diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 46e95a0..1fa00ed 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ version = "0.0.3"
 arrayref = "0.3"
 rand = "0.4"
 ff = { version = "0.4", features = ["derive"] }
-# sha3 = "0.8"
+sha3 = "0.8"
 
-[dependencies.merlin] 
-version = "1.1.0"
-# features = ["debug-transcript"]
+# [dependencies.merlin] 
+# version = "1.1.0"
+## features = ["debug-transcript"]
 
 [dependencies.paired]
 version = "0.15"
diff --git a/src/delinear.rs b/src/delinear.rs
index db42f53..5c7f6e7 100644
--- a/src/delinear.rs
+++ b/src/delinear.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 use ff::{PrimeField, PrimeFieldRepr}; // Field, ScalarEngine, SqrtField, PrimeFieldDecodingError
 use pairing::{CurveAffine, CurveProjective};  // Engine, EncodedPoint, GroupDecodingError
 use rand::{Rng, thread_rng};
+use sha3::{Shake128, digest::{Input,ExtendableOutput,XofReader}};
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ use super::verifiers::verify_with_distinct_messages;
 /// should consider a proof-of-possession scheme, which requiees all
 /// signers register in advance.
 pub struct Delinearized<E: EngineBLS> {
-    key: ::merlin::Transcript,
+    key: Shake128,
     messages_n_publickeys: HashMap<Message,PublicKey<E>>,
     signature: Signature<E>,
 }
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ impl<'a,E: EngineBLS> Signed for &'a Delinearized<E> {
 }
 
 impl<E: EngineBLS> Delinearized<E> {
-    pub fn new(key: ::merlin::Transcript) -> Delinearized<E> {
+    pub fn new(key: Shake128) -> Delinearized<E> {
         Delinearized {
             key,
             messages_n_publickeys: HashMap::new(),
@@ -76,8 +77,11 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> Delinearized<E> {
         }
     }
     pub fn new_keyed(key: &[u8]) -> Delinearized<E> {
-        let mut t = ::merlin::Transcript::new(b"Delinearised BLS");
-        t.append_message(b"key",key);
+        let mut t = Shake128::default();
+        t.input(b"Delinearised BLS with key:");
+        let l = key.len() as u64;
+        t.input(l.to_le_bytes());
+        t.input(key);
         Delinearized::new(t)
     }
     pub fn new_batched_rng<R: Rng>(mut rng: R) -> Delinearized<E> {
@@ -95,9 +99,9 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> Delinearized<E> {
     /// our return type here changes.
     pub fn mask(&self, publickey: &PublicKey<E>) -> E::Scalar {
         let mut t = self.key.clone();
-        t.append_message(b"",publickey.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());
+        t.input(publickey.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());
         let mut b = [0u8; 16];
-        t.challenge_bytes(b"",&mut b[..]);
+        t.xof_result().read(&mut b[..]);
         let (x,y) = array_refs!(&b,8,8);
         let mut x: <E::Scalar as PrimeField>::Repr = u64::from_le_bytes(*x).into();
         let y: <E::Scalar as PrimeField>::Repr = u64::from_le_bytes(*y).into();
@@ -153,8 +157,8 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> Delinearized<E> {
     // TODO: See https://github.com/dalek-cryptography/merlin/pull/37
     pub fn agreement(&self, other: &Delinearized<E>) -> bool {
         let mut c = [[0u8; 16]; 2];
-        self.key.clone().challenge_bytes(b"",&mut c[0]);
-        other.key.clone().challenge_bytes(b"",&mut c[1]);
+        self.key.clone().xof_result().read(&mut c[0]);
+        other.key.clone().xof_result().read(&mut c[1]);
         c[0] == c[1]
     }
 
@@ -182,7 +186,7 @@ type PublicKeyUncompressed<E> = <<<E as EngineBLS>::$group as CurveProjective>::
 
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct DelinearizedRepeatedSigners<E: EngineBLS> {
-    key: ::merlin::Transcript,
+    key: Shake128,
     messages_n_publickeys: HashMap<PublicKeyUncompressed<E>,(Message,PublicKey<E>)>,
     signature: Signature<E>,
 }
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 216eac1..ba271e5 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -90,10 +90,9 @@ extern crate arrayref;
 // #[macro_use]
 extern crate ff;
 
-extern crate merlin;
 extern crate paired as pairing;
 extern crate rand;
-// extern crate sha3;
+extern crate sha3;
 
 use std::borrow::Borrow;
 
@@ -125,15 +124,17 @@ pub struct Message(pub [u8; MESSAGE_SIZE]);
 
 impl Message {
     pub fn new(context: &'static [u8], message: &[u8]) -> Message {
-        // use sha3::{Shake128, digest::{Input,ExtendableOutput,XofReader}};
-        // let mut h = Shake128::default();
-        // h.input(self.message.borrow());
-        // h.input(self.signature.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());        
-        let mut t = ::merlin::Transcript::new(context);
-        t.append_message(b"", message);
+        use sha3::{Shake128, digest::{Input,ExtendableOutput,XofReader}};
+        let mut h = Shake128::default();
+        h.input(context);
+        let l = message.len() as u64;
+        h.input(l.to_le_bytes());
+        h.input(message);
+        // let mut t = ::merlin::Transcript::new(context);
+        // t.append_message(b"", message);
         let mut msg = [0u8; MESSAGE_SIZE];
-        // h.xof_result().read(&mut msg[..]);
-        t.challenge_bytes(b"", &mut msg);
+        h.xof_result().read(&mut msg[..]);
+        // t.challenge_bytes(b"", &mut msg);
         Message(msg)
     }
 
diff --git a/src/single.rs b/src/single.rs
index bdfd6dc..a78355c 100644
--- a/src/single.rs
+++ b/src/single.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use pairing::{CurveAffine, CurveProjective, EncodedPoint, GroupDecodingError};
 use rand::{Rng, thread_rng, SeedableRng, chacha::ChaChaRng};
 // use rand::prelude::*; // ThreadRng,thread_rng
 // use rand_chacha::ChaChaRng;
+use sha3::{Shake128, digest::{Input,ExtendableOutput,XofReader}};
 
 // use std::borrow::{Borrow,BorrowMut};
 use std::iter::once;
@@ -619,7 +620,7 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> SignedMessage<E> {
         E::pairing(g1_one, self.signature.0.into_affine()) == E::pairing(self.publickey.0.into_affine(), message)
     }
 
-    /// Raw bytes output from a BLS signature regarded as a VRF.
+    /// Hash output from a BLS signature regarded as a VRF.
     ///
     /// If you are not the signer then you must verify the VRF before calling this method.
     ///
@@ -629,17 +630,24 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> SignedMessage<E> {
     /// construction from Theorem 2 on page 32 in appendex C of
     /// ["Ouroboros Praos: An adaptively-secure, semi-synchronous proof-of-stake blockchain"](https://eprint.iacr.org/2017/573.pdf)
     /// by Bernardo David, Peter Gazi, Aggelos Kiayias, and Alexander Russell.
-    pub fn make_bytes<Out: Default + AsMut<[u8]>>(&self, context: &'static [u8]) -> Out {
-        // use sha3::{Shake128, digest::{Input,ExtendableOutput,XofReader}};
-        // let mut h = Shake128::default();
-        // h.input(&self.message.0[..]);
-        // h.input(self.signature.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());        
-        let mut t = ::merlin::Transcript::new(context);
-        t.append_message(b"msg",&self.message.0[..]);
-        t.append_message(b"out",self.signature.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());        
+    pub fn vrf_hash<H: Input>(&self, h: &mut H) {
+        h.input(b"msg");
+        h.input(&self.message.0[..]);
+        h.input(b"out");
+        h.input(self.signature.0.into_affine().into_uncompressed().as_ref());
+    }
+
+    /// Raw bytes output from a BLS signature regarded as a VRF.
+    ///
+    /// If you are not the signer then you must verify the VRF before calling this method.
+    ///
+    /// If called with distinct contexts then outputs should be independent.
+    pub fn make_bytes<Out: Default + AsMut<[u8]>>(&self, context: &[u8]) -> Out {
+        let mut t = Shake128::default();
+        t.input(context);
+        self.vrf_hash(&mut t);
         let mut seed = Out::default();
-        // h.xof_result().read(seed.as_mut());
-        t.challenge_bytes(b"", seed.as_mut());
+        t.xof_result().read(seed.as_mut());
         seed
     }
 
@@ -649,7 +657,7 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> SignedMessage<E> {
     /// If you are not the signer then you must verify the VRF before calling this method.
     ///
     /// We expect most users would prefer the less generic `VRFInOut::make_chacharng` method.
-    pub fn make_rng<R: SeedableRng>(&self, context: &'static [u8]) -> R {
+    pub fn make_rng<R: SeedableRng>(&self, context: &[u8]) -> R {
         R::from_seed(self.make_bytes::<R::Seed>(context))
     }
     */
@@ -665,7 +673,7 @@ impl<E: EngineBLS> SignedMessage<E> {
     /// construction from Theorem 2 on page 32 in appendex C of
     /// ["Ouroboros Praos: An adaptively-secure, semi-synchronous proof-of-stake blockchain"](https://eprint.iacr.org/2017/573.pdf)
     /// by Bernardo David, Peter Gazi, Aggelos Kiayias, and Alexander Russell.
-    pub fn make_chacharng(&self, context: &'static [u8]) -> ChaChaRng {
+    pub fn make_chacharng(&self, context: &[u8]) -> ChaChaRng {
         // self.make_rng::<ChaChaRng>(context)
         // TODO: Remove this ugly hack whenever rand gets updated to 0.5 or later
         let bytes = self.make_bytes::<[u8;32]>(context);