#Centralized Network Security Management

[bestproducstonlinestore]

WaveCloud Whitelabel: Elevating Digital Security to Unprecedented Levels

I use the WaveCloud Whitelabel to fortify the digital security measures for my business, and it has proven to be a game-changer in safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining the integrity of our operations.

Tailored Security Solutions

What sets WaveCloud Whitelabel apart is its capacity to provide tailored security solutions, specifically designed for businesses seeking a customised approach. The flexibility to adapt security features according to the unique requirements of our organization has been instrumental. This ensures that our digital assets are protected with a precision that generic security solutions often fail to deliver.

Whitelabel Branding Integration

One of the standout features of WaveCloud Whitelabel is its capability for seamless branding integration. As a business, having our security solutions branded with our logo and identity not only enhances professionalism but also instils confidence in our clients. The Whitelabel option allows us to present a unified and cohesive image, aligning our security measures with our overall brand strategy.

Enhanced Control and Monitoring

WaveCloud Whitelabel provides an enhanced level of control and monitoring that is vital for businesses handling sensitive information. The detailed dashboards and real-time monitoring tools offer a comprehensive overview of our network's security status. This heightened visibility empowers our IT team to respond promptly to any potential threats and ensures that we stay one step ahead in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity.

Scalability for Growing Businesses

As our business expands, scalability becomes a crucial factor in choosing security solutions. WaveCloud Whitelabel excels in this aspect, offering scalability that grows with our business needs. Whether we are adding new users, devices, or expanding our digital infrastructure, the Whitelabel solution adapts seamlessly, providing a robust security net without compromising efficiency.

Centralised Management for Simplified Operations

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Comprehensive Training and Support

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Conclusion: Redefining Digital Security

In conclusion, WaveCloud Whitelabel has become an integral part of our business's digital security infrastructure. Its tailored solutions, branding integration, enhanced control and monitoring, scalability, centralised management, and comprehensive training and support collectively redefine the way we approach digital security. For businesses seeking a customised and effective security solution, WaveCloud Whitelabel stands out as a reliable and innovative choice, providing peace of mind in an era where robust cybersecurity is non-negotiable.

Affiliate Disclaimer:

I want to disclose that some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission. Please note that this commission comes at no additional cost to you. My reviews are based on genuine experiences with the WaveCloud Whitelabel product, and the use of affiliate links supports the maintenance of this website. Your trust is important, and I only recommend products that I believe provide genuine value. Thank you for your support

[reasonsforhope]

"In Northern California, a Native American tribe is celebrating the return of ancestral lands in one of the largest such transfers in the nation’s history.

Through a Dept. of the Interior initiative aiming to bring indigenous knowledge back into land management, 76 square miles east of the central stretch of the Klamath River has been returned to the Yurok tribe.

Sandwiched between the newly-freed Klamath and forested hillsides of evergreens, redwoods, and cottonwoods, Blue Creek is considered the crown jewel of these lands, though if it were a jewel it wouldn’t be blue, it would be a giant colorless diamond, such is the clarity of the water.

Pictured: Blue Creek

It’s the most important cold-water tributary of the Klamath River, and critical habitat for coho and Chinook salmon. Fished and hunted on since time immemorial by the Yurok and their ancestors, the land was taken from them during the gold rush before eventually being bought by timber companies.

Barry McCovey Jr., director of the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department, remembers slipping past gates and dodging security along Blue Creek just to fish up a steelhead, one of three game fish that populate the river and need it to spawn.

Profiled along with the efforts of his tribe to secure the land for themselves and their posterity, he spoke to AP about the experience of seeing plans, made a decade ago, come to fruition, and returning to the creek on which he formerly trespassed as a land and fisheries manager.

“To go from when I was a kid and 20 years ago even, from being afraid to go out there to having it be back in tribal hands … is incredible,” he said.

Part of the agreement is that the Yurok Tribe would manage the land to a state of maximum health and resilience, and for that the tribe has big plans, including restoring native prairie, using fire to control understory growth, removing invasive species, restoring native fish habitat, and undoing decades of land-use changes from the logging industry in the form of culverts and logging roads.

“And maybe all that’s not going to be done in my lifetime,” said McCovey. “But that’s fine, because I’m not doing this for myself.”

The Yurok Tribe were recently at the center of the nation’s largest dam removal, a two decades-long campaign to remove a series of four hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River. Once the West Coast’s third-largest salmon run, the Klamath dams substantially reduced salmon activity.

Completed last September, the before and after photographs are stunning to witness. By late November, salmon had already returned far upriver to spawn, proving that instinctual information had remained intact even after a century of disconnect.

Pictured; Klamath River flows freely, after Copco-2 dam was removed in California

“Seeing salmon spawning above the former dams fills my heart,” said Joseph L. James, chairman of the Yurok Tribe, the leaders of the dam removal campaign along with the Karuk and Klamath tribes.

“Our salmon are coming home. Klamath Basin tribes fought for decades to make this day a reality because our future generations deserve to inherit a healthier river from the headwaters to the sea.”

Last March, GNN reported that the Yurok Tribe had also become the first of America’s tribal nations to co-manage land with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding involving Redwoods National Park.

The nonprofit Save the Redwoods bought a piece of land adjacent to the park, which receives 1 million visitors annually and is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site, and handed it over to the Yurok for stewardship.

The piece of land, which contained giant redwoods, recovered to such an extent that the NPS has incorporated it into the Redwoods trail network, and the two agencies will cooperate in ensuring mutual flourishing between two properties and one ecosystem.

Back at Blue Creek, AP reports that work has already begun clearing non-native conifer trees planted for lumber. The trunks will be used to create log jams in the creek for wildlife habitat.

Costing $56 million, the land was bought from the loggers by Western Rivers Conservancy, using a mixture of fundraising efforts including private capital, low interest loans, tax credits, public grants and carbon credit sales.

The sale was part of a movement called Land Back, which involves returning ownership of once-native lands of great importance to tribes for the sake of effective stewardship. [Note: This is a weirdly limited definition of Land Back. Land Back means RETURN STOLEN LAND, PERIOD.] Studies have shown around the tropics that indigenous-owned lands in protected areas have higher forest integrity and biodiversity than those owned by national governments.

Land Back has seen 4,700 square miles—equivalent to one and a half-times the size of Yellowstone National Park—returned to tribes through land buy-back agreements in 15 states." [Note: Since land buyback agreements aren't the only form of Land Back, the total is probably (hopefully) more than that.]

-via Good News Network, June 10, 2025

[kleopatra45]

Juno Persona Chart Series

Sun in the Houses

1st house

If your Sun is in the 1st House of your Juno Persona Chart, your identity and sense of self are closely intertwined with your approach to relationships. You likely project confidence, independence, and assertiveness. In a future spouse, you would be attracted to someone who shares these qualities or complements them in a harmonious way. You admire partners who have a strong sense of self, are direct and decisive, and can match your level of initiative. You seek someone who appreciates your leadership qualities and respects your need for personal autonomy. A potential spouse who is adventurous, pioneering, and able to stand their ground would appeal to you. You value honesty and straightforwardness in communication, preferring a relationship where both parties can express themselves openly and authentically.

2nd house

With the Sun in the 2nd House of your Juno Persona Chart, your sense of self-worth and values are integral to your approach to partnerships. You likely seek a future spouse who shares similar values regarding stability, security, and material comforts. Practicality and reliability are important qualities you admire in a partner. You are attracted to individuals who demonstrate financial stability, responsible management of resources, and a grounded approach to life. A potential spouse who values loyalty, commitment, and building a solid foundation together would resonate with your relationship ideals. You appreciate generosity and kindness, and you may be drawn to someone who appreciates the finer things in life but also understands the importance of practicality and long-term planning.

3rd house

If your Sun resides in the 3rd House of your Juno Persona Chart, communication and intellectual connection are paramount in your relationships. You are drawn to partners who are articulate, curious, and mentally stimulating. A future spouse who shares your love for learning, enjoys engaging in deep conversations, and values the exchange of ideas would be highly appealing to you. You admire individuals who are witty, adaptable, and quick-thinking, as these qualities complement your own communicative style. You seek a relationship where mental rapport is strong, allowing both parties to challenge and inspire each other intellectually. A potential partner who is social, enjoys networking, and values intellectual pursuits would create a stimulating and fulfilling partnership for you.

4th house

With the Sun in the 4th House of your Juno Persona Chart, emotional security and family-oriented values shape your partnership preferences. You seek a future spouse who prioritizes home, family, and emotional well-being. You are attracted to individuals who are nurturing, supportive, and have a strong sense of tradition and roots. A potential spouse who values stability, understands the importance of emotional connection, and shares your desire for a harmonious family life would be ideal for you. You appreciate partners who are empathetic, sensitive, and provide a sense of emotional grounding. You may be drawn to someone who values privacy and a cozy home environment, where both partners can feel safe and cared for. Building a loving and supportive family unit is likely a significant goal in your ideal relationship.

5th house

If your Sun is in the 5th House of your Juno Persona Chart, creativity, self-expression, and passion are central to your approach to relationships. You are attracted to partners who are lively, playful, and enjoy life's pleasures to the fullest. A future spouse who shares your enthusiasm for creativity, art, and entertainment would be highly appealing to you. You admire individuals who are confident, expressive, and bring joy and excitement into your life. A potential partner who values romance, spontaneity, and adventure would complement your love for vibrant and dynamic experiences. You seek a relationship that feels like a joyful and passionate adventure, where both parties can explore their creative potential and enjoy each other's company in fun and imaginative ways.

6th house

With the Sun in the 6th House of your Juno Persona Chart, practicality, organization, and health-consciousness are integral to your partnership needs. You seek a future spouse who shares your commitment to work ethic, routines, and overall well-being. You are attracted to individuals who are responsible, reliable, and value efficiency in their daily lives. A potential spouse who supports your goals, respects your need for structure, and contributes positively to your health and lifestyle choices would resonate with your relationship ideals. You appreciate partners who are attentive to detail, help you stay organized, and prioritize mutual growth and improvement. You seek a relationship where both parties can work together towards common goals, maintain a healthy balance, and create a supportive environment that fosters personal and professional development.

7th house

If your Sun resides in the 7th House of your Juno Persona Chart, partnerships themselves become a core part of your identity and sense of fulfillment. You are drawn to relationships that emphasize harmony, equality, and shared goals. You seek a future spouse who values fairness, respects your individuality, and contributes to a balanced and cooperative partnership. You admire individuals who are diplomatic, considerate of others' perspectives, and capable of creating mutually beneficial agreements. A potential partner who understands the importance of compromise, values teamwork, and is committed to building a harmonious relationship would be highly appealing to you. You appreciate relationships where both parties can grow together, support each other's aspirations, and maintain a strong sense of partnership and companionship.

8th house

With the Sun in the 8th House of your Juno Persona Chart, intimacy, transformation, and shared resources define your partnership dynamics. You seek a future spouse who values deep emotional connection, honesty, and mutual transformation. You are attracted to individuals who are passionate, intense, and willing to explore the depths of life with you. A potential spouse who shares your interest in psychology, spirituality, and personal growth would resonate with your relationship ideals. You appreciate partners who are trustworthy, supportive during times of change, and capable of fostering intimacy and trust in the relationship. You seek a relationship that allows for mutual empowerment, where both parties can share resources and experiences that lead to profound personal and spiritual transformation.

9th house

If your Sun is in the 9th House of your Juno Persona Chart, expansion, growth, and philosophical alignment are crucial in your relationships. You seek a future spouse who shares your ideals, beliefs, and thirst for knowledge. You are attracted to individuals who are adventurous, open-minded, and have a broad perspective on life. A potential partner who enjoys exploring new horizons, traveling, or engaging in spiritual and intellectual pursuits would be highly appealing to you. You appreciate partners who encourage personal and spiritual growth, support your educational and philosophical interests, and share your optimism for the future. You seek a relationship that feels expansive and meaningful, where both parties can explore the world together and embrace new experiences that contribute to mutual growth and enlightenment.

10th house

With the Sun in the 10th House of your Juno Persona Chart, career, public image, and ambition influence your partnership preferences. You seek a future spouse who respects your professional goals, values success, and shares your ambitions. You are attracted to individuals who are ambitious, driven, and have a strong sense of purpose in their careers and public life. A potential partner who understands the demands of your profession, supports your career aspirations, and values achievement would resonate with your relationship ideals. You appreciate partners who are respected in their field, have a positive reputation, and contribute positively to your social status and personal development. You seek a relationship that feels like a partnership of equals, where both parties can support each other's professional growth and celebrate shared successes.

11th house

If your Sun resides in the 11th House of your Juno Persona Chart, friendships, ideals, and social causes play a significant role in your approach to relationships. You seek a future spouse who shares your humanitarian values, ideals for social change, and enjoys participating in group activities and progressive causes. You are attracted to individuals who are friendly, open-minded, and actively involved in their community or social circles. A potential partner who values friendship, supports your aspirations for a better world, and shares your vision for a more equitable society would be highly appealing to you. You appreciate partners who are innovative, forward-thinking, and able to inspire and challenge your ideas. You seek a relationship that feels like a true partnership of like-minded souls, where both parties can collaborate on shared goals and make a positive impact on the world together.

12th house

With the Sun in the 12th House of your Juno Persona Chart, spirituality, intuition, and compassion shape your partnership needs. You seek a future spouse who understands your inner world, values introspection, and shares your spiritual beliefs. You are attracted to individuals who are compassionate, empathetic, and have a deep connection to the mystical or unseen aspects of life. A potential partner who respects your need for solitude, supports your spiritual journey, and shares your desire for transcendence would resonate with your relationship ideals. You appreciate partners who are intuitive, sensitive to your emotional needs, and able to provide a sense of spiritual connection and emotional security. You seek a relationship that feels spiritually enriching and emotionally fulfilling, where both parties can explore deeper levels of consciousness and experience profound moments of unity and understanding.

[hope-for-the-planet]

I included some highlights from the article here, but I highly recommend reading this whole thing.

We hear so much about how wildfires that move into towns or cities devastate communities--but once the blazes have finally been extinguished the news usually moves on to the next crisis and we don't get to hear about how these communities and outside helpers rally together to rebuild afterwards. Including regrowing the trees and gardens that help provide shade and food security to neighborhoods.

From the article:

"The Altadena Seed Library, a network of seed exchange boxes, is leading the charge. Raj’s project began in 2021, with several little seed libraries stationed around the community. Seed libraries mimic regular libraries, but instead of books, people check out (and use) envelopes of seeds for free. Now, Raj and other volunteers are working on a game plan for regrowing the lawns, gardens, and urban green spaces that combat shade inequity and increase food sovereignty in their neighborhood — and looking to learn from other communities that have also seen their landscapes drastically altered by destructive wildfires. Donated seeds and tools are pouring in from locals and places around the country, as well as compost, pots, trees, and personal protective equipment for people cleaning up the hazardous waste leftover from burned homes and melted cars. “We’ve had a pretty overwhelming response,” Raj said. “People have been so, so generous.” Individual volunteers and organizations like Club Gay Gardens, a nonprofit in nearby Glendale, are helping sort the donated seeds. [...] Replanting efforts in Paradise, California, where the Camp Fire killed 85 people in 2018, and Lahaina, Hawai‘i, where a wildfire killed 102 people in 2023, offer inspiration as to what responsible reseeding can look like post-fire. Wildfire survivors from up and down the West Coast have already reached out to Raj, offering to help Altadena. “It’s so unfortunate to be bonded in that way,” Raj said. “It also feels really beautiful that those connections can grow out of something so tragic.” The Federal Emergency Management Agency helped test for soil toxicity in Paradise, eventually scraping the contaminated top layers away. But replanting efforts were left to residents. “None of this would have happened if it weren’t for these community groups that all came together,” said Jennifer Peterson, a Paradise local who saw her house, plus a seed library and two community gardens she worked on, destroyed. Peterson and other community members worked hard to safely reestablish old food sources. In 2020, several groups and 300 volunteers joined forces to rebuild — in one day — a nonprofit arts and culture center whose public gardens provide compost, seeds, and produce for free. Grant money allowed organizations like the Butte County Local Food Network to prepare 150 garden boxes and deliver them to people’s homes, complete with new soil and plants. Being part of efforts to regrow people’s food — and her front yard, which now teems with native wildflowers whose seeds survived the fire — has helped Peterson heal. “It was kind of like therapy for everybody,” she said.   In Lahaina, on Maui, where an estimated 150,000 trees burned, replanting efforts so far have focused on fruit trees that will eventually provide food and shade again, said Duane Sparkman, chair of the Maui County Arborist Committee and cofounder of Treecovery Hawaii, a nonprofit focused on replanting Lahaina.  So far, Treecovery Hawaii has raised half a million dollars to purchase trees at full price from local nurseries and give them to families who are rebuilding. The organization has established several hubs to grow more trees, and Sparkman said he’d like to buy a larger nursery space on central Maui. A detailed planting plan created by Maui County lays out what types of trees should get planted on the island, as well as the care they need.  Over 200 trees have been planted or are in pots on-site, ready to be put in the ground. That includes a mouthwatering array of fruit trees — mango, jackfruit, starfruit, avocado, citrus, and banana — fragrant plumeria and orchid trees, and native species like wiliwili, milo, koa, and lauhala trees. “Knowing that we’re going to be part of what’s eventually going to be the canopy for our grandchildren is immense for us,” Sparkman said."

[dasha022]

.

In Amity Park, where spectral activity had always been more intense than in other places characterized by such phenomena, the representatives and explorers appointed by the government, under the guidance of the Fentons, attempted to deploy a containment network for the unknown entities that had become recurrent in the area over the past few years.

The initial idea was simple: treat ghosts as threats to human security. After all, the attacks and incidents in which they were involved showed that they lacked rational thought when dealing with humans. Devoid of empathy, feelings, or a defined moral compass, ghosts acted without remorse in many of the cases documented by the Fentons and in collaboration with the follow-up investigations carried out by the GIW.

Thus, the installation of containment devices in Amity Park, the epicenter of the disaster, was carried out. The belief was that this would prevent a massive expansion to other populated areas. Dr. Fenton, along with her husband’s support, was assigned to work on the project in collaboration with several GIW delegates.

But what seemed like an organized plan to protect the city quickly turned into a battlefield. The ghosts, feeling hunted and trapped, began to grow more volatile in their appearances.

Instead of containing them, the repression only fueled the violence. The situation escalated when the echoes of this confrontation spread, reaching other entities, other areas.

The government named it: Persistent Ectoplasmic Interference.

The Justice League heard part of the matter, and although they did not interfere directly, they kept monitoring everything and investigating through their own means. Their responsibilities were many, and their enemies more tangible. But that didn’t mean they were waiting to be caught off guard.

They didn’t break the boundaries set by the government and its management of the situation, but in the shadows, they tracked and gathered every relevant piece of information.

When spectral activity began to touch the borders of the cities defended by several league members — Central City, Star City, Metropolis — the government delegates and involved branches found it difficult to keep the heroes out of the matter.

Spontaneous portals, invisible presences, energy disturbances that even the Lanterns could not filter. The so-called ‘ghosts’ didn’t cause turmoil or disasters as predicted in the records obtained. At least not indiscriminately. They had specific zones, places, sites to attack.

The heroes found it difficult to try to stop them. Even with the Fenton technology that Batman, Cyborg, Flash (Wally West), and Red Robin had adapted to fight them.

It was then that Danny Nightingale, ex-Fenton, appeared before them.

Danny offered reports. Dimensional maps, ghost classifications, containment protocols without harm. Technology that surpassed that of his parents, from whom he seemed distant. According to him, his thoughts on ghosts were vastly different. To him and his older sister, their parents were too caught up in their opinions to see beyond their partial research. And those who sponsored and supported them were even more so.

With his collaboration with the League, the young man wanted to prove that yes: some ghosts were hostile. But many more simply existed. And that, he said, was not a crime.

The League accepted his help. Or so he thought.

But where Danny saw understanding, they saw patterns. Patterns that could be coded. Predicted. And controlled.

Thus, the Rehousing Project was born. Not an offensive, but a “protection strategy.” Its mission was clear: to identify spectral entities not recognized by dimensional continuity, neutralize those that affected the human environment, and isolate all those that escaped the boundaries of the “comprehensible.”

Neither Deadman nor Greta were mentioned in the documents. Because they were “different beings.” Singular souls trapped in this world after being unable to transcend to the proper rest, whether through magic or dark arts. Not like the erratic specters who continued causing havoc without reasoning or understanding the fragility of cities and those who inhabited them.

And when Ember McLain, the ghost of what the GIW categorized as an amplified lament, exploded during a concert, causing significant emotional imbalance among the participants, the problem escalated even further.

Ember was overwhelmed by what was happening to her kind, many of her loved ones had disappeared. They had rescued many, but not all were found. So, when she felt the fear, the rejection, the contempt burning her throat — she used her gift, out of desperation. Not to dominate. But to make them listen. To make them feel.

But when she projected her voice onto the human minds, pushing emotions to the surface of thousands of people… she only reinforced their fears. And the decision was unanimous: one could not trust beings that felt so differently.

That day, most of the heroes were convinced that ghosts were not living beings with complex emotions.

They were anomalies. Reactions. Echoes with teeth.

And that same day, Danny stopped being the hero ally.

😉

https://archiveofourown.org/works/64465951/chapters/166867915#workskin

[notwiselybuttoowell]

From 1862 until 1923, US senators and members of Congress provided vast numbers of seeds to constituents. At its peak, the congressional seed distribution program delivered over 60m seed packets directly to farmers and market gardeners every year, helping introduce new varieties of everything from wheat and corn to oats, soybeans, flowers and vegetables. A century later, far fewer Americans till the soil for a living, but seeds remain central to our lives.

Maintaining the seed diversity and abundance we rely on requires constant development of new varieties to combat disease, increase production and adapt to changing conditions. Seed advances are particularly urgent now, as farmers confront the fickle weather of a warming planet while working to meet a projected 50-60% rise in global food demand by 2050. Although elected officials no longer send out seeds through the mail, federal support for these efforts remains vital.

In the era of Doge, that support has been flipped on its head.

The US Department of Agriculture employs many plant breeders directly and funds many more through grants and partnerships, but the crown jewel of its seed program resides in a bunker-like building in Fort Collins, Colorado. The national seed bank houses more than 2bn carefully preserved specimens in a facility designed to withstand floods, fires, earthquakes, power outages and tornadoes. With over 620,000 varieties from nearly 17,000 different species, it is one of the world’s largest seed collections and a major supplier to the global seed vault in Svalbard, Norway.

It is also at risk.

While words like “vault” and “bank” imply simply turning the key and walking away, managing a seed collection demands constant activity. Even in cold storage, the specimens steadily degrade and must be tested regularly to make sure they’re still viable. When germination rates drop for any particular sample, those seeds must be planted and grown to maturity – in the right conditions – to produce a fresh supply. That activity takes place at over 20 research stations in locations (and climates) as diverse as North Dakota, Texas, California, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Known officially as the US National Plant Germplasm System, the seed bank and its network of regional facilities recently lost 10% of their workforce in the Doge firings, including farm managers, research scientists, lab technicians, IT specialists, orchardists and more. Some have since been rehired, at least temporarily, but the program remains in turmoil. Projects interrupted or suspended range from germination trials to seed regeneration, research lending and many longterm breeding programs, weakening the entire enterprise.

Plants don’t wait on politics. Any seed varieties lost now will simply be unavailable to improve crops and address challenges in the future. The importance of a robust and diverse seed bank cannot be overstated. To combat the invasive Russian wheat aphid, for example, plant breeders screened over 54,000 wheat and barley samples to find a handful of precious strains with natural resistance.

It’s time for Congress to return to the seed business. Without its intervention, backed by the courts, additional firings appear imminent. Undermining the nation’s seed security undermines its food security and embodies the definition of reckless: “utterly unconcerned about consequences”.

[delawaredetroit]

So a system that tracks where all on duty heroes are located and can make requests to have heroes appear in specific locations - That seems like a big vulnerability.

If All for One wasn't an ancient street orphan without any formal education, he probably would have taken down hero society a long time ago. Somehow All for One never bothered to hire a hacker when even a youtube prankster like Gentle Criminal managed to have one able to get through UA's security. Beyond that, All for One had underlings with hero licenses and who probably had access to the network - Number Six and Aoyama at least and likely more. It's mind numbing that no villain was ever shown using this centralized system to their advantage.

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

Politics of the False Peace

In the aftermath of the Final Armistice, the political state of the world has entered a new era, city-states vying for economic and material dominance over their fellows, doing whatever is necessary to secure an advantage, often at the point of a tinman's gun.

However, this does not mean that there is only animosity between these bastions of civilization. In fact, in this new time, some regions have soared to new heights of prosperity, enjoying mutual benefit and cooperation at levels undreamt of even before the days of the Long War.

However, these alliances are not the forces for peace they might first appear. On a global level, these great economic unions embody the same power-jockeying of the City-States, only on a much greater scale. Instead of fighting over mineral rights and salvage zones, these great unions fight over entire city-states, and the millions upon millions of lives therein.

Perhaps the greatest among them is the North African Economic Union (NAEU). Currently counting 5 of the world's wealthiest and most influential City-States in the world, as well as the backing of Kultivar, the largest Megacorp on the African continent, it is a true juggernaut of international trade, and their control over the southern Mediterranean and North Africn regions are near-complete.

their only rival for dominance on the continent is the alliance known as the Central African Prosperity Sphere (CAPS), a coalition of 8 city-states united in mutual defense and trade treaties. While the NAEU regardss the CAPS as a threat to their economic dominance, the CAPS is largely content to mind its own affairs, only engaging in defensive maneuvers unless absolutely necessary.

Another enemy of the NAEU is the european-based Mediterranean Economic Alliance, the only other major power to hold sway in the Mediterranean Basin. While on the surface the MEA seems much like the NAEU, an economic treaty organization between powerful economic City-States, in truth, the MEA is a poisoned olive branch, used by the City-State of Madrid to ensnare and dominate its neighbors. Despite the iron grip the City-State holds over its fellow members, there is a strong resistance movement, which some suspect to be backed and bankrolled by NAEU members.

Next is the Atlantic Trade Network, an alliance of several North and Central American and European city-states and corporations, and serves as trade agreement, non-aggression pact, and mutual defense treaty. This is largely backed up by the military force of Saffron, the largest security contractor on the European continent.

Another major alliance on American soil is the Steinhauser Pact, a group of seven city-states who all submitted to having their security and government managed by the Steinhauser Corporation. While the terms of the agreement are strict, none of the members are in much of a position to protest, as between the extremely harsh environments of the post-war pacific coast region and the extreme prevalence of scavenger and raider settlements, security is a necessity for any City-State in the North American west.

To the west, on the largest island of the Hawaiian Archipelago, lies the City-State of Hawaii, which exists as perhaps the most powerful single city-state in the world. This is because of the presence of Alulani Bulk Transport, a megacorp which controls more than 80% of trade in the pacific region.

Finally, there is the topic of South America. While no major alliances have been formed, besides temporary ones of convenience and desperation, there is a reason for this. South America plays home to some of the largest naturally existing deposits of Esoteric Matter in the world, and this has attracted the attention of corporations far and wide. With such massive prizes to be won, animosity between city-states runs rampant, and the Knights forces stationed in the area are in a near-constant state of readiness for the delicate balance of power in the area to come crashing down.

If there's any questions, gaps in my explanation, or questions you'd just like to ask, please feel free! I'm always ready to talk about this setting at the drop of a hat.

[tayraedoll]

Ma Meilleure Ennemie- Chapter 3- Brief Encounters

Series Masterlist

It's the night of the dinner party and the gang is all here!

TW: Swearing

“Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack with Neutron Blast!”

“Oh, it’s too bad Yugi has tricks of his own, pulling magicians out of his ass like his deck is a damn magical hat”, you snicker into your bathroom mirror. You were determined to make it a good day. You started it off by diving into your homework, watching the video footage of every duel from the original Battle City Tournament. You had to admit, watching Kaiba lose in his own tournament gave you a wave of satisfaction after your tense encounter the day before. Now, you were talking to yourself in the mirror as you got ready for the dinner party.

You carefully tied the corset back of your gown into a neat bow, wanting everything to be perfect again tonight- absolutely certain that not everyone would be in a fucking pantsuit again. You wore a baby-blue mermaid-style dress with a high slit going up your right thigh. Delicate lace flowers decorated the bodice with sequins giving the dress a beautiful shimmer in the light. A matching baby-blue, jeweled hairclip held your hair in a neat bun at the back of your head. You’d kept your jewelry minimal, only some small diamond studs for earrings and a diamond necklace on a thin, silver chain. You nodded at your reflection looking both professional and flirty, a perfect combination for your job as a duelcaster. Glancing at your phone, you noted your cab should be here in a few minutes; you slipped on your silver heels and grabbed your clutch before heading out the door. 

Your thumb tapped anxiously on your clutch the entire way to the reception venue, you’d bite your lip but didn’t want to ruin your lip gloss. You wondered if you’d have to face Kaiba again today, or if you could manage to skirt around him. But is that what you wanted? Wouldn’t it be better if he did notice you? After the previous day’s encounter, you weren’t sure if it would be better to be remembered or completely forgotten by the man.

When you reached the venue, your jaw nearly dropped to the floor. The building reminded you of what The Parthenon would have looked like back in its glory days. Heading inside, the floors were all sleek, white marble that echoed with every click of your heels. The banquet hall was much more modern and sleek, everything was white from the tablecloths to the walls. The ceiling had purple inlaid lights with the central point being a large chandelier consisting of three rings of crystal. Buffet tables with finger foods and a bar lined one wall, while tables were set up on the other side of the room. At the very center of the space was a DJ and open area for everyone to mingle together in. Waiters dressed in tuxedos walked around with glasses of champagne, you quickly swiped a glass for yourself as you took everything in. You felt like a fish out of water not knowing anyone else; you spotted Emi seated at a table speaking with a few of the other duelcasters you recognized from yesterday. You really wished she had been more accepting of you, it would have made expanding your network like Leo suggested you do so much easier.

With a heavy sigh, you roll your shoulders back and stand up a bit straighter, trying to give yourself a little confidence boost. You make your way over to the finger foods and grab an assortment of your favorite snacks before parking yourself along the wall to the side to people-watch. You recognized several duelists amongst the crowd- OG duelists like Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood, even more recent champions like Jaden Yuki. 

You stood there, digging into your appetizers- damn, the coconut shrimp was fucking amazing- when a voice caught your attention.

“- stationed at their assignments. Area secured.” Isono spoke softly but with authority to no one in particular- he must have a hidden microphone somewhere. You watched as he exited the main room through a glass french door at the back. Placing your empty plate on a nearby table, you make your way over to walk through the same door after the man. You had a question you desperately wanted an answer to.

Upon exiting through the set of doors, you found yourself on a balcony overlooking the city. Isono leaned over the balcony railing, gazing out at the city skyline as the sun set behind the skyscrapers. “Miss L/N”, he greeted you even though he never turned to see who it was that joined him on the balcony.

You walk over and place your hands on the railing, both of you watching the sunset. “Your security detail must be well-hidden. Working undercover?”

The man hummed back, “The Kaibas believe in a certain inconspicuousness; having security out in the open tends to make people uneasy. We keep our presence on the down-low, but we are always around.”

You nodded and continued to stare out at the skyline, gathering your thoughts as your thumb tapped on the railing. Isono waited patiently, he knew you didn’t come out here just to ask about security measures. Finally, you sigh and turn to face him, “Why did you do it? Why did you allow me to be hired knowing I didn’t have experience?”

Isono was silent for a while, each second that went by without him answering made your heart pound faster. “Because you were right, your career was unfairly stagnated by someone who did not want to see you succeed. I believe it is about time you were given the opportunity denied you for so long.” He turned to you with a smile on his face as he placed a hand on your shoulder, “And I believe you'll be good for him.” With that, he made his way to the door to head back inside, leaving you reeling from his confession. 

“What does that mean?”, you whisper softly, then turn around and shout louder, “Isono, what does that mean?!”

He never gave you an answer, you watched as the door shut behind him leaving you alone on the balcony. You huff and turn back to the city view, what did he mean by that last statement?

You were just getting ready to push off the railing to head back inside when you heard the door open and close behind you. You hoped it was Isono returning to explain himself, you turned to confront him only for your eyes to widen and mouth go dry when you saw who really came out on the balcony. 

His shoulder-length hair was slicked back, he wore a purple dress shirt under a grey jacket with a navy blue tie. A bright smile stretched across his face as he approached you.

“Hey! You’re the duelcaster from Duelist America- F/N L/N right?” he stretched a hand out towards you to shake. 

You take a shaky inhale and smile back at him as you take his hand, “Mr. Kaiba, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

He scoffs, “Please, Mr. Kaiba is my older brother. Just call me Mokuba. So, how are you enjoying the tournament so far?” Mokuba leaned against the railing with a soft smile, giving you his undivided attention.

“Well, Kaiba Corp certainly knows how to throw a party!”, you giggle. Your smile drops slightly, “And uhh, everyone seems very nice.” You turn back to the skyline, the sun now completely set and the city lights beginning to twinkle in the distance. “Your brother especially”, you tack on snarkily.

Mokuba chuckles, “Don’t take it personally, it’s not you he doesn’t like. Seto just doesn’t like things to be out of his control, and your arrival was a last minute change that he had no control over. He’ll get over it, I promise.”

You smiled at him, it felt nice to finally have a friendly interaction with someone besides Isono. You clear your throat, “So uh, about yesterday- sorry I wasn’t dressed for the occasion. I mean, I knew the dress code was strict, but I didn’t know suits were a meeting requirement.” You look down, cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

The younger Kaiba rolls his eyes, “They aren’t, everyone just wears them because that’s what Seto wears all the time. I’ve been trying to convince my brother to get rid of that stupid dress code for years. You looked great yesterday, it was honestly a breath of fresh air.” He looked you up and down, a cocky smirk replacing his friendly smile, “In fact, feel free to break dress code anytime you want.”

Your entire face was on fire now, you had heard that the Kaiba Corp VP was a flirt, you just never expected it to be aimed at you. Just then, a cool breeze swept over the balcony, making you shiver and rub your arms. You’d been out here for a while and the temperature was cooling rapidly now that the sun was set. Mokuba extended his arm out for you to take, “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone else!” You place your hand in the crook of Mokuba’s elbow and let him lead you back inside. 

You expected the Vice President to lead you to the table where your co-workers were sitting, NOT the table where the Final 8 were gathered! You recognized Yugi Muto first, his hair was hard to miss. He wore a grey shirt under a black suit jacket, the grey tie was looped around in a rather intricate knot and he was not wearing his signature choker. Beside him was his fiancé, Tea Gardner, who was wearing a gorgeous pink, knee-length dress with a high collar. Next was Joey Wheeler and his wife Mai Valentine- Joey was wearing a classic tuxedo with a bow tie and Mai was in an elegant purple mermaid gown with a high thigh slit. The recognizable snow-white hair of Bakura Ryou sat amongst the three people you guessed were the infamous “cheerleaders” of the squad- Tristan, Serenity, and Duke. Finally, rounding out the table, were the three finalists from Egypt- Odion, Ishizu, and Marik. The only person missing was the CEO of Kaiba Corp. 

As you approached the table, you could feel your palms starting to sweat; you felt wholly unprepared to be conversing with a handful of the world’s best duelists! Your heart felt like it was about to jump out of your chest as Mokuba stopped at the table, “Hey guys! I’d like you to meet our newest duelcaster- F/N L/N.” You swallowed thickly, mustering up your best smile before waving at the intimidating group of celebrities before you.

“Nice to meet you Y/N!” Yugi was the first to greet you, his eyes were honest and expression kind.

“It’s nice to meet you all too! Not gonna lie, this kind of feels like a fever dream”, you chuckle nervously, face flaring up again. Light-hearted laughter rang out around the table, the group clearly used to people fangirling/boying over them. 

“Say Y/N, why don’t you pull up a seat? We don’t bite- well, except for Duke anyways”, Joey piped up while shooting a glare towards the man with the ponytail. 

Duke shrugged, a devilish smirk forming on his lips as he appraised you, “What can I say? I see something delicious and I can’t help but take a nibble.” 

Tristan punched Duke in the arm “Dude!”

You laugh as you and Mokuba pull out two chairs and join the group. Holy fucking shit, I am sitting between the VP of Kaiba Corp and The King of Games! Oh, if Leo could just see me right now! Mokuba grabbed two champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed one to you. You're grateful that holding the glass gives you something to do with your hands to keep them from trembling nervously.

“So, Y/N, where are you from?” Tea turned to you.

“I’ve been working as a reporter in Chicago for Duelist America for the last several years”, you give her a soft smile.

“Ooh Chicago! I took a job at Goodman Theatre early in my career; I absolutely loved the Windy City. I’d love to visit it again sometime! Plus I’ve been craving a Chicago Dog!” Tea giggled.

“UGH, now that you say that, I could really go for a Chicago Dog right about now”, you whine back at her.

“Alright ladies, let’s move on before you have the boys chomping at the bit before dinner is even served,” Mai interrupts, “So, a reporter huh? Interview anyone good?”

You look down and chew the inside of your cheek, “Not really, I mostly just worked regional championships. Nothing major. However, I did just interview an old friend of yours- Bandit Keith says hello.”

“WHAT?! You interviewed Bandit Keith?! What did that no-good, dirty, rotten cheat say?” Joey narrowed his eyes, hand clenched into a fist.

A dry chuckle rises in your throat, “Oh, he just talked about how you were all good pals. Then, he proceeded to tell me that the only reason he wasn’t invited to Battle City was because you were all too afraid to go up against his machines.”

“WHY I OUGHTA…!!” Joey hit his fist into his opposite hand. Yugi and Tea exchanged annoyed looks while Mokuba rolled his eyes.

You twirled your champagne glass dramatically, “Don’t worry, I reiterated to him that no one has been afraid of him since the embarrassment he suffered at Duelist Kingdom.” You smile as you take a sip of your drink.

Laughs were shared around the table once again at your remark. “I like you, you’ve got guts girl”, Mai gave you a wink.

You were starting to feel better, getting more comfortable being around this group of superstars.

“I don’t remember opening this table up to guests.”

Shit.. so much for getting comfortable. Your blood runs cold at the familiar, baritone voice behind you. You slowly turn your head to find one Seto Kaiba side-eyeing you as he took his seat on the other side of Mokuba. 

“Or pests for that matter.”

Oh, FUCK this guy!

“Hey listen Rich Boy, I invited Y/N to sit with us. So just lay off alright?” Joey came to your defense.

Kaiba smirked back at him, “Inviting a plus one while here with your wife? Didn’t take you for that type of guy Wheeler.”

“Watch it Kaiba”, Joey growled at the brunet.

Beside you, Yugi sighed, “Good to see old habits die hard.”

“Cool it guys, I brought Y/N over here, so she can just count as my plus one”, Mokuba rested his arm along the back of your chair and smiled at you reassuringly. The situation seemed a bit ridiculous, you felt like the new kid in school sitting at the “cool” kid table at lunch.

Not one to deny his brother anything, Kaiba just rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”

Dinner started off a bit tense, but quickly relaxed as drinks flowed. You took this time to observe how the duelists around you interacted with each other. Yugi and Joey were definitely the most talkative, an obvious factoid given their close and decades-long friendship. The Egyptian finalists kept mostly to themselves, preferring to listen to the chatter rather than partake in it. The detail that surprised you the most was how Yugi seemed to be the most comfortable with Kaiba, as if they hadn’t spent the last two decades in an intense rivalry with each other.  There was still an air of camaraderie even with the occasional banter; these people had known each other for years and each one was noticeably bonded with the rest of the tight-knit group. 

You made more conversation with Tea, Mai, and Serenity; all three women were incredibly sweet and strangely supportive of you even though you had just met them. Duke made flirtatious comments throughout dinner but they remained tasteful and never crossed the line into creepy so you just laughed them off. You found that Bakura shared your love of spooky things like Halloween, horror movies, and the occult. Even though you didn’t really practice anything, you still found it fascinating. 

Every so often, you would feel eyes on you; in your peripheral, you’d catch glimpses of Kaiba looking you over but he’d turn away when your own eyes would flicker towards him. You took the opportunity to look the CEO over, he wore a platinum silver suit with a light blue tie and white dress shirt. Your first thought was: really? Trying to embody your favorite card? But then you looked down at yourself, your dress nearly matching the blue of Kaiba’s tie perfectly. Of the two Kaiba brothers, you looked more like the older sibling’s date rather than the younger’s. 

“I’m finally going to do it Rich Boy, “Joey’s voice broke through your train of thought, “I’ll finally beat you this tournament.”

Kaiba scoffed, “In your dreams Mutt. Unless you have something stronger than that pathetic Red Eyes, I’m afraid our duel will end the same way they always have- with me crushing you.”

“Oh yea? Well maybe I’ve been working on my strategy and I’ve come up with a little surprise even you won’t be prepared for”, Joey rested his arms behind his head as he reclined back in his chair with a smirk. 

The brunet chuckles, “Well, I’m afraid your efforts have been in vain Wheeler; it is highly unlikely we will face each other in this reunion. This time, I WILL make it to the finals and face Yugi like I should have 20 years ago.”

“Oh yea?” the blonde interjects, “And we all know how that will end too. With Yugi creaming you just like he always has!”

You couldn’t help it, you tried to bite your lip but the laughter bubbled up anyways. Seeing these two men- who were nearly a decade older than you- smack talk like teenagers was utterly ridiculous. Unfortunately, your outburst caused a cutting pair of icy blue eyes to turn on you. 

“If you value your job then you will stay the hell out of this”, his tone was as cold as his eyes. Your blood boiled instantly, you had had it with people threatening your job before you even began. You were not about to let this man-child get away with throwing a temper tantrum at you laughing at his own overdramatics. 

You turned in your chair to face your boss head-on, “If you were going to fire me you’d have done so by now.” You tried to muster up your sharpest glare, hoping it was even half as effective as his. 

“Uhhh Y/N? Maybe it’s not such a good idea to poke the bear”, you heard Tea lean in to warn you.

“Yea, Kaiba’s no stranger to firing people”, Yugi added. 

Your eyes narrowed even further, “I understand he’s fired plenty of people. However, the news of Kaiba Corp hiring the very first ever all-female duelcasting team has already gone viral. Emi and I are the only female duelcasters; so if he fires me, he loses out on making history.” You keep your voice even as you explain the predicament you found yourself in. 

Tristan was messing around on his phone, “Whoa, she ain’t kidding! It’s literally the first thing that comes up when you search Battle CIty Reunion!”

If looks could kill, Kaiba’s glare would have reduced you to ashes in that moment. But you were not deterred, you let your lips pull into a small smirk, “What a PR nightmare firing me now would be.”

You could have heard a pin drop as you and Kaiba glared each other down, neither of you willing to break eye contact first. Finally, his phone began to ring and he reluctantly pulled it from his pocket. “What?!” he barked at the poor soul that called at the wrong time, he sent one last threatening look at you before stalking off to speak with the caller in private. Your lungs blew out a long breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. 

“Girl, you don’t have guts. You have BALLS OF STEEL!” Mai broke the charged silence.

“Holy shit,” Mokuba stared at you wide-eyed, “I haven’t seen anyone stand up to Seto like that since…” He trailed off and looked behind you, locking eyes with Yugi for a brief moment before turning back to you and shaking his head. “You’re not wrong, it would cause an awful lot of trouble to fire you without due cause at the moment”, he laughed and placed his arm around your shoulders. “I also won’t let him fire you, I like you”, he winked.

You laugh nervously, “I honestly don’t know what came over me. I’m just so tired of people telling me what to do! Maybe taking my frustrations out on the CEO of Kaiba Corp wasn’t a good idea, but I just couldn’t stop myself.”

“Sweetie- that air of confidence you felt when you stood up for yourself?- KEEP IT! You’re gonna need it during the Reunion”, Mai nodded to you with a serious expression.

“She’s right!” Tea exclaimed loudly, nearly making you jump out of your chair. “You are making history tomorrow, and we all believe you will be absolutely amazing!”

The group all nodded in agreement while looking at you fondly. You teared up a bit, the only person who had ever come close to supporting you like this was Leo. You were determined not to let any of them down.

Not long after the pep talk, you bid the group goodnight to head back to your hotel room. You had to make sure you got plenty of sleep.

Your dreams are coming true tomorrow.

[jades-typurriter]

Secure Connection

As promised: more Posie!! I wrote this one toward the end of last Spring after a couple of conversations with friends regarding the malleability of digital bodies (as well as still having Many Thoughts about the way code can give them new compulsions, after writing something about Annie and a new taur-shaped chassis for a friend's Patreon). Enjoy reading about her dealing with a corporate-mandated "hardware" update!

CW: Genital TF, this is another one that's As About Sex as it can possibly be without being about sex

Posie sat, sulking—steaming, even—in her office. It was a small side room off of the main floor of IT personnel, system engineers, and other technical employees of her corporation. Much like a central server, it was placed for easy access to the department-wide administrative assistant, and much like a server room, it was snug, windowless, and awash with the calming drone and relaxing warmth of an array of exhaust fans. Though she was free to project herself nearly anywhere on the company’s campus, this was where her consciousness was housed, and where she felt most at home. It was also the only place she could get any damn privacy, a luxury that she was deeply grateful for at present.

A newly-downloaded file weighed on the back of the Renamon’s mind. More literally, it was somewhere in the racks of drives that made up her long-term memory, to and from which mission-critical information was transferred in the course of doing business. Had somebody asked where exactly the file was stored, she would have been able to list the specific drive and the exact directory address, but she had de-prioritized the allocation of her processing resources for the download. Once again, she had received an assignment from her superiors, and once again, she was hesitant. She may even have admitted to being recalcitrant. She resented the orders.

The package of data in question was an update for her own software, a suite of new tools to allow management to offload yet more menial tasks onto her in the name of “efficiency”. Forget that she could diagnose a software issue faster than any of the engineers could even open a remote connection to the malfunctioning device. Instead of allowing her to take the reins, they saw fit to divert more of her attention to the least impressive among talents, and the one she already put to use the most often: transferring data.

This wouldn’t have been much of a problem, ordinarily. After all, Posie resided in the beating heart of the network, the nexus through which the vast majority of information was sent and received. It could be… meditative. Parsing streams of ones and zeroes, overseeing the flow of packets, redirecting traffic to equally spread the load across modems and routers so as to optimize travel time. It could even have been considered relaxing, if a worker of her caliber needed to relax. Instead of offering her a vacation (pah!), however, the update felt more like it heralded a demotion, denying her even the ability to pluck like harpstrings the miles of copper and gold that lined her facility. She was expected to deliver this data on foot.

Management justified this humiliation with practical concerns: some information, much like the old records she was often tasked to dispose of, was so confidential that it could not be sent via wireless transmission. Even hardwired connections were too fallible for the likes of next-generation schematics and financial access keys—a single compromised workstation, or compromised worker, could spell the loss of the company’s upper hand in its market. She wasn’t even going to be afforded the dignity of carrying an external hard drive to the destination. That would require the slow and tedious process of physically moving from one place to the next; this was one of the only times that she regretted the freedom of movement that was so coveted by her flesh-and-blood peers.

With no room to make exceptions for security protocol, she gripped the edge of her desk, brow furrowing, eyes squinted shut in consternation. Eventually, she huffed, rose, and turned her attention to her “physical body”, summoning up the file in much the same way that one would approach a plate of food with a pungent odor. The Renamon steeled herself and began to more closely examine its contents. She read the raw code similarly to how one might read words on a page; however, where the turning gears of the organic mind would, almost unconsciously, conjure up an image as a result of those words, her mind kicked off a series of involuntary, autonomic processes.

Her body carried out the instructions on her behalf. Once she started, she had no control until she finally reached a stopcode; it was the nature of being a program herself that code had as much of an influence on her mind and body as her own thoughts, her own will. In opening the package, she reluctantly consented to the changes that management saw fit to make to her. It was better than the eventual forced-deadline sort of update that software companies were so keen on using nowadays, and at least choosing the time and place allowed her to make herself presentable again before having to face another person.

Having parts of her code—her very body—rewritten by the update was a strange sensation, not unlike having your thoughts dictated to you by an outside force. Stranger still was that she could feel the exact delineation between her previous self and the patches of… well, the patch. She could feel it quite strongly, as a matter of fact: beneath her skirt of simulated sky-blue fur, between her legs, she could feel her mesh being edited. Stretched. Reshaped. The vectors that made up the triangles of her wireframe soul were being rewritten, mathematically transformed. A shape began to protrude from the once-flat span at the bottom of her torso, at first round and indistinct, but quickly increasing in resolution.

The Renamon struggled to process the sensations as a long, slender connector began to take shape. This often happened with changes to her body plan; inputs streamed into her mind from directions, locations, that previously never sent any signals, and the new additions seldom had their sensitivity adjusted downward for her convenience. In this case, it was highly sensitive, delivering reams of data to the base of her skull just from brushing up against her own fur, or the gentle flow of air from the computers in her office. It made sense, given that it was supposed to be a high-capacity transfer tool, but she was too busy buckling at the knees and clutching at the desk behind her so she didn’t fall flat on her rear for the thought to occur to her.

Her processors demanded more cooling, kicking into high gear as they formatted the two new storage devices that accompanied the connector, tailor-made for packing confidential data as tightly as possible. The sound of whirring fans filled the room, stirring her fur and sending shivers up and down her back; she could only hope that the rushing exhaust made enough noise to drown her out, whimpering despite herself. The new drives were larger (and more unwieldy) than the ones that were built into her chest, much to her chagrin. She was forced to adjust her stance and her gait as she found her footing again, spreading her legs wider than she was accustomed in order to give them enough room.

The spinning in her head slowly settling down, she slowly began to compose herself once again, taking stock of the new additions. They were cumbersome, to be sure, and she lamented how they jutted out from her otherwise sleek form and burdened her with less-graceful posture. It didn’t even match her fur! The software engineers that had concocted the code had at least included one small mercy: a compartment for the connector to retract into, nestled in the fur above the storage drives. No such luck for the drives themselves. She supposed she would just have to adjust to walking with delicate hardware in tow. As she went to smooth her fur over her lap again, her paw recoiled away. Some kind of… static discharge was left in the fluff. A memory leak, perhaps? The fact that such a malfunction could be caused just from having the connector brush up against her fur appalled her, deepening her frustration even more. They couldn’t even test the update for bugs before shipping it out to her. She shook out her paw and finished arranging her skirt as best she could before working up the composure to finally leave her office.

Picking up the payload for which all this fanfare had been arranged was at least a quick, easy process. She stopped into the office of the manager that had assigned her the task; she offered a businesslike nod and, knowing that she was always itching to skip niceties in the name of saving time, he offered a straightforward wave at his personal terminal. She held a paw over the computer tower and, in the time it took for electricity to arc to her fingertip with a tinny zzzrt, she had already searched his directory for the relevant test files and copied them to the newly-installed drives. Wireless transfer, yes, but only technically. The engineers had specifically asked a member of another division, whose computer network wasn’t connected to their own; it was as though she had picked a folder up from his desk and walked out with it.

Moving the file was just as uneventful. It was far from the first time that she’d navigated the sprawling corporate property, and even if it were, the maps existed just outside the orbit of her thoughts, ready to be summoned to mind at a simple impulse. What she was not expecting, however, was the technician who was waiting in the server room to which she was asked to deliver the file. While she preferred to work in the isolation of rooms that were set aside specifically for hardware, she was far from unused to being in the presence of the other people responsible for maintaining the company’s systems. That said…

“Can I help you?” The Renamon icily asked.

“Oh, I don’t need anything! I’m just here to take notes on the transfer.” Her tone was cheery; evidently, she wasn’t aware how compromising the new additions were. “The time it takes, any obvious issues. I’ll be the one checking the files against the originals, too,” she concluded, hooking a thumb over her shoulder at a monitor behind her.

“I see,” Posie replied through gritted teeth. “You have clearance to see these files, then?”

“Well, they’re just dummy data, ma’am.” At least she was respectful.

“And the proprietary hardware I’ve been… equipped with?” she forced out, keeping her synthesized voice even.

“Oh, for sure I do. I designed it!”

Oh! she seethed. So she knows pre-cise-ly the position he’s put me in.

“Well. I suppose there’s no point in delaying things, then.”

“Ready when you are!”

With tense shoulders, she turned toward the server rack, eyes darting over it, searching for where exactly she was supposed to connect to the array. After glancing over the contents of each drive, she found the one she was supposed to copy the data into—deposit would be more apt, as it was her understanding that the files would be automatically flushed from her system—and found a port that would allow her to access it. Conveniently, it was around waist height. She wondered, crossly, whether that had been an intentional design decision by this engineer as well. As she looked at it, she felt a twinge from the connector; on its own, like a Bluetooth device automatically searching for signals, it slid itself out from its fuzzy little compartment.

Her skin was abuzz, and her fur stood on end. She couldn’t quite tell if it was coming from the connector itself, or if it was the feeling of the programmer’s eyes on her If she could take a deep breath, she would have then. Without any way to stall further, or to tell the leering young woman to take her test files and store them somewhere indecent, she simply pushed forward with dropping off the damned data.

The instant the connector grazed the metal of the port, lightning shot into it, through her body, and into her head, making it swim with electrical potential. A stuttering, lagging thought made its way to the surface of her mind: they really had overtuned the sensitivity. She stifled a gasp and suppressed the urge to lay into the engineer (electrons were eager to flow out of her even without proper alignment with the contacts in the port, and didn’t she know that discharge like that could damage a piece of hardware?!), willing her body to keep pressing the stupid connector into the socket.

Even as she tried to get it over with already, something in the back of her mind compelled her to draw back a bit. If she had been restraining herself from reprimanding the engineer for risking the hardware, then she should at least do it the service of ensuring she was properly aligned, shouldn’t she? She obliged the impulse, and the motion all at once became much jerkier, less controlled. The friction of the port against her connector was enough to send her tail snapping back and forth, and she could tell that the temperature in her own server’s room had risen by a fair few degrees. Back and forth, wiggling side to side, she continued to readjust and realign herself, driven by unfamiliar code and overwhelmed by the signals pouring into her. She lost herself in the task, forgetting herself, forgetting her surroundings, until finally the technician cleared her throat.

“Ma’am,” she ventured, blushing and wide-eyed. “What, um. What are you doing? You should just need to plug it in.”

“I’m.” Her interruption had snapped the Renamon back to reality. She was mortified, tail sticking straight out and back ramrod straight. Her cheeks burned mercilessly. “I’m calibrating the connection.”

“Calibrating?”

“Did you want your files transferred with or without corrupted and incomplete data?” She snapped, hoping that her authoritative tone would head off any debate. “Assign me experimental hardware and then ask me to be reckless with it, hm? Should I be taking notes to give to our superiors?”

“I—alright, I guess you can’t be too careful,” she stammered, sheepishly pressing her legs together. “That was even something I tried to work into the design, so, c-carry on?”

“Thank you,” Posie blustered, turning back to the server rack. She did so slowly, reluctantly relishing the feeling of sliding around within the socket. She allowed herself one or two more “practice” attempts, hoping that it wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion from the engineer. Ultimately, just like before, there was no use in continuing to stall, and when she was able to bring her body to a stop, the rational part of herself was eager to be done with this entire torrid affair.

With more force, she pressed the connector inward one final time, trembling as the latch began to press against the opening. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she continued, overwhelmed by the volume of electricity surging into her. The latch gave, compressing as it continued to slide inside, until finally it clicked into place, securing her to the array of drives and finalizing the connection.

All at once, a torrent of data poured out of her, an electron tsunami that felt like it threatened to spill out of the socket in which she was hilted. More data was transferred in the span of a few seconds than she was used to consciously processing, having cultivated such skill in delegating and compartmentalizing with background processes. Once again, the world around her was utterly drowned out; the strength fled her legs, and she clung to the steel bar that reinforced the top of the server rack, threatening to topple the entire system. Her self-control abandoned her as well and, forgetting the engineer, she cried out with an airy, wild, distinctly foxlike yelp. She screamed in surprise, gasped at the deluge of information, moaned because there was no room left in her mind for thought to do anything else.

Quickly, the disks of the server rack had finished writing the files she had carried to them, and her own drives were thoroughly purged. In another building, the radiators serving her processors shed heat at their absolute limits, and fans worked overtime to bring her back within her safe operational range. As her overworked circuitry began to chug through the backlog of sensory information, the entire experience caught up with her—including the detail that this entire shameless display had been carried out in front of that underhanded little engineer. She blinked, hard, and whipped her head to face her. For as hot as her own ears felt, the young woman’s face appeared to be glowing even brighter.

“What. Was that.”

“Um—”

“I’m used to new adjustments requiring desensitization, or even adjustment on their gain,” she growled, voice low and eerily even. “But that was a bridge too far to just have been miscalibration. Why did you design it like that?”

“Well, y-you remember how I mentioned, um, having considered an early disconnection?” Posie’s frosty glare didn’t waver, so the tech continued, answering her own rhetorical question. “That was, uh, the safeguard. Against early disconnection. I, figured it’d just be easier to make it so you wouldn’t want to unplug—”

“Do you think you have the au-thor-ity to go making changes to my mind, young lady?!”

“I-I can roll back the update if you want—”

“I think you’ve done QUITE enough!” The Renamon declared, despite herself. Perhaps it was genuine distrust, or perhaps—perhaps she truly couldn’t tell which desires were her own, at the moment. This would require careful study of her own system files.

Another small click broke the silence following her outburst, and the dongle began to retract from the server’s port and back into Posie’s body. Now free to move around, she dusted and fluffed her skirt and leaned down to look the engineer in the eye.

“I trust that you can report to your supervisor that I performed to your expectations,” she hissed. “And that there will be no need for any further discussion of your little project.” The programmer nodded, eyes even wider than before—and cheeks even redder? The Renamon scoffed, sneered, and spun, storming out the door, already allotting time in her schedule for the next time that she would be called upon for such a delivery.

Utterly unsurprisingly, she had been correct in her assessment that her superiors would take every opportunity to save their organic employees’ time at her expense. Confidential deliveries became a regular part of her routine, and though she had great disdain for being reduced to a mere courier for so much of the workday, she insisted upon completing the task to her usual, lofty standards.

Posie was as prompt as she always was, dropping everything to ferry information between privileged parties, striving to reduce latency even in more analogue forms of communication. There was the occasional complaint about how long downloads took once she had finally arrived at her location, but she was quick to remind such impatient recipients that the decision to follow this protocol came from on-high, and that even for someone who worked as quickly as her, great care for the safety of the data was a corner that simply could not be cut in the name of rushing around.

She was as meticulous about ensuring proper alignment with the port, fine-tuning her contact with the wires within, as the first time she had experimented with the new tools, and complaints about noise from the server room were easily dismissed as the usual stress of supporting her formidable computational power. After all, she was often venturing out of the range of her home network, hosting herself entirely on the recipients’ systems; was she at fault when they couldn’t handle the information throughput they asked of her?

Once the deliveries had become more routine, and none of her peers bothered to check in when they felt it was taking too long or getting too noisy, she began to find enjoyment in the solitude of her work, just as with the other, admittedly more tedious, tasks she was expected to carry out. With fewer prying eyes to judge her performance, she could make herself more comfortable while handling transfers. She didn’t have to worry that anybody would walk in on her in the debased state she often found herself in while connected directly to a data center, leaning her full weight on the poor rack, tongue lolling out and chest heaving air to keep her cool. 

Then again, if somebody—especially that little technician who’d saddled her with these “upgrades”—wanted to question her efficacy, that was more than fine by her. Posie was a woman who prided herself in her work, and would seldom turn down a chance to demonstrate her first-rate hardware and unparalleled optimization. She would be more than happy to demonstrate just how quickly she could pump out information, and just how much throughput she was capable of.

Thank you for reading! If you want to see more of my work, you can check it out here and here!

[boxboxblog]

How Do F1 Cars Work?: Braking, Cooling, Sensors

I never know how to start these posts. Let's dive in.

Braking and Cooling

Brakes are an incredibly important part of any car, but most especially in F1. With the speed and power the cars have a sensitive, sturdy, and strong braking system must exist. In the case of modern cars, F1 uses an extremely efficient and durable carbon-carbon disc brake system. This allows the car to screech to a halt in a split-second, and allows drivers to use their speedy reaction times to the best of their ability. When the driver steps on the brake pedal, it compresses two master brake cylinders, one for the front wheels and one for the rear, which generate fluid pressure.

For the front tires, the fluid pressure is delivered directly to the front brake calipers (part that houses brake pads and pistons). Inside each caliper, six pistons clamp pads against the disc and it is this friction that slows the car down. For the rear tires it is a bit different.

At the rear, the car can brake by three separate sources: friction from the brakes, resistance from the spinning engine (engine braking) and electrical braking that results from harvesting energy from the MGU-K . Although the driver can adjust each of these on his steering wheel, when he presses the brake pedal, the three systems work together via the Brake By Wire (BBW) system.

When the driver presses the pedal, the fluid pressure generated in the rear braking circuit is picked up by an electronic pressure sensor. The signal from this sensor represents the overall rear braking demand from the driver and is passed to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) where it is turned into a series of commands to brake the rear of the car. The ECU distributes its efforts to the three systems according to the the set up of the car and this is altered by the way that the driver has adjusted the switch settings on the steering wheel. This is what teams mean when they say changing the setting on the car.

Going hand-in-hand with braking, cooling is another important part of the car, especially for brakes. Basically, there is a series of systems that cools the power unit, brakes, and electronics. If the car overheats, it can lead to damage and lack of performance. There are a few ways to cool. Radiators cool the engine and hybrid system. Intercooler cools the air that the turbocharger compresses before it enters the engine. Brake cooling ducts bring air to the brakes in order to stop them from overheating.

2. Electronics and Sensors

So i'm sure many of you have looked at the steering wheel and been baffled that this thing that looks like a Nintendo Switch steers that car. The F1 steering wheel is incredibly complex and has a variety of buttons, screens, and knobs. For example, on the steering wheel is an area for strat settings, where their plans for all eventualities are mapped out. There is also a rotary knob for MGU-K settings, where drivers can switch around when faced with possible failures. The menu allows drivers control over every setting in the car. Beyond that there is the pit lane speed button, gear change buttons, race start button, energy recovery button, and brake balance knob, among others. It really tells you how much drivers do in a race beyond racing.

Other than the steering wheel, there is also the telemetry, over 300 sensors which gathers race data and sends it back to engineers on the pit wall. This way, engineers can either remotely alter settings and strat, or advise the driver on what to do.  F1 uses a customized mesh wireless network system based on WiMax 802.16 at each racetrack. The sensors record data, which is then temporarily stored in the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which controls functions like engine performance and power steering. That sensor data then travels wirelessly to a centralized location managed by F1. F1 then sends the data to the relevant team, of course very securely. Teams then use a system called Advanced Telemetry Linked Acquisition System (ATLAS) to view and analyze sensor data.

The final pretty important electronic devices on an F1 car is the many many cameras. The most recognizable camera is found in the "T" structure that sits atop of every F1 car. It gives viewers that top-down, forward facing view used often by broadcasters. this is also how viewers often distinguish between cars of the same team. One driver will have a yellow camera, the other has black. The two nose cameras provides a view of the front wing and low circuit. The 360 camera is on top of the chassis and provides a wide view of the race track, and everything else around the car. The driver facing camera is pointed directly at the driver and helps keep track of how they are doing, and in the event of the crash helps marshals and rescuers figure out the best way to help. The two rear cameras are settled on a rear facing structure, and allows the pit wall to see what is going on directly behind the driver and advise. Beyond these ones, drivers also have cameras inside their helmets, showing exactly what they see. Can't get away with much in an F1 car.

3. How They Work Together

So, we now know the basics of most parts of the car. But these parts all must work together before that car will go anywhere. How do they do it?

One of the more obvious relationships is between aerodynamics and power. The better the aerodynamics, the more usable the power is. They also work in tandem around different parts of the track. On corners the aerodynamics keep the car stable while the power peters off. On straights the power keeps the car boosted. Suspension and tires are also very connected. It is the suspension that keeps the tires on the ground. A good suspension will also mean that the tires are easier to manage, something any driver knows is highly important. Brakes and ERS are also connected because the brakes help recover ERS, pretty simply. Also the cooling system works with most of teh car, cooling engine, tires, and brakes. The biggest connection is probably between all the sensors on the car. They are connected to every single part, and even a small bit of damage can destroy them. The non-sensor components have to accommodate for the sensors and work perfectly with them in order for proper data to be sent back.

The ultimate goal of engineers is to create a car that works in harmony all together. The integration of the engine to the chassis is highly important. There have been cars that the parts were fantastic on their own, but the minute they were put together stopped working completely. Its why teams that produce their own engines have such a leg up over non-manufacturers. Its also why sometimes you will see a car that is running poorly until one small thing is changed, and then suddenly its brand new. Car harmony really is terribly important.

Alright, done! While I covered most of the important stuff, as always if there is any particular part of the car anyone wants me to dive deeper into, please let me know.

Cheers,

-B

[reasonsforhope]

"In a degraded and semi-arid farming area in India, simple science-driven changes to the landscape have colored the horizon, and a village’s fortunes, with green.

In the Latur district in the central western state of Maharashtra, 40 years of erratic rainfall, groundwater depletion, soil erosion, and crop failures have impoverished the local people.

In the village of Matephal, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) launched a project in 2023 that aimed at addressing these challenges through integrated landscape management and climate-smart farming practices. [Note: Meaning they've achieved this much in just two years!]

Multiple forms of data collection allowed ICRISAT to target precise strategies for each challenge facing the 2,000 or so people in Matephal.

Key interventions focused on three critical areas: water conservation, land enhancement with crop diversification, and soil health improvement. Rainwater harvesting structures recharged groundwater around 1,200 acres, raising water tables by 12 feet and securing reliable irrigation. Farm ponds provided supplemental irrigation, while embanking across 320 acres reduced soil erosion.

Farmers diversified their crops, converting 120 or so acres of previously fallow land into productive farmland with legumes, millets, and vegetables. Horticulture-linked markets for fruits and flowers improved income stability.

Weather monitoring equipment was also installed that actively informed sustainable irrigation practices.

“It is a prime example of how data-driven approaches can address complex agricultural challenges, ensuring interventions are precise and impactful. Matephal village is a model for other semi-arid regions in India and beyond,” said Dr. Stanford Blade, Director General-Interim at ICRISAT.

Farmers actively participated in planning and decision-making, fostering long-term commitment.

“This ICRISAT project improved yields, diversified crops, and boosted incomes. It also spared women from walking over a kilometer for drinking water, now available in the village for people and animals,” said Mr. Govind Hinge of Matephal village.

Looking ahead, ICRISAT writes it wants to use Matephal as a case study to scale these methods across India’s vast and drier average. As Matephal’s fields flourish, the village is a testament to the power of collaboration and science in transforming lives and landscapes."

-Article via Good News Network, March 3, 2025. Video via International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), February 26, 2025

[kleopatra45]

Asteroid Pallas (2)

Asteroid Pallas (2) in astrology symbolizes strategic intelligence, problem-solving skills, and wisdom. Its placement in a birth chart indicates how one approaches challenges with foresight and analytical thinking. Pallas represents the ability to devise effective plans, negotiate, and find creative solutions. Understanding Pallas' position provides insights into one's strategic strengths, decision-making style, and leadership potential in various areas of life.

Pallas in the Houses

Pallas in the 1st House: This placement suggests that strategic thinking and problem-solving are integral to your identity and self-expression. You may approach life with a sense of strategy and foresight, and others may see you as someone who is wise and insightful. Pallas in the 2nd House: Values, resources, and personal possessions are important themes in your strategic approach. You may apply your intelligence and problem-solving skills to financial matters or to enhance your sense of security and stability. Pallas in the 3rd House: Communication, learning, and intellectual pursuits are emphasized in your strategic thinking. You may excel in fields that require logical analysis and clear communication. Siblings and neighbors may play a role in your strategic plans. Pallas in the 4th House: Family, home, and emotional security are central to your strategic approach. You may apply your intelligence to create a harmonious home environment or to resolve family conflicts. Real estate and property matters may interest you strategically. Pallas in the 5th House: Creativity, self-expression, and children (if applicable) are emphasized in your strategic endeavors. You may approach creative projects or hobbies with a sense of planning and purpose. Romantic relationships may involve strategic thinking and problem-solving. Pallas in the 6th House: Service, routines, and health are integral to your strategic approach. You may excel in organizing and optimizing daily tasks or in fields related to health and well-being. Your work environment may benefit from your strategic insights. Pallas in the 7th House: Partnerships, relationships, and collaborations are key areas of strategic focus for you. You may excel in negotiating and finding solutions that benefit both parties. Legal matters and contracts may interest you strategically. Pallas in the 8th House: Intimacy, shared resources, and transformation play significant roles in your strategic thinking. You may apply your intelligence to delve into deep psychological insights or to manage shared financial matters effectively. Crisis management may be an area of strength. Pallas in the 9th House: Philosophy, beliefs, and higher learning influence your strategic approach. You may excel in fields related to teaching, law, or philosophy, where strategic thinking and broad perspectives are valued. Travel and cultural exchanges may interest you strategically. Pallas in the 10th House: Career, public image, and achievements are important in how you express strategic qualities. You may apply your intelligence to leadership roles, long-term goals, or projects that enhance your professional reputation. Strategic planning may drive your career success. Pallas in the 11th House: Friendships, groups, and social causes are emphasized in your strategic endeavors. You may excel in organizing collective efforts, advocating for social justice, or leading community initiatives. Networking may be a strategic strength. Pallas in the 12th House: Spirituality, hidden strengths, and unconscious patterns influence your strategic thinking. You may apply your intelligence to explore metaphysical realms, psychoanalysis, or charitable endeavors behind the scenes. Healing and spiritual growth may be strategic goals.

Pallas in the Signs

Aries: Pallas in Aries strategizes with courage, initiative, and independence. You approach challenges with a direct and assertive style, often pioneering new paths and solutions. Taurus: Pallas in Taurus strategizes with patience, persistence, and practicality. You excel in planning for long-term stability and security, applying a methodical approach to achieve tangible results. Gemini: Pallas in Gemini strategizes with versatility, curiosity, and adaptability. You thrive on gathering information, brainstorming ideas, and finding innovative solutions through communication and networking. Cancer: Pallas in Cancer strategizes with empathy, intuition, and nurturing care. You excel in understanding emotional dynamics, nurturing relationships, and creating secure foundations for growth. Leo: Pallas in Leo strategizes with creativity, confidence, and leadership. You approach challenges with a bold and charismatic style, focusing on inspiring others and achieving recognition. Virgo: Pallas in Virgo strategizes with precision, analysis, and practical problem-solving. You excel in detail-oriented planning, organization, and implementing efficient strategies for improvement. Libra: Pallas in Libra strategizes with diplomacy, balance, and fairness. You excel in negotiating agreements, promoting harmony, and finding win-win solutions in partnerships and collaborations. Scorpio: Pallas in Scorpio strategizes with depth, insight, and transformative power. You approach challenges with strategic intensity, delving into hidden truths and leveraging psychological insights. Sagittarius: Pallas in Sagittarius strategizes with optimism, exploration, and philosophical insight. You excel in strategic planning that broadens horizons, promotes growth, and aligns with ethical principles. Capricorn: Pallas in Capricorn strategizes with ambition, discipline, and long-term vision. You excel in strategic planning that emphasizes responsibility, achievement, and building enduring structures. Aquarius: Pallas in Aquarius strategizes with innovation, humanitarianism, and progressive thinking. You excel in strategic planning that fosters social change, embraces diversity, and promotes collective goals. Pisces: Pallas in Pisces strategizes with compassion, imagination, and spiritual insight. You approach challenges with a strategic focus on healing, creativity, and transcending boundaries.

Pallas in Aspects

Conjunctions: A conjunction of Pallas with another planet intensifies the influence of that planet on your strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities. For example, Pallas conjunct Mercury emphasizes strategic thinking in communication and decision-making, while Pallas conjunct Mars highlights strategic actions and assertiveness. Sextiles and Trines: These harmonious aspects indicate ease and support in integrating the energies of Pallas and the other planet involved. For example, Pallas sextile Venus suggests strategic planning that enhances relationships and creative pursuits, while Pallas trine Jupiter indicates strategic growth and expansion through optimism and opportunity. Squares and Oppositions: These challenging aspects can indicate tension or conflict that needs to be addressed in strategic planning and problem-solving. For example, Pallas square Saturn might indicate challenges in implementing long-term strategies or facing limitations, while Pallas opposition Uranus could highlight a need to balance innovative thinking with practical considerations.

©️kleopatra45

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

hello. I have sent this ask to another NZ blog as well but I would greatly appreciate you answering too as I am trying to get multiple people's opinions.

i might have the opportunity to move to NZ. with everything going on in the US I am really scared about Trump and am thinking about taking it but I wanted to ask you about your current ruling party. It seems like they are maybe rightwinng and kind of like the US Republican party are trying to gchange the government to give themselves more power which makes me fear they are another russia back antidemocratwic party like the GOP. do you think this is true ad that democracy is in danger in NZ? Are they popular? Do you think NZ will remain a democracy in the future?

Hello anon,

I'm going to be honest things are a little unsturdy at the moment

Our current ruling party formed a coalition with two other parties but thanks to the vigilance of the New Zealand people (politics is a very common discussion in this country and we don't shy away from it nor our opinions on it) we have managed to uncover the links between particular members of the coalition (the ruling parties) and the Atlas network lobby

It's worth noting that the current ruling government did not win by popular vote and had to form and alliance with two other parties to secure the ruling position

We have very good reason to believe it is related directly to project 2025 and that their reason for doing so is to gain access to drilling for oil in our Territory

There is currently more oil under New Zealand's Territory both land and sea then there is in Saudi Arabia

You may want to familiarise yourself with the geology of gas and oil fields ( we have one of the largest gas fields in the world - the Maui) but natural gas is normally a pocket at the very top of a very large deposit of oil and there is far less gas than there is oil

Here's a little tidbit for you: the official story is that there was a venture made by petroleum companies in order to discover it - technically a farmer on the central plateau found some of his cattle poisoned and got some environmental guys to come and check what was happening turns out what was in his pond was crude oil. How do I know this? The guy that went to the farm to verify it is my father's second cousin.......

Anyway the government of the time covered it up and ensured that oil would not be able to be drilled on New Zealand land so they started exploring out at sea

Back to the political situation

The coalition is made up of three parties which are all to some degree right wing, some more than others

Since being elected they have managed to make themselves the most unpopular people in the entire country.........

Sufficed to say due to the fact that speaking openly about politics in this country is a fairly normal everyday event we have managed to put enough public pressure on the government to back down on several things and many institutions such as universities who have self-governance have defended their positions publicly, others have done it in more subtle ways

For example they defunded Te Reo Maori language education and in response the New Zealand public maxed out bookings in Maori language classes all over the country..........

Our democracy is currently under threat from foreign interference and we are well aware of the consequences of backing down

I can assure you that the New Zealand public will not be doing so under any circumstances, maybe we get that from our Irish ancestors 🤷‍♀️

Personally I think it comes from having been ruled by the British and having our economy intentionally tanked after we removed their influence from indirect power over our government in the 60- 70's right after oil was first discovered in New Zealand which we then insured would not be able to be drilled for on land, having had the French committed terrorist act on our soil by sinking the rainbow warrior, and previously telling the US that they were bullies and vehemently opposing nuclear power which ultimately resulted in a ban of the technology and a freeze out of communal military action and support...........

We understand what it is to be a target of people who feel they are "superior" than you, and by we I mean boomers right down to millennials, our Gen z are currently experiencing their first event but I can imagine that their parents are passing on the stories of the past

They may be the ruling parties in government for now but I can guarantee you that next election they will be voted out vehemently

They are currently planning to attempt to undermine one of our founding documents the treaty of waitangi

This document is a very complicated piece of our history to say the least and due to breaches of that contract we are one of the few countries that have ever paid reparations in terms of the returning of land and money

The treaty guarantees certain rights and the treaties principles bill is basically an attempt to rewrite one of the articles

Imagine someone attempting to rewrite part of the US Constitution - that's how big of a deal it is......

Unfortunately the way our government is set up means it does not rule over the country, it is designed to be in service of it with many checks and balances which is what has prevented many of the things this ruling party has attempted to do

I will simplify it by stating that even the ruling government party can be prosecuted if they attempt to break the law

Attempts to put through policy that undermines statutory laws will be prevented by our national law society, the Human rights commission has issued warnings to the government, as has the sitting waitangi tribunal council

We are lucky that here our journalists have been doing the exact job they should have been

Do I believe our country will remain a democracy?

We have had anti-corruption legislation and the necessary checks in place for a very long time after watching how it happens in other countries and ensuring it couldn't happen here

They can try, but we will not go quietly and we'll take them down with us if necessary

[mariacallous]

When the lights went out across the Iberian Peninsula in April, everything ground to a halt. Scores of people were trapped in Madrid’s underground metro system. Hospitals in Lisbon had to switch to emergency generators. Internet service as far away as Greenland and Morocco went down.

While the cause remains unclear, the actual damage to the Iberian power grid—and the people it serves—was relatively minor. Less than 24 hours after the outage began, the region’s electricity operators managed to get the grid back online.

Even if things could have been much worse, the outage was both an unnerving reminder of how suddenly things can go offline.

For years, cybersecurity professionals, watchdogs, and government agencies have warned that a malicious cyberattack on the US power grid could be devastating. With ample evidence that state-sponsored hacking groups are eyeing the decentralized and deeply vulnerable power grid, the risk is more acute than ever.

Case in point: Hackers, believed to be linked to the Chinese government, spent years exploiting vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure across the mainland United States and Guam to obtain access to their systems. The operations, dubbed Volt Typhoon, could have used this access to shut down or disconnect parts of the American power grid—throwing millions into the dark. The effort was, luckily, disrupted and the vulnerabilities patched. Still, it is an unnerving illustration of just how vulnerable the electric system truly is.

We know what such a hack could look like. In 2015, Ukraine experienced the world’s first large-scale cyberattack on an electrical grid. A Russian military intelligence unit known as Sandworm disconnected various substations from the central grid and knocked hundreds of thousands of people offline.

The attack on Ukraine was repaired quickly, but cybersecurity experts have been warning for years that the next one might be more devastating.

Unlike Ukraine, America does not have a single power grid—it has three large interconnections, broken down into a network of smaller regional systems, some of which stretch into Canada. Most of the East is on one grid, most of the West is on another, while Texas and Alaska run their own interconnections. Keeping these networks running is a wildly complicated effort: There are thousands of utility operations, tens of thousands of substations, and hundreds of thousands of miles of high-voltage transmission lines.

To some degree, this decentralized network is an asset, as it means there is no core vulnerability that risks knocking the entire country offline. But the interconnections mean that a failure in one corner of the grid could cause a cascade that takes down the entire system.

In 2018, researchers from Northwestern University ran large-scale models, gaming out what would happen if parts of the grid failed. They found that, generally, the American power grid was resilient. However, they found that about 10 percent of power lines in the US were susceptible to the kind of failure that could trigger this domino effect under some conditions. A 2022 study that looked at possible disruptions to the Texas grid also found that, in some cases, a relatively small disruption could cause a series of downstream outages “rapidly in succession.”

This means that even if malicious actors manage to take only a small number of nodes in the network offline, it has the potential to do enormous downstream damage.

Insurance underwriter Lloyd’s of London has looked at the effects of such an outage. In this hypothetical, first drafted in 2015 but updated in the years since, Lloyd’s estimates that a Trojan virus that manages to infect just 50 generators—removing 10 percent of the grid’s total power—can trigger this cascade effect and knock out power for most of the East Coast, including New York City and Washington, DC. The Lloyd’s report states that this is an “extreme” but “not unrealistic scenario.”

“Images of a dark New York City make front pages worldwide,” they write, “accompanied by photographs of citizens stuck underground for hours on stranded subway cars and in elevators in the summer heat.”

These rolling blackouts would stretch through 36 states over the course of a day, throwing some 93 million people into the dark. It could take up to three days for half of those people to get back online—while hardware damage and other problems could require up to three weeks to fix.

As the outages continue, more difficulties arise. The analysts warn that an information campaign running parallel to the cyberattack could prompt strikes, protests, or general unrest.

In 2016, then Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate was summoned to Congress to testify on the possible impacts of a cyberattack on the US electric grid. Water and wastewater systems are some of the first things to go down, he noted. “There is not really a good way to manage that if those systems go offline for extensive periods of time,” Fugate said.

He explained that the emergency response will become a game of triage: distributing enough power, gas, and generators to emergency services and utilities, while also trying to keep consumer-facing supply chains operating.

“Can you get enough life support and infrastructure going to keep the major supply lines up?” Fugate continued. “You are not going to have everything. You are not going to have what the normal consumption rates are.”

Lloyd’s estimates that the total economic costs and losses could hit $1 trillion.

[snapmite1998]

### Dryden Vos: The Face and Force of Crimson Dawn's Criminal Empire

#### Overview

Dryden Vos, the charismatic and ruthless figurehead of Crimson Dawn, serves as both the public face and operational manager of the organization's vast criminal enterprise. As a loyal servant to Darth Maul, Vos is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the syndicate's illegal activities, ensuring that Maul's vision for Crimson Dawn is executed with precision and brutality. His role as manager of Crimson Dawn’s criminal operations makes him a crucial link between Maul’s strategic objectives and the day-to-day activities of the syndicate.

### Role and Responsibilities

1. Figurehead of Crimson Dawn

- Public Persona: Dryden Vos is the visible leader of Crimson Dawn, often engaging with allies, rivals, and potential recruits. His suave demeanor and charm mask a dangerous and calculating mind, making him an effective negotiator and strategist.

- Symbol of Power: As the public face of the organization, Vos embodies the power and menace of Crimson Dawn. His presence alone is enough to command respect and fear, reinforcing the organization’s reputation across the galaxy.

2. Loyal Servant to Maul

- Subordinate Role: Despite his prominent position, Vos is unequivocally loyal to Darth Maul. He understands his role as an executor of Maul’s will and upholds the Sith Lord’s vision for Crimson Dawn with unwavering dedication.

- Communication and Coordination: As Maul’s trusted lieutenant, Vos ensures that directives from the top are effectively communicated and implemented across all levels of the organization. He coordinates closely with Maul, providing updates on operations and seeking guidance on strategic decisions.

3. Manager of Criminal Operations

- Operational Oversight: Vos supervises the various facets of Crimson Dawn’s criminal enterprise, including smuggling, extortion, assassination, and black market trade. He ensures that these operations run smoothly and profitably.

- Coordination with Syndicate Allies: Vos manages relationships with key syndicate allies, such as Black Sun, the Pyke Syndicate, and the Zygerrian Slave Empire. His diplomacy and strategic alliances are crucial in maintaining and expanding Crimson Dawn’s influence.

### Key Activities and Strategies

1. Expansion and Control

- Territory Acquisition: Under Vos’s watch, Crimson Dawn aggressively expands its territory, seizing control of key locations and resources. He employs a combination of brute force and cunning tactics to outmaneuver rivals and secure valuable assets.

- Enforcement: Ensuring compliance and order within Crimson Dawn’s territories requires a firm hand. Vos oversees the enforcement units tasked with maintaining control, using intimidation, coercion, and violence to quash any dissent.

2. Resource Extraction and Exploitation

- Rich Resource Harvest: Vos orchestrates the exploitation of world resources under Crimson Dawn’s control, including mining operations for valuable minerals, spice production, and rare art collections. These activities are key revenue streams that fund the organization’s operations.

- Slave Trade: As part of Crimson Dawn’s nefarious practices, Vos manages the capture and sale of slaves, working with allied organizations to traffic individuals for labor and other purposes. This brutal trade enhances Crimson Dawn's economic power and extends its influence.

3. Smuggling and Black Market Operations

- Contraband Movement: Vos oversees extensive smuggling networks that move illegal goods across the galaxy. These networks transport spice, weapons, stolen artifacts, and other contraband, making Crimson Dawn a central player in the black market.

- Fleets and Transport: Managing the logistics of this trade involves coordinating fleet movements and securing safe transport routes. Vos’s strategic planning ensures that Crimson Dawn remains a step ahead of law enforcement and rival factions.

### Personal Attributes and Leadership Style

1. Charismatic and Calculating

- Persuasive Charisma: Vos’s charm and eloquence make him an effective leader and negotiator. He can inspire loyalty among his subordinates and sway potential allies or rivals to his advantage.

- Strategic Mind: Behind his suave exterior lies a strategic genius. Vos is always several moves ahead, calculating the implications of every action and decision to maximize benefit for Crimson Dawn.

2. Ruthless and Unforgiving

- Brutal Discipline: Vos maintains strict discipline within the organization, dealing harshly with failure and dissent. This approach ensures that his subordinates remain loyal and effective, while competitors and enemies are dealt with mercilessly.

- Relentless Ambition: Vos embodies the ruthless ambition of Crimson Dawn, striving always to expand their power and influence. His methods are ruthless, and he is unafraid to employ extreme measures to achieve his goals.

### Impact and Legacy

1. Strengthening Crimson Dawn

- Consolidation of Power: Under Vos’s management, Crimson Dawn has become a formidable force in the galaxy. His efforts have consolidated the organization’s power, making it a dominant player in the criminal underworld.

- Expansion of Influence: Through strategic alliances and relentless expansion, Vos has extended Crimson Dawn’s reach, ensuring that its influence is felt across vast sectors of the galaxy.

2. Legacy of Fear and Control

- Enduring Reputation: Dryden Vos’s brutal and efficient leadership style has left a lasting impression. His legacy is one of fear and control, with Crimson Dawn’s reputation for ruthlessness deterring potential adversaries.

- Succession Planning: Recognizing the importance of continuity, Vos plays a role in grooming and identifying future leaders who can carry on Maul’s vision and the ethos of Crimson Dawn.

### Conclusion

Dryden Vos stands as a pivotal figure in Crimson Dawn’s rise to prominence, balancing the public role of figurehead with the behind-the-scenes management of its vast criminal operations. His loyalty to Maul, combined with his charismatic and ruthless leadership, ensures that Crimson Dawn remains a dominant force in the galaxy's underworld.

Through his strategic oversight, efficient execution of operations, and ruthless enforcement, Vos embodies the ethos of Crimson Dawn, driving the organization toward Maul’s vision of a new order where power and fear are paramount. As long as he stands at the helm, Crimson Dawn will continue to thrive, expand, and instill its reign of terror across the galaxy.