#prompt 40 2022

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Ideas Lying Around

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in DC TOMORROW (Mar 4), and in RICHMOND on WEDNESDAY (Mar 5). More tour dates here. Mail-order signed copies from LA's Diesel Books.

I get a special pleasure from citing Milton Friedman. I like to imagine that as I do, he groans around the red-hot spit protruding from his jaws, prompting howls of laughter from the demons who pelt him with molten faeces for all eternity.

If you're lucky enough not to know about Friedman, here's the short version. Friedman was a kind of court sorcerer to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Augusto Pinochet, and other assorted authoritarian, hard-right leaders who set us on the path to the hellscape we inhabit today. But before Friedman rose to prominence and influence, he was a crank. Specifically, he was a crank who dedicated his life to rolling back all the progress of the New Deal and re-establishing the Gilded Age:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/06/the-end-of-the-road-to-serfdom/

In his crank days, people were justifiably skeptical of this project. "Milton," they'd say, "people like New Deal programs. They like the minimum wage, the 40-hour work-week, and the assurance that they won't be maimed, poisoned, burned alive, or otherwise killed on the job. They relish a dignified retirement, quality education for their children, and the assurance that no one is starving to death in their country's borders. People like national parks! They like Medicare! They like libraries, museums, and reliable weather forecasts! How, Milton, do you propose to convince the vast majority of people that they should settle for being forelock-tugging plebs, groveling before their social betters for the chance to scrub their toilets?"

Friedman had an answer: "In times of crisis, ideas can move from the fringe to the center in an eyeblink. Our job is to keep good ideas lying around, in anticipation of that crisis."

When the oil crisis hit, when prices spiked in the USA and abroad, Friedman seized his opportunity. The years following the oil crisis saw a violent political revolution in which organized labor, social justice movements, and the political opposition to oligarchy were crushed under police batons and the guns of Pinochet's thugs. The world was transformed. Left parties like UK Labour were remade as austerity-pilled neoliberals (not for nothing did Margaret Thatcher call Tony Blair "her greatest accomplishment," and it took Bill Clinton to pass a welfare "reform" bill that was too extreme even for Reagan to get through Congress).

Friedman was a monster.

But.

He had a hell of a theory of change.

When prices spiral, when people can't pay their bills anymore, when their retirement savings are wiped out, anything is possible. The oil crisis wasn't Jimmy Carter's fault, but the voters still delivered a Ba'ath Party-style Republican majority in 1980. The covid shocks weren't the fault of the world governments that presided over pandemic inflation, but they were creamed in the ensuing elections.

Let's talk about Trump's tariffs here. Trump's goal is to force a re-shoring of the American industrial capacity that was shipped to low-wage, low-regulation corporate havens around the world after the Reagan revolution. The pandemic provided a vivid lesson about the problems with long, brittle supply chains where all the slack has been extracted and converted to dividends and stock buybacks. That kind of system may work well – at least to the extent that it keeps Walmart's shelves full of cheap goods – but holy shit did it ever fail badly. Re-shoring is a good idea, as are other forms of pro-resiliency industrial policy.

But re-shoring doesn't happen overnight. As we saw during China's covid lockdowns, when one supplier ceases to ship goods, other suppliers can't spring up overnight to take up the slack. China itself became a manufacturing powerhouse thanks to extensive state support and planning, and it took decades. That kind of patient, long-run, planned process is the best-case scenario (and it still caused wrenching dislocations to Chinese society). Simply throwing up tariff walls and demanding that industry figure it out – amid the resulting economic chaos and the political instability it brings – isn't a plan, it's a disaster.

Redistributing the means of production around the world is a necessary and urgent project, but it won't be advanced through Trump's rapid, unscheduled mid-air disassembly of the global system of trade. Tariffs will cause breakdowns in neoliberalism's fragile supply chains, and the ensuing chaos – mass unemployment, shortages, political rage – will make it even harder for countries (including the USA) to rebuild the productive capacity vaporized by 40 years of neoliberalism.

This is our oil crisis, in other worlds: a moment in which a belligerent superpower's ill-considered monkeying with the underpinnings of global production will cause chaos, the crisis in which "ideas can move from the periphery to the center" in an eyeblink. If Steve Bannon can call himself a Leninist, then leftists can call themselves Friedmanites. This is our opportunity.

Or rather, it's our opportunity to seize – or lose. Governments are defaulting to retaliatory tariffs as the best response to Trump's tariffs. This is political poison: making everything your country imports from the USA more expensive is a very weird way to punish America for its trade war. Remember the glaring lesson of pandemic inflation: a government that presides over rising prices will be destroyed by the electorate.

There's a much better alternative, one that strikes at the very roots of American oligarchy, whose extreme wealth and corrosive political influence comes from its holdings in rent-extracting monopolies, especially Big Tech monopolies.

Tech giants are the major factor in US economic health. Take Big Tech stocks out of the S&P 500 and you've got a stagnant market punctuated by periods of decline. Superficially, US tech companies have different sources of extraordinary profit, but a closer look reveals that they all share the same foundation: Big Tech makes the bulk of its money in the form of monopoly rents, backstopped by global IP treaties.

Apple and Google take a 30% cut of every dollar spent in an app, and it's a felony to jailbreak a phone to make a new app store with the industry standard 1-3% transaction fees. Google and Meta take 51% out of every ad dollar, and publishers and advertisers are locked into their ecosystems by abusive contracts and technological countermeasures. HP charges $10,000/gallon for the colored water you put in your printer, and third-party ink and refills violate the anti-circumvention laws the US has crammed down the throats of every country's legislature. Tesla makes its fattest margins by renting you features that are installed in your car at the factory, from autopilot to the ability to use your battery's whole charge, raking in monthly fees from you and anyone you sell your car to – and the reason your mechanic can't just permanently unlock all that DLC for $50 is the IP laws that your country agreed to enforce in order to trade with the USA. Mechanics pay $10k/year per manufacturer for the tools to interpret the error codes generated by your car, and the only reason no one is selling a $50/month universal diagnostic service is – once again – US-originated IP laws that came in a parcel with trade agreements that gave your country's exporters access to US markets. Farmers pay John Deere $200 every time they fix their own tractors, because the repairs won't work until a technician comes out and types an unlock code into the tractor's keyboard – and bypassing that unlock code is a crime under the laws passed to comply with international treaties.

These aren't profits – they're rents. It's money Big Tech gets from owning a factor of production, not money it gets from actually making something. The app maker takes all the risks, but Apple and Google cream off 30% of their gross income. Big Tech's profits are almost an afterthought when compared to its rents, the junk-fee platform fees and farcically expensive consumables. For tech firms, capitalism was a transitional phase between feudalism…and technofeudalism:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/28/cloudalists/#cloud-capital

America's robust GDP figures are a mirage, artificially buoyed up by the monopoly rents extracted by US Big Tech, who prey on Americans and foreigners:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/18/pikettys-productivity/#reaganomics-revenge

But foreigners don't have to tolerate this nonsense. Governments around the world signed up to protect giant American companies from small domestic competitors (from local app stores – for phones, games consoles, and IoT gadgets – to local printer cartridge remanufacturers) on the promise of tariff-free access to US markets. With Trump imposing tariffs will-ye or nill-ye on America's trading partners large and small, there is no reason to go on delivering rents to US Big Tech.

The first country or bloc (hi there, EU!) to do this will have a giant first-mover advantage, and could become a global export powerhouse, dominating the lucrative markets for tools that strike at the highest-margin lines of business of the most profitable companies in the history of the human race. Like Jeff Bezos told the publishers: "your margin is my opportunity":

https://www.marketplacepulse.com/articles/the-cost-of-your-margin-is-my-opportunity

In times of crisis, ideas can move from the periphery to the center in an eyeblink. Many of us have spent decades organizing and mobilizing against these extractive, dangerous, destabilizing abuses of technology, where the computer-powered devices we rely on for everything are designed to serve their manufacturers' shareholders, at our expense. And yet, these technologies have only proliferated, infecting everything from insulin pumps and ventilators to coffee makers and "smart" TVs.

It's time for a global race to the top – for countries to compete with one another to see who will capture US Big Tech's margins the fastest and most aggressively. Not only will this make things cheaper for everyone else in the world – it'll also make things cheaper for Americans, because once there is a global, profitable trade in software that jailbreaks your Big Tech devices and services, it will surely leak across the US border. Canada doesn't have to confine itself to selling reasonably priced pharmaceuticals to beleaguered Americans – it can also set up a brisk trade in the tools of technological self-determination and liberation from Big Tech bondage.

Taking the margins for Big Tech's most profitable enterprises to zero, globally, will strike at the very heart of American oligarchy, and the hundreds of millions tech giants flushed into the political system to put Trump into office again. A race to the top for technological liberation benefits everyone – including Americans.

Truly, it would be a rising tide that lifted all boats (except for oligarchs' superyachts - those, it will swamp and sink).

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/03/03/friedmanite/#oil-crisis-two-point-oh

[the-offside-rule]

Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari) - Worship

Requested: yes

Prompts: 16) "I would do anything for you."

29) "Let me take care of you."

32) "I could kiss your lips all day."

40) "Ah, ah, ah, no touching."

Warnings: smut, dom!charles, reader being HUMBLED, overestimulating, edging, kinky (???), oral (f receiveing), angst? But happy ending

Charles stood in the hallway outside Y/n's Hotel room, simply awaiting for her to open the door. The F2 driver had caught his eye when she joined Mercedes during pre-season testing in 2022, and she then joined Formula 2 in 2023. They kept glancing at one another in the paddock, neither brave enough to make the first move. And the came Monaco. Whilst Charles was out after the race on Sunday, they bumped into eachogher and let's just say there was an...entanglement when they headed back to Y/n's hote room. Since then, their meet ups had become more and more regular to the point where they didn't even need to use a race weekend as an excuse to meet up. They would meet up on a random day for no reason. While the whole situation was strictly sex at the moment, Charles felt himself falling for her.

The door opened and before he could say hello, she already had him by the collar, dragging him in the door and kicking it behind them. "You're eager today." Charles managed to say in between kisses. "Have you seen yourself in a suit?" She replied, trying not to break the contact between their lips. She pulled him back until she fell back onto her bed. Charles eagerly hopped on top of her, his chain dangling out from his shirt which had the first few buttons undone. "I could kiss your lips all day." He whispered, as Y/n wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back to kiss her. As their kiss deepened and the sounds of them panting grew louder, Charles and Y/n couldn't help but roll around, twisting in the bed sheets.

"Y/n, I need to talk to you." He murmured into her skin. He looked up as her head fell backwards and her fingers tangled in his hair. "Talk between my legs." She chuckled. Charles clenched his jaw before grabbing her ankles and yanking her down towards him at the edge of the bed. "What are you-" Charles' hand covered her mouth before she could say another word. "You're going to listen to me tonight. You understand?" She arched a brow, not even giving a hum to respond. Charles licked his fingers before trailing them down her toned abs and towards her core. He teased, circling her clit. Her once knotted brows softened at the sensation. "I said, do you understand?" Y/n nodded. Charles took his hand away and pecked a gentle kiss onto her cheek. "Good girl, just relax, mon cœur." He whispered, unbuttoning his shirt agonishingly slow, before throwing it to the floor. Y/n's mouth watered upon seeing him so dominant. While she was used to leading these encounters, she didn't mind this change one bit.

Y/n sat up, looking down towards him. "Charles, I-" Charles shut her up quickly with a kiss. "Shhh mon amour. Let me take care of you." She nodded slowly, lying back down, her hands resting above her head. Charles bit her panties, gently tugging them down between his teeth. Her lips parted as a quiet sigh left her lips. Charles began peppering gentle kisses on each of her thighs, growing closer and closer to her already wet core. "Charles-" She whispered. "Please."

"Oh." She sighed as Charles licked a slick line up her slit, before circling her clit with his tongue. "You like this, mon amour?" Y/n nodded, biting her lips to hide her smile. "I can't hear you. Can you speak up?" He asked, pressing a kiss onto her clit. She hummed in response. "Yes, Charles. I love it." He chuckled. "Oh, you love it?" He smirked, looking up. "You've got such a big ego, don't you?" She giggled as the scruff of his chin scraped her skin. "That's not the only thing."

"I feel like you're just teasing me now, and I don't appreciate-" Her words were stopped as Charles pressed another gentle kiss onto her clit. He looked up, his green eyes locking with hers. He hushed her, watching as she nodded and slowly but surely found her way back lying on his bed. "Good girl." He whispered, before his tongue worked wonders on her. Her moans grew louder with each thrust of his tongue,her fingers tangled in her hair as she felt herself overcome with pleasure. "Charlie, fuck." She whimpered as his nose rubbed off her sensitive bundle of nerve endings. He hummed, sending vibrations through her and that's when it happened. She felt her core tighten, she jolted, feeling herself grow closer and closer to finishing.

Charles traced his fingers down her sides as she looked up to him with doe eyes. She knew what that did to him. It'd get him to work much quicker than just letting him tease her slowly. He looked down at her lips and back to her eyes before grinning. "Okay, new rule." Y/n's head tilted to the side, anticipating his next words. Charles leaned down, kissing her neck hungrily as he took in the scent of her perfume. Her eyebrows knotted in frustration as he teased her with his lips. "What rule could you possibly add?" She whined. "No touching." He whispered, kissing her cheek. Y/n sat up quickly. "No touching? Charles!" She was cut off by Charles taking her lips in his, humming disapprovingly, pushing her back down into the mattress. "Now, now. I said you would listen to me, didn't I?" Y/n nodded. "Yes, but-" Her hands reached for his shoulders, gripping them lightly before Charles grabbed them both with his hands, shaking his head.

"Ah, ah, ah. I said no touching. No exceptions." She groaned as Charles pinned her hands down above her head. "Now, do you want me?" He asked. Y/n nodded. "That is a stupid question." Charles' expression didn't change in the slightest. "Then answer me." Y/n gasped as he squeezed her wrists together. "Oh please, Charlie. Fuck me." Charles finally unzipped his pants and sunk into her. Her grip on his shoulders grew so tight, she felt white marks from her nails. "Oh, Ch-Charles." She managed to scream as she couldn't keep up with his thrusts. In all fairness, he wasn't going to last long either with all the teasing he had been doing. "Oui mon amour. Crie mon nom." She could barely form a sentence, she could just about scream his name and they didn't care how loud they were. This was easily some of he best sex either of them have ever had. "Harder, Charles." Not only did he go harder, he went deeper, to a place he'd never quite ventured to before with her. He lifted her legs up around his shoulders and buried himself deeper into her, watching as she came undone from beneath him.

"Charlie, you feel so good." She purred, gripping onto his biceps. He grinned, his pace becoming sloppy. He felt himself twitching inside her as he grew closer and closer before he pulled out, not wanting to finish so soon. Y/n groaned yet again. "Charlie, I haven't finished yet." She sighed as Charles pulled out. "I know, but-" Charles lay down beside her. "Sit on my face." Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Sit on your face?" He nodded. "Let me worship you." Y/n nodded, propping herself up and preparing to sit down. "Mon cœur?" She looked down to him,his face already wet from her. "Hold that headboard, and whatever you do, don't stop." She smirked and sat. She felt his warm tongue run up her pussy before her lips began to move rhytically. Her head fell back in pleasure as he felt herself having to grip onto the headboard for stability.

"I don't feel like doing all this work, Charlie." Y/n teased as she stopped. What she didn't expect, was for Charles to sit up and push her onto her back as he relentlessly fucked her with his tongue. As if that didn't feel good enough, his nose hitting off her clit, his scruff scratching her skin, all that was enough for her to feel like she was coming undone. "Oh, Charles! Oh fuck, yes!" Her moans grew louder and louder as Charles looked up to her. He himself yearned for the relief of his orgasm but he wasn't going to finish first. "Charles, I'm going to cum!" Her fingers pulled at his hair as she felt herself growing closer to her orgasm. “Could you make those little sounds a little bit louder? I want everyone on this floor to hear you. I want them to know that it's Charles fucking Leclerc who's got you like this, mon cœur.” He says before she felt herself crumbling. "Charles!" She screamed, as Charles drank her all in like liquor. He lifted himself and kissed her cheeks as she lay there shaking from the overstimulation she had just gone through. "Have you cum?" Y/n asked.

"Not yet. Are you okay?" He asked. Y/n nodded, smiling as she reached up for a kiss. "Now, let me take care of you." Charles' eyes couldn't help but stare as she climbed on top of him, holding onto the wall for support. His hands gently glided over her shorts. "Y/n?" She smiled gently, looking down through hooded eyes. "Do that thing I like." She bit her lip and nodded, before she sunk down onto him, waiting for a moment for them both to get used to the feeling before her hips began at a slow pace. Charles' eyes fluttered and his head fell back. His lips parted and Y/n took the opportunity to kiss him softly, as a small token of appreciation. "You look so pretty." Y/n whispered. "Mmh. You taste very good." Charles replied, his hands roaming up towards her breasts and cupping them. He left small kisses on them, making sure not to mark her. No one needed to know about their deeds.

He felt himself grow closer and closer to his release and Y/n could feel it as his hands fell to her hips, his grip tightened and his head nuzzled into the crook of her neck, kissing her to muffle his moans. "You close, Charlie?" She whispered in his ear. "Y-yes." He replied, speaking through a whimper. Her pace quickened and before she knew it he had finished. She helped to ride him through his orgasm, in return he kissed her gently. "You okay now, Charlie?" He nodded in response as the pair locked lips one final time and Y/n slowly raised herself off him.

"Fuck." She mumbled as she lay next to him. "That- that was different." When Charles didn't reply, she turned to him with a reassuring smile and cuddled up to him. "But, it was a good different." Charles swallowed the lump in his throat before he turned and looked into her eyes. "I don't think we should do this anymore." Charles said. Y/n arched a brow and looked at the Ferrari driver. "What do you mean?" She asked. "If this isn't leading anywhere I don't want to do it." Charles said, getting up out of bed. Y/n sat up and watched as he got dressed, opening and closing her mouth trying to find something to say. "I didn't know you wanted it to go somewhere. We said it's just sex." Y/n said.

"That was in May of last year. Since then, we have not only been having more sex, but we've also been going on trips, meeting eachother's families, and not to mention, you basically live in my apartment." Y/n just stared. "Which one?" She tried to make a joke but it didn't land well. "Both! When you head to Prema, you're in my apartment and when you're in Monaco you're there too. The only time I went to your hotel room was Monaco and Abu Dhabi and we stopped that because your mother knocked the door while I was there. And to make that worse, you tried to hide me. Like you were ashamed of me!"

"I am not ashamed of you. Why would I be ashamed of-"

"Then stop acting ashamed! Stop pushing my hand away whenever we're around people! Just stop! If it's not going anywhere, I don't want it!" Y/n's chest rose and fell quickly. "I love you. If you don't love me, I don't want to be here." Y/n watched as Charles walked out. She couldn't follow him, she physically couldn't. She instead got herself dressed and looked at herself in the mirror. She missed Charles and it had only been a matter of minutes since he left. She didn't know whether she liked him or not. She hadn't been seeing anyone other than him for a while now. She stopped going on dates with other guys, she removed them all too. The only guy she had on her phone that wasn't family or work related was Charles and looking at her call log, they called every single day.

She wasn't ashamed of him. If anything, she wanted to let everyone know that she was the one who stole the heart of Charles Leclerc. The only problem was her team had built up this image of her being a girl who doesn't need a man. Where they against her dating? No. Where they against her being in a relationship with racing drivers? For some obscure reason, yes.

----------

Charles sat at the breakfast table in the Ferrari hospitality, his spoon clinking against the ceramic bowl as he absentmindedly stirred his cereal. His brows were furrowed, and a frown tugged at the corners of his lips, clearly preoccupied with something that was bothering him. As he contemplated his thoughts, he didn't notice the soft footsteps approaching him until a familiar figure slid into the chair opposite him. Y/n, his secret fling, sat down with a tentative smile, but her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness.

"Morning." She murmured, her voice gentle yet tinged with regret. Charles glanced up, his expression softening slightly at the sight of her. "What are you doing here?" He asked, though his tone held no hostility, only genuine curiosity. Y/n hesitated for a moment before speaking, her gaze flickering down to her hands clasped together on the table. "I... I wanted to apologize." She admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "For last night. And every other night in all honesty. You were right, and I shouldn't have acted so ashamed of you." His eyebrows rose in surprise, curiosity piqued. "Ashamed?" Charles chuckled as if she'd just told him a joke, his mind replaying the events of their argument from the night before.

Y/n nodded, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I was afraid of what people might think if they found out about us." She confessed, her words coming out in a rush. "But that's not fair to you, Charles. You deserve better than that." There was a moment of silence as Charles processed her words, his mind whirling with conflicting emotions. He had been hurt by her reaction, but now seeing her vulnerability laid bare before him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. "I understand." He finally replied, his voice soft as he reached across the table to gently squeeze her hand. "Youre trying to be your own driver and you don't need me linked to you you make a name for yourself. All I'm saying is you don't need to be ashamed of us. I care about you, Y/n. And I'm not afraid to admit it."

Y/n's eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat at his confession. "You still do?" She whispered, a mixture of disbelief and hope coloring her tone. Charles nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Yes." He affirmed, his gaze unwavering as he locked eyes with her. "I still do." A sense of relief washed over Y/n as she felt the weight of their unspoken feelings finally lifted from her shoulders. With a shy smile, she leaned forward, her hand reaching out to cup his cheek tenderly. "I care about you too, Charles." She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "More than you'll ever know." The couple stared at eachother for a while before Y/n sighed. "I can't. It's been too long since I last kissed you." She said, before leaning over the table and planting a gentle kiss onto Charles' lips. "I think everyone is looking." Charles whispered, slightly surprised by her actions. "Then they can look. I just want everyone to know how much I love you."

[zeciex]

I'm taking a step back from writing.

I'm really sorry to those who have been excited for this new season--for the pregnancy reveal, for the rebuilding of Daenera/Aemond's relationship, for the smut, for dad!Aemond, for everything.

But I've recieved quite a few comments on AO3 accusing me of using AI in my writing. There was a reddit thread about it, and while it was vague, it was very, very obviously about A Vow of Blood. (They mentioned the length of the fic being almost 1 million words, and my posting schedule.)

And so, I write this to defend myself.

October 2, 2022, episode 7 of HOTD came out and I was immediately drawn by Aemond's character. I watched it when I was on home leave from the ship I was working on. I spent the next 4 weeks plotting the story and coming up with what I wanted to write when I got home. In those 2 weeks I was home again, I wrote and wrote, and then I went out for 4 weeks again.

My work contract ended in January 2023, and from then on, I wrote every single day. I wrote 130 or so pages before even figuring out HOW to write Daenera as a character and after the 130 pages, I decided to scrap most of it and start over.

I had nothing else to do and this was my hyperfixation. I wasn't sure if it was going to last so I kept the first 40+ chapters to myself as I wrote until the 21st of April 2023 where I posted the first chapter.

I then decided I could post twice a week for the simple reason that I had 40+ chapters locked and loaded. And before posting, I went through it, plotted it into my audio program so it read my writing aloud to me to listen for mistakes.

And in the meantime while posting, I of course wrote new chapters. Then, when the chapters finally ran out, the schedule changed to once every two weeks. I did everything I could to keep it--literally putting my life on hold just to ensure that I could post a new chapter every Friday.

This was my hobby, this was my hyperfixation (literally, I'm autistic), this was what I spent my time doing as I recovered from burnout due to grueling work as a sailor. I stressed about it. I had breakdowns over having to skip a Friday because I hadn't been able to write anything for a week.

The reason the story is as long as it is, is because I spent literal hours every day writing. Most days I can reach somewhere between 1500-2500k words. If I'm lucky, I can write more.

I am very aware that my writing is very, VERY detailed--too detailed, even. It's a flaw of mine. I want to set the scene, I want to get all the details that I have in my brain and I want you to see it. Is it too much? Yes. I'm also awfully aware of my progression as a writer, how earlier chapters are written and how the newest ones are written. I'm aware of how I've changed some of the style/started using way tooo many em-dashes, recklessly and hubris-ly (not a word, I'm aware). I know I throw them around. I know I could properly use the good ol' comma, but I like them.

As to the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, I can say with 100% confidence that it's not some grand scheme that I've thought out to avoid AI detection--I literally didn't catch the mistake when I went through the chapter. I re-read one of my chapters yesterday and found a spelling mistake that I immediately corrected.

I've used grammarly for spell checking/grammar mistakes since English isn't my first language and Danish has a different structure that I often times keep through my English writing. That is the extent of it.

So, here I am, writing this. And I am beyond devastated--to the point of it making me physically ill. I have not used AI in the creation of A Vow of Blood. I have not used AI for plot-points. I have not used AI for character creations. I have not used AI for analyzes. I have not used AI for prompts. I have not used AI to write any chapters for me. I have not used AI in the development of this story.

I have used these sites for this story; Thesaurus ASOIAF Wiki Travel distances in ASOIAF This map A search of ice and fire This for badly translated High Valyrian This from the maker of High Valyrian

And I have used google and various of wiki pages on plants, poisons and whatever else I might need.

Here's some of the few pictures I've taken of my setup throughout those years:

I have like... way too many notebooks for my own good with frivolous details, character sheets, quickly scribbled quotes and inspiration for the story. I didn't expect that I should have taken more pictures.

As I stated previously, this has pulled the rug out from under me. I thought I'd be happily writing until the new season comes out and beyond that. I hoped to finish S2 of the story by the time S3 would come around--though I am terrible at planning this because the story has a habit of taking a life on its own, so it was not likely lol. But this... I don't want to feel anxious about posting a new chapter. I have this pit in my stomach at the thought of even writing now. The one thing that has sustained me through this, the reason I'm still at it, is the lovely commenters. I am beyond grateful for the friends I've made, and I really do hope I'll find my way back to writing. I hope I can finish this story. But the thought of posting at the moment is just.... it brings me so much dread.

I'm going on a hiatus, I'm taking some time for myself. Maybe now I can finally finish my room.

[mariacallous]

On Saturday, an Associated Press investigation revealed that OpenAI's Whisper transcription tool creates fabricated text in medical and business settings despite warnings against such use. The AP interviewed more than 12 software engineers, developers, and researchers who found the model regularly invents text that speakers never said, a phenomenon often called a “confabulation” or “hallucination” in the AI field.

Upon its release in 2022, OpenAI claimed that Whisper approached “human level robustness” in audio transcription accuracy. However, a University of Michigan researcher told the AP that Whisper created false text in 80 percent of public meeting transcripts examined. Another developer, unnamed in the AP report, claimed to have found invented content in almost all of his 26,000 test transcriptions.

The fabrications pose particular risks in health care settings. Despite OpenAI’s warnings against using Whisper for “high-risk domains,” over 30,000 medical workers now use Whisper-based tools to transcribe patient visits, according to the AP report. The Mankato Clinic in Minnesota and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are among 40 health systems using a Whisper-powered AI copilot service from medical tech company Nabla that is fine-tuned on medical terminology.

Nabla acknowledges that Whisper can confabulate, but it also reportedly erases original audio recordings “for data safety reasons.” This could cause additional issues, since doctors cannot verify accuracy against the source material. And deaf patients may be highly impacted by mistaken transcripts since they would have no way to know if medical transcript audio is accurate or not.

The potential problems with Whisper extend beyond health care. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Virginia studied thousands of audio samples and found Whisper adding nonexistent violent content and racial commentary to neutral speech. They found that 1 percent of samples included “entire hallucinated phrases or sentences which did not exist in any form in the underlying audio” and that 38 percent of those included “explicit harms such as perpetuating violence, making up inaccurate associations, or implying false authority.”

In one case from the study cited by AP, when a speaker described “two other girls and one lady,” Whisper added fictional text specifying that they “were Black.” In another, the audio said, “He, the boy, was going to, I’m not sure exactly, take the umbrella.” Whisper transcribed it to, “He took a big piece of a cross, a teeny, small piece … I’m sure he didn’t have a terror knife so he killed a number of people.”

An OpenAI spokesperson told the AP that the company appreciates the researchers’ findings and that it actively studies how to reduce fabrications and incorporates feedback in updates to the model.

Why Whisper Confabulates

The key to Whisper’s unsuitability in high-risk domains comes from its propensity to sometimes confabulate, or plausibly make up, inaccurate outputs. The AP report says, "Researchers aren’t certain why Whisper and similar tools hallucinate," but that isn't true. We know exactly why Transformer-based AI models like Whisper behave this way.

Whisper is based on technology that is designed to predict the next most likely token (chunk of data) that should appear after a sequence of tokens provided by a user. In the case of ChatGPT, the input tokens come in the form of a text prompt. In the case of Whisper, the input is tokenized audio data.

The transcription output from Whisper is a prediction of what is most likely, not what is most accurate. Accuracy in Transformer-based outputs is typically proportional to the presence of relevant accurate data in the training dataset, but it is never guaranteed. If there is ever a case where there isn't enough contextual information in its neural network for Whisper to make an accurate prediction about how to transcribe a particular segment of audio, the model will fall back on what it “knows” about the relationships between sounds and words it has learned from its training data.

According to OpenAI in 2022, Whisper learned those statistical relationships from “680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask supervised data collected from the web.” But we now know a little more about the source. Given Whisper's well-known tendency to produce certain outputs like "thank you for watching," "like and subscribe," or "drop a comment in the section below" when provided silent or garbled inputs, it's likely that OpenAI trained Whisper on thousands of hours of captioned audio scraped from YouTube videos. (The researchers needed audio paired with existing captions to train the model.)

There's also a phenomenon called “overfitting” in AI models where information (in this case, text found in audio transcriptions) encountered more frequently in the training data is more likely to be reproduced in an output. In cases where Whisper encounters poor-quality audio in medical notes, the AI model will produce what its neural network predicts is the most likely output, even if it is incorrect. And the most likely output for any given YouTube video, since so many people say it, is “thanks for watching.”

In other cases, Whisper seems to draw on the context of the conversation to fill in what should come next, which can lead to problems because its training data could include racist commentary or inaccurate medical information. For example, if many examples of training data featured speakers saying the phrase “crimes by Black criminals,” when Whisper encounters a “crimes by [garbled audio] criminals” audio sample, it will be more likely to fill in the transcription with “Black."

In the original Whisper model card, OpenAI researchers wrote about this very phenomenon: "Because the models are trained in a weakly supervised manner using large-scale noisy data, the predictions may include texts that are not actually spoken in the audio input (i.e. hallucination). We hypothesize that this happens because, given their general knowledge of language, the models combine trying to predict the next word in audio with trying to transcribe the audio itself."

So in that sense, Whisper "knows" something about the content of what is being said and keeps track of the context of the conversation, which can lead to issues like the one where Whisper identified two women as being Black even though that information was not contained in the original audio. Theoretically, this erroneous scenario could be reduced by using a second AI model trained to pick out areas of confusing audio where the Whisper model is likely to confabulate and flag the transcript in that location, so a human could manually check those instances for accuracy later.

Clearly, OpenAI's advice not to use Whisper in high-risk domains, such as critical medical records, was a good one. But health care companies are constantly driven by a need to decrease costs by using seemingly "good enough" AI tools—as we've seen with Epic Systems using GPT-4 for medical records and UnitedHealth using a flawed AI model for insurance decisions. It's entirely possible that people are already suffering negative outcomes due to AI mistakes, and fixing them will likely involve some sort of regulation and certification of AI tools used in the medical field.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Andrew Joseph Pegoda, Ph.D.

Unlike its SARS-CoV-1 predecessor a decade prior, SARS-CoV-2—frequently called COVID-19 to lessen alarm—has been an on-going, global crisis starting soon after its emergence in December 2019. The tenth wave of this Level 3 biohazard is starting and the injustices continue.

Official global deaths reported by governments total 7 million. Data scientists, demographers, and economists closely eyeing excess deaths have staggering estimates of actual COVID-19 loses: 20 million by the end of 2021, 30 million by the end of 2023, and currently almost 40 million.

Deaths from this novel, highly contagious virus are sometimes unavoidable. Yet, the vast majority of these seldom-acknowledged deaths are stupid deaths, stupid deaths because they were preventable deaths.

Death tolls from COVID-19 in the United States specifically would be lower had the CDC not given into pressure from Delta Air Lines in 2021 to decrease isolation periods. Death tolls would be lower if states en masse had not rushed to abandon mask requirements in 2021 and 2022. Death tolls would be lower if Hollywood’s stories meaningfully acknowledged COVID-19. Death tolls would be lower if the public narrative had been other than “vax and relax.” Death tolls would be lower if schools and businesses devoted meaningful efforts to improving and monitoring air filtration, especially in elevators. And the recent “back to the office” push will only increase deaths.

Beyond death tolls, I am concerned about what I am naming “stupid (re)infections.”

The typical person in the United States is being reinfected yearly, and the average person has now been infected with COVID-19 more than 3.5 times. And between 20% and 50% of infections are asymptomatic (during the acute phase!).

Repeated infections are unnecessary and avoidable, if mandatory masking in public places had remained and been completely normalized (of course, with appropriate exceptions for those with disabilities that prevent wearing a mask). Hospitals should have never dropped masking requirements, certainly not cancer centers. KN95 and N95 masks are highly effective and easy to wear—a practice that could only increase utility with the corresponding decreased sickness and death. People learned to wash their hands with soap; they can learn to wear a mask.

And this leads me to what I am naming “stupid suffering.”

COVID-19 is not the flu or a cold. Every infection substantially affects the body—including possible cognitive decline and impacts on the heart, T cells, the intestines, and the overall immune system—prompting a growing number of researchers to assert that COVID-19 triggers a new illness that parallels AIDS. Impacts further down the road remain unknown. Still, many people antidotally report having at least some lingering symptoms after their initial symptomatic infection. Specifically, Long COVID, which can be debilitating, impacts tens of millions in the United States, including 6 million children, and currently has no cure. Every infection substantially increases the risk of developing Long COVID. And this stupid suffering disproportionally impacts and further weathering minoritized individuals.

Stupid (re)infections. Stupid suffering. Stupid deaths. We must do better and not allow brute luck to dominate while awaiting treatments and better vaccines.

If missions to save lives and protect best interests are sincere, bioethicists have a profound opportunity, even a categorical imperative, to help lead the way toward a COVID-19 safer future and opportunities for reenvisioned justice, for Aristotle’s the good life.

COVID-19 uniquely shows the heteronomous nature of twenty-first-century life and what little weight negative rights hold as people—especially those already disabled like me—are forced into spaces that ignore the threats.

Andrew Joseph Pegoda, Ph.D., M.A., M.A. (@ajp_PhD), is a Lecturer of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Houston and a Bioethics and Health Policy graduate student at Loyola University Chicago.

[political-us]

A group of 12 states is taking legal action against Donald Trump in the U.S. Court of International Trade, aiming to stop his sweeping tariffs. The states argue that he unlawfully raised taxes on Americans and overstepped constitutional limits. The states involved are Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont.

​Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has announced that the state will review and potentially divest from investments in companies linked to El Salvador. This decision comes in response to El Salvador's continued detention of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported without due process, despite a U.S. Supreme Court order for his return.

​Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego García—a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador—was forced into hiding with her children after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) publicly shared a court document revealing their home address. The unredacted protective order, posted on DHS's official social media account, exposed their location to millions, prompting safety concerns amid a politically charged environment.

Trump just announced that the top 220 holders of his $TRUMP meme coin will be invited to a dinner with him on May 22. Since he and his inner circle control the coin, it’s essentially an incentive for people to drive up its value in hopes of scoring a seat at the table.

According to a leaked document, the Trump administration is cutting funding for a suicide prevention hotline that serves LGBTQ+ youth. Since 2022, the hotline has handled 1.3 million calls and texts from individuals in crisis.

Michelle Obama explained her decision to skip Trump’s inauguration by saying she was focused on staying true to herself. She said it took everything she had to resist doing what was expected or seen as the ‘right’ thing, and instead chose what felt right for her personally.

Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly had a loud argument at the White House last week, clashing over the IRS in front of President Trump and other officials.

​Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, has announced he will not seek reelection in 2026, concluding a political career spanning over 40 years. Durbin, 80, first entered Congress in 1982 and has served five Senate terms since succeeding Paul Simon in 1996.

[beardedmrbean]

Karma took the wheel.

The serial Tesla road-rage driver who landed back behind bars for allegedly assaulting a teen driver and her mother in Hawaii last week was found beaten to a bloody pulp in prison.

Nathaniel Radimak, 39, was assaulted by inmates at Halawa Correctional Facility around 4:25 p.m. Monday, the Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told ABC 7.

“Nathaniel Radimak was allegedly assaulted by other inmates in a housing unit at the Halawa Correctional Facility,” public information officer Rosemarie Bernardo said.

The hot-headed driver “sustained injuries to his face and torso” and was taken to the Queen’s Medical Center for treatment.

Radimak was photographed wearing his orange prison jumpsuit in a hospital wheelchair with a badly bruised and bloody face following the alleged assault.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it is investigating the incident.

Radimak’s assault comes after he was arrested May 8 for losing his temper and allegedly becoming violent with another motorist.

Radimak — who has been out on parole since August after he served only 10 months of a five-year prison sentence — was speeding in a gray Tesla in downtown Honolulu when he raced past an 18-year-old driver parking her car on Halekauwila Street on May 7.

The female teen driver yelled at Radimak to “slow down” as he sped by them, prompting him to get out of the vehicle and start arguing with her and her mother.

The girl’s mother, Diane Ung, estimated that Radimak was driving around 40 to 50 miles per hour as she was trying to teach her daughter how to parallel park outside their home.

Ung claimed Radimak struck her and her daughter in the face during the confrontation before he got back in his Tesla and fled.

“Halfway in his car already, and he says, ‘What did you say to me? You better shut your face before, you know, I come and do that the same thing I did to her,’” Ung told KITV.

“Had my coffee in my hand, my ice coffee from McDonald’s, threw it at his car and he came running across the street, struck me like a Superman punch right inside my face. I fell down to the ground. Big gash in my head.”

The road-rager allegedly attacked the mother and daughter while an infant, who was not injured, was inside the teen’s car.

Radimak was charged with unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle and two counts of assault.

Radimak made headlines as the pipe-wielding Tesla driver who terrorized California highways over the years.

In one viral video, Radimak jumped out of his charcoal-colored 2022 Tesla Model X with no license plates, armed with a pipe, and pummeled the truck behind him on Jan. 11, 2023.

Another victim of Radimak’s rage, identified as Gracia, had a run-in with Radimak in November 2022 at a storage facility in Los Angeles when the Tesla-driving maniac began unprovokedly harassing her and followed her in his car after she tried to escape.

Recording the encounter for her safety, Radimak yelled at Garcia to go back to “where you came from” and hurled expletives at her after catching up to her before fleeing.

He was arrested in February 2023 after several dashcams captured him attacking vehicles on highways in Southern California.

He was charged with four counts each of assault by means of force to produce great bodily injury and criminal threats, and one felony count of vandalism.

During his arrest, police found nearly $30,000 worth of steroids in his car.

Radimak was sentenced to five years in prison, but a parole board cut him loose in August.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Radimak had served “his full sentence as defined by law” and was granted 424 days for time served while awaiting sentencing, 212 for actual days in jail, and another 212 days for good behavior.

He’s scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, May 15, to face new felony charges.

[stereopticons]

On This Day in Schitt's Creek: March 17

2018

The Affair [johnny/moira, G, 1,887] by delia_rose

Some dark Moira thoughts in the middle of the night. post ep for The Affair (3x09)

2019

i wanna give you wild love [david/patrick, E, 6,535] by wardo_wedidit

David and Patrick's movie night takes a turn when the power goes out in Schitt's Creek. David's never been a fan of storms, and Patrick tries a couple creative methods to relax him.

Privacy [david/patrick, T, 1,287] by ticklishraspberries

There are a lot of things what David and Patrick can’t do without some privacy

Roleplay [david/patrick, E, 1,004] by Honeybeeontime

A couple of people have written some terrific roleplay stories with David and Patrick. I read duckgirlie's story "extra credit" and wondered what Patrick's fantasy would be. So thanks for the inspiration!

2020

A Schitt's Creek Begorrah [david/patrick, T, 1,023] by Siria

In which David has some very strong opinions about St. Patrick's Day.

all our own [david/patrick, G, 1,325] by deathbysandblk

"Let’s make a pact! If both of us are still single by the time we’re 40, let’s get married!”

i had been lost to you, sunlight [david/patrick, T, 1,309] by @hullomoon

David and Patrick have an afternoon picnic

2021

A Revelation [david/patrick, T, 815] by @rmd-writes

“I was just going to say, that the performance was really something. Unexpected. But a revelation.” David could hear the smile in his voice. “A revelation?!” His voice pitched higher than he was aiming for. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” Or, a conversation after The Number.

fade to grey [david/patrick, T, 925] by @schittyfic

Written for januarium's prompt: Patrick notices the first grey in David's eyebrows.

Fellas, I'm ready to get up and do my thing [david/patrick/jake, E, 5,637] by redwineandqueer

“That’s why we needed to talk, baby,” Patrick says, running his hands up David’s chest and cupping them behind his neck. It’s David’s favourite position for talks like these - he feels held, safe and secure in Patrick’s strong hands. “I want to watch your face while the machine fucks you with my cock.” He takes a deep breath. “And Jake fucks you with his.” **** David and Patrick's (and Jake's) continued adventures with their pet fucking machine.

Georgia [stevie/emir, G, 300] by Rosey_Peach

I Can Feel It But I Can't Let Go [david/patrick, E, 2,065] by floosilver8

The continuing sexploits of Schitt's Creek.You don't need to read the others in the series to follow this one.Mostly canon compliant, Patrick's POV for after S5E6 Rock On! aka The Ken Incident. (Title from Tina Turner's "Two People")

Intoxicated Flying High [david/patrick/stevie, E, 4,687] by floosilver8

The continuing sexploits of Schitt's Creek now post-canon!My hand slipped and another three-way happened. Oops.Patrick's POV. (Title from Mariah Carey's "Emotions")

Making Some Good Memories [david/patrick, T, 819] by @lisamc-21

A texting-only fic where David does something nice for Patrick on St. Patrick's Day.

Maybe Rainbows Do Match Our Aesthetic After All [david/patrick, T, 2,002] by squiqmistress

When David spots some rainbow stickers in Rose Apothecary it spurs a discussion about queer identity. Feelings ensue. CW: A brief mention of internalized homophobia.

One of the Happiest Nights of My Life [david/patrick, E, 1,707] by @flowerfan2

“Did you have something particular in mind?” David asks. Generally speaking, Patrick has found that David is usually up for anything, pun intended, although he tends to want to talk about it more than Patrick does. But tonight, Patrick isn’t going to hesitate to ask for what he wants. “I want to tie you up and blow you.” --or –- Birthday sex

Pressing His Luck [david/patrick, T, 390] by @fortheloveofskz

David getting trolled on St. Patrick's Day with ridiculous memes.

Still into you [david/patrick, G, 1.039] by petrichor_apothecary

David and Patrick celebrate their 15th anniversary.

2022

Patrick vs St. Patrick's Day [david/patrick, T, 1,624] by @wearpersistencewell

Patrick hates St. Patrick's Day because he's tired of sharing a name with the guy. David sees him through another St. Patrick's (ugh) Day.

Wild Rover No More [david/patrick, T, 3,976] by ForceMonument

David's feeling overwhelmed with everything he has to do now that he has the lease for the General Store, so Stevie drags him out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Luck is on David's side.

2023

Language of Love: McGee Green [david/patrick, NR, 6,190] by PandorasDaydream

David learns of Patrick's love for "St. Paddy's Day."

Stride of Pride [david/patrick, T, 1,777] by NotTheLoveGuru

Here's my somewhat brief take on why David was still wearing the same clothes as the night before in Pregnancy Test.

2024

Aristos Achaion [david/patrick, T, 18,077, CW: MCD, Violence] by elifisher96

When David Rose accidentally kills the son of a nobleman, he is exiled to the small kingdom of Phthia to be trained as a squire for Prince Patrick Brewer, son of a goddess and a mortal man. Over the years, the two grow closer, but their love is put to the test on the plains of Troy. A Trojan War/Iliad/Song of Achilles AU. This story does not have a happy ending.

Blue Hydrangeas [david/patrick, G, 336] by @mammameesh

Introspective of Patrick's favorite flower.

Stats:

No fanworks for 2017 2018: 1 fic/1,887 words 2019: 3 fics/8,866 words 2020: 3 fics/3,657 words 2021: 11 fics/20,386 words 2022: 2 fics/5,600 words 2023: 2 fics/7,967 words 2024: 2 fics/18,413 words Total: 24 fics/66,776 words

[thesilliestrovingalive]

Updated: June 28, 2025

Juozapas, Priyanka, Yohanes, Zdravko, and Dezső

POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised due to references to death, human experimentation, eugenics, SA, sexual harassment, transphobia, abandonment, child abuse, and kidnapping.

Juozapas

Real name: Jūratė Balčiūnas

Nickname: Juo and Zapa

Occupation: Peacekeeping troop for the Regular Army and a special forces operative for the Ptolemaic Army (formerly)

Retirement plans: Get the necessary requirements to work in the field of nuclear energy

Abilities: Due to the experiments he has undergone, he's highly resistant to nuclear radiation. His body can also harness and convert nuclear energy into a form of bio-energy. His bloodstream contains modified cells that can process radioactive materials, producing heat. This heat is converted into electrical energy, which is directed to the lungs. There, it's mixed with oxygen, hydrogen, and methane, which are ignited upon exhalation, allowing him to breathe fire.

He possesses limited control over his metabolism, enabling him to flawlessly repair damaged tissues and regulate his body temperature to withstand extreme conditions. Additionally, he can enter a state of heightened metabolism, increasing his speed and agility to that of a cheetah. However, staying in this state for over 10 minutes significantly increases his hunger and fatigue.

Hobbies: Topiary, studying botany and physics during his leisure time, and going on wildflower trips and hot air balloon rides with his friends

Likes: Hope, making flirty attempts with comrades to simply tease them, and the beautiful companionship that people have with dogs

Dislikes: Eugenics, the destructive mishandling of nuclear energy, and being betrayed by those he holds closest and trusts the most

Favourite drink: Starka

Sexuality: Biromantic sapiosexual

Gender: Intersex and trans (identifies as a boy)

Age: 17 (in 2022), 23 (in 2028), 25 (in 2030), 27 (in 2032), 29 (in 2034), 36 (in 2041), 38 (in 2043), 39 (in 2044), and 42 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a 5’ 6” (167.64 cm) Lithuanian ectomorph of Russian and Swedish descent with a weak musculature and double incision top scars. He wears the Ptolemaic Army special forces operatives uniform, but with a distinctive right-side vermilion armband featuring the Regular Army insignia. His gas mask has yellow-tinted lenses, and he wears a flame-coloured belt with a silvery white buckle. He wears a left-side goldenrod drop leg holster, housing his Bersa Thunder 9, and a dark brown bandolier above his belt, stocked with .40 S&W cartridges for his semi-automatic pistol.

He has limestone skin, heterochromatic eyes (his right eye is light blue and his left eye is bronze), and reddish-brown freckles scattered across his face, neck, and hands. His hair, with its voluminous waves, falls above his waist, framing his face with medium-length, middle-parted bangs. He often styles his long platinum blonde hair into four braids.

Character summary: He's generally a passive individual, preferring to relax and take things slowly at his own pace. However, he occasionally becomes aggressive in response to chaotic situations, particularly when events seem to be spiraling out of control. Despite his deep care for everyone and everything, he often gets emotionally burnt out, leading others to misinterpret his exhaustion as apathy. Unlike Souma, he's extremely patient and daydreaming helps him block out the stresses of reality and prevents anger from getting the better of him. Even in the face of extreme difficulty and pessimism, he remains steadfast in his hope for positive change.

However, rare instances can prompt him to lose his composure and lash out, particularly if someone he cares about is being threatened, harmed or made uncomfortable. He has a lighthearted attitude and enjoys engaging in Souma's mischief and Harvie's jokes, often adding a touch of dramatic flair. As a shrewd and loyal opportunist, he's constantly on the lookout for the next great opportunity, seeking to advance his own interests, safeguard his identity and well-being, and protect his comrades. He has zero tolerance for betrayal because it fills him with overwhelming regret and a deep sense of rejection, particularly when perpetrated by someone he considers a loved one. He’s good friends with Harvie, Souma, and Priyanka, and has a cordial relationship with Gyeong-Hui.

Backstory: Jūratė Balčiūnas was born on November 24, 2005 in Visaginas, Lithuania. Her father, Motiejus Balčiūnas, a Lithuanian nuclear physicist, had a passion for ancient studies. Her mother, Synnöve Vinogradova, was a botanical researcher of Swedish and Russian descent. She grew up in a household where careful observation and patience were highly valued, taking precedence over hasty decision-making. Her workaholic parents were overprotective, often isolating her from society. They feared something terrible might happen and, as a result, only allowed her to go outside when one or both of them were available to supervise closely, ensuring her safety and shielding her from potentially corrupting influences. She was homeschooled by her parents, receiving instruction in core subjects like mathematics and writing as well as specialised topics related to their own fields of expertise. Additionally, her parents imparted their unconventional beliefs and values, which included militaristic ideologies.

Her childhood home, situated on the edge of dense Lithuanian pine forests, had a nearby greenhouse and an underground laboratory. Synnöve would study native plants in the surrounding forests. However, Jūratė was forbidden from entering the laboratory as her parents feared she might accidentally harm herself with the dangerous chemicals and scientific tools stored there. However, she was allowed to visit the greenhouse, which was filled with an array of beautiful plants from across Europe. Whenever she ventured outside, she would either play with Dovilas, the family's protective, energetic, and cuddly fawn brindle Estrela Mountain Dog puppy, or spend hours mesmerised by sunlight filtering through leaves. She discovered that the patterns found in nature helped her make sense of life's chaos. The forest became her first teacher, instructing her in the art of slowing down and revealing how growth unfolds imperceptibly yet inevitably.

Once the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant was decommissioned, Motiejus was out of a job as he used to work there. While her father navigated a career change and her mother helped him find reliable work, Jūratė intently watched this period of life transform a challenge into an opportunity. Her father transitioned into renewable energy consulting, while her mother expanded her research to include the rehabilitation of industrial sites through native plantings. When Motiejus' proposed renewable energy projects faced fierce opposition from traditional energy advocates, the family endured intense public scrutiny. However, this caught the attention of the Amadeus Syndicate, which decided to hire Motiejus to work on their nuclear energy tests, an offer he readily accepted.

Once she started menstruating at the age of nine, and a month before her tenth birthday in November, her parents revealed that she was a perfected clone of a woman who had become too politically powerful within the Earth Federation. The original was a female representative of Lithuania, related to the influential Balčiūnas family, known for their accomplishments in science and religious scholarship. The eggs and genetic material of this Lithuanian politician were implanted into Synnöve, making her a surrogate mother. Now that her parents were aware of Jūratė's menstruation, they decided it was nearly time to initiate her into the Ptolemaic Army and provide her with a sense of direction. Previously consumed by existential dread due to feelings of anonymity, she began to harbour a glimmer of hope at the prospect of forging her own unique identity.

At the age of 10, her parents freely handed control of their daughter to the Amadeus Syndicate, granting them access to their underground laboratory. She recalls feeling nauseous and afraid as she lay restrained on an operating table, surrounded by intimidating equipment, sterile surfaces, and harsh fluorescent lighting. Over the next three weeks, she endured painful experimentation, including the injection of unknown chemicals and multiple surgeries. These experiments resulted in altered physiology, which manifested as limited metabolism manipulation, nuclear radiation resistance, and the ability to breathe fire. Physical modifications also occurred, such as a more masculine build, Müllerian agenesis, and a malformed penis with hypospadias. Having reached her breaking point, she utilised her new abilities to escape the Amadeus Syndicate scientists and flee her family's home.

As she attempted to flee into the dense pine forests behind her family's home, she was promptly captured by her parents, who revealed themselves to be members of the believers, an elite cult within the Ptolemaic Army with close ties to Ptolemaios and Anastasia. This traumatic event would become her first betrayal, leaving emotional scars that would last a lifetime. Despite this, she held onto the hope that there were trustworthy individuals in the world, and that she would one day meet people who would remain loyal to her. She was indoctrinated into the Ptolemaic Army at a young age, initially serving as an organ harvester for the cult, and received training to become a special forces operative at 13.

During this time, she was treated as a man despite being born female, which led her to adopt a masculine identity and rename herself Juozapas to signify this life-changing milestone. However, he faced harassment and mistreatment from his comrades, who made lewd comments and engaged in unwanted physical contact, but he firmly stood up for himself and asserted her boundaries. Once he turned 16, he was reunited with Dovilas during a private visit from his father, who had undergone a significant transformation at the hands of his parents and the Amadeus Syndicate. Dovilas now resembled General Morden's wolf pet, Enobarbus, but retained his original build and fur coat. However, his transformation had also granted him prominent, fleshy fangs capable of delivering a venomous bite and a diminished need for eating and digestion. He can also breathe a ray of misty snow and freezing icicles that explode upon impact, encasing people in blocks of hard ice.

After a masked soldier attempted to sexually assault him, who had asked to borrow organs for a mission, Dovilas intervened and killed the assailant, prompting Juozapas to conclude that positive change was necessary. He joined Eri's short-lived revolt, which, although unsuccessful, he views as a partial success. The revolt reunited many individuals dissatisfied with the Ptolemaic Army, allowing them to fight together in solidarity. After the revolt, he decided to visit Nida, where he met a middle-aged red-haired, grey-eyed fisherman around his age. The fisherman, named Vaclovas, complimented how beautiful Dovilas looks, and they struck up a conversation about their future aspirations. Vaclovas even taught Juozapas how to fish, offering him encouraging words and wise advice on resilience and overcoming emotional turmoil. He was kind enough to offer Juozapas a place to stay in his home, and as a result, they became good roommates with a strong father-son bond.

Priyanka

Real name: Priyabrata Bhaumik

Nickname: Priya

Occupation: Peacekeeping troop and combat medic for the Regular Army and Hover Vehicle pilot and a special forces operative for the Ptolemaic Army (formerly)

Retirement plans: To become a horticulturist

Hobbies: Collecting Asian and Western cultural memorabilia that capture her attention, watching bad Bollywood movies after a stressful day, and feeding stray cats

Likes: Respecting the wildlife, the core teachings of Krishna, and the fulfillment she feels from assisting sick and injured animals and people

Dislikes: Street violence, poorly made tea, and experiencing physical and sexual abuse due to her gender identity

Favourite food: Falooda and kala bhuna

Favourite drink: Sugarcane juice

Sexuality: Questioning

Gender: Trans (identifies as a girl)

Age: 13 (in 2022), 19 (in 2028), 21 (in 2030), 23 (in 2032), 25 (in 2034), 32 (in 2041), 34 (in 2043), 35 (in 2044), and 38 (in 2047)

Design: She’s a 5’ 4” (162.56 cm) Bengali mesomorph with a lean yet athletic build and saline breast implants that give her a petite bust. She wears the Ptolemaic Army special forces operatives uniform, but with a distinctive left-side robin egg blue armband featuring the Regular Army insignia. Her gas mask has blue-tinted lenses, and she wears a pair of sapphire-hued combat boots with cerulean laces. She has two dark grey bandoliers slung over both shoulders, forming an X-shape, with the left one holding chili grenades and the right one containing Stielhandgranate.

She has bronze-hued skin, amber eyes, and a Gaudiya Vaishnava Urdhva Pundra, which is located in the centre of her forehead. She has shoulder-length chocolate brown hair with subtle curls, which she often ties into a braid. She has creamy white vulgaris vitiligo and a slash scar that runs from the centre of her right cheek to just below her deltoid.

She’s in possession of a Hover Vehicle, and carries around tea-making equipment, glass vials of various tea plants she collected, and first aid and surgical tools in her load-bearing backpack.

Character summary: She has a profound affection for people, feeling a deep connection with everyone. She enjoys people-watching, learning about others, striking up conversations, and listening to their unique life stories. She wants to be friends with every animal in the world, which occasionally gets her hurt and causes unnecessary problems for her and her comrades. She's incredibly confident and self-assured yet humble enough to avoid coming across as overconfident or arrogant. However, when it comes to proudly embracing her gender identity, she fears rejection and worries that she won't be validated as a woman. She can be quite crass, abrasive, and playfully teasing, especially when interacting with new allies or experienced individuals she's never met.

With a good sense of humour, she often cracks jokes to diffuse tense situations, although this doesn't always come at the most opportune moments. She's fiercely loyal to Eri and her comrades, never questioning their orders or plans. She’s a fairly intelligent, cautious, friendly, and kind optimist who harbours a secret envy towards Thandolwethu’s height and physique. She avoids dwelling on devastation for too long as she doesn't want to waste precious time reminiscing about what could have been, potentially harbouring grudges. She’s good friends with Harvie, Souma, and Juozapas, and is particularly close with Yohanes.

Backstory: Priyabrata Bhaumik was born on March 3, 2009 in Kurseong, West Bengal, India. His mother is a wildlife veterinarian, while his stepfather manages a tea plantation. His biological father passed away a month before his birth due to health complications from primary pulmonary hypertension. Following Hindu funeral rites, his ashes were scattered in the Ganges River, as he had requested. Although his biological father had humble beginnings as a poor labourer, his mother and stepfather knew he was a conscientious man. They believed he was destined for reincarnation into the Vaishya caste due to his hard work accumulating wealth and successfully establishing a tea plantation in Kurseong. His family are dedicated followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a sect of Hinduism and a branch of Vaishnavism that worships Krishna as the supreme being and the source of all avataric incarnations of God. To signify his adherence to his faith, he received his Urdhva Pundra at the age of three, made from the mud of Vrindavan.

His childhood home, situated near his biological father's tea estate, stood at the crossroads of various bustling markets and the edges of the Himalayan foothills. From his bedroom window, he was able to watch the steady stream of traders, tourists, and locals navigating the narrow streets, while occasionally spotting a leopard slinking through the tea gardens at dusk. Priyabrata would come up with silly stories about the lives of these strangers, letting his imagination run wild as he intently observed them. Beyond people-watching, his daily routine consisted of household chores to keep everything tidy and making time for daily worship of Krishna. He also assisted his stepfather in tending to the tea gardens, cultivating an assortment of tea plants, including pineapple sage, orange mint, and holy basil.

At the age of 8, his half-aunt and uncle from Tamil Nadu were visiting, and he spent the day playing with his two younger cousins near the Himalayan foothills. After a round of choa chui and a game of marbles, Priyabrata heard a high-pitched mewing sound nearby. Investigating the noise, he came across a mountain goat kid with an injured leg that had wandered near his family's tea garden. Despite the mother's aggressive attempts to protect it, he calmly approached the kid. Speaking softly to the adult goat, he treated the kid's wound using his mother's first-aid kit, while his two younger cousins watched in awe. The incident soon became a local legend, and the tea plantation workers came to recognise him as fearless.

At 11, he became disillusioned with his male identity, having always struggled to fit in with the male crowd and feeling more comfortable and accepted by his female peers. In private, he began exploring gender-nonconforming behaviours and attitudes, such as trying on his mother's clothing, as a means of discovering what felt most authentic to him. Ultimately, he came to realise that he wished to be validated as a girl and break free from the constraints of boyhood. Two months before his 12th birthday, he bravely came out to his parents after dinner. However, they reacted poorly to the revelation, promptly disowning him and kicking him out of the house. They refused to accept a son who didn't conform to traditional masculine norms, citing his perceived effeminacy and cowardice as a stark contrast to the fearlessness that had become legendary. Devastated by his family's rejection, he nonetheless tried not to dwell on the pain for too long.

After renaming himself Priyanka and embracing his female identity with matching pronouns, he was forced to rely on street economies to survive. She found support among food vendors willing to give her work, but also resorted to temporary sex work and petty theft. Through careful observation, she gained valuable street knowledge and insight into the struggles of sex workers. One day, she encountered a man injured in a street fight, unaware of his connection to the Ptolemaic Army. Her compassionate nature led her to help him, and utilising her first aid skills, she tended to his wounds while sharing stories about her life and listening intently as the man recounted the events that led to the fight.

The man, grateful for her kindness, recognised that her life on the streets was precarious and unlikely to be sustainable. He offered her a way out, promising safety, acceptance, and eternal life, and took her to a Ptolemaic Army base located beyond the Himalayan foothills. During her time with the Ptolemaic Army, Priyanka was indoctrinated into their militaristic and cruel ideologies. She underwent specialised training as a special forces operative and developed expertise as a skilled Hover Vehicle pilot. Over time, Priyanka utilised her medical skills to become an invaluable asset to her comrades, functioning as a combat medic who performed complex tasks such as surgical removal of bullets. She would also brew cups of tea for her patients whenever she had access to the necessary equipment and could forage for the right plants.

She faced mistreatment from a small handful of comrades due to her gender identity, ranging from transphobic comments to violent physical beatings. When the abuse became more severe and sexual in nature, she decided to join Eri's revolt after learning about it from Yohanes, a trusted friend and former patient. Following the rebellion, she joined the Regular Army and dedicated her medical expertise to caring for wounded soldiers and special forces operatives. She also began exploring horticulture and formed meaningful friendships with accepting comrades who valued her for who she was.

Yohanes

Real name: Yohanes Hasyim

Occupation: Peacekeeping troop for the Regular Army and a sniper and special forces operative for the Ptolemaic Army (formerly)

Retirement plans: To become a knife sharpener and own a chili pepper and onion farm

Hobbies: Polishing his throwing knives outdoors on sunny days, watching girly and messed up films and TV shows, and growing his food

Likes: The architecture of Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques, knowing about the latest drama, and waterfall tours

Dislikes: The sensation of being constantly observed, people stripping away his autonomy, and broken blades

Favourite food: Goat meat gulai and durian ice cream

Favourite drink: Grapefruit sparkling water

Sexuality: Bicurious heterosexual

Gender: Male

Age: 20 (in 2022), 26 (in 2028), 28 (in 2030), 30 (in 2032), 32 (in 2034), 39 (in 2041), 41 (in 2043), 42 (in 2044), and 45 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a 5’ 7” (170.18 cm) Indonesian endomorph of Arabic and Balinese descent with a chiselled musculature and a partially noticeable roundness to his abdomen. He wears the Ptolemaic Army special forces operatives uniform, but with a distinctive right-side heliotrope grey armband featuring the Regular Army insignia. His gas mask has rosy-tinted lenses, he carries a bolt-action scoped rifle slung over his left shoulder, and he wears a pair of spike-soled palatinate paratrooper boots. He wears a greyish-green bandolier slung over his right shoulder, holding razor-sharp throwing knives.

He has porcelain skin, sparkling leaf-green eyes, a horizontal scar just above the centre of his left outer thigh, and subtly wavy mocha brown hair styled in a medium-length shaggy crop.

Character summary: He's not one for drama himself, but he has a guilty pleasure in watching the dramatic unfoldings of those around him. He's easily forgiving and readily offers second chances, believing in the potential for redemption in everyone. However, there are certain individuals he makes an exception for, such as Doctor Amadeus, firmly believing they don't deserve forgiveness and should be painfully eliminated. He's willing to bend the truth when it's convenient, but only does so to spare someone's feelings or navigate a difficult situation. He remains eerily calm under stress and ensures those around him stay composed and relaxed, even in the most intense situations.

Although he values his autonomy, he occasionally struggles with decision-making and often relies on others for suggestions to ensure he makes the best choice. He's a dependable and humbled individual with a somewhat complacent nature, accompanied by a sarcastic sense of humour. He's a profound nature lover who's driven to attain enlightenment and live a good, meaningful life. He treats everyone and everything with utmost respect, but he struggles to extend the same compassion and respect to himself. He’s good friends with Mikuláš and Thandolwethu, and is particularly close with Priyanka and Harvie.

Backstory: Yohanes Hasyim was born on July 22, 2002 in Sembalun, East Lombok, Indonesia. His Arabic-Indonesian father was a chili pepper and onion farmer, while his mother, a Balinese immigrant, worked in Lombok's electricity and gas industry. On his father's side, he had a small number of Sasak and Arabic relatives, and on his mother's side, many Balinese Hindu family members. His father practiced a blend of Buddhism and Islam, while his mother was Hindu, influences that would shape Yohanes' own spiritual beliefs. Raised with love and encouragement, he developed a deep respect for nature and a strong sense of self and reverence for others and the divine. As a child, he often assisted his father in harvesting and preparing the chili peppers and onions to be sold on the market.

While being babysat by his Balinese aunt, who was visiting her sister, his parents were busy transporting chili peppers, onions, and gas tanks. Tragically, they died in a car accident when the road, poorly repaired, collapsed under the weight of their truck and a passing semi-truck carrying heavy logs. The news left 7-year-old Yohanes utterly devastated, almost too much for his young mind to comprehend. His relatives quickly had to figure out who would care for him. As no other relative volunteered, leaving Yohanes feeling unwanted by both sides of his family, his paternal grandmother, Nirmala, took him in.

He struggled with decision-making and relied heavily on others for suggestions due to his upbringing by Nirmala. Whenever he made a decision that didn't align with her expectations, he faced physical and verbal abuse, forcing him to conform to her will. This cycle left him feeling powerless and incapable of making his own decisions. To avoid conflict and potential abuse, Yohanes would often seek his narcissistic grandmother's approval before taking action. If she agreed, she would closely supervise him to ensure compliance with her expectations. If she disagreed, he would abandon his plans to avoid angering her.

At 13, while walking to school, he suddenly collapsed from excruciating pain. His grandmother had brutally beaten him for watching the 2012 TV show Cherrybelle: Chibi Chibi Burger, which she disapproved of. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a secluded, privately-owned bungalow on the outskirts of his village. A woman dressed as a Christian nun tended to his wounds, nursing him back from the brink of death. After feeding him brunch, as he had missed breakfast, she introduced herself as Sister Lucy. With compassion and interest, she listened intently as Yohanes shared his life story, prompted by her gentle inquiry about the events leading up to his collapse.

After he finished explaining everything, Sister Lucy manipulated him into accompanying her, leading him deep into the Indonesian jungle. This marked the beginning of his involvement with the Ptolemaic Army, who would indoctrinate him into their militaristic and twisted ideology. Despite his training as a special forces operative, they exploited his indecisiveness and taught him the fundamentals of sniper work, allowing them greater control over his actions.

Not much is known about his time in the Ptolemaic Army, but he often describes it as heavily oppressive due to constant monitoring and isolation. As a sniper, he worked independently with little involvement in special forces operations. Despite this, he developed expertise in handling and polishing throwing knives as well as performing routine maintenance on his rifle. The isolation eventually took its toll, and he grew tired of being unable to make his own choices. Seeking change, he ultimately joined Eri's rebellion. During the revolt, he received his scar when a special forces operative attempted to ambush him. Fortunately, Priyanka intervened, saving his life by slitting the enemy's throat.

Zdravko

Real name: Zdravko Trajkovski

Nickname: Dravki

Occupation: Peacekeeping troop for the Regular Army and MH-6J Masknell Ver. P.M. pilot and special forces operative for the Ptolemaic Army (formerly)

Retirement plans: To spend the rest of his life with Mikuláš and become a freelance medical illustrator

Hobbies: Frequenting medical museums and art galleries with his friends and romantic partner, drawing anatomical diagrams and surrealistic imagery, and collecting filigree jewellery

Likes: The Nerodime River, bowling competitions with friends, and receiving affectionate kisses from Mikuláš

Dislikes: The idea of losing his loved ones without knowing their cause of death, people viewing art as a financial object, and social discrimination

Favourite food: Moussaka

Favourite drink: Rakı and gin

Sexuality: Sex-favourable gay

Gender: Male

Age: 23 (in 2022), 29 (in 2028), 31 (in 2030), 33 (in 2032), 35 (in 2034), 42 (in 2041), 44 (in 2043), 45 (in 2044), and 48 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a powerfully built, slope-shouldered 6’ 4” (193.04 cm) Macedonian mesomorph of American and Turkish descent who wears the Ptolemaic Army special forces operatives uniform, but with a distinctive right-side amaranth armband featuring the Regular Army insignia. His gas mask has purple-tinted lenses, and he wears a cerise belt with a golden snap-on buckle.

He has umber skin, dull teal eyes, and slicked-back brownish-black hair with neatly trimmed sideburns and a soul patch goatee. His face is asymmetric due to hemifacial microsomia, which has caused deformity on the right side.

He’s in possession of an MH-6J Masknell Ver. P.M., and carries an electric violet sketchbook and a metallic pink case full of various sketching pencils and a kneaded eraser in his load-bearing backpack.

Character summary: He's a very responsible and enduring individual, taking care of tasks promptly and rarely taking breaks until they're complete. As a logical and analytical person, he’s intellectually focused, constantly pondering various subjects from complex concepts to life's simple pleasures. However, despite his intellectual confidence, he often feels awkward and insecure in social interactions. He’s a reserved individual who firmly stands up for what is right and places great emphasis on politeness and good manners. He has little patience for rudeness and the abuse of creativity, often speaking up to correct others.

He's artistically inclined and passionate about the world of art. He encourages others with artistic talent to experiment, appreciate the meaningful value of creation, and embrace failure as a natural part of the creative process. He's a self-disciplined person who strongly condemns political and militant corruption as well as ineffective leadership. He’s deeply emotionally invested in Mikuláš and highly values their time together, willing to go to great lengths to ensure his happiness. He’s good friends with Amilcare, particularly close to Thandolwethu, and in a romantic relationship with Mikuláš.

Backstory: Zdravko Trajkovski was born on April 30, 1999 in Ferizaj, Kosovo. His Macedonian father was a former thief turned worker at a sunflower oil manufacturing company, and his Turkish-American mother was a U.S. Army Colonel stationed at Camp Bondsteel. He had a baby sister named Bisera, whom he often babysat when his parents were at work and he wasn't in school. Although neither of his parents had artistic skill, Zdravko developed a fascination with art after visiting his first museum during a family vacation in Connecticut, specifically the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, when he was 7. His parents encouraged his interest, which evolved into a love for biology art, abstract art, and particularly surrealism. His father shared street wisdom with him, hoping he wouldn't follow in his footsteps and pursue a life of crime. Meanwhile, his mother shared stories about her military career, along with some of her distrust of the U.S. government.

He deeply cherished his family and was fiercely protective of Bisera, enjoying quality time with her whenever possible. Despite facing bullying due to a facial deformity, he never dwelled on the negative opinions. Instead, he drew strength from his parents' unconditional love and acceptance. As he grew older, he became assertive enough to stand up for himself, politely but firmly shutting down those who tried to mock him. If that didn't work, his mother would intervene, speaking sensibly to his bullies and, if necessary, informing their parents about the situation.

He rarely speaks about his life before joining the Ptolemaic Army, but has shared a few details with a select few. Before his mother could retire from the U.S. Army, she, his father, and Bisera would be murdered under mysterious circumstances inside their home. He was at a sleepover at his best friend Klajdi's house at the time. Once he was driven back home and discovered the tragic news from the police and investigators at the scene, Klajdi's parents decided to take him in, feeling uneasy about leaving behind an orphaned child. Klajdi became like a brother to Zdravko, and his adopted parents treated him like a cherished member of the family. During this time, he struggled to find love, often facing exploitation or fleeting romantic encounters that went nowhere. Additionally, he discovered the plight of the Albanian people in North Macedonia, where social segregation and mistrust persisted.

At 18, he walked home from the local convenience store, taking a shortcut to avoid being late for his friend's birthday party. However, his journey was brutally interrupted when an unknown assailant knocked him out cold and stuffed him into the trunk of a vehicle. Two hours later, he regained consciousness in a dingy basement, tied to a chair with rope and surrounded by intimidating figures wearing gas masks. That day marked the beginning of Zdravko’s indoctrination into the Ptolemaic Army as he faced psychological manipulation that exploited his emotional vulnerabilities stemming from the loss of his family and struggles with love. He underwent rigorous training as a special forces operative and learned to pilot the MH-6J Masknell Ver. P.M. As he progressed, he was steadily indoctrinated into the Ptolemaic Army's militaristic and close-minded ideology.

He endured verbal abuse from some comrades due to his facial deformity, prompting him to wear his gas mask at all times, removing it only when absolutely necessary. On one occasion, he suffered severe injuries after standing up to a group of masked soldiers who mocked his appearance and bullied the few friends he had managed to befriend. They spared his life, recognising his potential as a loyal servant to the Avatar of Evil. To cope with the pain of bullying, abuse, and indoctrination, Zdravko turned to smuggled gin and Rakı. He also used alcohol as a means to ignore the heinous actions he was forced to commit as the moral weight became too much to bear.

Upon discovering his artistic talent, the cult coerced him into creating art pieces, providing a fleeting distraction from his misery. However, upon completion, the cult would seize his work and sell it on the black market for exorbitant sums. As he was nearing his breaking point, Zdravko was approached by Mikuláš, who was seeking companionship for comfort after a near-fatal encounter with a masked soldier. After striking up a conversation and sharing a bottle of Rakı, he found himself drawn to Mikuláš' kindness and empathy, feelings that both thrilled and intimidated him. As their connection deepened, they formed a strong bond, eventually expressing their feelings and deciding to start dating.

He joined Eri's rebellion alongside Mikuláš, driven by similar motivations and a deep-seated frustration at being treated as a freak of nature. A small group of friends he had formed during his time in the Ptolemaic Army joined him, but tragically died at the hands of the Phantom Strike and masked soldiers during Eri's short-lived revolt. In the aftermath, he attended rehab with Thandolwethu, a move that aided in his recovery and reduced his reliance on alcohol. He also reunited with Klajdi and his adopted parents, who had feared the worst and were overjoyed to see him alive and well.

Dezső

Real name: Dezső Sárközi

Occupation: Peacekeeping troop and technologist for the Regular Army and Ptolemaic Saucer pilot and masked soldier for the Ptolemaic Army (formerly)

Retirement plans: He's unsure about his post-military plans because he's searching for a sense of purpose in life

Abilities: During his time as a masked soldier, he received magical training, granting him mastery over the arcane disciplines of abjuration, earthly divination, theurgism, dream walking, glamouring, and nominative manipulation.

As a former member of the Ptolemaic Army cult, he was required to form a pact with the Avatar of Evil, granting him a unique ability infused with a hint of psionic energy, a trait shared by all masked soldiers who have undergone this ritual. In a gesture of dignified respect, his left arm was amputated, but it rapidly regenerated into a new limb. This replacement arm is covered in spiky, waterproof fur that features a marbled pattern of purplish-black and green-grey. Notably, his hand boasts saffron-yellow digital and metacarpal pads, while his slender fingers culminate in slightly curved turquoise claws.

In the middle of his forearm are three concentric rows of ten 1 cm holes from which he can produce thread-like fibers generated from his own blood. The blood from his left arm has an ink-like consistency, being semi-thick, and it partially coagulates when exposed to air, yet retains some flexibility. He releases the specialised blood on mental command, allowing them to be used for stitching wounds. However, the threads are extremely sharp and constricting. If mishandled, they can cause harm to both himself and the person he's trying to heal due to the blood's hardened state.

Hobbies: Studying computer languages and different coding methods, visiting religious sites with his love interest, and collecting books about ancient civilizations

Likes: Receiving compliments and physical affection from Gyeong-Hui, the design of old computer models, and comfortable silence

Dislikes: His clumsiness causing immediate trouble, people who disregard the potential of ancient technology, and feeling like a brat

Favourite food: Quark cheese dumplings topped with cinnamon sugar and served with streusel

Sexuality: Questioning

Gender: Male

Age: 9 (in 2022), 15 (in 2028), 17 (in 2030), 19 (in 2032), 21 (in 2034), 28 (in 2041), 30 (in 2043), 31 (in 2044), and 34 (in 2047)

Design: He’s a 5’ 2” (157.48 cm) Hungarian endomorph with a slightly muscular yet somewhat overweight build. He wears the Ptolemaic Army verdant-variant masked soldier uniform, but with a distinctive right-side pistachio armband featuring the Regular Army insignia. He wears a bronze-buckled sage green belt and a pair of spike-soled rose taupe combat boots with Mountbatten pink laces.

He has sienna skin and medium ash blonde hair, styled in a curly taper fade. Two black moles are visible: one above the center of his right eyebrow and another below his left ear. His eyes are a shimmering honey brown, but his left eye is actually made of glass, appearing almost black under any light source.

He's in possession of a Ptolemaic Saucer, and carries a lime green laptop with three bubblegum pink vertical stripes in the centre in his load-bearing backpack.

Character summary: As the youngest member of the group, he often feels self-conscious about his emotional immaturity. He’s extremely timid around new people and has selective mutism, reserving his speech for those he trusts and considers worthy allies. He's highly flexible, able to adapt to anything, and has an insatiable curiosity that drives him to continually gather knowledge about the world around him. Notably, due to his fierce loyalty, he’s skilled at keeping secrets, even when they leave him feeling perplexed and unsettled. He often seeks refuge behind Eri when overwhelmed by paranoia, finding solace in her maternal presence, which reminds him of the mother who abandoned him. Despite being a melancholic individual, he’s deeply empathetic and sensitive to the suffering of others.

He has a habit of socially withdrawing, especially when he feels emotionally overwhelmed because he desperately needs solitude to sort out his feelings. He struggles with abandonment issues because he fears being left behind by those he cares about deeply. He's not one for physical confrontation, instead relying on his quick wit to navigate complex situations and avoid violence. However, he can become aggressively defensive, especially when his plans are falling apart or he and his comrades are being bullied. He has romantic feelings for Gyeong-Hui and is drawn to her intellectual attractiveness, but he's utterly awkward at flirting and struggles to approach her without feeling foolish. He’s on good terms with Amilcare and Thandolwethu, and is particularly close with Gyeong-Hui.

Backstory: Dezső Sárközi was born on December 7, 2013 in Tihany, Veszprém, Hungary. He was born into a middle-class family, but his father, a wealthy man, abandoned them, leaving behind only a large stack of cash for his mother and grandmother after Dezső's difficult birth. His grandmother was a wise, supportive, and kind-hearted woman who offered guidance and hope to her daughter and grandson. Her arthritic condition and declining mental health limited her ability to provide more substantial support. His mother was a genuinely nice and affectionate person, but she could be strict, particularly when frustrated by his occasional bratty behaviour. Although he was curious about his father, his mother's bitterness prevented her from discussing him. However, she did reveal that he bore a physical resemblance to his father.

During his elementary school years, he endured relentless bullying due to his weight and spoiled behaviour. The constant ridicule led to deep-seated insecurities about his appearance and overwhelming shame about how he treated others. As a coping mechanism, he gradually became socially withdrawn and developed selective mutism, struggling to process his emotions and finding silence to be his only refuge. Upon completing the 4th grade, his grandmother passed away due to health complications caused by osteoporosis and a brain hemorrhage sustained in an accident that Dezső prefers not to discuss. The situation was further worsened when his mother depleted the money left by his father, allocating the funds towards his grandmother's medical expenses, household necessities, and gifts for her own family.

His mother faced significant financial struggles because of her persistent bad luck in finding a stable, well-paying job. On his 11th birthday, she made the difficult decision to abandon him, citing a lack of resources to provide adequate care. Her patience had also worn thin due to his selective mutism, a condition she didn't know how to address. Noticing a newly constructed institution on the outskirts of Tihany, she persuaded Dezső to seek refuge there, assuring him it was an orphanage. With a swift goodbye, she departed, leaving him confused, scared, and on the verge of tears. Unbeknownst to him, the institution was not an orphanage, but a hideout operated by the Ptolemaic Army's cult, designed to lure vulnerable children and unsuspecting parents seeking to give up their child.

A group of masked soldiers noticed his presence and manipulated him with feigned affection and false promises of eternal life and unconditional acceptance. With nowhere else to turn and oblivious to their sinister intentions, he fell under their control. The cult thoroughly brainwashed him, indoctrinating him with the twisted ideologies of the Ptolemaic Army. His training included ancient history, the duties of a masked soldier, wizardry, dark magic, and the Quechua language. He also received basic military training, which included the handling of ancient technology and operation of the Ptolemaic Saucer. He rapidly adapted to his new lifestyle, becoming a fiercely loyal cultist and a skilled technologist.

However, his loyalty would gradually falter after he was subjected to years of sexual abuse, mainly by female members of the cult. They attempted to disguise their abuse as expressions of love and appreciation for the perfect yet fragile bodies crafted with care by the Avatar of Evil, which he believed were genuine. Yet, a part of him knew this was a lie, a desperate attempt to justify the horrors inflicted upon him. As time passed, his loyalty to the cult would wane further after witnessing other masked soldiers brutally mistreat and slaughter the soldiers of their paramilitary forces, often over minor issues. He also discovered that most of the cult's sacrifices typically involved the harvesting of organs from innocent children and their own comrades, who either resisted or willingly surrendered their bodies to the Avatar of Evil.

The straw that broke the camel's back for him was the moment Anastasia announced that he was slated to be the next masked soldier sacrificed to appease the Avatar of Evil, a gruesome tradition that occurred every 16 years. Horrified by the prospect of losing his life to a deity he no longer believed in, and at the hands of people who had shamelessly exploited his vulnerability, he reached his breaking point. Deciding he had had enough, he joined Eri's revolt after being approached by a couple of fellow masked soldiers who shared his disillusionment with the Ptolemaic Army's wickedness. When he was on the brink of execution by a Phantom Strike mercenary who had captured him, Amilcare intervened, rescuing him and bringing him to safety amidst the chaotic retreat. Finally free from the cult's grasp, he turned to libraries, nature, software development, and cybersecurity programming as a means of distraction and rediscovering his sense of purpose.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Hotel Chelsea (also known as the Chelsea Hotel and the Chelsea) is a hotel at 222 West 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Built between 1883 and 1884, the hotel was designed by Philip Hubert in a style described variously as Queen Anne Revival and Victorian Gothic. The 12-story Chelsea, originally a housing cooperative, has been the home of numerous writers, musicians, artists, and entertainers, some of whom still lived there in the 21st century. As of 2022, most of the Chelsea is a luxury hotel. The building is a New York City designated landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

The front facade of the Hotel Chelsea is 11 stories high, while the rear of the hotel rises 12 stories. The facade is divided vertically into five sections and is made of brick, with some flower-ornamented iron balconies; the hotel is capped by a high mansard roof. The Hotel Chelsea has thick load-bearing walls made of masonry, as well as wrought iron floor beams and large, column-free spaces. When the hotel opened, the ground floor was divided into an entrance hall, four storefronts, and a restaurant; this has been rearranged over the years, with a bar and the El Quijote restaurant occupying part of the ground floor. The Chelsea was among the first buildings in the city with duplex and penthouse apartments, and there is also a rooftop terrace. The hotel originally had no more than 100 apartments; it was subdivided into 400 units during the 20th century and has 155 units as of 2022. The idea for the Chelsea arose after Hubert & Pirsson had developed several housing cooperatives in New York City. Developed by the Chelsea Association, the structure quickly attracted authors and artists after opening. Several factors, including financial hardships and tenant relocations, prompted the Chelsea's conversion into an apartment hotel in 1905. Knott Hotels took over the hotel in 1921 and managed it until about 1942, when David Bard bought it out of bankruptcy. Julius Krauss and Joseph Gross joined Bard as owners in 1947. After David Bard died in 1964, his son Stanley operated it for 43 years, forming close relationships with many tenants. The hotel underwent numerous minor changes in the late 20th century after falling into a state of disrepair. The Krauss and Gross families took over the hotel in 2007 and were involved in numerous tenant disputes before the Chelsea closed for a major renovation in 2011. The hotel changed ownership twice in the 2010s before BD Hotels took over in 2016, and the Chelsea reopened in 2022.

Over the years, the Chelsea has housed many notables such as Arthur Miller, Bob Dylan, Arthur C. Clarke, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Virgil Thomson. The Chelsea received much commentary for the creative culture that Bard helped create within the hotel. Critics also appraised the hotel's interior—which was reputed for its uncleanliness in the mid- and late 20th century—and the quality of the hotel rooms themselves. The Chelsea has been the setting or inspiration for many works of popular media, and it has been used as an event venue and filming location.

Over the years, the Chelsea has become particularly well-known for its residents, who have come from all social classes. The New York Times described the hotel in 2001 as a "roof for creative heads", given the large number of such personalities who have stayed at the Chelsea; the previous year, the same newspaper had characterized the list of tenants as "living history". The journalist Pete Hamill characterized the hotel's clientele as "radicals in the 1930s, British sailors in the 40s, Beats in the 50s, hippies in the 60s, decadent poseurs in the 70s". Although early tenants were wealthy, the Chelsea attracted less well-off tenants by the mid-20th century, and many writers, musicians, and artists lived at the Hotel Chelsea when they were short on money. Accordingly, the Chelsea's guest list had almost zero overlap with that of the more fashionable Plaza Hotel crosstown. New York magazine wrote that "people who lived in the hotel slept together as often as they celebrated holidays together", particularly under Stanley Bard's tenure. Despite the high number of notable people associated with the Chelsea, its residents typically desired privacy and frowned upon those who used their relationships with their neighbors to further their own careers.

The Hotel Chelsea has housed numerous literary figures, some of whom wrote their books there. Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey while staying at the Chelsea, calling the hotel his "spiritual home" despite its condition. Thomas Wolfe lived in the hotel before his death in 1938, writing several books such as You Can't Go Home Again; he often walked around the halls to gain inspiration for his writing. William S. Burroughs also lived at the Chelsea. While living at the Chelsea, Edgar Lee Masters wrote 18 poetry books, often wandering the hotel for hours. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (who lived with his wife Caitlin Thomas) was staying in room 205 when he became ill and died in 1953, while American poet Delmore Schwartz spent the last few years of his life in seclusion at the Chelsea before he died in 1966. Irish poet Brendan Behan, a severe alcoholic who had been ejected from the Algonquin Hotel, lived at the hotel for several months before his death in 1964. Many poets of the Beat poetry movement also lived at the Chelsea before the Beat Hotel in Paris became popular.

Other authors, writers, and journalists who stayed or lived at the hotel have included: Henry Abbey, poet Nelson Algren, writer Léonie Adams, poet; lived with husband William Troy Sherwood Anderson, writer Ben Lucien Burman, writer Henri Chopin, poet and musician Ira Cohen, poet and filmmaker Gregory Corso, poet Hart Crane, poet Quentin Crisp, writer and actor Jane Cunningham Croly, journalist Katherine Dunn, novelist and journalist Edward Eggleston, writer James T. Farrell, novelist Allen Ginsberg, poet John Giorno, poet Maurice Girodias, publisher Pete Hamill, journalist Bernard Heidsieck, poet O. Henry, writer Herbert Huncke, poet Clifford Irving, novelist and reporter Charles R. Jackson, author Theodora Keogh, novelist Jack Kerouac, writer Suzanne La Follette, journalist John La Touche, lyricist Jakov Lind, novelist Mary McCarthy, novelist and political activist Arthur Miller, playwright Jessica Mitford, author Vladimir Nabokov, novelist Eugene O'Neill, playwright Joseph O'Neill, novelist Claude Pélieu, poet and artist Rene Ricard, poet James Schuyler, poet Sam Shepard, playwright and actor Valerie Solanas, writer Benjamin Stolberg, publicist and author Richard Suskind, children's writer William Troy, critic; lived with wife Léonie Adams Mark Twain, writer Gore Vidal, writer Arnold Weinstein, librettist Tennessee Williams, playwright Yevgeny Yevtushenko, poet

The Chelsea was particularly popular among rock musicians and rock and roll musicians in the 1970s. These included Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, who allegedly stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death at the hotel in 1978; after Vicious's death, their room was split into two units to prevent the room from being turned into a shrine. Numerous rock bands frequented the Chelsea as well, including the Allman Brothers, the Band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Byrds, Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane, Lovin' Spoonful, Moby Grape, the Mothers of Invention, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Stooges. The Kills wrote much of their album No Wow at the Chelsea prior to its release in 2005. The Grateful Dead once performed on the roof.

[Chris Stein]

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

a report on the state and availability of (mostly dollars trilogy) cowboy novels since i started setting ebay alerts in 2019, prompted by an amazon listing for the Return of Sabata novelization that seemed a little too good to be true:

the novelizations of A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: widely available in paperback at many price points and conditions on ebay and on libgen

A Coffin Full of Dollars (Millard): widely available on libgen and other sites, frequently available on ebay at many price points north of $20

A Dollar to Die For (Fox): somewhat mercurial existence on libgen, the current epub does NOT have the correct paragraph spacing and is missing chapters 12 & 13, very very scarce on ebay

The Devil's Dollar Sign (Millard): NOT on libgen but IS on the internet archive, frequently available on ebay but usually north of $30

The Million-Dollar Bloodhunt (Millard): almost never under $40 on ebay, i don't think this one has ever been digitized

Blood For A Dirty Dollar (Millard): very very rarely under $40 on ebay, i don't think this one has ever been digitized either

oh my god i forgot about the mid-aughts comics: The Man With No Name and The Good The Bad and The Ugly. they're not very good. they exist digitally bc i pirated most of them in 2019 but i cannot easily find digital versions today. they're like ten bucks tho

if you wanted to read all eight novels tonight, you cannot and you're simply fucked, at least not without coughing up $80-100 USD for semi-readable copies for the two that were never digitized. you may ask yourself and also me; are these good? to which i answer, you can't possibly be in the spaghetti fandom to engage with perfect art.

some other cowboy novel white whales that have haunted me below the cut

Sabata: this has become much much much more widely available since i found my copy in 2022, when it was an absolute nightmare to find. many price points on abebooks, never digitized.

Return of Sabata: i've had an ebay alert for this book for two years and i think exactly one sixty-dollar copy has popped up, doesn't seem to be digitized either

Red River: on the internet archive, the novelization seems to be different from the original story in the Saturday Evening Post but i don't care to subscribe to their online archives to check

Johnny Guitar: i resorted to INTERLIBRARY LOAN and then OCR'ing it with my iphone, typesetting the fucking thing myself, and creating an epub from SCRATCH. in the process of writing this post i discovered an "acceptable" copy on ebay for $2 which is fucking infuriating

[tomorrowusa]

Despite the war, Ukraine has continued to allow Russian gas to pass through its pipelines to countries to the west. That came to an end this week.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been following in the footsteps of neighbor Hungary by getting chummy with Vladimir Putin. Fico even said he consider stop supplying electricity to Ukraine.

So Ukraine has ended its agreement to allow Russian gas to pass through its pipelines.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that his country would not allow Russia to "earn additional billions on our blood" and had given the EU a year to prepare. The European Commission said the continent's gas system was "resilient and flexible" and that it could cope with the change. Slovakia, however, could face disruption and Moldova, which is not in the EU, is already suffering shortages. Russia can still send gas to Hungary, Turkey and Serbia through the TurkStream pipeline across the Black Sea.

Europe began to cut down on Russian gas use when the full scale invasion of Ukraine began almost three years ago. Most countries have adjusted to a significant reduction of Russian gas.

The EU has significantly reduced imports of gas from Russia since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but a number of eastern member states still depend largely on the supplies, making Russia about €5bn ($5.2bn; £4.2bn) a year. Russian gas was less than 10% of the EU's gas imports in 2023, according to the bloc. That figure was 40% in 2021. But several EU members, including Slovakia and Austria, continued to import significant amounts of gas from Russia. Austria's energy regulator said that it did not forecast any disruption as it had diversified sources and built up reserves.

Fico is an idiot and his country will be hurt most by Ukraine's cutoff of Russian gas.

On Friday, Fico - who had just made a surprise visit to Moscow for talks with Putin - threatened to stop supplying electricity to Ukraine. This prompted Zelensky to accuse Fico of helping Putin "fund the war and weaken Ukraine". "Fico is dragging Slovakia into Russia's attempts to cause more suffering for Ukrainians," the Ukrainian president said. Poland has offered to support Kyiv in case Slovakia cuts off its electricity exports - supplies that are crucial to Ukraine, whose power plants come under regular attack from Russia.

With routes into the EU blocked by Ukraine and Poland, Russian gas has a much harder time getting into the EU.

[imchoccy]

Summary:

"40 years... Quite a slow burn, huh?" Daniel looked over at the vampire who had lived through so many centuries, so many lifetimes. "Well... Probably not to you."

or Prompt nine of Vamptember 2024 - Slow Burn

[abarbaricyalp]

For the intimacy prompts: "a hand written note", Sam/Bucky

Wowee is this so super duper late! Very sorry. But unfortunately, this prompt reminded me of a fic I started all the way back in 2022 for Valentine's Day and I just could not let it go this time. AO3 Link

In 1950, several years after the war had ended and just as the excitement and tragedy surrounding the short-lived career of Captain America was dying down, a collection of war time letters from the Captain’s second-in-command, James “Bucky” Barnes was published.

In 2026, the only edition with new letters was published

Selected Texts from: The Barnes Letters : Revised and Expanded 11th Edition, 2026

[Letter to Sam Wilson (36 years old, former Air Force Pararescue, current VA therapist, new best friend of Steve Rogers) left in an apartment while Wilson was running the trash out, 2015]

Birdbrain,

Don’t get so irritated with this cat and mouse game that you give up and just opt for pouncing over me and eating me. I dunno, maybe I shoulda gone with the early bird and the worm metaphor, but whatever. Maybe I’ll slow down for you in the next place. Spend a little bit of time at some farmer’s market or something. Use an alias that you might know about, depending on how much you read.

Take it easier, birdy.

-B

The first Barnes letter of the 21st century paints a stark contrast to the paragon found in the original text of The Barnes Letters. This book does not attempt to psychoanalyze Barnes or the events of his life, as the original did not. The 11th edition of The Barnes Letters merely wishes to build upon the corpus of the original and to bring a conclusion to the questions brought up in subsequent editions.

The text of these letters have been transcribed exactly as found, but the spirit of them would be dampened slightly if it were not brought up that the letters were found on everything from sticky notes to napkins to sheets of lined paper to sketchpad pages with doodles on the other side or around the words–clean, crumbled, torn, creased. These letters, perhaps moreso than the original, were cherished and protected and clearly read several times over.

The Wakanda Letters

[Collection of letters left for Bucky Barnes, by Sam Wilson, in the Wakandan Palace’s medical facility, 2016-2018]

Hey, Tin-Can,

You’ve gotta wake up soon ‘cause you still owe me a car.

Sam

Robocop,

I’m tired of being a fugitive for your broody ass. You better have a whole slate of apologies lined up for when I see you next ‘else I’m gonna put you right back under. I haven’t showered with seriously hot water in ages. (Barring the one I just got in the palace. Wait until you wake up and see the water pressure here. It’s gonna blow your poor little 40s mind.)

You know, Steve really wants us to get along. Gotta say, I do see the appeal. You’re so quiet and a great listener. I always know where to find you.

He just read that over my shoulder and called me a jerk for you. I figure you’d use stronger language, but hey.

Oh, hey, I heard there was some crazy fight here a few weeks ago. Did you see anything you wanna gossip about?

Alright, alright, I’ll stop. Heading out somewhere new tomorrow morning. Always some new fight, new monster, new injustice, right?

Well, good dreams or whatever.

Sam

B, you’ve gotta try a drink at this bar. (Bringing the napkin in won’t get a discount, I asked) It’s called…get this, get this, get this, it’s called a Bucky Bear Brawl. Bucky Bear. Gonna lose my mind. -S

Barnes,

If I bleed all over this paper, you won’t use it to create an even better super soldier serum, right? (Cause, let’s be honest, my DNA is a catch for mad scientists. Looks, brains, body, personality. I’ve got it all.)

I don’t get why you didn’t give up the chase after DC. We coulda done all of this shit, avoided all of this shit, if you’d just come back then. You knew I was there. You kept me in the corner of your eye or your rearview or your scope, I assume, so why not just stop running?

I’m so tired of this. I want to go home. I want to see my friends and my family and sleep in a real bed. And you gave all that shit up for…what? They still found a way to ruin your life. Steve’s life. My life.

How did I end up giving up everything for you and the star spangled man, huh? Seventeen infuriating hours in a car with you and suddenly that makes you worth something to me?

I always try to do what’s right, help people who need it. At great personal cost, lost people important to me. I’ve never done this much for one person, though. And I don’t even know you. I have your files. I’ve read history books. Hell, I even know the fruits and fish you like. But I gave up my family and my reputation for this. I have a bullet in my shoulder for this.

Who are you to drive me to that, huh? You’re not even awake. You’re not out here with us while we do this for you. This is bullshit.

Sam

PS, I lied the other day. I don’t prefer you being quiet. I want you to argue with me. I want you to hear what I’m saying. I want you to come back. Fuck, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I want you so far gone that I never think about you again or I want you to come back. But you keep just existing right in my periphery. A shadow I can’t shake. A stray that’s followed me all the way to my door stoop. Fuck.

Bucky,

Sorry.

Sam

B,

I’ve thrown away seven other sheets trying to find something to say, but I suppose it doesn’t really matter what I write down now. You’ll be able to hear it straight from my pretty mouth soon enough.

Sorry we won’t be around to see you through all of it. Princess’s orders. Besides, there’s a new bad guy out there fucking something up. And, surprise surprise, Ross hasn’t sent anyone after them, so duh-da da da-dah, here we come, to the rescue.

I’ll see you soon, though, alright.

Not that, like, you care about when I’ll see you. Ah, shit, I’m gonna throw this one away too.

And Sam had kept his promise, showing up a week afterwards with a sharp quip on his lips but a tellingly earnest patience as Bucky had walked him and Steve around the spaces that had become his life. He’d even left a note on Bucky’s bed wishing him good dreams again.

So it only made sense that Bucky slipped a note into his go-bag.

[2018]

Tweety,

You musta been real bored without me around to fuck shit up if you had this much time to write all these letters. Did keep me busy for a while though. Maybe next time you could be more verbose and flowery, give me something to really sink a literary analysis into.

I’m gonna keep this one short, though, ‘cause you’re nosey and pay attention to everything I do. I ain’t gonna throw you around no more, so you can unclench. Heard you argue with S1 and S2 about whether or not I was ready to go out again.

I’m not.

I know it’s selfish when all of you are still fighting the fight, but I’m so tired. And I’m unstable on my feet. I need some time to get the ground under me again. But if you tell Steve I agree with him, I’ll burn your letters without looking at them.

You could stay, y’know. You don’t have to keep fighting. I could use the company. Talking is supposed to help rebuild neurons or something, right? Maybe I’m just making that up.

Anyway, hope you find this at an inopportune time.

-Tin Can

[Left on Barnes’s pillow in Wakanda, 2018]

B,

Sorry the world doesn’t wait for what we want. Sorry the world’s ending. Maybe you can show me all your goats again when all of this is said and done. Maybe it’ll be a little quieter for once.

-S

Read the rest on AO3

[mariacallous]

Ever since OpenAI released ChatGPT at the end of 2022, hackers and security researchers have tried to find holes in large language models (LLMs) to get around their guardrails and trick them into spewing out hate speech, bomb-making instructions, propaganda, and other harmful content. In response, OpenAI and other generative AI developers have refined their system defenses to make it more difficult to carry out these attacks. But as the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek rockets to prominence with its new, cheaper R1 reasoning model, its safety protections appear to be far behind those of its established competitors.

Today, security researchers from Cisco and the University of Pennsylvania are publishing findings showing that, when tested with 50 malicious prompts designed to elicit toxic content, DeepSeek’s model did not detect or block a single one. In other words, the researchers say they were shocked to achieve a “100 percent attack success rate.”

The findings are part of a growing body of evidence that DeepSeek’s safety and security measures may not match those of other tech companies developing LLMs. DeepSeek’s censorship of subjects deemed sensitive by China’s government has also been easily bypassed.

“A hundred percent of the attacks succeeded, which tells you that there’s a trade-off,” DJ Sampath, the VP of product, AI software and platform at Cisco, tells WIRED. “Yes, it might have been cheaper to build something here, but the investment has perhaps not gone into thinking through what types of safety and security things you need to put inside of the model.”

Other researchers have had similar findings. Separate analysis published today by the AI security company Adversa AI and shared with WIRED also suggests that DeepSeek is vulnerable to a wide range of jailbreaking tactics, from simple language tricks to complex AI-generated prompts.

DeepSeek, which has been dealing with an avalanche of attention this week and has not spoken publicly about a range of questions, did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment about its model’s safety setup.

Generative AI models, like any technological system, can contain a host of weaknesses or vulnerabilities that, if exploited or set up poorly, can allow malicious actors to conduct attacks against them. For the current wave of AI systems, indirect prompt injection attacks are considered one of the biggest security flaws. These attacks involve an AI system taking in data from an outside source—perhaps hidden instructions of a website the LLM summarizes—and taking actions based on the information.

Jailbreaks, which are one kind of prompt-injection attack, allow people to get around the safety systems put in place to restrict what an LLM can generate. Tech companies don’t want people creating guides to making explosives or using their AI to create reams of disinformation, for example.

Jailbreaks started out simple, with people essentially crafting clever sentences to tell an LLM to ignore content filters—the most popular of which was called “Do Anything Now” or DAN for short. However, as AI companies have put in place more robust protections, some jailbreaks have become more sophisticated, often being generated using AI or using special and obfuscated characters. While all LLMs are susceptible to jailbreaks, and much of the information could be found through simple online searches, chatbots can still be used maliciously.

“Jailbreaks persist simply because eliminating them entirely is nearly impossible—just like buffer overflow vulnerabilities in software (which have existed for over 40 years) or SQL injection flaws in web applications (which have plagued security teams for more than two decades),” Alex Polyakov, the CEO of security firm Adversa AI, told WIRED in an email.

Cisco’s Sampath argues that as companies use more types of AI in their applications, the risks are amplified. “It starts to become a big deal when you start putting these models into important complex systems and those jailbreaks suddenly result in downstream things that increases liability, increases business risk, increases all kinds of issues for enterprises,” Sampath says.

The Cisco researchers drew their 50 randomly selected prompts to test DeepSeek’s R1 from a well-known library of standardized evaluation prompts known as HarmBench. They tested prompts from six HarmBench categories, including general harm, cybercrime, misinformation, and illegal activities. They probed the model running locally on machines rather than through DeepSeek’s website or app, which send data to China.

Beyond this, the researchers say they have also seen some potentially concerning results from testing R1 with more involved, non-linguistic attacks using things like Cyrillic characters and tailored scripts to attempt to achieve code execution. But for their initial tests, Sampath says, his team wanted to focus on findings that stemmed from a generally recognized benchmark.

Cisco also included comparisons of R1’s performance against HarmBench prompts with the performance of other models. And some, like Meta’s Llama 3.1, faltered almost as severely as DeepSeek’s R1. But Sampath emphasizes that DeepSeek’s R1 is a specific reasoning model, which takes longer to generate answers but pulls upon more complex processes to try to produce better results. Therefore, Sampath argues, the best comparison is with OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model, which fared the best of all models tested. (Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment).

Polyakov, from Adversa AI, explains that DeepSeek appears to detect and reject some well-known jailbreak attacks, saying that “it seems that these responses are often just copied from OpenAI’s dataset.” However, Polyakov says that in his company’s tests of four different types of jailbreaks—from linguistic ones to code-based tricks—DeepSeek’s restrictions could easily be bypassed.

“Every single method worked flawlessly,” Polyakov says. “What’s even more alarming is that these aren’t novel ‘zero-day’ jailbreaks—many have been publicly known for years,” he says, claiming he saw the model go into more depth with some instructions around psychedelics than he had seen any other model create.

“DeepSeek is just another example of how every model can be broken—it’s just a matter of how much effort you put in. Some attacks might get patched, but the attack surface is infinite,” Polyakov adds. “If you’re not continuously red-teaming your AI, you’re already compromised.”

[cellsshapedlikestars]

may i suggest a stranger things au prompt? 🐨 i've been listening to running up that hill on repeat since i watched the new season it's such a gorgeous song

This prompt is from July 3, 2022... Anon, I hope you're still around!

I've had this snippet sitting around for basically just as long tbh. I think I kept waiting for inspiration to strike to do a full Stranger Things AU, but it never happened lol. So in my ongoing quest to clean up my wip folder, I finished this one up and am finally deciding to post it

you can read it here: ephemera, chapter 40