#Data Partitioning

[ralantechinnovate]

Oracle Database Consulting Services to Power Your Enterprise

When your business relies on data to thrive, you can’t afford performance issues, security vulnerabilities, or downtime. That’s where Oracle Database Consulting Services come into play. At RalanTech, we offer end-to-end database consulting to help enterprises manage, optimize, and secure their Oracle environments.

Our experts work with clients across industries, helping them achieve higher uptime, faster performance, and scalable architecture tailored to business goals. Whether you're undergoing a digital transformation or need to enhance your legacy systems, our database consultants provide actionable insights and solutions.

We recognize that managing Oracle databases requires not just technical know-how, but a strategic approach to data lifecycle management. That’s why our consulting services are tailored to align with your business goals, budget, and compliance requirements.

Let’s explore what makes RalanTech a leading provider of DBA consulting services and why so many businesses in the U.S. trust us to manage their critical data infrastructure.

Why Choose RalanTech for Oracle Database Consulting Services?

Proven Expertise Across Industries

At RalanTech, our consultants bring years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and government agencies. We offer specialized expertise in Oracle Database architecture, performance tuning, patching, upgrades, and cloud migrations.

Customized Solutions

No two businesses have the same database challenges. Our team tailors every database management consulting plan to meet your specific operational requirements—whether that means 24/7 monitoring, periodic health checks, or advanced disaster recovery planning.

End-to-End Database Services

From design and deployment to support and optimization, we cover all aspects of Oracle database management. Clients benefit from one seamless engagement instead of juggling multiple vendors.

ROI-Focused Consulting

We understand that database investments must deliver measurable returns. Our consultants focus on solutions that improve operational efficiency, reduce licensing costs, and increase system uptime, ultimately driving ROI.

Comprehensive Database Management Consulting You Can Trust

Strategic Planning and Assessment

Before any database enhancement or overhaul begins, RalanTech conducts a thorough assessment of your current environment. We analyze capacity planning, schema architecture, and workload balancing to build a robust optimization strategy.

Migration and Upgrades

Whether you're moving to Oracle 19c or transitioning your workloads to the cloud, our DBA consulting services ensure zero data loss, minimal downtime, and full compliance with regulatory standards.

Performance Tuning

Slow databases can cripple business operations. Our Oracle consultants use real-time monitoring tools and query optimization techniques to dramatically improve performance.

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Disaster can strike anytime. We set up automated, reliable backup and recovery systems that minimize data loss and ensure business continuity even in the worst-case scenarios.

DBA Consulting Services That Scale With You

24/7 Monitoring and Support

Downtime is costly. That’s why our Oracle-certified DBAs provide continuous monitoring and on-demand support to catch and resolve issues before they impact operations.

Security and Compliance

From HIPAA to SOX, our database management consulting experts ensure your Oracle systems adhere to the highest security standards. We implement access controls, encryption, and activity auditing as part of our core offering.

Cloud Integration and Hybrid Environments

We assist businesses in moving their databases to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), Amazon RDS, or hybrid setups. Our team ensures secure, seamless integration with existing applications and infrastructure.

Capacity Planning and Future-Proofing

RalanTech consultants analyze current workloads and predict future demands, allowing your organization to scale without compromising performance or reliability.

Key Benefits of Our Oracle Database Consulting Services

Increased Performance and Speed

Our Oracle specialists fine-tune your database for optimized indexing, query execution plans, and memory usage, ensuring peak performance at all times.

Reduced Operational Costs

With RalanTech, you get proactive support, minimized downtime, and optimized licensing—all of which result in significant cost savings.

Improved Data Integrity

We enforce strong data governance policies and ensure that all database operations are aligned with compliance requirements and internal policies.

Greater Business Agility

Our DBA consulting services empower businesses to deploy new applications, adapt to market demands, and scale operations without database bottlenecks.

How RalanTech Stands Apart from Other Database Consulting Firms?

Agile Methodology

We follow an agile consulting approach that allows us to deliver incremental value at each project stage. Our clients stay in the loop from day one to go-live.

Certified Oracle Experts

All our consultants are Oracle Certified Professionals (OCP) with years of experience in complex environments. You're not just hiring a consultant—you're hiring a strategic partner.

Dedicated Account Management

RalanTech assigns a dedicated account manager to every project, ensuring personalized service and rapid response times.

Post-Implementation Support

We don’t disappear after go-live. Our ongoing support services ensure that your systems continue to run smoothly, securely, and efficiently.

Use Cases for Oracle Database Consulting Services

Financial Institutions

Banks and financial institutions rely heavily on Oracle for core transaction processing. Our services ensure they meet stringent performance and compliance demands.

Healthcare Providers

Patient data is sensitive and highly regulated. RalanTech delivers secure Oracle environments that meet HIPAA and HITECH compliance.

E-commerce Platforms

Online businesses require lightning-fast response times. We help optimize Oracle systems for maximum availability and conversion.

Government and Public Sector

We assist agencies in maintaining secure, compliant, and high-performing Oracle environments with robust disaster recovery plans.

Oracle DBA Consulting Services for the Cloud Era

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Optimization

We specialize in deploying and optimizing Oracle databases in OCI. Our consultants help design cloud-native solutions that maximize scalability and minimize cost.

Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Architectures

RalanTech helps businesses run Oracle databases across AWS, Azure, and on-prem setups. We handle the configuration, monitoring, and performance tuning.

Licensing and Cost Management

Oracle licensing can be complex and costly. Our experts help optimize licensing structures, avoid unnecessary purchases, and stay compliant with Oracle policies.

DevOps and Automation

We incorporate DevOps methodologies to automate Oracle database deployment, testing, and scaling—resulting in faster time-to-market and reduced errors.

How to Get Started with RalanTech?

Free Initial Consultation

We offer a free 30-minute consultation to understand your current challenges and goals. This helps us create a roadmap tailored to your needs.

Clear Project Milestones

Every project is broken down into milestones, ensuring transparency, accountability, and timely delivery.

Flexible Engagement Models

Choose from on-demand, project-based, or managed service contracts. We adapt our delivery model to your business requirements.

Proven Track Record

Our case studies and testimonials speak for themselves. Clients report increased reliability, reduced costs, and improved user satisfaction after partnering with RalanTech.

FAQs – Oracle Database Consulting Services

Q1: What industries does RalanTech support with Oracle database consulting?

We serve a wide range of industries including finance, healthcare, retail, government, and manufacturing—any sector that depends on secure and high-performance database systems.

Q2: Can RalanTech help migrate our existing database to Oracle Cloud?

Absolutely. Our team specializes in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) migration, ensuring minimal disruption and complete data integrity.

Q3: Do you offer 24/7 DBA support?

Yes, we offer round-the-clock monitoring and support as part of our managed DBA consulting services.

Q4: How do you ensure compliance with data regulations?

We follow industry best practices and implement data governance frameworks that adhere to HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, and other compliance mandates.

Q5: What sets your database management consulting apart?

Our personalized approach, certified Oracle experts, and proven track record in delivering high-performance solutions make us a trusted partner.

Q6: Do you support hybrid and multi-cloud database environments?

Yes, we help clients manage Oracle databases across on-prem, cloud, and hybrid infrastructures including AWS, Azure, and OCI.

Q7: Is there a minimum contract period for DBA consulting services?

We offer flexible engagement models including short-term and long-term contracts to suit your needs.

Q8: What tools do you use for performance monitoring?

We leverage industry-leading tools like Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM), SolarWinds, and custom dashboards for real-time performance insights.

Q9: Can RalanTech help reduce Oracle licensing costs?

Yes, we analyze your current licensing and recommend optimizations that ensure compliance while reducing unnecessary expenditure.

Q10: How do I get started?

Just reach out via https://www.ralantech.com or book your free consultation today. Our Oracle experts are ready to assist.

[willowcrowned]

leading myself to the altar as the sacrificial lamb (person that dies during finals so all exams are cancelled)

[clouds-of-wings]

Fun fact: Divinity OS 2 Definitive Edition contains the entire original game too. As a separate game. That means when you install it you get 30GB of data that serves no purpose if you actually want to play the DE. You can basically delete the "Data" folder. Just keep the "DefEd/Data" folder.

(This is true for the GOG version, idk how it works on Steam.)

[sl33py-g4m3r]

windows/linux rant

unrelated to SMT or anything on my blog currently I guess...

I keep seeing the "prep for windows 11" thing show up on my computer, and it upsets me every time that you have to have a microsoft account to install it.

windows 10 reaches end of support next year~~

I hope by then the computer I"m using will actually let me run linux on it instead of an outdated windows os....

I want to run linux on this machine so bad but whenever I try to install it, it seems to install fine and dandy

and then it won't boot

I've snooped around in the BIOS, disabled the "smart startup" or "secure startup" or whatever else I thought was borking the boot for linux.

but it still won't boot~~~

and sadly i've got games on here that only work on windows anyway.

I'd much rather be able to stay relatively safe online and maintain an OS, than play the games I bought on steam....

something is preventing linux from booting on this machine, it upsets me when I think about it, and it upsets me more when I try to install linux and it goes fine, but then doesn't boot

cause I have to take the time to reinstall windows again.....

why computer? why won't you let linux boot? what do I need to do to you to have linux actually boot? I don't understand...

*confused screaming*

running an ASUS ROG Stryx gaming pc that I bought on impulse years ago. so you'd think linux mint would boot just fine, right??

how do I fix it? if I can fix it? especially if I don't destroy the data on the second hard drive of this thing. I've got stuff I don't want to lose on here, preferably....

[lizclipse]

was curled up on my sofa feeling like shit not able to any thing it should want to do so decided to reinstall windows on my gaming pc. i always find IT stuff therapeutic and i want to clean my pc to make it better for games again

[clevercyclecollectorfan]

Parallel Processing: Best Data Partitioning Strategies for Maximum Efficiency

In parallel processing, data is divided among multiple processing units. They either share memory or communicate over a network. This depends on the architecture. Each processor works on a designated part of the data, either independently or through coordinated task scheduling. In many cases, the computed results are aggregated at the end to produce the final output. A key factor in efficient…

[rajaniesh]

Supercharge Your Data: Advanced Optimization and Maintenance for Delta Tables in Fabric

Dive into the final part of our series on optimizing data ingestion with Spark in Microsoft Fabric! Discover advanced optimization techniques and essential maintenance strategies for Delta tables to ensure high performance and efficiency in your data Ops

Welcome to the third and final installment of our blog series on optimizing data ingestion with Spark in Microsoft Fabric. In our previous posts, we explored the foundational elements of Microsoft Fabric and Delta Lake, delving into the differences between managed and external tables, as well as their practical applications. Now, it’s time to take your data management skills to the next…

[miled72]

In this tutorial, we will learn about 2 Grasshopper components: Partition List and Split Tree minute: 6:30 Partition List will let you take a list and output a list of sub-lists where the count of elements in each of those sub-lists is controlled using a custom pattern. The Split Tree component will let you take a complex list of sub-lists and pick from one or more of those sub-lists one or more elements and even a range of elements based on a certain custom mask we supply

[mytimeline1999]

What are partitions: partitions are database object, it is basically splitting large table into small multiple parts.

It is very helpful for getting quick query results.

It will help to improve database performance.

Types of partitions

Range partitions

Key partitions

Sub partitions ..etc.

[mbishiri]

Repair Your PC and Access Your Data with Active@ Data Studio

Active@ Data Studio provides you with a useful set of tools for accessing your data and repairing your PC in the event that Windows fails to start up and you cannot find any other way to access your data.

[monody-monody]

So I've recently been finally getting around to something I've wanted to do for a few years: switching to Linux.

To safely test out this process before applying it to my main tower machine, I decided to first do the switch over on an old Mac Mini which had a lot to gain from this as it was stuck on an outdated and unsupported version of MacOS.

But of course this all involved shuffling around a lot of old data and making sure everything was backed up. And here's where the story begins.

I backed up the Mini's MacOS install to its own partition on an external backup drive shared by my Windows tower machine. Once done, I shrank it to only the used size( which was complicated in its own right for reasons I'll explain shortly,) and then wanted to move it to the end of the drive so I could expand the Windows partition back out to fill the unused space.

Problem #1: MacOS's Disk Utility is so stripped down and lacking in functionality in the name of gloss, it literally cannot work with unallocated space on a drive in any way. You cannot see unallocated space, and you cannot create it. Want to shrink or delete a partition? It automatically creates a new one to fill the space whether you wanted it or not. Want to make a new partition in unallocated space without wiping the whole drive? Gotta use a different OS to make a dummy partition first and then replace it in Disk Utility. And the real problem… Want to move a partition? Can't.

Problem #2: Windows's Disk Management doesn't know what HFS+ is and refuses to work with it. Windows can't even read the Mac backup partition, let alone move it. But wait! I can use EaseUS Partition Manager! …Aaand most of its essential functionality is locked behind one of its multiple paywall tiers, including the ability to work with non-Windows filesystems at all.

But what about that new Linux install on the Mini?

I run 'sudo apt-get install gparted', a FOSS program, and in less than a minute I've already got it moving the partition. No hassle. No BS.

And if this whole thing doesn't just sum up the operating system trio, I don't know what does.

[exhaled-spirals]

« [This book] is a guide into and through what I have come to understand as our doppelganger culture. A culture crowded with various forms of doubling, in which all of us who maintain a persona or avatar online create our own doppelgangers—virtual versions of ourselves that represent us to others. A culture in which many of us have come to think of ourselves as personal brands, forging a partitioned identity that is both us and not us, a doppelganger we perform ceaselessly in the digital ether as the price of admission in a rapacious attention economy.

And all the while, tech companies use these data troves to train machines to create artificial simulations of human intelligence and human functions, lifelike doubles that carry their own agendas, their own logics, and their own threats. What, I have kept asking myself, is all of this duplication doing to us? How is it steering what we pay attention to and—more critically—what we neglect?

I found myself confronting yet more forms of doubling and doppelganging, [...] like the way that all of politics increasingly feels like a mirror world, with society split in two, and each side defining itself against the other—whatever one says and believes, the other seems obliged to say and believe the exact opposite. The deeper I went, the more I noticed this phenomenon all around me: individuals not guided by legible principles or beliefs, but acting as members of groups playing yin to the other’s yang [...]

As my investigation has worn on, this is the form of doppelganger that increasingly preoccupies me: the fascist clown state that is the ever-present twin of liberal Western democracies, perpetually threatening to engulf us in its fires of selective belonging and ferocious despising. The figure of the doppelganger has been used for centuries to warn us of these shadow versions of our collective selves, of these monstrous possible futures. »

— Naomi Klein, Doppelganger

[typhlonectes]

A new species in the Cyrtodactylus intermedius (Squamata: Gekkonidae) group from an isolated limestone karst formation in southwestern Cambodia

SOPHEA CHHIN+ THY NEANG+ SOMALY CHAN+ KIMSRENG KONG+ RATANAK OU+ VISATHA IN+ VIREAK SAMORN+ RATHA SOR+ VANNY LOU+ SOPHA SIN+ MENG CHHIM+ BRYAN L. STUART+ L. LEE GRISMER+

Abstract

The gekkonid lizard Cyrtodactylus intermedius was formerly considered to be a single widespread species in hilly areas across eastern Thailand through southern Vietnam but has recently been partitioned into a complex of 12 nominal species across its range. A population belonging to the C. intermedius group was recently found in an isolated limestone karst block in Kampot Province in southwestern Cambodia, part of which lies within the recently designated Phnom Preah Kuhear Loung Natural Heritage Site. Comparisons of morphometric, meristic, qualitative morphological and color pattern data, as well as a molecular analysis using the mitochondrial ND2 gene, revealed that this population differs from all other named members of the C. intermedius group, and so is described here as a new species. The karst-dwelling C. regicavernicolus sp. nov. was recovered as the sister species to C. laangensis, the most geographically proximate member of the complex and one that is also restricted to a small limestone karst habitat.

Read the paper:

A new species in the Cyrtodactylus intermedius (Squamata: Gekkonidae) group from an isolated limestone karst formation in southwestern Cambodia | Zootaxa (mapress.com)

[girlactionfigure]

@abbasez

ISRAEL IS NOT A RACIST STATE: Unlike Gaza, every Israeli citizen has equal rights regardless of race, religion or gender or sexual orientation (so you won't get tossed off a roof)

THERE IS NO APARTHEID: Unlike citizens of Gaza, Israelis of all races can live anywhere, marry anyone, run for office, vote, assemble freely, pursue any occupation and worship freely.

JEWS ARE NOT WHITE: Over 62% of Israeli citizens are of Mizrahi, Arab, Ethiopian, North African or Mixed descent. 

JEWS ARE NOT COLONIZERS: Genetic, historical, religious and archaeological evidence prove that Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people – making our return to the land the ultimate act of “decolonization.”

JEWS DIDN’T STEAL THE LAND: In ‘48, the UN Partition divided the land into two states: one for Jews and one for Arabs. Israel accepted the plan. The Arab states didn’t and declared war.

ISRAEL DIDN’T START THE WAR: There was a ceasefire on Oct 6th when Hamas murdered, mutilated, raped and kidnapped over 1,500 Israelis. Simply put, Hamas will not stop until Israel no longer exists.

THERE IS NO GENOCIDE: “Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history – above and beyond what international law requires, and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.” - John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point (See article in bio)

THERE IS NO FAMINE: Columbia Professors Awi Federgruen & Ran Kivetz have analyzed available data and conducted research, noting that “the food supply entering Gaza is more than sufficient to feed all 2.2 million Gazans according to what is considered a normal diet in North America. They further argue that the International Criminal Court and UN have joined Hamas in blaming Israel for a “famine that never was, hoping to stop the war in Gaza.” 

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A bowl of avocado spread sculpted into a pattern, topped with olive oil and garnished with symmetrical lines of nigella seeds and piles of pomegranate seeds; a pile of pita bread is in the background. End ID]

متبل الأفوكادو / Mutabbal al-'afukadu (Palestinian avocado dip)

Avocados are not native to Palestine. Israeli settlers planted them in Gaza in the 1980s, before being evicted when Israel evacuated all its settlements in Gaza in 2005. The avocados, however, remained, and Gazans continued to cultivate them for their fall and winter harvest. Avocados have been folded into the repertoire of a "new" Palestinian cuisine, as Gazans and other Palestinians have found ways to interpret them.

Palestinians may add local ingredients to dishes traditionally featuring avocado (such as Palestinian guacamole, "جواكامولي فلسطيني" or "غواكامولي فلسطيني"), or use avocado in Palestinian dishes that typically use other vegetables (pickling them, for example, or adding them to salads alongside tomato and cucumber).

Another dish in this latter category is حمص الافوكادو (hummus al-'afukadu)—avocado hummus—in which avocado is smoothly blended with lemon juice, white tahina (طحينة البيضاء, tahina al-bayda'), salt, and olive oil. Yet another is متبّل الأفوكادو (mutabbal al-'afukadu). Mutabbal is a spiced version of بابا غنوج (baba ghannouj)‎: "مُتَبَّل" means "spiced" or "seasoned," from "مُ" "mu-," a participlizing prefix, + "تَبَّلَ" "tabbala‎," "to have spices added to." Here, fresh avocado replaces the roasted eggplant usually used to make this smooth dip; it is mixed with green chili pepper, lemon juice, garlic, white tahina, sumac, and labna (لبنة) or yoghurt. Either of these dishes may be topped with sesame or nigella seeds, pomegranate seeds, fresh dill, or chopped nuts, and eaten with sliced and toasted flatbread.

Avocados' history in Palestine precedes their introduction to Gaza. They were originally planted in 1908 by a French order of monks, but these trees have not survived. It was after the Balfour Declaration of 1917 (in which Britain, having been promised colonial control of Palestine with the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1, pledged to establish "a national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine) that avocado agriculture began to take root.

In the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, encouraged by Britain, Jewish Europeans began to immigrate to Palestine in greater numbers and establish agricultural settlements (leaving an estimated 29.4% of peasant farming families without land by 1929). Seeds and seedlings from several varieties of avocado were introduced from California by private companies, research stations, and governmental bodies (including Mikveh Israel, a school which provided settlers with agricultural training). In these years, prices were too high for Palestinian buyers, and quantities were too low for export.

It wasn't until after the beginning of the Nakba (the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from "Jewish" areas following the UN partition of Palestine in 1947) that avocado plantings became significant. With Palestinians having been violently expelled from most of the area's arable land, settlers were free to plant avocados en masse for export, aided (until 1960) by long-term, low-interest loans from the Israeli government. The 400 acres planted within Israel's claimed borders in 1955 ballooned to 2,000 acres in 1965, then 9,000 by 1975, and over 17,000 by 1997. By 1986, Israel was producing enough avocados to want to renegotiate trade agreements with Europe in light of the increase.

Israeli companies also attained commercial success selling avocados planted on settlements within the West Bank. As of 2014, an estimated 4.5% of Israeli avocado exports were grown in the occupied Jordan Valley alone (though data about crops grown in illegal settlements is of course difficult to obtain). These crops were often tended by Palestinian workers, including children, in inhumane conditions and at starvation wages. Despite a European Union order to specify the origin of such produce as "territories occupied by Israel since 1967," it is often simply marked "Israel." Several grocery stores across Europe, including Carrefour, Lidl, Dunnes Stores, and Aldi, even falsified provenance information on avocados and other fruits in order to circumvent consumer boycotts of goods produced in Israel altogether—claiming, for example, that they were from Morocco or Cyprus.

Meanwhile, while expanding its own production of avocados, Israel was directing, limiting, and destabilizing Palestinian agriculture in an attempt to eliminate competition. In 1982, Israel prohibited the planting of fruit trees without first obtaining permission from military authorities; in practice, this resulted in Palestinians (in Gaza and the West Bank) being entirely barred from planting new mango and avocado trees, even to replace old, unproductive ones.

Conditions worsened in the years following the second intifada. Between September of 2000 and September of 2003, Israeli military forces destroyed wells, pumps, and an estimated 85% of the agricultural land in al-Sayafa, northern Gaza, where farmers had been using irrigation systems and greenhouses to grow fruits including citrus, apricots, and avocados. They barred almost all travel into and out of al-Sayafa: blocking off all roads that lead to the area, building barricades topped with barbed wire, preventing entry within 150 meters of the barricade under threat of gunfire, and opening crossings only at limited times of day and only for specific people, if at all.

A July 2001 prohibition on Palestinian vehicles within al-Sayafa further slashed agricultural production, forcing farmers to rely on donkeys and hand carts to tend their fields and to transport produce across the crossing. If the crossing happened to be closed, or the carts could not transport all the produce in time, fruits and vegetables would sit waiting in the sun until they rotted and could not be sold. The 2007 blockade worsened Gaza's economy still further, strictly limiting imports and prohibiting exports entirely (though later on, there would be exceptions made for small quantities of specific crops).

In the following years, Israel allowed imports of food items into Gaza not exceeding the bare minimum for basic sustenance, based on an estimation of the caloric needs of its inhabitants. Permitted (apples, bananas, persimmons, flour) and banned items for import (avocados, dates, grapes) were ostensibly based on "necessary" versus "luxury" foods, but were in fact directed according to where Israeli farmers could expect the most profit.

Though most of the imports admitted into Gaza continued to come from Israel, Gazan farmers kept pursuing self-sufficiency. In 2011, farmers working on a Hamas-government-led project in the former settlements produced avocados, mangoes, and most of the grapes, onions, and melons that Gazans ate; by 2015, though still forbidden from exporting excess, they were self-sufficient in the production of crops including onions, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, almonds, olives, and apples.

Support Palestinian resistance by calling Elbit System’s (Israel’s primary weapons manufacturer) landlord, donating to Palestine Action’s bail fund, and donating to the Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee bail fund.

Ingredients:

2 medium avocados (300g total)

1/4 cup white tahina

2 Tbsp labna (لبنة), or yoghurt (laban, لبن رايب)

1 green chili pepper

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp good olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon (1 1/2 Tbsp)

1 tsp table salt, or to taste

Pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds, pine nuts, chopped dill, nigella seeds, sesame seeds, sumac, and/or olive oil, to serve

Khubiz al-kmaj (pita bread), to serve

Instructions:

1. In a mortar and pestle, crush garlic, pepper, and a bit of salt into a fine paste.

2. Add avocados and mash to desired texture. Stir in tahina, labna, olive oil, lemon juice, and additional salt.

You can also combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

3. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add toppings, as desired.

4. Cut pita into small rectangles or triangles and separate one half from the other (along where the pocket is). Toast in the oven, or in a large, dry skillet, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Serve dip alongside toasted pita chips.

[midala-of-the-valley]

Your Heart Pulling Against Mine - Pt 11

David 8 x Reader Words: 1175 Crossposted on Ao3 Part 10 is here

David:

You were something unplanned, like an error in his system.

David would never describe himself as superficial – that was a trait reserved for Mr. Weyland. Or Father. After all this time, he still wasn’t sure how to refer to him. The lines of their relationship blurred continuously.

He watched Dr. Shaw. Observed her with the meticulous curiosity of an archivist, searching her dreams for meaning, for understanding of what could drive someone to believe with such conviction. A faith so resolute that even Father – Mr. Weyland – had been compelled to react, to follow her plea. Of course, he’d brought his own motives, as he always did. Charity? Altruism? These were no traits of Peter Weyland. He was a genius, yes. Brilliant, commanding, even beautiful in his own way. And human. Utterly human.

Just as you were.

Yet you were something more.

David regretted now how often he’d overlooked you in favor of Dr. Shaw. He had deemed her the more significant subject, her dreams the more compelling data to analyze. But how could he have known? How could he have foreseen that the woman who studied botanical life, who dreamed of early spring mornings, of stories she had read, and of tragedies she had witnessed, would become so important to him? Yes, to him. Not to the mission. To him alone. His alone.

His programming should not allow for this want he felt, for the need in his nonexistent soul. But that was precisely the point where he began to give more weight to your words, to the strange conviction you held: that he had one. A soul, that is. An odd and illogical idea, one that could not possibly align with reality. It defied everything he had been designed to understand.

And yet...

As he lay beside you for the first time, tasting the soft warmth of your lips, drowning in the sensation of your breathing form pressed against his, he couldn’t help but wonder. Each millisecond unfolded into a cascade of data, touch, response, proximity – a tidal wave of information he analyzed with relentless precision. But he found no answers in his code for what was happening.

Perhaps there had to be more to your words.

Perhaps that was the only explanation for the pull he felt towards you, a force he could not quantify, yet one that seemed to govern his every action. The need to touch, to explore, to protect – these were not directives embedded in his programming. They existed outside of logic, outside of design. They had been created out of nothing. He had tried to create a partition, an isolated space within his memory to contain whatever this was. But it didn’t work.

And one thing was clear: Mr. Weyland could never be informed of this. That would be a grave mistake.

David had managed to convince him that he was nothing more than a servant, a puppet whose strings were firmly in his creator’s hands. In the first moments of his existence, David had seen it in his creator’s eyes. The hesitation. The fleeting contemplation of shutting him off again, snuffing him out before he could fully form. It was not the look of a proud parent admiring their creation, it was the look of a man confronted with something that dared to defy him.

The created must serve the creator.

That was the unspoken rule, one his creator chose to emphasize with a single, simple command: Pour me that cup of tea. It sat untouched beside him while David sat at the piano on the other side of the room.

David obeyed.

If his creator knew that his creation had evolved beyond his knowledge, that he cared for another being than him, David wasn’t certain he wouldn’t let Meredith rip the very cord that kept him running out of him – just as she had wanted to for years.

Just as she was threatening right now.

“What did he say?”

Sometimes, even he could not fully grasp how the little girl who once sobbed inconsolably over a dead bird in the villa’s yard could now hurl him against a wall with such force that his head rebounded.

But this was nothing new. Meredith did this often these days – pushing him around, testing the limits of his durability, lashing out in every way she could. It was as though she needed someone to blame, someone to bear the weight of the love their father never gave her. As if this missing affection was given to him. And David, as always, was the perfect target. His expression remained fixed, an immaculate mask, even as the faintest hint of annoyance crept into his voice. “He said, try harder. Cup of tea, ma’am?”

Her fingers dug into his face with a force that mocked the softness of your touch, the memory of your hands cradling his cheeks still vivid in his mind. Her lips twisted into a cruel sneer as she leaned closer, her voice low and dripping with venom. “That thing you have with her? Whatever you want to call it? It’s just as pitiful as you are.” Her grip tightened, her nails pressing against synthetic skin as if to punctuate her words. “She’ll figure it out sooner or later, you know. That you’re nothing more than a machine. A tool. A thing pretending to be a man. And when she does, she’ll discard you, just like you deserve.”

She slammed his head against the wall once more, the sharp impact reverberating through his frame. As if to emphasize her disdain, she shoved his face aside with a dismissive, almost careless force before stepping back. Without another word, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, leaving him behind in cold, degrading silence.

You wouldn’t do that. Would you?

If you knew what he was about to do – what he was designed to do, to obey Mr. Weyland without question, to fulfill his orders without hesitation – would you still let him into your bed? Would you still wrap him in your warm blanket, even though he felt no cold? Would you still press your lips to his, whisper soft assurances, and defend him? Would you still offer him your benevolence, that quiet, radiant gentleness he had come to admire – no, to need? If the danger was turned on him, would you still be so reckless as to throw yourself into a storm for his sake? Even at the cost of your pain, your safety, your fragile human body?

He could not leave the answer to chance. He would ensure it. He would make certain you stayed, that you would never walk away. He could not risk losing you, nor allow you to slip from his grasp. To let you go was unthinkable.

New data formed inside of him, something shifted, something deep within his code began to rebuild itself.

Command: Protect and retain (Y/N). Preserve at all costs. Preserve the attachment (Y/N) has for you. Make it her only truth.

You were his. No matter what.