#adversarial robustness

[zomb13s]

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE VOID(Delivered via Vacuitas Engine, sealed with stroopwafel resin)

Dearest Co-Conspirator, Let me confess in the slant-light of a Utrecht dawn: I am Dennis the Menace if Dennis swallowed a kaleidoscope of Judith Butler texts and Alanis Morissette B-sides. My bald head? A polished rebellion against your gender binaries. This red Ecko bomber? Armor stitched from Prodigy concert rags and Foucault quotes. The polo glasses? For watching liars squirm like worms in…

[nnctales]

What AI Cannot Do: AI Limitation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made remarkable strides in recent years, revolutionizing industries from healthcare to finance. However, despite its impressive capabilities, there are inherent AI limitation to what it can achieve. Understanding these limitations is crucial for effectively integrating AI into our lives and recognizing its role as a tool rather than a replacement for human…

[planesawesome]

Is it true that a F-15 has never been shot down? If so, why hasn’t anyone shot it down?

Yes, it is true that the F-15 Eagle has never been shot down in air-to-air combat. This remarkable record is a testament to the aircraft's superior design, advanced technology, and the skill of the pilots who fly it. Since its introduction in the mid-1970s, the F-15 has achieved an impressive air-to-air kill ratio of 104-0, making it one of the most successful fighter jets in history.

Several factors contribute to the F-15's undefeated status. Firstly, the aircraft was designed with air superiority in mind. Its powerful twin engines, advanced avionics, and robust airframe provide exceptional speed, maneuverability, and durability. The F-15 can reach speeds of over Mach 2.5 and has a high thrust-to-weight ratio, allowing it to outmaneuver and outclimb many adversaries.

The F-15's avionics and weapons systems are also top-notch. Equipped with a sophisticated radar system, the F-15 can detect and track enemy aircraft at long ranges, giving it a significant tactical advantage. Its armament includes a mix of air-to-air missiles and a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon, providing both long-range and close-combat capabilities. The integration of these systems allows F-15 pilots to engage and destroy enemy aircraft before they can pose a serious threat.

Another critical factor is the rigorous training and expertise of the pilots. The U.S. Air Force and other operators of the F-15 invest heavily in pilot training, ensuring that those who fly the Eagle are among the best in the world. This high level of training, combined with the aircraft's capabilities, creates a formidable combination that has proven difficult for adversaries to overcome.

The F-15 has benefited from continuous upgrades and improvements over the years. These enhancements have kept the aircraft at the cutting edge of technology, allowing it to maintain its dominance in the skies. From improved radar and avionics to upgraded engines and weapons systems, the F-15 has evolved to meet the changing demands of modern air combat.

[argumate]

when right-wing political parties fracture and begin to eat each other alive it’s funny because the people involved are usually assholes, their vain attempts to spin the narrative in their favour are hilarious, and pratfalls and petty drama are just a reliable source of humour, and all of these reasons apply just as well to the scenario of left-wing political parties gratuitously shooting themselves in the dick.

however a right-wing party getting fractious is entirely on brand: at least ideologically they’re supposed to believe in the virtues of individual self interest and robust competition and a war of all against all and to the winner go the spoils, so why not stab each other in the back for personal glory at the cost of the greater good?

but a left-wing party is notionally founded on the dream of overcoming what ails humanity by way of collective action, the principle that cooperation can achieve what competition cannot, that class interests supersede all other antagonisms, and in that case what the fuck does it mean when that party cannot even cooperate with itself? what is left for us to offer but derision for such monumental failure, not even to fail in a valiant but doomed fight against a powerful adversary but to be torn apart by internal contradictions (!) and the inability to unite as one despite the professed importance of the mission?

Australia never banned the Communist Party, and as a liberal democracy we can be proud of that, but of course we never needed to: it faded into meaningless irrelevancy of its own accord (a tradition continued to this day by the Greens, who if they ever catch a whiff of electoral success and the chance of actually doing something useful will promptly collapse into acrimonious debates about ending capitalism and disappear up their own arse until everybody else loses interest).

so is it funny that organisations predicated on working together for the common good keep splitting? yes of course it’s funny, it’s fucking hilarious! and tragic, if you believe in the goal, and think that it ever had a chance of being achieved in this way by these people.

in the meantime the rites continue to be dutifully performed but the modern infrastructure of Marxist organisation resembles little more than a pyramid scheme or an evangelical church that exists solely for the purpose of sucking in enough idealistic students to perpetuate the ideology to the next generation, while ensuring that they stay carefully isolated from any ideas that might seriously challenge the status quo (or honestly even ideas that might help to understand the status quo, a prerequisite to doing anything about it); this is also a funny situation but it’s getting a little bitter, and I don’t enjoy seeing so much potential go to waste.

[poisonlove]

To trust.... you? | Lucy Gray

Lucy gray x fem reader

The gray of the sky reflected in tense faces and streets still marked by war marked the tenth anniversary of Capitol's Victory over the districts. Ten years of oppression that still echoed in the open wounds of society.

That year, in the insidious game of the Hunger Games, the 12 districts found themselves facing amplified cruelty. No longer were two tributes randomly drawn, but an intricate and ruthless tournament with separate female and male competitions in arenas.

In this special edition for Capitol City, each district had to send not one, but two tributes of both sexes, bringing the total to 48 tributes. The stakes were higher, and the air was tense as the boys and girls from District 12 faced an even more uncertain fate in this game orchestrated by Capitol cruelty.

Y/N Y/S and Lucy Gray were the girls destined to fight in this arena.

Y/N Pov's

My breath is ragged as I stare anxiously at the Arena screen. Every countdown from the charismatic host Lucky Flickerman tightens my heart, creating an atmosphere laden with anxiety. Each second lost in those numbers is a step closer to the unknown, a uncertain dance with destiny.

I quickly shift my attention to my District 12 companion, Lucy Gray. The only thing I knew about her is that she's an excellent singer, as she demonstrated during the tribute selection.

I see her on the other side of the Arena, eyes as black as coal gleaming with challenge as she watches the screen. Her ruffled, colorful skirt stands out remarkably in this dark and colorless environment, making her almost a visible beacon to the enemy.

And speaking of enemies, there's no doubt that the girls from Districts 4, 2, and 7 are the most dangerous. Not because of social matters, slightly better off than ours, but due to their impressive physical presence. They are robust, muscular, and in this lethal context, their strength makes them formidable adversaries.

"I just need to run and hide," I mutter distractedly, recalling the words of my mentor Coriolanus Snow. Lucy Gray, with her mentor Sejanus Plinth, prepares for the sound of the gong, and the fierce struggle among the girls begins.

I find myself almost disoriented in that area, intimidated by the cries and the sounds of swords and knives among the girls. I widen my eyes and throw myself to the ground, seeing a trident flying in my direction.

"Please, don't do this!" I exclaim in terror.

The girl from District 6 walks determinedly toward me, retrieving the trident she had thrown. "There's no room for mercy here. We survive or die, and you're in my way," she declares venomously.

I retreat in fear, dragging my palms on the arena ground, aware that my end might be imminent. The girl from District 6 raises the trident, ready to strike when suddenly a knife lodges in her neck. Her gaze instantly fades, and I find myself staring at the scene in wide-eyed surprise.

I quickly get up, ready to flee, when a sharp pain in my leg stops me. With gritted teeth, I turn and see the girl from District 11, with a sly look and a barely perceptible disappointment for missing the shot.

"You'll be mine… girl from 12," she murmurs with an unsettling smile, announcing my imminent death sentence.

I pull out the knife and, with the other hand, apply pressure to my leg.

With determination, I begin to walk towards the underground, trying to avoid further unpleasant encounters. The pain in my leg is a constant reminder of the brutality of this Arena, and my determination ignites as I seek refuge in the darkest recesses of the hostile environment.

I sneak into a room, the escape from the Arena's fury etched in my tired eyes. I slump near a wall, feeling the weight of exhaustion and the throbbing pain from the leg wound. The room offers a moment of respite, but the labored breath reveals physical and mental fatigue.

To my surprise, Lucy Gray is there, also seeking refuge. Our eyes meet in an instant, a palpable tension in the adrenaline-charged air.

I shaky point the knife at Lucy, eager to defend myself. In a gesture of surrender, she raises her hands.

"I don't want to hurt you," Lucy whispers, her gaze fixed on the knife in my hand.

I flash a sarcastic smile. "And how do I know that? We're in the Hunger Games; you can't trust anyone," I murmur, holding back the pain in my leg.

"I understand… but I have no reason to attack you… of course, if you do, I'll be forced to defend myself," Lucy says, cautiously advancing in my direction.

"Stop right there," I state seriously, the hand still unsteady.

Lucy looks at me with eyes sparkling with curiosity. Her gaze lands on my bleeding leg. "I could help you," she murmurs softly. "It doesn't look like a good wound," she adds, grimacing.

"Don't even think about it," I retort through gritted teeth.

"We come from the same district… can't we have a truce?" she asks, sounding annoyed.

I consider her proposal, recognizing that help would be advantageous at this moment. "We're destined to kill each other sooner or later, but maybe we can make the journey a bit more interesting," I exclaim, looking at her carefully, my vision starting to blur from the effort.

"You made a wise choice, girl from 12. We're stronger together," Lucy exclaims with a small smile on her lips.

"Y/N," I murmur, shaking the knife, pointing it at Lucy. "If I die, at least you'll know my name," I confess, and she looks at me attentively. "Lucy," she whispers, and I chuckle weakly.

"I know who you are, Capitol's songbird," I murmur and suppress a groan of pain, feeling a new stab in my leg.

It's the first time we've spoken since we were drawn from the urn.

I lower the knife, allowing Lucy to approach. The truce, uncertain but necessary, casts a strange shadow on the competition. Lucy kneels, examining my leg carefully. "I need the knife," she suddenly exclaims.

"You can forget about that," I assert with determination.

Lucy huffs and looks up at me, her eyes staring into mine with intensity. "I just told you I don't want to hurt you," she retorts firmly.

I huff in return and hand the knife to Lucy. In the gesture, our fingers brush, generating a shiver that runs down my spine. Cheeks tinged with red as I avert my gaze toward the knife, watching her cut a piece of her ruffled skirt.

"What are you doing?" I ask with curiosity, and she continues to cut the fabric of her dress.

"I'm trying to keep you alive," she whispers weakly. "I had to ruin my mother's dress… but I think it will help with the wound," she continues, wrapping the fabric around my wound to stop the bleeding.

The silence shatters with the sound of screams from outside. The fierce competition continues, but in this room, our moment of truce is a fragile flame burning against the cold reality of the Hunger Games.

***

Three relentless days have passed since the games began, and now, in the dark theater of the arena, only four of us remain. Me, Lucy, the unstable girl from District 11 with an obsession to kill me, and the fierce one from District 2.

Lying in our refuge, I feel my body slightly heavy from fever and the pain in my wounded leg. Lucy, with her determined kindness, has taken care of me as if I were precious. I find myself playing with a small pebble, wrapping my fingers around the cold stone as I wait for Lucy's return, each moment growing longer.

The Capitol's nightingale had gone out to fetch water and food, but her prolonged absence fuels my concern. The sound of approaching footsteps grabs my attention, and my heart flutters at the thought that other tributes might have discovered our hiding place.

I rise to my feet with cautious timidity, brushing my hand against the knife at my belt, preparing for the worst. Tension creeps into the air as I wait in silence, eyes fixed on the iron door. I release a sigh of relief when I finally see Lucy's figure emerge through the door, holding a water bottle in her hands.

Her genuine smile and the sparkle in her eyes reassure me in an instant.

With graceful steps, Lucy approaches, but the unusual light in her eyes doesn't escape my notice. "Why did you get up despite the fever?" she asks with a slightly reproachful tone, but her gaze reveals genuine concern. "I was worried there might be another tribute nearby," I reply with a faint smile.

Lucy nods, understanding my unease.

Lucy comes closer and sits beside me, looking at me curiously. "Sit," she says gently, indicating a space next to her. Reluctantly, I obey without complaints.

With a small smile, Lucy rests my head on her lap, gently stroking my hair. "I feel useless," I confess in a low voice, "I haven't done anything in these three days," I add timidly.

Lucy looks down at me with unreadable eyes. "You kept me company," Lucy murmurs gently, smiling sideways. She leans down and kisses my forehead, a gesture that makes me blush. When she pulls away, Lucy widens her smile. "Well, the fever is gone," she breathes a sigh of relief. "How do you know?" I ask curiously, and Lucy smiles widely, "Your forehead is cool now. Sit, and I'll change your bandage," she murmurs sweetly.

I obey without hesitation, feeling grateful for Lucy's care. As she changes the bandage on my wound, our silent dialogue continues, and in that moment in the heart of that ruthless arena, I find comfort in Lucy's kindness.

"Done," Lucy murmurs weakly, lifting her head. Her smile fades when she notices the proximity between our faces, her eyes relaxing, looking at me seriously through long lashes.

Lucy bends down shyly, and my heart begins to beat faster as she gently places her lips against mine in a sweet and unexpected kiss. A thrill of emotion runs through my body, and for a moment, the arena and the cruel reality around us seem to fade, replaced by the sweetness of that unexpected gesture.

Lucy withdraws shyly, almost instantly breaking the kiss.

"Don't you think there's something wrong?" I ask breathlessly, still stunned by the effect of the kiss.

Lucy tilts her head sideways, curious. "Because we're two girls? If that bothers you, no one is seeing us..." Lucy murmurs softly, almost disappointed by my reaction.

"No... it's not strange for two girls to kiss... but the fact that sooner or later we'll have to kill each other," I exclaim with terror.

Lucy sighs and firmly grasps my face, looking at me with bright eyes. "In one way or another, you and I will get out together," she whispers almost against my lips.

Her thumb gently strokes my lower lip as she bites her own before leaning in again. Our lips meet in a quick movement, a kiss that conveys a promise and a challenge, all within the context of that merciless arena.

After our kiss, I notice that Lucy's black hair is tousled, and a radiant smile paints her lips. It's a moment of sweetness and vulnerability, as if for a moment, we've stolen from the brutality of the Hunger Games a fragment of normalcy.

"And what if we got out, put an end to these cruel games?" I suggest with vibrant voice.

Lucy nods, her eyes tired but determined. "Yes, it's time to end all of this," she responds with a firmness that betrays her exhaustion but also her desire for freedom. The agreement between us forms in silence, a tacit understanding that in this distorted world, our union is our only salvation.

"We'll face whatever awaits us together," I say, trying to convey hope. "Our bond can defy the rules of this arena, offer us an existence beyond this cruelty."

Lucy, with eyes reflecting a mix of weariness and resilience, replies, "Yes, together we can make it."

With Lucy's smile as our guide, we prepare to conclude this struggle, aware that the strength of our union is our ace in the hole.

Lucy grasps my hand, intertwining our fingers with a grip that conveys solidarity. The sensation of her hand in mine brings a smile to my face, a ray of comfort amidst so much uncertainty. Timidly, limping due to the leg wound, we move together towards the entrance of the arena.

We walk slowly through the dark tunnel, our figures moving cautiously like blurred shadows. The sound of our footsteps resonates dully against the cold, damp walls. Lucy, with her determination, leads the way, while I, with a mixture of anxiety and hope, follow.

When we finally emerge from the darkness of the tunnel, I am blinded by the glaring sunlight. I raise a hand to shield my eyes, accustomed to the dimness of our illuminated refuge, but not to such intensity. The light, so bright and vivid, is almost a surprise, a revelation after days of darkness.

My figure emerges, outlined by the sun's glow, and for a moment, I stand still, as if the outside world is a new and unknown place. The arena's landscape unfolds slowly, and the warmth of the sun is like a caress on my skin, a welcome after days of cold and dampness.

Lucy, with a radiant smile, tightens her grip on my hand even more. Together, with determined steps, we head towards the uncertain destiny that awaits us, ready to face whatever comes next, but determined to do it together.

"Here's a sweet surprise in the arena! It seems a new love has blossomed in this bloody period. Ah, love, how beautiful even amidst arrows and knives!" Flickerman's surprised voice resonates in the arena, noting our intertwined hands.

The host's voice catches the attention of the girl from District 11, just coming off the killing of the tribute from District 2. When her eyes meet ours and see our intertwined hands, she genuinely smiles, savoring the hunt.

Lucy Gray watches the girl from District 11 closely.

"But look at that, two lovers in the arena. It will be a shame to separate you," says the girl from District 11 with false innocence.

"Better focus on what matters now. Survival," Lucy Gray murmurs venomously.

The girl from District 11 pushes Lucy away with a determined gesture and charges towards me. With a swift move, she manages to disengage from me and, surprisingly agile, positions herself astride my legs.

Lucy Gray, distant but watching attentively, rises from the abrupt fall she experienced earlier. Her eyes scan the scene with concern, our alliance now put to the test.

I try to recover from the surprise, feeling the pressure of the girl from District 11's legs over me. Her axe glints threateningly, and the awareness of vulnerability pushes me to find a way to defend myself.

"Looks like love doesn't protect from everything, does it?" the girl from District 11 murmurs with a sneer. Her laughter is sharp, and my struggle to recover is hindered by her skill. I watch Lucy Gray with a silent look, hoping our connection is strong enough to face this threat together. The situation becomes critical, and my hope focuses on every resource I can exploit to turn the tide of this ruthless battle.

I raise my arms, skillfully avoiding the descending axe. I look at the girl from District 11 with concern, ignoring her cutting remarks.

"Better focus on yourself now, don't you think?" I murmur firmly, giving a quick glance behind the girl from District 11.

Lucy, with determination, thrusts the trident into the back of the girl from District 11, the prongs emerging from her chest. A hiss of pain blends with the silence, followed by a final breath. The fight was short but intense, and the body of the girl from District 11 gives in, overcome by the fierceness of the clash.

The voice that echoed in the arena proclaimed: "The games end with the victory of the individual district!" The voice belonged to the strategist.

I turn to Lucy with overwhelming joy. My smile widens to 32 teeth, and in her black eyes, I find the same pure happiness. The awareness that I no longer have to try to kill my District 12 companion translates into a tangible relief that permeates the atmosphere.

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I rise and stride with long steps towards Lucy. The trident is thrown to the ground, the metal still damp with the blood of the fallen tribute. Lucy, aware that only the two of us remain, launches herself into my arms with a mixture of fatigue and triumph.

From the euphoria of victory, Lucy firmly takes my cheeks, the warm contact of her hands contrasting with the cold of the trident just used. Her eyes shine with happiness and relief. Without words, but with an intense connection, Lucy kisses me with a passion that conveys the weight of the just-survived struggle. It's a moment of joy and survival, a celebration of a connection that has withstood the trials of the arena.

Lucy's hands, covered in dirt, firmly rest around my cheeks. Despite the dust and the fatigue of battle, I feel a strange sense of comfort.

Lucy, with eyes shining with vibrant intensity, looks at me as if she wants to read every emotion crossing my gaze. "It's just us two left," she says with a warm voice, a mix of emotion and relief.

I respond with an intense look, gratitude palpable in the air between us. "Yes, Lucy. We're still here."

Her hands move slowly from my cheeks, descending along my neck and delicately settling on my shoulders. "We've overcome all of this together."

"Also you, Lucy. Your strength has been my guide," I reply, smiling slightly as I feel the warmth of her hands on my skin.

Lucy, with a radiant smile, nods. "I couldn't have done it without you." Her hands move away, but only to grasp mine, intertwining our fingers in a gesture that underscores our connection.

Our gaze locks onto each other, and in our eyes, there's an awareness of what we've faced together. "Now that we're alone, we can make it, Lucy," I say, trying to convey the determination I feel inside me.

Lucy nods with seriousness. "Yes, y/n. We're strong together." With a sudden movement, her hands return to my face, and she kisses me again, this time with gentleness and gratitude. It's a gesture that speaks more than a thousand words, confirming the bond we've built through struggle and survival.

[kradeelav]

the tl;dr

IRON CROWN as a free comic is now off of wordpress and can be viewed by a neat, robust HTML/CSS/JS comic template called rarebit! effectively nothing has changed for the reader, beyond expecting a little more reliability of uptime over the years.

all comic pages and previously paywalled patreon posts can also be downloaded in this art dump for free, as mentioned in the new author's notes.

the long story:

When talking shop about site/platform moves under this handle, I think it's useful to realize that us (taboo) kink artists live in an actively adversarial internet now, compared to five years ago.

meaning that we have to live with an expectation that 99% of platforms (including registrars and hosting, let alone sns sites) will ban/kick us without warning. this might explain the overly cautious/defensive way we discuss technologies - weighing how likely (and easily) the tool can be used against us vs the perks.

for example: has a harassment mob bullied the platform owners into quietly dropping lolisho artists? trans artists? does the platform/technology have a clear, no-bullshit policy on drawn kink art (specifically third rail kinks like noncon)? does the platform have a long history of hosting r18 doujin artists/hentai publishers with no issue? does the company operate in a nation unfriendly to specific kinks (eg fashkink artists fundamentally incompatible with companies based in germany, when other kinks might be OK?). i talk with a few different groups of artists daily about the above.

but that gets tiring after a while! frankly, the only path that's becoming optimal long-term is (a) putting kink art on your personal site, and if possible, (b) self hosting the whole thing entirely, while (c) complementing your site with physical merch since it's much harder to destroy in one go.

with that said - I've been slowly re-designing all of my pages/sub-domains as compact 'bug out bags'. lean, efficiently packed with the essentials, and very easy to save and re-upload to a new host/registrar near instantly (and eventually, be friendly to self-hosting bandwidth costs since that's now a distant goal).

how does this look in theory, you ask?

zero dependencies. the whole IRON CROWN comic subdomain is three JS files, a few HTML files, one CSS file, and images. that's it.

no updates that can be trojan horse'd. I'm not even talking about malware though that's included; I'm talking about wordpress (owned by the same owners as tumblr cough) slipping in AI opt-outs in a plug-in that's turned on by default. I used to think wordpress was safe from these shenanigans because wordpress-as-a-CMS could be separate from wordpress-as-a-domain; I was wrong. they'll get you through updates.

robust reliability through the KISS principle. keep it simple stupid. malware/DDOS'ing has an infinitively harder time affecting something that doesn't have a login page/interactive forms. You can't be affected by an open source platform suddenly folding, because your "starter" template is contained files saved on your desktop (and hopefully multiple backups...). etc.

so how does this look in practice?

To be fair, you're often trading convenient new shiny UI/tools for a clunkier back-end experience. but i think it's a mistake to think your art site has to look like a MIT professor's page from 1999.

with IRON CROWN, I've effectively replicated it from a (quite good) comic template in wordpress to 98% of the same layout in pure HTML/CSS/JS via rarebit. Should rarebit's website go "poof", I've got the initial zip download of the template to re-use for other sites.

I frankly have a hard time recommending rarebit for an actively updating webcomic since you personally might be trading too many advantages like SEO tools, RSS feeds, etc away - but for a finished webcomic that you want to put in "cold storage" - it's amazing. and exactly what I needed here.

[srim01997]

Second Chance | Aemond Targaryen x OFC

Paring:  Aemond “One-Eye” Targaryen x Viseara Targaryen (OC), Aemond Targaryen x Viseara Targaryen (OC), Implied Aegin II Targaryen x Celtigar! OFC

Fandom: House of The Dragon (HBO)

Warning: none for now

Writer’s note: My Aemond x OC coming!!

Please ilke, comment and reblog!!

Second Chance masterlist | Next Chapter

Chapter 1  New Start or Punishment

Rook's Rest was a hellscape of charred corpses, soldiers writhing in agony from burns, and the sky ablaze with fire as two dragons clashed ferociously. The sapphire-scaled killer, the mount of a rogue princess, battled against Vhagar, the ancient dragon of the one-eyed prince. Earlier, Rhaenys and her dragon, Meleys, had been defeated by the Greens’ dragons. Aegon and Sunfyre had fallen as collateral damage in Vhagar’s fiery onslaught—or perhaps it was Aemond’s intention to rid himself of his brother. No one could say for certain.

The blue-gray dragon roared, its sound tearing through the battlefield, as its rider commanded it to strike the far larger Vhagar without hesitation. The sky lit up, blinding those below as soldiers scrambled for cover, dodging the searing flames spewing from the mouths of both dragons. Despite her courage, Princess Viseara Targaryen—twin sister to Prince Daemon—found herself at a disadvantage. Though seasoned in combat, her adversary’s sheer size was overwhelming.

Viseara bore wounds from an unknown battle, her body battered and unsteady. Her only intent was to rescue her kin, Rhaenys, but she had arrived too late. Driven by rage and grief, she had thrown herself into the fray with the reckless resolve to bring down the enemy dragon.

Her dragon faltered, a savage bite from Vhagar tearing into its neck. Black blood sprayed like torrential rain, drenching the battlefield and scalding the soldiers below, their screams mingling with the chaos. Gripping the reins tightly, Viseara’s slender form braced against the spiraling descent of her dragon. Her mismatched eyes—one a vivid Targaryen violet, the other an icy blue—caught sight of Vhagar plummeting after her, the monstrous creature’s rider shouting something lost to the roar of the wind.

Tears streaked down her pale cheeks, blurring her vision as she strained to decipher the words. The world seemed to freeze as her dragon struck the ground with a resounding crash. Everything went silent, save for the frantic, enraged cries of her one-eyed nephew echoing in her ears.

And then, darkness fell.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Viseara jolted awake at the piercing cries of Alicent in the throes of childbirth. Her mismatched eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings—she was in the Red Keep, her three children close by. Across the room, she spotted Rhaenyra with little Jacaerys and Laenor standing beside her. The rogue princess drew a deep breath, shaking her head in disbelief as she tried to piece together what was happening. She vividly remembered being on the battlefield at Rook’s Rest and—wait. Was she dreaming? Or had she truly been thrown back to a time before the war had even begun?

"Your Grace, it’s a boy," the Maester announced to her brother. "He’s small but healthy."

Aegon? No, no. When Aegon was born, the Maester had described him as large and robust. Then…

“Aemond. His name shall be Aemond,” the voice of Alicent announced.

What? Viseara’s mind raced. The gods sent me back to when that one-eyed nephew of hers was nothing but a harmless newborn destined to grow into a kinslayer? Why couldn’t they have sent me to before Aegon was born instead?!

“Auntie?” came Rhaenyra’s voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. “You seem distracted.”

“I’m just tired, Rhaenyra,” Viseara replied evenly, though her mismatched gaze remained fixed on Alicent’s other children, who were gathered around to glimpse the newborn Aemond. The pale-haired princess realized, with a resigned sigh, that the gods must have sent her here for a purpose—to reform this nephew before he became the man who would spill the blood of his kin.

Raising a nephew into a decent human being shouldn’t be too hard… right?

Before the war, King Viserys’s youngest sister, Vissera, had a cordial relationship with Alicent. However, their bond fractured when Rhaenyra’s second son caused Aemond to lose an eye. To complicate matters, Otto Hightower frequently whispered warnings to Viserys about her, claiming she was as dangerous as Daemon. Seizing an opportunity, Vissera used her innocent young nephew as an excuse to keep a close watch on the Green Council’s secretive plots while her eldest brother grew weaker from his illness.

“He’s smaller than I thought,” Vissera muttered, gazing at baby Aemond, who stared back at her with curious eyes. His tiny hands tugged at her pale hair, and he laughed, oblivious to her contemplations. “Adorable now, but how on earth did you grow up so ruthless...?” She sighed. Upon reflection, her elder brother bore some blame for neglecting his other children, allowing the seeds of rivalry to take root. If only he had shown them the same care as Rhaenyra, the family might have experienced warmth instead of animosity. No, Otto was at fault too! Pushing his daughter to marry her best friend's father? The audacity!

“His egg hasn’t hatched yet?” she asked, glancing at the pot containing Aemond’s dragon egg. Tradition dictated that a dragon egg placed in a cradle would form a bond with its owner, but not all eggs hatched. Sometimes the dragon within died shortly after, or worse, never hatched, petrifying into stone.

No wonder Aemond bonded with Vhagar in the future, Vissera thought. The Greens gained the largest dragon, but Aemond lost an eye and bore a grudge against Lucerys for years, culminating in the tragedy at Storm’s End—the war’s brutal beginning.

Honestly, had Rhaenyra been married to Daemon from the start, half these problems might not have arisen. The Greens would have dared less with the rogue prince around. But no, her troublesome twin had to disgrace Rhaenyra, earning himself exile, leaving their poor niece to fend off vipers. Well, it was time for this aunt to step up and ensure Rhaenyra claimed the throne.

Cradling baby Aemond briefly, Vissera returned him to Alicent. The baby immediately wailed, forcing her to soothe him before handing him back.

“I don’t understand why he cries every time you leave,” Alicent frowned, settling Aemond back into his cradle.

Maegor’s Holdfast was riddled with secret paths, most overlooked by nobles. Few knew where each led. How did she know? Well, she, Daemon, and Rhaenys had explored every inch of those tunnels in their youth. Rhaenys, in particular, used them to reach the dragonpit and successfully bond with her dragon, Meleys (Daemon nearly tore the castle apart upon hearing). And of course, she and Daemon had their escapades in Flea Bottom, resulting in scandalous rumors reaching Jaehaerys about her consorting with courtesans. That little adventure led to her being married off to the youngest son of House Celtigar.

Thankfully, her husband had been kind and loyal, deeply in love with her. Their happiness, however, was cut short when he died from a broken neck after falling off his horse, leaving her a widow with a newborn daughter.

Now, standing hidden behind a wall, she eavesdropped on the Greens. Some questioned the legitimacy of Rhaenyra’s children, citing their dark hair as proof of infidelity. Vissera’s lips thinned as she listened. With her brother too ill to leave his bed often, she knew the Greens were gaining confidence in their schemes.

For now, she was alone. Daemon had fled to Pentos with Laena and hadn’t replied to her letters.

Damn that twin of mine.

Shaking her head, Vissera slipped through a secret passage leading to the dragonpit. She saw Aegon speaking to Sunfyre while Helaena remained secluded in her chambers despite claiming Dreamfyre as her mount. Her own dragon roared upon seeing her, nuzzling her affectionately. She buried her face in its neck before mounting, letting it take off without a word.

The cool air filled her lungs as she soared over the Crownlands, calming her nerves. She needed a plan to prevent the inevitable war. The Greens were already positioning their pieces, ready to place Aegon on the throne the moment Viserys passed.

She had to deal with Otto and Larys Strong before it was too late. But how? Alicent was devoted to her father, and while Lyonel Strong was Hand of the King now, Otto would undoubtedly return once Lyonel and Harwin were gone.

“Now I understand why Maegor wanted to burn the Hightower to the ground,” she muttered. “A den of vipers, all of them.”

Years Later

“Auntie! Auntie!” Little Aemond, still at the tender age of a child, sprinted toward her, wrapping his small arms around her legs. He had somehow escaped from the maesters assigned to his lessons. The second prince of House Targaryen was notably smaller than Aegon at that age, a fact that had caused Alicent much worry, especially when a serious illness had once threatened his life. Yet, the young prince had survived, albeit with a peculiar trait—his unfailing attachment to his aunt, Vissera, far more than to his own mother. He often begged her to take him dragon riding, even after his dragon egg refused to hatch.

“If you skip your lessons again, I won’t take you anywhere,” Vissera warned, her voice stern as she gazed down at the pale-haired boy who pouted in defiance.

Her head throbbed. He was adorable as a child, but how would such a spirited little boy grow into such a terror later in life?

“Prince Aemond, it’s time to return to your studies,” one of the maesters urged as they gently took the boy’s hand, leading him back to his chamber.

Vissera shook her head, only to meet Alicent’s sharp gaze. The queen, clad in her signature emerald gown, approached her sister-in-law with measured steps.

“Princess... I must ask you to stay away from my son.”

“I have kept my distance as you asked, Your Grace,” Vissera replied evenly, “but as you can see, it’s not exactly my choice.” She gestured toward Aemond, whose attachment to her was undeniable.

Alicent couldn’t deny it either. She herself often wondered why her second-born seemed so drawn to his aunt. From the moment he could walk, he’d toddle after Vissera, a habit that nearly had her accused of witchcraft.

Some people truly had too much time on their hands.

Alicent sighed, turning away with Ser Criston Cole trailing behind her. The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard didn’t miss the opportunity to shoot Vissera a disdainful glance. She returned it with a sly smile, thinking that if Rhaenyra ever wanted to exile Ser Criston to the Wall, she’d gladly help draft the decree.

But her thoughts quickly shifted to her niece, Rhaenyra. Initially, there was only one dark-haired child, but now, there was another. Vissera had tried to caution her niece against certain indiscretions, warning her to avoid actions that might expose the truth about her marriage to Laenor. But what could she do? Her niece’s husband had his own preferences, and their efforts to fulfill their marital duties had proven fruitless.

“Do you like it, Helaena?”

Helaena nodded quietly, her eyes fixed on the beetle Vissera had brought her from a distant land. Unlike most, the youngest princess preferred collecting insects to engaging in conversation. Yet, there was something peculiar about her—the strange and cryptic things she often said.

“Sapphire and ruby will unite as one.”

Vissera frowned slightly but said nothing, leaving Helaena’s chamber as her septa entered. She strolled through the gardens until she reached the weirwood tree, placing a hand upon its bark.

“Sometimes, I wonder why the gods sent me to this time,” she murmured to the ancient tree. “What can I do as a woman who wields a blade yet has no voice in the council?”

Though Vissera was the sister of King Viserys and Prince Daemon, it didn’t mean she held the same authority. Only Alicent and Rhaenyra had seats in the Small Council, and now her niece was under constant attack by its members.

“Princess,” a guard interrupted her thoughts. “His Grace wishes to see you.”

The Targaryen woman nodded, following him to her brother’s chambers. Inside, she found Otto Hightower and Alicent deep in discussion, while maesters attended to the ailing king. As they were dismissed, Viserys waved for his sister to approach.

“You’re not looking well, brother,” Vissera remarked, sitting by his bedside. “Why have you summoned me?”

“Can’t a brother simply wish to speak with his sister?”

The dim light of the room revealed the extent of Viserys’s decline. Vissera’s voice softened with concern. “Are the maesters still using the same treatments?” She sniffed the remnants of his medicine, frowning.

“I’ll speak to them about changing their methods,” she offered.

But Viserys waved her off, weary. “It’s too late for that, Vissera. My time is running out.” His remaining good eye fixed on her intently.

“Promise me you’ll protect Rhaenyra.”

“I’m already sworn to protect the heir to the Iron Throne,” she assured him with a faint smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “You should rest now.”

As she exited the room, she cast a sidelong glance at Otto and Alicent, her expression unreadable. She strode to the training yard, where the young princes were sparring. Aegon clashed swords with Ser Criston Cole, while Jacaerys trained under Ser Harwin Strong, who lingered nearby with the air of a man hiding a deep secret.

Vissera spotted Alicent cradling a drowsy Aemond, with Helaena clinging silently to her skirts. Aemond perked up upon seeing her, his tired face breaking into laughter.

Vissera could only shake her head. She remembered a time when the boy wasn’t this attached to her.

What had changed?

TBC.

[jbaileyfansite]

Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey is to play Richard II in a new production of Shakespeare’s history play directed by Nicholas Hytner at the Bridge theatre in London.

It will reunite the star with Hytner, whose version of Othello at the National Theatre in 2013 featured Bailey as Cassio. Bailey also played Edgar opposite Ian McKellen’s King Lear at Chichester Festival theatre in 2017. But the part of the Plantagenet monarch will be the highest profile Shakespeare role to date for the actor, who is best known for playing Lord Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s blockbuster period drama. Performances will begin at the Bridge on 10 February.

The question asked by Shakespeare’s Richard II, said Hytner, is: “What do you do when a ruler is absolutely inadequate? How do you get rid of the rightful leader?” The play has an ambiguity characteristic of Shakespeare, who does not “give us his own opinion”, said Hytner. “On the one hand, the play endorses Richard’s right to rule and on the other hand it appears to endorse [his adversary] Bolingbroke’s greater capacity to rule.” The production will reveal “a feudal world on the cusp of modernity” he said.

It will be designed by Bob Crowley and staged in what Hytner described as “a cross between in-the-round and traverse”, rather than the immersive, promenade style of Hytner’s Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which brought audiences up close to the actors at the Bridge. “Richard II has a delicacy and interiority that isn’t going to respond to that kind of treatment,” he said, adding that the theatre – which opened by Tower Bridge in 2017 – is a very flexible space.

Richard II will follow Guys and Dolls which has run at the venue since March 2023 and will have its last performance on 4 January. “We didn’t think it would last as long as it did,” said Hytner, who explained that the long run of the widely acclaimed musical had given the theatre “a bit of financial stability”. He wanted to stage a musical in the same spirit in which he had done Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “Guys and Dolls was the right choice for that kind of treatment, because it has a big, robust heart and there’s a direct appeal to the audience, a connection that allows you to plunge straight into it.”

The Bridge is the flagship venue of London Theatre Company which was founded by Hytner and Nick Starr. Its other space is Lightroom in King’s Cross, where an immersive David Hockney exhibition has returned for another run, alongside a multimedia experience about the Apollo Moon landings. It will eventually host live performance too. “The very long term plan is that it’s a theatre, but it’s working so well and we have so many things in the pipeline in that [multimedia] form that I can’t say when,” said Hytner.

Richard II will be at the Bridge theatre, London, from 10 February to 10 May

Source

[zomb13s]

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[ukrfeminism]

Experts and lawyers involved in sexual offence cases in Britain have warned that suspected rapists are evading justice by claiming to have a rare sleepwalking disorder that causes them to engage in sexual activity while asleep.

They said there had “definitely” been cases where guilty people had been found not guilty, and warned of the potential for further miscarriages of justice – and harm to the public – without more robust challenges to “sexsomnia” claims put forward by defendants.

The warnings come after an investigation by the Observer uncovered a rise in the use of “sexsomnia” as part of defence cases in criminal trials. It found 80 cases over the past 30 years where defendants accused of rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse claimed to have been sleepwalking or suffering from sexsomnia at the time.

But while there were only occasional cases in the 1990s and early 2000s, the analysis reveals at least 51 in the past decade and eight in the past year alone. The figures are likely to represent only part of the true total, with many not publicly reported. In about 60% of cases where sexsomnia was part of the defence, a not-guilty verdict was returned, the Observer’s analysis suggests. Overall, the average jury conviction rate for rape was 58% in England and Wales.

Charges against suspects have also been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service before they even reached court after defence lawyers raised sexsomnia behind the scenes. One law firm advertised how it “kept pressure” on the CPS after it decided to continue with the prosecution of a wealthy client charged with sexual assault. The charges were dropped before the case went to trial.

Dr Neil Stanley, an independent sleep expert who has provided expert evidence in trials where sexsomnia was raised as an issue, said that while some claims of the condition were undoubtedly genuine, others were not.

“It is being used cynically,” he said. “There are cases that are in the public domain where it is clear that they’re just chancing their arm. Because, of course, if it is sexsomnia, you’re found not guilty. Judges haven’t a clue. Juries haven’t a clue. So it’s worth a try.”

Stanley said attempted use of sexsomnia by defendants had “massively skyrocketed” in recent years and that such claims were very difficult to definitively disprove – meaning often “just saying, ‘I don’t remember. It could be sexsomnia,’ is enough”.

He said the current system was failing victims – and true sufferers of the condition – and called for reforms including more robust challenging of sexsomnia claims and a less adversarial approach to questioning expert witnesses, so they could provide more nuanced responses in the courtroom.

“The law seems not willing to admit that there’s a strong likelihood of miscarriages of justice. And given the severity of the offence, we should be very certain of having checks and balances in place so we take as many precautions as possible to stop miscarriages of justice,” he said. “In terms of sexsomnia, that is not happening.”

He added: “I know in my heart of hearts that there are cases where guilty men have got away with it. And that cannot be a legitimate consequence of the system. The system has to change.”

Sexsomnia is recognised in the DSM-5 diagnostic manual of psychiatric conditions and is a type of para­somnia, a disorder involving abnormal sleep behaviour. Sufferers engage in sex acts while in non-REM sleep. They might have their eyes open but will have no awareness or memory of their behaviour.

If a jury decides that an accused person was in such a state – known as “automatism” – when they committed an alleged offence, they will be found not guilty. But while lab tests and partner histories can be used to try to establish whether a sexsomnia claim is genuine, sleep experts and lawyers say the system is open to abuse because uncertainty in the science means it is impossible to say for sure whether someone was or was not suffering from sexsomnia.

Many of those successfully pleading sexsomnia in court had no known history of sleepwalking and no formal diagnosis. Other cases involved defendants performing a complicated series of actions in unfamiliar settings, which experts said were less typical of genuine sexsomnia.

In about a third of the cases, the defendant was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and some were very intoxicated, but sexsomnia was cited as the primary factor behind their behaviour.

Sometimes, just a mention of the condition in court appears to sow a seed of doubt that can contribute to a not-guilty verdict. In one rape case, two expert witnesses said evidence for the defendant having sexsomnia was “weak” but that they could not categorically rule it out. The jury subsequently acquitted the man.

In at least one case, a man who avoided a rape prosecution after claiming to have sexsomnia went on to attack again. Joseph Short evaded charges in 2011 after saying he had no memory of an alleged rape. He was later jailed for 15 years for another violent attack. And a man convicted of strangling and beating his partner was acquitted of raping her and another woman after claiming to have been suffering from the condition.

Allison Summers KC, a barrister and head of Drystone Chambers, who has represented three clients who used sexsomnia as a defence, all of whom were acquitted, said the increase in defences using the condition could be in part because it had historically been “underdiagnosed generally” and that there were some “very genuine” cases.

But she said the presence of alcohol complicated things – “are they using the sleep defence to cover up what has happened?” – and that there was an issue of defendants “trying it on”.

“I think there are probably [defence lawyers] running these cases on fairly spurious evidence,” she added. “Juries are strange creatures and I suspect sometimes they give the benefit of the doubt when they shouldn’t.”

Summers said it was for defence counsels to investigate such claims and for prosecutors to robustly challenge them, but that this did not always happen: barristers instructed “rubbish” experts or failed to get relevant histories, or prosecutors did not properly interrogate claims in court. “It comes back to laziness and a lack of understanding,” she said.

Sexsomnia has also been used by defence teams in an attempt to discredit victims. Jade McCrossen-Nethercott, 31, from Croydon, is taking legal action against the CPS after it dropped her rape case days before it was due to go to trial after expert witnesses said she had sexsomnia.

McCrossen-Nethercott said the conclusion was made by an expert instructed by the defence who had never met her, and was based on her answers to a 15-question survey. “It was plucked out of thin air,” she said.

The CPS has since “apologised unreservedly” for its decision to drop the case and said “the expert evidence and defendant’s account should have been challenged and put before a jury to decide”.

McCrossen-Nethercott is now calling for “robust, rigorous and consistent” assessment of sexsomnia claims “across the board”, including a “thorough assessment, bed partner histories, extensive polysomnographies”.

“It has to be taken seriously to protect victims from being told they have it without significant evidence; to prevent perpetrators claiming they do when they don’t, but also for genuine sufferers, to prevent them being wrongly convicted,” she said.

Dame Vera Baird KC, the former victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, called for safeguards to be put in place to protect victims and the public. She said sexsomnia was being seen as an “escape route” by some defendants and that in cases where it arose, prosecutors needed to be consistent in applying for sexual risk orders, which can be made regardless of whether someone is convicted if they are deemed to pose a danger.

Such an order could require a person to warn future partners, or others sleeping under the same roof, about their condition, or face prison.

Baird, a barrister who was previously solicitor general and a Labour MP, said increasing the use of such orders might also deter people from using sexsomnia as a “get-out-of-jail card”. “A person who says, ‘Oh dear, I raped somebody without knowing it,’ is a danger to the public and cannot be left simply acquitted,” she said.

A CPS spokesperson said prosecutors always “robustly challenge legal defences when contrasting evidence is available” and that sexsomnia was no exception. It said any decision to drop a case in response to a claim of sexsomnia “must now be approved at the most senior level” and that victims always had the right to seek a review. However, it said it did not record data on how many cases had been dropped due to sexsomnia claims by the defendant.

The Ministry of Justice said the government had taken “decisive action” to ensure rape victims got justice and that “the validity and credibility of a defence” was for the courts to decide.

Claire (not her real name), a complainant in a recent case where the defendant was acquitted on multiple counts of sexual assault after claiming to have sexsomnia, said the verdict had a “devastating” effect. She said the man did not deny the acts took place but said he must have done them while asleep, and that he had never sleepwalked before, had no formal diagnosis, and had had “no tests done”.

The woman, a mother from Lancashire, said the process had left her “baffled”: “It’s like they’ve said, ‘Well yeah, he might’ve sexually abused you numerous times but he did it in his sleep, so it’s OK. So you’re just going to have to get on with your life and deal with it and he’s got away with it.’ It’s like they just took his word for it. There is nothing to stop him from doing it again and just saying, ‘I was asleep’.”

[mariacallous]

There is no shortage of misery in the Middle East today. As the region marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, Israel mourned the murder of around 1,200 Israelis and worried about the fate of the remaining 100 hostages held by Hamas. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in the subsequent war, hundreds of thousands are currently homeless, and much of Gaza lies in ruins. Lebanon, too, is now devolving into a war zone.

Often overlooked amid all this misery is Iran, which is also having a terrible, horrible, very bad year. But unlike most of the other actors here, it has only itself to blame.

Consider where Iran was strategically on Oct. 6, 2023. The United States, torn between competing demands for its military forces, was looking to reduce its military presence in the Middle East. That brought Iran closer than ever to achieving one of its long-term goals: ridding the region of U.S. influence. Israel, meanwhile, was tearing itself apart at home over controversial judicial reforms. Iran had suffered a strategic blow a few years prior with the passage of the Abraham Accords, which promoted Israel-Arab ties, but Tehran had arguably countered this in part by forging closer military ties to Moscow. True, Iran remained under significant sanctions, but the Biden administration unfroze some $6 billion in Iranian funds in exchange for freeing American prisoners.

Now consider where Iran is just a year later. Hamas, an Iranian proxy, has been decimated. Israel has shown that it can reach into a VIP guest house in Tehran to kill Hamas’s leaders. Hezbollah, the crown jewel of Iran’s proxy network, has been mauled to the point where Iran needs to strike Israel on the group’s behalf, rather than vice versa. Israel’s fractured political spectrum doesn’t agree on much, but it is united when it comes to making Iran pay for its missile attacks on the country. The Abraham Accords—which normalized Israel’s relationship with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain—are strained but remain intact, and Saudi-Israeli normalization remains possible in the longer term, even if it is not in the cards right now. In fact, despite the violence, it is easier to fly to Tel Aviv from Dubai than from many European cities. And the U.S. military is once again surging into the region. Further Western sanctions relief—in this geopolitical climate—is currently off the table.

While Israel faces strategic problems of its own, at least Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can argue that he did not start this war. By contrast, it is an open question to what extent Iran’s leaders helped plan the Oct. 7 attack and set the region aflame in the process. Even if Iran was merely caught up in one of its proxies going rogue, it certainly did have a direct role in the missile barrages against Israel and, by extension, the retaliatory strikes that followed.

Perhaps the silver lining for Iran here is that it could have been worse. Tehran’s missile attacks—in April and again in October—failed to kill Israelis or cause significant damage. Had they done that, Israel’s retaliation would likely have been significantly more robust.

But this gets to the crux: Iran’s tolerance for risk is growing. Firing hundreds of ballistic missiles at a militarily superior adversary is a dangerous game. Firing them while repeatedly calling for the annihilation of a likely nuclear-armed, militarily superior, superpower-backed state with a right-wing government inclined to hit back hard is a potentially suicidal gamble.

That’s not the only thing Iran has done over the past year that was so risky that it could have threatened the regime’s stability itself, had it not been for Tehran’s incompetence. Iran reportedly tried to kill former U.S. President Donald Trump and other former senior Trump administration officials in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani. Thankfully, those plots were foiled. But the attempt itself was a huge risk, especially given that Trump is a current candidate for the presidency and known for holding grievances. Indeed, after being briefed about the attempted assassination, Trump threatened to “blow [Iran’s] largest cities and the country itself to smithereens” if he gets back to the White House and Iran tried a similar ploy.

But whereas trying to assassinate a former—and potentially future—U.S. president on American soil is a gutsy move, imagine what would happen if such a plot actually succeeds. Republicans—many of whom are already pretty hawkish on Iran—would likely be calling for blood. Democrats would not likely let the killing of a former U.S. president go unpunished. Indeed, if one thing could upend the post-Iraq, post-Afghanistan received wisdom of eschewing regime change in the Middle East, killing a former president could be it. In short, if the Iranian regime survives this war, it will be thanks to luck and its own incompetence.

Of course, from the Iranian perspective, its actions—or at least its missile strikes—were driven by strategic necessities to reestablish deterrence after a series of Israeli and U.S. affronts to its sovereignty, such as striking Iranian diplomatic facilities in Syria and killing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders. But there is little evidence that Iranian actions are having any deterrent effect whatsoever. If anything, Israeli leaders are talking even more openly than before about regime change in Tehran and even more adamantly about destroying the Iranian nuclear program.

Strategically, the wisest option for Iran right now would be to retreat to the shadows, rebuild its proxy network, and fight another day. After all, it will take time to rebuild Hamas and Hezbollah into the formidable fighting forces they once were. At the same time, Israel’s ties to its Arab neighbors and the West are already frayed, thanks to the bloodshed of the Gaza campaign and the Netanyahu administration’s unwillingness to commit to any sort of Palestinian state—a win, if a Pyrrhic one, for Iran. Pulling back also leaves open the prospect of some sort of future deal with the West over the medium term—which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says he wants and even Trump says he’s open to supporting.

That is not, however, what Iran seems intent on doing. Whether it’s because of Iranian domestic politics, concerns about losing face on the international stage, or simply a desire for revenge, the regime looks intent on doubling down. In a rare Friday prayer speech, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—with a rifle by his side in case anyone missed the point—praised the Oct. 7 massacre and promised that Iran “won’t back down. Israel won’t last long.”

Iran’s seeming unwillingness to reverse course has important implications for the United States and the West’s approach to Iran. It raises the question of whether threatening Iran with further costs will be sufficient to force a change in direction. The United States and its European partners can sanction Iran all they want; Israel could bomb Iranian oil fields. But it may not change Iranian behavior.

If deterrence by punishment won’t work, then the United States and the West will need to resort to deterrence by denial—destroying Iran’s ability to attack Israel and aid its proxies. That would be hard to do, since it requires destroying significant chunks of Iran’s military capabilities rather than simply threatening to inflict pain. But if the Iranian regime seems intent on escalating, then the United States and its allies may have no other choice.

And if that happens, while this year may have been a terrible one for Iran, next year might be even worse.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Josh Paul and Tariq Habash of A New Policy, via Zeteo:

When we resigned from the Biden administration over its disastrous Gaza policy, we knew the time was now to reshape US policies toward Israel and Palestine so that they were actually in line with American interests. It’s why we started A New Policy in the first place. We also knew we were up against a powerful lobby – with AIPAC at the forefront – that has established a narrative so entrenched in US politics and media that it's hard for Americans not to accept that the unconditional US support for Israel is what is best for the United States. But our work in government and what we’ve witnessed over the last 17 months with Israel’s US-backed genocidal war in Gaza tells us that the US-Israel relationship is anything but beneficial to Americans, the region, and the world. Americans are starting to wake up to this fact, but overcoming the reach of organizations like the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) – a group that has a more than 40-year lead on us in size and influence – can only begin when the narrative about the US-Israel relationship is corrected. When the veil of myths is torn away, two questions come to the fore: First, if the US relationship with Israel costs more than benefits America, how should we revise that relationship? And second, if the relationship with Israel is not, on balance, in America’s interest in its current form, what should we think of an organization that does not just advance misinformation into our political system, but backs that misinformation with over $100 million of spending on American politicians and elections in the past cycle alone?

[...]

The US-Israel relationship “helps keep us safe” because Israeli technology helps secure America, Israeli intelligence sharing pre-empts threats from the Middle East, and Israel deters and defeats our mutual adversaries.

The Facts

Israel’s militarized occupation, including its violent assault on Gaza that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent people, is a driver of insecurity and is itself a causal factor for much of the risk that the US-Israel defense and intelligence-sharing relationship exists to address. America’s public association with Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian people, including through the provision of the funding and weaponry that enable it, creates far more challenges for America’s national security than it resolves. While the US and Israel do have a robust intelligence-sharing relationship, many, if not most, of the threats this relationship addresses are a function of Israel’s own actions, which generate regional instability as well as global threats to the United States, as the director of the US National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) observed in 2024. [...]

AIPAC Myth #2

The US-Israel relationship “promotes our values and interests” because Israel is a democracy that promotes “stability” in the Middle East and creates “lasting peace” for the region.

The Facts

Israel is no democracy. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli NGO B’Tselem have all said Israel operates in whole or in part as an apartheid system. As Americans, we believe in freedom, liberty, and that all people should be treated equally regardless of ethnicity or religion. These are values that are fundamentally at odds with those demonstrated by Israel, as 5 million Palestinians currently live under Israeli military occupation without the right to vote, due process, and the right to self-determination simply because of their identity. Furthermore, the notion that Israel joins the US in “promoting stability” in the Middle East is provably false simply by looking at the multiple conflicts Israel is engaged in – with Palestinians, Lebanon, Syria (portions of which it is currently occupying), Iran, and Yemen.14 Outside of direct conflict, the citizens of nations across the region strongly disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza, an obstacle to US goals for normalization of relations between countries in the region and Israel.

This Zeteo article helpfully highlights the 6 AIPAC-backed myths about the US/Israel relationship.

[reality-detective]

Have You Ever Heard of the "Samson Policy?"

The Samson Policy Explained: 👇

The Samson Policy, also known as the "Samson Option," refers to Israel's nuclear deterrence strategy of massive retaliation with nuclear weapons as a "last resort" against a country whose military has invaded and/or destroyed much of Israel. This policy is named after the biblical figure Samson, who pushed apart the pillars of a Philistine temple, bringing down the roof and killing himself and thousands of Philistines who had captured him.

According to various sources, including Seymour Hersh's 1991 book "The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy," Israel's nuclear strategy involves maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity, refusing to confirm or deny the existence of its nuclear weapons or to describe how they would be used. This ambiguity is intended to increase the effectiveness of deterrence by leaving potential adversaries uncertain about the consequences of attacking Israel.

The policy is often associated with the concept of "nuclear opacity," which means that Israel's nuclear capabilities are not openly disclosed, making it difficult for others to assess its nuclear posture. This opacity is seen as a key component of Israel's deterrence strategy, as it creates uncertainty and makes it harder for potential adversaries to calculate the risks and benefits of attacking Israel.

Key aspects of the Samson Policy: 👇

1. Massive retaliation: Israel's nuclear response would be proportionally massive in scale, intended to inflict devastating damage on the aggressor.

2. Last resort: The Samson Policy is only triggered as a last resort, when Israel's very existence is threatened.

3. Ambiguity: Israel maintains a policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding its nuclear weapons, refusing to confirm or deny their existence or describe how they would be used.

4. Nuclear opacity: Israel's nuclear capabilities are not openly disclosed, creating uncertainty and making it harder for potential adversaries to assess its nuclear posture.

Overall, the Samson Policy represents Israel's commitment to defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity through a robust nuclear deterrence strategy, while maintaining a level of ambiguity and opacity to maximize its effectiveness.

Did You Know? 🤔

[radnewworld]

Frequently (Not) Asked Questions!

What is RAD New World anyway? RAD New World is a (in development) tabletop roleplaying game set a thousand years after a technologically advanced Earth circa 2200 had a globe-spanning war that knocked everyone back to the stone age. Players create adventurers with fantastic mutant powers who go out into the world and solve problems, create other problems (often with fire), and hopefully help the various civilizations thrive in a strange world full of danger.

Oh. Neat. Why would I play this rather than 5e With a Thousand Houserules? Mostly because the game features problems more complex than monsters with giant bags of HP and problem-solving more interesting than a single skill check. Your characters might be called upon to explore a ruin left by the Ancients full or robots and lost technology, track down and save children kidnapped by bandits, take a direct role in managing settlements, hunt monsters for valuable resources to build new inventions with, sneak into and rob a fortress, fix barely understood devices, or mock someone into sputtering indignation during a high society event.

I mean, we could do all those things in 5e With a Thousand Houserules... Sure, maybe, but you'll miss out on all the character options RAD presents! There are over a hundred unique mutations, twice that many abilities, and a robust skill system that allows you to make a character completely unique even at level one.

All that sounds cool, but aren't classless games complicated? I don't like complex games. Not at all! There aren't big charts or any math harder than basic arithmetic. Character creation is taken step by step and features options you've never seen before.

For gameplay, aside from the general storytelling back and forth of any TTRPG, you'll mostly be rolling a D20 and adding whichever skill modifier is applicable, then throwing in dynamic effects from your mutations or abilities. Often, you won't even need to roll if you have just the right mutation or ability for a situation!

Wait! You said problem solving wasn't just a simple skill check! It's not. Simple activities might be a single roll of the dice, but most problems will lead into some sort of minigame to keep it interesting. You'll either need to exceed a goal number a set number times before failing it twice in a row, or challenge another player or the GM to bid higher and higher goals before the roll, or wear down an adversary's Resolve with arguments, or play cat-and-mouse games with guards with opposed rolling, or all the players contributing their various different skill checks to a big collaborative effort.

Can I lea- The gamemaster's handbook also has real, useful tools so a GM isn't left to pull BS out of nowhere for such common issues as: How quickly does a fire spread and how much does it hurt to be in? How fast does someone actually fall? If someone wants to pick up another dude and throw 'em, how far does he go? How hard is it to break objects? Why is That Rule the way it is?

Are there rules for kissing elves? No. We have no elves to kiss. But you can kiss all sorts of weird things and the selectable mutations can be read as a tag list if you're into that sort of thing. Hypnotic Suggestion, Tenacles, Height Adjustment, Monkey Feet, Prehensile Tail, Snake Legs, Web Spinneret, Elastic Body, Pain Induction, Telepathy... And for the truly freaky, Ventriloquism.

That's it. That's the FAQ.

[sprintingowl]

Last Flight Of The Pandora

Last Flight Of The Pandora is a surprising find. It's a slim black book with gorgeous art, stylish layout, and a fantastic one session campy scifi horror ttrpg.

The book is about eighty pages, but most of that is scenarios, and the game is built to be extremely modular. You can run it a dozen times without it feeling stale.

The core premise is everyone picks a species and a role aboard the ship, and then in classic Space Station 13 fashion everyone tries to do their jobs while things go wrong.

It's a bit Lower Decks and a bit Alien, with some subtle nods to other horror classics like the scuttling prop head from The Thing, and the mechanics are surprisingly robust for how lightweight the whole thing is.

Essentially, you have different dice for different stats, and a 4+ is always a success. Species / crew role can give you advantage on rolls, or modify your stats, or let you do unique actions that range from "breathe vacuum" to "make a good latte". Every game also has the same ship map, with the same spelled out areas, and there's a feeling of boardgame-like familiarity if you play or run it more than once.

What changes between outings aboard the Pandora is what's wrong with the ship. It might be a xenomorph. It might be a rogue AI. It might be an evil floating insomnia baby. The GM decides on the fly moments before the game begins.

This sort of pantsing it is very much in the spirit of the game, and Last Flight is careful to give a lot of support to encourage the GM to wing it. Each adversary comes with its own detailed chart of objectives, ways it escalates, and what it will ultimately do if it isn't stopped. Adversaries aren't declared out loud, either, so the players have to figure out which threat they're dealing with by exploring the map and encountering its manifestations.

For groups that like pulpy scifi games, I think Last Flight is a gem. It doesn't fundamentally redefine the medium, but it's satisfying and very reliable, and a great one-shot to drop into a gap between longer games. I've anything I've said here sounds good, definitely consider picking it up.

[ixnai]

The allure of speed in technology development is a siren’s call that has led many innovators astray. “Move fast and break things” is a mantra that has driven the tech industry for years, but when applied to artificial intelligence, it becomes a perilous gamble. The rapid iteration and deployment of AI systems without thorough vetting can lead to catastrophic consequences, akin to releasing a flawed algorithm into the wild without a safety net.

AI systems, by their very nature, are complex and opaque. They operate on layers of neural networks that mimic the human brain’s synaptic connections, yet they lack the innate understanding and ethical reasoning that guide human decision-making. The haste to deploy AI without comprehensive testing is akin to launching a spacecraft without ensuring the integrity of its navigation systems. The potential for error is not just probable; it is inevitable.

The pitfalls of AI are numerous and multifaceted. Bias in training data can lead to discriminatory outcomes, while lack of transparency in decision-making processes can result in unaccountable systems. These issues are compounded by the “black box” nature of many AI models, where even the developers cannot fully explain how inputs are transformed into outputs. This opacity is not merely a technical challenge but an ethical one, as it obscures accountability and undermines trust.

To avoid these pitfalls, a paradigm shift is necessary. The development of AI must prioritize robustness over speed, with a focus on rigorous testing and validation. This involves not only technical assessments but also ethical evaluations, ensuring that AI systems align with societal values and norms. Techniques such as adversarial testing, where AI models are subjected to challenging scenarios to identify weaknesses, are crucial. Additionally, the implementation of explainable AI (XAI) can demystify the decision-making processes, providing clarity and accountability.

Moreover, interdisciplinary collaboration is essential. AI development should not be confined to the realm of computer scientists and engineers. Ethicists, sociologists, and legal experts must be integral to the process, providing diverse perspectives that can foresee and mitigate potential harms. This collaborative approach ensures that AI systems are not only technically sound but also socially responsible.

In conclusion, the reckless pursuit of speed in AI development is a dangerous path that risks unleashing untested and potentially harmful technologies. By prioritizing thorough testing, ethical considerations, and interdisciplinary collaboration, we can harness the power of AI responsibly. The future of AI should not be about moving fast and breaking things, but about moving thoughtfully and building trust.