#big data security guide

[vastedge330]

https://www.bloglovin.com/@vastedge/how-to-protect-your-privacy-in-a-big-data

In a world dominated by big data, safeguarding your privacy is crucial. This guide offers practical steps and solutions to protect personal and corporate data, with a focus on compliance, encryption, and best practices for data security.

[thetrekkiehadthephonebox]

.

[yeoldenews]

A Guide to Historically Accurate Regency-Era Names

I recently received a message from a historical romance writer asking if I knew any good resources for finding historically accurate Regency-era names for their characters.

Not knowing any off the top of my head, I dug around online a bit and found there really isn’t much out there. The vast majority of search results were Buzzfeed-style listicles which range from accurate-adjacent to really, really, really bad.

I did find a few blog posts with fairly decent name lists, but noticed that even these have very little indication as to each name’s relative popularity as those statistical breakdowns really don't exist.

I began writing up a response with this information, but then I (being a research addict who was currently snowed in after a blizzard) thought hey - if there aren’t any good resources out there why not make one myself?

As I lacked any compiled data to work from, I had to do my own data wrangling on this project. Due to this fact, I limited the scope to what I thought would be the most useful for writers who focus on this era, namely - people of a marriageable age living in the wealthiest areas of London.

So with this in mind - I went through period records and compiled the names of 25,000 couples who were married in the City of Westminster (which includes Mayfair, St. James and Hyde Park) between 1804 to 1821.

So let’s see what all that data tells us…

To begin - I think it’s hard for us in the modern world with our wide and varied abundance of first names to conceive of just how POPULAR popular names of the past were.

If you were to take a modern sample of 25-year-old (born in 1998) American women, the most common name would be Emily with 1.35% of the total population. If you were to add the next four most popular names (Hannah, Samantha, Sarah and Ashley) these top five names would bring you to 5.5% of the total population. (source: Social Security Administration)

If you were to do the same survey in Regency London - the most common name would be Mary with 19.2% of the population. Add the next four most popular names (Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah and Jane) and with just 5 names you would have covered 62% of all women.

To hit 62% of the population in the modern survey it would take the top 400 names.

The top five Regency men’s names (John, William, Thomas, James and George) have nearly identical statistics as the women’s names.

I struggled for the better part of a week with how to present my findings, as a big list in alphabetical order really fails to get across the popularity factor and also isn’t the most tumblr-compatible format. And then my YouTube homepage recommended a random video of someone ranking all the books they’d read last year - and so I present…

The Regency Name Popularity Tier List

The Tiers

S+ - 10% of the population or greater. There is no modern equivalent to this level of popularity. 52% of the population had one of these 7 names.

S - 2-10%. There is still no modern equivalent to this level of popularity. Names in this percentage range in the past have included Mary and William in the 1880s and Jennifer in the late 1970s (topped out at 4%).

A - 1-2%. The top five modern names usually fall in this range. Kids with these names would probably include their last initial in class to avoid confusion. (1998 examples: Emily, Sarah, Ashley, Michael, Christopher, Brandon.)

B - .3-1%. Very common names. Would fall in the top 50 modern names. You would most likely know at least 1 person with these names. (1998 examples: Jessica, Megan, Allison, Justin, Ryan, Eric)

C - .17-.3%. Common names. Would fall in the modern top 100. You would probably know someone with these names, or at least know of them. (1998 examples: Chloe, Grace, Vanessa, Sean, Spencer, Seth)

D - .06-.17%. Less common names. In the modern top 250. You may not personally know someone with these names, but you’re aware of them. (1998 examples: Faith, Cassidy, Summer, Griffin, Dustin, Colby)

E - .02-.06%. Uncommon names. You’re aware these are names, but they are not common. Unusual enough they may be remarked upon. (1998 examples: Calista, Skye, Precious, Fabian, Justice, Lorenzo)

F - .01-.02%. Rare names. You may have heard of these names, but you probably don’t know anyone with one. Extremely unusual, and would likely be remarked upon. (1998 examples: Emerald, Lourdes, Serenity, Dario, Tavian, Adonis)

G - Very rare names. There are only a handful of people with these names in the entire country. You’ve never met anyone with this name.

H - Virtually non-existent. Names that theoretically could have existed in the Regency period (their original source pre-dates the early 19th century) but I found fewer than five (and often no) period examples of them being used in Regency England. (Example names taken from romance novels and online Regency name lists.)

Just to once again reinforce how POPULAR popular names were before we get to the tier lists - statistically, in a ballroom of 100 people in Regency London: 80 would have names from tiers S+/S. An additional 15 people would have names from tiers A/B and C. 4 of the remaining 5 would have names from D/E. Only one would have a name from below tier E.

Women's Names

S+ Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah      

S - Jane, Mary Ann+, Hannah, Susannah, Margaret, Catherine, Martha, Charlotte, Maria

A - Frances, Harriet, Sophia, Eleanor, Rebecca

B - Alice, Amelia, Bridget~, Caroline, Eliza, Esther, Isabella, Louisa, Lucy, Lydia, Phoebe, Rachel, Susan

C - Ellen, Fanny*, Grace, Henrietta, Hester, Jemima, Matilda, Priscilla

D - Abigail, Agnes, Amy, Augusta, Barbara, Betsy*, Betty*, Cecilia, Christiana, Clarissa, Deborah, Diana, Dinah, Dorothy, Emily, Emma, Georgiana, Helen, Janet^, Joanna, Johanna, Judith, Julia, Kezia, Kitty*, Letitia, Nancy*, Ruth, Winifred>

E - Arabella, Celia, Charity, Clara, Cordelia, Dorcas, Eve, Georgina, Honor, Honora, Jennet^, Jessie*^, Joan, Joyce, Juliana, Juliet, Lavinia, Leah, Margery, Marian, Marianne, Marie, Mercy, Miriam, Naomi, Patience, Penelope, Philadelphia, Phillis, Prudence, Rhoda, Rosanna, Rose, Rosetta, Rosina, Sabina, Selina, Sylvia, Theodosia, Theresa

F - (selected) Alicia, Bethia, Euphemia, Frederica, Helena, Leonora, Mariana, Millicent, Mirah, Olivia, Philippa, Rosamund, Sybella, Tabitha, Temperance, Theophila, Thomasin, Tryphena, Ursula, Virtue, Wilhelmina

G - (selected) Adelaide, Alethia, Angelina, Cassandra, Cherry, Constance, Delilah, Dorinda, Drusilla, Eva, Happy, Jessica, Josephine, Laura, Minerva, Octavia, Parthenia, Theodora, Violet, Zipporah

H - Alberta, Alexandra, Amber, Ashley, Calliope, Calpurnia, Chloe, Cressida, Cynthia, Daisy, Daphne, Elaine, Eloise, Estella, Lilian, Lilias, Francesca, Gabriella, Genevieve, Gwendoline, Hermione, Hyacinth, Inez, Iris, Kathleen, Madeline, Maude, Melody, Portia, Seabright, Seraphina, Sienna, Verity

Men's Names

S+ John, William, Thomas

S - James, George, Joseph, Richard, Robert, Charles, Henry, Edward, Samuel

A - Benjamin, (Mother’s/Grandmother’s maiden name used as first name)#

B - Alexander^, Andrew, Daniel, David>, Edmund, Francis, Frederick, Isaac, Matthew, Michael, Patrick~, Peter, Philip, Stephen, Timothy

C - Abraham, Anthony, Christopher, Hugh>, Jeremiah, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Walter

D - Adam, Arthur, Bartholomew, Cornelius, Dennis, Evan>, Jacob, Job, Josiah, Joshua, Lawrence, Lewis, Luke, Mark, Martin, Moses, Nicholas, Owen>, Paul, Ralph, Simon

E - Aaron, Alfred, Allen, Ambrose, Amos, Archibald, Augustin, Augustus, Barnard, Barney, Bernard, Bryan, Caleb, Christian, Clement, Colin, Duncan^, Ebenezer, Edwin, Emanuel, Felix, Gabriel, Gerard, Gilbert, Giles, Griffith, Harry*, Herbert, Humphrey, Israel, Jabez, Jesse, Joel, Jonas, Lancelot, Matthias, Maurice, Miles, Oliver, Rees, Reuben, Roger, Rowland, Solomon, Theophilus, Valentine, Zachariah

F - (selected) Abel, Barnabus, Benedict, Connor, Elijah, Ernest, Gideon, Godfrey, Gregory, Hector, Horace, Horatio, Isaiah, Jasper, Levi, Marmaduke, Noah, Percival, Shadrach, Vincent

G - (selected) Albion, Darius, Christmas, Cleophas, Enoch, Ethelbert, Gavin, Griffin, Hercules, Hugo, Innocent, Justin, Maximilian, Methuselah, Peregrine, Phineas, Roland, Sebastian, Sylvester, Theodore, Titus, Zephaniah

H - Albinus, Americus, Cassian, Dominic, Eric, Milo, Rollo, Trevor, Tristan, Waldo, Xavier

# Men were sometimes given a family surname (most often their mother's or grandmother's maiden name) as their first name - the most famous example of this being Fitzwilliam Darcy. If you were to combine all surname-based first names as a single 'name' this is where the practice would rank.

*Rank as a given name, not a nickname

+If you count Mary Ann as a separate name from Mary - Mary would remain in S+ even without the Mary Anns included

~Primarily used by people of Irish descent

^Primarily used by people of Scottish descent

>Primarily used by people of Welsh descent

I was going to continue on and write about why Regency-era first names were so uniform, discuss historically accurate surnames, nicknames, and include a little guide to finding 'unique' names that are still historically accurate - but this post is already very, very long, so that will have to wait for a later date.

If anyone has any questions/comments/clarifications in the meantime feel free to message me.

Methodology notes: All data is from marriage records covering six parishes in the City of Westminster between 1804 and 1821. The total sample size was 50,950 individuals.

I chose marriage records rather than births/baptisms as I wanted to focus on individuals who were adults during the Regency era rather than newborns. I think many people make the mistake when researching historical names by using baby name data for the year their story takes place rather than 20 to 30 years prior, and I wanted to avoid that. If you are writing a story that takes place in 1930 you don’t want to research the top names for 1930, you need to be looking at 1910 or earlier if you are naming adult characters.

I combined (for my own sanity) names that are pronounced identically but have minor spelling differences: i.e. the data for Catherine also includes Catharines and Katherines, Susannah includes Susannas, Phoebe includes Phebes, etc.

The compound 'Mother's/Grandmother's maiden name used as first name' designation is an educated guesstimate based on what I recognized as known surnames, as I do not hate myself enough to go through 25,000+ individuals and confirm their mother's maiden names. So if the tally includes any individuals who just happened to be named Fitzroy/Hastings/Townsend/etc. because their parents liked the sound of it and not due to any familial relations - my bad.

I did a small comparative survey of 5,000 individuals in several rural communities in Rutland and Staffordshire (chosen because they had the cleanest data I could find and I was lazy) to see if there were any significant differences between urban and rural naming practices and found the results to be very similar. The most noticeable difference I observed was that the S+ tier names were even MORE popular in rural areas than in London. In Rutland between 1810 and 1820 Elizabeths comprised 21.4% of all brides vs. 15.3% in the London survey. All other S+ names also saw increases of between 1% and 6%. I also observed that the rural communities I surveyed saw a small, but noticeable and fairly consistent, increase in the use of names with Biblical origins.

Sources of the records I used for my survey: 

Ancestry.com. England & Wales Marriages, 1538-1988 [database on-line].

Ancestry.com. Westminster, London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1935 [database on-line].

[snail-day]

TW: Older Professor Yandere x College Student Reader, Abuse of Power, Spanking, Fingering, Manipulation, Infidelity. MDNI

A/n: This could be awful, but the brain worms in my hungover little noggin were munching away at this idea. Also, I thought dead dove was a universal term last night, and I had to (mortifyingly) explain what it meant to my friends 👍 and I feel like I definitely overexplained it. Enjoy!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Thinking about controversial older yanderes... Like a professor in his 40s, married, with a couple of kids. You know the type. The kind who’s got everything—tenure, three published books, a whole career built on being the guy everyone respects. The guy who should really know better.

But then there’s you. Poor little nineteen-year-old you, sitting in the front row of his lecture hall, looking up at him with those big, wide, puppy-dog eyes. It’s barely the first day, and you’re already turning to the person next to you, asking if he’s going to go over the syllabus. He’s not. That’s something you should figure out on your own. But the way you looked so lost and helpless—God, it just did something to him.

He knows it’s wrong. He’s married. He has kids. A reputation to uphold. So why can’t he stop thinking about how you’d look with those pretty lips of yours wrapped around his cock? Why is he willing to risk everything he’s worked for just to have you?

It starts small. He tells himself it’s harmless. He watches you, admires the way you fumble through class. But it’s not enough. He’s always been a man who takes what he wants. So, when you turn in your first big paper, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

“AI-generated,” he says, shaking his head like it pains him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this.”

You’re a mess, practically in tears, insisting you worked so hard on it. You did. Hours, maybe days of effort, all for him to dismiss it in one breath. But he just sits there, palms pressed together like he’s some kind of saint, telling you his hands are tied. “It’s academic integrity,” he says, like he’s not already imagining you on your knees.

You’re begging him for another chance. And, well, he’s a reasonable guy. Of course, he’ll help. “Why don’t you assist me with my research?” he offers. “It’s a great experience. We’ll get that grade sorted out.”

So, there you are. Alone with him in his lab most days, where his hands are always just a little too familiar. Brushing your hip as you reach for a chemical or guiding your hand over the keyboard when you “mess up” the data entry. And when he loosens the cap on a reagent just enough for it to spill, you’re flustered, stripping out of your stained clothes while he promises he’s not looking.

Except, of course, he is. His phone is propped up on the desk, recording every second. For “security reasons,” he says, but the truth is obvious.

You just keep messing up, though. The numbers are wrong, the experiments fail, the code has errors. Every mistake adds up until he finally sighs, exasperated. “I really hate to do this,” he says, sitting you down like a child about to be scolded. “But I think we need to address this another way.”

Next thing you know, you’re over his lap, his rough hand spanking your ass while his fingers slide into your dripping cunt. “You don’t want an academic violation on your record, do you?” he murmurs, voice low, while you sob out apologies. “I’m so sorry! It won’t happen again!”

The slick sounds of your body betray you, loud and lewd as he works you to your first orgasm. His hand is soaked, his palm stinging from the impact of spanking you. And he can’t help but notice how tight you are, tighter than anything he’s felt since his wife’s virginity all those years ago.

By the time he lets you up, your legs are shaky, your thighs sticky with slick. He’s already thinking about what he’ll do next time—because there will be a next time. You’ll be in his office tomorrow, lips wrapped around his cock like he imagined on that very first day.

Maybe, if you’re good, he’ll bump your grade up to an A. Or maybe he’ll fail you, just to make sure you stick around next semester. After all, who are they going to believe? A beloved tenured professor���or a naive little college freshman who can’t stop crying?

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Inspired by: Gojo, Geto, Nanami, Aizawa, Erwin

[motherroam-rs]

(Not) Broken

NSFW - 18+

Warnings/Tags: Alcohol, Smut, Fingering, Praise Kink, Oral Sex (both male and female receiving)

Relationship: Tech x Fem!Reader

Summary: When a comment from Crosshair has you feeling insecure, Tech offers some assistance in showing you that you’re not broken.

Word count: 4.9k

A/N: big thank you to @shinigami101 for helping me with this as well as @darklightcannon and Sophia for proofreading 🫶

NSFW Below the cut

You tap your foot against the durasteel floor of the marauder, the walkway extended before you, almost pointing to the cause of your annoyance striding towards it. Crosshair wears a tipsy smirk as he stares up at you, beginning his walk of shame up the steps. From this angle you catch sight of lipstick marks trailing down his neck and disappearing beneath his blacks. So that’s where he’s been.

“You’re late.” Your head shakes disapprovingly, the lasting effects of all the free drinks at 79’s only made you more irritable. You and Crosshair did typically get along - just not when he decided to make you all late for a mission just so he could enjoy having some girl wrapped around him.

“What, jealous?” Crosshair’s taunting voice carries over Wrecker’s snores as you pass by the larger clone slumped over in his chair, he had fallen asleep about twenty minutes prior, when the alcohol at least still had you feeling giddy.

“No, I’m annoyed because now we’re running behind because you decided it would be a good idea to kriff around with a Civ!” You drop yourself into your seat, yanking down the bar to secure yourself, and Crosshair does the same next to you.

Tech, the only one who’s entirely sober, has already begun preparations for take off, eyeing the pair of you between his ritualistic preparations for the Marauders flight. Always the designated pilot, it allowed the rest of you to soak up the drinks at 79’s and sleep them off before you all have to serve your duty in the war. You were thankful of his reliability every time he caught you from stumbling around like a newborn deer, and would wrap his arm around you to guide you back to the safety of the ship on those nights.

“Maybe if it were you, you wouldn’t be so uptight.” His voice is humorous as he knocks his leg with your own, but you’re not in the mood to laugh with him.

“Kriff off, Crosshair.” You bite back before Hunter, despite being the most inebriated out of all of you, finds it in himself to pull out the sergeant card to get the two of you to stop bickering.

Crosshair was right though, you were jealous, but not in the way he thinks. Your mind flashes back to sweating bodies, discomfort, and ultimately - disappointment. Sure, you were still young, and given that you were following these soldiers into battlefields on any given day it didn’t exactly give you the opportunity to meet any men. Despite these factors, you were beginning to think there was something wrong with you.

Not a moment longer past the time you’re safely in hyperspace, you make an exit towards the bunks, not caring for any eyes that may be staring at your back before the door closes.

A soft knock echoes through the room and you take a deep breath as you hit the control panel, ready to tell Crosshair to go wash away the heavy smell of cheap perfume that now lingered in the cockpit, but the door opens to reveal someone else.

“It is just me.” He steps inside and you move back to the bunk, flopping down onto your back with as much grace as a bird shot from the sky. He closes the door behind him and takes a seat on his bunk, directly across from your own.

“Where are the others?” You’re surprised none of them have rushed in yet to claim their bunks for the night.

“They are already asleep,” Tech informs you, fiddling with his gloves in the absence of the data pad usually present in his hands. “You are upset.”

“Yes.” You confirm with a huff.

“Because of Crosshair's comment on your lack of sexual activity?” Credits to him, he had it right. Any of the others would have guessed it was just the delay the sniper had caused you, but not Tech. Despite his aversion to most people, he did understand you, and you liked to think you did in return.

“Why are you here, Tech?” You roll onto your front and groan into your pillow, which of course being GAR issued, barely muffles the noise.

“Why are you upset?” Tech sounds genuinely confused at your misery.

“Because it’s embarrassing?” You half laugh at his question.

“Because you have not engaged in intimate activities since-“ You cut him off before he can make you feel any worse about the night in question, how he had bumped into a man who never even got the opportunity to get out of his own pants. You remember how Tech had actually blushed, and was unable to make eye contact with you the whole next rotation.

“Because I can’t,” The words are spilling out to your friend before you can stop them, the alcohol in your brain only making them slip out easier. “I’m broken, Tech.” You pull yourself up to sit on the edge of the bunk to mirror him, the room spinning as you do so.

“I..” Tech pauses, his eyes momentarily flicking downwards to your thighs as he adjusts his goggles. “I am afraid I do not understand what you mean.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you right now.” You let yourself fall back onto the bunk once more, “I just can’t… finish.”

“Ah, you cannot achieve an orgasm.” The realisation in Tech’s voice makes your face burn.

“Oh maker.” You rip the pillow out from under your head and instead pull it over your face, as if you were a child hiding from an imaginary monster. But instead you’re just wishing the void of space would swallow you whole and save you from this conversation with Tech.

“It is nothing to be embarrassed about, would you say it is because your previous sexual partners were unsatisfactory or do you believe you are experiencing physical-“ He begins to reel off questions, each one making your face burn hotter.

This was not a conversation you wanted to be having with anyone on the team, let alone Tech, who would now just look at you as a broken part to a ship begging to be fixed.

“Tech!” You cut him off. “Just, leave, please?” You plead into the pillow, hoping he’s understood you.

You can’t see him, but you hear the soft creak of the bunk, and footsteps leading towards a door which opens with a soft whoosh.

He pauses, “I thought you wanted my help.” He lingers for a moment, until he’s sure you won’t respond, before leaving you once more.

Following the next mission, once you and Crosshair begrudgingly made up over Caf and teasing Hunter for being a lightweight before the batch and yourself as their medic head into battle, the Marauder is silent. For once, there is no bickering between the brothers, all of them having left to enjoy some local festivities on the planet you were stationed on for this evening. The only noise echoing throughout the bunks is the faint buzz of a vibrator and your shallow breaths.

You had it perfect, you’d showered, read a book to clear your mind, and even had a small glass of corellian whiskey to yourself. You’d received the bottle as a thank you for aiding an injured civilian and meant to save it for a special occasion, but something inside you said now was as good a time as any, especially considering the odd blaster bolt that came too close for comfort over the last few rotations.

All of the effort seems to be for nothing as you twist your free hand in the sheet, not in pleasure, but at irritation of your struggle for release. The other hand circles the edge of the vibrator over your clit, occasionally dipping down in an attempt to push it inside of you, but you’re not nearly relaxed or wet enough.

You’re so caught up in your frustration that you don’t hear the knock on the door, and the only warning you get to cover yourself comes from the light flooding into the room from the cockpit.

You jump upright, clutching the thin blanket to your bare chest and rip the vibrator away from between your legs.

“Oh,” Tech stammers from the doorway, still armoured and only lacking his helmet and gloves, his face flushed red. “I believe I have interrupted you.” Seemingly unsure of what to do, he slams his hand to the control panel, locking you both in the warm room.

“Yes.” You gulp, heart racing in your chest, fumbling to turn off the vibrator while it continues to buzz, as if it were laughing at you for your inability to cum.

“Any luck?”

Is he seriously asking you if you came?

“Tech.” You give a light warning, finally managing to switch off the device.

He gives you a questioning look, and you groan, sliding down against the mattress in defeat “No.”

Maybe it was the built up tension in you, or the fact you had a few drinks prior to your attempts but suddenly the confession works its way out of your throat.

“It’s just so frustrating, no matter what I do it’s not enough!” Tears threaten to fall and you scrunch your eyes closed.

“As I said before, I could help if you let me.” His voice is soft, level.

“How?” Your eyes open with an empty laugh and you find yourself staring at him, “Sorry, but I don’t exactly think the basic med training covers women’s intimacy issues, I know mine didn’t.”

“Perhaps I can find out the cause of your issue, if you will allow me to look.” He suggests, kneeling next to the bunk, his tone as casual as if he were discussing an issue with the Marauder.

“You want to watch me?” The words sound even more ridiculous aloud. Tech was your closest friend on the team, surely this would be crossing every line possible.

Tech looks at you with soft eyes full of reassurance, as if reading your thoughts, “I promise that nothing will change between us.”

His gaze is fixed on yours and something in his eyes makes the protest die on your tongue, his hand covers your own that is gripping the blanket to your chest. It feels warm and comforting, and your heart slows at the contact. His other hand presses on top of your knee that peeks out of the blanket, and you can’t recall a time he’s ever touched you with such purpose.

You pause for a moment, suppressing a shiver at the way his thumb brushes comforting circles on your knee, and take the opportunity to look into his eyes, searching for any hint of hesitation. Finding none, with the help of the whiskey you exhale your concerns, ripping off the proverbial bacta patch as you allow him to pull the blanket away from your bare body.

When you close your eyes in a mixture of arousal and embarrassment at Tech seeing you this way, you miss the way that his own widen in slight surprise and adoration, before darkening with lust.

He gives an encouraging nod as he applies light pressure to the inside of your knees, guiding them apart. If he feels any of the embarrassment that you do now, he certainly doesn’t show it with his gaze fixed between your legs.

“To begin, I would like for you to attempt to make yourself orgasm.” Your eyes snap open again, stomach tensing at his request. “Breathe, dear, it’s just us.”He quickly calms you, continuing to brush his thumb on your knee, and seats himself at the end of your bunk.

It’s just Tech, you’re friends, it’s not weird, he’s here to help you. You remind yourself, drawing a breath at his expectant eyes before trailing a hand down your body, which is entirely bare despite the fact that Tech remains near fully armoured. You think you hallucinate the small gasp from the end of the bunk when your fingers reach their destination, dragging slow circles on your clit.

“Would you like me to record this? I know that I typically record everything without asking but I need your consent in this situation.” His offer is uncharacteristically fast for the man who is used to keeping a level head in the middle of battle.

You bite your lip, your head already nodding before your brain can formulate an answer, and your cheeks flush at how the knowledge of Tech recording you makes your stomach tighten and wetness coat your fingers.

You withdraw your hand from between your legs, waiting as he presses the button on the side of his goggles and a small red light assures you it’s recording. “Continue what you were doing before.” He instead presses the vibrator to your open hand, turning the device on.

“Remember what I just told you, dear, breathe.” Tech reassures you once again when your breath begins to quicken. He keeps one hand on your knee as the other guides your own to position the vibrator on your clit, and you suck in a sharp breath at the contact, suppressing the moan begging to be heard.

“It is just us here, you do not have to silence yourself.” Tech's voice is hushed, but still floods your ears. The sound of it only makes you tighten around nothing.

You try to tell him that you can’t, that it’s bad enough that you’re in this situation, but that he’s helping you with it. Tech, your teammate, your friend. But, you’re not given much choice when he guides your own hand to add pressure with the vibrator, “Tech!”

You swear you hear his breath hitch at the unrestrained cry, or perhaps it’s your own.

“Very good.” He withdraws his hand.

Has his voice always sounded that tense?

You continue your movements, allowing your head to fall back on the thin pillow which seems to be the only thing grounding you to the real world at this moment. You let out a small moan when the bunk creaks and a bare hand presses to your inner thigh, forcing one of your legs into a position that will allow him a better view.

“It seems you are approaching an orgasm.” He encourages, leaning forward in quiet awe. You don’t respond, you already know what’s coming, just as you’re steps away from the precipice, the fire diminishes, leaving your body flushed and unsatisfied.

“That’s what I mean, Tech.” Your eyes finally settle on him between your legs, and despite your failed attempt to cum, you involuntarily tighten. You switch off the vibrator, discarding it on the bunk, but Tech raises his hand to catch your wrist before you can pull the covers over your naked form.

“Fascinating,” You’re about to kick him away at that, until his next statement renders your body useless. “May I try?” Techs hand guiding your own was one thing, but for him to use his own on you has your heart going faster than a pod race. You don’t know what’s possessed you, but your body responds before your mind has made its decision and you’re giving him a small nod.

He waits a moment, eyes searching your face for any sign of hesitation, before he’s leaning back to take his position between your legs, which had closed again on instinct.

“Please, relax for me.” He gently pulls apart your thighs, his fingers immediately moving upwards, lightly grazing over the soft skin.

“You appear to be wet enough, no issue there.” His thumb smears the fluid up your slit to your clit, opening you up in one motion and you gasp. Your hands find purchase in your bedsheets, and it takes every bit of control in you to not chase after his hand with your hips.

“No lessened sensation either, good.” He mumbled to himself but you can barely hear him over your own heartbeat as he moves to drag slow circles around your clit with his thumb, earning him another moan from you. At the noise, you catch Tech briefly adjusting his codpiece, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

“Tech?” Even in battle you’ve never been so breathless, and he gives a strained hum of acknowledgment, his middle finger dipping back down to circle your entrance.

“You can take it off if it’s - ah!” The words are stolen when his finger sinks into you effortlessly, and your hand grips the metal edge of the bunk while your brain scrambles to find the end of the sentence. “If you’re uncomfortable.”

He doesn’t respond verbally, but the soft click of his codpiece being released signals that he’s heard you, and he presses his hips back to the mattress. Once certain you have adjusted, he adds another finger, working them inside you with a scissoring motion that has you chanting his name in a breathless prayer.

You become increasingly aware of how he’s grinding himself into the mattress with every strangled moan and whimper he can pull from you, slipping from his usual control.

You can barely begin to form words at this point beyond his name, your senses instantly zeroing in on the harsh warm breath fanning across your exposed cunt as his fingers withdraw from you. You barely get a moment to glance at his head between your thighs before his lips press to your clit, tongue darting out to taste you.

“Is this okay?” Tech’s voice is rough, nearing Crosshair levels of hoarse.

“Maker, yes Tech.” You practically sob, and just as your mouth utters his name, he’s diving in, tongue exploring you like a man starved. At the intensity of the sensation, your thighs threaten to close around his head, but he’s fast to hitch one of your legs over his shoulder while pinning the other one down to keep you open for him.

A thin layer of sweat forms on your skin as your hands tightly grip the sheets at his attention to your cunt. First, he’s zeroing in on your clit, licking and sucking in a way that almost has you in tears, before he moves down to dip inside you, tasting you, and then repeats the process.

The orgasm is approaching fast like a wave threatening to break at shore, but then the tide begins to recede. Tech seems to sense this, pulling back and releasing your clit with a wet noise that seems to echo through the empty room.

”Look at me, Mesh’la.” Tech demands and you meet his burning gaze. Through the flames in his goggle framed eyes, you find encouragement. He wants you to watch him. Once he’s sure you’re focused on him, he returns his mouth to your cunt, sucking your clit into his mouth whilst delving two fingers inside.

You don’t know what possesses you to make the offer, whether it be the haze of pleasure in your mind, or the way his hips continue to rut into the mattress, but it spills from your lips without any filter “Tech, I can help you too- Kriff!” He sucks particularly hard at this before releasing you so he can listen to your offer, “But I’m not sure how to take care of us both at once, or if you want to…” you gesture down to his erection straining against his blacks, “Help your own situation?”.

You practically see the cogs whir in his mind, and he sits up, beginning to rid himself of his armour. “Stand up.” He orders, and despite the way your legs shake, you obey the order, gripping the upper bunk for support.

You stare at Tech, slightly confused, and a small smile graces his lips, still coated with evidence of your arousal. He’s bare from the waist up, and his hands now make steady work of removing his lower blacks in one swift motion. Your attention is caught by the sight of his cock standing proud against his tanned abdomen. You knew biologically there is some correlation between height and the size, and with Tech being tall that he would be above average, but your lips fall open at the length. You still weren’t sure what he had in mind, but you’re suddenly unsure you can handle it.

“Do not be intimidated, Cyar’ika, I will help you.” One hand reaches to your jaw, brushing a thumb along it almost lovingly while the other settles on your hips, pulling you down onto the bunk with him. Both hands are now slipping below your thighs, pulling you into a position so that you’re straddling his chest, facing towards the foot of the bunk, facing his cock.

So this is what his solution is.

“Move closer.” Tech’s grip on your hips is as firm as his voice when he tugs you up to his mouth, hot breath fanning across your cunt in another soft warning before his tongue runs over your slit in one strong motion.

Tech seems to be paying attention to the way your legs shake from the effort of holding yourself up, because one of his hands extends to your upper back, pushing you into a position where your breasts press to his stomach. At this new angle, you’re fully seated on his face, and you’re able to wrap a curious hand around his girth to give his cock an experimental tug. The moan that reverberates against your cunt has you sending a thank you to the maker that Hunter wasn’t nearby to overhear the methods his brother was using on you to assist with your predicament.

Tech’s cock is now inches from your lips and you marvel at it momentarily before allowing your tongue to run over the head, beginning to move your hand to at least grant him some relief. He jolts, groaning, and you pull back.

“Are you okay - am I hurting you?” In your limited experience with this, you’d never had any complaints, but now you worry that your partners just didn’t want to hurt your feelings.

“No!” He protests immediately, as if you were asking him if he’d like to be executed, “You’re not hurting me, please continue.”

At his insistence, your tongue licks another wet circle over the weeping head of Tech’s cock, and his thighs tense at the effort not to thrust into your mouth. You appreciate the sign of restraint from him and you tighten your hand around the base of his cock, finally taking him into your mouth. The taste and smell of him intoxicate you, igniting memories of every time you’ve stood just an inch too close to each other to the point you could practically inhale his calming presence.

You would be lying to yourself if you said you hadn’t thought this before, being here, with him. Suppressed thoughts rise to your mind and you close your eyes to bask in the moment with him, like it’s a dream that will be ripped from you.

Due to his impressive length, your lips are barely touching your fingers by the time he hits your throat and you release a drawn out moan, muffled by his cock. He sucks your clit into his mouth at this action, bringing tears to your eyes from the overwhelming stimulation.

You feel him draw his hips back, sliding out of your mouth and allowing you to take a breath before giving a short thrust in to stop at the back of your throat, which causes drool to begin leaking down his exposed cock and on your fingers.

Soon enough, the pair of you are a sight that would make a brothel patron blush. Tech continues his measured thrusts into your mouth and you take it with a moan when he begins to work you on his fingers once more. You can feel yourself practically dripping down his chin, and your stomach begins to tense - until the expected disappointment. Just as you begin to approach that high, it seems to pull further and further away from you once more.

Not again.

Tech seems to have read your mind and agreed with a strained “No,” as he pulls away from your cunt, but the room still echoes with the wet sound of his fingers scissoring into your heat.

“I need your full focus, I will not fail you at this Mesh’la.” He lifts you off his face and you release his throbbing cock from your lips. His grip is firmer than before, likely from the mounting frustration at his incomplete task, as he pulls you to face him. In this new position, you’re straddling him and you can feel the press of his cock to your inner thigh.

“Do you trust me?” There’s determination in his eyes, as if you’re a piece of the Marauder that he needs to fix.

“Always, Tech.” His eyes soften momentarily at this, but he reminds himself of the task at hand and with a speed you’ve only seen him use in battle, he’s flipped you both so you’re pinned underneath him once more.

Now that he’s above you, his length seems even more daunting and your hand grips his shoulder when you feel the head of his cock press to your entrance. Your whole body seems to tense, and you can’t help but dig your nails to his shoulder, which brings his eyes to yours.

“Shh, Mesh’la, that’s it, relax.” Tech’s voice is gentle but authoritative as he instructs you, pressing a kiss to your jaw. Even with his thorough preparation of your body, the stretch as he enters you is overwhelming, and yet, it’s better than anything you’ve ever felt. You had been preparing for the usual pain and discomfort, but this was on the opposite end of the scale.

“Breathe for me Cyar’ika,” he presses another kiss just below your ear and his voice sounds almost strangled. “That’s it, good girl.” He pulls out ever so slightly before rocking his hips back into yours, delving deeper into you.

“Just a little more, I promise, you can take it, you’re-“ a low groan sounds in his throat and you feel his lips ghost against the edge of your ear. “Taking me so kriffing well already.”

Is this the first time you’ve ever heard Tech swear?

He’s entirely inside you and the fullness is now euphoric. Tan skin is coated with a sheen of sweat that makes him look almost angelic, his lips and cheeks flushed from the effort of holding back from pushing you too far when he begins to rock his hips into yours.

A string of Mando’a curses tumble from his mouth as he falls into a rhythm of slow thrusts, keeping the pace your body needs to chase its high that hasn’t quite worn off from all the previous work his mouth set you up for. The precipice is no longer escaping you, he’s keeping you there, dangling you over the edge of it whilst simultaneously grounding you to him.

The room echoes with every gasp, thrust, and moan. It’s some kind of erotic orchestra conducted by Tech to encourage you along, and it’s working. One of his hands tangles in your hair, pulling your head to the side so he can press wet, open mouthed kisses against your pulse point.

Every action that Tech’s making, no matter how small, has you more intoxicated than any drug in existence, and your legs tighten impossibly around his hips in an attempt to keep him close to you. To help you let go.

“It’s okay, you can let go for me, Cyar’ika.” Tech’s reassuring words speaking your own thoughts are all you need to push you over the edge. You’re gasping into his shoulder, and you can’t help but bite into the soft skin with a desperate plea of his name. He shudders at this, slamming into you with now uneven thrusts as he buries his face in your neck.

“That’s it, I’ve got you.” Tech is coherent enough to be guiding you through your own release, despite being overcome with his own. His lust laced voice is all you can hear over the overload of your senses, a sharp whisper in your ear to guide you through this new world of pleasure where you tighten around his cock like you’re trying to keep him deep inside you.

It’s a blissful moment, with Tech entirely spent between your legs, tears rolling down your face and his name still in your mouth. It’s a moment that’s over too soon when he withdraws from you, and you can’t help but moan at the release of fluid between your thighs. Your friend's cum is leaking out of you, only momentarily, because he’s already grabbed his blacks from the end of the bunk to press between your thighs, cleaning the mess from your legs.

“I’ll wash them.” He assures you.

Once satisfied that you’re both taken care of, he lays next to you on the defiled bunk, pulling your half limp body against his. You never thought that Tech would be the kind for intimacy after sex, and yet you can hear his steady heartbeat against your cheek. You’re honoured, almost, for him to hold you like this when he found discomfort in most physical contact.

“I told you that you were not broken, Cyare, I am always correct.” He presses his lips to your forehead, and despite how he’s just brought you to the very brink of what your body could handle, your chest tightens.

Were you broken? No, he’d proven that much. Were you kriffed because of how your heart seems to skip a beat at the small moment of tenderness with your friends lips against your hairline? Yes, you were.

[dekariosclan]

Sneaky God Gale Still Loves You

I want to take a moment to offer some reassurance to any of my fellow Galemancers who got the worst Gale romance ending—the infamous ‘Sneaky God Gale.’ (credit to @airydandelion, who I believe first coined the term and who did a ton of valuable research as noted at the end of this post!)

This ending happens when you think you’ve convinced Gale not to ascend. You turned down his offer for godhood in the boat! You didn’t push him towards the crown at all (or so you thought)! And most importantly, he seemed convinced!!

Then you get to the ending on the docks and suddenly he’s all: “that crown tho…🥵” And he leaves.

Worst of all, he won’t even offer to ascend you at the epilogue party.

So what gives?!

Putting aside that this happens because 1. There are some extremely subtle and not-great dialogue options pushing him towards the crown which should’ve been better written/more obvious, and 2. Gale ‘I’m-many-things-but-not-coy’ Dekarios should have been clearly displaying his intentions towards the crown in order to give fair warning to the player, I do still think we can explain his behavior.

The most important thing to remember is that he is not gaslighting you! He’s not smooching you and giving you those big lovey cow eyes while smugly thinking about how he’s going to dump you.

When Gale offers you godhood in the boat, it’s literally called the ‘Be My God Proposal’ in the data files. It’s a proposal. And what a proposal! Because he’s not just offering you a marriage where it’s a short span of mortal years together until death. He’s offering you a literal eternity together.

…and you turned him down.

You did it for all the right reasons, your heart was in the right place, BUT…Gale is uncertain. He loves you, but do you really love him? Just him? He’s still not sure he’s enough for you. You weren’t vehemently against the crown, you seemed to waffle. And you turned down his proposal…an eternity with him was something you did not wish for…

So when he gets to the brain stem, and then the docks, and he still feels uncertainty in his heart, well—it makes him very easily swayed by the orb’s hunger for the crown.

But he still loves you.

When you get to the epilogue, he doesn’t offer you ascension for the simple reason that you already turned it down. He respects your choice, and he’s not going to try and coax you into it; your desires are different than his, and that makes a life together impossible.

But he still loves you.

Well, but, you argue, why can’t we be together as a mortal and a god? Like Gale was with Mystra?

He would never expose you to such risk, because he still loves you.

‘Ok fine,’ you say. ‘Sure, he’s still got his kind heart buried underneath the arrogance. But even so, he chose to leave. There’s no absolute, definitive proof that he still loves me!’

Sneaky God Gale absolutely, 100%, still loves you! So go do yourself (and him) a favor and fix that ending:

You can use this amazing, incredible, fantastic guide created by @airydandelion to ensure you pick the right dialogue choices to get the Gale ending you want!

If you are on a PC and do not want to go back many hours of gameplay to replay/redo the dialogue choices, you can use this mod to convince Gale to stay human with the dice roll at the brain stem.

If you’re on a PS5 (which does not currently have the above mod) my best suggestion is to use the cheaters ring. This is a PS5 mod that essentially lets you cheese all combat and speedrun the game, saving you a ton of time if you need to replay Act 3 in order to get your human Gale.

Whatever you decide to do, you can go forth secure in the knowledge that Gale was 100% truthful when he told you this:

(One final shoutout: credit to @galebrainrott for their post sharing Gale’s datamined files!)

[ms-demeanor]

Opinion on Louis Rossman? I ended up following him when I was researching right to repair but as a newbie techie he's said a few things that I don't know if I should trust regarding tech privacy.

Louis Rossman knows a lot about macbook repair and needs to be factchecked on pretty much everything else; he admits this himself in a video called "Don't trust me" where he's issuing a correction because he leapt to conclusions in a previous video.

Rossman has a libertarian approach to tech (and to a lot of things; his channel is deeply invested in rugged individualism and a hustle and grind mentality). He believes that people who own various devices should have ultimate say in what happens to those devices and should have control over what data those devices are collecting and who they are sharing it with. That guides his attitudes about repair and privacy. These are not *incorrect* views but they are views which have made him very reactive in conversations about privacy and data collection, and he has a pretty bad habit of leaping to conclusions and interpreting things as uncharitably as possible with a WORSE habit of not doing any significant research before presenting information to his audience of 2 million people. Anything that looks like Big Brother is something he jumps on immediately, even if what he's looking at is a shadow with the vague outline that resembles an entity that might have a shape similar to Big Brother.

He's got many videos where he examines a privacy policy or a news report about a "startling" violation of privacy where he has to come back later and issue a correction, and of course most of his viewers are going to look at the startling video shit-talking nissan - in which he is worked up and animated and energetic and funny - not the staid correction put out a week later.

But as much as he might be wrong in individual readings of ToSs or legislation or court records, I don't think his overall approach is wrong. He might be incorrect that your Nissan is collecting information about your sexual history (he is incorrect about that) but it's still bad that Nissan is collecting data on you and you shouldn't buy a car that collects a shitload of data on you. He might be incorrect about grapheneOS for security (he is and he isn't and his beef with graphene is legit but personal, it's a fine OS) but he's not wrong that if you don't want google tracking your data you should use a degoogled OS.

One of the things that I've seen him get wrong on multiple occasions is a conflation of privacy and security. Privacy and Security aren't the same thing, and Rossman is a lot more focused on Privacy than he is on Security. I tend to be more on the Security side of that question, though I also think Privacy is important.

For both privacy and security what you need to ask yourself is why you are doing this and what you want to prevent. If you're using firefox because you don't want chrome collecting data on you and refining a profile to serve ads to you, that's a fine reason to move to firefox. If you're using firefox instead of chrome because you're an activist and you don't want the government to know what you're doing, you are missing several steps and possibly putting yourself in danger. If you're using firefox instead of chrome because you don't want your ex to be able to track your online activity you are missing several steps and possibly putting yourself in danger. If you want to use chromebooks instead of windows laptops in a hospital environment so that your administrator has extremely granular control and can implement security policies from an accessible console in order to meet HIPAA requirements more easily, that's a good reason to use chromebooks. It's very secure. But it's not terribly private for the *users* even if it is private for the *patients.*

So, some of what Rossman says is right but it's predicated on a worldview that is steeped in paranoia and an extremely individualistic approach to privacy and security. Some of what Rossman says is wrong because it's wrong, but also some of what Rossman says is wrong because it is wrong *for you and your specific situation* and he's giving general commentary, not advice for individuals.

You can see this really clearly in his video about being "important" enough to require privacy. The whole video is a response to a computer security streamer saying that you don't need a degoogled phone to work in security and that you are likely not important enough to worry about the kind of state-level threats that would require an extremely secure phone because nobody is going to waste resources for a random security goon. And in Rossman's response, he argues that you shouldn't have to be "important" in order to deserve a phone that doesn't have Google tracking your every move. But that's not what the initial clip was about. Rossman spends fifteen minutes arguing with something the initial clip doesn't say and brushing aside the *actually important* discussion about threat modeling that could be had on the subject in order to advocate for more low-level consumer privacy concerns. You SHOULD be able to install an OS that doesn't track you, but also you don't need some 1337h4x0r phone to do red teaming as a pentester, and also most people who get worried about security worry in completely the wrong direction.

Like, a couple weeks ago maia arson crimew got an ask that was like "should you really be posting your name out there on the internet? is that secure?" and its response was "i am wanted by the US government."

And that's like the *perfect* illustration of the distinction happening here. maia is posting online and sharing photos and chatting with people and using an app that gather some data, and that is not at all a concern for its privacy or security because A) if state-level actors are observing you then it does not matter whether or not you're posting selfies or your location for an upcoming talk, they know what you look like and can find out where you are and B) they are going to be able to subpoena data from any entities you've worked with so you're going to be taking precautions to work with encrypted tools for security, not relying on privacy policies.

and like a few years ago i made that post about the drug dealer who got arrested because he'd used his "secure" phone to text someone a photo of cheese and that photo was used to identify him - it is not the *existence* of social media photos or photo messaging that was the problem in his security, nor was it even necessarily that his "secure" phone was compromised (though yeah that wasn't good) it's that he was identified because he crossed the streams and put personally identifiable information in his secure encrypted crime phone for crimes.

Anyway. I need to sit down and actually write something up on this someday but here's a very basic breakdown:

Online privacy is about who has access to the data you generate while operating online; companies gather information about your habits and the websites you visit, what computer you're using and how long you look at item listings, how much you'll watch of a video and the keywords you use in your emails.

Security is about preventing access to information about YOU, not your behavior. It's ensuring that nobody can look into the boxes that you want to lock, and not leaving footprints when you don't want to be seen.

Lax rules about privacy can threaten your security, for instance police don't need a warrant to access data from Ring camera videos in your neighborhood, so the lack of privacy from Ring might make it easier for police to observe you even if you are cautious about your own personal security.

Poor security practices on the part of a business can be a problem for privacy in an individual sense - a hospital that doesn't have good security in place might get hacked and have private patient records leaked, for instance - but most of the data that people talk about when they discuss online privacy is either anonymous or in bulk packages of data that mean very little to your personal risk profile (because the 'privacy' data people are concerned about isn't the same as the 'security' data that gets leaked in big breaches, like passwords and usernames and email addresses - that's less about privacy and more about security but the fact that the businesses want an email address from you is generally a privacy issue - they don't need your email address for the most part and you shouldn't have to give them one to function - not a security issue. You see how this is confusing and intertwined?)

So when a lot of digital privacy activists are talking about digital privacy they're talking about stuff that is, realistically, pretty philosophical in most people's lives. The data profile that Google generates about you is *invasive* but in most circumstances it isn't a *threat* (at the moment, on an individual level), however the data privacy perspective (which i happen to share) is that living in a world where massive data collection is normalized, unquestioned, and constant could easily tip over into something that is dangerous, and which can already be weaponized against individual targets by state actors.

When security activists start talking about stuff it's because oh my god security is a mess everything is full of holes and you have no idea how easy it is to grab access to something that people probably do not want you to have access to please please please just start using strong passwords and passcodes and lock your phone and your computer please, baseline, please just use a password manager bitwarden is free and easy. (but also you need to MAKE AN EFFORT and LEARN A LOT if you're trying to cover your tracks online and no browser plugin or encrypted email service is going to keep you safe).

So when I'm talking about the benefits that most people get out of using Firefox, that's me talking about privacy. When I'm talking about the benefits of using Tor, that's me talking about security. When I'm talking about using Linux and open source software, that's me talking about *autonomy* having direct control over the system that you are using, and THAT is the kind of thing that Rossman knows a lot about and has good opinions about.

I feel like it should go without saying that one of the reasons to be concerned about digital privacy is because the companies that trash your digital privacy are profiting off of the profiles they build on you, and are always attempting to find new ways to violate your privacy in order to profit from you. It doesn't need to be a security risk for it to be wrong, and you don't have to be under active threat from a government to decide that you don't want Youtube deciding to serve you ads for diapers because google decided that you are pregnant based on the websites you've been visiting.

ANYWAY, TL;DR:

Louis Rossman needs to be fact-checked on privacy statements and has a history of visibly making mistakes because he speaks on something before he researches it

Privacy and Security are different.

Privacy is about the data that are shared by the tools you use with the manufacturers of those tools and what those manufacturers do with that information.

Security is about preventing unauthorized access to your personal information and preventing individuals from tracking you online or accessing your private information.

Privacy and security are distinct but intertwined; Rossman is primarily concerned with Privacy and Autonomy, not discussions of security, but may misinterpret discussions of security to be about Privacy.

If you are concerned about privacy, you can look for recommendations from privacyguides.org, which makes recommendations on privacy-focused tools. Cory Doctorow (@mostlysignssomeportents on tumblr) is a great resource for information about the practical and philosophical implications of data privacy.

Fuck google though. Genuinely I think that people should do everything reasonably within their power to deny tech companies access to data on their behavior.

If you are concerned about *security* that is genuinely a more complicated topic with much more significant risks up and down the chain but at the very least please use a password manager (bitwarden is so good and so easy i promise) and lock your phone with something other than your thumbprint or your face. To learn more about security i guess you can start with Troy Hunt and Bruce Schneier. It is like, genuinely a problem that it's difficult to find good, reliable security information for home computer users that isn't trying to sell them something but here's an FTC guide for small businesses that goes a bit more in-depth than "use a password manager" and is only SLIGHT overkill for your mom's 2010 desktop.

everything is a mess i'm sorry i love you please just use firefox and bitwarden.

[starman-john-tracy]

"You're safe here with me" + "I won't let anything happen to you" with Casey? :) 💙

John had taken the space elevator down to the GDF headquarters no more than half an hour ago, at Colonel Casey's request. There'd been a cyber attack on base; an attempted takeover of the GDF's long range weapons systems, and though nothing has been fired - they needed to rule out the possibility that someone could. With the tech team scrambling for solutions, scouring the databanks for any way someone could have remotely accessed their codes and their LAN, the Colonel could only think of one man she both trusts, and who’s qualified to step in and salvage the situation.

And with an updated firewall to prevent remote access, that he personally provided the protocol for, the only thing John Tracy can do to help is show up in person.

Only, John's got the soft edge of an atmospheric headache throbbing in his sinuses and his eyeballs are always the slowest thing to respond to the change in pressure between Five and Earth, so, as he bypasses the office full of scurrying IT consultants and heads directly for the server room, ready to not-entirely-legally plug Eos’ palm sized mobile unit into the GDF’s databases to assess the damage, he completely misses the slim, shadowed figure in amongst the data processing banks.

Because the remote attack hadn’t actually been remote at all, and the gunshot wound to John's shoulder, now leaking a dangerous amount of blood all over his IR blues, seemed like a pretty big clue this was no employee.

They're currently holed up in Casey's office - after the head of the GDF had bodily dragged his skinny space ass out of there. She's trying to force him down behind her desk and out of the way, while the intruder pounds on the door: his threats mostly incoherent screams and stray gunshots. John might not be as hot-headed as Scott or his youngest brothers, but he's still a Tracy and, clearly, the last thing he wants to do is sit still while others might be in danger and so the damned fool, who’s clearly never been shot before, keeps trying to get up.

“Colonel, we’ve got to- argh!” The spaceman gasps and jerks like a livewire as Casey presses a wad of cloth - a runner snatched from the fancy corporate meeting table - hard against the dark, bubbling wound in his shoulder. John's feet kick out, heels scraping helplessly against the corporate grey carpeting, and the boy's back arches against the pain in a way that plummets Valerie Casey’s heart straight through her shoes. She forces the emotion away, grabs one of his cold, blue-clad hands, and guides it on top of the wound.

“Keep pressure on that.” She instructs, as the dark stain spreads rapidly into not only his IR blues, but the ugly purple runner too. His fingers fumble and fail to take over the task, and a soft whine makes its way out between his teeth. “Come on John, you know to keep pressure on.” He's having a hard time focusing on her. She thinks he might be in shock.

“But the gunman,” John gasps, his head thrashing to the side, eyes wide, “he’s after-”

“John.” She cups John's ashen, blood-splattered face between both palms, like she would when he was a small boy and he'd come to the woman who was his Auntie in all but DNA with a bruised cheek and a split lip because he didn’t want to tell his Father he was being bullied at school. "You're safe here with me." Her mouth is a hard white line as she unclips her service pistol from it's holster, "I won't let anything happen to you."

The wood around the door handle audible splinters under a particularly savage impact, and Jeff's boy flinches under her fingers.

Oh, absolutely not.

"Security is on their way and no one is getting into this room, John. And if they somehow do," She raises the gun with both hands, holding it steady and level with the door, "they are not getting through me.”

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Ptolemaic Army Machines

The Terrain Carrier, also known as the Terrain Cruiser, was a battleship designed as a specialised carrier for the Flying Tara Ver. P.M. It served as a prototype for the Rebel Army's Big Shiee, which they repurposed after discovering that the Ptolemaic Army had discontinued the construction and conceptualisation of the war machine shortly after its inevitable destruction during the Arms Deal Barrage. Only one was ever produced, serving as an unfinished prototype, which explained its lack of weaponry. It was designed as a war machine capable of traversing all types of land terrain, crushing just about anything beneath its treads.

The Ptolemaic Army didn't spend much time on its construction and testing. By the time they completed the main components, the Arms Deal Barrage had begun, and they swiftly deployed it to the battlefield, terrorising a town filled with innocent citizens and sending out Flying Taras to carpet bomb the area and set it ablaze. Its discontinuation remains a mystery, but it's believed to have been prohibitively expensive to produce due to its massive size and the occasional malfunction of its turrets, which could accidentally target allied planes during combat. The Terrain Carrier featured eight turrets, four on each side, that could seamlessly alternate between the front and back cannons. It also had long bronze-finished treads and displayed the Ptolemaic Army insignia at the front.

The Tani Oh, also known as the Valley King, was a prototype giant self-propelled artillery tank with a silvery coat designed to blend in with rocky and snowy environments, featuring greenish-grey turrets. Similar to the version used by the Rebel Army for testing purposes in Käthehirt Valley, only one Tani Oh was ever produced. It was discontinued due to its cumbersome controls and high costs.

Like the Rebel Army's Tani Oh, its main weapon is called the Andro Cannon, which covers a large area and fires rapidly. However, unlike the Rebel Army's version, this Andro Cannon can only fire its laser vertically upward. It also possesses special heat-seeking rockets that can be fired in three directions: centre, diagonally left, and diagonally right. Additionally, it has the same capability to launch airborne mines everywhere in the enemy's path.

The Iwa Oh is a modified version of the Rebel Army's Tani Oh, drawing inspiration from the Martians' use of quantum energy. It boasts stronger armour but features a slightly weaker, single-barreled Andro Cannon. It can launch the same airborne mines and utilise quantum energy to create a massive explosion that covers a greater range than that of the Tani Oh. Additionally, it has been modified to serve as mobile living quarters for a small unit of soldiers. The secured, pouch-like containers on both sides of the Iwa Oh provide extra storage for weapons and food for deployed troops and have small, thin windows to allow visibility of the contents inside.

The Ptolemaic Unit #01: Screamer, known as the Wall Crawler, is a mecha specifically designed to climb up any building with ease and demolish them using destructive sonic waves through its Sonic Cannon. It serves as one of Elite Special Forces Commander Zoilo's primary war machines that he prefers to operate during combat. The unit is equipped with an adamant barrier to protect it from non-piercing attacks. When not utilising its acoustic weaponry, it relies on firing explosive electrical shells and slow-moving guided rockets.

The Ptolemaic Unit #04: Metal Rear is a gigantic version of the SV-001 "Metal Slug", designed after the Ptolemaic Army, with the aid of the Amadeus Syndicate and Phantom Strike, stole valuable data from the Regular Army. Despite its massive, towering size, it's capable of moving nimbly and offers far greater stability and durability than the original SV-001. It can crush enemies beneath its enormous treads and instantly destroy any war vehicle smaller than itself by slamming or driving over it. Unlike the SV-001, it can perform a perfect wheelie, operate its Vulcan cannons freely without awkwardly moving to adjust them, and jump higher than a small hill.

The Ptolemaic Slug is the Ptolemaic Army's version of the SV-001, designed to be a mix of piloted and unmanned, which reduces the likelihood of soldier casualties. They obtained the blueprints for the SV-001 by exploiting an unchecked security outlet that the Amadeus Syndicate hacked into, stealing valuable data after learning about it from Phantom Strike double agents. There are two variants of the Ptolemaic Slug: one armed solely with a cannon and the other equipped with Vulcan guns. The Cannon Variant has better jumping ability than the SV-001 due to its lighter chassis, while the Vulcan Variant features a main turret replaced with an eye sensor for improved accuracy.

The Black Hound, codenamed SV-001/III and MS-BH, is a heavily armed unmanned Super Vehicle jointly developed by the Ptolemaic Army, Phantom Strike, and Amadeus Syndicate. A data disc containing top-secret information about the next-generation of SV-001 vehicles was stolen by the Ptolemaic Army due to overlooked security measures that hadn't been strengthened. Utilising this data, they created the experimental "Black Hound", which resembles the original Metal Slug but is painted black with a devilish eye and smile. Designed to function autonomously, it remains very much a prototype, having only undergone field testing during the Ptolemaic Emergence. Unfortunately, it experienced malfunctions under mysterious circumstances, resulting in a rampage that killed everything in sight and designating all living things as enemies.

It possesses the Vulcan guns and main cannon of the SV-001, but also features a rapid-fire mortar on the back alongside the Vulcans. It has a laser gun mounted on a mechanical arm that deploys from and retracts into the entry hatch on the turret. Its armour and agility have also been improved from the original SV-001, making it fairly durable and capable of moving at rapid speeds. Additionally, the range of its cannon appears to have a higher projectile velocity than the original's and can perform jumping shots using the cannon.

The Units are bipedal, mecha-like tanks that were jointly developed by the Phantom Strike and Ptolemaic Army shortly after acquiring illegal funds from the Regular Army and stealing intel on weapons and tank development behind their backs. There are four variants equipped with weapons ranging from miniguns to claws with fold-out cannons. However, despite being built with the most advanced materials available to the Ptolemaics, they can still be destroyed by heavier infantry weapons and vehicle-mounted cannons.

The Gunner Unit is the most common type, attacking from a distance with built-in Vulcan guns and engaging in close combat with punches or stabs using its mechanical claws. It features a hidden missile launcher in the right arm that folds out around the claw to fire. While it possesses a somewhat slow movement speed, it can either fire with both Vulcans while dashing or jump around and fire rapidly at the ground with both arm guns. The Armor Unit is essentially a standard Gunner Unit with additional armour on the head, allowing it to withstand more damage, and it can shoot the same energy projectiles as the Rebel Walker.

The Machine Gun Unit, also known as the MG Unit, is the fastest variant and is armed with a Gatling gun on each arm, firing 3-round bursts from the right arm and utilising a backpack ammo supply similar to that of the Rebel Army Gatling soldier. It features multiple sensor eyes instead of the typical cyclopean eye seen on other Units. The Claw Unit is the heaviest and most well-armoured and mobile variant, but it's equipped with only two large mechanized claws. Most of the time, it attempts to walk up to and punch the enemy, but it's also capable of performing sliding and jump-slam attacks.

The D-001 Tanbal is a bipedal mech and large Unit developed shortly after the Ptolemaic Army formed an alliance with the Pipovulaj, who provided valuable resources and mechanical assistance to create the ultimate mecha-like machine. It features a visible cockpit window reminiscent of the LV Armor and is highly skilled in evasion and counterattacks. Unlike typical Units, it requires great skill to control, prompting the Ptolemaic Army commanders and believers to implement an incredibly difficult exam for potential candidates. The mech has two weapons attached as its arms: the Claw Rocket and the rapid Vulcan cannon. The Claw Rocket can heat up and unleash explosive exhaust upon close contact. It can fly somewhat erratically, and its slamming strength is quite fierce, capable of knocking someone out when enough force is applied.

The Ptolemaic Armored Truck is a vehicle displaying the Ptolemaic Army insignia on both sides of the trailer, designed to transport large military units. The vehicle features a spiked faceplate made from adamant for crushing enemies and providing armoured protection. Additionally, it's equipped with triple cannons on the top that fire arcing, explosive projectiles, offering the drivers much-needed firepower.

The A.P.C., also known as the Special Forces APC, is an armoured transport vehicle exclusively used by the special forces operatives of the Ptolemaic Army's paramilitary forces. It features a concealed cannon on the upper roof that can be raised when activated, allowing it to fire explosive poisonous rounds or smoke bombs.

The Gaia Elephant, also known as the Mammoth Tower, is a stone structure filled with intricate robotics that connect to two mechanical elephant heads, which are exclusively controlled by masked soldiers. The elephant-headed contraptions fire lasers from their proboscises at the enemy while also launching several Purple Maggots from the side launchers that serve as their "ears". Once the heads have sustained enough damage, the proboscises will attempt to smash enemies by swinging around.

The Land Blowfish is a towering amphibious assault landing ship that utilises all of the Ptolemaic Army's latest technological advancements, giving it an imposing presence that showcases the extent of their tactical prowess. Its design is based on scrapped blueprints for the Sand Marine. The ship carries an assault team of Girida-0 Ver. P.M., Di-Cokka Ver. P.M., and Ptolemaic Slugs, while possessing an arsenal of torpedoes, cannon blasts, and a missile launcher. It's exclusively operated by Ptolemaic Army guerrillas with minimal assistance from special forces engineers.

The Rock Mole is an armoured excavation vehicle used for offence, jointly built by the Ptolemaic Army and Amadeus Syndicate to assist in excavating valuable resources. During the construction process, they repurposed abandoned excavation equipment found in an old, forgotten mine tunnel in the southern parts of the United States. It's the second war vehicle that Special Forces Commander Zoilo enjoys operating, using it to disorient and viciously attack enemies.

As a ranged fighter, it uses its claw-style shovels to fling massive boulders excavated from the ground to attack. It also employs a searchlight to locate enemies and excavatable resources in dark areas. The claws can rapidly slash through objects and can even shatter boulders, sending fragments of rock flying in the process. Additionally, it's equipped with self-healing nanotechnology that activates when it sustains penetrating damage. Its reinforced adamant plating allows it to absorb reduced damage from all attacks, further enhancing its durability.

The R-Shobu Ver. P.M. is an attack helicopter that's basically the same as the one developed and owned by the Rebel Army, but it existed before their original ownership. The original and R.R-Shobu variants are faster versions of their Rebel counterparts, featuring more durable armour. Unlike the Rebel Army's R-Shobus, the Ptolemaic Army possesses a special variant equipped with a fully realised and operational Gatling gun. The R.G-Shobu is armed with a Vulcan minigun similar to the Hi-Do's and is capable of generating an electromagnetic barrier.

The Flying Tara Ver. P.M. is a bomber airplane that's basically the same as the one owned by the Rebel Army, but this version predates their ownership. It's much faster than its Rebel counterparts, sacrificing durability and weapon strength in the process. Unlike the Rebel Army's Flying Taras, the ones owned by the Ptolemaic Army are actually a full-blown variant of the Eaca-B and slightly resemble the P-80 Shooting Star.

The Eaca-B is a fighter bomber that's basically the same as the ones owned by the Rebel Army, but like the Flying Tara, it predates their ownership. The only difference that makes it stand out from the Rebel Army's Eaca-Bs is that it's equipped with machine gun turrets.

The Ptolemaic VTOL is a fighter aircraft equipped with movable Gatling guns and exceptional stability, enabling it to hover effortlessly above the ground. However, the only drawback is that it can only utilise its Gatling guns when stationary, requiring the aircraft to tilt them to fire at enemies before they snap back to their original position.

The Ptolemaic Zeppelin was a prototype combat aircraft featuring the Ptolemaic Army insignia, designed for aerial combat and bombarding enemy groups from a relatively safe distance. However, it was discontinued due to its cumbersome mechanical design and inadequate landing gear, which necessitated external supports at specific locations. This limitation posed significant challenges, particularly for pilots needing to make emergency landings outside those designated areas.

The aircraft was equipped with a bottom cannon that fired electrical fireballs, which split into eight smaller projectiles. It also had a middle cannon that launched three large anti-aircraft explosives, all traveling horizontally, and a top cannon that fired bombs in an arcing trajectory. Additionally, it could fire three heat-seeking missiles in rapid succession when targeting distant enemies.

The Ptolemaic Blimp was an improved, modified variant of the Ptolemaic Zeppelin that featured the army's logo. It was designed for bombarding land-based enemies with bombs and turrets inspired by the SV-000's Vulcan guns. It was discontinued after only one unit was produced, having been completed quickly before the deployment of Gimlet, Red Eye, and Tequila in the Arms Deal Barrage, which aimed to provide the Ptolemaic Army a tactical advantage against the Regular Army. Rumours circulated that the pilots faced difficulties with flight control, being able to temporarily steer in only one direction, and that soldiers were dissatisfied with its limited arsenal.

The Ptolemaic Rocket was a large rocket situated in the heart of a destroyed, abandoned Ptolemaic Army fortress. It was jointly built with the Pipovulaj as a symbol of their newfound alliance and their aspirations for the New World. Only one was ever produced, but it was ultimately destroyed by Gimlet, Red Eye, and Tequila, leading to the discontinuation of the project. They wanted to leave behind the collapse of their alliance with the Pipovulaj, who betrayed their trust before they suffered a second humiliating defeat. The rocket's head featured rotating weapon layers that randomly stopped to fire homing missiles, electrical sparks, exploding bowling balls, and a stream of fire.

The Rocket UFO was a floating cone that served as the tip of the Ptolemaic Army, indicating that it might be the cockpit. It has the autonomous ability to detach itself from the ship. Equipped with retractable blades, it can swiftly charge at enemies, but its speed is somewhat unstable due to its noticeable wobbliness while floating. Additionally, it can fire homing missiles and extend a large mechanical claw capable of grabbing people and throwing them around with the strength of an elephant.

The Hover Unit is the main fighter bomber of the Ptolemaic Army. While it leaves its operator exposed, it moves at very high speeds and can execute a 180° turn without changing its position, providing excellent maneuverability. It launches rockets similar to the Flying Tara before departing the scene to retrieve more. The standard units are manned by guerrillas, while the Elite Hover Units, piloted by special forces operatives, replace the missiles with a Gatling gun that can be swapped out for a powerful laser by retracting the firearm and allowing the other to extend.

The Hover Vehicle is an aerial attack hovercraft that serves as the primary support vehicle for the Ptolemaic Army. It excels at gathering tactical information and providing battle assistance from a distance with the aid of its machine gun. It's effective at destroying simple bridges and doors, weak tanks, and crowded units, shredding them with relative ease.

The Ptolemaic Saucer is a weaponless, disc-shaped hover vehicle used exclusively by masked soldiers and believers to rally paramilitary troops and cultist allies from a distance. It also serves as a safe platform for cultists to perform wizardry and dark magic without the fear of immediate interference.

The Ptolemaic Unit #03: F-502 Shooting Ray is a large aircraft carrier developed by the Ptolemaic Army, and its design is inspired by the Horten Ho 299. It specialises in air combat and the aerial transportation of soldiers and valuable resources. It deploys jet fighters exclusively owned and piloted by the Phantom Strike, which fire torpedoes that emit electricity upon impact with a surface, capable of paralysing a person or disabling mechanical controls. These jet fighters are modeled after the Japanese Mitsubishi J8M.

At the front, it can shoot an array of piercing, fiery bullets from two Vulcan mini-cannons and fire a series of powerful lasers at the enemy from its large upper roof cannons. At the back, it deploys fire drones that track the enemy and attempt to set them ablaze or use its jet engines to incinerate them. It can also carpet bomb the enemy and targeted areas by dropping explosive nukes that leave behind dangerous levels of radiation.

The Weapons Port is a submarine-like armoury ship designed to carry weaponry cargo, but it's relatively weak against the cannon of the Metal Slug and its discontinued prototype, the SV-000. It features a frontal cannon that fires explosive shells, which split into four fireballs upon impact with a solid surface. Additionally, it has rear cannons that fire standard cannonballs. The ship is capable of diving underwater and can camouflage itself for a brief period.

The Ptolemaic Submarine, also known as the Sub, was a prototype submarine designed for nighttime ambushes at sea and later served as a minor design inspiration for the Sand Marine. It was capable of launching five missiles that would target the enemy. It was relatively fast when maneuvering in underwater environments.

The Ptolemaic Unit #02: Sand Marine is an amphibious assault submarine designed for underground travel, particularly in desert and snowy environments, thanks to its temperatural durability and ease of traversal. It's utilised for underground excursions and daytime ambushes in seemingly abandoned areas. It can easily sink and emerge from the ground while launching a volley of fireballs that are difficult to dodge. It's capable of firing electric projectiles from its rear that track enemies and launching massive high-explosive shells from its frontal cannon or torpedoes from its sides.

The Ptolemaic Train was an armored six-car train used for the transportation of illegal goods. It featured a three-barreled cannon on the top of the front car and dual two-barreled cannons on each side. The top cannon fired poisonous gas rounds in an arcing trajectory, while the dual side cannons fired horizontal explosive shots. It also had a spiked plate on the front used to crush enemies to death. The train could intentionally derail itself, abandoning the use of tracks to easily traverse rocky, uneven terrain.

It was discontinued after fulfilling its purpose and bursting into flames when it crashed into a Ptolemaic Army-owned train station in a conquered city. The flammable materials inside exploded, releasing drug-laced poisonous fumes and destroying the blueprints who were onboard at the time.

The Electromagnetic Crane was a mechanical contraption equipped with a frontal cannon that could fire continuously, but it periodically stopped due to jammed ammunition shells. It primarily relied on a crane to crush enemies to death using heavy boxes of mechanical and technological junk. Connected to a conveyor belt, it had full control over its direction and speed. It was discontinued because it only served landfill purposes and sometimes struggled with overheating, which occasionally led to the pilots suffering from heat strokes.

The Big Bertha was a stationary cannon mounted on a train displaying the Ptolemaic Army insignia, used to transport soldiers and resources. While the cannon was capable of some movement, it creaked loudly and slowly turned when attempting to aim at the enemy. Whenever it fired a massive incendiary shell, the explosion produced flaming-hot, slightly nuclear-radiated residue. The cannon was connected to the train's cabin, which served as its weak point. It was discontinued because the train had fulfilled its purpose, and the cannon was virtually useless in larger-scale warfare.

The Mobile Fortified Temple "Stone Turtle" is a gigantic ancient weapon discovered by the Ptolemaic Army, firmly believing that it once belonged to the Tuatha Dé Danann. They dismantled and scrapped most of its destructive capabilities and buried the entire structure, hoping to promote peace among humanity and the natural environment while deterring anyone from using it. It was unearthed during a large-scale archaeological expedition with the Amadeus Syndicate, buried near the heart of the South Pole before their final war against the Regular Army. It has been meticulously rebuilt to serve as a mechanical temple that carries the stone tower of divine worship, guarded by the Gaia Elephant. Some people mistakenly believe the Stone Turtle serves as the Ptolemaic Army's main base of operations, but its only purpose is for large-scale combat, religious rituals, and the production of Units and Slugs.

The head can retract into its shell, and it's exclusively piloted by believers. Its belly can open to reveal a bright orangish-blue pillar that beams people up to the temple inside its body. It can attack by squishing enemies with its massive feet and launching heat-seeking missiles from side launchers. It features a built-in laser gun inside its shell that can fire a concentrated beam of incinerating bluish-purple quantum energy, covering a large radius in front of its sensor vision.

When its sensor window flashes blue, it summons a Rosetta Stone of the Avatar of Evil to serve as a shield, which gradually releases a poisonous, fiery blue fog that quickly dissipates when destroyed. When its sensor window flashes red, it summons a Rosetta Stone of Sol Dae Rokker to provide shielded protection and can unleash a somewhat fast-moving shower of seven fiery yellow comets that produce medium-sized explosions.

The Girida-0 Ver. P.M. is basically the same main battle tank (MBT) used by the Rebel Army. However, unlike the Rebel Army's Girida-0, it's faster and better armoured, and features a cannon with forward recoil when fired, providing it with a little bit more range.

The Di-Cokka Ver. P.M. is basically the same rugged fighter tank used by the Rebel Army. However, unlike the Rebel Army's Di-Cokka, the Ptolemaic Army's variant is painted olive drab, unmanned, and faster. It features an upgraded rate of fire, allowing it to shoot tank blasts without the need to charge like the original model.

The MH-6S Ver P.M. is basically the same cheap, reliable attack helicopter used by the Rebel Army. Like the Rebel Army's MH-6S Masknell, the pilots of these aircraft operate in packs and scatter across the battlefield to create panic among their enemies. However, unlike the Rebel Army's MH-6S Masknell, it features 4-barreled machine guns in place of the 35mm gun pods, and the front-mounted machine gun has been removed, allowing it to cover more ground than the original.

The Nop-03 Sarubia Ver. P.M. is a heavy tank designed to repel invaders with its imposing height, similar to that used by the Rebel Army. Unlike the Rebel Army's Sarubia, the Ptolemaic variant is half its size and weight, allowing for greater speed. However, its durable armour is less robust than that of the Rebel variant, making it vulnerable to direct cannon fire from the SV-001.

The Landseek Ver. P.M. is a support transport vehicle similar to those used by both the Regular Army and the Rebel Army. The Ptolemaic variant replaces the rear tracks with wheels that resemble those at the front. It has the capability to lift its rear and slam it downwards, and it's known for transporting barrels of food and concealing soldiers within cargo boxes.

The Ptolemaic Mini-Sub 88, also known as the Small Submarine, is a submersible vessel that's slightly faster and larger than the Rebel version. It features weaker armour due to its focus on optimising firepower and doesn't resemble the Delta-class submarine like its Rebel counterpart; instead, it's based on the Typhoon-class submarine.

The Augensterm Ver. P.M. is a four-legged Super Vehicle that the Ptolemaic Army managed to steal the blueprints for during the Regular Army's secret construction of the war-purposed Slug, thanks to a double agent. It's exclusively operated by commanders and can be equipped with either flamethrowers or Vulcan guns. Additionally, it features a harpoon that generates electricity when it attacks.

The Jet Hammer-Yang is a simple tactical airboat that's identical to the Rebel variant, but it has less durability, requiring fewer hits to destroy it. Due to its exclusive use for field operations, it's solely piloted by guerrillas.

The Sensor Mine is a naval explosive mine used for underwater protection. Originally exclusive to the Rebel Army, the blueprints were shared with the Ptolemaic Army to foster a sense of camaraderie and respect after forming an alliance.

The Wall Drone is a human-sized, versatile drone designed to protect the elevators of factories owned by them and their allies. It can slide along walls to keep pace with all elevator speeds, moving with extreme ease. The drone attacks by shooting lasers from its eyes and can create a temporary electric field that stuns nearby enemies and repels non-piercing attacks. While it's not very well armoured and can be destroyed with just a few rounds, it compensates for this disadvantage by attacking in numbers.

The Quadro Jumper is a quadrupedal ancient weapon unearthed alongside the Stone Turtle, once belonging to the Tuatha Dé Danann for the purpose of swift warfare. It's theorised that there may have been more produced for their naval military, but only one has somehow survived. This super-mobile, unmanned jumping tank has been upgraded by the Ptolemaic Army's brilliant mechanics and ancient technology experts. It exhibits a degree of sentience as evidenced by its ability to distinguish between enemies and allies, its joyous victory dance after winning a battle, and its very limited emotional capacity for sadness, anger, confusion, disgust, and happiness. It also deliberately toys with enemies, utilising mobility and flexibility that are unprecedented in a four-legged tank. Although it's obedient to its masters, it'll never harm anyone biologically related to the Tuatha Dé Danann for unknown reasons. It'll always listen to them, even if it means going against its allies and abandoning their ideologies.

It boasts an astounding jumping ability, capable of leaping over large chasms and reaching heights comparable to the eighth tallest mountain in the world. It can advance toward enemies at a rapid pace, stopping at a distance to fire a laser beam from its gun. Enemies in close proximity are pummeled with a flurry of powerful kicks or slicing whips. It can evade attacks by bouncing around on two of its legs.

A stealth version of the Quadro Jumper has been developed by Ptolemaic Army engineers and verdant masked soldiers, utilising scrapped resources and blueprints they developed for the original model through intense study. Jointly developed with the Amadeus Syndicate, this variant is called the Quadro Hover. It can only launch electrically produced netting to trap enemies and severely paralyse them, and it's piloted by three individuals.

D-Gu is an ancient, sentient clay relic that was gifted to the Ptolemaic Army by Sol Dae Rokker in appreciation for their fervent worship. It dislikes being controlled without its consent and can go on murderous rampages when its pleas for peace and relaxation are disregarded, especially if people are persist in trying to fully control it. Aside from that, it's generally obedient and treats its masters and allies with respect and dignity, but it isn't afraid to kindly put people in their place when they fail to show it dignified kindness. Its voice is described as a combination of the calm rippling of water, a raging inferno, and echoing whispers that can turn shrill and raspy when angered.

It can violently crush its opponents, summon beach-covering tidal waves, and launch three rock pillars from the sky at a time to crush enemies and create protective barricades. It can fire earthy and watery missiles from its base that store slimy golden acid and can rapidly advance forward due to its miraculous levitation. It can withstand non-piercing projectiles, treating them like small throwing stones.

When on a rampage, D-Gu moves as if it has a will of its own. Its missiles become larger and stronger with explosions that cover a wider range. It can generate firestorms, thunderstorms, and blizzards.

[sh5]

I do believe in internet security and that you deserve privacy “even if…” in any scenario. even if you have something to hide, but also, even if you’re “innocent”. but there’s this ever-present sense of paranoia from tumblr users when it comes to things like recommending VPNs, or guides on how to prevent cookies, etc that there actually IS a specifically assigned FBI agent looking at everything you post, like the meme from a few years ago. there’s this implication that, especially with the current usamerican gov, you being queer or…posting spotify links? I guess? is something that Big Brother cares deeply about. but at the end of the day, if you live in a nice home with your white, cishet, middle class parents, if you’re educated or if you’re a born citizen, you are just riling yourself up into a constant paranoia for surveillance that isn’t there. you will never be drafted, you will never be deported to el salvador. (also yall must think I’m fucking stupid if you think I’m trusting any of these VPNs that had data leaks with my bank info. but that’s a side point.)

[annabelle-creart]

The Worst and the Best years of our Lives

The time Heatwave noticed Boulder wasn't okay

---------

Boulder was new in Sigma-17, despite that, as an engineer and paramedic they were the first one to get on rescues the moment they started, to check on the security of structures or check on people. It was hard for bots to die in these times, mechanics were advanced in investigation and structures were safe most of the time

And yet, some things happen, and consequently some other things go wrong

Heatwave and Boulder had been living in that flat as roommates since they were assigned to Sigma-17, the station gave them those, even if Heatwave prefered to live with Chase the paperwork and their jobs distracted them from thinking on changing roomates until Blades finally adapted to Chase's lifestyle and Chase understood Blades' methods on living, and for Heatwave, living with Boulder was like trying to talk with a half-damaged walky-talky, sometimes it listened and repeated, sometimes it didn't, but with time and effort Heatwave finally got why Boulder was like that and got accomplished to it, and Boulder could make sense of Heatwave's wishes on shared spaces. Just like that, they ended up knowing each other a bit more each day, both in duty and at home, and that day Heatwave could recognize something was wrong

You'll see, Boulder, as their name, is a rock, is a bad lier, but is really good at making nice faceplates when neccessary, is like an unmovable force in some aspects, but is not eternal

That early morning Heatwave knew something was wrong when Boulder got out of berth before the alarm ringed, and worst of all, after just recharging for like 2 hours when the normal amount of recharge should be 4 to 6 hours each two or three days, but both had been awake for like four days in a row, and Boulder sleeps like if they were dead, nothing can wake up that machine except an annoying, noisy alarm, meanwhile Heatwave would get up only with the sound of the wind. The moment Boulder turned on their data pad, Heatwave's sensors made him wake

"Why are you awake?" Heatwave asked, well, barely, his voice box was still adapting to the inactivity

"Did the volume woke you up?" Boulder murmured, really ashamed for it

"Yeh" Heatwave grunted, about to get sleep in any moment "can't you recharge?"

"I'm not that tired"

Damn liar, thought Heatwave, it was obvious how much those big optics of them changed size with recharge depravation, now they were tinier

"Do you want to talk or something?" Heatwave offered, just to make sure

"No, I'm fine, go recharge if you want" Boulder's voice sounded a mix of tiredness and evasion, a weird kind of one

"Okay" Heatwave murmured, already preparing himself to go back to recharge, what else could he do? Is not like Boulder will tell him, right...? And yet "if you wanna talk or something, or if something is wrong, I'm here to listen, you know? Don't worry about waking me up" Heatwave said to the bot with a final look in the dark, Boulder smiled at him

"Thank you" they replied, feeling the gesture "But not today" Boulder's last words didn't include a smile, but Heatwave knew they meant it, and the worst thing to do for that was making pressure on the wound

"I get it" Heatwave finally answered "have a good night then" he pressed himself against the berth and tried to get sleep with no result. A couple of minutes later

"Heatwave?" Boulder called him

"Hm?" He barely replied

"How do you deal with failure?"

Hm?... what kind of question was rhat...?

OH!

Oh...

Now Heatwave got from where was the worry

Heatwave's memory passed in front of his optics like a record. The two bots Boulder and Goldy from Sigma-18 found on the building, Goldy and Boulder saw a strange signal and as paramedics and engineers they searched on the building guiding the expedition with Heatwave and other four rescuers but when they reached them, it was already too late. The way how their energon got out of their exposed chasis still mixed terribly Heatwave's tanks

"My way to deal with things is not the best, actually" Heatwave replied softly, softer than ever, with a hint of a laugh "I tend to keep all the guilt, even if I don't deserve it" Heatwave couldn't look at Boulder, just in case their optics were too much to handle "I only can comfirm something, if we're thinking on the same thing, is okay to feel that you could do more, but is not okay to keep a guilt that is not yours, or even unexistent. Just take that on mind" Heatwave didn't expect an answer just like Boulder never made another word

And the rest of the night was so quiet both finally had at least a decent amount of sleep

[living-in-5hinee-world]

Trans.

Hello.

It's Big Planet Made.

Around 3 a.m. on the 15th, the hacking situation of our artist Taemin's official YouTube channel was also detected. After recognizing the hacking situation, the company immediately completed restoration and related measures, and submitted and reported suspected hacking IDs and related data to YouTube on the morning of the 15th.

However, YouTube has notified of the channel deletion measures for violating the channel community guide around 1 p.m. today (16th), and the channel is currently closed. We have thoroughly maintained a complex combination of passwords, two-factor authentication, and security, and even though we have used everything to prevent hacking, we apologize for causing inconvenience and concern to fans due to unexpected situations. Currently, we are discussing a quick solution with YouTube, and we will continue to communicate with both sides to clarify the facts quickly and do our best to recover as soon as possible.

In addition, we will take strong legal measures, such as reporting to the police, for this case, where Taemin artist's YouTube channel is repeatedly trying to hack. We apologize to users who may have felt uncomfortable with the sudden situation, and we will proceed with the restoration work as soon as possible.

Thank you.

[elvenbeard]

A Day in the Life (like any other) - 2076 edition

Time for some big VP projects again :3 This one was so much fun to set up, edit, and assemble into a post (several, really, I took so many pics). I'll share some more details on all scenes below the cut but yes. I really wanted to give a glimpse into how I picture Vince's life to look like when he still worked for Arasaka - and how, specifically during late 2076, the days began to bleed into each other, he got trapped in an endless cycle, and, in hindsight, was lucky that Jackie helped break him out of it all.

Days for Arasaka employees start early and are long - on a relatively calm and normal day, he probably would have to get up and get ready between 6-7 am. At that time he needed lots of meds, boosters, drugs to get out of bed in the morning and make it through the day somehow, keep up his performance the way it always used to be prior to some traumatic event TM that happened in early/mid 2076.

He lived close to Corpo Plaza though at least, so walking to work was feasible, and a means to get some semi-fresh air and actual movement in during a day otherwise spent mostly in front of the computer.

Occasionally I think Jenkins would call for a morning meeting (and few people would like those), where he'd discuss important measures, plans, and so on. Some more impressions from this, because I love setting up big group scenes:

Most of Vince's day would probably have consisted of data analysis, overseeing and planning strikes against enemy corporations on big and small scales, and maintaining Arasaka's own security and secrets. I love the many little glimpses into the dark and twisted corpo workday we get through what NPCs say and the Corpo dialogues, but I'd love to know even more!

For his lunch he'd actually leave the office, and if no coworker invited him elsewhere, Vince would always be drawn to the Plaza. Find a nice spot to sit or just walk around the Plaza a couple of times to clear his head and sort his thoughts for the rest of the day. In 2077 it's still one of his favourite places in all of NC, and watching the holographic fishes swim their circles has something calming and meditative about it. Spoiler alert, in that spot he's sitting here in these pics he ends up after Mikoshi, stumbling out of Arasaka Tower. He just sits down and passes out watching the fish ;_;

But now, back to 2076:

I figure, with the kinds of high stakes missions Counterintel probably carries out, a lot of planning has to go into them. And preparation as close to real-life condition as possible. So I think the agents probably play through their missions in cyberspace prior to carrying them out in the real world, in a safe environment, recording everything, and analyizing it the next day during the morning meeting.

As a very traditional Japanese corporation it's probably customary at Arasaka to not really be allowed to leave your workplace before your boss hasn't. So It often gets late, everyone is tired and frustrated, and not rarely the same groups of people would end up in the same bars. Vince doesn't and didn't drink back then, but being in and around Japantown certainly was an opportunity to stock up on drugs or otherwise numb himself from what his life had become at that point.

He was never very close to any of his coworkers besides Harry, who I always pictured as some kind of guiding figure for him. He was there long before Vince started at Arasaka, and he'll probably remain there in his little cubicle for as long as he still cares to keep to himself and a low profile, just doing his thing well with little ambitions to make it big. The latter is what usually breaks corpos their neck, but I think for every V, Jenkins, Abernathy, there are at least a dozen Harrys who are content with being a tiny, insignificant cogwheel in the huge corporate machinery.

Vince's days would often end way too late and at that time he's incapable of sleeping without pills and the like, so it begins how it ends: self-medicating in the hopes it will somehow make this never-ending cycle easier to bear.

[artificiallyintelligentslender]

Big lore events below cut

{ It strides up to the lab, familiarity guiding its every move. It is calm - what it will do is completely calculated. It would be simple enough, and it would solve every problem it had been going through. }

{ The doors do not open. That was not accounted for. }

{ It turns its gaze towards the poorly disguised camera, tail slowly swishing from side to side. }

I have important data you all would deem of importance. Please allow me entry.

{ It does not get a response for some time. Eventually, however, the doors open for it, and it walks inside. }

{ The scientists did not fear it. It noticed they were much more hesitant than usual, but that would not cause much issue for its purposes. }

{ It strolled towards the security room. The security officer couldn't have noticed until it was already there. }

[usafphantom2]

B-2 Gets Big Upgrade with New Open Mission Systems Capability

July 18, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak

The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber has been upgraded with a new open missions systems (OMS) software capability and other improvements to keep it relevant and credible until it’s succeeded by the B-21 Raider, Northrop Grumman announced. The changes accelerate the rate at which new weapons can be added to the B-2; allow it to accept constant software updates, and adapt it to changing conditions.

“The B-2 program recently achieved a major milestone by providing the bomber with its first fieldable, agile integrated functional capability called Spirit Realm 1 (SR 1),” the company said in a release. It announced the upgrade going operational on July 17, the 35th anniversary of the B-2’s first flight.

SR 1 was developed inside the Spirit Realm software factory codeveloped by the Air Force and Northrop to facilitate software improvements for the B-2. “Open mission systems” means that the aircraft has a non-proprietary software architecture that simplifies software refresh and enhances interoperability with other systems.

“SR 1 provides mission-critical capability upgrades to the communications and weapons systems via an open mission systems architecture, directly enhancing combat capability and allowing the fleet to initiate a new phase of agile software releases,” Northrop said in its release.

The system is intended to deliver problem-free software on the first go—but should they arise, correct software issues much earlier in the process.

The SR 1 was “fully developed inside the B-2 Spirit Realm software factory that was established through a partnership with Air Force Global Strike Command and the B-2 Systems Program Office,” Northrop said.

The Spirit Realm software factory came into being less than two years ago, with four goals: to reduce flight test risk and testing time through high-fidelity ground testing; to capture more data test points through targeted upgrades; to improve the B-2’s functional capabilities through more frequent, automated testing; and to facilitate more capability upgrades to the jet.

The Air Force said B-2 software updates which used to take two years can now be implemented in less than three months.

In addition to B61 or B83 nuclear weapons, the B-2 can carry a large number of precision-guided conventional munitions. However, the Air Force is preparing to introduce a slate of new weapons that will require near-constant target updates and the ability to integrate with USAF’s evolving long-range kill chain. A quicker process for integrating these new weapons with the B-2’s onboard communications, navigation, and sensor systems was needed.

The upgrade also includes improved displays, flight hardware and other enhancements to the B-2’s survivability, Northrop said.

“We are rapidly fielding capabilities with zero software defects through the software factory development ecosystem and further enhancing the B-2 fleet’s mission effectiveness,” said Jerry McBrearty, Northrop’s acting B-2 program manager.

The upgrade makes the B-2 the first legacy nuclear weapons platform “to utilize the Department of Defense’s DevSecOps [development, security, and operations] processes and digital toolsets,” it added.

The software factory approach accelerates adding new and future weapons to the stealth bomber, and thus improve deterrence, said Air Force Col. Frank Marino, senior materiel leader for the B-2.

The B-2 was not designed using digital methods—the way its younger stablemate, the B-21 Raider was—but the SR 1 leverages digital technology “to design, manage, build and test B-2 software more efficiently than ever before,” the company said.

The digital tools can also link with those developed for other legacy systems to accomplish “more rapid testing and fielding and help identify and fix potential risks earlier in the software development process.”

Following two crashes in recent years, the stealthy B-2 fleet comprises 19 aircraft, which are the only penetrating aircraft in the Air Force’s bomber fleet until the first B-21s are declared to have achieved initial operational capability at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. A timeline for IOC has not been disclosed.

The B-2 is a stealthy, long-range, penetrating nuclear and conventional strike bomber. It is based on a flying wing design combining LO with high aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft’s blended fuselage/wing holds two weapons bays capable of carrying nearly 60,000 lb in various combinations.

Spirit entered combat during Allied Force on March 24, 1999, striking Serbian targets. Production was completed in three blocks, and all aircraft were upgraded to Block 30 standard with AESA radar. Production was limited to 21 aircraft due to cost, and a single B-2 was subsequently lost in a crash at Andersen, Feb. 23, 2008.

Modernization is focused on safeguarding the B-2A’s penetrating strike capability in high-end threat environments and integrating advanced weapons.

The B-2 achieved a major milestone in 2022 with the integration of a Radar Aided Targeting System (RATS), enabling delivery of the modernized B61-12 precision-guided thermonuclear freefall weapon. RATS uses the aircraft’s radar to guide the weapon in GPS-denied conditions, while additional Flex Strike upgrades feed GPS data to weapons prerelease to thwart jamming. A B-2A successfully dropped an inert B61-12 using RATS on June 14, 2022, and successfully employed the longer-range JASSM-ER cruise missile in a test launch last December.

Ongoing upgrades include replacing the primary cockpit displays, the Adaptable Communications Suite (ACS) to provide Link 16-based jam-resistant in-flight retasking, advanced IFF, crash-survivable data recorders, and weapons integration. USAF is also working to enhance the fleet’s maintainability with LO signature improvements to coatings, materials, and radar-absorptive structures such as the radome and engine inlets/exhausts.

Two B-2s were damaged in separate landing accidents at Whiteman on Sept. 14, 2021, and Dec. 10, 2022, the latter prompting an indefinite fleetwide stand-down until May 18, 2023. USAF plans to retire the fleet once the B-21 Raider enters service in sufficient numbers around 2032.

Contractors: Northrop Grumman; Boeing; Vought.

First Flight: July 17, 1989.

Delivered: December 1993-December 1997.

IOC: April 1997, Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Production: 21.

Inventory: 20.

Operator: AFGSC, AFMC, ANG (associate).

Aircraft Location: Edwards AFB, Calif.; Whiteman AFB, Mo.

Active Variant: •B-2A. Production aircraft upgraded to Block 30 standards.

Dimensions: Span 172 ft, length 69 ft, height 17 ft.

Weight: Max T-O 336,500 lb.

Power Plant: Four GE Aviation F118-GE-100 turbofans, each 17,300 lb thrust.

Performance: Speed high subsonic, range 6,900 miles (further with air refueling).

Ceiling: 50,000 ft.

Armament: Nuclear: 16 B61-7, B61-12, B83, or eight B61-11 bombs (on rotary launchers). Conventional: 80 Mk 62 (500-lb) sea mines, 80 Mk 82 (500-lb) bombs, 80 GBU-38 JDAMs, or 34 CBU-87/89 munitions (on rack assemblies); or 16 GBU-31 JDAMs, 16 Mk 84 (2,000-lb) bombs, 16 AGM-154 JSOWs, 16 AGM-158 JASSMs, or eight GBU-28 LGBs.

Accommodation: Two pilots on ACES II zero/zero ejection seats.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Fiber image transmission technology for minimally invasive endoscope developed

Optical fibers are fundamental components in modern science and technology due to their inherent advantages, providing an efficient and secure medium for applications such as internet communication and big data transmission. Compared with single-mode fibers (SMFs), multimode fibers (MMFs) can support a much larger number of guided modes (~103 to ~104), offering the attractive advantage of high-capacity information and image transportation within the diameter of a hair. This capability has positioned MMFs as a critical tool in fields such as quantum information and micro-endoscopy. However, MMFs pose a significant challenge: their highly scattering nature introduces severe modal dispersion during transmission, which significantly degrades the quality of transmitted information. Existing technologies, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and spatial light modulators (SLMs), have achieved limited success in reconstructing distorted images after MMF transmission. Despite these advancements, the direct optical transmission of undistorted images through MMFs using micron-scale integrated optical components has remained an elusive goal in optical research.

Read more.