#Cyber Force Development

[bkthemes]

How to Secure Your WordPress Login Page from Hackers

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[zapperrr]

Securing Your Website: Best Practices for Web Developers

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, website security has become a paramount concern for businesses and individuals alike. With cyber threats becoming increasingly sophisticated, it is crucial for web developers to adopt robust security measures to safeguard their websites and the sensitive data they handle. In this article, we'll delve into the best practices that web developers can implement to enhance the security of their websites and protect against potential threats.

Introduction

In today's interconnected world, websites serve as the digital storefront for businesses, making them vulnerable targets for cyber attacks. From data breaches to malware infections, the consequences of a security breach can be severe, ranging from financial loss to damage to reputation. Therefore, prioritizing website security is essential for maintaining the trust and confidence of users.

Understanding Website Security

Before diving into best practices, it's crucial to understand the importance of website security and the common threats faced by websites. Website security encompasses measures taken to protect websites from cyber threats and unauthorized access. Common threats include malware infections, phishing attacks, SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and brute force attacks.

Best Practices for Web Developers

Keeping Software Updated

One of the most fundamental steps in website security is keeping all software, including the content management system (CMS), plugins, and server software, updated with the latest security patches and fixes. Outdated software is often targeted by attackers due to known vulnerabilities that can be exploited.

Implementing HTTPS

Implementing HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encrypts the data transmitted between the website and its users, ensuring confidentiality and integrity. HTTPS not only protects sensitive information but also boosts trust among visitors, as indicated by the padlock icon in the browser's address bar.

Using Strong Authentication Methods

Implementing strong authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and CAPTCHA, adds an extra layer of security to user accounts. MFA requires users to provide multiple forms of verification, such as a password and a one-time code sent to their mobile device, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Securing Against SQL Injection Attacks

SQL injection attacks occur when malicious actors exploit vulnerabilities in web applications to execute arbitrary SQL commands. Web developers can prevent SQL injection attacks by using parameterized queries and input validation to sanitize user inputs effectively.

Protecting Sensitive Data

It's essential to employ encryption techniques to protect sensitive data, such as passwords, credit card information, and personal details, stored on the website's servers. Encrypting data at rest and in transit mitigates the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.

Regular Security Audits

Conducting regular security audits helps identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the website's infrastructure and codebase. Penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and code reviews enable web developers to proactively address security issues before they are exploited by attackers.

Choosing a Secure Hosting Provider

Selecting a reputable and secure hosting provider is critical for ensuring the overall security of your website. When evaluating hosting providers, consider factors such as security features, reliability, scalability, and customer support.

Evaluating Security Features

Choose a hosting provider that offers robust security features, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), malware scanning, and DDoS protection. These features help protect your website from various cyber threats and ensure continuous uptime.

Ensuring Regular Backups

Regularly backing up your website's data is essential for mitigating the impact of security incidents, such as data breaches or website compromises. Choose a hosting provider that offers automated backup solutions and store backups securely offsite.

Customer Support and Response to Security Incidents

Opt for a hosting provider that provides responsive customer support and has established protocols for handling security incidents. In the event of a security breach or downtime, prompt assistance from the hosting provider can minimize the impact on your website and business operations.

Implementing Firewall Protection

Firewalls act as a barrier between your website and external threats, filtering incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined security rules. There are several types of firewalls, including network firewalls, web application firewalls (WAF), and host-based firewalls.

Configuring and Maintaining Firewalls

Properly configuring and maintaining firewalls is crucial for effective security. Define firewall rules based on the principle of least privilege, regularly update firewall configurations to reflect changes in the website's infrastructure, and monitor firewall logs for suspicious activity.

Educating Users about Security

In addition to implementing technical measures, educating users about security best practices is essential for enhancing overall website security. Provide users with resources, such as security guidelines, tips for creating strong passwords, and information about common phishing scams.

Importance of User Awareness

Users play a significant role in maintaining website security, as they are often the targets of social engineering attacks. By raising awareness about potential threats and providing guidance on how to recognize and respond to them, web developers can empower users to stay vigilant online.

Providing Training and Resources

Offer training sessions and educational materials to help users understand the importance of security and how to protect themselves while using the website. Regularly communicate updates and reminders about security practices to reinforce good habits.

Monitoring and Responding to Security Incidents

Despite taking preventive measures, security incidents may still occur. Establishing robust monitoring systems and incident response protocols enables web developers to detect and respond to security threats in a timely manner.

Setting Up Monitoring Tools

Utilize monitoring tools, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), security information and event management (SIEM) systems, and website monitoring services, to detect abnormal behavior and potential security breaches. Configure alerts to notify you of suspicious activity promptly.

Establishing Incident Response Protocols

Develop comprehensive incident response plans that outline roles, responsibilities, and procedures for responding to security incidents. Establish clear communication channels and escalation paths to coordinate responses effectively and minimize the impact of security breaches.

Securing your website requires a proactive approach that involves implementing a combination of technical measures, choosing a secure hosting provider, educating users about security best practices, and establishing robust monitoring and incident response protocols. By following these best practices, web developers can mitigate the risk of security breaches and safeguard their websites and the sensitive data they handle.

[romerona]

Ethera Operation!!

You're the government’s best hacker, but that doesn’t mean you were prepared to be thrown into a fighter jet.

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Awkward!Hacker! FemReader

Part I

This was never supposed to happen. Your role in this operation was simple—deliver the program, ensure it reached the right hands, and let the professionals handle the breaching.

And then, of course, reality decided to light that plan on fire.

The program—codenamed Ethera—was yours. You built it from scratch with encryption so advanced that even the most elite cyber operatives couldn’t crack it without your input. A next-generation adaptive, self-learning decryption software, an intrusion system designed to override and manipulate high-security military networks, Ethera was intended to be both a weapon and a shield, capable of infiltrating enemy systems while protecting your own from counterattacks in real-time. A ghost in the machine. A digital predator. A weapon in the form of pure code. If it fell into the wrong hands, it could disable fleets, and ground aircraft, and turn classified intelligence into an open book. Governments would kill for it. Nations could fall because of it.

Not that you ever meant to, of course. It started as a little experimental security measure program, something to protect high-level data from cyberattacks, not become the ultimate hacking tool. But innovation has a funny way of attracting the wrong kind of attention, and before you knew it, Ethera had become one, if not the most classified, high-risk program in modern times. Tier One asset or so the Secret Service called it.

It was too powerful, too dangerous—so secret that only a select few even knew of its existence, and even fewer could comprehend how it worked.

And therein lay the problem. You were the only person who could properly operate it.

Which was so unfair.

Because it wasn’t supposed to be your problem. You were just the creator, the brain behind the code, the one who spent way too many sleepless nights debugging this monstrosity. Your job was supposed to end at development. But no. Now, because of some bureaucratic nonsense and the fact that no one else could run it without accidentally bricking an entire system, you had been promoted—scratch that, forcibly conscripted—into field duty.

And your mission? To install it in an enemy satellite.

A literal, orbiting, high-security, military-grade satellite, may you add.

God. Why? Why was your country always at war with others? Why couldn’t world leaders just, you know, go to therapy like normal people? Why did everything have to escalate to international cyber warfare?

Which is how you ended up here.

At Top Gun. The last place in the world you wanted to be.

You weren’t built for this. You thrive in sipping coffee in a cosy little office and handling cyber threats from a safe, grounded location. You weren’t meant to be standing in the halls of an elite fighter pilot training program, surrounded by the best aviators in the world—people who thought breaking the sound barrier was a casual Wednesday.

It wasn’t the high-tech cyberwarfare department of the Pentagon, nor some dimly lit black ops facility where hackers in hoodies clacked away at keyboards. No. It was Top Gun. A place where pilots use G-forces like a personal amusement park ride.

You weren’t a soldier, you weren’t a spy, you got queasy in elevators, you got dizzy when you stood too fast, hell, you weren’t even good at keeping your phone screen from cracking.

... And now you were sweating.

You swallowed hard as Admiral Solomon "Warlock" Bates led you through the halls of the naval base, your heels clacking on the polished floors as you wiped your forehead. You're nervous, too damn nervous and this damned weather did not help.

"Relax, Miss," Warlock muttered in that calm, authoritative way of his. "They're just pilots."

Just pilots.

Right. And a nuclear warhead was just a firework.

And now, somehow, you were supposed to explain—loosely explain, because God help you, the full details were above even their clearance level—how Ethera, your elegant, lethal, unstoppable digital masterpiece, was about to be injected into an enemy satellite as part of a classified mission.

This was going to be a disaster.

You had barely made it through the doors of the briefing room when you felt it—every single eye in the room locking onto you.

It wasn’t just the number of them that got you, it was the intensity. These were Top Gun pilots, the best of the best, and they radiated the kind of confidence you could only dream of having. Meanwhile, you felt like a stray kitten wandering into a lion’s den.

Your hands tightened around the tablet clutched to your chest. It was your lifeline, holding every critical detail of Ethera, the program that had dragged you into this utterly ridiculous situation. If you could’ve melted into the walls, you absolutely would have. But there was no escaping this.

You just had to keep it together long enough to survive this briefing.

So, you inhaled deeply, squared your shoulders, and forced your heels forward, trying to project confidence—chin up, back straight, eyes locked onto Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, who you’d been introduced to earlier that day.

And then, of course, you dropped the damn tablet.

Not a graceful drop. Not the kind of gentle slip where you could scoop it back up and act like nothing happened. No, this was a full-on, physics-defying fumble. The tablet flipped out of your arms, ricocheted off your knee, and skidded across the floor to the feet of one of the pilots.

Silence.

Pure, excruciating silence.

You didn’t even have the nerve to look up right away, too busy contemplating whether it was physically possible to disintegrate on command. But when you finally did glance up—because, you know, social convention demanded it—you were met with a sight that somehow made this entire disaster worse.

Because the person crouching down to pick up your poor, abused tablet was freaking hot.

Tall, broad-shouldered, with a head of golden curls that practically begged to be tousled by the wind, and, oh, yeah—a moustache that somehow worked way too well on him.

He turned the tablet over in his hands, inspecting it with an amused little smirk before handing it over to you. "You, uh… need this?"

Oh, great. His voice is hot too.

You grabbed it back, praying he couldn't see how your hands were shaking. “Nope. Just thought I’d test gravity real quick.”

A few chuckles rippled through the room, and his smirk deepened like he was enjoying this way too much. You, on the other hand, wanted to launch yourself into the sun.

With what little dignity you had left, you forced a quick, tight-lipped smile at him before turning on your heel and continuing forward, clutching your tablet like it was a life raft in the middle of the worst social shipwreck imaginable.

At the front of the room, Vice Admiral Beau Cyclone Simpson stood with the kind of posture that said he had zero time for nonsense, waiting for the room to settle. You barely had time to take a deep breath before his voice cut through the air.

“Alright, listen up.” His tone was crisp, commanding, and impossible to ignore. “This is Dr Y/N L/N. Everything she is about to tell you is highly classified. What you hear in this briefing does not leave this room. Understood?”

A chorus of nods. "Yes, sir."

You barely resisted the urge to physically cringe as every pilot in the room turned to stare at you—some with confusion, others with barely concealed amusement, and a few with the sharp assessing glances of people who had no clue what they were supposed to do with you.

You cleared your throat, squared your shoulders, and did your best to channel even an ounce of the confidence you usually had when you were coding at 3 AM in a secure, pilot-free lab—where the only judgment you faced was from coffee cups and the occasional system error.

As you reached the podium, you forced what you hoped was a composed smile. “Uh… hi, nice to meet you all.”

Solid. Real professional.

You glanced up just long enough to take in the mix of expressions in the room—some mildly interested, some unreadable, and one particular moustached pilot who still had the faintest trace of amusement on his face.

Nope. Not looking at him.

You exhaled slowly, centering yourself. Stay focused. Stay professional. You weren’t just here because of Ethera—you were Ethera. The only one who truly understood it. The only one who could execute this mission.

With another tap on your tablet, the slide shifted to a blacked-out, redacted briefing—only the necessary information was visible. A sleek 3D-rendered model of the enemy satellite appeared on the screen, rotating slowly. Most of its details were blurred or omitted entirely.

“This is Blackstar, a highly classified enemy satellite that has been operating in a low-Earth orbit over restricted airspace.” Your voice remained even, and steady, but the weight of what you were revealing sent a shiver down your spine. “Its existence has remained off the radar—literally and figuratively—until recently, when intelligence confirmed that it has been intercepting our encrypted communications, rerouting information, altering intelligence, and in some cases—fabricating entire communications.”

Someone exhaled sharply. Another shifted in their seat.

“So they’re feeding us bad intel?” one of them with big glasses and blonde hair asked, voice sceptical but sharp.

“That’s the theory,” you confirmed. “And given how quickly our ops have been compromised recently, it’s working.”

You tapped again, shifting to the next slide. The silent infiltration diagram appeared—an intricate web of glowing red lines showing Etherea’s integration process, slowly wrapping around the satellite’s systems like a virus embedding itself into a host.

“This is where Ethera comes in,” you said, shifting to a slide that displayed a cascading string of code, flickering across the screen. “Unlike traditional cyberweapons, Ethera doesn’t just break into a system. It integrates—restructuring security protocols as if it was always meant to be there. It’s undetectable, untraceable, and once inside, it grants us complete control of the Blackstar and won’t even register it as a breach.”

“So we’re not just hacking it," The only female pilot of the team said, arms crossed as she studied the data. “We’re hijacking it.”

“Exactly,” You nodded with a grin.

You switched to the next slide—a detailed radar map displaying the satellite’s location over international waters.

“This is the target area,” you continued after a deep breath. “It’s flying low-altitude reconnaissance patterns, which means it’s using ground relays for some of its communication. That gives us a small window to infiltrate and shut it down.”

The next slide appeared—a pair of unidentified fighter aircraft, patrolling the vicinity.

“And this is the problem,” you said grimly. “This satellite isn’t unguarded.”

A murmur rippled through the room as the pilots took in the fifth-generation stealth fighters displayed on the screen.

“We don’t know who they belong to,” you admitted. “What we do know is that they’re operating with highly classified tech—possibly experimental—and have been seen running defence patterns around the satellite’s flight path.”

Cyclone stepped forward then, arms crossed, his voice sharp and authoritative. “Which means your job is twofold. You will escort Dr L/N’s aircraft to the infiltration zone, ensuring Ethera is successfully deployed. If we are engaged, your priority remains protecting the package and ensuring a safe return.��

Oh, fantastic, you could not only feel your heartbeat in your toes, you were now officially the package.

You cleared your throat, tapping the screen again. Ethera’s interface expanded, displaying a cascade of sleek code.

“Once I’m in range,” you continued, “Ethera will lock onto the satellite’s frequency and begin infiltration. From that point, it’ll take approximately fifty-eight seconds to bypass security and assume control."

Silence settled over the room like a thick cloud, the weight of their stares pressing down on you. You could feel them analyzing, calculating, probably questioning who in their right mind thought putting you—a hacker, a tech specialist, someone whose idea of adrenaline was passing cars on the highway—into a fighter jet was a good idea.

Finally, one of the pilots—tall, broad-shouldered, blonde, and very clearly one of the cocky ones—tilted his head, arms crossed over his chest in a way that screamed too much confidence.

“So, let me get this straight.” His voice was smooth, and confident, with just the right amount of teasing. “You, Doctor—our very classified, very important tech specialist—have to be in the air, in a plane, during a mission that has a high probability of turning into a dogfight… just so you can press a button?”

Your stomach twisted at the mention of being airborne.

“Well…” You gulped, very much aware of how absolutely insane this sounded when put like that. “It’s… more than just that, but, yeah, essentially.”

A slow grin spread across his face, far too entertained by your predicament.

“Oh,” he drawled, “this is gonna be fun.”

Before you could fully process how much you already hated this, Cyclone—who had been watching the exchange with his signature unamused glare—stepped forward, cutting through the tension with his sharp, no-nonsense voice.

“This is a classified operation,” he stated, sharp and authoritative. “Not a joyride.”

The blonde’s smirk faded slightly as he straightened, and the rest of the pilots quickly fell in line.

Silence lingered for a moment longer before Vice Admiral Beau Cyclone Simpson let out a slow breath and straightened. His sharp gaze swept over the room before he nodded once.

“All right. That’s enough.” His tone was firm, the kind that left no room for argument. “We’ve got work to do. The mission will take place in a few weeks' time, once we’ve run full assessments, completed necessary preparations, and designated a lead for this operation.”

There was a slight shift in the room. Some of the pilots exchanged glances, the weight of the upcoming mission finally settling in. Others, mainly the cocky ones, looked as though they were already imagining themselves in the cockpit.

“Dismissed,” Cyclone finished.

The pilots stood, murmuring amongst themselves as they filed out of the room, the blonde one still wearing a smug grin as he passed you making you frown and turn away, your gaze then briefly met the eyes of the moustached pilot.

You hadn’t meant to look, but the moment your eyes connected, something flickered in his expression. Amusement? Curiosity? You weren’t sure, and frankly, you didn’t want to know.

So you did the only logical thing and immediately looked away and turned to gather your things. You needed to get out of here, to find some space to breathe before your brain short-circuited from stress—

“Doctor, Stay for a moment.”

You tightened your grip on your tablet and turned back to Cyclone, who was watching you with that unreadable, vaguely disapproving expression that all high-ranking officers seemed to have perfected. “Uh… yes, sir?”

Once the last pilot was out the door, Cyclone exhaled sharply and crossed his arms.

“You realize,” he said, “that you’re going to have to actually fly, correct?”

You swallowed. “I—well, technically, I’ll just be a passenger.”

His stare didn’t waver.

“Doctor,” he said, tone flat, “I’ve read your file. I know you requested to be driven here instead of taking a military transport plane. You also took a ferry across the bay instead of a helicopter. And I know that you chose to work remotely for three years to avoid getting on a plane.”

You felt heat rise to your cheeks. “That… could mean anything.”

“It means you do not like flying, am I correct?”

Your fingers tightened around the tablet as you tried to find a way—any way—out of this. “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t need to fly the plane. I just need to be in it long enough to deploy Ethera—”

Cyclone cut you off with a sharp look. “And what happens if something goes wrong, Doctor? If the aircraft takes damage? If you have to eject mid-flight? If you lose comms and have to rely on emergency protocols?”

You swallowed hard, your stomach twisting at the very thought of ejecting from a jet.

Cyclone sighed, rubbing his temple as if this entire conversation was giving him a migraine. “We cannot afford to have you panicking mid-mission. If this is going to work, you need to be prepared. That’s why, starting next week you will train with the pilots on aerial procedures and undergoing mandatory training in our flight simulation program.”

Your stomach dropped. “I—wait, what? That’s not necessary—”

“It’s absolutely necessary,” Cyclone cut in, his tone sharp. “If you can’t handle a simulated flight, you become a liability—not just to yourself, but to the pilots escorting you. And in case I need to remind you, Doctor, this mission is classified at the highest level. If you panic mid-air, it won’t just be your life at risk. It’ll be theirs. And it’ll be national security at stake.”

You inhaled sharply. No pressure. None at all.

Cyclone watched you for a moment before speaking again, his tone slightly softer but still firm. “You’re the only one who can do this, Doctor. That means you need to be ready.”

You exhaled slowly, pressing your lips together before nodding stiffly. “Understood, sir.”

Cyclone gave a small nod of approval. “Good. Dismissed.”

You turned and walked out, shoulders tense, fully aware that in three days' time, you were going to be strapped into a high-speed, fighter jet. And knowing your luck?

You were definitely going to puke.

Part 2???

[progressglobenews]

[May 17, 2021]

Newsweek:

The largest undercover force the world has ever known is the one created by the Pentagon over the past decade. Some 60,000 people now belong to this secret army, many working under masked identities and in low profile, all part of a broad program called "signature reduction." The force, more than ten times the size of the clandestine elements of the CIA, carries out domestic and foreign assignments, both in military uniforms and under civilian cover, in real life and online, sometimes hiding in private businesses and consultancies, some of them household name companies. The unprecedented shift has placed an ever greater number of soldiers, civilians, and contractors working under false identities, partly as a natural result in the growth of secret special forces but also as an intentional response to the challenges of traveling and operating in an increasingly transparent world. The explosion of Pentagon cyber warfare, moreover, has led to thousands of spies who carry out their day-to-day work in various made-up personas, the very type of nefarious operations the United States decries when Russian and Chinese spies do the same. Newsweek's exclusive report on this secret world is the result of a two-year investigation involving the examination of over 600 resumes and 1,000 job postings, dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests, and scores of interviews with participants and defense decision-makers. What emerges is a window into not just a little-known sector of the American military, but also a completely unregulated practice. No one knows the program's total size, and the explosion of signature reduction has never been examined for its impact on military policies and culture. Congress has never held a hearing on the subject. And yet the military developing this gigantic clandestine force challenges U.S. laws, the Geneva Conventions, the code of military conduct and basic accountability.

[my-anndreamer]

My Breakdown headcanon

Breakdown was part of Shockwave's laboratory project called "Menasor".

The project was divided into three stages, which were fully implemented and were successful before the war began.

The first stage was artificial creation.

5 parts of the All-Spark were placed in specialized incubators, and an environment similar to a spark womb was artificially created.

The first stage was successful, and the first 5 artificially grown Cybertronians appeared on their own, the cyber-DNA of which was created and modified.

The second stage was the improvement of the t-cog

Shockwave almost every day monitored the dynamics of the t-cog of the Stunticons, which he later gave this name to this five. And almost every day he performed more and more new surgery with the modification of the t-gears, so that they could combine into one powerful bot.

The third stage was the merge.

Closer to the age when Stunticons need to choose their alt-modes, Shockwave trained them to combine first two bots into one and later all five, as the Stunticons received alt-modes, the training became more difficult and painful. Breakdown suffered the most from this.

These mergers (and in general life in the laboratory) affected his mental health, developing schizophrenia in him, which partially disappeared when Break saw something other than white walls and white bots. He noticed this when he met Bumblebee ( when he was a sparkling), because just seeing a yellow sparkling almost his age, the voices in his head fell silent, and when he was returned to the laboratory, the voices became even louder.

Breakdown's life in the lab left him a scar, his lab code, which was lasered of him as soon as he was taken out of the incubator, this was Breakdown's first memory, and was also his most painful memory, because it was written on him with a powerful laser that could melt any metal. This code is on his neck, which hurts and itches for the rest of his life.

Therefore, this code is now very difficult to read due to the large number of scratches.

After the war, all the Stunticons dispersed to the corners of the Earth, and no longer crossed paths, and this gave Breakdown freedom, because now the Motormaster did not control his desires and will and did not force him to merge. (Motormaster had the ability to control the minds of other Stunticons as a leader)

It was the merge in Menasor that intensified Break's schizophrenia, and even created su!cid@l thoughts, and after merge, Breakdown almost cut vital cables three times and twice almost tore a spark from his chest, he seemed to be in a fog and could not come to his senses, and in all these attacks it was Bumblebee who saved him, bringing him to his senses even during war battle

[thekinglemingle]

What if those who speculate that the Enemy isn't a being or a species, but a concept, are right?

What if the Enemy is the inevitable decay and decline of Gallifrey?

What if the Great Houses foresaw what they considered the worst possible future? The Homeworld weak, broken and humiliated at the hands of "lesser" races.

What if, in an attempt to avert this, they launched an attack against their own future, knowing that the Homeworld of the future would be forced to militarise to defend themselves? That they would be forced to dedicate all their time and resources to developing new weapons capable of beating the greatest foe imaginable: themselves at the height of their powers? Would this prevent the foreseen decline? And if not, would it not better to die at the hands of the greatest of the Temporal Powers than at the plunger of "a bunch of mindless biomechanoids with speech impediments?"

What if this was utter madness and completely unsustainable?

What if the War burns itself from existence and the prophesied calamity comes to pass. The Gods of the War in Heaven reduced to just another technologically advanced civilization poncing around the fourth dimension in silly hats and collars. The Time Lords battle the Daleks to a humiliating stalemate. The survivors reduced to hiding, first, in a bubble universe and then at the end of time, before finally succumbing to the indignity of cyber conversion?

What if, the greatest enemy of the Whoniverse, as envisioned by Lawrence Miles, was New Who?

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Military Assassinations

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

“What do you mean General Veers is dead?”

From the corner of the room Nifien could hear the lowly orderly who had drew the ire of the prince swallow as if they were choking on a Ganta Nut.

“Forgive me my prince,” the orderly stammered, “but General Veers was killed several months ago during the opening stages of the conflict.”

Glaring at the orderly with a mixture of displeasure and disgust, Prince Kiora was growing more impatient by the minute. He had been sent by his father the king to check on the status of the war front with the humans only to find himself greeted by lower ranking officers instead of the supreme commander himself; and now he had learned why.

“Why was the homeworld not informed of his death?” Kiora asked as he looked up from the orderly and stared down the remaining senior staff inside the war room. Only Nifien met his gaze but said nothing.

“With regrets great one, all transmissions have been blocked by a network of human cyber warfare satellites.”  

Quickly pulling out a data pad and thumbing in several keys in rapid succession, the holographic projector spun to life and presented an image of the world they now stood upon in the center of the room. The orderly pointed to a rash of tiny red icons that began appearing above the planet and moving in perfect formation across the entire atmosphere.

“Any transmission sent from the surface is rebounded off their satellites and sent back to the surface. We’ve been unable to get a signal out since we first arrived and with our navy hampered by the human fleet we’ve been in short supply of any orbit capable craft to breach the bubble and-“

The prince held up a hand dismissively and the orderly stopped their explanation. Rubbing his four eyes the prince said nothing as he took in the information laid out before him. The information homeworld had was clearly well and outdated by this new developments and that shifted the entire picture for Kiora.

“I assume General Mentau now leads the campaign then? Why is he not here?”

The gathered officer core looked nervous and said nothing as the orderly tried to speak but stopped themselves several times.

“Because he too is also dead, your highness;” Nifien spoke as he stepped forward, “along with General Jul’nin, Safar, Dre’nuk, and Gin’tharie.”

  “Dead?!” The prince spoke out in surprise, “All of them?!?”

“I’m afraid so.” Nifien replied as he stood next to the orderly. With a subtle nod he dismissed the orderly who thankfully bowed his head to both Nifien and the prince before retreating back to the corners of the room; no doubt thankful to no longer be the prime focus of the prince.

“How was this…this…disaster, allowed to unfurl..” the prince began as he looked at Nifien and it dawned on him that he had not introduced himself yet.

“Apologies my liege,” he began as he bowed, “I am Nifien Ve-gar, Commander of the 3rd front and acting supreme commander of the campaign.”

“How was this allowed to happen?” the prince reiterated, to which Nifien entered several keys into his own data pad and the projection shifted to a video feed.

“Shortly after our arrival General Veers was targeted by what the humans call a “hit squad”, and terminated while touring the front lines.”

The video feed was footage from a soldiers weapon camera mount and showed the general very much alive and discussing matters with several soldiers gathered around him. Veers was well known to be loved by his forces as he would see the frontlines for himself time to time and speak with his forces personally.

Just as the General finished telling a joke which had the gathered host laughing the back of his head blew out and showered his bodyguards standing behind him in brain matter. The gathered mass of soldiers began shouting while and searching for the direction the shot came from as Veers bodyguards cradled their now deceased leader and dragged his body away off screen before the feed ended.

“Shortly after his death General Mentau took overall command of the campaign. He held the position for a month before he too was likewise terminated by what we believe to be the same hit squad.”

Another feed appeared on the screen showing General Mentau’s personal command vehicle pulling into a compound only for it to suddenly explode violently. Black flames emerged from the shattered windows and the general’s death screams could be heard causing several of the gathered officers to look away in horror.

Rather than showing more gruesome footage several pictures of the other decease general’s appeared on screen showing they had met similar fates, along with half a dozen other lower ranking officers.

“Without a proper chain of command to direct the larger picture,” Nifien continued as the hologram switched to project the territories controlled by their forces and the humans, “the entire army had ground to a standstill. Some units have been operating under order several weeks old by now leaving the entire front stagnant. In the last month alone I have had to issue field promotions to some thirty six officers to keep the entire army from falling in on itself and even now the measure is merely a stopgap to the much larger issue. ”

Kiora listened in silence as the scope of the problem was finally laid bare. Without clear lines of leadership and orders to follow the entire invasion force was now on the verge of disintegration.

“If you have promoted new officers why has the war continued to remain a stalemate?” the prince asked.

Nifien shrugged. “Every soldier by now knows about the human hit squads and is terrified of them, especially the newly promoted officers. By now they all know there is a giant target on their back and the paranoia is making them halt and consolidate their gains to ensure their own safety.”

The holographic projection shifted again to show a blurry outline of a figure from great distance. Nifien pointed to the figure as he spoke to the prince. “This is the only photo of the human hit squad that we have. Despite every security upgrade we have done, patrols altered, transmission frequency recoded; they are still able to bypass our lines and target officers.”

He chuckled despite himself. “Hells, I’ve not been able to leave this command bunker since becoming acting commander and that was over a month ago.”

Though he was disgusted with the human’s cowardly tactics Kiora had to admit that they had played themselves well. With but the slayings of a few individuals the entire army had been ground to a halt as they awaited orders that would never come.

“When my father hears of this disaster he will be most…..displeased.” the prince said in a low tone which the gathered officers knew all too well. The King’s displeasure was that of a death sentence in all but name and their only hope was to earn some crumb of glory to stave off the butcher’s axe from their necks.

To the prince’s surprise Nifien shook his head. “I’m afraid that will be a long time before he hears that your highness.”

“And why is that?” Kiora dismissed flatly. “Do you think your temporary station gives you some measure of control over one of the royal blood?”

“Never your grace, but it does ensure me when in matters of your protection.”

“My protections?” the prince replied startled, “What do you mean?”

“These humans have shown they are more than capable of killing anyone at nearly any time of their choosing.” Nifien began, “So what do you think they will do when they learn that their most hated enemy’s prince has arrived at the warzone?”

The realization finally dawned for Kiora as his mouth hung open.

“Chances are the moment you step foot outside of this bunker, you will be dead before you even lay eyes on your ship.”

[witchofthesouls]

Sparkling Annabelle(and maybe Jasper trio) needs a friend and consider Professor Sumdac part of NEST sliding in with Sari.  everyone thinks poor girl got cyberized and he's like not opening that can of worms "Yup definitely " and doesn't elaborate Bots n cons are even more nuts losing their minds over another baby meanwhile Megatron is like"...wait a Minute-" definitely wont hesitate to bash anyone helm in that try to snatch her because thats His kid

Sari so confused by on going nonsense

It's even funnier since Megatron and Optimus are split-spark brothers, so Optimus immediately clocks Sari as close kin.

Professor Sumdac would definitely have ties to Sector Seven to connect them. Perhaps a kind of consultant or even worked for them through several fronts since the guy is very anti-military, even if his sense of ethics is wonky as hell. His mind is brilliant, but he's also very dumb of ass.

The Sumdacs would most likely get 'relocated' after N.E.S.T. goes over Sector Seven's files with a fine tooth comb with the Autobots breathing down their necks. And, oh boy, everyone is feeling something over the kid... and nobody wants to consider what the hell will happen if Megatron gets an inkling of an idea of Sari's existence. (Mech basically silenced all of his sparkbonds and came out of an induced coma after decades of forced experimentation. He's not at his top shape at that point.)

Then again, it would be exponentially funny should it be Sarah that catches the Sumdacs during her usual Energon search. She basically went from 'follow the food' to 'GET THAT CHILD.' Then for Optimus to get his 'ohmyfuckinganicents' moment with the sudden spark recognition and Sarah is playing Keep Away.

_________

"So, where's the newest baby bot?" Epps called out to Ironhide.

"With Sarah." The mech replied, gruffly.

Epps stared into the distance where the Seekers preferred to nestle like a pair of perky tits on the beach, hoping to catch a new rambunctious metal kid around the aptly dubbed 'lovebirds.'

"Any chance you can tell me why Big Buddha is acting like an abandoned cab near the lovebirds?"

"It's classified."

"Then how's the kid? Ratchet was spitting mad earlier."

"Sarah, unfortunately, spooked the sparkling into an early activation of weapons systems too advanced for her development. Not only did it drain her meager supplies, but her systems weren't in good shape to begin with. Delayed and stunted. On top of it, Sarah used her ability to drop the sparkling into a forced stasis. Ratchet only had time to input suppression codes before we had to leave."

There was a lull of silence, and the noise of the base washed over them as they stared at the beach.

"Ratchet will need to do another check-in." Epps stated. It wasn't a question. It was true as the sun rising and water being wet. Ratchet would need a proper diagnostic routine for anyone under his care. Even if the medic had to drag them kicking and screaming to his part of the base.

"Correct."

"Sarah is in Mama Bird mode, isn't she?"

"Unfortunately, very correct."

"Any chance Professor Sumdac could talk her out of brooding bitch mode?"

"The man bestowed his blessing. Sari needs appropriate healthcare for her hybrid status and a maternal figure."

The probability of the resident pair of Seekers getting drugged and wrestled down to ensure developmental care and a nutrition check for the newly acquired Cybertronian was definitely non-zero, and Epps wasn't jealous that he wasn't part of that upcoming fistfight with highly protective, dinosaur-adjacent, flying death machines.

"Good luck, mech."

Ironhide sighed.

[cupidlovesastro]

𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚜 𝟽𝟶𝟼𝟼 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚜

what does nessus represent?

nessus represents abusive behavior. also abuse that may have not happened to you, but was witnessed. other things this asteroid also represents is manipulation, unhealthy dynamics, harmful behavior, power, control, revenge, and guilt. this placement symbolizes ways you have been a victim, ways you may hurt others or be prone to hurting others, or both.

✃1st house- destruction of identity, bad first impressions, criticized for appearance, scars/ scarring, intimidation, negative energy, negative aura, aggressive impression, overly dominant, visible power trips, lying about identity, misleading information about a person, no sense of self/ identity

✁2nd house- poor money management, unstable financial situation, using money to get away with things, bribery, using money as a reason to stay with someone, poverty, toxic work environment, toxic boss, unhealthy work ethic, poor spending habits, skewed priorities, believing money is the only thing that makes you happy, unpredictable day to day routines, workaholic, being forced to work, doing bad things for money, greediness, valuing objects over people, skewed morals and values, cycles of bad habits

✃3rd house- negative thinking habits, delusions, poor communication, manipulation, guilt tripping, gaslighting, bad relationship with siblings, black sheep out of siblings, antisocial, poor education, abusive school environment, bullying, cyber bullying, intrusive thoughts, suicidal thoughts, thoughts of harming others , mental abuse, mental illness, thoughts of superiority, revenge, power, and control, neurological disorders, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder

✁4th house- toxic mother/ mother figure, bad family relationships, mommy issues, bad home life, abusive family, black sheep of the family, hard time connecting with women, bad relationships with women, issues with femininity, poor emotional development, hard time controlling emotions, thoughts of controlling, harming, over powering women, misogyny, bad emotional regulation, mood disorders, bad self image, little to no foundation, harming family, more aligned with your masculine side, toxic masculinity

✃5th house- toxic romantic relationship, horrible relationship dynamics, cheating, lying, manipulative partner(s), affairs, intense and short lived relationships, karmic relationships, one night stands, bad romantic influences, thoughts of harming, controlling, skewed beliefs of romantic relationships, seeking revenge on a partner, hatred for children, low fertility, miscarriages, child endangerment, neglect, abuse, poor or negative self expression, bad impressions, dramatic, drama seeking, over indulging into hobbies, not having enough or lacking hobbies, no creative outlet, being told your art is bad, distant from their inner child, deeply wounded inner child, depression, mood disorders, personality disorders

✁6th house- animal abuse, animal neglect, no stability, no rules, no boundaries, no restrictions, poor hygiene or lacking examples of proper hygiene, toxic work environment(s), toxic bosses or coworkers, sense of worthlessness, struggles with feeling like enough, neglect of hygienic needs, messy living area, being told your dirty or nasty, being forced to do house chores, workaholic, only sense of belonging is through accomplishments in jobs, doing jobs that make you lose dignity, lack of discipline

✃7th house- abusive relationships, abusive marriages, bad relationship dynamics, no sense of equality in the relationship, one sided dynamic, hot and cold partner, overly dominant partner, manipulation, unbalanced relationship, trust issues, wanting a partner to be completely dependent on you, need for control, clinginess, bad business partner(s), business partner who is unethical, greediness from a business partner, bad business deals, poor business decisions

✁8th house- sexual abuse, hypersexual , sex repulsed, fear of intimacy, fear of emotions intimacy, secrets, doing sneaky things, lying about stuff, never letting anyone in your heart/ mine, shared bank account being poorly managed, using nudes as blackmail, exploiting someone’s body, hard time unionizing with others, those that try to unionize are treated badly

✃9th house- moving place to place constantly which led to lack of stability, being told your beliefs are dumb , manipulated into believing negative things, religious trauma, toxic religious community, raised in a racist house hold, judgement towards race, culture, religion, ignorance for other people, being forced to drop out, being told college isn’t for you, dream crushing, bad at academics, toxic teachers, bullying, no justice faced, issues with the justice system, being belittled for your thoughts and opinions

✁10th house- joining careers that you never wanted to join, being treated badly in work environments, being told you weren’t going to succeed in life, being discouraged from long term goals, bad reputation, someone lying to create a bad reputation for someone else, rumors, gossiping, cancelation, being looked down upon by the public, toxic masculinity, more aligned with feminine side, wanting to cause harm to men, no father figure or a bad father figure, abuse from father figure, being famous for something bad, toxic femininity, daddy issues

✃11th house-abuse from a group of people, abuse from group homes, bullying from friends, fake friends, gossip, rumoring, hard time connecting with people on a platonic level, desires to control, hurt, dominate, or seek revenge on a friend, feeling like an outcast, apathy for humanity, desires to rule the world, cults, harmful communities, manipulation from communities, manipulation from friends, being told your dreams won’t come true, having your wishes be belittled, dream crushing, discouraged to look into a brighter future

✁12th house- never ending toxic cycles, nightmares of trauma, flash backs from trauma, unhealthy core beliefs, lacking closure, hard time healing, resistance to healing, someone not allowing someone else to heal, trauma around spirituality, religious trauma, having witchcraft done on someone, trauma from haunted area, connections with the after life, never coming forward about abuse, burying bad memories, not seeking help on trauma, karma, karmic relationships, hard time manifesting, blockages

[wordsandrobots]

OK, to pull something constructive out of the rant I went on yesterday:

While I am generally lukewarm on newtypes as a concept, I do prefer them to later AU iterations of the idea of an 'ascended' form of humanity. With the Coordinators and the Innovators, the difference is very much placed at a genetic level. An artificial or natural improvement that grants superpowers. This is why my criticism of SEED and 00 is so heavily focused on 'they say eugenics works'. Because they do. Whether knowingly or not, they suppose the perfectability of human beings as a baseline conceit.

Yet that's not how the original newtypes are presented. In Gundam 79, the theory is that by moving into space, people are unlocking greater potential within themselves. This plays into the themes of a younger generation achieving a greater understanding than their predecessors: it's not some inherent biological difference but a change in perspective that mark out this 'new type of humanity'.

And that's much more interesting, as a concept. We see in the original series that the whole White Base crew develops a greater connection over the course of events, such that they can all hear Amuro at the end, and they showcase a variety of minor abilities, nowhere near the ESP of the 'proper' newtypes we see piloting Gundams, but in the same ballpark. The most powerful antagonistic newtypes (Paptimus, Haman) are those who have travelled further out and seen the solar system from a greater remove, their actions and philosophies speaking to the double-edge within this idea. You might gain more insight by voyaging into the dark, but it isolates you from the very humanity you learn to read on a more fundamental level. Judau making that same journey at the end of ZZ is implied to be driven by wanting to understand what drove Haman, so that he can couple that greater perspective to his natural compassion, thus maturing more healthily than those adults who cut themselves off from the possibility of understanding others.

Which goes to the heart of why newtypes work as a metaphor and the genetic-superiority versions stumble, at least in my mind. With newtypes, there is the constant undertone that the 'oldtypes' who perpetuate unjust systems are making an active choice. You can't force the change into becoming a newtype - both Char and the cyber-newtypes prove why attempting to is an ultimately arrogant and destructive act - but you can embrace greater human connection irrespective of whether or not you already feel the stirrings of extra senses. In some respects, having the imagination to see that possibility is the spark that lights the fuse on various people's nascent abilities. Refusing and turning away from this future or trying to control it becomes an act of malice. Because the possibility of doing otherwise always exists. There's no biological barrier between you and them. If we could launch all the politicians into space, perhaps they too would admit the reality that lies above their heads. But they won't get on the rocket.

With Coordinators and Innovators, you either are one or you aren't and it's very obvious which is the case. Newtypes don't have that inbuilt distinction - to begin with. It gets a trifle fuzzy as things progress and expand, as we lose that nice, neat conceit where newtype theory and the reality we are shown don't entirely match. Amuro is earth-born: there never was a hereditary component here. It's not evolution in the sense of escalating levels generational superiority; rather, in the sense of an unfolding pattern. The potential lies in all of us, providing we are open to the right conditions.

I find it funny sometimes, the way Gundam X satirised both this and the later genetics routes in advance by making 'newtype' a thoroughly meaningless label, encompassing random mutation and political ideology. Yet in some ways, this remains a less powerful than the way the concept is treated in Tomino's first three shows.

[tophat-69]

So, I wrote a whole long post about funding and patent ownership and how it would impact Jayce and Viktor’s work, but Tumblr ate it and I refuse to rewrite it right now because I hold a grudge.

If you ever need to know what kind of paperwork to have them frustrated over in the background, or why they’re still not rolling in money, let me know.

Instead you’re going to get some fun institute culture and tidbits for flavor, to adapt at will. This is based on my personal experience and is going to be written for humor, but I assure you—it is true.

Welcome to the ridiculous side of working with scientific geniuses.

First thing to know—research institutes are often incredibly siloed. That means that the people working on intelligent systems rarely know what’s going on in chemical engineering. You have your division and you know your own project(s), and maybe what some of what your friendlier coworkers in your own division are working on. Unless there is a specific RFP (request for proposal—see my now nonexistent funding rant) that requires collaboration, you’re usually deep in your own projects.

So the institutes I’ve worked for try to foster collaboration by dragging everyone in a division together to get them describing the barebones basics of their projects.

Now, most scientists I’ve ever worked with are introverted neurodivergent nerds (I am absolutely including myself) and dread this sort of forced interaction. So, how do they pull this off without making it mandatory?

Food.

The Cake Is A Trap

Imagine you have been holed up in your lab or office the entire day. You have a cup of stale coffee and, if you thought about it in the morning, maybe a sandwich in a mini fridge.

It’s after noon, and suddenly you are assailed with the smell of actual food. Something catered if you’re lucky, or even just pizza and cookies—the kind of thing you would scorn from managers in retail as ‘employee appreciation’ can absolutely still be scientist bait.

One by one, heads pop out of offices like prairie dogs warily sticking their heads out of holes. An assistant is sent to research what’s available and gives the scoop on what food there is.

You have been captured.

For forty-five minutes or so, in exchange for an actual meal that you neither have to pay for nor leave the building for, you are encouraged to give a thumbnail description of your work so that everyone can feel like a team. You volunteer your principal investigator to do the talking, stuff your face, and maybe something interesting comes up from another team and you say ‘we should talk about this.’

Your division head feels very accomplished. You scurry back to your lab or your office.

Food is always bait. And it almost always works.

The Lab Is A Cult

Everywhere I’ve worked, every lab has its own culture. You will see cyber security labs with pirate flags covering the glass or Spy Vs Spy figures you’re supposed to greet. You will walk into an intelligent systems lab and there will be a propaganda style poster that reads “Only You Can Prevent Skynet” and people salute it before executing a command. You will see a small pile of candy stacked on top of a piece of equipment in an engineering bay—it is not for you, it is a bribe to keep that machine working.

These are rational, brilliant minds… and in the comfort of their lab they have developed incomprehensible in-jokes and complex superstitions.

Do you watch an experiment because if you look away it will fail, or do you let it do its thing so you don’t jinx it? Is there a mascot to the lab, some outdated prototype or random trinket that now is integral to the operations? Do you hold a funeral for broken equipment or do you shame it as a warning to other equipment? Do you all turn at once to look in horror at someone who says ‘so far so good’ and keep something wooden in the lab to make them knock on?

You enter with skepticism into every lab and judge them for the specific eccentricities… and then you perpetuate them and find yourself adopting them.

You are now an apostle of the lab traditions. Do you believe the scripture of the horrific looking Troll Doll that is older than you and is passed down for luck?

No.

Are you going to risk it?

Also no.

Your Office, Your Playground

In a building full of other neurodivergent nerds, your office is a canvas for you to project all of your other special interests onto. Your research may be your life, but the LEGO replica of Frodo’s trek through Middle Earth that wraps around the walls of your office is your passion. The cardboard cutout of Darth Vader with a cowboy hat perched on his head may raise eyebrows, but they can take it up with him. The vintage wind-up tin toys may be absurd when you’re working on advanced robotics, but they’re where you got your start. The models you built of past projects may be outdated, but they are your children now.

Then there’s the practicalities. Do you believe that a catastrophic system failure could delete all of your work? Good thing you have built a fortress of two inch binders full of every bit of research you have ever done. And if you’ve been there long enough, you may even have to carve a path through it to the postage-stamp sized area cleared just for your chair. Your assistant dreads the impending day that you retire and they have to sort through your important work on railway technology from forty years ago.

You keep a hanger with a full change of respectable clothes and your lucky suit jacket hanging on the back of the door. Just in case someone needs you to look presentable.

Any important meetings are going to happen in a conference room somewhere anyway. Your office is yours, and you owe no one an explanation.

…But come on, it’s better if they ask, so you can infodump.

I could keep going. I may keep going. But please enjoy these real-life examples of scientist absurdities while I decide if I’m going to rewrite the practicalities too.

I hope that these spark ideas for you. Go forth. Write mad scientists. And know that they are fully aware that they’re eccentric and embrace it enthusiastically.

[crescent-likethemoon]

From Palestine To The World, October 2024 by Queers In Palestine.

Language: Unworded by colonial violence, resisting erasure

After a year of an ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, attempts of expansion by the Zionist settler-colonial project, and of our ongoing steadfast global revolt, we are delivering a message from Palestine, to the world, while words cannot convey the depths of our collective trauma or the radical resistance we embody. Words collapse as we bear witness to the destruction of bodies, lands, histories, and futures. Language can no longer hold the weight of our suffering, our rage, our endless grief. It cannot do justice to our feelings and experiences. While capitalism and colonialism’s forces of death and destruction are wounding the world, we are still determined to deliver our voice, we are still moved by the force of life, and will always move with and towards it.

Palestine and Lebanon: One land in grief and struggle

The Zionist colonial entity still exists because colonial and imperialist powers are supporting and funding it. These are the same powers that produced the Sykes-Picot colonial agreement that fragmented Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan and other Arab nations in 1916 by enforcing borders on our lands. We live with the implications of these systems. We deeply embody the knowledge of this violence, and have been trying to warn the world that these powers neither see our humanity nor respect our sovereignty. The world’s promises of justice and accountability through colonial international laws and institutions only reproduce violence and harm with no transformation. The very existence of these colonial powers is built on the (social) death and exploitation of others. The same tactics of annihilation that have been used in Gaza since last October are now also used in Lebanon. They are reaching us all––from surveillance tools of political repression, to weapons for direct killings. From corporations to other colonial structures, if we do not dismantle these systems, they will continue to consume us all.

Zionism: Threat against humanity

Zionist settler colonialism has been perpetrated against the land of Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine. But it does not stop there: Zionism is a global threat. While Palestine is used as the Zionist entity’s testing-ground to develop technologies of oppression (including cyber invasions and technological warfare) to control the people and suppress resistance worldwide, these Zionist inventions are exported and used for state violence to further colonial, imperial and capitalist expansion. The Zionist entity’s influence extends to geopolitics and resource extraction across Latin America and Africa––from mining projects in Namibia, to diamond extraction in Angola, and ‘Cop City’ in the USA–– and its aggression can only be contained through struggle and abolition.

The myth of individualism and separation

Individualism is an instrument of the systems of (neo)liberalism, racial capitalism and colonialism. It is designed to destroy our collectives and community practices through fragmentation and separation––from each other, the land, the planet and universe, and from ourselves. The illusion of separation denies our autonomy, our sovereignty over our bodies and land. We resist this colonial myth of individualism that serves oppressive systems. We are interdependent and our struggles are interconnected and intersectional––there is no such thing as individual liberation. No one is free, until we are all free.

On the path of abolition and transformation

Our reality, and our queer, feminist, radical truths, cannot be quantified. They cannot be reduced to data, to screens, to consumable images. The genocidal violence we face and resist everyday, is not an event to be documented. This deep rupture is a tearing apart of the fabric of life that demands something more than mere speech. It demands action and transformation. And it necessitates abolition. Abolition not just through the dismantling of prisons and the destruction of all carceral systems—but the refusal of all structures that seek to imprison and kill our bodies, our desires, our lands, our futures. Abolition is a direct confrontation with the forces that seek to erase us on the path towards life-affirming and systemic transformation, it is to radically imagine and build a different future from the present.

Hope as a radical practice

Our bodies ache with exhaustion, our spirits bruised by the relentless weight of oppression. In this land stolen from us, where we live the genocide in our every moment, hope is a radical practice. We are warriors, survivors, rebels. We will not be extinguished. The world’s indifference is a betrayal––we know that. We will not allow our disappointment to consume us. Fuelled by our collective rage and grief, we unite and empower us. Still amidst these difficult times, we channel our hope as a collective force of resistance to the very foundation of these unjust systems, in Palestine and everywhere. We will not only survive this genocide, we will thrive––reclaiming our stolen land and building a future free from the chains of patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism and zionism.

Constant transformative struggle towards collective liberation

One year later, we continue to call for the world to:

Be radical, feminist, queer, intersectional, decolonial, and abolitionist in our resistances: fuelled by rage, love and longing for justice, transformation and collective liberation.

Resist the hegemonic colonial narrative: do not stop talking about Palestine with your kin, queer siblings, friends and community. Challenge the colonial and Islamophobic framing of Palestinian and racialized voices as antisemitic.

Escalate all forms of disruption of the colonial and capitalist systems enabling this violence. Rage and strike against the use of your labor and tax money to fund, support, and endorse settler colonialism and genocide. Fight against governments and hold them accountable for their military, diplomatic, economic, and political relations with and support to Israel.

Rage and grieve as radical forces for change: together we channel our anger and grief towards a world free of Zionism and all other systems of oppression.

Radically imagine a different world and put this imagination into practice by organizing to fight current systems and build the future from the present.

Always re-membering: honoring those we have lost, and standing steadfast in resistance by all means possible.

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

New Who lore notes: The Timeless Children

I do not agree with the idea that the master could destroy gallifrey all by himself, especially a post war gallifrey that is much more willing to use violence and weapons

‘Remember when we used to run through those streets as children? The alleys where we’d hid from borusa as we skipped classes?’ → master says this while pointing at the citadel, implying that the academy was within the citadel (yay, learning where the fuck things are on gallifrey)

‘The citadel at the heart of gallifrey’ → well this doesn’t say much about where on gallifrey the citadel is, but does confirm it as sort of the hub of time lord society

Decor seems a lot more orange than we’ve seen it previously

Panopticon mention

There’s a statue of some time lord just in whatever room they’re in (which seems to be just off the panopticon), unclear who they are

Panopticon where academy graduation is held apparently

There are those weird ball shaped lamps that we see in the arc of infinity

Parts of floor and wall are decorated with circular gallifreyan, seal of rassilon is also in places

They show the two suns in the shots of the citadel

‘Next to the panopticon, the chamber of the matrix’ (not doing it here, because i don’t really care, but in good time lord fashion, half of those words are capitalized)

‘The repository of all time lord knowledge, a databank of every time lord consciousness, living and dead. Every experience and every memory. The lived history of our race’ → honestly a very good description of the matrix

There’s a circle door

The paralysis field seems to exist as a part of the matrix chamber (idk unless the master put it there), and the use of it causes the doctor pain, i’m sure the time lords weren’t using that for anything nefarious

The whole timeless child thing is buried pretty deep (and there doesn’t really seem to be any actual indication that something was hidden in the matrix since the master just happened to stumble upon it while hacking into it, there wasn’t any specific big block of restricted info from what it seems)

‘This is going to hurt’ → is it just that going that deep into the matrix hurts, or that being forced into the matrix like that hurts

Inside of matrix is basically a void, the master is able to talk to the doctor from the outside, and also project himself inside the matrix

Gallifrey before the time lords not very well known, also sparsely populated

Tecteun was an explorer, early gallifreyans not isolationist (though we already knew that, but still, it’s lore so it gets written), though she was the first to develop space travel apparently

Shobogans indigenous species of gallifrey

Also that shot of gallifrey from space makes it look like it’s on fire, i know it’s always been presented as pretty orange and all that, but this may be a bit much in my opinion

Interesting that all this stuff about tecteun is in the matrix given that it was from the time before the time lords

The child's regeneration was the first regeneration on gallifrey

The great cyber war → mildly unclear if gallifrey was involved or the master was

‘I burned this citadel’ → so what if he just destroyed the citadel, because i can buy that way more than him destroying all of gallifrey

Master can have his consciousness in his body and in the matrix at the same time → now he is a pretty good telepath, but i figure this is also something that any time lord could learn to so

A time lord experimenting on a child for her own gain, yeah that tracks

‘They became a self appointed ruling elite

White and gold robes → this guy has to be president right

‘The timeless child became the base genetic code for all gallifreyans within the citadel. The civilization which renamed themselves, with characteristic pomposity, time lords’

Early collars also seem to have the seal of rassilon on them

Number of regenerations limited to twelve

The doctor is the timeless child

‘Brains’ → hey master can you talk a bit more about time lord brain structure

The doctor is moving around in the matrix while her actual body is standing unconscious in the matrix chamber, similarly the masters real body is out there running around while he’s also in the matrix talking to the doctor → i was gonna make a point about the matrix and it being a pseudo physical space, but then i forgot what i was going to say

‘Our founding parents wanted a noble creation myth for the time lords, born to rule’ → this seems to imply that only the founders actually knew about the timeless child and just made up a myth about how they came to be to tell everyone else (also there’s something to be said here about the use of ‘founding parents’, like i know founding fathers is a pretty common phrase, but still, given the time lords this could absolutely be something they get real weird about)

‘Why would they lie? Why would they do that’ → look you’ve understood the time lords pretty well throughout this whole episode, but i refuse to believe the doctor would be surprised by them lying (i’m gonna say this is because she doesn’t quite know how to process this information and is just saying things based on emotion alone)

The matrix around them is no longer a grey void, but a landscape with all the color taken out of it

‘The policy of the time lords is clear, strict non intervention in other worlds and times. However, policy and reality sometimes diverge’ → yeah man they sure do, kind of funny to actually hear them say this though

‘There are times where it is necessary to intervene. That is the purpose of the division’ → hey, what about my guys at the cia

‘The division does not exist. The division does not have operatives’ → look, look, this could be a weird branch of the cia, hear me out (though it would be interesting to have an organization meant to deal specifically with the secret of the timeless child, something the founders want to keep from the rest of the time lords so badly they won’t even let their top secret spy organisation know about it)

Also liking the costumes here, they seem robe like (though we really only see them sitting down, and mostly get shots of shoulders up, so it’s not the best perspective) and layered with high collars

‘Everything from here is redacted, blocked out, all but erased’ → information deleted from the matrix so people wouldn’t find it out

A filter was put over the memories of the timeless child so that people who happened to find it would just pass it over, thinking it was nothing special

The master kept the bodies of the timelords he killed → i guess he did something to make sure they didn’t regenerate, but yet the cyber converted time lords still have the ability to regenerate it seems

‘Are you the matrix playing more games with me’ → matrix has the ability to do things on its own

‘The matrix is sapping all of the energy out of me’

Doctor able to overwhelm the matrix with her memories

I really wonder who those time lord statues in the matrix chamber are supposed to be of

Also this happened a bit ago, but there were three time lord founders → tecteun is the other, thank you for coming to my ted talk

‘She’s clever. I'm clever. We’re all clever. All of us.’ → time lord plurality moment

‘No humans on gallifrey’ → doctor, i fear that the ancient laws of gallifrey (that have long been broken (and taken down) at this point) are the least of our problems here (though it does really show that even despide the everything of the past twenty minutes that we’ve learned, the doctor is still fundamentally a time lord)

Doctor able to find the master just by sensing his mind → wonder how well any time lord can do this with any other time lord, or is her ability to do this connected to the fact that they are very familiar with each other and each other's minds

They don’t say contact before talking to each other in their minds → not necessary, but probably a formality given you are literally entering another person's mind (not that the doctor and master actually care about that for each other at this point, but that tracks)

They’re in a tardis now → were they near the tardis bays then, or was there just one lying around

And the doctor is planning to destroy gallifrey for a third time, they have to stop making them do this

I want to be disappointed that the door didn’t make the fun dor sound, but also i think that’s just a big finish sound effect, still that sci-fi door sound was less fun

‘All those bodies still in the vaults’ → i do wonder if they’re more in some kind of stasis between regenerations than truly dead

And bye bye gallifrey, again

[mimorobo]

OK SOOO- since the deltarune chapter 3 and 4 have been announced, i feel like asking some questions because i think im hyperactive right now-

-what's your favorite deltarune character? -do you prefer chapter 1 or 2? -favorite deltarune song? -when did you find out about deltarune? -did you fought jevil or spamton? (and if so, was it hard?) -what do you think that's coming in the new chapters?

ok uhh yeah sorry bye-

RAGHHGFS IM ALSO SUPER EXCITED I DON'T BLAME YOU!!!

OKOK I'll try my best to answer these...

- fav character? That's a hard one... I love the main three a lot, Lancer too!! Also characters like Queen, Jevil and Spamton, they're so randomly hilarious and cool!! But I'd probably go for Susie or Ralsei? I can't choose!!!!

- ughhhggffdmmm hmmmm ok so I love how chapter 1 sets up the whole game and introduces everything, but I really love chapter 2 with all the cutscenes and new characters (Noelle and Berdy) in the darkworld!! I think I'll choose chapter 1 tho? It felt really amazing playing it for the first time! Also Suzie character development 👌

- NOT THE SONGS I CAN'T CHOOSE THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD!! Ok, BUUUUT, Beginning literally made me tear up, best intro song ever. Same goes for A Cybers World, the synced dodging and the beat drop stunned me like crazy... But then of course the boss fights!!? SO COOL!!? Also that one really short piece when Kris is sealing a fountain... I feel like I've been enlightened and have found pure awesomeness...

- ok and me finding out about Deltarune is pretty weird, confused memories. BUT I know I thought it was another UT AU! XD, I saw a comic and only now am I realising it was set in Deltarune!! Teenage Asriel was there, there was a mixed up Chara Frisk?? (Yeah Kris) Toriel and Asgore were still together and THEY WERE ALL ON THE SURFACE!?? Then I saw it was a real game and found it on steam and ACCIDENTALLY got it. Not even kidding I don't know how but it DOWNLOADED ITSELF I clicked something I don't know??? Was super scared and excited, especially with that starting stuff XD

This was definitely a good year AFTER I found out about Undertale I think...

- yes I did fight both of them!! So proud of myself cuz I didn't need to look up anything on how to fight/find them!! XD They were hard, but really fun too!! I have great memories from the Spamton fight cuz I was kinda stuck on him, then my sibling came and we joined forces to defeat him!! I was dodging the bullets, sib was shooting. I tell you that made it one of the best and coolest battles ever!! and we did it FIRST TRY!!! (We also kept having turns with the headphones to listen to the music!! I kept yapping that the Dummy theme was in there!!?)

- OK I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S COMING SERIOUSLY, with the new trailer tho, all I know is that it looks AWESOME!! (Of course it does!!) Buuuuut, i hope every chapter brings a new pair of characters into the darkworld (like Susie, Kris in chapter 1, Noelle, Berely in chapter 2) maybe more too!! I'd LOVE to see Toriel in the darkworld!! I'm almost 99.8% sure that she Has to be there in chapter 3... (Maybe Undyne too??) I think there might be a bit of insight into the whole Asgore leaving the police force situation, or I'd hope so... I doubt we'll get a Who's the Knight reveal yet.. :(

But apart from speculation I know there'll be epic boss fights, funny cutscenes, AWESOME NEW CHARACTERS AND MUSIC and moments which will probably make me want to rip my heart out and throw in a puddle and cry and eat chalk and moss for the rest of my life.

I CAN'T WAIT!! :D

[monocle-teacup]

1-How would you rewrite Earthspark?

2- Opinions on Earthspark! Prowl? (When he first appeared,he was right shitting on and acting antagonistic to Megatron inho. I'd like to hear your opinion about him and his attitude?)

I'd stretch out the S1 content to at least 2-3 seasons. I'll make a separate post talking about Prowl since the rewrite stuff is going to get kinda long. My ideas for the rewrite aren't set in stone so the following is more like highlights. In the rewrite:

Season 1 -Twitch and Thrash would be the only Terrans and stand in as audiences surrogates for world building purposes. -Dot and Alex's backgrounds would actually be used for flashbacks and to teach the Terrans about the War. Dot wouldn't want to tell the Terrans anything since they'd start asking questions about Megatron so they learn from Alex and the Autobots. -Dot and Alex would make more of a fuss about the cyber sleeves -The Maltos toxic positivity would still be a thing, but cracks would start showing since Dot is low key bitter about her dream job being a lie and Robby and Mo forcing the Terrans on her. -OP wouldn't be an idiot and instead his shady qualities would be expanded on. He knows that Megatron may be tempted by the Emberstone so he keeps the ex warlord in the dark as much as possible. -Slice of life episodes about characters that aren't the Maltos -The Age of Evolution arc would be the S1 finale

Season 2 -The season opens with a flashback to the Battle of the Bay since it's criminal the show never did one. -Episodes focusing on Nightshade, Hashtag, and JB's development -The Terrans want to learn and be apart of their new world so the Maltos isolation becomes a problem. -Mandroid and Alex's reunion happens much differently like in my Lotus AU. The Terrans and Maltos are aware of Meridian's existence since Alex talks about his friendship with him. Obviously no one knows that Meridian and Mandroid are the same person until Alex meets him. -The Bot Brawl would take up a chunk of the season for world building purposes and to introduce more Legacy characters

Season 3 -Hashtag's mind controlled rampage in Philadelphia is all over social media. Dot and Alex find out about the kids visit to the city via a family member reaching out. The Maltos still handle negative emotions terribly so Hashtag struggles with her trauma. -Episodes focusing on what Mandroid and Croft are doing at GHOST with some Con centric stuff thrown in -Prime Time still happens but Dot is the one to fight Mandroid. Alex and Dot become rightfully concerned about Quintus Prime's shady nature -Robby dying is treated with the seriousness it deserves which means that the kids and Terrans aren't wandering around the woods. -Feeling alone at the Maltos, Hashtag starts disappearing for lengths of time which is how she encounters Starscream. She only knows him as Megatron's scheming subordinate so she's surprised when he starts talking about how awful Megatron was. She feels comfortable enough to share her trauma about what happened in Philadelphia which Starscream is sympathetic to. Despite having sympathetic qualities, Starscream is still a schemer so he attempts to recruit Hashtag both to give her a place to feel like she belongs and to stick it to Megatron. Hashtag declines and goes back to the Maltos, but doesn't tell them about Starscream. She starts looking into Megatron's past herself. -The Maltos toxic positivity and how they handle negative emotions is stressed as something that isn't healthy instead of them being framed as always in the right. -FF Mandroid is still a thing because that's peak Nightmare Fuel Beauty and would be a waste to throw away