spit from her mouth as she rushed towards you, untying the ropes around your wrists, letting you fall into her arms. You were coughing on your own blood as she tried to turn you on your side, clearing your airway as she applied pressure to your open wound. "Stay with me my love, stay with me." She instructed, pushing the hair out of your face as you looked up at her.

Never had she felt fear like this before as her arms desperately pulled your shaking body closer to hers, trying to keep you curled into her like you would several nights spent together. She'd whisper how much she loved you as she held you dearly as she'd kiss your head, reminding you that in those moments, it was just you two. Not the job, not the world. You were each other's safe havens; the only light outside the dark they faced every day.

"I'm right here. I've got you, love. Stay with me." She spoke quickly, keeping pressure as crimson spilled over her fingers. You were struggling to breath, but you needed to speak; you knew you weren't leaving this basement, just like you knew she was denying that truth. It pained you to be aware of your fate when you had finally found the other half to your soul that spent every waking moment reminding you of what real love was. Slowly, your arm rested on her hand upon your neck, grasping it. Her broken eyes peered down at you as both of you could hear your other team members desperately trying to get through that godforsaken door, calling out your guys' names.

"They're going to get us out of here... and we're gonna get you to a hospital- you're gonna be okay. I- I'm right here." She insisted, clenching her jaw as she fought back the tears lining her waterline. If you saw her break, she was sure you would too. She needed to be strong, but all you needed in this moment was her. "Em-" You tried, unable to continue as blood poured from the corner of your mouth. "Don't try to talk honey-"

"Emily." You managed to get out, choking on your blood as her head slightly shook. "Lis-listen to me." Your hand squeezed hers as she tried to talk again. "You k-know what's going t-to happen."

"No."

"Emily-"

"No-"

"I'm not going to m-make it."

"No! No I don't accept that." She exclaimed, her head shaking vigorously as a sob slipped from her throat. "Em, please-" You tried, but she cut you off as tears now began to fall down her cheeks. "I can't- I can't accept that. I need you. I'm always going to need you." Her voice was utterly broken; already in denial, she couldn't stop shaking her head at you, pushing away the thoughts of what life would be like when she stepped outside of this house, knowing you weren't ever coming home with her.

"I love you s-" You had started, beginning to fade out of consciousness. Her eyes widened as she used her arm from under you to touch your face, pulling your body up to hers. "So much." You managed to finish, though your eyes were slowly shutting. Exhaustion wasn't even a comparable word to what you were feeling. When the pain started to fade, and you began to feel numb, you knew your time was up. "Hey- Stay with me y/n." She slightly shook you; your eyes weren't fully closed, but your eyelids were drooped. "Please stay with me." Her words were quiet, small. So much pain was laced in those four words as she felt the exact moment your life left your body.

Her body stilled as she pulled back to look at your face; eyelids were still drooped, but you were gone. Her jaw slowly slacked as she shook her head, removing her hand from your throat before placing it on your cheek, gently tilting your head at an angle where you would be able to see her. "No- no please!" Sobs were spilling from her lips as her chest heaved, thumb stroking your face delicately. "I need you-"

A loud, ground shaking bang came from the upstairs as she pulled your lifeless body up against her chest, cradling the back of your head over her shoulder as the other hand tightly held your bare waist. "Emily!" Derek's voice erupted from the stairway as several footsteps boomed from afar.

"I love you- I love you so much." She wept, eyes shut tightly as the rest of her team members made it downstairs, halting at the sight. The unsub's body had been the first thing observed, but the sight of Emily cradling your lifeless body- seeing Emily shattered in a way that they'd never seen before caused them to still.

JJ's hand covered her mouth as Hotch lowered his gun, tears beginning to brim in his own eyes despite his usual cold exterior. Rossi & Spencer beside him unable to watch as he turned away, walking into JJ's embrace. Then there was Derek, who stood with his mouth agape, heart plummeting. One of his best friends was forever broken, and the other dead.

Eventually, JJ had to pull Emily from your body, which took a tremendous amount of effort to do. Your lover had refused to let you go as she cried I'm sorry's and pleas for you to come back to her. Knowing you died before she said I love you back destroyed her. She just wanted to hold you; to kiss you one more time. Yet all she could do was kiss your forehead as they removed you from her arms, watching your hand leave hers.

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

#emily prentiss #emily prentiss x reader #emily prentiss fic #emily prentiss fanfiction #reader x emily prentiss #reader dies #reader death #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #criminal minds fics #criminal minds fanfiction #reader is bau agent #sad emily prentiss #unsub #unsub captures reader #wintersxani #wintersxani works #wintersxanicriminalminds

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pspkisser · 8 months

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⚙️ This laptop was saved from obsolescence! [10 mins of read]

Hello!! i am making this post here to raise awareness for PC and laptop upgrades, and how it should motivate you to do that same thing to preserve yours for longer or to give it the power you need! this will feature my history with mine, as well as the steps i took to be able to make him breathe life better! this is the story of his journey, and how it went to this current day.

his name is samuel, he is an asus fx570u and i bought him back in september of 2018 after i turned 13! he was brand new during that time and priced at 800 euros, offering only 6 gb of memory and an HDD as his specs. however he does have an 8th gen core i5 as his cpu and a geforce 1050 ti for his gpu. for something marketed as a gaming pc, it's pretty low and it wouldn't allow him to run fast enough, especially for highly demanding software and causing some compatibility issues. it wasn't severe, but as i was stuck with an hdd, that meant operating systems would run pretty slow on it, also leading to long software loading times. this is made worse by the fact that its bundled system, windows 10, isn't designed to work efficiently on hdd in the first place, but at least that means i have my hands on a windows key to be able to use some windows exclusive programs..

i mainly used him to be able to use advanced video editing software and customize the games i have on it for my own taste, because back then i loved making youtube videos and it was a passion i've had for years until i've partially retired from it. i rarely bought games on it and instead opted for free-to-plays, and overall had a good time with him.

unfortunately within only 3 months, his HDD broke down and i sent him to technicians for them to replace it with another one. it was a minor accident i've had but it formatted all my data, even though it didn't matter much since i uploaded most of it to the internet. i just had to be gentle with him by trying to not moving him around too much to stop that issue from persisting... but it was still low-end in terms of system performance. i finally used him for 1 year straight before moving on to a tower pc, feeling tired about his slowness and believing i couldn't do much about it.

i used that other (unnamed) pc for almost a year, starting from 2020! they seemed to work better since it had windows 7, but embarrassingly enough that version itself stopped receiving official security updates months before i started using it, even though i was careful while accessing the internet with it. its performances were also low, but didn't really matter much since i didn't take so much advantage from the power of samuel. suddenly, i had the foolish idea of installing windows 8.1 on the latter to try to deal with the performance issues on 10, but it led to even more compatibility issues since the drivers i used were meant to be for 10 only. only by early 2021, i got win10 back on him and started using him again to get more power again.

so the low-end performance persisted for very long. back then i never knew how to upgrade pcs, so i was only used to replacing devices with others which wasn't cost-efficient. after realizing i used windows for well over 10 years, i had the idea of switching to a mac and as a result, for xmas 2021 i got myself a cute yellow silicon imac, who goes by the name of sarah! but switching to macos posed new serious challenges, such as getting used to the lack of windows compatibility and the missing features that i was used to for a long time. most of the creativity i did with her was drawings with firealpaca and krita, and cgi with blender, which wasn't really much. still, she is pretty glossy and also powerful for many of the tasks i'm performing with her. originally i also intended to sell samuel, but that never happened (i low regret that decision so much i swear).

in late 2022, samuel's performance apparently had had a big hit... he now takes approximately 20 seconds to open any program and it seemed to me like something was wrong with him. at that time i also gained interest in linux since it's a libre OS capable of much more flexibility, essentially allowing it to revive old PCs. i finally decided to get linux mint to work on him via a dual boot with win11 (what was i thinking when i "upgraded" him from 10?). the performance seemed a little better from then, but programs still took very long to open. for that reason, he had often been collecting dust as he finally became unusable.

finally we've reached 2023. this is the year i decided to take on tearing down devices to learn how to examine problems inside of them. after checking samuel's performance again, i noticed that his HDD was having extremely low writing and reading speeds compared to my tower, which made me feel disappointed. but that's when i finally decided i could be able to replace his hard disk with an ssd, a new generation which is more durable, faster, quieter and energy-efficient...

but i still had a good wait until it was possible. suddenly with my money, i found an ssd which only costed €30, and it made me happy that this would be a quick way of healing up samuel! so i rushed to get it, and finally opened him to prepare everything... unfortunately, his keyboard has to be lifted up in the process, and there are flex cables connected between it and the motherboard. but taking out the hard disk thankfully only requires a few steps; removing some screws, then inserting the SSD inside of it. after that i quickly put linux mint back into him. SO SPLENDID...

for only the price of a high budget indie game, now he can open programs very fast, close to how fast sarah can do, and just about any task works perfectly well on him with way less bugs! thanks to that fast upgrade he's become viable for daily drives again, even though i don't have other desks suitable for pcs which makes me less motivated to use him. really wish id be able to since the architecture he has (x64) means he has a lot more software he's able to handle natively...

but then, i hadn't upgraded his ram. i said before that he only had 6 gb of it, and that meant he could only work with a few programs before becoming bloated. and as i like doing power tasks on him, that obviously causes problems. so one day, i went to a pc part store out of curiosity, and became shocked when i found small ram carts that could be compatible with my laptop. after some talk with the seller, i bought 2 ddr4 carts each containing 8 gb and clocked at 2666 mhz, more than double of what i used to have. after that it was time to take on a challenge to be able to insert them myself.

when the seller asked me if i needed assistance to have the carts inserted into my laptop, i giggled internally because of my past stories with learning how to open devices and trying to troubleshoot or modify them internally. i obviously declined it which saved me money, but also meant i had to do it all myself. after an hour of painful manipulations which required me to take out the entire motherboard from samuel, while that next step was also difficult i was finally able to insert the carts into it, before placing all his components back into place. and after such a long time of waiting...

i've finally done it!

Samuel is feeling very well right now!! despite his cpu and gpu dating from over 5 years, now he can do even more tasks at a time, while also being able to read them faster, a massive improvement compared to when it was stuck with an hdd and only 6 gb of ram. i'm guessing those low specs were for the purpose of saving manufacturing costs, but until you'd find use for the components that you'd remove, they'd end up becoming waste. and with a free os like linux mint, it adds up to an even more optimized experience than windows 10, which comes with so many unwanted stuff and can't be customized very well.

have you had a similar story to mine? did that pose you challenges? i took over 40 minutes to write this entire piece of text, but it should at least be very well detailed! on the best case scenario i hope it would inspire others to do some research on upgrading PCs to preserve their lives and especially save costs. Thank you for reading the entirety of it, don't hesitate reblogging it if you think it would interest your own audience! peace for all of you 💙

#pc #laptop #computer #computers #pc upgrade #objectum #gaming pc #linux #linux mint

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sonqgmi-sims · 4 months

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SIMS 2: My Essential Mods/CC

Hi everyone! I figured since I have been playing Sims 2 a lot lately, I'd provide my current essentials! Will update as I try more things, but this is valid as of February 1, 2024! ♥

Links for everything are under the cut! Found throughout MTS, Tumblr and other Sims Youtubers!

If any links don't work please let me know so I can try to find replacements!

View my video here!

AFTER INSTALLING SIMS 2 (Windows 10) Sim Shadow Fix: Fixes that weird shadow box glitch! Increase Resolution Fix: Have to go into the data files and alter some things to make it compatible for Windows 10!

NEIGHBORHOOD MODS Seasons Icons In Color: Colors the Season Icons in gameplay and in neighborhood view! Easy To Decorate Camera Mod: See more of the neighborhood map that you couldn't see before! CAS MODS Widescreen CAS Fix: Fixes the UI so your sim isn't covered! There's options for every resolution! (I use 1920x1080) More CAS Columns: Adds more Columns in CAS! Just like in TS4! Evie's Equal Genetics: Equal chance for offspring to receive dominant and recessive genes! 5 Custom Genetics Haircolors: Custom recolors for the Maxis hairs! Chocolate (Brown+Black), Sandy (Brown+Blonde), Icy (White Blonde), Auburn (Brown+Red) and Caramel (Brown+Red+Blonde)!

BUILD & BUY MODS Sim Blender: The holy grail of Sims 2 Mods. Can do anything with this! ACR: Sims autonomously Woohoo, Try for Baby, Get into Relationships, etc! Great for drama & storytelling! OFB Shelf Recolors: Beautiful wood recolors for the OFB Shelves! (The OG's were kinda ugly lmfao) Stay Things Shrub: Choose which items stay after a sim moves out! Monique's Hacked Computer: Pay bills, Order clothing, etc! Object Rotator: Rotate objects on an angle! Small, Large and End Tables! Lifetime Want Chooser: Pick your sims LTW!

LIFESPAN MODS 1 Day = 1 Year (Sims): As the title says! More realistic as I consider 1 sim day a year! 1 Day = 1 Year (Pets): Same as the Sim version, but for pets!

UNIVERSITY MODS Uni After Birthday Party: Teens can throw a birthday party and before blowing out candles, the game asks if you'd like to go to college first! Semester Changes: College is now 8 days instead of 24! Faster Uni Education: 24-48 Hour semesters! There Can Only Be One Professor: 2 per major seemed much, so I like this one! Generates less NPC's for me :D Doctors Need Degrees: Depending on your sims education/grades, they can either be stuck at career level 1 or 10!

GAMEPLAY MODS No 20K Handouts: As it says :) Now my sims aren't wealthy! Extended Family Treated As Family: Always hated it when second cousins could marry. This prevents it :) Community Time Project: Time spent on community lot matches with time at the home! Memory Manipulator: Hide/adjust Sims memories without using SimPE Break Up Via Phone: End a relationship over the phone! (Going Steady, Marriage, Engagement) 50 New Lifetime Wants: Adds new LTW's to the game! OFB Adopt Teen&Townie: Adopt Babies-Teens!

PREGNANCY MODS Shorter Pet Pregnancy: Pets give birth within 1 sim day! The default seemed way too long, so this is a must :) PregRel NL+: Can't find original post so I can't remember what it does, but I found a secondary version below! PregRel Compatibility Patch: Negative reactions to baby bumps if your significant other suspects cheating! Alternate Pregnancy Controller Lite: Possibility of your sims getting a miscarriage (Only had it happen once so far!) Triplets & Quads: Allows up to 4 babies to be born at once!

DEATH MODS Death By Childbirth: Morbid, but I like this for storytelling! Select Your Cemetery: When your sim lives alone and dies, a prompt shows up to move the tombstone to any lot! Now you don't have to cram the younger generations in your home ♥

MISC MODS/HACKS Last Name Copier: Edit/Change a Sims last name without using SimPE! Baby Pet Creator: Create a puppy/kitten with stray genetics! CJ Smart EP Checker: Does nothing, but it is required if you use any of Cyjon's mods! TS1 Prank Calls: Get the same funny and scary prank calls from Sims 1!

BONUS & EXTRAS The Christian Collection: On a MTS forum post, (look for Liv Lukas's post) but ChristianLov's mods are no longer able to be found separately. This is also linked where I put the Baby Pet Creator! Sims 2 Store Content: I only use the extra cars in my game, but there's loads of new stuff!

TOOLS SimPE: Edit ages, relationships, memories, family trees, etc! Sims2Pack Clean Installer: Used to install new lots and sims into your game! Mootilda's Hood Checker: Check any custom neighborhoods for corruption! Bat Box (FFS Lot Debugger): Similar to the Sim Blender. Here's the Vase version!

#ts2 #mods #sims 2 #sims 2 mods #the sims 2 #mine

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skzhocomments · 6 months

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THE WHITE LILY (Mafia Book #1 - Bang Chan) - Chapter 3 - Borrowed time

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

General masterlist

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

---

Chapter 3 - Borrowed time

chapter word count: 1.2k words

"We need to know your speciality, Emilia, so we know who to team you up with."

"I'm more of an in-the-field kind of person." I replied confidently.

"Yea, we've seen." The girl called Hyo rolled her eyes.

For some strange reason, I hated her guts. Leaving her snarky remarks aside, it just seemed to me that she couldn't be trusted...

"After all, you did sooo good at your latest in-the-field mission." She insisted.

"Oh, shut up, the plan would've definitely worked if I wouldn't have been betrayed." I returned her attitude.

"Sure, like Chris would ever sleep with you." She replied, spiteful.

So they don't know, I thought and threw Chan a look and a slight smirk, which made him clear his throat and avert my gaze.

"So what's the mission, Boss?" Hyunjin asked, curious.

"We've gotten a tip from one of our informants about a trafficking ring going on. Young girls..."

"Those fucking bastards." Momo spat out, hitting the table with her fist and interrupting Chan's speech.

"Truly disgusting. Who is behind this shit?" Changbin asked, clearly annoyed. "Let's beat them up."

At least we got the same morals here.

"It's the Knife Devils."

"What a dumb name." I laughed, earning a small chuckle from everyone.

"So what are we doing?" Hyo asked, annoyed by my 10-seconds of fame.

"We must first get an address from our informant. The plan is to infiltrate the house and rescue those girls. They are currently being held in God knows what conditions... Emilia, we still have to see what you're capable of, so you'll pair up with Changbin, who is the best there is when it comes to these kind of missions."

The dark boy smirked proudly, hearing his Boss' praises.

"Hyo, you will help Seungmin install microphones and small cameras after we get our address tonight. Lix and Jeongin, you will keep watch while Emilia and Changbin go in tomorrow night. We'll work out the strategy today, I already have an idea but need to make some calls first to find out exactly where the girls are and an approximate number. We're guessing there's about 10, might be more."

My stomach turned. Kidnapping and selling young girls was... sick. Not unusual, though, unfortunately. It's a men's world after all.

"We will get those girls, ok?" Bang Chan said assuringly, noticing my face changing colour.

"So, a doctor, huh? You did look pretty smart 5 years ago. And knowledge is sexy." I winked, teasing the young fox-like boy, who blushed at my remark.

"It's all thanks to you. After you saved me that day... you just gave me a purpose. I realised I wanted to help others just like you did that night..." Jeongin replied, his lips turning into a kind curve.

He took my hands in his, like earlier in the garden, and held on to them for a bit.

"I kept thinking... if you wouldn't have been there to stop the bleeding..."

"Don't think about that." I smiled gently.

"I can't not think about it. I feel like I'm on borrowed time. I was supposed to bleed out to death. I was supposed to die in that dark room." He said grimly, his eyes turning distant.

"Jeongin, all of us are on borrowed time. You could've gotten hit by a car when you were 5, but the driver randomly took a left instead of a right turn that day. You could've choked while eating an orange and suffocated to death when you were 10... or you could've bled out that night. But you didn't. Circumstances don't matter. I'm also on borrowed time, thanks to Chris. If it was anyone else... I would've probably been 6 feet under right now instead of talking to you."

Jeongin looked down to his feet.

"What I mean to say is, don't focus so much on the past. Instead, look at the future like an opportunity. Some aren't so lucky..." I patted his shoulder and glanced out the window, getting lost in thought.

~Flashback, 3 year ago~

"Shade, fuck, I've been shot!"

"Where?! Where are you?!"

I could hear my partner groaning through the earpiece, while I ran aimlessly through the rooms of the abandoned building.

"The bastards... shot me in the stomach... I don't think I'll make it. Fuck. Please run away."

"San, don't say that! I'm coming right now!" Tears started running down my face. "Just tell me where you are. I can't find you..." I continued with a shaky voice.

Not in this room, not here either, this is a bathroom, fuck. Fuck. FUCK!!!

"San, answer me!" I screamed in the earpiece, hoping to hear from him.

"Shade... please listen carefully." His voice was quiet, too quiet.

"You have to get out of here. Fuck... I was such a coward... too much of a coward to tell you how I feel about you..."

"Just tell me where you are, please!" I pledged.

"I want you to leave this place and... to live. For me, yea?"

"No, no, no, don't say that. DON'T SAY THAT. I would never leave without you. I'm on my way!!!"

"No... Shade... Emi... I love you, even if you don't feel the same... Please... promise me that... you'll leave this fucking mafia... and be happy..."

My feet were killing me. I was out of breath, but I couldn't stop running, not unless I found him.

San was the only person I could trust in this damn mafia gang – or rather, in the whole world.

"Emi... fuck... I think they are-" San started coughing powerfully, unable to speak further.

He couldn't die.

No.

I wouldn't accept that.

"Look at this bastard, he's still hanging on!" an unfamiliar voice was heard through the earpiece.

Two gun shots, then silence.

~End of flashback~

"Emilia, you okay? I lost you for a minute there..." Jeongin started, bringing me back to Earth.

"Sorry, did you say something?" I pulled myself back together, locking San's memory deep, in one of the hidden compartments of my brain I didn't want to access ever again.

"I just... I'm wondering what you were thinking of..."

"Mm. It's nothing." I smiled, ruffling his hair playfully. "Let's relax until the mission tonight, mkay?"

"I.N, Shade! Come quick!" Han shouted at us from the other side of the house.

"The informant has been killed." Chan told us sombrely. "We can't stick to the original plan."

"What now?" Momo asked.

"We have to... think of something else. Another way to find the girls."

"You surely have something in mind. Let's hear it." Seungmin said.

"No... it's... too dangerous." Chan shook his head.

"Can I make a guess?" I intervened. "You want one of us to get kidnapped, right?" I continued, pointing to me, Hyo and Momo.

"Absolutely not." Said Changbin, making the other boys agree.

"Why not? It's a good plan." I retorted.

"It's just as Chris said, it's too dangerous..." Jeongin replied.

"Plus, we all know how that turned out last time we tried something like this." Changbin continued, eyeing Chan.

"I stand by what I said. It's a good plan." I continued.

"Then you should be the one who gets kidnapped!" Hyo clapped her hands once with a happy smile on her face, just like a kid who's finally found the solution to a math problem they were struggling to solve.

"Sure, but how will I get myself kidnapped?" I ignored the spitefulness in her tone.

"Our informant found out about this trafficking ring from Club 64. Apparently, some guys from the Knives frequent it and pick their victims there. We will pretend we're together, go there and have a 'fight', you will go to the bar sulking and attract their attention."

"Chan, it's too much..." Jeongin tried to talk the leader out of the idea.

"If Emilia agrees to do it..."

---

Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

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notquiteapex · 5 months

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So, how's the JukeBox development coming along? Well, it sure is coming, I promise.

In case you don't know what a JukeBox is, it's a little hotkey device I'm building! I originally made this to assist with my endeavors in streaming, but it turns out having extra keys is very useful for a lot of things! Whether it be hotkeys for quickly running macros via AutoHotKey, managing your Discord audio settings, playing funny sounds with VoiceMod, switching tools in your favorite art program like Paint Tool SAI, or managing OBS like I do. It's a very powerful device, and all it does is act like a keyboard with the F13-F24 keys. I bet you didn't even know there was more than the F1-F12 keys, am I right?

About a year ago, I said I would begin selling these soon. That was a bit of a lie, fortunately I am very good at those. That last bit was also a lie, in case you couldn't tell. I got the opportunity to work on the JukeBox as part of an independent study for college credit, so I took a lot of time to plan and rethink the product. That part wasn't a lie The result is the new V5 board!

Ok so this isn't the actual V5 board yet.

I decided to completely change up what makes up a JukeBox. I decided to use an RP2040 chip, which is used to power a Raspberry Pi Pico. I used a Pico board, along with the old JukeBox V4 boards, an RGB LED ring, and an OLED screen to build my ideal V5 prototype. The result is the same JukeBox known and loved but with some added features, like reactive lighting and a screen to display fun graphics and info!

This is the finalized board, it's design has been shipped off to manufacturing, and will hopefully arrive right at the start of the new year. I'm paying a lot of money for just 10 of these things! I can't wait.

The plan is to sell 3 versions of the board, a basic variant (keyboard only), an RGB variant, and an RGB plus screen variant. Prices are still being determined, but they will be higher than previously anticipated due to rising material costs. The goal is to keep the basic variant at $25 to maintain affordability. You will also be able to choose what kinds of keys you want, be it Cherry MX Blues or Kailh Choc Whites.

I'm working on the final casing. It'll be a 3D printed shell with some nice M2.5 nuts and bolts. It'll also be in a mostly-opaque white so the RGB looks good shining through. The legs are also completely optional, both the case and the legs will have nice rubber feet to keep the board steady. The keycaps will be "relegendable", meaning you'll be able to stick a piece of paper in them with whatever you want on them. You get everything seen here, plus a USB-C cable, and my deepest gratitude. Maybe some day you'll get to have a JukeBox in atomic purple instead of a basic white!

The best part about it all is that you don't need to install any drivers! The keyboard component is always guaranteed to work on any computer that supports USB, and most usually do (hopefully). The screen and RGB won't work without a companion app, sadly, but I'm working hard to make it painless to setup and use, near plug-and-play. I've been writing it in Rust while working on the board, and it will support Windows and Linux without much issue.

Lastly, the entire project is going to be open source! The code will be under an open license, and all the physical parts will be usable under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA). I won't allow people to just up and sell the boards without modification, but if someone wants to make and sell their own variant I'd be more than happy to allow it if they ask. Devices like these should be cheap and accessible for everyone.

Hopefully I'll start selling these on my Ko-fi before Q2 of 2024. See you then!

#jukebox #fti #friendteaminc #apexs gadgets #apex barks

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reallyromealone · 11 months

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Uhh here's a thing I'm writing, it's the first chapter

Chapter One

Rows of townhouses lined the streets, streetlights illuminated the wet streets, the area recently built as shells of houses could be seen in the distance. The smell of rain leaked through the slightly cracked window as people walked down the sidewalk of the newly developed area; only a few years prior it was empty land. The area was lively, yes but one couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness as they gazed at the carbon copy townhomes without a sense of individuality to spare, the cars parked in the microscopic driveways looked nearly identical.

The developing Township once farmland was unrecognizable, it's once warm atmosphere exchanged for a faceless memory no one could recall, a cheap shot at life.

The sound of the train could be heard in the background, metal clanking against itself as it barreled through the track that connected in the middle of this new development without care, breaking the deafening silence that surrounds the area. Beyond the town stood trees upon trees, primarily oaks but pines could be seen peeking through the darkness as the sound of the wheels hit the wet dirt road, a loud crunching sound from the pebbles hitting the dirt.

Reaching over Dana turned on the radio, wanting to break the silence as music played, the radio station the same as she remembered it. It never could fully connect and had a slightly crackle to it while classical music along with the occasional pop song played through, she remembers when she was younger the hosts for the local radio station could never get along with what they wanted played through the airwaves.

The smell of old tea was faint, her to go cup forgotten as she focused on the shrouded darkness, the lights of her car barely pierced the trees that went on endlessly, no streetlights to guide as the lights of her slightly beat up red van with worn out bumper stickers from her teen years, quotes and references barely legible from years of being on and damage from the elements.

The radios static progressed as she got closer to her grandparents house, the car losing connection with the radio tower that Dana couldn't even remember how far, the clock in her car reading '10:38 pm' in the old digital font, the hazy green from the clock the only thing lighting the car.

Cursing the radio she turned it off, the static now unbearable and distracting.

A single car passed, a beige little car with a slightly rusted grill and a faded license plate that was barely legible.

The back lights of the car lit her car for a second as the car faded from the rearview mirror, she was alone again.

Though it wasn't technically real company, it was nice.

The road felt endless and she almost missed the turn to the house. It was an older house, built in the 1930s with mismatched bricks and white trimmings. She wondered if they installed the Air conditioning like they were talking about on the phone. She hoped so, the rain would only keep the air cool for so long. Parking into the dirt driveway she collected her things from the back, a duffle bag and laptop bag was all she needed.

The ground was muddled from rain, her steps collecting dirt and mud and a light splash from puddles hidden in the night staining her jeans causing her to curse slightly at the mess. Walking up the two wooden steps she looked around, noting the plants hadn't been watered in a few days, something that was strange to her as her grandmother was very particular with her plants.

Three knocks to the oak door she waited for an answer, she knew it was late but someone was home. They never were out past nine pm.

She stood for five minutes before knocking again, turning the knob and realizing it was open "they probably knew I was coming.." she mumbled, no one came around these parts so it made sense, her Grandfather had sleep apnea and her grandmother loved to sleep to the sound of nature so hearing a knock wouldn't be easy.

Keeping quiet she carefully took off her shoes, not wanting to get in trouble for making a mess on the floor as she glanced around before walking to her room. It hadn't changed, the posters from her teen years and girlish bedding and shades of pink and green everywhere and her swimming trophies on a shelf by the window. It hadn't been touched in years but her grandmother obviously came in and dusted, how kind of her. The mirror had photos of high school friends and celebrity crushes and an old concert ticket that was faded out but the words vaguely read Midnight cowboy, it was a good concert.

Setting her bags on the empty desk she changed into clean sleep clothes, Christmas pajama pants and an old shirt from college.

Her bed was cold, the smell of fabric softener fading as her vision clouded into darkness, the exhaustion from the drive overtaking her… she hoped her grandmother would make her something for breakfast tomorrow.

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nulcow · 23 days

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I have two hard drives in my computer: one 500GB SSD (disk 0), and one 1TB SSD (disk 1). Based on my personal experience, I've found this computer to be horribly incompatible with just about everything. For whatever reason, I tried installing Linux Mint, and it went pretty good. That was until it installed the bootloader on disk0 without detecting my Windows installation on disk1, pretty much making my Windows installation inaccessible. This would've been easy to fix if I could make Windows 10 boot media, but I couldn't get an ISO or any software to make boot media because the Wi-FI just decided to stop working when I restarted the computer (I don't even have an Ethernet port in my house). I have a physical copy of Windows 10 lying around, but it's from 2016, so it has a USB driver that causes all of the connected USB devices on my computer (including keyboard/mouse) to stop working. I'm so fucking sick of how incompatible this garbage custom-build tower PC is, I'm so close to just getting a ThinkPad or something.

Hopefully, I'll be able to use one of my spare computers to make Windows 10 boot media and save the Windows 10 installation on my PC, but I honestly just don't want to at this point.

#196 #linux #computers #windows #pc

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ageless-aislynn · 5 months

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Dear ones, I don't want to jinx myself, count my chickens before they hatch or whatever saying might strike your fancy at the moment but... After a week plus a few days of over 30 blue screens of death (8 of them in one hour), my computer has made it a day without one.

I had to finally wipe everything and start over and I finally, after sooooo many hours of research, I can't EVEN, am pretty sure I've discovered the source of the problem that linked my old computer, my dad's computer and this computer to all having nearly identical bsod issues: some absolute DOORKNOB of a person was putting the exact same third-party firewall back on all of them. Who was that doorknob?

🤷‍♀️

In my, I mean, in HER defense, that firewall has served very well for the almost 20 years I've used it. It says it's compatible with Windows 10 and 11 and all of my troubleshooting was blaming the various video/network/etc drivers. However, I discovered that ZoneAlarm took an update at almost exactly the time my other computer started having trouble 3 months ago. But ZA updates "silently" so I didn't know that until I went looking just now for the date of the last build, realized it corresponded almost exactly, and then I went

That said, I'm a little worried that it took me THIS LONG to realize that that was the single program all 3 had in common. I was just so used to using and relying on it that it didn't occur to me that it could be at the heart of all of the problems.

So, as I said before, it all boils down to

Right now, I've got almost nothing on the computer besides the browser and a new set of security programs. It's been an interesting way to see what my priorities are because I want to install one thing, wait a couple of days to verify everything's working fine, then install then next, wait again and so on, putting things back on slowly and deliberately.

BUT I WANT STEAM BACK ON NOWNOWNOW SO I CAN PLAY MY GAMES ZOMGGGGGG.

Apparently, I get actual buckets of serotonin and overall feel-good vibes from playing games because I'm absolutely frothing at the mouth at not being able to play anything at all.

Next will be Word so I can stop trying to read my utterly, drastically terrible handwriting from where I've been working on "15 Minutes" ch7 by hand (I might possibly be writing in Sangheili, I can't even tell anymore 🤷‍♀️😉).

Then eventually, Vegas. I'm worried about that one in particular because my research did uncover a potential Vegas Pro 15 - Win 11 conflict. Some people couldn't get it to work, others have no problem. I've seriously got my fingers crossed that it'll be okay so I can get back to GIF-making and vid editing, in whatever order. 🤞😣🤞

I've spent SO much time seeing blue screens that I find myself staring at the place on the monitor where the error info flashes, my notebook at the ready to scribble down the pertinent messages, just expecting another to pop at any second.

The last couple of times it popped, I was trying to read the debugging info from the LAST crash. And then it would crash again.

However, I can now report that, if you're ever using WinDbg to read your .dmp files and it tells you "symbols are WRONG" (and yes, it all-capped it just like that), I can actually tell you how to fix the dang symbols. It's a weird flex to take but hey, I'm taking it. It wasn't easy to find the answer to that one! 😠😕😉

If all continues on without any further crashes, then I'll hopefully be back catching up on things ASAP. If it resumes crashing while I have nothing more on the computer than a browser and the security programs the pc came with, then I'm just going to

Let's hope for the best, m'kay? Good thoughts, prayers, hopes, well wishes or whatever you've got are appreciated at this point. Love you, friends. I've really missed you all. 🤗💖

#ageless aislynn #computer problems #computer issues #about me #my stars am i tired frens #i just want to have fun with my computer again #just make some silly little things #and play my silly little games #not waste hours on research that goes nowhere or goes in the total wrong direction #i just want to have fun again instead of beating my head against a wall #wish me luck #love you frens

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skyboxeye · 2 months

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Capturing the ambience of LEGO Island 2

This minigame-packed adventure explores many classic LEGO themes.

Running the game

There are two main versions of the game to chose from: the original 2001 release, and an improved 2007 version released as part of a two-pack. There is also apparently an unfinished, unreleased v1.1 with some bug fixes.

Curiously, the version hosted on MyAbandonware seems nearly identical to other 2001 releases I found. There appear to be minimal differences between the two.

All versions use a simple disk check; mounting an ISO with a tool like Daemon Tools suffices. There are also No-CD hex-edits available if you're interested.

Debug menu and Level-select

We can access LI2's debug menu by altering the main menu options. I found some hex-edits for this on RRU. If you're not comfortable with hex-edits you can try using a patcher or patch, or LI2 Mod Manager.

04 00 00 00 02 -> 01 00 00 00 11 43 52 45 44 49 54 53 -> 44 45 42 55 47 00 00

Widescreen

Use the resolution and widescreen hacks offered by LI2 Mod Manager. See this thread for more detail on how it works.

Hiding UI and Player-character

This is possible using Lego Island 2 Game Editor. It's a powerful albeit buggy application for modifying LI2 assets.

If LI2GE doesn't work, for example to edit fonts, you can use Lego Island 2 Extractor and/or Lego Island 2 Explorer. Once installed, be sure to disable automatic updates inside the program's INI to avoid startup crashes.

LI2 will prefer to load files from identically-named folders if they are present in the _data directory. For example, if a Fonts folder exists, its files will be used and Fonts.bob/bod won't be loaded.

We can also pause the game to remove the HUD, screenshot this state, and create a no-HUD overlay for our footage.

(Not) Free camera

A modder devised a way to summon a glider at any time.

Rendering ambience sequences

I recommend using the Fruity LSD effect with FL Studio. First, open the MID file in LEGO Island 2's level files, for example Fishing_Amb.mid. Be sure to select MIDI Out with Fruity LSD in the subsequent dialog.

Afterward, click the folder icon in the top left to specify a DLS file - use one found in your MID file's folder. Once it's loaded, populate each channel by clicking it, and picking the corresponding patch. Don't forget to populate the "percussive" one-shots as well (Channel 10 in the screenshot below).

You are now ready to play your MID with the intended samples attached, or export it to a WAV file.

Appendix: Rendering music sequences

Download DirectMusic Producer. Supposedly this program allows you to export samples and sequence data. You could then render the pair using the MIDI renderer of your choice, such as OpenMPT or FL Studio's Directmusic plugin.

Appendix: Ambience sequence dead-ends

I tried VLC, with the DLS configured under FluidSynth, but this gave no output. I tried Miles Sound Tools with a DLS specified, but again - no output. I tried Winamp but seemingly couldn't get in_midi to use a custom DLS file, despite specifying one in the setting dialogs.

Appendix: Other LI2 developer tools

A soak test can be activated by pressing F8 while in windowed mode. You can also spawn a debugger window by pressing F9.

#lego island #ambience #modding

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