Techforevil - Techforevil 🤖

Screens. Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)

Has Peter Strickland watched this immediately before sitting down and writing Flux Gourmet??

May 2025

This month was about 3 years long, work has put me through the wringer and I'm in my feelings about it so much that I thought I've done nothing else but apparently my spare time is endless. 💀

Work

[deleting the first para because i realised it’s almost identical to last month and i just swung to the dark side cos i wrote it while very tired 😌]

I'm still not failing as badly as whoever is managing those AI summaries on top of Google tho. Whoever you are, you're making millions of people's life worse several times a day and burning down the planet. 💖

Anyway, the deadline got moved by a week and the world did not stop spinning. Not even when some people took holidays. Figures!

Did not make it to Delivercon because of the above shenaningans. One day I will be a dependable unconference co-organiser. :(

I'm personally quite disappointed in some of the decisions being made lately but at least they resulted in seeing how many people genuinely do value working in the open etc. It's heartening to see that this stuff genuinely does matter to other people and I'm not the only one upset by it.

I keep thinking about a conversation I had few months ago now about bullyign and what to do when you witness it but are not personally affected. TBH my own experience of reporting things was so disastrously bad I'd be cross if someone reported a thing on my behalf haha. It's not helpful that a lot of the guidance assumes the line manager is a safe person to report things to, like they're never a problem themselves... The most pragmatic thing is sadly to help the bullied person get another job. 🫠

I genuinely dread every time when I need to buy something (people, software, outcome), might be a thing to fix if we shouldn't be doing everything from the ground up....

Professionally one of the worst months of my life, several things were late, not done, or not escalated in time for a big deadline on the 3rd June and no matter what anyone says they were squarely within my remit. 🥲

I'm still not failing as badly as whoever is managing those AI summaries on top of Google tho. Whoever you are, you're making millions of people's life worse several times a day and burning down the planet. 💖

Anyway, the deadline got moved by a week and the world did not stop spinning. Not even when some people took holidays. Figures!

Did not make it to Delivercon because of the above shenaningans. One day I will be a dependable unconference co-organiser. :(

It's been so nice to see how many people in my organisation genuinely value working in the open etc. It's heartening to see that this stuff genuinely does matter to other people and I'm not the only one upset by the direction things have gone recently.

I keep thinking about a conversation I had few months ago now about bullyign and what to do when you witness it but are not personally affected. TBH my own experience of reporting things was so disastrously bad I'd be cross if someone reported a thing on my behalf haha. It's not helpful that a lot of the guidance assumes the line manager is a safe person to report things to, like they're never a problem themselves... The most pragmatic thing is sadly to help the bullied person get another job. 🫠

I genuinely dread every time when I need to buy something (people, software, outcome), might be a thing to fix if we shouldn't be doing everything from the ground up....

Various

I had a good time at UK Games Expo, even though it was initially super overwhelming. I met up with some friends, bought way too many games, and went to a game design workshop where my group made something quite abstract but that actually worked as a fun game! :o Making it my goal to prototype at least 1-2 small things by end of year.

UKGE bonus win: I convinced someone to buy Arcs and we're playing this weekend. 🥳 Ideally we'd find a regular 4th but fingers crossed it works with three. I can't wait for the Fangs & Fortune expansion to Ahoy to come out as well, both the factions seem super fun to play. 👏

STILL WAITING FOR THE COMPLETION DATE but at least my mortgage rate went down by 0.5% since the initial calculation. It'll offset the stamp duty a bit I suppose. 🙃

I (re)discovered Baikal seals and I'm now convinced petting one would fix me.

I enjoyed this personal video by PushingUpRoses where she talks about how therapeutic ceramics have been to here. Personally throwing makes me feel like I'm on the brink of madness (can't fucking center), but as someone with fairly powerful 'could a depressed person make THIS' energy I appreciate her being open about it. Something to relate to innit.

Moved Ghent trip to October from this weekend and it only cost me £28 extra. 😌

I went to Java Whiskers' crochet with cats evening and like anythign else cat cafe related it was terrible value for money.. worth doing once tho. The cats were cute but I was not willing to compromise my yarn integrity for their amusement so I was not the most popular person there. ;(

The Grayson Perry exhibit at Wallace Collection was fantastic, just a really fun concept done so well. His ceramics were probably the least interesting piece which speaks to the quality of everything else.

Arts & crafts

Ralsei

Aimee the Sheep (pictured below being made at Nagare 👌)

Fox and a Cat

a very easy hat

I got started on the potter's blanket pattern from Toft, but adding pinks as well (since I had a lot of 8/8 cotton in whites, pinks, and blues)

Hello Kitty (waiting for a friend she was gifted to finish making an outfit before I can post)

two floral pairs of earrings at a workshop by Rosa Pietsch

I have a crochet backlog of gifts only, starting with Jigglypuff in 8/8 cotton that is making my hands cramp up something awful. I'm never buying that weight again, it works fine for the granny squares but otherwise it's bloody murder.

Watched and played

Kathy Rain 2: too direct of a sequel IMO, and the supernatural elements were the weakest part of 1. The Whedonian tone got really old since then too. Some gorgeous pixel art and more traditional investigation were fun, but a solid 6/10 for me at most.

Star Trek TNG. I am almost done, in the middle of the 7th season which is loaded to the brim with everyone's extended families for some odd reason. The grandma-loving ghost is probably the most fun of the bunch. Overall, a very enjoyable series and I can see myself returning to some episodes (not the non-binary planet one). I wish K'Ehleyr wasnt't killed off, I wish Ro Laren's biggest role after her intro wasn't fucking Riker, I wish Geordi's captain mom existed as a character before dying, I wish ManWithNoName!Troi was just how she always was. And most of all I wish there was and ep with Q *and* Lwaxana because I love to see Picard suffer. 😌 But I guess I'll have to make do with a book.

Final Destination 6. So many deaths that were just... splats. The flashback intro was amazing tho and some kills were fun - but nothing will top The Monkey for that this year and possibly many to come.

Phoenician Scheme. Very pretty, very aesthetic, that was all that I needed from it.

Tornado. Scottish samurai western sounds cool as hell but the characters made stupid unrealistic decisions all of the time (NOT in a fun way) and I ended up more exasperated that entertained.

Evangelion: Death (True). Weird af recap, to be honest, just made me feel like I should rewatch the series. ✋

Next up

Hades II update?! Deltarune... tomorrow!! D:

the Undertale concert

Sashiko embroidery workshop

Fashionable Elden Ring hats

Some Fashionable Elden Ring hats made with the universally-loved MSPaint palette.

Bella is helping me test one of my Xmas gifts (an apron for pottering).

jennifer’s body 🩸💖

Susie (Deltarune)

Following up as promised.

Like I mentioned everything is removable:

Fun fact about this one is that I can't show it to Bella the cat cos she gets spooked. I'm guessing it's the eyes?

Just various angles. Is her hair made of pants or are her pants made of hair? 🤔

I'm clearly very confident in her aboility to stand unupoorted becuse pic 1 in this row is faces to a 2m ravine of unkempt plants and bugs. 💀 The boots help the stability.

Pic 2 - I wanted to make hair that'd work with both Hometown and Dark World outfits so I've not glued it like I think some people do. Colours are DW based, both because I started with something I already I had (I originally actually wanted to make Bea but I did not have yarn for body in the right colour... now I'm not too sure how I will make Bea without them looking like twins haha).

Pic 3 - Included purely because I like how the hair looks and you can actually see that the belt buckle IS heart shaped. IGNORE THE MESS IN THE BACKGROUND IT'S NOT MY ROOM (my room is worse).

a tail! *gasp* (it's hideable thanks to the poofiness of the trousers)

Patterns referenced:

body: a mix of Dino and Alligator / yarn: Sirdar Parade

jacket: sanitation worker Raccoon / yarn: Hobbii Friends 8/4 Mercerized Black and Cotton 8/6 Dark Magenta

boots: beekeeper Bear / yarn: Hobbii Friends: 8/4 Mercerized Black and Sunflower

top: rogue Raccoon / yarn: Hobbii Friends 8/4 Mercerized Nightshade

belt: rogue Raccoon / yarn: Hobbii Friends 8/4 Mercerized Black and Sunflower

pants: freehanded! 😱🎉 / yarn: Hobbii Friends 8/6 Dark Magenta

hair: I started with a stitch based on Seth but it looked kinda weird (see below) AND used a fuckton of yarn (it's just chains and slip stitch traverse now) / yarn: Hobbii Friends 8/6 Dark Magenta

Yes the yars are different weight and the body is a different manufacturer. Yes it was a nightmare. I am a Beginner and I did not understand the implications of any of this when I started but now I am smarter.

Also yes, Bogusia's patterns are quite pricy. I like them, I can afford them, and I will never begdrudge giving cash to a fellow 🇵🇱. Plus it feels so much safer to have something to look up when things go wrong haha. 🫣 If you wanna make your own Susie and are a fairly advanced maker you probably don't need to buy all of the above, and if you've got a question about any specific but I'm happy to try to help - but I will not be posting or sending you a full pattern. :)

To do:

Hometown outfit

drummer outfit

sewing the mouth a bit less wonkily

re-do the top? you can't really see it in the pics but the back is blah and the cowl could be nicer

darker brows?? I tried a couple of shades but it just didn't look _right_, maybe after stepping away from it for a wee bit I'll try again

Bonus:

WIP: onion head and little orphan Annie looking ass

What's next?

I have a backlog of gifts, requests, and a massive blanket that's supposed to teach me 30 diffrerent stitches. x__x

DR/UT wise I *really* want to make Undyne but the design is a wee bit complex, plus I've not made anything more on a humanoid side before...

I'll probably make Ralsei at some point (white ver, not black - crocheting with black yarn is a nightmare :') )

Since Bea would feel a bit same-y... GREGG RULZ OK? Or Witchdagger Mae? Or I do basically have a bear pattern for Angus? 😵‍💫

March 2025

We're having AN ACTUAL SPRING? Whoever planted all the cherry trees (and other blossoms) around London - thank u.

For the first month this year, no one I know has died. As far as I'm aware. 🎉🥲

I've been doing Spanish on Duolingo for three full years as of this month, and taking classes for two (with some of the same people! so cool : )). It really feels like my life is just Spanish on Wednesdays sometimes, but if my count is correct I should be at the end of B1 by next summer!! :o

Went to the Stitch Festival, bought a load of stuff. I keep buying more and more yarn from Hobbii because I run out of one specific colour or have An Idea. Goal - don't buy any more in April?! I appreciate having a yarn shop 10 minutes from my house and I try to buy stuff from them whenever poss but to be completely honest the yarn selection is ass, they did not even have blue cotton. :[

Work is mostly stable, new Delivery Manager is settling in fast but I'm hanging around for a bit cos someone is going away for a month so a team needs cover. Still not sure what next, I've had chats about agile coaching. Hopefully not something that's a technology in search of an application - you know what I mean. 🙄

I made it to Data Bites (great talk about waste! all the girls love talking about incineration plants and waste tracking!!! 💖 ) and Product for the People where the vibe was honestly so nice, I really enjoyed myself even though I basically had to work throughout tee day. Also I met someone I've not seen for YEARS there cos they just came back in the UK and are doing something interesting again in one of my old depts. \o/

The OpenAI Ghibli stuff is so fucking gross.

What is up with the Majima Grayson Perry Everywhere campaign? I saw Grayson Perry books, Grayson Perry cross-stitch set, Grayson Perry jewellery, not even gonna mention the massive Grayson Perry poster that's just part of the landscape now. I like the guy a lot but it's funny how he's suddenly wherever I look. 😵‍💫

I had an eye test and my sight got better?!

House purchase has not moved from what I can see, it's gonna be another summer of hauling ass to the lido for an hour each way instead of having it round the corner at this rate. 🥲

I felt crap on the weekend when my friends started playing Delta Green, boo. :(

Whoever came up with Java Whiskers queer dating should get a raise. Not for me due to my commitment to dying alone but I appreciate marketing genius when I see it. 🫡

Earworm: Fever Ray - I'm not done (live at the Troxy). I was there and it was so fucking good, the recording almost captures it.

Less puerile street art IS available in London, but who cares. 😎

Makes

Raccoon (crochet)

Whales (crochet/needle felted)

Mouse (needle felted)

French bulldog (crochet)

Cat bed (crochet) + a necklace from the same yarn I've not managed to take a decent pic of

I picked up needle felting again after a workshop at Stitch Festival and I'm enjoying how easy it is to shape something recognisable. ~__~ It scratches the ceramics itch a bit, which is helpful since the only non-throwing course is on Saturdays in the prime morning swimming hours and I'm not sacrificing this over the summer haha.

While looking for Deltarune amigurumi patterns I found this amazing Seam plushie tutorial so putting that craft on my backlog...

I also got some cards from Pacific Knit Co, my knitting era may be approaching.

Currently I'm making something for a friend for Easter and trying to customise a pattern into a specific character... sneak peek:

Also pictured my first attempt at untangling a hank. What an absolute disaster. 🙃

Watched

a lot of KBash stuff - thank you youtube algorithm gods for sending me those fun, thorough videos from interesting perspective.

finished Star Trek TOS (due to this post, heh). Boy, did I feel like bobo the fool when I enjoyed the last episode and saw it's the most hated and panned one. 🧍🏻 You can quickly dismiss the premise as misogynistic (whatever the interpretation some aspects are deeply sus) but it's actually easy to find some nuance - and the idea that it's because of the writers' incompetence is delicious. 👹 Like the writer of that article I thought the performances were very fun. Anyway, I just started TNG and it kicked off strong with one of the divas of all time so my hopes are high. Maybe fewer aliens will be just blonde bombshells with funky hairdos this time (would it kill you to pledge your eternal devotion to a sentient pile of rocks that can revive Genghis Khan at least ONCE McCoy you coward! >:( ).

Next

Somehow I ended up buying fuckton of tickets for the future this month, so:

Kinoteka festival (Saragossa Manuscript, Hourglass Sanatorium)

UK Games Expo

A weekend in Ghent (I booked the Eurostar and the next day Switch 2 and Deltarune 3+4 were announced for the same weekend, I am fuming/you are WELCOME Lancer Fan Club)

Neon Genesis Evangelion screenings at the PCC

Deltarune concert for the 10 year anniversary (I was on the fence, I opened the seating chart and there was only one front row circle seat avaialble so my poor impulse control took over....)

Gotta make it to that Leigh Bowery exhibit

This is so true, thank you Pokemon News UK 😌

Made a Susie Deltarune amigurumi.

If you want more detail/other angles, peep this.