#rust-std

[tinydefector]

Interface Rust Disease

I wanna thank @penny-anna for letting me use this idea, I didn't use it for all the characters and some are shorter than others but I had alot of fun working on this and might do some others if people want other characters.

On another note, I live!!, got sick been working horses and had Christmas, got a new year's party I'm heading to tomorrow so wanted to finally get this finished as it's been sitting in my drafts for a while now.

___________

Word count: 5k

Warnings: mention of sex/interfacing, medical check ups, robot STDs

__________

Shouting can be heard off in the distance, the few bots that were in the west wing gave each other side eyes and looked to Ratchet in concern. "Motherfucker!" A human voice yells. "Which one of you fuckers have been tampering with my car!, there's rust on it and I know for a fact that it's one of you!" They point at the mechs, not enjoying whatever prank they were playing on them.

Ratchet startles at the sudden shouting, nearly dropping the tool in his servo. He whirls around with a scowl as he hears the angry human accusing his comrades. "Now you listen here!" Ratchet growls, stomping towards the shouting human while waving a wrench menacingly. "I won't tolerate that kind of language or baseless accusations in my medbay! If you have a problem, you can bring it to me in a civil manner and we'll get to the bottom of it. But bursting in here, hurling insults, will get you nowhere!" 

The old medic glares down at the human, grip tightening on his wrench. "So I suggest you calm yourself and explain what exactly is going on with your vehicle, without all the colorful language if you please."

They let out a collection of angry noises, but all the other mechs are dead silent and still as they watch Ratchet and the human in their standoff. First Aid watching the showdown in slight excitement. "My car has some sort of alien rust in the undercarriage and it's spreading rapidly! There was nothing there two days ago!" They spit out as they cross their arms. 

Ratchet frowns, lowering his wrench as he listens to the human's explanation. Rust spreading rapidly on an Earth vehicle was definitely odd and concerning. He nods, "Alright, let's take a look at this rust and see what we're dealing with." Ratchet gestures for the human to show him the affected car. As they walk, he glances around suspiciously. This had the makings of some kind of prank pulled by one of the more immature mechs in the base. But he wouldn't make any accusations until he saw the damage himself.

"What kind of car is it?" Ratchet asks conversationally as they walk. He was still grumbling inwardly about his clinic being disturbed, but he pushed that aside to focus on the task at hand. Strange rust required his full attention. They state the make and model, its mileage. Until they reach the area where the rest of the humans who frequent the base had their vehicles parked. "Right there, any idea what's caused the rust or what shit head decided to tamper with my car? " they call out while pointing to their car.

Nothing on the outside gave any signs of rust but Ratchet knew better than that, and he was now having suspicion on what it might be. But why was it on their vehicle? The human lifts the hood of the car showing the advancing rust. Ratchet's optics widen as he gets a closer look at the vehicle and recognizes the telltale signs of IRD. 

He shakes his helm, rubbing his temples where he can feel a processor ache coming on. "Primus give me strength," he mutters under his breath. Turning back to the human, Ratchet's  tone drops into the stern doctor voice. "This appears to be a case of IRD - Interfacing Rust Disease. A...cybertronian STD, in layman's terms." 

Inside, Ratchet cringes. This was not a conversation he ever wanted to have with one of the humans. But the rust had to be stopped before it spread further. "I found rust on my car, I thought the twins thought it might have been a good idea to prank me with something." They begin rambling before they stop, processing what he had said. "Wait, wait your telling me a Cybertronian fucked my car!" They nearly yell, catching the attention of men and mechs around the Ark.

Ratchet holds up his servos in a calming gesture as the human begins to yell again. "Easy now, no need to make a scene," he says evenly. "It appears one of the, ahem, friskier mechs around here took a liking to your vehicle's make and model. It's not unheard of." Ratchet shakes his helm and sighs. "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But right now, we need to contain this outbreak. IRD can spread quickly if left unchecked. I need to do a full scan on your vehicle and start tracking down the original carrier."

He gives the human a sympathetic look. "I promise I'll buff out any lasting damage once the rust is treated. And I'll be having strong words with whichever mech defiled your car.For now, let's get your vehicle into quarantine. The sooner I can analyze the strain, the sooner we can get it treated” They huff and grumble before sighing. "OK just please fix it, I'll see if Red alert has any info, I know he likes having hidden cameras around the place, but what happens if it didn't happen in the base?" They finally ask.

"I know it's not ideal, but it's the quickest way to track down the source. Once I analyze it, I have my suspects narrowed down considerably. Just try not to think too hard about the methods, yes?" He gives the human an apologetic shrug. "I've been a medic for a long time, not much phases me anymore. Rest assured I will handle this professionally. Now, let's get your vehicle into isolation before this rust spreads further."

__________

Optimus Prime

Ratchet looks over the list of Autobots scheduled for their medical checkups with a weary sigh: It was going to be a long day examining everyone for signs of the IRD outbreak. But it had to be done swiftly to contain it. Ratchet grabs his tools and sterilizes the med bay berths before coming his first patient. "Optimus Prime, please report to the medbay for your routine examination."

This was going to be uncomfortable, but Ratchet was a professional. He would handle the examinations with his usual detached bedside manner. Still, he cringes inwardly at the thought of inspecting his commanding officer and friend for interfacing rust. This IRD outbreak was turning out to be quite the embarrassing hassle.

Optimus Prime makes his way to the medbay, a slight sense of unease stirring within him. He has the utmost trust in Ratchet's expertise, but he still didn't enjoy trips to the medical clinic; the medic's solemn tone does not escape his notice. As he steps Into the medbay he meets Ratchet's gaze. "Ratchet, what seems to be the issue?" Optimus inquires, his deep voice rumbling with a mixture of concern and curiosity. He knows the medic would not summon him without good reason, and he braces himself for whatever news or examination Ratchet has in store.

"Optimus, thank you for coming promptly. Please, have a seat on the berth." He gestures to the examination table. Optimus complies, seating himself on the berth and looking at Ratchet expectantly. The medic takes a moment to steady himself before meeting his leader's gaze.

"I'm afraid we have a sensitive situation. There has been an outbreak of IRD . I need to examine everyone on base thoroughly so we can identify and contain the source." Ratchet watches Optimus closely for his reaction, knowing this would likely be as uncomfortable for the Prime as it was for him. But it had to be done.

"I know this is far from an ideal, old friend. But I promise to handle this professionally and with the utmost discretion. We need to stop this outbreak from spreading further, I apologize for the invasive nature of this. But I'm sure you understand the necessity, for the health and safety of all in the Ark."

Optimus listens to Ratchet's explanation, his expression shifting from concern to a tinge of embarrassment. The mention of an "Interfacing Rust Disease" immediately puts him on edge, knowing the intimate nature of the condition. He clears his vocalizer before responding, his deep baritone vocals betraying a rare hint of discomfort. "I see. This is indeed a delicate matter." Optimus pauses. As much as he wishes to avoid such an intrusive examination, he recognizes the imperative need to contain this outbreak.

With a solemn nod, he meets Ratchet's gaze, his optics conveying his trust in the medic's abilities. "You have my full cooperation, old friend. I understand the necessity of this procedure, and I will submit to your examination without reservation."

Optimus shifts slightly on the berth, steeling himself. The medic collects his scanners and tools, then turns back to Optimus. "I'll start with a full frame scan, then move on to a more thorough examination of your interface array and surrounding mechanisms."  Ratchet starts slowly waving the scanner over Optimus from head to toe, watching the readings closely. So far just the expected baseline readings, but the detailed inspection had yet to begin.

"Try to stay relaxed, this next part will require closer contact but I'll maintain your modesty as much as possible." Ratchet keeps his tone clinical. With great care and precision, he manipulates Optimus' interface paneling, checking around seams and crevices for any early signs of corrosion or rust deposits. The examination is intimate but the medic remains focused on monitoring for any anomalies.  

After long kliks of awkward but necessary handling, Ratchet steps back with a relieved vent of air. "All clear, the scans and physical examination show no signs of infection. Thank you, I know it wasn't pleasant." Optimus gives a slight nod before leaving in a hurry, most likely to go hide away in his office and try to bury himself in work. 

_________

Ironhide

 his next patient one that Ratchet wasn't looking forward to, Ironhide. 

Steeling himself, Ratchet comms the gruff old warrior. "Ironhide, please report to the medbay for your routine examination."

It isn't long until heavy pedesteps signal the Weapons Specialist's reluctant arrival. "This better be quick, Doc, I've got a shooting range session with the Youngsters." Ironhide rumbles impatiently. 

"Have a seat on the berth and we'll get started." Ratchet gestures brusquely, in no mood to argue. Ironhide huffs but compiles, seating himself on the exam table with a glower. "Alright, let's get this over with."

“There has been an outbreak of IRD . I need to examine you thoroughly so we can mark you off the list of potential carriers” Ratchet starts while moving about. Ironhide immediately bristles. "Rust in my interface array? No chance!" He slides off the berth, waving a dismissing hand. "I'm clean as a whistle, Doc, don't need any exam."

Ratchet rubs his temples. This was going to be even more difficult than he thought. "Now hold on, Ironhide. I know this is uncomfortable, but we have legitimate evidence of an IRD outbreak on base. Just this morning, we found rust deposits on a human's vehicle consistent with trans-species transmission."  

Ironhide's optics widen slightly but he remains skeptical. Ratchet continues firmly. "Which means one of our mechs is infected and interfacing indiscriminately. We need to identify and contain the carrier immediately before this spreads further."  

"I explained the sensitivity of the situation to Optimus and he complied with an examination without hesitation, for the good of the team. I ask that you do the same." Ironhide shifts on his pedes, looking distinctly uncomfortable at the mention of Optimus' exam. He grunts reluctantly. "Fine, Doc. If it's that serious, I'll do it. But this better not leave the medbay, you understand?" 

Ratchet nods. "You have my word. Now please, have a seat so we can get started." After a moment's hesitation, Ironhide sits back down on the berth with a grumble. Ratchet thanks him and begins prepping his scanners, hoping the worst of the arguing is over. Ironhide was prickly but ultimately reasonable, once the gravity of the situation got through his thick helm.

Ratchet's spark sinks as the test results come back positive for IRD. Ironhide...is the carrier? He meets the gruff mech's optics with a grave expression.

" Ironhide. You are infected with an active IRD strain." Ironhide looks stunned, then reddens in embarrassment and anger. "That's impossible! I haven't-" He cuts himself off, glancing away shiftily.

Ratchet's optics narrow. "Ironhide, this is serious. IRD could devastate our already small numbers if left unchecked. I need you to be honest with me, how long have you had a Rust deposit?."

Ironhide won't meet his gaze, shuffling on the berth. Finally he mumbles "...about 4 human weeks now..." Ratchet vents harshly, displeased but unsurprised at the admission. "Alright. Well now we know the source. I'm putting you in quarantine until we flush your systems and you're no longer contagious." 

Ironhide starts to protest but Ratchet cuts him off with a sharp wave of his wrench. "No arguments! This ends now before someone gets infected! Honestly Ironhide, I'm glad it wasn't one of our own you infected but use your processor Mech!"

Ratchet vents tiredly, glad to have identified the carrier but dismayed it was someone as respected as Ironhide. This would be an awkward truth to contain...

"So...lonely and bored, hm? No one around to 'interface' with you properly?" Ratchet asks with a raised optical ridge.  Ironhide scowls, embarrassment rolling off him in waves. "Ah lay off Doc, you know how it gets."

Ratchet chuckles. "I certainly do. Still, you couldn't find a nice mech to 'transfluid transfer' with instead of that poor human's car?, i guess at least you haven't transferred it to an9ther mech which is a relief, "

Ironhide looks even more flustered, if possible. "It...seemed like a good idea at the time," he mumbles lamely. Ratchet just shakes his helm. "You have no idea how angry they were to find 'rust deposits' all over the undercarriage." Ironhide covers his faceplates with a groan. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Doc. I fragged up.”

"At least my interface drive still works properly for my age, unlike some rusted old medics I know..." Ironhide grumbles under his breath. Ratchet snorts, unmiffed. "Oh please, my spike is plenty calibrated, I just prefer not to wear it out like some mechs."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Ironhide retorts with a smirk. 

"Better than what you tell yourself every lonely night in the berth, i have a conjunx" Ratchet fires back smoothly.

Ironhide barks out a laugh at that. "Alright alright, enough banter at my expense. Just fix me up."

________________________

Ratchet vents slowly, steadying himself for the next examination. "Jazz, please report to the medbay." After a few kliks, the saboteur strolls in as if he had been waiting near by, visor bright and a casual grin on his faceplates. "Wassup, Doc bot? Ya called for me?"

"Have a seat, Jazz." Ratchet gestures to the berth, then launches right into explaining about the IRD situation, knowing Jazz would not take gentle persuasion. Jazz's visor flashes in surprise. "Woah, rusty spikes? Ain't heard of that in vorns..." He trails off, then shrugs and hops up on the berth without further prompting. "Go ahead and scan away, Ratch. Gotta do what ya gotta do."

Ratchet nods, mildly surprised but grateful for Jazz's easy cooperation. He proceeds with the examination, starting with a full frame scan. Jazz stays still and quiet, visor following Ratchet's movements curiously but no wisecracks or questions. The scan is clear, so Ratchet moves on to the intimate inspection. Jazz doesn't even flinch as his paneling is manipulated, seemingly unaffected by the awkwardness of the situation.  

In short order, Jazz is also cleared and hops off the table. "All good, Doc bot?" At Ratchet's confirmation, Jazz nods and shoots him a finger gun gesture. "Glad to help out. See ya around!" And he departs as smoothly as he arrived.

Ratchet shakes his head wryly. Leave it to Jazz to take even the most uncomfortable exam in stride. He logs the results, then wearily calls the next bot on his list...

As Jazz turns to leave after his examination, Ratchet calls out to him.

"Jazz, hold on a moment. I have something else I wanted to ask you, regarding...personal matters." Jazz pauses and looks back over his shoulder, visor glinting curiously. "Oh yeah, Doc? What's on your processor?" Ratchet shifts a bit, unsure how to broach the subject delicately. Finally he decides the direct approach is best. 

"It's about you and Prowl. I know you two are...close." Ratchet raises an optic ridge meaningfully. "I want to be sure you are taking proper precautions, especially with this IRD outbreak happening." Jazz's visor brightens in understanding and he chuckles. "Me and Prowler? We're careful, Doc, don't you worry. Been together a long time now, we know how to mesh safely."

His voice takes on a more serious tone as he adds "But I appreciate you lookin' out for us. Wouldn't want my mech getting scrambled spike, you feel me?" Ratchet nods, satisfied with Jazz's answer. "I had to be sure. This outbreak could spread rapidly if we don't contain it. But I trust you two have things in hand."

Jazz gives him a casual salute. "You got it, Ratch. We'll be extra careful for now. Thanks for the check-in." With a parting wave, Jazz saunters out of the medbay. Ratchet watches him go, glad to have confirmation the two officers are being responsible. Now, time to call in the next bot.

______________

If Jazz has IRD

Ratchet's optics widen in dismay as Jazz's test results come back positive for IRD. The easygoing saboteur was the last bot he'd expect to be a carrier, but the evidence doesn't lie. "Jazz, I need you to return to the medbay immediately. Your test came back positive."

Jazz almost bolts into the medical bay, visor flashing in worry  "Positive? But how, i'm positive i aven't got any rust build up or nothin!" Ratchet frowns. "Be that as it may, you are infected and contagious. We need to start you on aggressive anti-rust treatments right away."

"Try to remember any recent interfacing partners, no matter how casual. Tracking the source is key to stopping this." Ratchet says gravely as he starts spraying Jazz down. Jazz looks thoughtful as Ratchet questions him about recent partners. "Honestly doc, it's just been me and Prowler for vorns now. We're exclusive as they come."

Ratchet frowns. "But the rust had to come from somewhere. Are you sure you haven't interacted with anyone else, even casually?" Jazz shakes his helm. "Nah mech, I got all I need with my Prowler. I ain't cheated on him or fooled around."

Ratchet vents heavily. "Then I don't understand how you contracted this, unless..." His optics widened in realization. Jazz looks at him curiously. "Unless what, doc bot?"

"That human's vehicle...did you and Prowl get intimate anywhere near it?" Ratchet asks pointedly it wasn't uncommon to pick up a rust stain from a random object, even more common on earth had the car had rust beforehand and now it had progressed to IRD due to Jazz catching it.

Jazz's visor brightens as his mouth hangs open remembering. "Ohhh scrap!" Ratchet sighs, pinching his nasal ridge. "You two need to be more careful where you interface!"

_____________________________

Prowl

A short while later, Prowl enters the medbay, doorwings held high and posture straight as always. "You wished to see me, Ratchet?" Ratchet gestures to the exam berth. "Have a seat, Prowl. I'm sure Jazz informed you of the situation."  

Prowl's doorwings twitch slightly as he perches on the edge of the berth. "Yes, he briefed me on the details. An uncomfortable circumstance, but a necessary precaution."

Ratchet nods, relieved Prowl is being reasonable so far. "I appreciate your understanding. I'll be as quick and professional as possible."

Prowl simply inclines his head in acceptance. "Do what needs to be done, Ratchet." 

When the test comes back positive it has Ratchet rather stunned as he looks at Prowl. Thinking it had to be a glitch in his system. Was Prowl the culprit? Or had Jazz had it and given it to him. Had one of them interfaced with the car that was currently riddled with IRD. 

Nonetheless, the results don't lie. Ratchet leans heavily on the console, processor racing over how to handle this sensitive situation. Rubbing his temples, Ratchet looks over to the SIC. "Prowl, your test came back positive. You have interfacing rust disease." 

Prowl's optics flare in shock before he regains control of his expression. "That...cannot be. There must be some mistake." Ratchet shakes his helm before walking over with the results  "I ran it twice. You are infected." He fixes Prowl with a stern look. "I need you to tell me exactly how this might have happened."

Prowl is silent for a long moment, gaze darting away in what Ratchet swears is guilt before he finally speaks. "There was...an incident off-base. With a civilian vehicle. I believed it to be unoccupied at the time. I wasn't aware it was one of the humans on base until cycles Ago" 

Ratchet vents harshly. So his suspicions were correct. This is a serious breach of conduct from the normally uptight SIC. "Alright Prowl, listen closely. I will keep this discreet and between us, no one else is to know of this.  Here's what we are going to do..." Ratchet outlines the treatment plan, quarantine procedures, and future disciplinary action for Prowl's conduct. It's an incredibly awkward conversation, but a necessary one to contain the spread of this outbreak.

___________________________

The twins Sunstreaker & Sideswipe

Ratchet vents heavily as he checks his list and sees the next two names: Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. The dreaded "terror twins", as the other Autobots called them. This was one exam Ratchet was not looking forward to in the slightest. Still, it had to be done. Best to get them both in and out as quickly as possible.

"Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, report to the medbay immediately." Ratchet commend. 

Eventually the twins stroll in, Sunstreaker looking irritated and Sideswipe with a cheeky grin. "What's up Doc Bot? You rang?"

Ratchet crosses his arms. "Have a seat, both of you." He states before they comply, Sunstreaker growling and hissing at Sideswipe to stop bouncing around. Ratchet launches into explaining about the IRD outbreak, and is met with predictable outrage.

"No way am I letting you poke around down there!" Sunstreaker shouts, while Sideswipe just cackles. Ratchet rubs his temples as a processor ache builds. It takes nearly a full lecture and argument before he finally convinces them to submit to the exam. 

"One more thing. The contamination we detected was on a human's vehicle. I need to know if either of you have been...interfacing...with any of the indigenous population's machinery."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe freeze, optics wide. Then they immediately round on each other. "It was you, wasn't it!? Couldn't keep it in your spike plating around the fleshies!" Sunstreaker shouts accusingly at Sideswipe. He knew Sideswipe got along well with the humans even on occasions flirting with them. 

"What!? I don't go near those cars!" Sideswipe retorts. "You're the one with all those weird kinks, I bet you fragged one of their cars!" He argues back pointing a digit at the golden yellow mech. The two descend into bickering and shoving as Ratchet looks on incredulously. Finally he steps between them with a roar.

"Enough! It doesn't matter which one of you glitches did it, the fact is it happened! If I find out you two have been violating the humans' vehicles again, I'll weld your spikes to your afts!"

Ratchet vents harshly, anger simmering through his lines. He makes a mental note to examine the security footage, determine which twin was the likely culprit, and recommend punishment to Prowl. 

As he runs the test the two mechs bicker and make fun of each other. Pointing out paint marks and such as Ratchet takes samples and runs scans. "Hold still, you glitch!" Ratchet snaps as Sideswipe squirms away while he's trying to take a sample. 

"Not my fault, Sunny's ugly face is putting me off!" Sideswipe cackles.

"You wanna see ugly? Look in the mirror, afthead!" Sunstreaker shoots back.

"What's this paint transfer on your thigh plating, Sideswipe?" Sunstreaker sneers. "Been grinding on the native's vehicles?"

"It's from that silver firebird we raced last week, spikesucker!" Sideswipe retorts. "At least I can get some action, unlike you!" Ratchet finally loses his patience. "Enough! One more word out of either of you and I'll dismantle your vocalizers! Now sit still and shut up so I can finish this!"

The twins fall sullenly silent under Ratchet's withering glare. Ratchet vents harshly and continues the invasive examination. Finally the console beeps with the analysis complete. Ratchet checks the results and vents harshly, spinning to face the twins with a thunderous look. "One of you glitches IS infected! These sample results just came back positive for IRD!"

________________________

Sideswipe  with IRD

The twins go still, optics widening in shock. Sideswipe immediately points at Sunstreaker. "I knew it! It's gotta be him!" "What!? Don't try to pin this on me, I'm clean!" Sunstreaker shoves Sideswipe Hard. 

Ratchet steps between them again. " We'll have to run targeted scans on your interface arrays to isolate whichever one of you is the carrier." Both twins squirm at that but grudgingly comply with the invasive scans. After tense kliks, the results finalize - and it's Sideswipe that tests positive.

Sunstreaker crows in triumph while Sideswipe whines "No way, that's impossible!"

Ratchet crosses his arms sternly. "The scans don't lie. Sideswipe, you have some explaining to do. And we need to start containment and treatment immediately before you spread this any further."

Sunstreaker hovers nearby, arms crossed and expression stony. He refused to leave his twin's side despite not being infected himself. Finally Sideswipe breaks the silence in a small voice. "Am I gonna be okay, Doc? This isn't gonna like, permanently damage me right?"

Ratchet vents softly. "You'll be fine, Sideswipe. The contamination is surface-level on your equipment. I can flush your lines and replace the infected components, the rust hasn't set in to seriously"

Sideswipe relaxes slightly. "Oh good. Cause I can't be my irresistible self if my spike doesn't work right, you know?" He laughs weakly. Sunstreaker just huffs. "This is what you get for not being more careful where you stick that thing." "Yeah yeah, lecture me later." Sideswipe waves a hand dismissively. "So how long am I gonna be quarantined, Ratch?"

"At least 2 orns." Ratchet replies. "To allow sufficient time for the decontamination and replacement procedures, and ensure you are no longer infectious." Sideswipe groans dramatically but doesn't argue further. Ratchet finishes sealing off the area then starts preparing for the intensive but necessary treatments. He shoots Sideswipe a wry look. "Let this be a lesson to you in safe interfacing from now on."

As Ratchet starts Sideswipe's treatment, he gives the frontliner a stern look. "What in Primus' name possessed you to interface with one of the humans' vehicles anyway? You know that's strictly prohibited."

Sideswipe squirms. "I dunno, I was overcharged one night after a party and that sleek little sports car was just sitting there, seemed like a good idea at the time." Sunstreaker smacks his brother up the back of the helm. "You idiot! I can't believe you were so stupid." He glares accusingly at Sideswipe. "This better not get us thrown in the brig, I am NOT sacrificing my time or getting benched for your depraved actions."

"Ow! Okay okay, I'm sorry!" Sideswipe rubs his helm sullenly. "It was a dumb thing to do. But come on, you can't say you've never been tempted to fool around with any of their hot rides." He yelps as Sunstreaker smacks him again. "Don't even try to drag me into this. Just accept you're a moron and be glad Ratchet can fix your mess."

___________________________

Sunstreaker with IRD

"Well well, looks like we found our culprit." Ratchet gives Sunstreaker a withering look. "You've got some explaining to do, mech." Sunstreaker scowls defensively. "It's not my fault! How was I supposed to know those 'Cons had rusty spikes?" 

Ratchet vents harshly. "You were interfacing with Decepticons? Are you glitched in the helm!?" Sideswipe cackles gleefully. "Ooooh Sunny's in trouble! Who'd you 'face, the Constructicons?"

Sunstreaker's plating flushes with energon. "No! It was just the stunticons, alright!? Motormaster said they were clean!" Ratchet resists the urge to bang his helm on something. "Of all the idiotic, reckless....do you have any idea how dangerous this is!? For you, for everyone on this base?"

He jabs a finger at Sunstreaker. "You are confined to quarters until I sort this out. And if I find you've endangered anyone else with your stupidity, I'll have you in the brig faster than you can say ‘Mercy’!" 

Sunstreaker looks properly chastised, mumbling apologies “I need to know exactly which Stunticon you were with." Ratchet huffs out optics staring Sunstreaker down. Sunstreaker stops, shoulder plating hunching as he looks back with a sullen expression. "Do I have to say? It's embarrassing."

Ratchet crosses his arms, entirely unmoved. "You brought this on yourself with reckless behavior. I need all the details to contain this outbreak. Now tell me, who was it?"

Sunstreaker mumbles something inaudible, scowling at the floor. Ratchet's optics narrow. "Speak up!"

Finally Sunstreaker spits out "Breakdown, alright! We've been meeting up sometimes after battles. But he said they were all clean! And i got frisky with one of the sports cars on Base is that what you want to know!" Ratchet vents harshly, shaking his helm. "First rule of dealing with Decepticons - never take them at their word. You're damn lucky to only have IRD and not something worse. And damn lucky i can fix that car you scuffed up" 

He points sharply at the door. "Now get out. You're confined to your quarters until I clear you." Sunstreaker ducks out swiftly, plating still flushed in embarrassment. Ratchet logs the details with another heavy sigh. ___________________________________________________

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[contactinfonotfound]

What i think potc characters would smell like

rust, wet dirt, and frankly, b.o.

as the movies progress, he'd probably smell more and more like wood, more dirt, and sea salt.

in the first movie, i could see her having a very vague floral scent. nothing too strong, but something that just tells you she's well kept.

as the movies progress, just like will, she'd probably smell like wood, dirt and sea salt.

dove soap. i can't explain it, i know they did NAWT have dove soap in the 17-1800's. but that's exactly what he smells like in my mind.

to put it short: disgusting. he's a pirate who's only sense of being clean is being thrown overboard into the damn ocean. you could smell him from a mile away.

to go more in depth, he'd smell like wet dog, salt, and his jacket accents and belts would probably smell heavily of rusted, sour metal. and his breath would probably be the most foul thing ever. it'd probably smell like death from many dental problems, and rum--which also definitely adds to the dental problems.

i love jack as much as the next person but bro. he's a filthy pirate. he probably hasn't scurvy and with his track record, 100 stds. in reality, he'd be super gross.

[itsseohannbin]

• The Blackened Heart • Part One

A Han Jisung Mini Series

© itshannjisung, 2024

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Genre: Pirate SKZ

Pairing: PirateThief!Jisung x Female Captain Reader x Ex-Bandit Lino

Summary: When Y/N, Captain of the Blackened Heart, gets offered a large sum of money to deliver a thief to the Jarl of Serpent Point, she and her crew greedily accept. But while spending time with the familiar thief during their long journey back home, she realizes just how important human connection can be, even for a pirate.

Warnings: Pirate SKZ. Swearing. Mentions of weapons. Violence. Mentions of brothels. Small mention of death.

** The author has left out some warnings to create an element of surprise with certain topics in/throughout this chapter. Reader discretion is advised. **

Word Count: 8.5k

A/N: I am aware that a lot of concepts and ideas throughout this fic will not be historically and biblically accurate. I've done my fair share of research about pirates of all kinds, from all different eras and countries, and I know pirates never lived lavishly; they didn't have proper tools for healthy hygiene, they never had 'fancy' meals, they never had access to first aid/doctors to help tend to their wounds after battle or when illness struck, their beds were often nothing but a wooden board and some thin cloth. I know not all dubloons rounded off to $16, and gems were rare to find. I know that in some eras, guns and bows didn't even exist, making combat difficult and more intense with only swords and daggers alike. I know chewing tobacco and pipes were commonly used, and STDs were common amongst the members of the crews.

Let me reinstate that.. **I AM AWARE OF ALL OF THIS AND SO MUCH MORE** 

However, for the sake of this fic and where I wanted it to go, I changed a lot of those things. I pulled a lot of inspiration for this fic not only from Lalalala MV and the Rockstar comeback, but from video games that I’ve played that had pirates and jarls and thieves alike in them as well (mostly ESO, Skyrim, Assassins Creed, ect.).

So, as I've said, I am aware not everything in this is accurate, a lot of the lore and concepts are farfetched and not entirely realistic, but at the end of the day, there is NOTHING realistic about Pirate SKZ 😋

Happy Reading Everyone! Your thoughts and feedback is always appreciated. Enjoy! ♡

Serpent Point was, by far, the most repulsive city you've ever set foot in, and you were ashamed that you had once called the place home.

The small city sprawled out like an ugly scar across the dirty coastline, barely protected by the dead and decaying trees of the forest surrounding it. With rusted hulls, scavenged scraps, and towering heaps of trash, it felt as though it was built by the vermin that scurried across the streets and flooded the docks. Salt and sweat hung heavy in the air, mixed with the sharp sting of tobacco smoke and the lingering fumes of the nearby fish-processing plant, making anybody who stepped foot on Serpent Point soil gag from its intensity.

As you walked towards the shore, your old, muddy boots click-clacked against the broken wooden dock, your quartermaster and personal guard flanking your sides. 

"I'll never understand how we always end up back here," Chan spoke with venom in his tone as he eyed the rickety old fort in the distance that was once his childhood home. Even from the shoreline, you could make out the large cracks stretching out across the stone structure, moss and mildew creeping from every fissure like an untreatable disease.

"I don't understand how the two of you even survived here," Lino commented shortly after, a shake of his head causing his chocolate-brown hair to sway back and forth. With a look of utter disgust, he side-stepped an old man who was sprawled on the dirt, hands reaching for Lino’s trousers with desperate, drunken eyes. It wasn't until the old man began shouting incessantly that the smell of alcohol wafted from his mouth straight to your nostrils, and you pinched your nose closed in revolt. 

"Believe me, it wasn't by choice," you murmured, pushing forward and ignoring the babbling drunk. "If it had been, I'd be born anywhere but here."

"Amen," Chan agreed under his breath.

The walk to Fort Foucher, the Jarl's residence, was quick—partially because the city was small, but mostly because the three of you had little patience for the staggering drunks and pitiful beggars who clogged the streets.

Once you reached the entrance to the Fort, the Jarl's guards welcomed you in with disgruntled noises and curses beneath their breaths. The Jarl may have been expecting you, requesting you specifically by name, but that didn't mean his men held any sort of respect towards females in power. They spat nasty remarks and looks of disapproval your way despite the two menacing men at your side, and their frowns deepened impossibly more when you walked past the group of them with a certain confidence in your stride. It took everything in you not to release your dagger from its scabbard and huck it their way.

You were here on special request from the Jarl himself, and if you didn't need the coin he hinted at in his letter, you would have yet to show up to this low-class city to begin with. Killing his men before meeting with the man himself was not the brightest idea, no matter how tempting it may be.

Thankfully, a short, stubby man in a dirty blue coat and off-white stockings signaled from the back of the main foyer, pulling you from your murderous thoughts. He was waiting patiently to guide you to the throne room himself as if you hadn't been inside the Fort countless times before.

After catching your attention, the pudgy male turned and began walking away. He didn't even bother to make sure you were following as he led you down the old, dilapidated hallway to the set of double wooden doors at the end, where the Jarl would be waiting for your arrival just beyond.

The man stopped short just before the entrance to the room, bowed lazily to you and your men, and then opened the doors, granting you access inside. You took a deep breath as the golden light spilt from the room, making the hallway's darkness seem all the more oppressive behind you.

"After you, Cap," Lino spoke in a hushed tone, one hand waving you into the room while the other sat dangerously on the sharp dagger at his hip. His brown eyes flickered around the room, silently scouting for danger before you took another deep, calming puff of air and stepped inwards.

You bowed formally to the man in blue before entering the throne room, nerves bubbling in the pit of your stomach.

The first thing you noticed when you entered was the stench of old tobacco, worse than outside. That, mixed with the scent of wilting flowers and old wax, had you resisting the urge to scrunch your face up in disgust at the odor. It was an odd, unsettling combination, causing bile to rise up your throat that you had to push back down forcefully.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite buccaneer," Jarl Foucher’s voice scraped against your ears in the most unpleasant way. He struggled off of his raggedy old chair and opened his arms wide in welcome with a toothy grin on his face. His long, dirty grey hair was pulled back from his temples, allowing you a full view of his gross, scraggly beard. His teeth were yellow and chipped, his breath reeking of smoke and moonshine even from across the room, and his eyes were wrinkled and faded from their natural green into something almost stale and completely lifeless.

He looked exactly how you remembered him to be.

"Jarl Foucher," you smiled back, the action forced and not at all reaching your eyes. You lowered yourself respectfully to the floor before him, Chan following suit. Meanwhile, Lino remained still at your side, his eyes flittering over the guards cautiously. The raised pink scar that slashed over his left eye and down his cheekbone twitched in anticipation as his body tensed, his face hard as stone.

"Greetings Cristoff," Foucher barely spared his estranged son a glance before his attention was on Lino, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. You turned slightly to glare up at Lino, silently yelling at him to get on the ground and bow to the Jarl, but instead, Lino just stood unwavering, looking calm, cool and completely collected.

“And who may this gentleman be?” Foucher asked, his eyes lingering on the man, sharp and calculating. “I haven’t seen him amongst your crew before.”

“This is my guard, Lino Lee.” You spoke carefully, hoping to break some of the tension that was rolling off of Lino’s shoulders in waves as Foucher analyzed him. He seemed unbothered, but you know it was only an act he performed in the presence of authority figures. He hated Royals with a burning passion.

“The boys and I pulled him from the sea a while back after his boat up and sank, and he’s been indebted to us ever since. Rest assured, he poses you no harm.”

Foucher scrutinized Lino with curiosity, but his gaze eventually returned to you.

“A rogue bandit put in charge of keeping you safe? Surely you’re not that foolish, Captain.” The Jarl’s eyes gleamed with amusement as if he could tell what dirty things were going on between you and Lino behind closed doors. It was hard to resist Lino’s rogue image and impeccable charm, you had to admit that, and you hoped to god it wasn’t as obvious to the Jarl as it was to the rest of your crew.

Yes, you and Lino indulged in each other regularly while out at sea, you were only human after all, but everything that happened between the two of you was purely physical. There were no lingering feelings, second guesses or confusion as to what you two were to each other. You two had been clear and concise from the moment you first took that step only a few months prior, and you were determined to keep it that way for as long as possible.

Not that the Jarl needed to know any of that, but based on the look he was giving the two of you now, you knew he suspected romance was in play. You felt a sudden urge of determination to shut his suspicions down, but you didn’t want to draw any more attention to it than deemed necessary.

“I can assure you, Your Majesty, Lino is no longer a bandit, and as I’ve said, he is indebted to me.” You tried to assure him. “He has pledged himself in my honor and strayed from the path he once walked. I apologize for his defiance, he is still getting accustomed to life on Royal territory.” 

With a nod of his head, Foucher turned his body around to address his guards in a silent conversation, no doubt telling them to keep an eye on the young lad, and in that time, you reached over and punched Lino on his leather-clad arm.

“Ow! Why?” he hissed under his breath.

Ah yes, Lino Lee, the man of many words.

“Show some respect,” you growled in a low tone. “You’re in the presence of the leader of Serpent Point.”

Lino rolled his eyes, his fingers coming down to fiddle with the sheath that one of his two daggers rested in; the matching one sat on his opposite hip.

“After everything he’s done to Chan? To you? Not a chance.” Lino glowered back quietly. You raised your eyebrow and gave him a look of warning at his usual act of defiance. The two of you then stared off for a second, silently challenging one another, before Lino’s eyes fell from yours and he gave in like he always did when it came to you. He may have quickly established himself the title of the crew’s most lethal and loyal protector, but you were the one who had control of the leash.

“Fine,” he grumbled under his breath. “I’ll be as respectful as I need to be, but I’m not getting on this filthy floor to bow down to him.”

You had to resist the urge to roll your eyes at him again. As if he hadn’t lain on floors worse than this in his days of being a delinquent.

A smart-ass remark sat on the tip of your tongue, but before you could release it, Foucher turned back around and clapped his hands, capturing everyone's attention once again.

“Everything alright, Captain?” he asked with a smirk, staring at you as if to say ‘trouble in paradise already?’. You straightened your back and gave him an assured nod of your head.

“Everything is fine, Your Majesty. I do, however, have a lot of work to be done on my ship before our scheduled departure come morning. As much as I hate to cut our visit short, may I ask why you’ve called upon us today?”

The words rolled off your tongue with a bitter aftertaste, but Foucher barely registered the annoyance in your tone, his smile warm as he retreated to his seat.

“Of course,”

You, Chan and Lino, waited patiently in silence while Foucher settled back into the worn-out fabric. A couple of long seconds passed by before he spoke again, his fingers tapping against one another in boredom.

“Queen Aliyah of Cliffpoint Hollow has sent word that she has a criminal sitting in her jailhouse. The criminal in question is a thief who has been robbing me and my men for nearly a decade. He had escaped our jail unnoticed merely three years ago and he’s been evading us ever since.”

You gave Foucher an expressionless look while you waited for him to continue, wondering what any of this had to do with you and your crew. Meanwhile, Chan’s eyes practically bulged out of his face, his mouth open in surprise.

“Wait, the Queen Aliyah? As in-”

“The leader of the land, ruler of Fatewatch? Yes, indeed, the very one.” Foucher confirmed, cutting Chan off without a glance his way. His eyes stayed focused on you as he continued with his proposal.

“I have a chest in my treasury containing more than fifty thousand gold doubloons, alongside a large amount of stolen gems and jewelry. I cannot be bothered to take it all to a moving man, so the lot of it can be yours if you travel to Cliffpoint and bring that thief back to me.”

Your jaw dropped disrespectfully in utter shock, and you felt both boys tense up beside you at the offer. Fifty thousand gold was an unfathomable amount of money. If each of those coins was valued at sixteen dollars a piece like they usually were, you were looking at at least eight hundred thousand dollars in gold, not including the stolen goods.

You’d be stupid to turn that down.

However, if there was anything you learned from your time spent at sea, it was that everything came with a price.

Absolutely everything.

“Sir, I-”

Foucher cut you off abruptly with a raise of his hand.

“I would prefer him alive, but he is known to be quite cocky at times, so if it comes down to it, his dead body will do. Of course, it’ll dock your pay, but I’m sure you’d still have enough to cover the costs to get your beloved ship back in order.”

Foucher waited while you, Lino and Chan exchanged mixed looks of confusion, apprehension and disbelief. The room was silent for a few minutes as the three of you attempted to process the information.

That was until Lino opened his mouth.

“And what exactly is it that this thief stole from you?” Lino spoke suddenly, cocking his head to the side like a cat as he eyed Foucher as if he were merely a peasant and not the goddamn overseer of the entire northern point of Fatewatch. “How bad of a crime did he commit to justify us travelling across the globe to fetch him for you? Why not let the Queen kill him instead?”

“Lino!” you hissed between clenched teeth, seemingly having enough of his attitude. “Will you cu-”

“It’s alright Captain,” Foucher raised his hand to cut you off once more, a sly smile on his face. “The bandit has the right to ask, I suppose.”

Your fingers twitched as Foucher raised from his seat and walked towards the three of you again, his hands folded neatly behind his back. A sense of unease washed over you as you took in his calm and relaxed facade.

“You see when I was a young boy, my mother fell incredibly ill and passed away tragically. When she died, she left behind her ring, one that had been passed down through generations and generations of ancestors before me, and this criminal stole it from right under my nose. He now wears this ring on his pointer finger like some trophy he’s won for robbing me blind. I simply want it back.”

Lino scoffed as he crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest, raising an eyebrow in defiance. “You want us to travel halfway across the globe to fetch you a flimsy ring?”

Before anyone could say another word, Foucher’s hand retreated from behind his back, and in one swift motion, he backhanded Lino across the face. Foucher’s eyes burned hot as he smacked the younger man, and if it weren’t for Foucher then raising his hands to halt the guards behind him who were bustling for a fight, you would’ve run to Lino’s side.

However, shock rendered you stuck in place.

Lino stood in shock as well at the Jarl’s actions. A strand of hair fell into his face, but he didn’t bother trying to fix it. He simply stood there, eyes angry as he whipped his head back to glare at the Jarl, whose eyes widened in what you could only assume was a sliver of fear at the dangerous look now planted on Lino’s face. 

For a second, you worried for the Jarl’s life, but Lino didn’t move, for which you were thankful. He may have hated Royals with every fiber of his being, but he knew when to fight back and when not to. You silently thanked the gods that he didn’t retaliate.

“Watch your tongue, boy.” Foucher snapped, seemingly masking his terror behind his title of authority. Droplets of spit spewed from his mouth and into Lino’s face. “That ring is a family heirloom. Sixteenth-century gold, embedded with only the finest diamonds and rubies alike. You should be thankful a lowlife pillager like yourself will even be able to set his sights on something so magnificent.”

Without a second thought, Foucher stepped away from a now-fuming Lino and approached you with a wide, almost sadistic smile. The anger in his eyes had vanished so quickly it nearly gave you whiplash, and you had to slightly raise your fingers to stop Lino from rushing to your defense.

“So, Captain. Whaddya say?”

You opened your mouth to give him your answer, to tell him just exactly where he could shove his chest of treasure and stolen goods when Chan spoke up first, cutting you off. His tone was harsh and venomous, clearly pissed at Foucher’s assault on his crewmate.

“But Father,” he paused and corrected himself quickly with a smirk. “Sorry, Foucher. Why are you asking this of us? You have an entire army of men at your beck and call, as well as one of the best navigators in the country no doubt naked in your bed as we speak. Why do you need us to do this for you?”

Although it was meant as a dig at the Jarl and his piggish personality, Foucher laughed humorlessly at Chan’s words. The sound was like metal scraping metal, and it made all the hair on the back of your neck stick up.

“Well because, dear Cristoff,” Foucher spoke his name with a sneer. “Captain Y/N and the crew of the Blackened Heart have unfortunately become infamous across the country. Stories of your victories have been passed through taverns and inns alike for years. It’s the only reason I haven’t called on you to return to my side. If there’s anyone who could travel to Cliffpoint Hollow and bring this criminal back to me, it’s you guys.”

Your face reddened immensely at the Jarl's sudden praise.

“Cliffpoint is merely a few months or so away, and quite frankly, none of my men are trained and confident enough to make the trek themselves. As I said, do this and the three of you, alongside the other five, will be rewarded greatly for your service. We’ll provide you with enough supplies for you and your goons to make the journey there, as long as you bring that scum of a human being back to me so I can put an end to his pathetic life once and for all.”

It felt like a dream. Sure, Cliffpoint Hollow was a long journey from home, halfway across the globe as Lino had pointed out before, but if all you had to do to earn fifty thousand gold was deliver a thief to the Jarl’s doorstep, you’d be stupid not to say yes.

You looked at Lino, whose cheek was still burning red, silently asking for his opinion. He ignored the stinging in his face and shrugged at you nonchalantly, but the twinkle in his eyes showed he was anxious for the adventure.

Or maybe he was just anxious to get the hell away from Serpent Point once and for all before his annoyance took over and he beheaded the Jarl before anyone could blink an eye.

Chan gave you a nod of encouragement as well, clearly desperate to experience the world the way he said he wanted to when he walked out on his father and showed up at your ship all those years ago. This was a free ticket across the globe, something he never would’ve been granted if he still lived under Foucher’s watch. There was no way he was turning this down.

You cocked your head back to look at Foucher, rubbing your hands nervously against the black trousers you wore. You cleared your throat once, bringing yourself to ask the one question you were dying to know since the mission was brought upon you.

“What’s the thief's name?” you inquired with a raised brow. If Foucher was asking this of you, whoever it was had to be important. And transporting important prisoners usually came with enemies who would do anything to make sure the jailbird wouldn't make it back alive. If you were going to potentially put your men in danger, you needed details.

Foucher must’ve mistook your question as a ‘yes’, because he clapped his hands and opened his arms wide, a joyous victory on his lips. He smiled brightly at you and he came forward, wrapping his large, wrinkly hands around your face and holding you like you were the most precious thing in the world to him.

The feeling made your gut twist uncomfortably.

“Maybe you’ve heard of him. He’s Scout’s youngest boy. You know Scout, yes?”

Your teeth clenched tightly the second the name left his mouth. A burning coil of anger sparked in your stomach as you recognized the name of the leader of the Thieves Den. The one who took everything from you, including your family. The one who committed the bloodiest heist on Serpent Point soil and still somehow got away. The memory of it punched you in the chest, while the memory of his son nearly brought you to your knees completely.

This was why Foucher wanted you and your crew to do this. This was why he called upon you and your men to take on such a task, making such an unfathomable offer for the job.

Anybody in the world could do it. City patrons and pirates alike have been doing so for years with little to no payout as a reward.

This wasn’t just a delivery mission.

It was a test of loyalty.

One he was expecting you to fail if the sparkle in his eyes was anything to go by.

Fifty thousand gold hung in the balance, and you were determined to get it. Not only for you but for the seven men who happily followed you and worked for you as if you were their Queen.

Your hands clenched into fists, your nails digging into your palms hard enough to draw blood, but the Jarl continued to speak, completely unaware of the turmoil happening in your chest.

“He was the one who ambushed me and my men in Fogrush Bay. I believe he goes by -”

“Peter fucking Han II.” you seethed.

“I’m just saying, if Queen Aliyah is the leader of all of Fatewatch, why does she live on a whole other continent instead of here?” Lino grumbled, trailing after you and Chan as the three of you made your way back to the docks. His confusion drew hearty laughs from you and Chan, echoing in the quiet dawn that settled over the town.

“Who knows, Li,” you shrugged, stepping aside to let a small carriage clatter past before falling back in line. “Maybe the rum is just better in Cliffpoint.”

Lino scowled, unimpressed. “Doesn’t make a damn bit of sense to me.”

You chuckled, enjoying how such a trivial mystery could get under his skin so easily. It was a welcome distraction from the anxiety that still swirled in your gut after that tense meeting with Foucher. Lino probably sensed it too; he had a knack for reading your mood without a word, one of the reasons why he was such a reliable guard—and an even better lover if you might add.

“Nothing ever makes sense to you, Lino. You’re about as dense as Paisley’s baking.” Chan’s grin was wide as he gave Lino a playful shove, making him stumble.

“Oh, shut it, Chan,” Lino muttered back, though a reluctant smile crept onto his face as he regained his footing.

“Just another one of life's greatest mysteries,” you teased.

Lino rolled his eyes, nose wrinkling in irritation. “Like the time you got all riled up about why cats stick their tongues out when they’re happy.” you then added with a grin.

Lino’s dark eyes slid to you, narrowing in a faux glare. “Yeah, well, at least felines are cute.” You snickered and patted him on the back in mock reassurance.

“Hey. I hear Queen Aliyah’s pretty cute too.” You winked, but Lino’s gaze darkened to a scowl, and for a moment, you caught the dangerous edge in his expression, sending goosebumps down your arms.

“As if I give a damn,” Lino sneered. “You know how much I despise royals.”

Chan clicked his tongue disapprovingly, bringing your attention back to him. “Listen, Lino,” he smirked, pink creeping up his cheeks. “You don’t have to fancy royals for them to be a good lay.”

His words made you scoff and cross your arms before granting him a bored look. “Oh, please Channie—you’re practically a virgin.”

Chan’s eyes widened, mouth gaping, too stunned to speak as he tripped over his own feet. Righting himself, he looked at you in betrayed disbelief.

“I am not!” he finally managed, clutching his chest dramatically. You ignored the strange looks the three of you were now receiving from passers-by and gave him a sly but interested smile in return.

“Oh, is that so? You’ve spent the last five years at sea with me. When exactly would you have had a chance to ‘entertain’ a royal?”

The colour in Chan’s cheeks deepened, and suddenly, he looked like a man with a story to tell. He shrugged, straightening with a newfound confidence before Lino draped an arm over his shoulders in intrigue.

“Let’s just say, Jarl Alderidge’s daughter wasn’t the only woman I… indulged in back when I was set to court her,” he admitted. You and Lino both raised your eyebrows at him in question, trying to piece together his meaning.

Chan had left his father's side when he was barely eighteen years old. He was set to court and marry a royal from a few cities over, but he left shortly after the courting began.  You blinked a couple of times, thinking back to the awful family he was supposed to be wed into, and realisation finally dawned on you as the pieces fell into place. Your stomach turned in mock disgust as you reached out and gave him a light punch on the arm.

“Oh, for the love of—Jarl Alderidge’s wife?”

Chan blocked your half-hearted blow, laughing. “What? Lady Tatiana is a beautiful woman, and the opportunity presented itself. Who was I to deny her?”

You aimed another punch his way, but Lino quickly tugged you back with a laugh, one hand wrapped around your waist while the other clapped Chan on the shoulder. “Good grief, Channie, you should have been born in a brothel.”

The two of them snorted, and you rolled your eyes, suppressing the urge to smack the pride off their faces.

“Does Paisley know about this?” you asked, shaking off Lino’s arm and falling back into step beside them.

“Of course, she knows.” Chan’s expression softened at the mention of his soon-to-be wife. “I’d never keep anything from her. Paisley and I—there’s nothing we wouldn’t tell each other.”

You and Lino exchanged a look, simultaneously groaning in exaggerated disgust.

“Ew.”

“Gross.”

Chan shook his head and gave the two of you a pointed stare.

“What’s the matter with you two?” he asked, clearly offended by your reactions.

“Human connection is what’s the matter,” you answered with a shrug.

“It’s absolutely sickening,” Lino added with a cringe.

Chan's face fell. “What? What’s so gross and sickening about having an open and honest relationship with the one I love most? What is it about having someone to come home to after weeks at sea that makes the two of you so disgusted?”

You gagged theatrically. 

“Literally every part of what you just said.”

Chan then rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated. 

“You two are closer than anyone else I know. Isn’t that deeper than what Paisley and I have? Seungmo and Millie? Jinn and Ophelia?”

You let out a long sigh as the three of you finally stepped back onto the old, decaying dock. The boards of wood groaned beneath your feet, some barely holding together. “Oh please, Channie. There is absolutely nothing romantic between Lino and me. We’re just… mutually beneficial.”

“Right,” Lino agreed as you squeezed past the rows of empty carts crowding the walkway. “I’d rather jab a dagger into my own eye than settle down.”

Chan shot the bandit a look of pure disbelief.

“And I’m the one who belongs in a brothel?”

Both you and Lino shared a final laugh as you approached your ship, anchored at the end of the dock like a beast at rest. Leading the way, you crossed the narrow plank that bridged the dock to your vessel, landing with a solid thud.

Jinn, your sharp-eyed sailing master, was leaning against the railing, chewing idly on tobacco, while Binni, your burly artilleryman, sat next to him on a creaky old stool, the two of them mid-conversation. Their words stopped short the instant you touched down.

“Welcome back, Cap.” Jinn greeted, flicking his head to the side as he spat overboard without care. “How did things go with the Jarl?”

You let out a heavy exhale, mind already on the meeting you’d be calling shortly with the rest of your crew. They wouldn’t be happy that you decided on this new job alone; normally, the entire crew weighs in before a vote is held. But today, your gut had already made the call.

“Went fine. Important business,” you replied with a curt nod of your head, watching as Jinn’s expression tightened slightly in response. You then turned to Chan, the light-hearted mood from earlier gone. As soon as your feet hit the surface of your ship, it was business as usual. “Get everyone together below deck. Crew meeting in ten.”

Chan nodded, the humour in his eyes vanishing as he took off to round up the others. You barely spared him a second glance as you turned back to Jinn, whose lounging posture now told you he had no intention of springing into action like his crewmate.

“Are the twins back yet?” you asked.

“Not last I saw,” Jinn replied. “They went down to the market.” He raised a brow and shrugged, clearly unconcerned.

You let out a quiet sigh and glanced at Binni, who only gave you a knowing smile in return.

“Go get them, Jinn. We’re in a hurry.” 

You watched with little patience as Jinn rolled his eyes with all the petulance of a bored child. “Why me? Binni’s been sitting here gnawing on jerky all day. Let him get off his ass for once.” he complained in his typical tone of defiance.

Binni raised his eyebrows, slowly standing as he glowered at the younger male. Although he was a head shorter than Jinn, his solid build made him all the more imposing. He loomed over Jinn with a look that would send most men scurrying away in fear, but Jinn, ever used to the infamous glower, held his ground unfazed.

Before either of them could escalate, you stepped in between them, pushing each back a step.

“Enough,” you snapped before turning your glare back to your navigator. “Jinn, unless you’ve suddenly developed a talent for taking stock and loading the armoury, I suggest you stop whining and get moving.”

Jinn's face turned red, and with a small bow of compliance, he brushed past you, grumbling as he left the ship.

“Move it!” you called after him. “We don’t have all day!”

“I know, Cap!” he yelled back, though he picked up the pace as he disappeared down the dock. You watched him go in the dying light of day, shaking your head. “One more comment like that, Jinn, and you’ll be scrubbing bird shit off this deck for a month!”

Jinn spun to bow quickly once more before breaking into a jog, knowing full well you meant it. With a sigh, you turned back to Binni, but he was already stowing the stool and heading off below deck, tossing a salute over his shoulder.

“Inventory check. I’ll meet you down there when I’m done.”

You gave Binni a thankful smile as he ran off, leaving you to stand in the light of the sunset alone. There was a light breeze coming off the ocean across from you, and you allowed yourself a brief moment of peace, watching the sky morph from blues and whites to purples and pinks and oranges.

The smell of saltine water, the cool breeze of the summer air, the soft sway of the ship, the caw of gulls wheeling overhead. It was moments like these, moments of complete serenity, that you enjoyed the most, that made you feel completely grounded. It made you feel sentimental, reminiscing back to when you began your life as the first female pirate in all of Fatewatch. It reminded you why you began adventuring in the first place.

You stood for what felt like hours, watching the sky morph and change with each passing second. You admired the way the sun lowered itself on the horizon, bright and satisfied at the day's end, and how the clouds and warmth seemed to chase it. And although you always found the rise and fall of the large orange star in the sky beautiful, you couldn’t deny that you were aching for nightfall.

“You’ve been staring at that horizon for a long time now, Y/N.”

A slow smile spread across your face at the sound of the wooden artificial leg being dragged against the surface of the ship. A wooden door closing against its hinges a second later had you popping your eyes away from the sky to come face-to-face with the blue-haired boy from across the way.

“The Captain won’t like you skipping important meetings.” Yongbok teased with a smile. You sent him a bright grin as your arms folded across your chest.

“Hello Yongbokki.” you greeted, bumping your shoulder with his when he stopped beside you. He took a moment to gracefully lean his body against the railing behind him, a small wince flashing quickly across his freckled face. He was still getting used to living with his new leg, and you reached a hand out instinctively help support him.

“You guys made it back just in time,” he spoke as if he wasn’t in any pain at all, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he was no longer looking at you, but out across the ocean at the same horizon you were moments before, you would’ve scowled at him for trying to play it off.

“I think I finally perfected those salmon steaks I’ve been struggling with for the last month.” His eyes sparkled with pride and excitement at his small victory, meanwhile, your stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. You clapped him on the back with a pleased laugh. 

“Perfect timing, Yongbokki. We’ll have to set the table for everyone before the meeting starts. I have a feeling the boys will take my news better on full stomachs.”

Yongboks grin turned suspicious, one brow arched as you pushed yourself off the railing you were also leaning against and held a hand out to help him stand. 

“What did you do this time, Cap?” he teased. “Sold Binni to another cathouse I presume?”

You rolled your eyes, laughing once more as you took hold of his hand and headed towards the creaky old door that led below deck. “Will you let that go? That was one time!”

Yongbok’s laughter echoed as you entered the ship, veering down to the kitchen at the end of the corridor. “One time too many, Cap. If it happens again, I’m afraid Bin will be gone for good.”

Jinn returned moments after everyone else had settled at the dining table, Jeo and Seungmo trailing behind. The three of them exchanged quiet jokes as they hastily took their seats, their faces lighting up at the sight of the meal before them.

Fish steaks, steaming and fragrant, rested on thick wooden plates that Binni had crafted weeks prior. Cutlery was arranged meticulously beside them and metal tankards were filled to the brim with ale, allowing the table to be a testament to the care Yongbokki had poured into the preparation.

You leaned back slightly, observing your crew as they dug into the meal. Despite the unease swirling in your gut, you waited, letting them savour the peace of a shared dinner table before revealing the storm on the horizon.

You watched as Jinn, ever the orderly one, gestured for Seungmo to take the breadbasket from his hands, the corners of his mouth twitching up as he said, “You’ll thank me later for making sure you’re not just eating meat, Mo.”

Seungmo rolled his eyes, tearing into a piece of bread but muttering something about ‘overbearing mother hens.’ Jeo chuckled, his fox-like eyes catching yours briefly before he focused on his plate.

You felt the weight of the news pressing against your chest as you watched them—your crew, your family. The money Foucher offered was good, almost impossibly good, but there was that nagging whisper in the back of your mind, the one that suggested it might not be enough to sway them. Especially not Jinn and Seungmo.

When most of the plates were cleared, Jeo broke the casual hum of conversation. He wiped his mouth with a serviette and leaned forward slightly, his sharp, curious eyes locking onto yours.

“So, Cap,” he began, his tone light but pointed. “What’s this meeting for?”

Binni shifted, leaning back in his chair and tossing you a quizzical look, meanwhile, Seungmo perked up, his brows drawing together.

“Oh yeah! The meeting with Foucher. How’d it go?” his voice held a genuine curiosity, though you could see he was already trying to piece together why it needed to involve all of them.

Setting your fork down, you glanced at Lino and Chan, both of whom offered small, encouraging nods. That gave you just enough courage to speak.

“The meeting with Foucher went...well.” you began carefully, letting your words hang as you measured everyone's reactions. “He’s got another job for us.”

That caught their attention. Forks paused mid-air, and a hush settled over the surrounding tables where the two and a half dozen sailors under your command sat, waiting for you to finish. Jinn tilted his head slightly, studying you with a guarded expression as he began gathering a small stack of empty plates.

“What kind of job this time?” he asked, voice calm but curious.

You hesitated for a brief moment. “He wants us to travel to Cliffpoint Hollow,” you said finally, your voice firmer now. “We’re to escort a prisoner back to him.”

The impact of your words was immediate. Jeo, mid-drink, choked and nearly sent his ale spewing across the table, causing Lino to reach over and clap his back while he spluttered about.

“Cliffpoint Hollow?” Binni straightened abruptly, his easygoing demeanour gone. His wide eyes pinned you in place at your end of the table. “Did you just say Cliffpoint Hollow?”

“I did,” you confirmed with a single nod. Silence fell over the room again for a moment before Jeo spoke up once more.

“Captain, with all due respect,” he started in a gruff tone from his choking, his fingers now toying with the handle of the metal tankard in front of him. “We’re supposed to be on break right now. Seungmo’s dying to get home to see Millie, and Jinn still has yet to even meet his kid. I don’t think any of us could take on another adventure.”

Seungmo cast a glance towards you. Though he kept his expression neutral, the flicker of disappointment on his face was unmistakable. He was usually calm and composed, but even he had his limits.

You let out a heavy sigh, rubbing your temple before clasping your hands together on the table before you. You watched as Chan began wiping the dirty surface with an old rag before you continued your plea.

“Look, guys, I understand.” you grimaced before meeting Seungmo’s gaze again. He was leaning against the archway to the kitchenette, waiting for whatever you were to say next. “I know we were all looking forward to this break. But Foucher offered us more money than we’ve ever seen for a single job before—and you know what that kind of coin could mean for all of us.”

“Enough for how long though?” Binni asked with a wary glance. “I mean, we risk our necks for him time and time again, and all he does is keep upping the stakes. First, it’s cargo runs, now prisoner escorts halfway across the globe?”

Yongbok nodded in agreement from where he was standing next to Seungmo with his arms folded across his chest. His usual smile was nowhere to be found. “Binni’s right. This isn’t just a supply run or a simple trade, Cap. Cliffpoint Hollow, as beautiful as it may be, is nearly six months away, and that's if the ship is sturdy enough to make it. There's no other towns and outposts across the open waters for miles. There’s nowhere to stop for resupply, and if the rumours are true, those waters are crawling with hostiles.”

Murmurs of concern spread throughout the dining room, each of your men weighing the risk in their minds, grumbling and conversing in distress. You had to raise a hand to quiet them all down once more.

“I hear you guys. Believe me, I do. Your concerns and uneasiness do not go unnoticed. But this is fifty thousand gold we’re talking about here.  That’s not counting the stolen jewellery and gems Foucher’s throwing in as part of the deal.”

Jeo’s eyes widened, his initial shock giving way to an almost childlike excitement. Yongbok, too, couldn’t hide his intrigue, though he tried to mask it. Even Binni, skeptical as ever, seemed to soften at the mention of the payout.

But Jinn and Seungmo remained unmoved. Jinn crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “How do we even know he’s good for it?” he asked. “Did you see the loot, or are we just taking his word?”

“I saw it,” you said sharply, the lie tasting bitter on your tongue. “I wouldn’t be here asking this if I wasn’t sure.”

You didn’t need to see the loot to know Foucher had it. The loot was rightfully yours after all, though you weren’t about to admit that to your crew. You’d been keeping your past a secret from them for years, and the less they knew about it, the better.

Everyone was silent for another moment before Binni set the feet of his chair down on the wooden floorboards and leaned forward, his interest piqued.

“When does he want us to leave?” He asked. His tone was casual, but the weight of the question hung heavy. You swallowed roughly and let out an exhale

“At dawn.”

Seungmo was the first one to crack under the pressure. He surged forward in annoyance, his feet scratching loudly against the floor. 

“Are you fucking mad?” His voice rang with frustration, his cheeks flushed. “Jinn and I are supposed to be home by the end of the week. Home, Cap. To our wives!” His hand hit the table with a dull thud, punctuating his words as he leaned over the table. “You promised us the summer to rest!”

You opened your mouth to respond, but Seungmo was too far gone, his emotions taking over. “We just finished a brutal job from Hawthorne, and now you want us to play delivery boys for Foucher? Do you even hear yourself?”

Your jaw tightened. The reaction wasn’t unexpected, but the raw edge in Seungmo’s voice still cut deep. The room bristled with the tension of his outburst.

“Seung, sit down,” Lino said evenly, though his voice carried an edge of warning. His gaze darted briefly to you before returning to Seungmo. Seungmo, however, ignored Lino’s demand and hit the table again with another thud.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” his laugh was bitter. “We were supposed to go home. I mean, did you even stop to consider Jinn and I? I have a wife at home waiting for me, fuck. Jinn has a wife and a newborn baby boy that he hasn’t even met yet! Are you trying to tell me we’re not allowed to go home and see them? That we have to stop our lives and do Foucher’s bidding once again?”

“Seungmo, that’s enough!” Lino growled, his eye calculating the younger male’s every move. He knew Seungmo would never outwardly hurt you, not intentionally anyway, but Seungmo’s temper was a force all its own.

You stood abruptly then, slamming your hand down on the table hard enough to rattle the few tankards that were still being used. The sound snapped the room’s attention back to you. Your blood was beginning to boil from his insinuation.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” you snapped, your voice rising with authority. “You don’t think I took any of that into consideration when Foucher offered us the deal?” you nearly snarled at him. The room fell silent once more, every pair of eyes on you as you pushed forward, your voice shaking with conviction. 

“Of course, I want you two to go home and spend time with your family. I want all of us to have a break. But this isn’t just about today or tomorrow, Seungmo. This is about our future. All of ours. I want you and Yongbokki to have enough money to open the inn that you guys are always raving and ranting about in every goddamn city we stop in. I want Jinn to be able to afford a nursery for his son so the poor thing doesn’t have to room with them until he’s of age to leave home. I want Jeo to have enough money to open the orphanage he’s been planning out since he was thirteen, and I want Lino to start up the Fighter’s Guild in Eagles Bay. I want Chan and Binni to buy their own ship one day and continue on the legacy we started. I want all of us to be happy and content, and with the payout from this job, I know we can get all of that and more.”

You squeezed your hand into a fist and dug your nails into your skin, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself down before finishing.

“I only want what’s best for all of you.” your voice ran with unyielding conviction, though a tremor of emotion lurked beneath the surface. You swept your gaze over the rest of your crew members once before landing back on Seungmo again. “Don’t you dare, for even a second, think I don’t put you guys first in every decision I make.”

The room fell eerily silent. The faint sound of waves lapping against the dock outside was the only movement in the air, the tension thick and palpable. Seungmo’s hard expression wavered, his eyes narrowing slightly as your words pierced through his frustration. The defiance that had lit his face moments before began to soften, replaced by the faint shine of regret.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the effort.

“I-I’m sorry, Cap,” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. He dropped his head, the tips of his ears burning red. “I’m sorry for lashing out.” His hand moved quickly, swiping away at the corner of his eye before disappearing behind his messy brown hair.

The sight of Seungmo, the crews usually unshakable morale booster, humbled like this tugged at your chest. You leaned forward, reaching across the table to rest a hand on his shoulder. The fabric beneath your touch was worn but familiar, and you pressed your thumb into small circles, a gesture of quiet reassurance.

“It’s alright, Seung. Take a breath,” you said gently, the edge in your tone giving way to warmth.  You waited as he inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady himself.

“I understand your frustrations, and I’m sorry for not consulting with you guys first. If you truly want to go home, if any of you do…” you paused, letting your eyes sweep across the room. “We’ll drop you off on the way out. No hard feelings. Chan will keep your share safe until we return.”

The silence that followed felt heavier than before, a quiet reckoning passing through the room. Jeo fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve, his wide eyes darting nervously between Seungmo and Jinn, while Yongbok began chewing on the nail of his thumb, a nervous habit he picked up years ago. 

It was Binni who finally broke the tension, leaning back in his chair with his usual devilish grin. “I think I can speak for the majority of us when I say, we’re with you, Captain.” He let out a bark of laughter, his chair tilting precariously. “You’re a crazy sonofa bitch, but you’re our crazy sonofa bitch. I’m in.”

Jeo let out a breath of relief and nodded. “Me too,” he said, his voice lighter, though the faintest trace of unease lingered in his eyes.

“Aye,” Yongbok called out with glee.

You felt a swell of gratitude, but the real test lay in the two pairs of eyes that hadn’t yet confirmed their loyalty; Jinn and Seungmo. The room seemed to collectively hold its breath as attention shifted toward them.

Jinn was the first to speak, his mouth quirking into a faint smile.

“I’ve been meaning to pay a visit to Cliffpoint,” he said, his voice rumbling through the stillness. “If Ophelia finds out I had the chance to see her homeland and didn’t take it, I’d never hear the end of it.” His grin widened as he glanced around at the rest of the crew. “Besides, it’s not a true journey without all of us. Eight makes fate.”

Your heart lifted at his words, and you gave him a grateful nod before turning to Seungmo. All eyes fell on the young man, who shifted uncomfortably under their weight. His lips pressed into a thin line as he considered the implications of the decision before him.

The silence stretched, almost unbearable, until Seungmo let out an exasperated huff of laughter. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this,” he muttered, shaking his head as a reluctant grin tugged at his mouth.

You didn’t wait for him to say more. You reached across the table, pulling him into a firm, grateful hug. His shoulders were tense for a moment before he relaxed. Letting out soft chuckles as you squeezed him.

“Oh, hush up,” you said with a laugh, releasing him and falling back in your chair with ease. “By this time next year, we’ll be the richest pirates in all of Fatewatch.”

Jinn ran a hand through his hair, leaning casually against the edge of the table. His easy smile faltered for just a moment, replaced by a flicker of concern.

“I hope you’re right about this, Cap.” he said, his voice quieter now, though it held more warmth than doubt.

You felt that same unease twist in your gut but pushed it down, forcing a confident smile onto your face.

“I’m always right,” you replied, your voice steady. But as the room began to fill with the hum of conversation and plans for the journey ahead, that gnawing feeling in your gut refused to leave.

Because deep down, you knew this wasn't just another job. It wasn't just another risk.

This was a gamble with the stakes stacked so high that one wrong move could unravel everything you worked your ass off for—and not even fifty-thousand gold could buy your way out.

Tags: @moonlightndaydreams @collisvng @frequentlykit @channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @n0y4 @chuuyaobsessed @newhope8 @palindrome969 @krayzieestay @lunearta @nightmarenyxx @queen-in-the-shadows

⚓️Next Part ⚓️

[cplusplus-official]

Excellent blog! Do you as a C++ fan have an opinion on std::execution a.k.a. senders / receivers, the feature that P2900 and follow-on papers have introduced into the Working Draft for C++26?

Hi!

I didn't back when you asked the question, but I read up on P2300 and have come to some conclusions.

I generally view std::execution positvely. I, in truth, have never used std::async, with most of my parallelism work has been with std::thread and atomics, but from my understanding, they were not up to snuff, and this seems to actually improve significantly upon it.

I want the standard library to have a solid, easy-to-grasp solution for asynchronous operation and this seems to be it!

I'm gonna be unpopular, but I'm generally in favor of the committee pushing more standard, good-enough features like these into the standard library. In an environment ehere C++'s packaging ecosystem is still an incoherent mess to people who learn programming through Rust and Python, these features actually help people try out C++ without having a visceral reaction.

[velvetwyrme]

https://www.tumblr.com/velvetwyrme/773507430101450752/importante-lore-question-about-the-crotch-rust

Nooooooooooo because, Hehehe SHOCKWAVE seems the type to ignore something like an STI long enough for it to become literally part of him as long as it never interfered with his work or schedule.

Crotch is itchy?? Don’t matter cause this man has trained himself for millennia to ignore injuries and irritations while in his lab just to continue his researches and experiments.

Ignoring it until he basically looks/appears asymptomatic even on medical scans is so fucking him. And the horror of it implies he could literally be some kinda walking STD dispenser without 1) knowing or 2) Caring.

you might think itd be more logical to get it treated but CLEARLY he kept it as an experiment, you see. did it work? only shockwave knows...

i kinda just thought that he would. Eventually get it sorted (so that when eventually tested he comes up clean in the results) but uh. YEAH thats horrific and also really. amoral scientist behaviour sjkdfsjkdf,,

[itsjunetime]

tier list of rust std modules let's go

Rationale below the break

S

clone: It’s so important. You gotta be able to clone data around, and you gotta be able to restrict that ability. Crucial

collections: I use this every-fucking-where. Gotta have my HashSet, gotta have by BTreeMap. You know it

future: Love writing futures, love constraining futures, love all of that. And I gotta have that Future trait.

iter: Literally #1 - fucking love my iterations, wish I could write literally everything as an Iterator

option: Option is so fundamental. So many helper methods on it as well, beautiful functionality

ptr: If you’ve ever written complex ffi bindings or collections replacements, you know what I mean. The documentation is phenomenal and only getting better, the provenance projects are making it even even better.

result: Same rationale as option

sync: Arc my beloved. Also channels, mutexes, RwLocks, Atomics, etc, are all so important. Can’t do anything in multi-threaded code without using at least one of them.

vec: We all love Vec. I don’t think I need to explain myself.

A

alloc: Pretty cool and good, would love to see the allocator API stablized and then this would easily be an S tier

array: Manipulating arrays is very nice and good and useful, I just don’t don’t do it enough to put this in S

boxed: Love Box! Really nice and useful. Not something you’ll use in your every-day rust app, though, you only start using it once you’re really getting into the weeds or interacting with futures outside of async/await

cell: Very important to a lot of underlying abstractions in Rust, but just not something most people will really ever use (at least in my experience)

cmp: Useful utilities. Love the way they’re integrated with the langauge operators. V cool.

convert: Also useful! Love my (Try)?(From|Into)

default: Useful sometimes, but I feel like it’s abused occasionally. Also not a fan of seeing Default::default() where someone could’ve used the type name

fs: Gotta interact with a filesystem. Just feel like most rust apps spend most of their time not interacting with a filesystem.

marker: Very important, but most people won’t be interacting with these again.

mem: Love these, very useful, but mostly only useful for specific scenarios.

ops: Hugely important as well, obviously, but most people won’t ever actually manually access this module.

slice: Love manipulating slices - getting chunks, windows

B

borrow: Love Cow, but the whole Borrow vs AsRef thing still confuses me. I understand how they’re different, but I don’t quite understand the historical and tehcnical reasons for it, and feel like there could’ve been a better solution found to avoid this.

arch: Cool and such, but rarely used and a lot of the coolest stuff (portable simd) is still experimental and I rely on it a lot for performance reasons and really want it to stabilize soon.

error: std::error::Error. Woohoo

fmt: Nifty and such. It’s just kinda boring in comparison to all the other cool language features that exist in the standard library.

io: Cool, I guess. I just rarely every use it directly, I guess. And I am also kinda annoyed that AsyncRead and AsyncWrite aren’t things but also I think that the Async variants of traits could be avoided if people wrote more libraries in the sans-io style, so idk

panic: Mmm. I’m glad that the language provides a way for you to clean up during a panic, but I am personally really annoyed that panics are, in the end, recoverable. Irks me.

path: Path and PathBuf woohoo. Also tho such a pity that this module has to be a lot more complex due to windows backwards path separator bullshit. ugh

rc: Rc. Woohoo. I don’t like Rc much personally, I’ve written a lot of code in Rust and I’ve yet to encounter a scenario where I think “This situation could be solved or even helped by an Rc!”. But I understand its uses I guess.

str and String: Useful, yeah, but I’ll always be a bit pissed that they didn’t call them String and StringBuf instead (like they did with Path and PathBuf). Causes way too much confusion to early-on rust users

task: Useful, but I don’t get why they aren’t in future instead. Like, I guess they are used for streams and such, but still.

time: Fine… I guess it’s useful for people to be able to measure elapsed durations for logging and such and easy benchmarking but I just have a natural, deep-seated fear of any computer code that tries to interact with time as a concept so I’m very leery of this.

C

any: Mmmmmm I know it’s useful but I kinda hate that dyn Any is a thing you can do. It should (hopefully) become somewhat less prevalent now that trait upcasting is stabilized, though.

env: Used to be higher, but the whole ‘Linux makes no guarantees about accessing the environment from multiple threads’ thing irks me. I know it’s not Rust’s fault, but I’m still punishing them for it.

ffi: Confuses me that there’s so much duplication between this and os::raw - don’t like it. I know it doesn’t really matter which one you use, but whatever.

hash: Rarely actually interact with it directly. I know that it has to exist to facilitate (Hash|BTree)(Map|Set) but I don’t know what other use it has

net: Nearly all the time that I want to interact with stuff like TcpStream, I would rather use some async-specific net structs, such as are found in tokio.

num: Useful and cool, but I really think that this is seriously missing the traits from the num crate. There’s probably some specific reason why they don’t want to provide this, but the ability to reason around numeric attributes would be so useful.

os: OsStr and OsString suffer from the same sin as str vs String, but also are just inherently confusing due to the complexity that surrounds file paths in different OSes. I know that rust just surfaces all this complexity that hides beneath the surface but that doesn’t keep me from feeling like there was probably some better way to set up these structs

process: std::process::exit. woohoo

thread: Rarely do I spawn a thread manually - generally I want to use tokio or rayon or crossbeam or something like that. Good and useful, just rarely reached to and generally you’d be better off touching something else

D

backtrace: Good for one thing alone, which can be nice for quick and easy debugging, but if you just want a backtrace, a panic!() is easier, and if you can’t do that for whatever reason, you should probably just reach for a full debugger at that point

hint: Just like compiler fuckery. Love it, I do, but rarely do people interact with it, if ever, and really only useful for benchmarks and low-level atomic stuff (which, when I’ve done that, idk if I’ve even seen any sort of performance gains from spin_loop() sooo)

pin: Yes it’s important, but the constant struggle to make it not horrible to use for library developers really irks me. Still no way to (safely) match on pinned enums, no built-in pin projection without macros, etc. Ugh.

prelude: Yeah sure, whatever. You’ll never touch this.

primitive: This does need to exist, but if you’re reaching for this, you’ve fucked up. What are you doing.

F

ascii: I feel like this was a mistake. There are 4 things in it and 2 of them are deprecated. What are we doing.

char: Too many weird things here. Why does to_lowercase return an iterator? Why are these constants not in the primitive type instead? The whole escape stuff also feels arbitrary, and that’s part of the sin of the ascii mod.

f32 and f64: Everything here should be relegated to the primitive types. No need for these. Why are the integer types deprecated while this one isn’t? idk

(I also posted basically this exact same thing on my blog, june.cat, if that sort of thing interests you :))

[eternally-sugary]

For best results please put "team" in front of each duo name

Bruno & Abbachino: Blue Shift (I could come up with a better name but. Half Life reference)

Narancia & Fugo: Special Delivery

Bruno & Fugo: Quarantine

Narancia & Trish: Sky Divers

Mista & Fugo: No we aren't making our duo name STD that's stupid

Giorno & Mista: Range of Experience

Bruno & Giorno: Stylin'

Melone & Ghiaccio: Ice Ice Baby

Prosciutto & Pesci: Beach That Makes You Old

Illuso & Fromaggio: Funhouse Mirror

Risotto & Prosciutto: Iron Oxide (get it because like. Rust.)

Ghiaccio & Fromaggio: Tiny Dancer (please know this team happened once and never again)

Sorbet & Gelato: Swirled Cone

Illuso & Pesci: Tan Lines

Ghiaccio & Pesci: Ice Fishers (this has never happened btw)

Squallo & Tizzano: Smooth-sharking (Cuz. Smooth-sharking someone is telling someone such a blatant lie but saying it with so much confidence people think you think it's true)

OH MY GOD I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!! Pfftt... Team STDs.... - Jay

[soophia-studies]

100 days of code - day 10

Hi :)

Today I finished the chapter 7 and 8 from the rust book.

Chapter 7 teaches about modules, that are basically containers that I can use to organize the code, how to use external packages and the conventions for separating modules in different files. It was quite a "boring" chapter, and I get distracted a lot, but I managed to finish.

Chapter 8 show us some useful data structures, that are keep in the std::collections module from rust. They are, Vectors, Strings and HashMap.

Vector is like an array, but with the plus that they are resizable, and can grow and shrink. And also have a lot of useful methods.

Strings are strings. Leaned about some handy methods and macros to manipulate strings.

HashMap is a data structure that maps keys to values with a hashing function. So it is efficient to insert and retrieve data from a hash map.

Also, I did some exercises on rustlings about vectors, ownership and borrowing.

That's it 😊

[cerulity]

my problem with "just use modern c++ you cant get ub with it"

mf what is modern c++.

say vectors are modern c++. therefore the things it implements shouldnt cause any ub, especially something as prominent as the subscript operator... right?...

WRONG

std::vector::operator[] causes undefined behaviour when indexing something that doesnt exist. and this is not obvious at all.

is that operator part of modern c++? if so then modern c++ can cause ub, if not then that's completely not obvious whatsoever. the subscript operator is an operator that is used so often, to not standardise bounds checking is insane.

this is one example of why "just use modern c++" doesnt sit right with me, its not obvious at all what is or isnt 'modern'.

take rust for example. if youre doing something in rust you know youre doing something wrong, youll have unsafe blocks or ugly janky code to get something working that is probably either already part of the standard library, or is unsafe. this is not the same in c++. this is why so many problems happen when c++ is used.

[this-week-in-rust]

This Week in Rust 544

Hello and welcome to another issue of This Week in Rust! Rust is a programming language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software. This is a weekly summary of its progress and community. Want something mentioned? Tag us at @ThisWeekInRust on Twitter or @ThisWeekinRust on mastodon.social, or send us a pull request. Want to get involved? We love contributions.

This Week in Rust is openly developed on GitHub and archives can be viewed at this-week-in-rust.org. If you find any errors in this week's issue, please submit a PR.

Updates from Rust Community

Foundation

Guest Blog: Attending CISA’s Open Source Software Security Summit

Newsletters

This Month in Rust OSDev: March 2024

Project/Tooling Updates

lilos v1.0 released

medium-to-markdown v0.1.1 : Convert your medium blogs easily into markdown files

Fluvio v0.11.6 release and project updates

venndb 0.4.0 - custom validators

Tantivy 0.22: Performance improvements, new aggregations and stability fixes

Announcing r3bl_terminal_async - build async interactive CLIs in Rust

[video] Demo + architecture overview of Ferrostar, a cross-platform turn-by-turn navigation SDK with a Rust core

Observations/Thoughts

The Rust Calling Convention We Deserve

Sized, DynSized, and Unsized

Coroutines and effects

Porting a cross-platform GUI application to Rust

Adventures In Rust: Bringing Exchange Support To Thunderbird

Rust Walkthroughs

Why SQLite Performance Tuning made Bencher 1200x Faster

drop, the destructor of Rust structs

Building with AWS S3 using Rust

Rust tokio task cancellation patterns

[video] Build with Naz - Published crate r3bl_terminal_async for building async interactive CLIs in Rust

[video] Trent Billington - Bevy ECS - Power tool for data oriented applications

[video] Building a procedural art generator

[audio] Isograph with Robert Balicki

Research

A Study of Undefined Behavior Across Foreign Function Boundaries in Rust Libraries

Rust Digger: Does size matter? The biggest crate is 450MB; More than 100 crates are over 50MB

Miscellaneous

GitHub Sponsor Rust developer David Tolnay

Learn how to write TCP servers using Rust's std::net module

RustFest Zürich 🇨 Talks announced

Crate of the Week

This week's crate is scandir, a high-performance file tree scanner.

Thanks to Marty B. for the self-suggestion!

Please submit your suggestions and votes for next week!

Call for Testing

An important step for RFC implementation is for people to experiment with the implementation and give feedback, especially before stabilization. The following RFCs would benefit from user testing before moving forward:

No calls for testing were issued this week.

If you are a feature implementer and would like your RFC to appear on the above list, add the new call-for-testing label to your RFC along with a comment providing testing instructions and/or guidance on which aspect(s) of the feature need testing.

Call for Participation; projects and speakers

CFP - Projects

Always wanted to contribute to open-source projects but did not know where to start? Every week we highlight some tasks from the Rust community for you to pick and get started!

Some of these tasks may also have mentors available, visit the task page for more information.

awesome-alternatives-in-rust - Add dqy alternative to dig

fluvio - When a topic is deleted, connected clients should have their connection closed

fluvio - MQTT Connector: Prefix auto generated Client ID to prevent connection drops

fluvio - Remove localhost from fluvio in favor of 127.0.0.1

If you are a Rust project owner and are looking for contributors, please submit tasks here.

CFP - Speakers

Are you a new or experienced speaker looking for a place to share something cool? This section highlights events that are being planned and are accepting submissions to join their event as a speaker.

RustConf 2024 | Closes 2024-04-25 | Montreal, Canada | Event date: 2024-09-10

RustLab 2024 | Closes 2024-05-01 | Florence, Italy | Event date: 2024-11-09 - 2024-11-11

EuroRust 2024| Closes 2024-06-03 | Vienna, Austria & online | Event date: 2024-10-10

Scientific Computing in Rust 2024| Closes 2024-06-14 | online | Event date: 2024-07-17 - 2024-07-19

Conf42 Rustlang 2024 | Closes 2024-07-22 | online | Event date: 2024-08-22

If you are an event organizer hoping to expand the reach of your event, please submit a link to the submission website through a PR to TWiR.

Updates from the Rust Project

432 pull requests were merged in the last week

add simple async drop glue generation

llvm backend: Prevent creating the same Instance::mono multiple times

static_mut_refs: use raw pointers to remove the remaining FIXME

add a lower bound check to unicode-table-generator output

add an opt-in to store incoming edges in VecGraph + misc

add llvm-bitcode-linker to build manifest

allow workproducts without object files

at debuginfo=0, don't inline debuginfo when inlining

correctly change type when adding adjustments on top of NeverToAny

coverage: branch coverage tests for lazy boolean operators

coverage: prepare for improved branch coverage

delay interning errors to after validation

delay span bug when Self kw resolves to DefKind::{Mod,Trait}

don't ICE for kind mismatches during error rendering

don't ascend into parent bodies when collecting stmts for possible return suggestion

don't error on subtyping of equal types

don't inline integer literals when they overflow - new attempt

don't repeatedly duplicate TAIT lifetimes for each subsequently nested TAIT

fix ICE in eval_body_using_ecx

fix ICE when there is a non-Unicode entry in the incremental crate directory

fix capturing duplicated lifetimes via parent in precise_captures (impl use<'...>)

fix normalizing in different ParamEnvs with the same InferCtxt

fix trait solver overflow with non_local_definitions lint

flip spans for precise capturing syntax not capturing a ty/const param, and for implicit captures of lifetime params

give a name to each distinct manipulation of pretty-printer FixupContext

ignore -C strip on MSVC

implement Modified Condition/Decision Coverage

implement PROBLEMATIC_CONSTS generalization

implement syntax for impl Trait to specify its captures explicitly (feature(precise_capturing))

improve ICE message for forbidden dep-graph reads

interpret: pass MemoryKind to adjust_alloc_base_pointer

interpret: pass MemoryKind to before_memory_deallocation

interpret: use ScalarInt for bin-ops; avoid PartialOrd for ScalarInt

introduce perma-unstable wasm-c-abi flag

let inherent associated types constrain opaque types during projection

make suggest_deref_closure_return more idiomatic/easier to understand

make thir_tree and thir_flat into hooks

make the comments for ReturnDest variants doc comments

match ergonomics 2024: Implement eat-one-layer

match ergonomics 2024: mut doesn't reset binding mode

match hyphen in multi-revision comment matchers

opaque types have no namespace

outline default query and hook provider function implementations

prefer identity equality over equating types during coercion

print note with closure signature on type mismatch

properly handle emojis as literal prefix in macros

remove default_hidden_visibility: false from wasm targets

remove uneeded clones now that TrustedStep implies Copy

silence some follow-up errors on trait impls in case the trait has conflicting or otherwise incoherent impls

simplify shallow resolver to just fold ty/consts

stop taking ParamTy/ParamConst/EarlyParamRegion/AliasTy by ref

subtype predicates only exist on inference types, so we can allow them to register opaque types within them

tell LLVM Vec::len is invariant across growth

use raw-dylib for Windows synchronization functions

refactor clippy in bootstrap

when suggesting RUST_BACKTRACE=1, add a special note for Miri's env var isolation

miri: data_race: make the release/acquire API more clear

miri: no_std works on Windows now

miri: add localtime_r shim

miri: address reuse improvements and fixes

miri: deadlock: show backtrace for all threads

miri: directly call handle_alloc_error

miri: implement support for __rust_alloc_error_handler

miri: make realloc with a size of zero fail

miri: move read_byte_slice to general helpers file, next to read_c_str

miri: threads: keep track of why we are blocked, and sanity-check that when waking up

Box::into_raw: make Miri understand that this is a box-to-raw cast

PatRangeBoundary::compare_with: also add a fast-path for signed integers

codegen ZSTs without an allocation

stabilize Wasm target features that are in phase 4 and 5

stabilize const_io_structs

stabilize checking of cfgs at compile-time: --check-cfg option

stabilize generic NonZero

make checked ops emit unchecked LLVM operations where feasible

improve std::fs::Metadata Debug representation

fix negating f16 and f128 constants

force exhaustion in iter::ArrayChunks::into_remainder

checked_ilog: improve performance

add an intrinsic for ptr::from_raw_parts(_mut)

fix: make str::from_raw_parts_mut mut

use queue-based RwLock on more platforms

add support for Arm64EC to the standard library

codegen_gcc: fix PassMode::Indirect with params

codegen_gcc: fix check for main function already declared

codegen_gcc: fix panic when calling get_fn for a variable

codegen_gcc: fix passing custom CG_RUSTFLAGS when building sysroot

codegen_gcc: implement more type kinds

cargo install: including Locking message

cargo resolver: add default Edition2024 to resolver v3

cargo resolver: add v3 resolver for MSRV-aware resolving

cargo credential: trim newlines in tokens from stdin

cargo msrv: error, rather than panic, on rust-version 'x'

cargo msrv: put MSRV-aware resolver behind a config

cargo toml: don't crash on parse errors that point to multi-byte character

cargo toml: disallow source-less dependencies

cargo toml: error on [project] in Edition 2024

cargo toml: report _fied variants (e.g. dev_dependencies) as deprecated

cargo: fix 'cargo build' fails when list_files() with gix is triggered

rustdoc: always display stability version even if it's the same as the containing item

rustdoc: fix copy path button

rustdoc: support type '/' to search

rustdoc-search: fix description on aliases in results

rustdoc-search: single result for items with multiple paths

clippy: threadlocal_initializer_can_be_made_const will not trigger for unreachable initializers

clippy: arithmetic_side_effects fix false negative on +=

clippy: ptr_as_ptr: fix duplicate diagnostics

clippy: emit the needless_pass_by_ref_mut lint on self arguments as well

clippy: fix is_test_module_or_function

clippy: reduce single_char_pattern to only lint on ascii chars

clippy: rework interior mutability detection

clippy: the multiple_unsafe_ops_per_block test needs asm!

rust-analyzer: cargo script mvp

rust-analyzer: add convert From to TryFrom assist

rust-analyzer: allow rust files to be used linkedProjects

rust-analyzer: VFS should not walk circular symlinks

rust-analyzer: handle escaped chars in doc comments

rust-analyzer: replace Just the variable name in Unused Variable Diagnostic Fix

rust-analyzer: implement BeginPanic handling in const eval

rust-analyzer: make test harness arguments configurable and not --nocapture

rust-analyzer: render matched macro arm on hover of macro calls

rust-analyzer: try to generate more meaningful names in json converter

Rust Compiler Performance Triage

A week dominated by small mixed changes to perf with improvements slightly outweighing regressions. There were no pure regressions, and many of the mixed perf results were deemed worth it for their potential improvements to runtime performance through further optimization from LLVM.

Triage done by @rylev. Revision range: ccfcd950..a77f76e2

Summary:

(instructions:u) mean range count Regressions ❌ (primary) 0.4% [0.2%, 1.8%] 57 Regressions ❌ (secondary) 0.4% [0.2%, 1.9%] 26 Improvements ✅ (primary) -0.8% [-3.4%, -0.2%] 50 Improvements ✅ (secondary) -0.6% [-1.9%, -0.1%] 32 All ❌✅ (primary) -0.2% [-3.4%, 1.8%] 107

0 Regressions, 5 Improvements, 6 Mixed; 2 of them in rollups 62 artifact comparisons made in total

Full report here

Call for Testing

An important step for RFC implementation is for people to experiment with the implementation and give feedback, especially before stabilization. The following RFCs would benefit from user testing before moving forward:

No calls for testing were issued this week.

RFCs

Rust

If you are a feature implementer and would like your RFC to appear on the above list, add the new call-for-testing label to your RFC along with a comment providing testing instructions and/or guidance on which aspect(s) of the feature need testing.

Approved RFCs

Changes to Rust follow the Rust RFC (request for comments) process. These are the RFCs that were approved for implementation this week:

No RFCs were approved this week.

Final Comment Period

Every week, the team announces the 'final comment period' for RFCs and key PRs which are reaching a decision. Express your opinions now.

RFCs

[disposition: merge] experimental project goal program for 2024 H2

Tracking Issues & PRs

Rust

[disposition: merge] Tracking Issue for std::path::absolute

[disposition: merge] Tracking Issue for convenience methods on NonNull

[disposition: merge] Inline more svg images into CSS

[disposition: merge] Edition 2024: Make ! fall back to !

[disposition: merge] static_mut_refs: Should the lint cover hidden references?

Cargo

[disposition: merge] fix(toml): Warn, rather than fail publish, if a target is excluded

New and Updated RFCs

[new] experimental project goal program for 2024 H2

Upcoming Events

Rusty Events between 2024-04-24 - 2024-05-22 🦀

Virtual

2024-04-24 | Virtual + In Person (Prague, CZ) | Rust Czech Republic

#2: Making Safe Rust Safer (Pavel Šimerda)

2024-04-25 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn Meetup

2024-04-30 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Last Tuesday

2024-05-01 | Virtual (Cardiff, UK) | Rust and C++ Cardiff

Rust for Rustaceans Book Club: Chapter 5 - Project Structure

2024-05-01 | Virtual (Indianapolis, IN, US) | Indy Rust

Indy.rs - with Social Distancing

2024-05-02 | Virtual (Charlottesville, NC, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-05-07 | Virtual (Buffalo, NY) | Buffalo Rust Meetup

Buffalo Rust User Group

2024-05-09 | Virtual (Berlin, DE) | OpenTechSchool Berlin + Rust Berlin

Rust Hack and Learn | Mirror: Rust Hack n Learn Meetup

2024-05-09 | Virtual (Israel) | Rust in Israel

Rust at Microsoft, Tel Aviv - Are we embedded yet?

2024-05-09 | Virtual (Nuremberg/Nürnberg, DE) | Rust Nuremberg

Rust Nürnberg online

2024-05-14 | Virtual (Dallas, TX, US) | Dallas Rust

Second Tuesday

2024-05-14 | Virtual (Halifax, NS, CA) | Rust Halifax

Rust&Tell - Halifax

2024-05-14 | Virtual + In-Person (München/Munich, DE) | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid (Rescheduled)

2024-05-15 | Virtual (Vancouver, BC, CA) | Vancouver Rust

Rust Study/Hack/Hang-out

2024-05-16 | Virtual (Charlottesville, VA, US) | Charlottesville Rust Meetup

Crafting Interpreters in Rust Collaboratively

2024-05-21 | Virtual (Washington, DC, US) | Rust DC

Mid-month Rustful—forensic parsing via Artemis

Africa

2024-05-04 | Kampala, UG | Rust Circle Kampala

Rust Circle Meetup

Asia

2024-05-11 | Bangalore, IN | Rust Bangalore

May 2024 Rustacean meetup

Europe

2024-04-24 | Virtual + In Person (Prague, CZ) | Rust Czech Republic

#2: Making Safe Rust Safer (Pavel Šimerda)

2024-04-25 | Aarhus, DK | Rust Aarhus

Talk Night at MFT Energy

2024-04-25 | Berlin, DE | Rust Berlin

Rust and Tell - TBD

2024-04-25 | København/Copenhagen, DK | Copenhagen Rust Community

Rust meetup #46 sponsored by Nine A/S

2024-04-25 | Vienna, AT | Rust Vienna

Rust Vienna x Python User Group - April

2024-04-27 | Basel, CH | Rust Basel

Fullstack Rust - Workshop #2 (Register by 23 April)

2024-04-27 | Stockholm, SE | Stockholm Rust

Ferris' Fika Forum #2

2024-04-30 | Budapest, HU | Budapest Rust Meetup Group

Rust Meetup Budapest 2

2024-04-30 | Salzburg, AT | Rust Salzburg

[Rust Salzburg meetup]: 6:30pm - CCC Salzburg, 1. OG, ArgeKultur, Ulrike-Gschwandtner-Straße 5, 5020 Salzburg

2024-05-01 | Köln/Cologne, DE | Rust Cologne

This Month in Rust, May

2024-05-01 | Utrecht, NL | NL-RSE Community

NL-RSE RUST meetup

2024-05-06 | Delft, NL | GOSIM

GOSIM Europe 2024

2024-05-07 & 2024-05-08 | Delft, NL | RustNL

RustNL 2024

2024-05-08 | Cambridge, UK | Cambridge Rust Meetup

Monthly Rust Meetup

2024-05-09 | Gdańsk, PL | Rust Gdansk

Rust Gdansk Meetup #2

2024-05-14 | Virtual + In-Person (München/Munich, DE) | Rust Munich

Rust Munich 2024 / 1 - hybrid (Rescheduled)

2024-05-14 | Prague, CZ | Rust Prague

Rust Meetup Prague (May 2024)

2024-05-21 | Aarhus, DK | Rust Aarhus

Hack Night

2024-05-21 | Zurich, CH | Rust Zurich

Save the date - Mai Meetup

North America

2024-04-24 | Austin, TX, US | Rust ATX

Rust Lunch - Fareground

2024-04-25 | Nashville, TN, US | Music City Rust Developers

Music City Rust Developers - Async Rust on Embedded

2024-04-26 | Boston, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

North End Rust Lunch, Apr 26

2024-05-04 | Cambridge, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Kendall Rust Lunch, May 4

2024-05-09 | Spokane, WA, US | Spokane Rust

Monthly Meetup: Topic TBD!

2024-05-12 | Brookline, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Coolidge Corner Brookline Rust Lunch, May 12

2024-05-16 | Seattle, WA, US | Seattle Rust User Group

Seattle Rust User Group Meetup

2024-05-20 | Somerville, MA, US | Boston Rust Meetup

Ball Square Rust Lunch, May 20

2024-05-21 | San Francisco, CA, US | San Francisco Rust Study Group

Rust Hacking in Person

2024-05-22 | Austin, TX, US | Rust ATX

Rust Lunch - Fareground

Oceania

2024-04-30 | Auckland, NZ | Rust AKL

Rust AKL: Why Rust? Convince Me!

2024-04-30 | Canberra, ACT, AU | Canberra Rust User Group

CRUG April Meetup: Generics and Traits

If you are running a Rust event please add it to the calendar to get it mentioned here. Please remember to add a link to the event too. Email the Rust Community Team for access.

Jobs

Please see the latest Who's Hiring thread on r/rust

Quote of the Week

The learning curve for Rust is relatively steep compared to other languages, but once you climb it you'll never look down.

– BD103 on Mastodon

Thanks to BD103 for the self-suggestion!

Please submit quotes and vote for next week!

This Week in Rust is edited by: nellshamrell, llogiq, cdmistman, ericseppanen, extrawurst, andrewpollack, U007D, kolharsam, joelmarcey, mariannegoldin, bennyvasquez.

Email list hosting is sponsored by The Rust Foundation

Discuss on r/rust

[tinydefector]

Do you believe transformers can get STDs?

I did do a piece on this before I'll add a link for it and it was inspired by @penny-anna

[mentalisttraceur-software]

I think it says something negative about either my thinking and/or Rust's design that the first real from-scratch program I decided to write in Rust forced me to write

#![no_main] //... #[no_mangle] pub unsafe extern "C" fn main(argc: isize, argv: *const *const u8) -> isize { //... }

This was for a re-implementation of histdir, because I wanted to reuse ripgrep's crates for faster parallelized search of the many files histdir ends up generating.

See, histdir will do a sha256 hash of the history entry (it doesn't necessarily need to be a cryptographically secure hash, but I need one with no realistic chance of collision, and sha256 is ubiquitously available).

And the history entry can come in as a command-line argument.

Which means I need to be able to hash a command-line argument.

Which comes in as bytes. Arbitrary bytes.

I have, at least once in my life, written command-line invocations with arbitrary binary in them. For testing, for dealing with the rare corrupted file name or contents, and for doing something low-level manually with raw binary files. Rare, but it's a thing that actually happens.

But even if I never again end up having arbitrary bytes in a shell/REPL history line that I typed, even if it's always proper valid UTF-8 or whatever, there's edge cases like data corruption of the history file, and composition with other things, until one day you have a garbled history entry in your history fuzzy search UI and you're hitting the keybind to delete it and it keeps not getting deleted because the fuzzy search UI is passing the entry to the histdir remove command as an argument and oh haha nope you implemented it in Rust so sucks to suck it can't handle invalid Unicode. (And yes, I actually have histdir accept entries either in a command argument or on stdin, but the availability of the latter is a poor excuse for the former to be less functional, especially since the former is frequently more convenient to use both interactively and programmatically.)

You'd think "oh, I'll just take my OS arguments as OSString instead of String, and then they don't have to be valid Unicode", but after wasting ~40 minutes I'll never get back, I can confidently say "good luck getting the raw bytes out of an OSString (unless it contains valid Unicode, hilariously)". And none of the sha256 implementations I found know how to take OSString inputs either.

Well, I'm not being entirely fair... you can do it in a way that's not available on Windows, or with some other API that's currently marked experimental but which will hopefully eventually be stabilized.

So the situation... isn't terrible, but I'd rather not write code that relies on an API whose name might change between now and it getting locked in as a stable guaranteed interface.

And honestly, I don't actually know when I'll use histdir on Windows. I don't know what CLI arguments will look like in that situation (Windows has some really weird stuff with CLI argument encodings - apparently each process/program can tell the OS it takes arguments in a different encoding, and the OS will translate). But at least if I'm accessing the raw bytes there's a 100% transparent option available - if I can pass raw bytes in, I'll get those bytes handled exactly as passed. And the nicer higher-level safer Rust APIs somehow failed to make it possible to get raw OS-level CLI arguments and process them, as bytes, exactly as passed - even though at the OS level arguments are potentially arbitrary bytes.

I'd be a much happier person if I just didn't know or care or think about this stuff. If I just thought "oh yeah std::env::args() yes good I have strings" and moved on to use them. If I didn't even register that it would panic on invalid Unicode, and if forced to, immediately brushed it off with a dismissive rationalization like "well when would that happen?"

I'd similarly be much happier if I could just dismiss Windows as irrelevant and a problem for someone else later down the line, even if that someone else is going to be me. And maybe that's the wiser choice. After all, maybe by then things would be easier, maybe some portable stable APIs would be available. Maybe some of these possibilities would be collapsed so the problem is simpler.

But for now, I still care in a way that sometimes gets me obsessive about properly solving it now, and this happens. And I don't think the problem is entirely me. It's not like "the OS passes program arguments as raw bytes, and sometimes you might want to pass those transparently to other programs/libraries which also handle arbitrary bytes" is a never-before-seen situation.

[arbeetexts]

Dye-ries so far.

finding A LOT of tests are providing beigey and yellowy tones, some good, some not different from the colour of the test fabric that went in.

In a way i am looking towards this as an advantage as it narrows down what the strong results are and what i feel is a good use for my theme etc

Black

Green Tea, Vinegar & Mordant Tea, Vinegar & Mordant

Brown

Coffee - PART Red Onion Skin, Vinegar & Mordant Tea - PART

Gray

Blackberry, Vinegar and mordant

Orange

Tumeric - PART

Pinks

Beetroot Blackberry & Vinegar Strawberry & Mordant

"Rusts"

Avocado PIP - BS & PART Avocado SKIN - mordant, BS & PART Chamomile tea & Mordant Green Tea, BS & Mordant Red Onion Skin Tumeric - BS & FULL White Vinegar Mordant & BS

Yellows

Paprika - PART Tumeric - OG and Mordant

STD

Red Cabbage, Spinich

[velvetasylummaelstrom]

Silicone Love Doll: A Comprehensive Guide

In recent years, the Silicone Love Doll has gained significant attention as a sophisticated and lifelike companion. These high-end dolls are crafted with meticulous detail, offering an incredibly realistic experience. Whether for companionship, artistic appreciation, or therapeutic purposes, Silicone Love Dolls have become a popular choice among enthusiasts.

This guide explores everything you need to know about Silicone Love Dolls, from their construction and features to maintenance and ethical considerations.

What Is a Silicone Love Doll?

A Silicone Love Doll is a premium, anatomically accurate doll made from medical-grade silicone. Unlike cheaper alternatives, these dolls are designed to mimic human skin texture, facial expressions, and body proportions with astonishing realism.

Key Features of Silicone Love Dolls

Ultra-Realistic Texture – The silicone material closely resembles human skin, providing a soft and flexible feel.

Customizable Options – Buyers can choose hair color, eye shape, body type, and even facial features.

Durable & Hypoallergenic – Medical-grade silicone ensures longevity and safety for users.

Articulated Skeleton – A metal skeleton allows for flexible posing, enhancing realism.

Temperature Sensitivity – Some high-end models can retain body heat, adding to the lifelike experience.

Why Choose a Silicone Love Doll?

1. Companionship Without Complications

For individuals seeking emotional connection without the complexities of human relationships, a Silicone Love Doll can serve as a comforting presence. Many users report reduced loneliness and increased emotional well-being.

2. Therapeutic Benefits

Some therapists recommend Silicone Love Dolls for patients dealing with social anxiety, PTSD, or intimacy issues. The dolls provide a non-judgmental way to explore emotional and physical connections.

3. Artistic & Photographic Use

Photographers and artists often use Silicone Love Dolls as models due to their realistic appearance and poseability. They eliminate the need for human models in certain creative projects.

4. Safe & Discreet

Unlike human partners, Silicone Love Dolls eliminate risks associated with STDs or emotional conflicts. They offer a private and controlled experience.

How to Care for Your Silicone Love Doll

Proper maintenance ensures your Silicone Love Doll remains in excellent condition for years. Follow these essential care tips:

1. Cleaning & Hygiene

Use mild soap and warm water for regular cleaning.

Avoid harsh chemicals that may degrade the silicone.

Dry thoroughly to prevent moisture buildup.

2. Storage Tips

Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Use a soft cloth or storage bag to prevent dust accumulation.

Avoid placing heavy objects on the doll to prevent deformation.

3. Repair & Maintenance

Minor tears can be fixed with silicone repair kits.

Apply talcum powder occasionally to maintain a smooth texture.

Check the internal skeleton for rust or stiffness over time.

Ethical & Social Considerations

While Silicone Love Dolls offer many benefits, they also raise ethical questions:

1. Impact on Human Relationships

Critics argue that excessive reliance on synthetic companions might reduce real human interactions. However, supporters claim they help individuals who struggle with traditional relationships.

2. Legal & Cultural Acceptance

Laws regarding Silicone Love Dolls vary by country. Some regions have restrictions, while others embrace them as personal property.

3. Psychological Effects

Studies are ongoing about the long-term psychological impact of using Silicone Love Dolls. While some users find comfort, others may develop unrealistic expectations of human partners.

Choosing the Right Silicone Love Doll

With various options available, selecting the perfect Silicone Love Doll requires careful consideration:

1. Budget

Prices range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Higher-end models offer better realism and durability.

2. Customization Level

Some manufacturers allow full customization, including facial features, skin tone, and body shape.

3. Brand Reputation

Research brands known for quality craftsmanship and customer support.

4. Intended Use

Decide whether the doll is for companionship, therapy, or artistic purposes before purchasing.

[codezup]

Build a Simple Game with Rust & Nuklear | Tutorial & Guide

1. Setting Up the Project Step 1: Create a new Rust project using Cargo. cargo new nuklear_game cd nuklear_game Step 2: Add the necessary dependencies to Cargo.toml. [dependencies] nuklear = "0.33" sdl2 = "0.35" 2. Initializing Nuklear and SDL Step 3: Implement the initialization of SDL and Nuklear in src/main.rs. use sdl2::event::Event; use sdl2::keyboard::Keycode; use std::ptr; //…

[programmingandengineering]

ECE 421 Assignment 8: Rust async/await

Question 1: Consider the following attempt to model a simple server: use std::io; use tokio::time::{sleep, Duration}; 3 use chrono::Utc; 7 8 use std::collections::HashMap; 9 10 async fn handle_cmd(cmd: char) { 11match cmd { 12 ‘i’ => { 13 if let Ok(r) = reqwest::get(“https://httpbin.org/ip”).await { 14 if let Ok(ip) = r.json::<HashMap<String,String>>().await { 15 println!(“{:?}”,…