#Legacy of Discard hack

[fourteentrout]

Eris Oneshot: "A Blood That Burns"

Eris Week Day 2: Childhood/Legacy

A short one shot about Eris and his mom for @erisweekofficial.

Read here on AO3 or check out the preview below!

Description: Eris cuts his hair and talks to his mom. Both are harder to reckon with than he'd expected.

Word Count: 3,246

Preview Below the Cut

Eris looked into the mirror like it would tell him a secret. He peered at himself, observing as if he were another person. His eyes passed over his features, his sharp cheekbones, his sharper eyebrows. What did people see when they looked at him? Just another one of the Vanserra brothers, they-all-look-the-same? A cruel, egotistical prick, his hunger for power etched into his very features? A pathetic whelp?

His father?

Eris registered the rage on his face before he even truly felt it, the flames in his eyes guttering out as an unsettling kind of fear slipped in. He looked tired, which almost made him look more like Beron. Older, more weathered. Though certainly not as powerful. Dark circles under his eyes, his long hair tangled and oily, his skin pallid. 

Pathetic, indeed. 

With a disappointed scoff, he grabbed the scissors off of the vanity before him. Not even combing it beforehand, he sectioned off a large portion of his hair and cut through it until it was severed completely. It hung limply from his enclosed fist without luster. It all felt quite unceremonious. 

Ashamed of thinking that it would feel more momentous, Eris continued to hack away uneven chunks with rage-fueled vigor, that lingering fear settling like lead in the pit of his stomach. He barely tried to make sure the length of each sheaf matched up, eventually snipping all the way around until his hair hung in an uneven curtain, ending above his shoulders. He would have to cut much more for it to be presentable. 

With an unseemly groan, he let the shears clatter to the vanity, covering his face with his hands. 

The thing was. 

The thing was, Eris couldn't remember the last time his brothers looked at him and didn't just see another version of their father. 

He didn't know the last time his mother touched him like he was her baby, her pride and joy. He didn't know if that's what he ever was. She could never say he has his father's eyes and feel happy about it, so why would he ever have been something precious to her in the first place?

Especially not when her little light came into the world. The Vanserra brother who wasn’t a Vanserra. The one child who was born to be loved by her. 

The grimace on Eris’ face deepened as he took up the scissors again, cutting with more precision, more intention. Cutting and cutting and cutting, until he had to switch to a less broad pair of shears. 

His arms ached with the strain of being held in odd positions for so long. By the time he was done, his discarded red hair made him feel like he was lost in a sea of fire, or perhaps blood. He was disgusted by it. He had never cut it so short. With a wave of his hand, he sent every severed strand away to the large waste bin in the laundry room. 

Eris looked in the mirror, at his father’s eyes. Wrath still burned hot underneath his skin, and he stopped pretending it hadn’t always been there, and wouldn’t always be there. He stopped pretending that fire wasn’t something that raged, and wasn’t something that lived in his very blood. 

If people were only ever going to see a second Beron, a legacy—not a separate male, not a person—then there was no point in pretending he was anything else. He reached into one of the vanity drawers, drawing out his simple, dark crown, meant for ceremonies and balls. It wasn't fashioned like his father's crown, decked with gold-plated laurels and oak leaves. Beron wasn't willing to grant that honor to any of his sons, nevermind the one closest to succeeding him. But Eris’ crown, as simple as it was, was regal and harsh, much like him, much like Beron. It would certainly complete the ensemble. He settled it onto his head, the metal digging uncomfortably into his skull, and looked at himself anew. 

Same dark circles. Same waxen skin. His father's haircut, his father's eyes, his father’s rage, his father's crown, if he pretended hard enough. 

As he stared and stared, hoping to see a glimmer of himself, or anyone else but Beron, he heard an urgent patter of footsteps in the hallway. Just as he started to turn, his mother flung open his bedroom door, her eyes wide. In the hand not bracing the door open, she clutched a lock of his discarded hair.

[higgsboshark]

Hello friends in my phone and/or eels that have gotten ahold of a discarded Blackberry and are hacking the cables in the sea floor to access Tumblr

Today I pulled challenge number 30: Pick a street and try to find out how it got its name. And I am giving this one its very own post because this shit is interesting!

Majorly nerdy history rant under the cut

Okay so I picked Colfax Avenue, which is known for being a) the longest street in America and 2) generally quite shady. Is it actually? Eh, depends. It goes through the whole city, you get a little bit of everything. There's stores, gay bars, weird used-car dealerships, and at least one all-night diner that's a designated historic site. Only a few of the motels still let you pay by the hour. Gentrification is trying to take the street over but it's putting up a fight. You get me.

So why is it called Colfax?

Well, turns out it's named after a person! Schuyler Colfax was an Indiana Congressman, Speaker of the House and vice president in the 1850s-1870s. He proposed the bill that made Colorado a state in 1876, and we were so grateful, we named our weirdest street after him.

A few other fun fax (see what I did there) about him:

People called him "Smiler Colfax" so apparently he was a pretty cheerful guy. His Wikipedia picture agrees, he looks like if someone travelled back in time and gave Abe Lincoln a Xanax

He was a dedicated abolitionist and cast the final vote to pass the 13th Amendment and abolish slavery

Overall, seems like a pretty cool dude, I'm glad to know about him! I wonder what he'd think of his legacy and how the street has changed since he was here.

ps. Bonus cool 'Fax Fact: in the local Deaf community, the street name is the ASL sign for "fox" because there were a bunch of fox farms along the west end during the second fur-trade boom in the 1920s-60s.

And that has been today's installment of Local History with Your Local Gremlin! Tune in next time for something almost certainly completely unrelated.

[queen-susans-revenge]

Thank you <3 You too.

Yeah, I don't know what the endgame was supposed to be. BYTE had been acquired by a company...that was then acquired by another company...and eventually I think the playbook got to be just "squeeze all the value out of this legacy media and then discard."

It went first to web-only publication, and then after I left it went to being an e-mail newsletter. These days they've even sold the domain. So there's really nothing left.

This for the magazine that started in 1975; it was maybe the very first of the personal computing era, and it was always focused on end users and how they could build, customize, hack, and extend their own tech.

It was really very cool. I'm glad that people still remember it in some fashion. The cover art was often banging.

[lovehugsandcandy]

the stories we tell (and the stories we live) (Coltx MC, RoD)

Pairing: Colt x MC, ROD

Length: ~2400 words

Rating/Warnings: N*FW (Not explicit but it’s there. And swearing.)

Summary: Colt’s story isn’t his own until it is.

.

When Colt thinks of stories, he thinks of the stories of his youth, hazy memories of sitting on his father’s lap and listening to tales of Kanekos past. He thinks of scenes from movies, car chases and explosions before the guaranteed victory, ending scenes and credits rolling with the hero beating the odds and riding off victorious into the sunset.

And then he gets older. 

And learns that stories are myths, hiding lies and false promises, wrapped in the guise of happy endings that will never happen.

Not to him.

And when he thinks of stories, he tries not to think of his own.

And when he does, when he thinks of the story of Colt and crew and the Kaneko name, he can’t of the beginning. 

It hurts too much to remember a time when he was a welcome fixture at the shop, when Pop greeted him with a smile, sometimes even a pat to his head. This was before, before those hands became angry and harsh, before the smiles turned to glares, before the words turned hateful and vicious, echoing the nightmares that creep into his sleep, shocking him awake in a cold sweat.

There are other stories, 

He steals his first car when he’s 11. It’s the first time he’s ever driven as well, the tips of his toes only able to graze the pedals when he leans against the steering wheel. It’s a massive effort to peer over the dash, to not press his scrawny chest on the horn, but he manages, denting only the bumper against an unlucky mailbox. But when he pulls into the garage, his father is more shocked than awed and his mother furious.

So he first leaves California when he’s 12, hustled onto his first airplane, deposited in an unfamiliar city with scabs lining his knuckles and a bruise blooming on his jawline, the first transition of many marking the flow between scenery and characters.

He’s first suspended when he’s 13. Everyone at this new school is despicable, but he’ll be damned if some upperclassman is going to throw slurs at him amidst a crowded hallway. He’s sent home, his opponent sent for stitches, and his mother spends five of her limited vacation days making his confinement as miserable as possible.

He first has sex in the dingy bathroom of a dive bar that obviously doesn’t care about liquor laws.

It’s a story he never tells. 

Stories are prideful things, lies portraying overcome odds and vanquished enemies until a triumphant, crescendoed victory. Curtains close on dreams attained.

His story has never gone like that and this memory is no different.

He’s 14, sipping something amber and toxic from a rocks glass because it makes him look cool, sitting alone as his knees knock against the stool because he hates everyone. His feet don’t even touch the ground yet, but it doesn’t seem to matter to the bartender, who keeps sliding booze across the slick bar top as long as the cash keeps coming from Colt’s pocket.

And apparently it doesn’t matter to the girl across the bar, all blond hair and glossy lips, pendant necklace dangling heavy above a low-cut shirt. She bats a heavy mascara gaze over her wineglass and it takes an embarrassingly long time before he recognizes the fire behind gaze.

His heart is racing when she perches on the stool next to him, and it’s with fumbling hands and drunken kisses that they weave a messy path to the bathroom.

Once they’re done, she buttons her jeans and smirks at him, waltzing out of the bathroom without a second glance.

It feels like a fitting end to his childhood, thrown from LA to end up staggering into the Bronx streets; his jeans are still unzipped but no one’s around to care as he turns the key in the empty apartment and sinks into freshly washed sheets.

If the saga of his childhood has ended (beginning as a worthy heir before being cast aside, thousands of miles away, lost boy and discarded son), then the story of his adulthood is beginning. Stories have beginnings and middles and ends, protagonists and supporting characters,  events when second matter, where every step taken leads towards a goal, an achievement of some sort.

He hasn’t achieved anything.

Not yet.

His mom gets off work at 3am, footsteps light as she makes her way to the adjoining bedroom. Once the light snores start, he creeps out of bed to spew stomach acid into the toilet, lights off, stifling the shameful hacking and choking.

He slips back into bed, mouthwash still tingling on his tongue, but sleep doesn’t come that night.

It doesn’t feel like a fortuitous beginning.

~~~~~

And then it doesn’t get better.

The fights continue.

He comes home weekly with bruised knuckles and wounded pride, counting the days until he can free himself from the cast of characters around him.

Every teacher treats him like an adversary, every stupid social clique shuns him, and it’s fucking bullshit but he doesn’t need anyone, none of these assholes at this fucking school. It’s him against the world, at least until he can get back to LA, back to the home and the legacy that belongs to him.

His mother wants everything from him. They’re alone, the two of them, and he falls into the role of trusted confidant and then wayward son and finally complete stranger; none of the roles he tries satisfy anyone in this fracturing family of two.

The girls want one thing from him and it’s so simple, so easy, and the best part is that he doesn’t have to think, just for a moment.

His dad wants nothing from him, and his teeth dig into his bottom lip so his sobs don’t echo through the thin apartment walls.

~~~~~

Stories come in chapters and his next one takes him to LA. It’s inevitable that he ends up here, speeding aimlessly through the crowded streets, ending up on the outskirts of a crowd that should part for him like the seas.

The first time he sees her, she looks like a baby hawk. Not that he’s ever seen a baby hawk, mind you, but her eyes peer sharply around the lot even though her steps are stuttering and small.

He would never have guessed that she would be more than a supporting character in his fateful return, but soon, she becomes everything. His mind is consumed with their future, ruling LA as a team, owning the next stage of the Kaneko legacy. Her insightful mind and sharp wit are both challenging and refreshing; it feels like he’s met his match.

His story is finally beginning.

But the pyre in front of him is actually the conclusion. Flames lick at his eyebrows as he drives by, staring into the wreckage for something, anything; her arms around his waist are the only thing keeping him upright.

And if his father’s explosion is the end, then the blaze at the garage is the epilogue, the wreckage a fitting end to the Kaneko legacy.

~~~~~

It takes years, four to be exact, before he’s comfortable taking a brief vacation. Building up the fledgling crew has been challenging and painstaking, but, brick by brittle brick, he has finally created a crew worthy of the Kaneko name. 

So he heads to New York. 

Colt cares about two people in the world and the irony of them being in the same city at the same time feels a little like choreographed coincidence and a little like fate.

He starts with his mother. She’s moved to Manhattan, and he needs to Google the route, feet almost taking him into the gritty streets he knows intimately well. He recalibrates off the train, unfamiliar buildings flying by as he crosses the East River and straight into her new setting and her new life. They walk through the tree-lined streets; she lives in Soho now and every step is strange. She leads him through farmers’ markets and points out breakfast joints, each one a reminder of how far away he is. As they amble, she speaks of her job before turning the conversation to Pop; his every reply is halting, pain and truth veiled through clipped words and terse responses, his hands buried in his pockets and shoulders hunched to his ears.

For two people who share a bloodline and a language, they’re incomprehensible to each other. Colt realizes, with sickening clarity, how much better his mom’s life is now, now that he’s gone and vanished across the country.

She holds him close outside her new apartment building (this one doesn’t have bars on the first-floor windows) and her eyes well with a sadness she can’t name (or won’t, Colt thinks bitterly, shifting on his heels in her embrace). Her hands linger on his shoulders, and she presses a lipstick kiss into his cheek; he furiously wipes it off as he strides to the subway.

His palms flash pomegranate pink as he swipes his pass.

Langston is eighteen stops uptown. It takes thirty minutes on the A train, and he’s wasting away every second, an eternity spent watching subway tiles and grim faces blur past.

He blends in with the crowd, rowdy college kids streaming into her dorm, and he sneaks up the stairs and raps lightly on the door. They barely talk but he’s immediately understood, her hands gentle under his jaw, up his shoulder blades, then insistent up his sides, gripping his forearms, tugging his hair.

She curls against him, the slide of her skin both foreign and reminiscent, and shakes her head. “I can’t believe you just showed up here. You’re lucky seniors get singles.”

“I can’t believe you let me in.”

“You thought I wouldn’t?”

“I guess I was cautiously optimistic.” He craned his neck to drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Guess I was right.”

She grabs his hand, tracing up and down each finger as if she were relearning every knuckle, every tiny scar. When her inspection is complete, she stills. “I waited for you.”

“What do you mean?” 

“For years I thought…” She trails off, and he wonders if they thought the same, that the other would reach out, bridge the miles and the trauma; he’s lost in the past until she curls over him and then there’s no time for thinking anymore.

They emerge the next morning, blinking away the sun, and she pulls him through her haunts, dragging him to the coffee shop where they know her order, her favorite path through the park.

She drags him with glee through the tourist traps and side haunts; they have beers at tiny dive bars, eat pretzels from rickety carts, and walk city blocks until his feet and cheeks hurt, hand in hand.

She glows here, radiantly beautiful, and he realizes that maybe she as well has been bolstered by his absence.

Even though it’s not Colt’s borough of choice, it’s hard not to feel comfortable as she pulls him down the packed streets, weaving through crowds with the same agility with which she wove through highway car chases. 

She’s at home here as she is behind the wheel, and something in his chest tightens. 

She belongs here, vibrant as the surrounding city, crafting her own story.

~~~~~

He needs to get back. 

Empires don’t build themselves.

He doesn’t tell her but, apparently, he doesn’t have to. It’s achingly slow as he slides into her, savoring every moment to remember when he’s back home, alone. She rolls her hips against his and it’s almost painful, blinding light flashing patterns behind his eyelids as she takes her pleasure from him, quivering above him until he can’t stand it, flipping her over in one fierce motion to bury himself, again and again, world dissolving with her squeal of pleasure in his ears and his teeth in her shoulder.

“I can’t ask you to come with me.”

She starts, head jerking off his shoulder, and he can’t bring himself to look into her eyes. Instead, he focuses on the assignments scrawled on her whiteboard, each one a reminder of a goal to attain, and the graduation cap askew on her desk, a reminder of the path she had chosen, her story told in the golden tassels dangling to the floor.

“You don’t need to ask.”

This time, it’s him jerking up, head spinning to face her. “What do you…?”

“I was coming anyway.” She settles back against him, and he counts the puffs of breath against his skin as reassurance that this is real. “I told you… I waited for you. I had a go bag packed for two years,” he feels her lips tug into a rueful smile against him as she continues, “a backpack stuffed in my closet with clothes and stuff, just in case you asked, just in case you called.”

“I called. Once.”

“Wha… when?”

“February of your sophomore year.” His hand slides up her back to tangle in her hair. “From a payphone in Torrance. It rang once, and I hung up. I couldn’t… I thought better of it. I couldn’t mess it up for you.”

“You don’t mess anything up for me. You help me be great. We’re gonna be great together.”

He springs two thousand bucks for an additional plane ticket and upgrades to first class. She points out the NY landmarks as they climb into the air and then curls against him as she dozes. They land at LAX, falling into bed in the loft at the shop, and, the next day, she climbs aboard the back of his bike, arms warm around him as they pull over to the cliff.

This isn’t a story.

Stories have heroes and villains and everything is tied up nearly at the end, when the evil is vanquished and the hero gets the girl and the sun rises on a brand new day when everyone lives happily ever after.

This isn’t a story.

It’s real life and real life has real people, all their virtues and flaws, hopes and dreams, and there are no storybook saviors riding in to save the day --- at least not in Colt’s life.

There’s only him and this girl and the sun setting brilliantly beneath the ocean below, lighting the cresting waves in purples and blues, and this isn’t the end, not at all.

.

Tags:

Perma

@leelee10898, @client-327, @brightpinkpeppercorn, @choicesarehard, @burnsoslow, @zaffrenotes, @kat-tia801, @desiree-pow-35-1986, @ritachacha

ROD

@omgjasminesimone, @mskaneko, @alyssalauren

Colt x MC

@flowerpowell, @shondideaira-blog @isometimesplaychoices @romewritingshop

[lachemisenoire]

“Some fans were upset with where Sharon ended up,” acknowledges Spellman. “Emily is an awesome actor and Sharon Carter is an awesome character. To me, there’s more to do with her now. The decision was not arbitrary. We sat up and tracked everything that likely happened to her after Civil War. She’d been shut out by all the intelligence agencies, so that when she tried to make overtures to come back, they tried to grab her and arrest her. So they forced her into being a criminal. She was discarded, she was betrayed by the institutions that made her. Similar to John Walker, but way more aggressively.”

Spellman adds, “[So] she had to become what she became. It just happened very, very organically. I do think we were mindful of her legacy, coming from a place where her family is Marvel royalty. But at the same time, you have got to let the MCU exist as its own universe. Sharon did go on that journey and we need to pay it off. I would argue there’s a lot to do with her now.” (source)

What the actual FUCK is wrong with these people?! Spellman, you said YOURSELF that the character is Marvel royalty, how could you NOT think of anything other to do with Sharon other than this insanely OOC villain arc?!

All you'd have to do is crack open a fucking comic book, for fuck's sake! The MCU existing as its own universe didn't prevent other characters in the show from remaining true to who they were in the comics, you utter HACK!

You know, if Sharon were a male character, we wouldn't even be having this bloody conversation. By now she'd have her own show like that glorified accountant, Phil Coulson.

Anyway folks, bookmark this from now, just waiting for Sharon to be killed off by Bucky Barnes himself in a future movie or show to fully satiate the rabid haters, at this point. Because, you know, they ran out of things for her to do! Or serve as a plot device!

[dgcatanisiri]

So. Did see Rise of Skywalker today.

“Flawed, but probably as good as we were going to get” is my two cent summary, especially given some of the whispers I’m hearing about what went on behind the scenes that, in effect, this was “the Disney shareholder’s” trilogy more than any individual, and I think you all can guess my opinion of the Disney shareholders in general... (plus the inevitable difficulty of trying to unify two movies that honestly had a lot of tonal and thematic clash to begin with).

You want more details, they’re behind the cut, because I’m going to respect the spoiler tags.

First things first, let me get this out of the way first, Kelly Marie Tran and Rose Tico DESERVED. BETTER. Like, bare minimum, I think there should have been a scene between her and Rey at the start while Rey is reading the Jedi tomes. Just a little something that connects the two. Better still, use her as a touchstone character for what’s happening at the Resistance base in the first half - yeah, sure, you can only do so much with the jiggered footage of Carrie Fisher, but SO. WHAT. Leia doesn’t have to be in those scenes. 

Hell, have her and Connix talk, considering that Connix was significant enough to both be in charge of the D’Qar evacuation AND Poe’s right hand during the mutiny. Since Connix is played by Billie Lourd, Carrie Fisher’s daughter, it’d have been a fine connection there, especially if you want to include some foreshadowing of Leia’s eventual death, talk about them being concerned about the way that the General is handling everything happening, losing everyone so close to her.

Like, that’s the off the top of my head ways to enhance Rose’s part in this movie without significantly altering any of the plot. Truthfully, I think she should have been part of the group the whole time anyway. 

I still don’t particularly like the return of Palpatine as the big bad, meaning that we’re pretty much completely undermining the end of the original trilogy. I mean, wasn’t that what Anakin Skywalker’s death in Return of the Jedi meant? At least when the Legends line brought him back, it was a) still during the post-RotJ war clean up, where the Empire was still fighting after Endor, still part of the same war, and b) left ambiguous enough if that was genuinely Palpatine or just a clone that claimed to be the original Palpatine.

But I can also appreciate the thematic relevance of Palpatine, the Emperor, Darth Sidious, whatever name he uses, being the overarching villain of the Skywalker Saga. So... We’ll call it even? Meh.

I will RELUCTANTLY allow the idea of Leia sacrificing herself to pull back her son from the dark side, mostly on the basis of being limited by the footage of Carrie Fisher, so using her death to have story meaning can be tolerated. Still don’t like it - I have firmly been of the believe that, given all the times he made the active choice to be evil, he could not simply return to the light, be redeemed or forgiven. But since he did, ultimately, die, I will allow it - I’m only going to be able to view his death as, effectively, him making the only effort at atonement that could be done, stopping Palpatine, before his true penance came in not being able to be a part of the galaxy he helped to save.

That said, I do NOT accept the kiss. I will only even possibly pretend it happened under the pretense of being a heat of the moment victory thing that meant nothing. Because FUCK REYLOW.

First half of the movie is HORRENDOUSLY compacted. Like, I legit feel like there was a good fifteen minutes or more hacked out of it. Too much is happening right off the bat and just doesn’t stop. It settles down eventually, but MAN could that have done with less compression.

Honestly, overall, it feels like at least two movies crammed into one, like Disney refused to split it up because “but it’s a TRILOGY!” Which, uh... Not to open the “TLJ discourse” can of worms, but... That was always going to happen, considering the massive tonal clash between Abrams and Johnson as writers and directors. Especially with Johnson having basically done nothing that would advance a core arc, by way of having the main characters of the trilogy interact - TLJ had Rey, Finn, and Poe all in different plots in separate areas, which made no sense to begin with, considering these were supposed to be the core characters, shouldn’t they have actually gotten to interact sooner? 

Like I said in the summary, TFA and TLJ have little that actually connects them. In the sense of creating a coherent narrative, it’s not unreasonable that Abrams downplayed a lot of Johnson’s elements, considering that Johnson did the same with elements Abrams included in TFA - Finn’s potential Force affinity (I’ll get to that), the Knights of Ren (suddenly back with no explanation), the conscription of child soldiers as stormtroopers (which really SHOULD have been a core part of TLJ, instead of the child slavery on Canto Bight, considering it mattered to Finn’s character as already established), the idea that Luke had been searching for something (because why would he have left a map to where he was going in TFA if, as TLJ said, he went to Ach-to to wait for death?)... TRoS was always going to be in a bind on these things, and, really, considering that neither film prior was written with an ending in mind, there was no real solution but to just dance around the subject.

Let’s talk briefly about the Poe background stuff, which... *sigh* It was so POINTLESS to introduce the idea that he was a drug dealer. Like, first of all, RACIST AS FUCK to make the Latino man a drug dealer. Secondly, when and how, considering his canon back story is that he is the son of minor Rebel heroes, how did he have the time for this to happen? Third and not least, the guy’s an ace pilot, why WOULDN’T he know about hotwiring vehicles? He should know them inside and out!

Zorii is... There. That’s about all I really can say about her. Same with Jannah. Both of these felt like characters who SHOULD have had more relevance, had they been introduced sooner (and in which case, I’d toss Zorii and swap in Rose anyway). Considering they’re dropped in at the last second as they are, they honestly end up just feeling like props meant to portray Poe and Finn as straight, which... 

Okay, Disney overlords are homophobic cowards. Let’s just acknowledge that right off. Finn/Poe was a ship that was never going to be allowed off the ground. We all knew it going in. So make Finn/Rey a thing and let Poe be read as gay, even if it’s not said. It would have been that simple. TFA laid the foundation, and that hug in TLJ was a good building block as well. But no. You have to be cowards and not “rock the boat” by both not having an interracial relationship AND trying to appease the Reylows. Ugh.

Anyway, any and all flirtation between Poe and Zorii is PURE mlm/wlw joking with one another. Stormpilot is endgame. Rey/Rose is real. Fuck Disney and fuck canon. MOVING ON.

Also on that note, FINN IS FORCE SENSITIVE, GODDAMMIT. The adamant refusal to acknowledge this REALLY pisses me off, because Finn is a PERFECT mirror to Kylo Ren and should have been his counterpart throughout this trilogy - Finn was a nameless stormtrooper with no past, Kylo was the heir to legacies, Finn refused to slaughter innocents, Kylo gave that order. Finn embraced the Resistance, Kylo led the First Order. THIS is the duality of characters that should have driven this trilogy. I’m not trying to take away Rey’s significance, but...

When people complain about Rey’s lineage, I’m just not all that big on this matter. First of all, I was neutral on the subject from day one. As time has gone on, however, I have reached a point where I’m just ‘...well, yeah, of course she’s got an important lineage.’ Because TFA made a big deal of this fact. This was her driving motivation. On top of that, TLJ trying the “they were nobodies” thing actually legit pisses me off, because what abandoned child just casually accepts “they were nobodies”? Even if they weren’t significant (which, again, by way of Maz and the lightsaber calling to her in TFA, there was a strong implication of them being significant, particularly with the stage directions in the script for Luke and Leia when interacting with Rey), they weren’t nobodies FOR HER. But TLJ basically has her discard the search casually.

So you want a hero who comes from nothing? Again, may I present FINN, the stormtrooper who came from nothing, who should have been leading a stormtrooper uprising, who should have gotten to be a Jedi, who DESERVED BETTER THAN THIS TRILOGY GAVE HIM...

Gah. Okay. I’m tired of ranting about the things that I didn’t like. There ARE positives, I swear!

Chewie’s breakdown over Leia’s death about broke me. Like, the moment he collapses... God, that was choking me up an hour later, too. How much it must hurt Chewie and Lando to be the only ones left... Honestly, I was half afraid that the Falcon would be destroyed during that final conflict. 

Honestly, I know the idea was that Han’s appearance was just a figment, a manifestation of the inner thoughts, but I’m going to call it confirmation of Han being Force sensitive. Mostly because I picture Han losing his shit at the idea. And, honestly, I can’t help but wish that, at the least, we could have had Leia appear there, but we weren’t going to get that either way.

Speaking of Leia, honestly, I think they did the best they could with what they had of her, and, truthfully, I think it was a fine tribute to Carrie, to have Leia there, die within the context of this movie, and not just die off between films. Yes, it bound their hands some, but... It wouldn’t have been right without her, either. 

Though I do reiterate that the binding with the footage is no excuse for hacking Rose practically out of the film entirely.

I focused on the issues I had against the movie, mostly because I feel like they stood out more than the things that I liked. The problem this trilogy has had since day one is that they went into this without a plan. This trilogy never knew where it was going until this movie came along. So two movies of basically throwing everything at the wall, leading to one movie having to tie it all up. This movie was always going to struggle, but in the end, I think it probably came out as best as it could.

If you want to call that damning with faint praise... I suppose it sort of is, but, more truthfully, it’s seeing it for what it is and judging it as such. This movie was hobbled before it could walk, that it managed what it did as well as it did is really a tribute to those who tried to make it work.

I feel like that’s all the major things I have to bring up right now. Though I will add... Yeah, let’s be real. They call this the end of the Skywalker Saga, but in twenty years or so, we’re going to get a fourth trilogy. Because we’re basically at the point of “every generation’s going to have their own Star Wars trilogy.”

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Forty-Seven

(with thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading!)

Sadie pictured herself in an open field.

She stood alone, surrounded on all sides by green grass, snow capped mountains in the distance. A warm breeze brushed over her skin, and heard the gentle sound of birdsong. Why was she here? She couldn’t rightly say - perhaps she was grounding herself somewhere peaceful before she confronted…

...she couldn’t rightly say. All she knew was that she was confronting... something.

She looked down at herself - her body glowed yellow, rays of light radiating gently from her form. She couldn’t really define herself, save for a vague shape. Was she human under this light, or did the twisted form of Chrysalis confine her, the puppets strings still intent on making her dance and pirouette at the beck and call of the Diamonds?

She didn’t know. And right now, with her friends in danger? She didn’t care.

A second form appeared in front of her - or, perhaps, her mind, struggling to provide visual context to an entirely abstract struggle, created it. It was her outline, but this doppelganger suffused the air with inky darkness, its only distinguishing feature being blood-red eyes. This was Chrysalis - or some symbolic representation thereof - and where she stood, the grass turned grey and died.

“Chrysalis,” said Sadie.

Chrysalis shook her head.

“Distinguishing between us is useless,” she replied. “We are the same. You are simply the past - confused, passionate, obsolete.”

“No,” replied Sadie. “You’re not me. You’re the control the Diamonds put into my head to turn me into their…”

“You tell yourself that,” said Chrysalis, “because you cannot face responsibility for your actions.”

Above her, an image appeared - the two human Home Guards being disintegrated, followed by the annihilation of the Orange Pearl.

“That was you,” snapped Sadie. “Not me.”

“It was your hand,” snarled Chrysalis. “Your body. You did nothing to resist. Their deaths are on our hands.”

Sadie looked down and let out a somewhat strangled cry. Her hands were suddenly caked in an oozing red gunk, a deep metallic smell filling her nostrils.

“I couldn’t resist!” she snapped. “You were-”

“Like you can’t resist now?”

Sadie swallowed.

“We are the same,” declared Chrysalis. “I am your strength. And you…”

Sadie was suddenly yanked onto her back as the red goop forced her arms to the ground, merging with the soil beneath it. The sky began to darken as threatening storm clouds covered the blue canvas - the birdsong turned into the cries of a crow.

“...you are my weakness. And weakness must be rooted out.”

----

Lapis ducked under a shot from Sadie’s beam, losing her footing and crashing onto her back. The cyborg quickly aimed a follow-up shot, but Stevonnie slid into her line of sight and deflected the beam with their shield, sending it shooting upwards. It broke through the roof, creating a small skylight that shone down on Lars.

“Okay, I know I was raised from the dead, but this is just tacky,” said Lars dryly.

Sadie spun round, shooting off a beam towards the pirate - he was jerked back as Garnet yanked him out of the way. The fusion quickly responded, sending a gauntlet hurtling towards her opponent. Sadie raised her arm; it glowed green, and a square holographic shield emerged, blocking the strike.

Before she could act again, Lapis brought a watery blade onto her robotic arm - it bounced off, and the cyborg turned her attention to her. She spun round, her other arm clutching Lapis’ neck and beginning to squeeze.

“Lapis!”

Stevonnie shot forward, grabbing Sadie by the hair and yanking her back. She lost her grip of Lapis as Stevonnie forced her to the ground, holding her arms down and looking into her eyes.

“Sadie, please! It’s me, Stevonnie!” they urged.

For a moment, Sadie stared into their eyes.

Then she swiftly and unceremoniously headbutted Stevonnie, sending them reeling back and clutching their head. The cyborg swiftly jumped up, ready to get back into the fray…

----

Sadie gritted her teeth as the oozing gunk began to swallow her arms - she glanced down, seeing the same happening to her legs. Around her, the soil and grass turned into a sea of metallic red, and she felt the taste of blood in the air. Chrysalis walked slowly and mechanically towards her, her eyes piercing into Sadie’s.

“You fight what happened to you,” she declared. “You still see yourself as the organic. I discard that. I embrace my purpose - to fight for the Diamonds and the Empire.”

She reached Sadie and stopped, gazing down at her counterpart.

“You’re… you’re a monster!” shouted Sadie.

“We’re a monster,” corrected Chrysalis.

She extended her arms, gesturing at the raging sea of crimson around them.

“Don’t you see?” she demanded. “You cannot go back. You will never be who you were again. Weak. Pathetic. Human. And yet you cling to it. You are a virus in my code. You are a legacy bug. Your resistance must and will be quashed.”

“We… we’re not the same!” shouted Sadie. “You’re not me! Chrysalis is not me! I’m human!”

“Less than seven percent of our body is organic in origin,” replied Chrysalis. “Even if it were possible to reverse your conversion, the parts removed have long been discarded. You are no more human than you are gem. Your base form has been used to create something far superior.”

She knelt down.

“You are me, and I am you,” she said once more, “We both know that.”

She put a hand on Sadie’s chest.

“Stop resisting. Become one with me. Embrace who you are.”

Sadie closed her eyes, seeing her real situation in her mind - her body, standing over a bruised Stevonnie, preparing to fire a disintegration beam right into their face; Lars in the corner of her eye, charging towards her, ray gun in hand, and her free hand raising to deal with him.

She opened them again.

“Okay,” she said.

Chrysalis’ arm suddenly flowed apart, the waves of darkness flowing into Sadie’s form.

“What?”

“You’re right,” said Sadie. “We are the same. I’m not human.”

Chrysalis’ form began to flow apart as more of her sank into Sadie. Around her, the gunk began to part, flowing away as if blasted by an enormous gust of wind.

“But I’m not Chrysalis either,” Sadie continued. “I’m not Yellow Diamond’s toy. I’m me. I’m Sadie. Maybe I’m a robot - but I’m the robot that’s gonna ruin her day.”

----

Lars squirmed as Sadie lifted him against the wall, hand around his throat. He gasped for breath, desperately reaching for the ray gun he had dropped to the floor. White spots began to blot out the room around him, chest seizing, throat burning. Was this it? Was it over? He had to admit - it wasn’t how he’d expected to go.

Suddenly, Sadie blinked. Her body shook, and her grip loosened - Lars dropped to the floor as his friend clutched her head, gritting her teeth as one hand reached upwards towards her hair.

Coughing, Lars managed to hack out the sound of her name. “S-Sadie?”

“Nnnngh! Get… out… of my HEAD!”

She clutched the antenna and pulled. With a metallic snap, it ripped in two - she screamed, falling to her knees as her eyes shone a brilliant red. Then, like a ragdoll, she fell face-first to the ground.

“Sadie!”

Lars sat up, grabbing his friend and turning her over. Stevonnie, Lapis and Garnet were at his side just a heartbeat later.

Slowly, Sadie opened her eyes - they still glowed, but now they were a soft yellow.

“...Lars?” The mechanical reverb was still there, but it was far less harsh - far more human.

“I’m here,” Lars pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back gently. “I’m here…”

“What just happened?” asked Lapis, tilting her head.

“She fought her programming,” replied Garnet simply.

Sadie pulled back from Lars, rubbing her head.

“I… I was trying for so long,” she muttered. “I guess something in me just snapped…”

“It’s very difficult for a mind to be forced to destroy what it values,” Garnet nodded. “This outcome was always inevitable.”

“What?” Lapis crossed her arms. “So we weren’t in any danger? Why didn’t you tell us that?”

“I never said that,” added Garnet. “Sadie would always have broken free… we’re just lucky she did that before Chrysalis destroyed us all.”

“So there was a future where I…” Sadie trailed off.

She looked down at her robotic body - at her free-floating fingers, her metallic, painted torso, the single small window of flesh on her arm.

“...well, shit,” she said flatly.

She stood up, looking down at her shiny body, holding her hands in front of her eyes. For a long time, there was silence - Stevonnie seemed to be searching for something to say.

“I… I’m…”

Lars put a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re safe now, Sadie,” he said, his voice cracking. “That’s all that matters.”

Without further ado, he scooped Sadie into a tight hug, letting the tears flow freely from his eyes.

----

“We’ve lost contact with Chrysalis!” exclaimed 4DT.

“What?!” exclaimed Aquamarine.

4DT paced the control room, clutching her hair.

“We’ve lost contact,” he repeated. “Chrysalis is no longer responding to commands! They’ve taken it out of action.”

“That…” Aquamarine clenched her fists. “That was years of White and Yellow Diamond’s experimentation, and now it’s… it’s… this is your fault!”

“My fault?” replied 4DT. “How is it my fault! You-”

“Settle down.”

Both of them jumped and gazed towards the figure that still stood in the doorway, the faintest trace of a smile on her shadowed face.

“The drones remain active, so Project Chrysalis remains a success,” the figure explained. “Sadie Miller was never anything more than a side-project - all this has proved is that the human mind is… unsatisfactory. Like most, in fact.”

“I… a test?” 4DT pursed her lips. “And how do you know what White Diamond thinks? Maybe this is a disaster, and you’re just covering yourself so she-”

“I know, 4DT. Would you like to know too?”

The figure stepped forward, revealing herself - a white pearl, her hair tied into buns on either side of her face, a crack running over her eye. 4DT swallowed.

“N-no, I… I’m good.”

“Good,” said White Pearl, smiling vacantly. “Now, Rose Quartz will be here soon - we’d best get ready. Have the drones-”

“Yes, ma’am,” replied Aquamarine. “The prisoners are being…”

“Aquamarine.” White Pearl turned her head towards her, her body remaining totally still. “Never interrupt me again.”

Aquamarine shut her mouth and gulped.

“Bring me the Peridot,” continued White Pearl. “I want to have a heart to heart…”

[son-of-an-invader]

[ @zimerstellar ]

One thing was for sure, the schematics for the plans Addie had made to combine to Sualocin and the Nazo weren’t complicated, they were just going to take a lot of time and materials. Dek could only hope that nothing to pressing happened between now and when they finally had it completed. It wouldn’t due for the Team Nebula flag ship to be out of commission if something pressing occurred.

Zim was able to pull himself way from his other two mates, who were currently watching some movie or other that he couldn’t bring himself to be interested in. Perhaps if it had more guns. And explosions. And was also a video game. It wasn’t a big deal. He leave them to have their fun and he could go bother the hybrid of their group. He found Dek looking over the plans for the new ship again, messing around with some holographic simulations. He grinned as he came forward, leaning against a nearby work station. “You are over thinking this, Captain,” he said softly.

Dek hummed. He’d heard Zim come in. He glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. “Not really. Addie gave us a very vague design. I understand that she wanted us to have it be all our own, but it is a little frustrating to figure out exactly how this is going to work without a specific guideline.” He poked a few of the holograms that hung in the air, zooming in on this part and that. He even swiped some parts a way...only to bring them back again. This really was going to be harder than anticipated.

Zim snickered. “She gave us a basic design. The simplest thing to do would be to break down both ship into each of their best parts and then slowly combine them over time. But I know you’re afraid of being caught off guard.”

“Can you really blame me?” Dek asked, continuing to poke along the hologram. “Every time I turn around someone’s getting kidnapped or turning evil or dying or in some kind of goddamn mortal peril.” He sighed roughly. “I don’t like being unprepared.”

“Dek. We now live on the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Team Nebula has other, just as capable ships. We also happen to have the entire Lazurothian fleet at our disposal. Having two ships out of commission will not make or break us.”

“You don’t know that,” Dek told him. They had tons of help in past battles before and managed to get pretty badly beaten up anyway.

Zim huffed, pushing away from the work station and walking over to Dek’s side. He waved his hand to make the hologram vanish before turning to face the tall hybrid. “I do know that,” he said, grabbing Dek back the lapels of his jacket and pulling him forward. “You did not have Zim before. But you do now. And I do not plan on going anywhere. And as I’m sure you know I am amazing. We will be able to face anything as long as I’m here.” He grinned confidently.

Dek snorted. “Is this your way of saying we’ll get through anything together?” 

“No, don’t be silly. I said you would get through this because you have Zim, now. Do not put words in my mouth.”

Dek just laughed a little at the Irken’s ridiculous logic. His hand moved to Zim’s waist, pulling him closer. “Fine, I won’t put words in your mouth,” Dek murmured before kissing Zim soundly on the mouth.

Zim gave a pleased trill at the kiss, his grip tightening on Dek’s lapels. He loved his other two mates dearly, but Dek gave off such a commanding presence that Zim couldn’t help but follow. Electricity shot through his veins at every show of affection the captain gave him. One of his hands reached up behind Dek’s head, pulling the hybrid ever closer so he could deepen the kiss.

Dek purred as Zim’s tongue slid into his mouth, his hands sliding to Zim’s full hips. In a quick moment he lifted the smaller up against him before propping him on top of the nearby work station. His kisses became more fervent as he pulled away to nibble Zim’s lower lip, then trailed down to bite at Zim’s throat.

Zim gasped as he was lifted, his own purr rolling out of him at the Captain’s rough kisses. His other hand joined the one behind Dek’s head pulling him ever closer. His legs wrapped around the hybrid’s waist, trapping the taller against him. He was already so lost to these feelings, his body reacting and wanting more. It wasn’t until Dek began biting at his neck that he remembered himself, where they were. “Dek...You are giving the other workers quite the show.”

Dek pulled away slowly, his face coloring to dark purple. He didn’t bother to look around. He could almost feel the other dozen eyes on him. It was easy to forget that others existed when he was with his mates. He gave a wordless grumble and cleared his throat. As much as he didn’t mind being a little risky with his mates, he wasn’t about to knowingly fuck Zim in front of a bunch of his and Midge’s subordinates. “Yes. I suppose that might, uh...be a bit much.”

Zim chuckled. “If you would like, we can brainstorm the best way to proceed with the ship. Maybe even come up with a fitting name.” He hoped off the work station and pulled Dek into a quick, chaste kiss. “Though I do hope you intend to make this up to me, Captain.”

Dek snorted, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. “Of course,” he said with a wink. “Also are you trying to say that I’m no good at naming things?”

“Of course not,” Zim said. “You can’t be any worst than the Tallests.”

“Very funny.”

“Of course I am. I am Zim and I am good at everything.” He let a small pause linger, not missing how Dek rolled his eyes. They brought the hologram back up and began going through it, deciding to figure out what pieces to work into the design and what pieces to discard. Zim then suddenly thought of the discussion he’d had with Addie last night, deciding he should probably inform Dek of their findings. Just to prepare him. He pulled out his tablet and handed it for Dek to see. “Addie showed me this last night. I feel it is important you should know, since you are afraid of being blindsided.”

Dek looked at the tablet, his brow furrowing. He was silent for a very long time, his mind racing. “Is...is that...?”

“Yes. The one from the timeline Dib and I came from. But for all intents and purposes, it is all of ours.” He put the tablet away. “Addie has said she plans on looking into who the current ruler is. Or rulers. Who is to say for sure? The only reason I know it is not our Red and Purple is because all the codes have been changed.”

Dek rose a brow. “You tried to contact them?”

“I was curious. Also I wanted to see if I could give Addie some perspective of what they are going to get themselves into.” He shrugged. “In the past I’ve been able to hack past any blocks perfectly. But this is not blocks. This is a change in contact information and codes. That only happens with a change in Tallests.”

Dek frowned, tapping his claws on the nearest surface. “Well...I suppose that is good to know.”

“Are you worried about them?” Zim asked.

“It doesn’t matter how many titles or powers she acquires. She is my daughter. And it’s because of that that I know exactly what she’s thinking.” He huffed. “Iris deserves an opportunity to fight for his birthright. And Addie and Chance are going to do everything in their power to make sure he gets that opportunity. I trust them. I trust that Addie won’t go into things without a plan. I trust that they will work together and ask for help if they need it but...I guess it just bothers me that ultimately this is something they must do on their own.”

Zim nodded. “You could view it as a passing of the torch, so to speak. As you said, she is your daughter. She’s proven herself to be as strong and clever as you. Maybe more so. At least she can drive.”

“Brat,” Dek groused.

“My point is...she is capable. As are Chance and Iris. And if this is for Iris’ birthright, it is perhaps for the best that they handle this alone. That he take on this challenge. Though as you know, whatever Tallest they must face will perhaps be the least of their worries. That timeline never got to the point of revolution against the Control Brains, as far as I know.”

Dek grunted again. There was nothing he could do about this now. He felt like talking to Addie about this would not only be overbearing, but insulting. He needed to trust that the three of them could do this when the time came. Whenever that may be. “Do me a favor? Let’s keep this on the downlow from Midge. At least until after the twins are born.”

Zim didn’t even hesitate to agree. “Of course. Until then, we will do what we can. Like work on this ship.” Keeping information from one of their mates did make him feel a little guilty, but it was better than stressing her out unnecessarily right now. There was nothing they could do. Not unless Addie, Iris and Chance asked them. This would be their uprising. Their legacy. And they couldn’t interfere unless asked, or else end up with a spurred daughter and son-in-laws. “So this piece here? Yeh or nay?” He pointed to a strange part that looked like a puzzle piece.

Dek looked up, thankful for being dragged back into their task at hand. He tilted his head and shrugged. “Nay.”

[centerofstupidity]

Dracula the Undead: Author’s Note Part 1 Snark

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Interested in reading the previous Dracula the Undead chapter snarks? They can be found here.

Summary: An aperitif of the clusterfuckery that is to come. This is a long-winded and self-congratulating author's note.

Both writers claim that their novel stays true to Bram Stoker's vision even though it contradicts and re-writes the original story.

In case anyone wants to read the original author's note in order to form their own conclusions, you can read it here.  

~ Dacre's Story ~

Since I am a Stoker, it is not surprising that I have had a lifelong interest in the work of my ancestor.

At the risk of sounding like a complete ass...

This "interest" is financially motivated. 

Bram’s youngest brother, George, believed to be the sibling with whom he had the closest relationship, was my great-grandfather, so I am Bram’s great-grandnephew.

"Which means that I am related to Bram Stoker and can write an 'official' sequel to Dracula. And that will make me a shit-load of money."

In college, I wrote a paper on my great granduncle,

I'm getting the impression that is statement is supposed to make Dacre Stoker sound unique...

Even though there are plenty of other college students who have written an essay about Bram Stoker or Dracula for an assignment.

For instance, yours truly did a PowerPoint presentation on Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley for a class in college. 

examining what may have motivated him to write Dracula.

Again, this isn't groundbreaking stuff. 

Many people have published articles or books discussing Dracula. 

Scholars like Professor Elizabeth Miller have dedicated their lives to studying it. 

My research opened my eyes to how, from my family’s perspective, the history of the book Dracula, is pretty tragic.

"And before I give everyone a history lesson, I'm telling you all this so I can justify butchering my ancestor's work."

Bram Stoker died without ever seeing Dracula become popular. The sales of the novel were so limited at the time of his death that his widow, Florence, thought she would never benefit financially from Bram’s “wasted” seven years of research and writing. With Bram’s other fiction and nonfiction books out of print, Florence was convinced she would live out her days on a tight budget.

Actually, that isn't true. 

According to scholar John Edgar Browning, the majority of critics gave positive reviews. 

His findings were published on February 1st, 2012. 

It is important to note Dracula: The Undead was published in 2009.

But in an interview in 2013, Dacre Stoker said this: There is this statement that used to kind of drive me crazy—‘Dracula was met with mixed reviews when Bram was alive’. 

He then briefly discusses Browning’s research.

Which means that Stoker knew about Browning’s findings...

But he ignored it and printed misinformation. 

Dacre adds that it was only "ten years after Bram’s death" when Dracula became popular.

Posthumously, Bram started to receive recognition as the progenitor of the modern vampire/horror novel.

Not to diminish Dracula and its impact on popular culture...

But it is not the first influential vampire novel. 

Varney the Vampire is. 

Dacre Stoker goes on to talk about Florence Stoker (Bram Stoker's wife) and her legal dispute with the creators of Nosferatu.

He also states that Dracula became public domain in the U.S.A since 1899 because Bram didn't complete a requirement so Florence Stoker had to live off the U.K. royalties.

With the U.S. copyright lost, Hollywood, corporate America, and anyone else was free to do whatever they wanted to Bram’s story and characters.

This is the part where the reader is supposed to boo and hiss at Hollywood...

And then give Holt and Stoker a standing ovation for writing Dracula the Undead. 

Dacre Stoker talks about how his family wasn't asked for approval of "any of the hundreds of incarnations of Dracula over the next century."

My father’s generation had a negative feeling for all things Hollywood and Dracula.

Which is understandable given what happened. 

But after reading the author's note...

The history of Dracula is being used in order to deflect any criticism.

And to justify bastardizing Dracula under the pretense of honoring Bram's original vision and righting a past wrong. 

—except, of course, for Bram’s original novel.

So we have two options:

They knowingly endorsed a novel that defamed Bram and mocked the original novel. 

Or they loved Dracula and would be appalled that Bram was dragged through the mud and the original lore was ridiculed. 

According to Ian Holt in an interview in 2010, he says that “Bram’s bitter demeanor was even worse in real life than we depicted in the novel.”

And in the same interview, Holt passively aggressively says: “Do your research. The fact that the chapters with Bram were written almost completely by Dacre in consultation with his family means nothing to them.” 

So yeah...

I’m leaning towards option number one. 

I didn’t write about these issues in my college paper, but they were always on my mind.

Dacre Stoker admitted that he didn't read Dracula until he went to college.

Stoker says it was "a shame" that his family was unable to "control the legacy of my great-granduncle" and  "lay claim to the character of Dracula."

It was many years after college that I met an interesting character, Ian Holt.

Stoker doesn't realize that calling someone "an interesting character" can be a veiled insult.

Ian is a screenwriter who has been obsessed with all things Dracula since childhood.

A lot of people love all things Dracula.

Doesn't mean that they are a talented writer.

Ian, being a true idealist, had a plan that inspired me to not accept the frustrating history of Dracula.

"He was my knight in shining armor!"

He wanted to change history.

History reveals that change isn't always positive. 

Sometimes it is negative. 

Ian’s plan was simple: to reestablish creative control over Bram’s novel and characters by writing a sequel that bore the Stoker name.

To my surprise, none in my family had ever considered this.

Translation: "Why haven't any of my family members tried writing a novel? It's the obvious solution to the problem." 

And it didn't occur to Stoker none of his family members had any interest in being a writer. 

It really pisses me off when people act like writing any kind of fiction is easy or that anyone can be a writer. 

While any literate person can write, not everyone can be a writer. 

It requires talent and passion along with the desire to learn about the craft and improve your writing skills.  

Intrigued, I decided to join Ian on a roller-coaster ride as coauthor.

And for readers, it is a nightmarish ride where clusterfuckery gallops and a literary classic is violently raped.

In writing Dracula the Un-Dead, I felt a strong sense of duty and familial responsibility.

"It isn't because I wanted to piss all over my relative's legacy and make a shit load of money."

I hoped to work with Ian to represent Bram’s vision for the character of Dracula.

Bram's vision should be called Sir Not Appearing in This Novel.

We aimed to resurrect Bram’s original themes and characters, just as Bram conceived them more than a century ago.

The Dracula characters appear in name only.

They are cast in an unfavorable light. 

As for the themes?

They are discarded. 

So many books and films had strayed from Bram’s vision—

It is extremely rare for adaptations to stick extremely close to the original story. 

Usually, adaptations take artistic license with the source material. 

And just because an adaptation or a retelling differs from the original story, doesn't mean that it will automatically suck. 

For instance, I like films, mangas, and video games that are inspired by/loosely based on Dracula. 

and thus our intent was to give both Bram and Dracula back their dignity in some small way.

Dracula is depicted as a misunderstood man with fangs who is every woman's erotic dream. 

And readers are supposed to despise Bram. 

I think Bram would be proud that a family member has taken this initiative, and finally done justice to the legacy he created.

Bram would be livid that his work was bastardized and that his descendant depicted him as a desperate and a talentless hack.

~ Ian’s Story ~

I am not ashamed to say it, I LOVE horror films.

Ah, all-caps.

How I loathe thee.

A lot of people like horror and it is a popular genre. 

So that doesn't make you unique.

And horror movies are no longer considered depraved or scandalous.

Holt mentions that his favorite horror movie as a kid was Dracula (1931).

When I was ten years old, my mother bought me a record for Halloween with Christopher Lee narrating the story of Dracula by Bram Stoker. Reading that record sleeve changed my life, for it was then I learned that Transylvania was an actual place and that Dracula was a historical figure.

Where do I begin? 

If you are LISTENING to an audiobook, you are not READING IT.

Ian was "inspired" by the audiobook that he decided to read Dracula.

I was surprised at how different the novel was from the films—and I had seen every Dracula film ever made.

"Who knew that Count Dracula swings both ways? Or that Mina is an assertive and intelligent woman and not a stupid Dracula fangirl?"

The novel was more intelligent, astute, and dark.

While this literary abomination is a cash-grab filled with gratuitous gore and sex.

The novel had more intricate and exciting characters than I could have ever imagined.

While Dracula the Undead has depraved lesbian vampires and a whiny prat along with a handsome and misunderstood vampire who only wants tru luv.

I felt cheated by Hollywood. I vowed revenge!

I get it, Holt and Stoker. 

I'm supposed to hate Hollywood but adore your literary travesty. 

Fifteen years later, my opportunity came.

And Dracula fans wished that it never arrived.

Flipping channels one night, I came upon a program on the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that this story will result in name dropping. And Holt insisting that he is a scholar.

On the program, Coppola held up the 1972 book In Search of Dracula written by Fulbright Scholars Professor Raymond McNally and Professor Radu Florescu (Prince Dracula’s actual descendant).

Vlad the Impaler is also known as Vlad III, Vlad Dracul or Vlad Dracula. 

Sometimes he is referred to as Vlad III of Wallachia or Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia. 

But I have never heard of any scholar referring to Vlad III as "Prince Dracula."

A quick Google search reveals only this book and a YA novel called Hunting Prince Dracula. 

Every time I see Vlad III being mentioned as "Prince Dracula", I can't keep a straight face. 

Because it reminds me of Beni Gabor calling Imhotep his "prince." 

Coppola had used the professors’ research of the historical Prince Dracula’s life as inspiration for the opening sequence of his film.

And he discarded the rest of it in order to make Dracula a guy who is looking for his one tru luv.

Before taking a breath I was on a plane to Boston College to meet the professors. After showing them some notes on the screenplay I planned to write based on their book,

"I smelled an opportunity to make some money!"

the professors sold me the rights for one dollar

"They were impressed my awesomeness!"

The friendship I forged with McNally and Florescu has borne fruit in many ways. I soon began traveling with the professors giving lectures on the impact of Bram Stoker’s novel on our culture.

According to Dracula the Undead on the official Penguin Publishing House website, Ian is being described as:

There is a BIG difference between being a fan, a historian, and a documentarian. 

A quick Google search reveals that Ian Holt has not published anything in an academic journal.

However, one of the first things that pop up in an internet search is this. 

This garnered me an invitation to speak at The First World Dracula Congress in Bucharest, Romania, in 1995—a gathering of Dracula/horror scholars from around the world.

I don't doubt that Holt went to The First World Dracula Congress.

But I don't think he was a speaker.

Elizabeth Miller wrote a report about the gathering. 

And Ian Holt isn't mentioned among the speakers. 

Holt went sightseeing in Romania and how he made "the dream I had as a ten-year-old come true."

Thanks to the friends I made at the First World Dracula Congress, I was asked to join the Transylvanian Society of Dracula—a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of all things Dracula.

We get it, Ian Holt. 

You want us to think that you are a scholar because you are friends with scholars and historians. 

But I don't think a scholar would be constantly name-dropping.

Through friends in the society I met Professor Elizabeth Miller, the world’s foremost authority on all things vampire, Dracula, and Bram.

"And I'll use my scholar friends as a shield to deal with criticism."

Professor Miller asked me to speak at the Dracula convention in Los Angeles in 1997, where we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the release of Bram’s novel.

According to a report on the 1997 Dracula convention in Los Angeles, Holt isn't mentioned as being one of the speakers.

Holt says during the convention he came up with an idea to write a sequel to Dracula. He admits that a Dracula sequel isn't a new idea.

But a Dracula sequel was never written with "input from a member of the Stoker family."

Holt goes on to say that "securing that input became my goal" and contacted the Stoker family patriarch.

Still scarred by the Nosferatu copyright affair and years of being ignored and abused by Hollywood, the members of this generation of the Stoker family wanted nothing to do with me.

I could be wrong...

But I'm getting a strong feeling that Holt was miffed that some members of the Stokers didn't want to touch him with a ten-foot pole. 

Especially since Holt said the Stoker family at "long last" supported the idea for an official sequel.

But I wouldn’t give up.

Holt says how he "kept building up my film-writing résumé and Dracula connections." He eventually meets Dacre Stoker.

I pitched him my sequel idea, which at the time I had been planning as a screenplay. Dacre was enthusiastic and suggested that the proper way to proceed was with a book first.

If it is a novel, then it will be proper lit-ra-choor.

Because a movie wouldn't be "deep" or "elevated". 

Both Dacre and Ian agreed to a writing partnership.

And Dacre contacted his family members and presented them with the sequel proposal.

Once it was understood that this would be a labor of love,

"We gleefully shit all over the original lore and insist that it was all a lie."

our intentions honorable, and that our plan was to restore to the world Bram’s original vision and characters,

If that was the case, then:

The original lore of Dracula wouldn't be repeatedly violated.

The Crew of Light wouldn't be depicted in an unflattering light.

And Bram Stoker wouldn't be vilified. 

the Stokers offered support, at long last.

Translation: They finally appreciated my genius!

Dracula the Un-Dead is the culmination of my lifelong dream and years of hard work.

"And why is the Devil laughing and doing a victory dance?"

It is my gift to every horror nut out there.

If by "gift", you mean a literary turd, then I agree with you.

My greatest wish is we have created a book that is close to Bram’s original gothic vision

"Close to Bram's original gothic vision"? 

Hell no! 

It contradicts the original story and reads like a shitty Coppola's Dracula fanfic. 

—while modernizing it at the same time.

By stealing a twist from The Empire Strikes Back and copying a scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Believe me, I realize how lucky I am.

And readers will regard this novel as a plague upon mankind.

I have been truly blessed that in some small way, my name will be linked with

a mean-spirited and shitty novel.

that of my hero, Bram Stoker—

I'm not convinced that Dacre or Ian regard Bram as their hero.

Here is an excerpt from the novel:

"If there were to be any truth to Stoker's novel it would have to be where no sunlight could ever reach."

Translation: you can stick it where the sun don't shine.

the man who invented modern horror.

I'll say it again...

Stoker wasn't the only one who invented modern horror.

Some of the other writers were Edgar Allen Poe, Ann Radcliffe, Sheridan Le Fanu, Algernon Blackwood, and H.P. Lovecraft.

[airocityholidaysdelhi-blog]

Have you Plan this Summer to Trip India's Safe spot during Coronavirus?

What to do in Coronavirus 

 Try not to go to open social affairs, for example, work, school, strip malls, and college so as to maintain a strategic distance from broad infection. Continuously do self-isolate in-home and consistently wash your hands with cleanser and water. Spread your mouth with garments while hacking and sniffling. All things considered, there are no immunizations for covid-19 yet it very well may be forestalled. Anti-infection agents don't respond to this infection. On the off chance that your saw as influenced with this infection detach yourself for not spreading this infection.

 The high-chance district of this infection is china, Iran, Italy, and Korea. The most helpless individuals are the individual who is experiencing malignant growth and individuals with interminable ailments. It is spread from beads of tainted people and doesn't haphazardly contact different surfaces. Practice individual cleanliness and stay away from get-togethers. Discard all the pre-owned tissues appropriately and use liquor based sanitizers.

 Coronavirus is spreading over the globe, a few travel-related happens from visa undoing to flight suspensions. Numerous individuals are fixated on voyaging they are stressed during this plague breakout. It isn't protected to fly over different nations. It is generally spread on the region with normal temperature ranges from 10 to 35-degree Celcius. It doesn't spread in freezing regions. The high temperature doesn't murder the coronavirus.

 Where To Go For Summer Tour During Coronavirus?

  We cannot avoid travel due to corona because it recharges our soul and mind. Travel to the noncoronary affected countries. In local travel to hot places on the north side such as Rajasthan, Delhi where the scorching sun appears throughout the day which will clear the coronavirus and makes it less harmful. Airocity Holidays Pvt. Ltd. is one of the famous travels Company situated in the Connaught Place, Delhi region famous for offering tour packages at an affordable cost . It offers various domestic tour packages near Delhi at a low charge during this virus outbreak. This trip is fully protected and scanned to avoid the deadly virus. We can also book one day or weekend trips based on our convenience. Below is the list of places near to Delhi where we can spend our holidays without being exposed to corona. Several new places are included in these domestic tour packages.

 End of the week excursions from Delhi to Rajasthan

 Ranthambore

 It is situated a ways off of 362-kilo meters from Delhi. It comprises of a national park that gets a huge number of sightseers everywhere throughout the reality where we can see thundering tigers meandering in the outdoors condition. We can experience safari drive to visit these thick woodlands. We can feel the magnificence of the idea of the scene and knolls. There are three lakes introduced there in particular Raj Bagh, Padam Talab and malik talab.

 Sariska

 It is arranged a good ways off of 180 kilometers from the state capital Delhi and it is known as a characteristic chasing goal. In Sariska national park we can see the walking tigers in the outside. It is the celebrated voyagers goal in the Alwar locale comprises of meadows, woods, and scenes.

 Bharatpur

 It is the authentic city and it is famously known as Loha Garh and it is additionally called the eastern entryway to Rajasthan situated a ways off of 199kilo meter from Delhi. Keoladeo ghana national park which is a flying creature asylum got recorded in the UNESCO'S world legacy site. Here we can see different sorts of fowls from everywhere throughout the world. It comprises of in excess of 250 assortments of winged creatures.

 Alwar

 It is the popular city set up by an extraordinary ruler which is situated a good ways off of 160-kilo meter toward the south of Delhi. It pulls in vacationers from everywhere throughout the world and it mirrors the great way of life of medieval Rajasthan. The best spot to visit in this city is Bala-Quila, Sariska Van Abhyaranya, and Silished Etc.

 Pushkar

 It is situated at the Ajmer area of Rajasthan a ways off of 403 km from the Delhi. This is the main spot where we can see the Brahma sanctuary. 52 washing doors are situated in that sanctuary which is accepted that the water from the lake fixes numerous ailments. We can see showcase lanes, outdoors and camel safari.

 Mandawa

 It is the palace town situated a ways off of 240-kilo meters in the Jhunjhunu region of Rajasthan. This illustrious fortification is currently changed into a palace lodging. This entryway is decored with Lord Krishna. In this fortress patio, we can without much of a stretch see the all encompassing perspective in general town.

 Samode

 It is the imperial habitation of the nathawat family and probably the best case of indo-sarsanic design situated a good ways off of 40 km from the city Jaipur. This design shows the image of tastefulness and magnificence and says about the structural style of the medieval age.

Jaipur

 This spot is likewise called a pink city and this city is especially comprised of pink stone. It is the biggest city in Rajasthan. This post is with 953 windows and worked with kaleidoscopic marbles. Here we can see city royal residence Jaipur, Raigarh fortification, golden fortress and significantly more. This city is notable for its specialties and craftsmanship.

 Karauli

 It takes after the important rich workmanship and design of antiquated India situated a good ways off of 304 kilometers from Delhi. This city is loaded up with holy places, Havelis and delightful chhatris. It shows both the design style of Rajasthan and Mughal developments. They are for the most part comprised of light red stones and it is situated at the bank of bhadrawati waterway.

 Kota

 On the off chance that you are fixated on arbitrary family this end of the week trip is the most ideal alternative to get invigorated and feel the outside air. It is talented with rich common magnificence and fortresses. It found only 500 km from Delhi. The spots to visit here are sambal gardens, Maharaj Madho Singh Museum, jag mandir, Kansas sanctuary, Kota blast, The administration historical center, and haryali water park. This spot is the case of Rajput best engineering which is situated a good ways off of 36 km from Kota. The spots to visit here are Diwan-e-aam, Hatha pool, and Naubat Khana.

[tak4hir0]

The results are in! After 51 nominations whittled down to 15 finalists by a community vote, an expert panel consisting of Nicolas Grégoire, Soroush Dalili, Filedescriptor, and myself have conferred, voted, and selected the Top 10 new web hacking techniques of 2019. Every year, professional researchers, seasoned pentesters, bug bounty hunters and academics release a flood of blog posts, presentations, videos and whitepapers. Whether they're suggesting new attack techniques, remixing old ones, or documenting findings, many of these contain novel ideas that can be applied elsewhere. However, in these days of vulnerabilities arriving equipped with logos and marketing teams it's all too easy for innovative techniques and ideas to get missed in the noise, simply because they weren't broadcast loudly enough. That's why every year, we work with the community to seek out and enshrine ten techniques that we think will withstand the test of time. We regard these ten as the creme of the most innovative web security research published in the last year. Every entry contains insights for aspiring researchers, pentesters, bug bounty hunters, and anyone else interested in recent developments in web security. Community Favourite - HTTP Desync AttacksThe entry with the most community votes by a substantial margin was HTTP Desync Attacks, in which I revived the long forgotten technique of HTTP Request Smuggling to earn over $90k in bug bounties, compromise PayPal's login page twice, and kick off a wave of findings for the wider community. I regard this as my best research to date, but I made the tactical decision to exclude it from the official top 10 because there's no way I'm going to write a post that declares my own research the best. Moving swiftly on... 10. Exploiting Null Byte Buffer Overflow for a $40,000 bountyAt number 10 we have a fantastic heartbleed-style memory-safety exploit from Sam Curry and friends. This critical but easily-overlooked vulnerability almost certainly affects other websites, and serves us a reminder that even if you're an expert, there's still a place for simply fuzzing and keeping an eye out for anything unexpected. 9. Microsoft Edge (Chromium) - EoP to Potential RCE In this writeup, Abdulrhman Alqabandi uses a mixture of web and binary attacks to pwn anyone who makes the mistake of visiting his site using Microsoft's new Chromium-Powered Edge (aka Edgium). $40,000 in bounties later this is now patched, but it's still a sterling example of an exploit chain combining multiple low-severity vulnerabilities to achieve a critical impact, and also beautifully demonstrates how web vulnerabilities can bleed onto your desktop through privileged origins. It inspired us to update Hackability to detect when it's on a privileged origin by scanning the chrome object. For another look at web vulnerability chaos in the browser-chrome battleground, check out Remote Code Execution in Firefox beyond memory corruptions. 8. Infiltrating Corporate Intranet Like NSA: Pre-Auth RCE On Leading SSL VPNsThe incumbent winner Orange Tsai makes his first appearance alongside Meh Chang with multiple unauthenticated RCE vulnerabilities in SSL VPNs. The privileged, internet-exposed position VPNs typically sit in means that in terms of sheer impact, this is about as good as it gets. Although the techniques applied are largely classics, they use some creative twists that I won't spoil for you here. This research helped spawn a wave of audits targeting SSL VPNs, leading to numerous findings including a clutch of SonicWall vulnerabilities published last week. 7. Exploring CI Services as a Bug Bounty Hunter Modern websites are stitched together from numerous services reliant on secrets to identify each-other. When these get leaked, the web of trust can fall apart. Secrets leaking in Continuous Integration repositories/logs is a common occurrence, and finding them via automation is even more common. Yet this research by EdOverflow et al systematically sheds new light on overlooked cases and potential future research areas. It's also quite possibly the inspiration for the hilarious site/tool SSHGit. 6. All is XSS that comes to the .NETMonitoring novel research is a core part of my job, but I still managed to completely miss this post when it was first released. Fortunately, someone in the community had sharper eyes and nominated it. Paweł Hałdrzyński takes a little-known legacy feature of the .NET framework and shows how it can be used to add arbitrary content to URL paths on arbitrary endpoints, causing us some mild panic when we realised even our own website supported it. Reminiscent of Relative Path Overwrite attacks, this is a piece of arcana that can sometimes kick off an exploit chain. In the post it's used for XSS, but we strongly suspect alternative abuses will emerge in future. 5. Google Search XSSThe Google Search box is probably the most-tested input on the planet, so how Masato Kinugawa managed to XSS it was beyond comprehension, up until he revealed all via a collaboration with his colleague LiveOverflow. These two videos provide a solid introduction on how to find DOM parsing bugs by reading the docs and fuzzing, and also give a rare look into the creativity behind this magnificent exploit. 4. Abusing Meta Programming for Unauthenticated RCEOrange Tsai returns with a pre-auth RCE in Jenkins, described over two posts. The authentication bypass is nice, but our favourite innovation is the use of meta-programming to create a backdoor that executes at compile-time, in the face of numerous environmental constraints. We expect to see meta-programming again in future. It's also an excellent example of research continuation, as the exploit was subsequently improved by multiple researchers. 3. Owning The Clout Through Server Side Request ForgeryThis presentation from Ben Sadeghipour and Cody Brocious starts out with an overview of existing SSRF techniques, shows how they can be adapted and applied to server-side PDF generators, then brings DNS rebinding into the mix for good measure. The work targeting PDF generators is an insightful look into a feature-class that's all too easily ignored. We first saw DNS rebinding on server-side browsers appear on the 2018 nomination list, and the release of HTTPRebind should help make this attack more accessible than ever. Finally, I might be wrong about this but I suspect this presentation may deserve some credit for finally persuading Amazon to think about securing their EC2 metadata endpoint. 2. Cross-Site Leaks Cross-site leaks have been a long time coming. First documented over a decade ago, and creeping into our top 10 last year, it's in 2019 that awareness of this attack class and its sheer number of crazy variations exploded. It's hard to apportion credit at such a scale but we clearly owe thanks to Eduardo Vela's succinct introduction to the concept with a novel technique, the collaborative effort to build a public list of known XS-Leak vectors, and researchers applying the XS-Leaks technique to great effect. XS-Leaks have already had a lasting impact on the web security landscape, as they played a major role in the death of browser XSS filters. Block-mode XSS filtering was a major source of XS-Leak vectors, and this combined with even worse issues with filter-mode to persuade Edge and later Chrome to both discard their filters in a victory for web security and a disaster for web security researchers alike. 1. Cached and Confused: Web Cache Deception in the WildIn this academic whitepaper, Sajjad Arshad et al take Omer Gil's Web Cache Deception technique (which premiered at #2 in our top 10 back in 2017), and share a systematic exploration of Web Cache Deception vulnerabilities across the Alexa Top 5000 websites. For legal reasons, most offensive security research is conducted during professional audits or on websites with bug bounty programs, but through careful ethical footwork this research offers a glimpse into the state of security on the wider web. With the help of a well-crafted methodology that could easily be adapted for other techniques, they prove that Web Cache Deception is still a prevalent threat. Aside from the methodology, the other key innovation is the introduction of five novel path confusion techniques which expand the number of vulnerable websites. They also do a better job of documenting web-caching provider's caching behaviour than many providers themselves. Overall, this is a superb example of the community taking existing research in a new direction, and a well deserved number one! ConclusionWe saw a particularly strong set of nominations this year, so many excellent pieces of research didn't make it into the top 10. As such, I recommend checking out the full nomination list. For those interested in getting access to 2020 research as soon as it's released, we recently created the r/websecurityresearch subreddit and @PortSwiggerRes Twitter accounts to promote notable research. You can also find past year's top 10 lists here: 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006. Year after year we see great research comes from building on other people's ideas, so we'd like to thank everyone who takes the time to publish their findings, whether nominated or not. Finally, we'd like to thank the wider community for your enthusiastic participation. Without your nominations and votes, this wouldn't be possible. Till next year!

[mysral]

An extremely ominous puzzle

So, last night, I was doing some thinking on Horizon Zero Dawn, particularly regarding the culprits behind you-know-what. While discussing the matter with a friend, speculating on possibilities, I had myself a little eureka moment. If I’m right? Hoo, boy.

The following is adapted from the TV Tropes WMG I created on the matter. Massive spoilers below!

The Glitch was no accident; of that we can be certain. A disturbing prospect, yes, but also one that raises several important questions. Who could have been responsible? Why would they do such a thing? And why were the two instances of the Glitch striking separated by nearly a thousand years?

Let us assume that there are no aliens involved, and the Glitch was in fact engineered by humans. Leaving aside the question of motive, this means one of three things:

The hack was not intended to cause global sterilization, but got out of control and did so anyways, and the creators died horrible, karmic deaths.

The hackers intended to pull a global murder-suicide from the start.

The hackers had an escape route.

Given the fact that the Glitch made a sudden reappearance via a "transmission of unknown origins", its masters are still around and we can discard possibilities 1 and 2. So who could have hacked the swarm and escaped global sterilization for all that time?

The answer to that question is the Far Zenith organization.

Putting together some of the stray bits of information from the Apocalyptic Logs in Horizon provides a highly compelling trail of clues. Far Zenith was responsible for reviving the Odyssey interstellar colony project after its initial failure. They were a largely-anonymous "futurist consortium" claiming to include 77 of the world's wealthiest individuals. (Now, if that doesn't scream "shadowy, sinister cabal" I don't know what does.) The Odyssey took years to set up, and finally set off during the Faro Plague, only to suffer catastrophic failure - or at least, that's according to telemetry.

A reconstruction of events goes as follows. In the late 2040's, the already titanic Faro Automated Solutions begins work as a military contractor and is soon dominating the market. At a certain point, it creates the Chariot Line, which any Genre Savvy person can see is a doomsday device waiting to be triggered. FZ, likely with the help of inside information/assistance, create the override mechanism that would become the Glitch. Meanwhile, the nations of the world are developing the original Odyssey. FZ manages to fatally sabotage the mission in 2057, leaving the ship a "heap of space junk (...) in graveyard orbit" and its developers all too glad to be rid of it. The consortium can then publicly step up and offer to take over, thereby gaining control over an interstellar colony project.

When Odyssey has progressed far enough, the Glitch is triggered, unleashing the Faro swarm upon the world. A new public urgency is added to ensuring Odyssey's success, and cooperation with the Zero Dawn project even nets FZ a prototype version of APOLLO. As things get worse down on Earth, Odyssey, with the conspirators safely aboard, leaves for Sirius (or parts unknown). As it exits the solar system, it transmits a false telemetry signal, faking its destruction.

In reality, the conspirators are simply biding their time in cryosleep until conditions on post-sterilization Earth normalize. Odyssey, full of the seeds and zygotes intended for a colony, can be used to re-seed Earth as Far Zenith sees fit. With the APOLLO education system at hand, they can even raise and indoctrinate fresh new generations of humanity, all according to whatever ideals they might have. Unfortunately for them, however, Earth is not the blank slate they were expecting upon return. With the planet already terraformed and the Faro Swarm shut down, Far Zenith has no choice but to turn to hacking once again. They manage to track GAIA's signal to her source, and HADES is unshackled to undo the annoying complication she caused. That is, were it not for Elisabet Sobeck throwing yet another wrench into their plans...

Heinously evil beyond even your average cartoon supervilain? Yes. And yet, too many pieces of the puzzle fit. Particularly so if one considers that a 'zenith' is the highest point an object reaches before it comes back down again.

I leave you with the following quote given by Osvald Dalgaard, representative of Far Zenith, in a news article Aloy can find.

"We are devoted not only to extending humanity's legacy beyond this solar system, but also to making the world...sexier, I suppose. More interesting (...) Here's where I get to blow your mind. Very exciting. We are not interesting in escaping a dying world. For us this is not an act of panic or, ah...adrenal survival reflex. The Odyssey, under the stewardship of Far Zenith, will be a triumph, not a retreat. This is why we will succeed. Why we have already succeeded, really.”

[alltimebestbooks]

Top 20 Books Impact my Life

Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

With over 2.5 million copies sold worldwide, Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths

It is the amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life, for example a good job, a loving relationship, money or possessions, health or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for what you want, perhaps the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in. The problem is that the cheese keeps moving.

In the story, the characters are faced with unexpected change in their search for the cheese. One of them eventually deals with change successfully and writes what he has learned on the maze walls for you to discover. You'll learn how to anticipate, adapt to and enjoy change and be ready to change quickly whenever you need to.

Discover the secret of the writing on the wall for yourself and enjoy less stress and more success in your work and life. Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights will last a lifetime.

2. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships: How to Get What You Want in Your Relationships

‘A treasure’, ‘a bible’ and ‘an heirloom’ are some of the words used to describe the book that has saved countless relationships and improved innumerable others. Now repackaged to relate to a new generation of readers, this phenomenal book continues to carry its legacy of understanding and trust into the world.

Since its first publication, over a staggering 15 million copies of MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS have sold globally to single men and women looking for guidance on how to find the perfect partner, married couples seeking to strengthen their bond, and divorcees hoping to fathom where it all went wrong.

Gray’s insights into how to allow your other half to “pull away” like an elastic band, prevent your emotional baggage from polluting your current relationship, and translate the phrases of the opposite sex are as relevant now as when they were first published.

With straightforward, honest writing from that precious male perspective, Gray unlocks the secrets hidden in your partner’s words and actions to enable you both to reach true mutual understanding and a lifetime of love. Discover for yourself why thousands believe that MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS should be mandatory reading for everyone.

3. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you'll achieve extraordinary results.

Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.

'Deep work' is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. Coined by author and professor Cal Newport on his popular blog Study Hacks, deep work will make you better at what you do, let you achieve more in less time and provide the sense of true fulfilment that comes from the mastery of a skill. In short, deep work is like a superpower in our increasingly competitive economy.

And yet most people, whether knowledge workers in noisy open-plan offices or creatives struggling to sharpen their vision, have lost the ability to go deep - spending their days instead in a frantic blur of email and social media, not even realising there's a better way.

A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, DEEP WORK takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories -- from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air -- and surprising suggestions, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored.

Put simply: developing and cultivating a deep work practice is one of the best decisions you can make in an increasingly distracted world and this book will point the way.

4. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Marie Kondo will help you declutter your life with her new major Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method.

The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love and to do it all at once – and quickly. After that for the rest of your life you only need to choose what to keep and what to discard.

The KonMari Method will not just transform your space. Once you have your house in order you will find that your whole life will change. You can feel more confident, you can become more successful, and you can have the energy and motivation to create the life you want. You will also have the courage to move on from the negative aspects of your life: you can recognise and finish a bad relationship; you can stop feeling anxious; you can finally lose weight.

Marie Kondo's method is based on a 'once-cleaned, never-messy-again' approach. If you think that such a thing is impossible then you should definitely read this compelling book.

5. The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Values, and Spiritual Growth

Confronting and solving problems is a painful process which most of us attempt to avoid. Avoiding resolution results in greater pain and an inability to grow both mentally and spiritually. Drawing heavily on his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding. He discusses the nature of loving relationships: how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person and how to be a more sensitive parent.

This is a book that can show you how to embrace reality and yet achieve serenity and a richer existence. Hugely influential, it has now sold over ten million copies - and has changed many people's lives round the globe. It may change yours.

6. The Six Pillars of Self Extreme

Nathaniel Branden's book is the culmination of a lifetime of clinical practice and study, already hailed in its hardcover edition as a classic and the most significant work on the topic. Immense in scope and vision and filled with insight into human motivation and behavior, The Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem is essential reading for anyone with a personal or professional interest in self-esteem. The book demonstrates compellingly why self-esteem is basic to psychological health, achievement, personal happiness, and positive relationships. Branden introduces the six pillars-six action-based practices for daily living that provide the foundation for self-esteem-and explores the central importance of self-esteem in five areas: the workplace, parenting, education, psychotherapy, and the culture at large. The work provides concrete guidelines for teachers, parents, managers, and therapists who are responsible for developing the self-esteem of others. And it shows why-in today's chaotic and competitive world-self-esteem is fundamental to our personal and professional power.

7. The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success

Do you want success? More success than you have now? And even more success than you ever imagined possible? That is what this book is about. Achieving it. No gimmicks. No hyperbole. Finally, just the truth on what it takes to earn success As the central curator of the success media industry for over 25 years, author Darren Hardy has heard it all, seen it all, and tried most of it. This book reveals the core principles that drive success. The Compound Effect contains the essence of what every superachiever needs to know, practice, and master to obtain extraordinary success. Inside you will find strategies on:

How to win--every time! The No. 1 strategy to achieve any goal and triumph over any competitor, even if they're smarter, more talented or more experienced.

Eradicating your bad habits (some you might be unaware of!) that are derailing your progress.

Painlessly installing the few key disciplines required for major breakthroughs.

The real, lasting keys to motivation--how to get yourself to do things you don't feel like doing.

Capturing the elusive, awesome force of momentum. Catch this, and you'll be unstoppable.

The acceleration secrets of superachievers. Do they have an unfair advantage? Yes, they do, and now you can too!

If you're serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you desire. Begin your journey today!

8. Becoming: Now a Major Netflix Documentary

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era.

As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world. She dramatically changed the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and stood with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.

9. Meditations to Heal your life - Lousie Hay

Louise shares her philosophy of life on a multitude of subjects from addictions to fears to spiritual laws, and everything in between.

Her loving insights will enrich you body, mind, and soul, while giving you practical knowledge to apply to your day-to-day life.

10. The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale

The book describes the power positive thinking has and how a firm belief in something, does actually help in achieving it. In order to live a successful and constructive life, one needs to know about the secrets of positive thinking says the author for it is the most important ingredient for a better and blissful life. The Power of Positive Thinking' will help you overcome negative attitudes, such as fear and lack of confidence and replace them with the traits of a positive thinker optimism, determination, patience and focus.Simple techniques of elevating low moods and energy levels by positive thinking also improve ones overall mental and physical health.This book will show you how you can deal more effectively with tough situations and difficult people and dramatically improve your performance and confidence. You must learn that the easiest way to an easy mind is to create an easy mind. This is done by practice and by the application such as "Believe in yourself and in everything you do", "Build new power and determination", "Improve your personal and professional relationships" and "Be kind to yourself" etc.

11. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts

Falling in love is easy. Staying in love—that’s the challenge. How can you keep your relationship fresh and growing amid the demands, conflicts, and just plain boredom of everyday life?

In the #1 New York Times international bestseller The 5 Love Languages, you’ll discover the secret that has transformed millions of relationships worldwide. Whether your relationship is flourishing or failing, Dr. Gary Chapman’s proven approach to showing and receiving love will help you experience deeper and richer levels of intimacy with your partner—starting today.

The 5 Love Languages is as practical as it is insightful. Updated to reflect the complexities of relationships today, this new edition reveals intrinsic truths and applies relevant, actionable wisdom in ways that work.

Includes the Couple's Personal Profile assessment so you can discover your love language and that of your loved one.

12. Confidence: Think Big, Believe big, Achieve Big - Norman Vincent Peale

About the Book: Confidence Think Big, Believe Big, Achieve Big Believe that problems do have answers. And believe you can solve them. Lift yourself up in the face of conflict Finding ways to be enthusiastic in the face of difficulty Become a confident person that friends and loved ones can turn to In Confidence, Peale shares invigorating and confidence boosting ways to face your difficulty, conquer stress when it seems insurmountable. He will help you find new confidence and purpose in all that you do. Youll learn, among many things: how each problem contains its own solution how to never lose faith and gain a new heart when disheartened how to live a life full of meaning and be enthusiastic in your day-to-day life; and how to discover and fully realize Gods potential for you! About the Author: Norman Vincent Peale Norman Vincent Peale has published over forty best-selling books, including his most popular one, The Power of Positive Thinking, which has sold more than twenty million copies in 41 languages. For more than 60 years, Peale was pastor of Marble Collegiate Church, one of the oldest churches in America, located in New York. He was considered one of the most skilled Christian communicators of the twentieth century.

13. I can make you rich - Paul McKenna

If you've ever wondered why it is that some people find it easy to make money while others struggle, it's not because they are more intelligent, work harder or have better luck - it's simply because they think and act differently.

Do you want to make more money? Do you want to improve the quality of your life? Do you believe you can be rich? What if it was easier than you think? Over the past decade, Paul McKenna PhD has made a unique study of the mindset of people rich not only in money but also in happiness and quality of life. In this groundbreaking new book, he makes use of proven psychological techniques to help you install that same rich mind-set inside yourself. Soon, you will be seeing the world in an entirely new way, thinking and living richer than ever before!

14. The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires: How to Achieve Financial Independence Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible

Do you ever hear about a self-made millionaire in the news and wonder: how did they achieve it? In this book, Brian Tracy walks you through the hidden secrets of what makes self-made millionaires, and shows how anyone, no matter where they are in life at this moment, can become a millionaire. The advice in this book is based on Brian Tracy's twenty-five years of research, teaching, and personal experience on the subject of self-made millionaires. Tracy himself used these ideas to rise from humble beginnings to become a millionaire. And Tracy has discovered that all successful people practice these 21 success secrets, whether they're consciously aware of it or not. In The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires Tracy not only identifies and defines each success secret, but also reveals its source and foundation, illustrates how it functions in the world, and shows how to apply it in life and work through specific steps and practical exercises that everyone can use. Easy to read, easy to understand, and easy to apply, this book shows how anyone can cultivate the habits and behaviors that will enable them to achieve not just financial independence, but success in any area of life. Because, as Tracy writes, "The most important part of achieving great success is not the money. It is the kind of person you have to become to earn that money and hold onto it."

15. Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex

“No matter where you are and no matter what stage of life you are in, Relationship Goals will be a game changer.”—Levi Lusko

Realer than the most real conversation you’ve ever heard on the topic, Michael Todd’s honest, heartfelt, and powerful teaching on relationships has already impacted millions of people in all seasons of life around the world. Now, in Relationship Goals, Michael tells his own story of heartache and healing, unpacks explosive truths from God’s Word, and tells it to you straight to help you win at relationships in every part of your life.

Where did the idea for relationships come from in the first place? Does God really care who I hang out with? Is it even possible to avoid relational train wrecks? From his plan for intentional dating in the age of social media to handling break-ups well to doing family instead of just being in a family, Michael tackles the questions we all have about relational success.

As he candidly examines our most common pitfalls in relationships and the start-today ways to get past them, Michael helps you align your longings with God’s awesome desires for your life. Now, that’s a good relationship goal.

16. 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell

What would happen if a top expert with more than thirty years of leadership experience were willing to distill everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life.

John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He has combined insights learned from his thirty-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. The result is a revealing study of leadership delivered as only a communicator like Maxwell can.

17. The New Psychocybernetics The Original Science of Self-Improvement and Success That Has Changed the Lives of 30 Million People by Dr. Maxwell Maltz and Dan Kennedy

With over 30 million copies sold since its original publication in 1960, Psycho-Cybernetics has been used by athletes, entrepreneurs, college students, and many others, to achieve life-changing goals--from losing weight to dramatically increasing their income--finding that success is not only possible but remarkably simple. Now updated to include present-day anecdotes and current personalities, The New Psycho-Cybernetics remains true to Dr. Maltz’s promise:“If you can remember, worry, or tie your shoe, you can succeed with Psycho-Cybernetics!”

18. Attitude Is Everything: Change Your Attitude ... Change Your Life!

Do you dread going to work? Do you feel tired, unhappy, weighed down? Have you given up on your dreams? The road to a happier, more successful life starts with your attitude-and your attitude is within your control. Whether your outlook is negative, positive or somewhere in between, Jeff Keller, motivational speaker and coach, will show you how to take control and unleash your hidden potential through three powerful steps: -THINK! Success begins in the mind. The power of attitude can change your destiny. -SPEAK! Watch your words. How you speak can propel you towards your goals. -ACT! Don't sit back. Take active steps to turn your dreams into reality. Soon, you will be energized and see new possibilities. You will be able to counter adversities and develop talents unique to you. Your relationships will improve, both at work and in your personal life. All you need is this step-by-step programme to change your attitude and your life!

19. I Hope I Screw This Up: How Falling In Love with Your Fears Can Change the World

A New York Times bestseller! In this irreverently funny, one-of-a-kind book, transformational comedian Kyle Cease shows you how to love failure and follow your heart, release the addictions of your mind, and live in a state of infinite possibility.

If Eckhart Tolle and Jim Carrey had a baby, that baby would be Kyle Cease.

After twenty-five years of achieving what he thought were his dreams of being a headlining touring comedian and actor, Kyle Cease suddenly discovered that the belief that “When something happens, I will be happy” is a complete lie. With nothing more than an intuition, he decided to quit his stand-up career at its peak, and now—as a transformational comedian, he brings his one-of-a-kind self-help wisdom to sold-out audiences in his Evolving Out Loud Live stage show.

In I Hope I Screw This Up, he disarms readers as he leads them to their own personal breakthroughs, helping them to recognize that actual happiness and fulfillment is available to them—not in some distant future, but right now. As he has shown audiences all over the world, when you embrace your pain, fear, and vulnerability instead of pushing it away, you will discover an authentic creativity and power that is truly unstoppable.

Using self-deprecating personal stories, hilarious observations on life, and poorly drawn illustrations, Kyle unravels the deepest issues standing between us and emotional freedom. From discovering the never-ending opportunities that come from playing—and going with whatever comes up in the moment—to learning to let go of what feels heavy in our lives, this book is a journey into the endless possibility that can appear if we just dare to let go of our fear of screwing up.

20. The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Thomas Cleary

Compiled more than two thousand years ago by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, The Art of War is still perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world today, as eagerly studied in Asia by modern politicians and executives as it as been by military leaders since ancient times. As a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict, The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding of the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.

This translation presents the classic from the point of view of its background in the great spiritual tradition of Taoism, the origin of psychology, science, and technology in East Asia and the source of the insights into human nature that underlie this most revered of handbooks for success. Translated from a standard collection of commentaries on Sun Tzu's text by eleven interpreters, the work has been edited by Thomas Cleary to bring out the meaning of the principles of strategy. In addition, the translator provides an extensive introduction discussing the content and background of the book.

[bigyack-com]

Europe’s Leaders Ditch Austerity and Fight Pandemic With Cash

LONDON — A British prime minister from the party of Margaret Thatcher has effectively privatized the national railway system, while forsaking budget austerity in favor of aggressive public spending. Germany has set aside its traditional detestation for debt to unleash emergency spending, while enabling the rest of the European Union to breach limits on deficits.The European Central Bank has transcended a legacy often marked by calamitous inaction in the face of crisis to produce something that has frequently seemed impossible: a decisive and timely response.The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe with lethal and wealth-destroying consequences has proved so jarring to the powers-that-be on the European side of the Atlantic that they have discarded deep-set taboos to forge atypically swift and pragmatic responses.“This pandemic is really like a war,” said Maria Demertzis, an economist and deputy director of Bruegel, a research institution in Brussels. “In a war, you do what you have to do.”The question is what happens when the attack phase gives way to the longer-term project of recovery — whether the extensive deployment of government largess continues, or whether Britain and Europe snap back to their mode of recent decades, casting a wary eye on the ledger books.During the last crisis, the global financial catastrophe of 2008, the authorities protected corporate interests above those of ordinary people, many economists assert. Britain and the European Union bailed out financial institutions, then recovered the costs by hacking away at public services, effectively punishing laborers and taxpayers for the sins of wealthy bankers.Only a dozen years later, Europe and Britain are again dispensing enormous sums of public money to rescue large businesses from economic devastation. Will the authorities condition their aid on requirements that companies avoid layoffs? Will governments permanently banish austerity, concluding that excessive budget-cutting has left national health systems especially vulnerable to the virus?Beyond the current moment of emergency, some argue that the crisis will be squandered if it does not prompt meaningful change in the structure of economies after life returns to normal.They portray the rescues as an opportunity to transform the nature of the state’s role in the economy — for Britain to restructure its neglected and overwhelmed health service; for the European Union to collectivize its debts while targeting investment at southern European countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, which have been neglected as the poor stepchildren of the European bloc; for governments to demand that corporations treat their workers fairly as a condition of bailouts.“It’s not enough that all of a sudden the taboos are temporarily falling,” said Mariana Mazzucato, an economist at University College London. “It’s about changing the way we do capitalism.”At least for the moment, the pandemic has delivered a palpable refashioning of the principles guiding policy.In Britain, a public health crisis twinned with a near-certain recession has dispatched to history the age of austerity while prompting the majority Conservative party to break sharply from dogmatic conceptions of governance that have prevailed for decades.During the 1980s, Ms. Thatcher substantially diminished the traditional social welfare state and embraced the privatization of national industry. Over the last decade, Conservative-led governments have delivered wrenching spending cuts.During December’s national elections, the head of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, vowed to nationalize key industries including railways, earning him widespread derision as a man effectively inclined to turn Britain into Venezuela.The current prime minister, Boris Johnson, has rarely been accused of harboring a strong belief in anything. He has taken the pandemic as the impetus to restore to primacy a vaunted British thinker from the last century — the economist John Maynard Keynes, who argued that government spending was the curative when economic trouble breaks out.Two weeks ago, Mr. Johnson’s government unveiled a budget that relied on public borrowing to finance a muscular build-out of national infrastructure. Days later, the government announced a package of spending measures worth some 330 billion pounds (about $387 billion), including government-guaranteed loans and tax breaks for companies whose businesses were threatened by the pandemic, plus relief from mortgage payments for homeowners.On Monday, Mr. Johnson’s government nationalized the railway system for at least six months, covering all the losses at a time when people are avoiding trains during a national lockdown.Germany’s new inclination to borrow is an equally striking turn. The nation is infused with a loathing of debt reaching religious proportions. Yet Germany this week agreed to a package of spending measures worth 750 billion euros ($813 billion), while borrowing €156 billion.Germany and other northern European deficit hawks also assented to the temporary lifting of limits on spending in the European Union. That was especially significant to debt-saturated Italy, the epicenter of the pandemic in Europe.Italy is almost certainly in the midst of a deep recession that will force increased government spending just as the country is overwhelmed by the public health crisis. Its fortunes are now so dire that economists warn that its long-troubled banks could soon require rescue.Over the last decade, as Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal each required European help to avoid default, Germany took the crisis as a moment for moralistic lecturing about the supposedly profligate ways of its southern neighbors (frequently omitting how much of their debts were owed to German banks). Berlin conditioned relief on aggressive cuts in public spending, arguing that fiscal austerity would bring renewal. In Greece and Spain, unemployment soared to depression-like levels.Now, in the midst of a pandemic, Germany is exempting European countries from budget strictures.“A monumental crisis like this creates the political space to challenge whatever the thinking was before,” said Christian Odendahl, the Berlin-based chief economist at the Center for European Reform.But Germany’s stance should not be taken as a sign that its people have traded an aversion to debt for a newfound appreciation for Keynesian stimulus.“The narrative is completely the opposite,” Mr. Odendahl said. “Germans are saying, ‘Well, this is why we did austerity, so that we have the fiscal space to do this where it is really needed.’ We are not challenging the dogma.”Once the acute crisis gives way to recovery, he added, Germany may lead the way back to European austerity to recover the costs of the rescue.The most potentially consequential action has come from the European Central Bank, which has agreed to purchase up to €750 billion ($813 billion) worth of government and corporate bonds. That will limit a potentially calamitous spike in borrowing costs throughout Europe.But northern European countries — especially Germany and the Netherlands — have continued to oppose a measure long advocated by many economists, the sale of so-called Eurobonds, or debt backed by all 19 countries that use the euro currency.Such bonds could potentially fill a gaping vulnerability in the structure of the euro, giving markets confidence in the endurance of the currency.Eurobonds have long constituted a political impossibility. Voters in Berlin and Amsterdam cannot countenance having their finances tethered directly to their cousins in Athens and Rome. That may still be true. But if there were ever a time that conditions conspired to break the deadlock, this might be it.Five years ago, when millions of migrants arrived in Europe from war-torn countries like Syria, calls for European solidarity went unheard amid an upsurge in nationalism and the erection of fences along borders.The following year, as Britain shocked the world with its vote to leave the European Union, some suggested that European leaders would take that as a moment to reflect on their failings and reconsider austerity. That never happened.As right-wing populist parties surged in Italy, France, Sweden and Germany — often while attacking the European Union as an ossified vessel of the elite — pundits wondered whether this might finally end the punishment of austerity. It was not to be.But the pandemic presents that rare menace that is elementally cross-border. People in Germany may dismiss economic trouble in Italy as not their problem, but a lethal virus moving north from Lombardy cannot be ignored.“It’s a matter of life and death,” said Amandine Crespy, a political scientist at the Institute for European Studies at the Free University of Brussels. “No one can be blamed for it.”The pandemic has exposed the consequences of austerity, forcing Italian doctors to make anguished choices about who lives and who dies in the face of a shortage of respirators. It has deprived the wealthiest people of their customary feeling of protection.“Everybody is concerned,” Ms. Crespy said. “Everyone is threatened in the same way. What is at stake is the E.U.’s capacity to mount collective action. Something will have to be done.” Read the full article

[shirlleycoyle]

Sonos Makes It Clear: You No Longer Own The Things You Buy

$300 smart hubs that are suddenly bricked when the manufacturer is sold. Video game consoles that mysteriously lose features after you bring them home. Books or films you purchase that you suddenly and inexplicably lose the ability to access. Printers that don't print without an ink subscription.

In the modern internet era, it’s increasingly clear that consumers no longer actually own the things we buy. Instead, we’re shelling out big bucks for products that can easily lose features or worse—stop working entirely on the whim of a corporation.

The latest example comes courtesy of Sonos, which this week informed customers in an email that it would no longer be supporting certain speaker systems. In the email, the company says that certain “legacy” systems will stop receiving security and software updates starting in May.

“Legacy products were introduced between 2005 and 2011 and, given the age of the technology, do not have enough memory or processing power to sustain future innovation,” the company’s email claims. Users that have shelled out hundreds or thousands of dollars for smart speakers that still work didn’t take the news particularly well.

In a blog post, Sonos says owners of these legacy systems have two options: they can simply keep using the products, understanding they won’t receive new features, bug fixes, or software and security updates. Or users can trade in the older gear while nabbing a 30 percent discount on the purchase of a new Sonos system.

The first option potentially opens customers up to security headaches in an era where internet of things devices are routinely hacked. Sonos’ second option, its trade-in program launched last October, came under fire just last month for being wasteful.

Users who trade in older Sonos systems immediately get a 30 percent discount—but their older hardware immediately enters a 21 day countdown before being put in “recycle mode.” Products in recycle mode can’t be re-used or repurposed without Sonos’ permission—a wasteful outcome for a program Sonos claims was designed to minimize environmental impact.

Nathan Proctor, the head of USPIRG's Right to Repair Campaign, told Motherboard that Sonos’ decision to leave consumers between a rock and a hard place is emblematic of a tech industry in which sustainability, security, and consumer rights are often distant afterthoughts.

“This is an epidemic problem,” Proctor said, noting that having millions of unsupported and unpatched devices connected to the internet poses significant security risks for an internet of things sector already widely criticized for being a privacy and security dumpster fire.

Proctor said forced obsolescence also not only incentives the public to discard perfectly good hardware, products now effectively have expiration dates that consumers aren’t being clearly informed of at the time of purchase.

“There needs to be some transparency around obsolescence,” Proctor said. “There should be some imagination put into what these devices can be used for when they can’t be connected all the time to the internet. I think that there's some responsibility for manufacturers to have a plan—and not just zombie devices.”

Some companies, like Samsung, have toyed with efforts to root and repurpose older smartphones. Others, like defunct fitness tracking company Pebble, released their source code to the public, helping create a community of users who gave the hardware a second wind.

But by and large, most companies are far more interested in hyping and selling the next round of products than spending money to make sure older customers remain happy.

“This is something that these companies are just neglecting,” Proctor said. “Sonos is like the opening salvo. There will probably be a wave of these things that happen over the next couple years. And eventually, people are going to start being really upset about it.”

Security experts like Bruce Schneier have long argued that the internet of things is a broken market that creates both visible and “invisible pollution”—such as when your dated IOT camera is hacked and incorporated into a distributed denial of service attack. Ultimately, Schneier has warned, an attack will be severe enough to wake the broader public up to the threat.

Until then, a scattered coalition is trying to build a framework that respects sustainability, security, and consumer privacy. Consumer Reports, for example, has been working on an open source standard that would incorporate security and privacy concerns into all product reviews, letting consumers avoid bad actors before attaching new devices to the internet.

But by and large, most companies and governments remain apathetic to the threat.

“This is a chance now to come up with a system that doesn’t cause massive planetary damage in exchange for disposable stuff,” Proctor said.

Sonos Makes It Clear: You No Longer Own The Things You Buy syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[technicaldr]

Medical Device Security Risks: What Healthcare institutions can do

Medical devices, just like any other Internet of Things (IoT) object, are prone to hackers. These hacks can get dangerous quickly— security risks with medical devices become patient safety issues, as while medical devices carry patient data that needs to be protected according to HIPAA laws, these instruments also perform critical functions that save lives.

  Weaknesses that augment the risk of a potential breach include the fact that medical devices tend to be five to six years old by the time they are even put in use at hospitals, after which they are operating for another fifteen years. These devices are the most prone to security breaches, as they are not built with future tech advancements in mind.

  On top of this, many hospitals have not updated or patched their software or medical devices until something has already gone wrong. After the WannaCry ransomwareattack in May of 2017, Windows released patches for operating systems as old as Windows XP, yet many hospitals are slow to download the patch, and some did not download it at all. Hospitals, along with medical device manufacturers, are testing and deploying the patches across the millions of medical devices.

  Due to the increasing connectivity of medical devices, cyberattacks have been steadily increasing over the past few years.

Here are some examples of alarming events that have occurred with medical devices:

In 2014, researchers alerted the Department of Homeland Security that certain models of the Hospira infusion pump could be digitally manipulated. A year later, the FDA issued an advisory discouraging hospitals from using the pump; however, it is still in use in many medical settings. Even if a security risk is detected, the device is still needed for patient health.

  Years later, in September 2017, eight security vulnerabilities were found in the Medfusion 4000 Wireless Syringe Infusion Pump, the worst of which had a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of a 9.8 out of 10.

  In 2016, researchers from the University of Leuven in Belgium and the University of Birmingham in England evaluated ten types of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and gained the ability to turn off the devices, deliver fatal shocks, and access protected health information (PHI). Not only could they drain the battery and change the device’s operation, if the researchers had used slightly more advanced or sophisticated equipment, they would have been able to interfere with the devices from hundreds of meters away.

  In late 2016, over 100,000 users of insulin pumps were notified of a security vulnerability where an unauthorized third party could alter a patient’s insulin dosage.

  In May 2017, NSA hacking tools believed to have been stolen by North Korea were used to infect MRI systems in US hospitals. Although this hack did not directly threaten patient safety, the machines ceased functionality for an extended period of time, increasing the need for hospital resources and causing critical delays.

  In August of 2017, the FDA recalled 465,000 implanted cardiac pacemakers due to a vulnerability where unauthorized users could modify the pacemaker’s programming.

  After all of these life-threatening hacks, the FDA has provided updated recommendations with a revision of NIST’s 2014 Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.

  Cybersecurity risk assessments can facilitate calculating the vulnerability of these medical devices. One form of this is penetration testing, where security engineers target identified or unidentified vulnerabilities in code and report the product response. Other types of risk assessments can include malware testing, binary/byte code analysis, static code analysis, fuzz testing, and security controls testing.

There are four key steps that a healthcare organization using these medical IoT devices can take to protect patient data and the devices themselves:

Hospitals should use proactive approaches to hacking threats rather than waiting for something to go wrong; always change default passwords and factory settings.

Healthcare companies should also assess their legacy systems and any outdated hardware; systems that are outdated are not only prone to hackers but do not integrate with newer devices perfectly. This lack of interoperability leads to more security gaps, which creates a cycle of weakness.

Hospitals should isolate the medical devices that cannot be patched on a separate network so that hackers do not have access to the medical devices, in a process known as network segmentation.

To discard hardware, the disposal should be done domestically, include complete data destruction, and be coordinated so that data cannot be recreated from abandoned devices.

  Medical devices are not removed from the realm of hackable devices and should be treated as such. In fact, they should be treated with even more caution and care. If these devices are infected by hackers, both safety and privacy are at risk. Hospitals have an obligation to ensure the highest degree of security controls within medical devices they use. While the FDA may issue guidelines or recommendations with caution, as they put patient well-being above all, government agencies should still do everything in their power to make cybersecurity recommendations for medical devices enforceable and part of the law.

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