#Security Command Center

[govindhtech]

Google Unified Security Platform & AI Agents At Cloud Next

Google Unified Security, new security agents, and security portfolio enhancements were unveiled at Google Cloud Next to improve security and enable every organisation to utilise Google for security.

Announcing Google Unified Security

Larger and more complicated enterprise infrastructure increases the attack surface and makes defenders' jobs tougher. Disconnected security systems fragment data without context, leaving organisations vulnerable to escalating attacks. Security teams work in silos with slow procedures, making risk assessment and improvement difficult.

The greatest threat intelligence, security operations, cloud security, and safe enterprise browsing technologies, together with Mandiant expertise, are being blended into Google Unified Security, an AI-powered comprehensive security solution.

Now widely available, Google Unified Security sets the security standard. Creates scalable, searchable, attack surface-wide security data fabric. It Visibility, detection, and response for network, endpoint, cloud, and app. The newest Google Threat information is immediately integrated to security data for enhanced detection and prioritisation. Google Unified Security enhances all of Gemini for practitioners.

Features of Google Unified Security include integrated product experiences:

Google Security Operations detects and fixes attacks using Chrome Enterprise telemetry and asset context.

Google Threat Intelligence and security validation discover exposes and check security rules against recent threat actor behaviour.

Google Threat Intelligence improves threat search and triage for Security Command Centre cloud risks and AI workloads.

Semi-autonomous AI-powered integrated technologies help organisations detect and prevent threats before they cause economic harm or loss.

Security and Gemini

Security is changing with agentic AI. Intelligent agents will help analysts with routine tasks, enhance decision-making, and let them focus on complicated problems. Gemini security agents are new:

Google Security Operations alert triage agents investigate users dynamically. This agent, expected to preview for chosen clients in Q2 2025, analyses alert circumstances, gathers relevant information, and provides a conclusion with a history of evidence and decision making. This always-on investigation agent will reduce Tier 1 and Tier 2 analysts' daily manual triage and examination of hundreds of alerts.

Google Threat Intelligence malware analysts check code. This agent can develop and run deobfuscation scripts and analyse hazardous code. It will preview for chosen clients in Q2 2025. Agent concludes work.

Agentic AI breakthroughs emphasise quicker detection and reaction, comprehensive visibility, and optimised processes. They help security teams reduce labour, enhance cyber-resilience, and transform strategic projects.

New in Google Security Operations

New data pipeline management tools let customers control size, costs, and compliance. Google Cloud and Bindplane now allow you to process and prepare data for downstream use, route data to many destinations and tenants for scalability, filter data to decrease volume, and redact sensitive data for compliance.

With Mandiant Threat Defence, Google Security Operations can identify, hunt, and respond to current threats. AI-assisted threat hunting helps Mandiant experts find and stop threats, investigate, and scale response through security operations SOAR playbooks.

Updates to Security Command Centre

Google Cloud users can manage AI risk throughout the lifecycle with AI Protection. AI Protection discovers inventory, protects models and data, and detects and responds to AI threats.

Model Armour in AI Protection helps you apply content safety and security standards to prompts and replies for numerous models across clouds. The Vertex AI-Model Armour integration lets developers route prompts and replies for protection without application modifications.

The June preview of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) can find, secure, regulate, and monitor sensitive data, including AI training data. DSPM finds and classifies sensitive data, applies data security and compliance rules, monitors for violations, and enforces access, flow, retention, and protection in Google Cloud data analytics and AI applications.

A new Compliance Manager preview in late June will simplify policy creation, control configuration, enforcement, monitoring, and audit. Audit Manager for Google Cloud enables monitoring, reporting, and certifying compliance to auditors easy using Assured Workloads infrastructure controls.

Other Security Command Centre enhancements:

Early integration with Snyk's developer security platform allows teams to find and fix software vulnerabilities sooner.

The new Google Compute Engine and Google Kubernetes Engine Security Risk dashboards provide top security discoveries, vulnerabilities, and outstanding issues in product consoles.

Google Cloud Risk Protection Program, which lowers cloud-based cyberinsurance, is growing. It is thrilled to provide customer choice and international coverage with Beazley and Chubb, two of the world's leading cyber-insurers.

In the project, partners provide positive AI insurance for Google Cloud users and workloads. Chubb will actively cover quantum exploits and computational attacks.

New in Chrome Enterprise?

Chrome Enterprise Premium protects employees from Google Safe Browsing-based password theft via lookalike sites and portals. Companies may now design and add branding and business assets to identify internal domain phishing.

Chrome's simple and effective data safeguards help businesses. Data masking, watermarking, screenshot blocking, copy, paste, upload, download, and printing limitations are now in Chrome Enterprise Premium. Android will have copy and paste controls and URL screening.

Mandiant Cybersecurity Consulting news

On-demand Mandiant Retainer specialists have pre-negotiated rates and two-hour incident response timeframes. Pre-paid funds may now be used for research, teaching, and intelligence to boost skills and resilience.

Mandiant Consulting, Rubrik, and Cohesity are reducing cyberattack downtime and recovery costs. Mandiant professionals and data backup and recovery partners may help businesses establish, test, and validate a Google Cloud CIRE for critical applications and offer incident response services after a compromise.

Trusted Cloud updates

Google Cloud routinely adds security controls and services to assist companies fulfil policy, regulatory, and commercial goals. These upgrades are announced today:

For Sovereign Cloud:

The industry's largest variety of sovereign cloud solutions from Google Cloud addresses clients' growing data, operational, and software sovereignty demands. Google Cloud offers Regional and Sovereign Controls in 32 areas in 14 countries. Public, sovereign, distributed, and Google Workspace clouds offer Google Cloud Sovereign AI.

The S3NS Trusted Cloud, presently in preview, meets France's highest cloud certification, SecNumCloud, from the National Cyber Agency in partnership with Thales. The first European-owned, majority-owned, and completely governed Google Cloud-based sovereign cloud provider.

To manage identity and access:

Unified access policies will standardise fine-grained access restrictions by defining IAM allow and deny policies in Q2.

SPIFFE-based identities for workload-to-workload authentication via mutual TLS are available in preview in Managed Workload Identities. Workload Identity Federation using X.509 certificates improves workload authentication.

To safeguard data

Google Cloud Confidential Computing grows. In Q2, Confidential GKE Nodes with AMD SEV-SNP and Intel TDX will safeguard GKE workloads without code modifications. Q2 will preview GKE Nodes with NVIDIA H100 GPUs on the A3 machine line for hidden GPU computing without code changes.

Sensitive Data Protection discovery solution for Vertex AI and Azure Storage is now fully available and integrates with Security Command Center's virtual red teaming and AI Protection to monitor data assets. With Cloud Load Balancing and Secure Web Proxy, it revealed Dataplex V2 compatibility and preview data-in-motion scanning.

Under preview, single-tenant Cloud Hardware Security Module (HSM) allows customers complete administrative control over Google Cloud-managed, segregated HSM clusters.

For network security:

Network Security Integration protects Google Cloud workloads with third-party network appliances and services without routing policy or network architecture changes. In-band ecosystem partner integrations are in preview, however out-of-band are typically accessible.

Later this year, Infoblox Threat Defense's DNS Armour will preview and identify DNS-based attacks utilising multi-sourced threat intelligence and advanced AI/ML.

Cloud Armour Enterprise shows hierarchical policies for centralised control and automated new project protection.

Cloud NGFW Enterprise will preview L7 domain filtering later this year to monitor and restrict egress web traffic to permitted destinations.

Google Sensitive Data Protection and Symantec DLP service extensions protect inline network data loss in Secure Web Proxy (SWP) preview.

Next step

These developments just scrape the surface of security, AI, and frontline intelligence's potential.

Modern threats require a strategic security partner, and Google Unified Security is the best, easiest, and fastest way to add Google to your security team.

[lizasweetling]

I wonder how many possible objections she prepped answers for

(it just seems like an ill use of limited time)

[vmantras]

Apple Command Center: Revolutionizing Smart Home Control

Apple’s upcoming Command Center is shaping up to be one of the most significant additions to the Apple ecosystem, designed to revolutionize smart home control. While the product has yet to be officially launched, leaks and reports provide substantial insight into its design, features, and how it fits into Apple’s vision for the future of home automation. This in-depth review will explore every…

[jcmarchi]

The 10 Best Dedicated Hosting Providers in 2024

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/the-10-best-dedicated-hosting-providers-in-2024/

The 10 Best Dedicated Hosting Providers in 2024

Dedicated hosting is the highest tier of web hosting – you get a whole server to yourself and don’t need to share the server’s resources with any other website owner. The perks? Exceptional website performance, unlimited bandwidth, exclusive IP address, infinite flexibility, and unmatched security. 

However, just one quick Google search will show you just how many hosting providers are on the market claiming to offer the best dedicated hosting plans. Do a little digging and you’ll find some with shady policies, some with VPS plans dressed up as dedicated hosting, and some with plans that are just too pricey. So how do you choose?

We have done the work for you so you don’t have to. In the rest of this piece, we’ll discuss how dedicated hosting works, who dedicated hosting is for, and then give you a roundup of the 10 very best dedicating hosting providers – plus a quick buying guide that shows you how we chose them.

10 Best Dedicated Hosting Providers At A Glance

BlueHost

A2Hosting

UltaHost

StableHost

HostGator

NameCheap

DreamHost

IONOS

Interserver

InMotion Hosting

What Is Dedicated Hosting and How Does It Work?

As we described, in a dedicated hosting environment, the provider gives you a whole web server all to yourself. The entirety of the server’s resources – storage, memory, CPUs, bandwidth, etc. – are yours and yours alone.

The amount of storage you get with a dedicated hosting plan is usually in the order of terabytes (TBs). Plus, unlike other hosting types that put a cap on the bandwidth or data transfer made to your website, a dedicated hosting plan gives you as much bandwidth as the server can handle. 

These translate into a website that’s exceptionally fast, can handle tons of traffic, and secure from server-wide attacks. What’s more? You don’t run the risk of having the same server IP address with another site that’s been flagged by search engines, inheriting the bad rep, and losing your rankings like in a shared environment.

Dedicated hosting plans are usually offered as managed and unmanaged packages. 

With a managed dedicated hosting plan, the hosting provider handles most of the technical aspects of your server – choosing the operating system, setting up your server, scheduling backups of your website, security configurations, etc. You then manage your server via a control panel.

An unmanaged hosting plan gives you far more control over the server – while the provider sets up the physical server, you are in charge of configuring the software (operating system and other software) and have full-root access to the command line interface. With an unmanaged hosting plan, you also manage your server’s security and backups.

Who Is Dedicated Hosting For?

So who should go for a dedicated hosting plan?

Dedicated hosting or single-tenancy hosting makes the most sense for websites that either handle insane amounts of traffic, require extreme levels of security, and if SEO is your brand’s core source of customers.

With a dedicated hosting plan, you can store content for a very large website and have unlimited bandwidth (or the capacity to handle unlimited traffic) to match. Only the entirety of the server’s resources are your limit.

A reserved environment also means the best security – you are shielded from attacks on other websites e.g: a DDoS attack or malware that may affect you in a shared hosting environment. This makes dedicated hosting particularly great for websites that handle extremely sensitive data – e.g. banks, large eCommerce sites, government databases, etc.

The amount of control you get with a dedicated hosting plan is unmatched. Large corporations with in-house IT teams usually opt for unmanaged dedicated hosting plans where they can configure the server’s software and make fine tweaks for the best performance.

The 10 Best Dedicated Providers In 2024 Reviewed

Without further ado, let’s dive into a comprehensive list of the best dedicated hosting providers in 2024 and see what makes each provider stand out:

1. BlueHost (Most reputable)

Founded in 2003, BlueHost is one of the well-known hosts on the market and offers excellent dedicated hosting plans. BlueHost offers three dedicated plans STANDARD, ENHANCED and PREMIUM with the standard plan starting at $91.98/month.

On each plan you get a server with 4-8 cores, an Intel Xeon-D CPU, 1-2 terabytes of HDD storage, unmetered bandwidth, a Linux OS, and the traditional cPanel granting you root access. 

For clients buying their dedicated plans for the first time, you can chat with a BlueHost agent for recommendations on the best plan. And what’s more? You also get dedicated support for whichever dedicated plan you pick. 

Some other perks include the ability to upgrade the amount of storage you need, exceptionally quick server setup by BlueHost’s agents, and their RAID 1 storage that improves your website’s security. I also like that you can also buy hosting plans from other packages – e.g: shared and VPS, and manage them alongside your dedicated plans from the same account.

In my BlueHost review, I tested BlueHost’s performance to see how quickly they responded. The host’s servers had a time-to-first-byte of 400 ms which is decent. And for the uptime, the BlueHost-hosted website I tested was up 100% of the time over the past month, confirming their 99.9% uptime guarantee.

Here’s why you should choose BlueHost:

BlueHost is recommended directly by WordPress

They provide hosting plans for every website need

Their plans are pretty affordable

Website essentials are provided for free

They have vast complementary services 

BlueHost is incredibly easy to use for beginners

Excellent uptime

Overall, BlueHost is an excellent choice if you are looking for straightforward dedicated hosting plans. And more so, if you want to host WordPress websites.

Read Review →

Visit BlueHost →

2. A2Hosting (Best high-performance dedicated host)

A2Hosting is another dedicated hosting provider that stands apart from the horde. They offer one of the most comprehensive hosting portfolios on the market with just about any type of hosting and hosting for particular businesses. 

A2Hosting provides managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting plans that give you complete server control and excellent security. One unique feature of A2Hosting is they own their own servers, unlike many other hosts who are just resellers.

With their managed plans, you get the CloudLinux OS pre-installed, cPanel, and backups and security managed for you – these plans start at $79.99/month. A2Hosting’s unmanaged dedicated plans allow you to choose from different Linux OSs, gives you full root access, and also allows you configure your security, backup schedules, and choose your own control panel.

On every A2Hosting plan, including their dedicated servers, you can opt for their Turbo plans that feature their AMD Rome servers meshed with NVMe storage, the host claims to offer 20X the operating speed of their regular Intel Xeon CPUs and SSD storage. And on each dedicated plan, you also get a free 1 TB backup drive.

With A2Hosting’s dedicated plans you get between 16-64 GB of RAM, 6-10 TB data transfer, free SSL certificates and the Imunify360 Security Suite installed, and free migration.

In my A2Hosting review, their servers responded in an impressive 100ms and also had 100% uptime, so you know you’re in good hands.

Here’s why you should choose A2Hosting:

Super impressive server times

A vast array of hosting types and complementary services

A2Hosting has a thriving support hub

They provide a custom control panel for WordPress

Their Turbo plans promise unrivaled speed

A2Hosting gives you a plethora of features free

You can choose your data center locations

Overall, A2Hosting is a great choice if you want a dedicated host that offers plans specifically for different types of businesses.

Read Review →

Visit A2Hosting →

Founded in 2018, Ultahost is barely 6 years old but they’ve made a name quickly for themselves, especially in the dedicated hosting market. Ultahost’s dedicated hosting plans are tailored to both small and big businesses, and give you the option to customize your resources.

One great thing about UltaHost’s dedicated plans is they come with different control panel options – Hestia & CyberPanel which are free, Plesk panel, and cPanel, with the first starting at $84/month.

And the levels of customizations are boundless!

You can configure your own dedicated plan choosing the number of cores (4 – 64), threads(8 – 128), amount of RAM(16 GB – 1 TB), and disk size (480 GB – 8 TB). 

On all of Ultahost’s dedicated plans, you get free backups, BitNinja security built-in, a staging tool, free migration, a free SSL, and a dedicated firewall. You can also choose from several operating systems and can enjoy premium NVMe performance. In my UltaHost review, the host was also one of the best performers with the servers pinging in a mere 128 ms!

Here’s why you should choose UltaHost:

Unmatched customizable dedicated plans

Wide variety of OS options

Free domain and SSL

Free website migration

Unlimited bandwidth on all plans

Free daily backups

They have some of the best security features

No other host beats UltaHost in terms of flexibility and their customizable plans cater to every kind of business, giving you even more control.

Read Review →

Visit UltaHost →

Looking for straightforward dedicated hosting plans, StableHost is the one for you. StableHost stands out with its unique clustered hosting where your website is hosted across a network of servers, giving you exceptional performance in case of traffic spikes and reduces downtime.

StableHost offers just three dedicated hosting plans – PROFESSIONAL, PREMIUM, and ULTIMATE giving you between 4 – 16GB of RAM, 2-4 TB of data transfer, and 600 GB hard drives. You can choose between Linux and Unix OSs, and StableHost can also configure a dedicated plan just for you.

Migrating your website to StableHost is also free!

In my StableHost review, the host didn’t have a really impressive server response speed but had an excellent uptime of 100%. StableHost also offers their proprietary website builder BaseKit, where most other hosts only stick to the generic WordPress or Drupal.

Here’s why you should choose StableHost:

Their user interface is perfect for beginners or users with no-code skills 

They offer 45-day money-back guarantee 

They use cluttered hosting for faster performance 

They built a proprietary website builder – BaseKit

StableHost is excellent for their clustered hosting making your website able to handle traffic spikes exceptionally with no downtime.

Read Review →

Visit StableHost →

(Best storage flexibility)

HostGator is another ‘hosting household name’ on the market and one of the best dedicated hosting providers for you. Like StableHost, HostGator offers a 3-tiered dedicated package starting at $91.98/month, offering between 8 – 30 GB RAM, 4 – 8 cores, and 8 – 16 threads. 

For each plan, you can select the control panel you want, have unlimited emails, enjoy advanced DDoS protection, and have full-root access if you’re comfortable with backend. 

HostGator also has an incredible support portal backing their plans and it’s great that you can reach out to their agents via live chat even before you become a customer. 

And finally, one thing I like about HostGator is their awesome user interface that’s easy to use even for newbies. If you decide to use their cPanel, you’ll have access to a control panel that’s been tweaked slightly to make it just a bit easier to use without losing the feel of the oldest running control panel for websites.

With HostGator, you can also choose whether you want HDD (for more affordability) or SSD storage (for better performance).

Here’s why you should choose HostGator:

Excellent DDoS protection

Comes with a drag-n-drop builder

Great support

Intuitive user interface

HDD or SSD storage option balancing performance and affordability.

HostGator is one of the most reputable hosts on the market and if you’re considering their dedicated plans, you can rest assured they are tried and trusted.

Visit HostGator →

(Most varied dedicated plans)

First known as one of the best domain registrars in the world, Namecheap also offers some of the cheapest dedicated hosting plans you’ll ever find starting at $38.9/month.

Structured into 8 dedicated hosting tiers, you can also choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Namecheap promises same-day setup and free migration amongst other benefits. I also like how Namecheap sections its dedicated hosting plans for entry level, medium level, and advanced level customers.

You can choose between different control panels and guess what? Namecheap also offers excellent customizability like Ultahost. You can quickly find the best plan for you by exploring their servers and tweaking your budget, number of CPUs, RAM, and storage. 

Namecheap also gives you the freedom to choose the level of control you want over your servers – user-responsible (fully managed by you), basic (hybrid), and complete (managed by the host).

Here’s why you should choose Namecheap:

Incredibly affordable plans

Excellent server customizability

They also offer a great domain name service

Incredible user interface

Flexible payment methods

Choose Namecheap if you want the most affordable dedicated hosting providers on the market plus unmatched customizability.

Visit Namecheap →

Looking for dedicated hosting that’s fully managed by the provider – no question? DreamHost may just be the one for you. The provider offers fully managed dedicated hosting plans that guarantee exceptional performance.

You get between 6 – 12 cores, 16 – 128 GB RAM, 480 GB – 1.9 TB SSD storage, and their plans start at $165/month. DreamHost is one of the few hosts with a custom control panel, giving you a super intuitive interface to manage your plans and websites.

With every plan, you get their 24/7 support guarantee, full root access, Ubuntu Linux built-in, unmetered bandwidth, and a reseller option allowing you to sell customized packages to other clients.

DreamHost also has a dedicated plan customization portal that even though is somewhat limited compared to some of the other hosts we’ve discussed here is still super handy.

Visit DreamHost →

8. IONOS

(Most affordable dedicated hosting)

IONOS promises innovative dedicated plans that combine the power of dedicated servers with the flexibility of cloud solutions. With IONOS, you can choose between Intel and AMD servers and also between HDD, SSD, and NVMe storage.

All of IONOS’s dedicated servers give you unmated API and cloud integration so you can connect virtual machines and build custom infrastructure. You also get all the goodies – unmetered traffic, your servers deployed in just 8 minutes, and a pocket-friendly pay-as-you-go billing structure.

For security, you get a built-in IP firewall, easy website backup, and a wide server footprint. One thing that stood out to me about IONOS is its personalized support. Once you buy a dedicated plan, you have one agent assigned to you for the quickest response and support through phone, chat, and email at no additional cost.

IONOS dedicated servers start at $32/month for HDD and $50/month for SSD.

Why you should choose IONOS:

Exceptional server and storage flexibility

Incredibly affordable

Pay-as-you-go structure

Unmatched personalized support

Choose IONOS if you want to enjoy the perks of dedicated hosting plus a customer agent dedicated to your every need and inquiry.

Visit IONOS →

Interserver is another dedicated hosting provider that provides high-level dedicated hosting plans for businesses of all sizes. Interserver’s dedicated plans are sectioned by servers into Buy It Now servers, Customizable AMD and XEON servers, and their Rapid Deploy servers.

The host’s dedicated plans are incredibly affordable, starting at $40/month and across all their server options, you can enjoy between 8 – 128 GB RAM, 250 GB – 1.7 TB of storage, and 1 Gb per second bandwidth.

Their Buy It plans are ready-made plans if you don’t want to scour several options. Their Customizable servers plans give you more control and choice over the types of CPUs and whether you want HDD, SSD, OR NVMe storage. And their Rapid Deploy servers give you bare metal virtual servers ready in 15 minutes.

You can also choose your control panel – cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin. Interserver also offers a dedicated reseller package allowing you to resell your dedicated plans to other clients for more profit. 

Here’s why you should choose Interserver:

Excellent customization options

Multi-tiered server packages

Very affordable plans

Offers a reseller dedicated package

Choose Interserver if you want affordable plans, just a virtual machine, or plan to resell your dedicated hosting.

Visit Interserver →

If you want to be able to choose where your servers are located, InMotion is a splendid choice. Their most basic plan Aspire starts at $35/month and you can enjoy between 16 GB – 512 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD – 6.4 TB NVMe storage, 1 – 10 Gb per second bandwidth, 1 – 30 dedicated IP addresses, 10 GB – 1 TB free backup storage, and so much more.

One awesome feature on InMotion is you can choose the location of your data centers. They also give you a 100% human support guarantee for whenever you have inquiries. What’s more? Whether you are a customer or just considering their services, you can always talk to their agents via phone, live chat, or a support ticket.

Their dedicated hosting plans are fully managed and on each one you get free website transfers, access to Linux experts support agents, a free SSL, Backup Manager installed, and a custom firewall. You can also choose between cPanel and Control Web Panel for your website’s management.

Here’s why you should choose InMotion:

Affordable dedicated plans

Their UltraStack promises incredible performance

Human support

Awesome complementary features built-in

Choice over data centers.

Choose InMotion for affordable dedicated plans and if you’re targeting an audience in a particular region and want to be able to choose your server locations.

Visit InMotion →

How We Chose The Best Dedicated Hosting Providers

Now that you have a much smaller list to work with and are ready to pick, you may be wondering how we chose them. What were some of the qualities we considered? Let’s see some of them so you can zero in on the one for you.

Pricing

Dedicated hosting plans are the most expensive hosting plans on the market, and understandably so. You get a host of perks from being the sole tenant on a web server.

Given that many dedicated plans start from $100 and upwards, when choosing the hosts to recommend to you, we looked for providers offering feature-packed plans that were still very affordable.

Namecheap, IONOS, Interserver, and InMotion all have dedicated hosting plans that start from $30-40/month and are some of the cheapest you’ll ever find. These plans focus on website owners who are just trying dedicated hosting for the first time and don’t need to suddenly start spending several times their shared or VPS plans. 

Flexibility and customizability

Next, we considered web hosts that offered plans where you could easily scale your resources as your traffic increases. We also looked out for hosting providers that allow you to create a custom plan, giving you even more control over how much you spend.

With a flexible host, you won’t be stuck on a plan that’s limited in resources in case of traffic spikes or one with excess resources that have you paying for specs you may never use. 

All of the web hosts we included in this list are incredibly flexible and hosts like Ultahost, DreamHost, and Namecheap have dedicated customization portals so you can set the amount of storage, number of CPUs, RAM, and number of cores you want.

Server/storage specs

The very essence of a dedicated hosting plan is to give you the most resources. When choosing these hosts, we selected hosts that give you high-end storage and servers. 

With many of these hosts, you can choose whether you want HDD or SSD or NVMe disks. You can also select between Intel and AMD servers. 

Then there are the outliers – Ultahost’s customizable plans allow you to choose as high as 1 terabytes of RAM. A2Hosting gives you a free 1TB drive. 

Customer support/managed plans

We also prioritized web hosts that are serious about customer support and take as much of the server management out of your hands (for managed hosting plans). All the hosts we listed provide you with 24/7 support across several channels – live chat, phone, email, tickets, etc.

And for managed plans, with the hosts we selected, your servers are set up for you, they come with a built-in operating system, and you can choose the control panel you want to use. They’ll also set up your website backup schedule and your security features in place.

IONOS, in particular, stands out with its personalized support where a particular agent is assigned to you.

And that’s it! These ten hosts are the very best dedicated hosting providers in 2024, and are where you should start your search from.

FAQs

What is managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting?

In a managed dedicated hosting plan, the web host handles most of the technical aspects of your servers for you – setting up the servers, scheduling your backups, setting up your security systems, and configuring your control panel. While with an unmanaged dedicated hosting plan, the provider only deploys the servers. You are responsible for all the server management. 

Most website owners choose managed dedicated hosting plans. Unmanaged dedicated hosting makes more sense for large organizations with in-house IT teams that can configure the servers on command-line level.

Do I need dedicated hosting as a beginner?

If you are just launching a new website then you don’t need dedicated hosting unless you already have an established brand and your traffic will come pouring in right away. Most new websites do well with a shared or VPS hosting plan. After you outgrow these plans, you can then migrate to a dedicated hosting package.

What is a dedicated IP address in web hosting?

One of the perks that usually come with dedicated hosting is you have a dedicated IP address assigned to your website. On a smaller tier hosting category like shared hosting, you share the same physical server with other websites and thus the same server IP address with these websites.

You don’t know who your neighbors are and if one of the websites have been flagged by search engines, the IP can also be flagged, putting your own website at risk of losing search ranking. With a dedicated hosting plan, you have an IP address exclusive to you and are not affected by the actions of other website owners.

[mocchiixxx]

Center of Attention

Seungcheol x Reader | Fluff, Jealous & Pouty Cheol, Playful SEVENTEEN

You peeked into the practice room, excitement bubbling inside you as you spotted SEVENTEEN hard at work. The boys were dancing in perfect synchronization, sweat glistening on their skin as the music filled the space.

Your eyes immediately found Seungcheol at the center, leading the group with his usual commanding presence. Even exhausted, he moved with precision and power, his focus unshakable—until his gaze flickered toward the door and landed on you.

For a moment, he faltered, his steps slightly offbeat. Then, a slow, boyish grin spread across his face as he straightened up, clearly pleased by your unexpected visit.

But before he could make his way to you, someone beat him to it.

"Y/N!" Seungkwan shouted, dramatically throwing himself into your arms. "Oh my gosh, you’re here! You finally came to see me!"

You laughed, patting his back. "I came to see all of you, of course!"

"Hah! See that, hyung?" Mingyu teased, draping an arm over your shoulder. "She came for all of us, not just you."

"Y/N, do you want to see our new choreography?" Hoshi piped up, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I swear it's gonna blow your mind!"

"Oh, oh! Sit here, next to me!" Dino tugged at your wrist, leading you toward the mirrors. "We need a fresh opinion!"

You giggled as the members pulled you into their chaos, talking over one another as they eagerly showed you moves, funny stories, and behind-the-scenes antics.

Meanwhile, Seungcheol stood frozen in the middle of the room, arms crossed, lips pressed into a pout.

Not. Happy. At. All.

He watched as his significant other was swept away by the other members, completely ignoring him. Him! Their leader! The one who was supposed to be getting all your attention right now!

Minghao, passing by, smirked. "You look like a sulky puppy, hyung."

"I'm not sulking," Seungcheol muttered, brows furrowing deeper.

"You totally are," Woozi added, barely hiding his grin.

Seungcheol huffed, hands on his hips. He'd had enough.

With slow, deliberate steps, he made his way toward you, towering over where you sat between the younger members. You barely had time to react before he effortlessly scooped you up—lifting you into his arms like you weighed nothing.

"Cheol!" You yelped, clutching onto him.

"Excuse us," he said firmly, shooting a pointed glare at the members. "I need my girlfriend back."

A chorus of laughter erupted around the room as the members teased and whistled, but Seungcheol ignored them, walking away with you securely in his arms. He carried you to the far corner of the practice room, finally setting you down—but not letting go.

"You barely looked at me," he accused, voice low and sulky.

You bit your lip, trying not to laugh at his adorable pout. "You were busy, so I didn’t want to distract you."

"I'm always okay with you distracting me," he grumbled, arms wrapping snugly around your waist. "I missed you."

You smiled, reaching up to smooth his damp hair. "I missed you too, Cheol."

His pout deepened. "Then prove it."

You chuckled before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. He hummed in satisfaction, pulling you closer, as if to make up for the lost time.

From across the room, Jeonghan shouted, "YAH! WE'RE STILL HERE, YOU KNOW!"

But Seungcheol ignored them all, completely lost in you. Because as far as he was concerned, you were his priority—and finally, he was yours again.

[kaitlyn-imagines]

im so obsessed with sinners right now and i’ve had a couple of ideas floating around! one specifically has been driving me NUTS

reader being in a committed relationship with smoke, but sometimes her eyes drift to stack. smoke isn’t oblivious, but he also isn’t mad. maybe he arranges a little blindfolded “who’s touching you right now” with stack for his lady, just a one (or two) time thing!

Dude, YES SAME, I have been going nutso for sinners since it came out and I need to gush!!! I cannot, will not shut up LOL. I loooved this ask, thank you thank you, keep em coming hehe 😈

Smoke x Reader... x (Stack)

Warnings: Spice, blindfolds, wandering eyes, committed relationship with Smoke, ambiguous relationship with Stack

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾ 

Being with Smoke is everything you’ve wanted and more in a relationship. He’s dependable, calm and collected, and follows through time and time again. When he commits, he commits. You feel lucky every night you get to share your bed with him.

He makes you feel secure and safe in your relationship, and you trust him entirely.

And yet, despite how perfect and content you feel in your relationship with Smoke, every now and then you can’t seem to keep yours eyes off of his brother

They’re equal parts handsome in a literal, identical sense, so it’s unsurprising that you’d also find Stack attractive. However, that small fact does little to ease your guilty conscience

A night of dancing with your front pressed against Smoke’s firm chest, and all the while you’re staring over his shoulder to where Stack is grinding with some girl

Sitting on Smoke’s lap while both twins play cards at a table, and your eyes can’t help but track the way Stack’s throat bobs when he swallows his whiskey neat

Waiting in the car while Smoke and Stack handle business with Bo, unable to keep your eyes from glancing between both their asses

You tried your best to keep your eyes away from Smoke’s equally attractive brother, and yet at every opportunity you drifted them in Stack’s direction without meaning to

The worst part of it is…Smoke knew. He had to.

Smoke was not a foolish man—he kept tabs on every situation. You need to be vigilant when you work with risky money. He read social cues, picked up on subtle body language, and watched for signs of shady business. It’s what allowed him to command a room.

All this is to say, you knew that he knew.

And, if you weren’t convinced before, you definitely were after you caught Smoke staring right towards you… Caught in the act while you eyed the bulging veins on his brother’s forearm, lining up a shot at the pool table

You expected Smoke to have confronted you about it earlier. You expected him to get angry, defensive, accusatory, and jealous even.

It was no small stressor as you waited for him to bring it up in the following days

Yet, your reckoning did not come to you in angry words, but in the anticipation of them.

“Close your eyes darlin’,” Smoke spoke in that familiar, even tone—calm and collected as ever. But you knew he knew, and it unnerved you. You watched him loosen his tie, swallowing nervously.

His eyes narrowed at you, and with a twitch you realized he meant business.

“I said, close your eyes.”

You had little choice but to obey. Your nerves were firing off as your eyelashes fluttered closed. You heard the click of his shoes on the wooden floorboards, stepping closer in your direction.

You jumped slightly as you felt his fingertips against your throat—a ghost of a touch, so light that it brought goosebumps to your flesh.

Your breathing became shallower and more labored as you felt his knuckles trace delicately up to your jaw…and then the gentle brush of fabric as he used his tie to blindfold you.

“Can’t have your eyes wandering,” his voice was husky in your ear, and you knew without a doubt that your moment of reckoning had come. He knew.

Being unable to see brought with it an elevated level of sensitivity—the gentle, yet firm, feeling of his hands leading you to the center of the room. The warm fanning of his breath against the back of your neck. The sound of a door across the room opening and softly clicking shut.

A second pair of footsteps approached you, and you realized with a growing sense of anxiety and exhilaration that another had joined your company.

And then, another pair of work-worn hands touched against your arm, and you audibly gasped.

“My,” you heard Stack’s breathy laugh, recognizing it immediately. “Sensitive, aren't they?”

“Mm hmm,” Smoke agreed gruffly, his voice strong and poised. He had complete control over you and the situation at hand.

For a moment, no one spoke. You waited with baited breath as you heard the sound of fabric rustling. Someone was moving. Who?

You felt a large hand grab at your hip, and you jolted, startled. The hand coaxed you as if soothing a spooked animal, trailing up your side and stopping along your ribcage.

“Who’s touching you right now?” you heard Smoke’s deep and commanding voice ask from behind you. You were certain if you leaned a few inches back you would bump into his broad chest.

“I d-don’t…” you stuttered out, unsure of how to answer, too tightly wound and agitated to risk a guess. What would happen if you were incorrect?

The hand on your ribcage disappeared, leaving behind a warmth that made the air in its absence feel cold. Then, a sharp nip at your earlobe…a punishment for taking too long.

“Smoke!” you yelped, knowing that had been him.

His dark chuckle sounded so close to your ear that a shiver ran up your spine. Something molten was already beginning to form in your chest. “Very good,” he praised.

You heard a low whistle directly in front of you—Stack, enjoying the scene in front of him.

You didn’t dare reach out for him. You didn’t have to, because within a moment he was pawing at your thigh, squeezing the plush flesh there. Bold, explorative, eager.

“S-Stack,” you choked on his name, and you didn’t need to see to know that his typical devilish smile was spread across his face.

“Don’t think you’ll need to train 'em for too long,” Stack spoke lowly to his brother. “Seems like they learn better when their eyes are closed.”

And Smoke mumbled his assent with his teeth against the nape of your neck.

[scealaiscoite]

‧₊˚ 🏞️ ✩ 200 setting prompts

¹⁾ an er waiting room 

²⁾ a funeral home car park 

³⁾ a dimly lit alleyway 

⁴⁾ a cramped holding cell

⁵⁾ an empty museum exhibit

⁶⁾ a dusty wine cellar 

⁷⁾ an ex’s spare room 

⁸⁾ a disused garden shed 

⁹⁾ a seedy, cheap motel room

¹⁰⁾ a 24/7 diner

¹¹⁾ a strip club dressing room

¹²⁾ a half-flooded basement 

¹³⁾ a dark classroom

¹⁴⁾ a sparsely-stocked walk-in fridge 

¹⁵⁾ a crumbling mausoleum 

¹⁶⁾ an aquarium’s shark habitat 

¹⁷⁾ a draughty bus stop 

¹⁸⁾ a posh hotel lobby 

¹⁹⁾ a quiet bakery 

²⁰⁾ a department store dressing room 

²¹⁾ a sold-out stadium 

²²⁾ a lofty airplane hangar 

²³⁾ a murky riverbank

²⁴⁾ a mostly-empty cinema 

²⁵⁾ a clearing amidst a dense forest 

²⁶⁾ a bar’s service well 

²⁷⁾ a mechanic’s office 

²⁸⁾ a 31st birthday party

²⁹⁾ a ship’s brig 

³⁰⁾ a sacristy 

³¹⁾ an amusement park 

³²⁾ a garish costume shop 

³³⁾ a mens’ bathroom 

³⁴⁾ a restaurant kitchen right before service 

³⁵⁾ an f1 marshal’s outpost 

³⁶⁾ a yacht’s bow 

³⁷⁾ a drive-thru chapel 

³⁸⁾ a stranger’s hotel room 

³⁹⁾ a dark evidence archibe 

⁴⁰⁾ a loud hair salon 

⁴¹⁾ a failing coffee shop 

⁴²⁾ a retirement home’s staff lounge 

⁴³⁾ an office building’s 12th floor 

⁴⁴⁾ a dying retail chain’s last store 

⁴⁵⁾ an upscale casino 

⁴⁶⁾ a ranch’s bunkhouse 

⁴⁷⁾ the deck of a dilapidated fishing trawler 

⁴⁸⁾ an away team’s dressing room 

⁴⁹⁾ a mortuary waiting room 

⁵⁰⁾ a long-disused storage locker 

⁵¹⁾ a phlebotomy lab 

⁵²⁾ a run-down stash house 

⁵³⁾ a tense conference room 

⁵⁴⁾ a humid greenhouse 

⁵⁵⁾ a jazz club 

⁵⁶⁾ a well-stocked storm cellar 

⁵⁷⁾ a decommissioned sanitorium 

⁵⁸⁾ an embassy under attack

⁵⁹⁾ a marathon aid station 

⁶⁰⁾ a luxury car dealership 

⁶¹⁾ a coastal holiday home 

⁶²⁾ the underside of a bridge 

⁶³⁾ a two-person tent

⁶⁴⁾ a draughty coal shed 

⁶⁵⁾ a labyrinthine warehouse 

⁶⁶⁾ a half-rotted apricot grove 

⁶⁷⁾ an off-the-books laboratory

⁶⁸⁾ a disturbing shrine 

⁶⁹⁾ a circus tent 

⁷⁰⁾ a freezing cold lake 

⁷¹⁾ an actor’s dressing room 

⁷²⁾ a news studio 

⁷³⁾ a broken-down elevator 

⁷⁴⁾ an office’s copier room 

⁷⁵⁾ a library archive 

⁷⁶⁾ a bustling betting shop 

⁷⁷⁾ a peruvian food truck 

⁷⁸⁾ a city bus depot 

⁷⁹⁾ a preschool play room 

⁸⁰⁾ a marina’s creaking dock 

⁸¹⁾ an army recruiter’s office

⁸²⁾ a butcher’s cold storage 

⁸³⁾ an abandoned storage mill 

⁸⁴⁾ a perfumer’s store 

⁸⁵⁾ a high-security prison perimeter tower 

⁸⁶⁾ a cordoned-off crime scene

⁸⁷⁾ a fire station simmering with tension  

⁸⁸⁾ a creepy furniture outlet 

⁸⁹⁾ a boudoir photographer’s set 

⁹⁰⁾ a maternity ward 

⁹¹⁾ a muddy farmyard at dawn 

⁹²⁾ a ballet company’s rehearsal space

⁹³⁾ a dusty record shop

⁹⁴⁾ an isolated, rural cabin

⁹⁵⁾ a detectives’ breakroom

⁹⁶⁾ a bridal boutique dressing room 

⁹⁷⁾ the back row of seats in a cinema

⁹⁸⁾ a bustling dockyard

⁹⁹⁾ a cheap massage parlour

¹⁰⁰⁾ an empty dormitory

¹⁰¹⁾ a stiflingly tense courtroom

¹⁰²⁾ a conspiracy theorist’s doomsday bunker

¹⁰³⁾ a cobweb-littered attic

¹⁰⁴⁾ a crumbling remote farmhouse

¹⁰⁵⁾ an arcade at close

¹⁰⁶⁾ a snowy chalet 

¹⁰⁷⁾ an out-of-use abbatoir

¹⁰⁸⁾ a bougie art exhibition

¹⁰⁹⁾ a neighbourhood paletería

¹¹⁰⁾ a headmaster’s office

¹¹¹⁾ a liquor store at midday

¹¹²⁾ a gold-for-cash outlet 

¹¹³⁾ a train station restroom

¹¹⁴⁾ a country club tennis court

¹¹⁵⁾ an acupuncturist’s office

¹¹⁶⁾ a mansion’s guest bathroom

¹¹⁷⁾ an overwhelmed military outpost

¹¹⁸⁾ a disused santa’s grotto

¹¹⁹⁾ an ambulance bay

¹²⁰⁾ a whiskey distillery

¹²¹⁾ a submarine command center 

¹²²⁾ a lesbian bar 

¹²³⁾ the boot of a parked car 

¹²⁴⁾ a bachelorette party 

¹²⁵⁾ an oncologist’s office 

¹²⁶⁾ a penthouse apartment 

¹²⁷⁾ a coastal cave at low tide 

¹²⁸⁾ the passenger seat of a humvee

¹²⁹⁾ a private plane at 40,000 feet

¹³⁰⁾ a murder-mystery party 

¹³¹⁾ an outdoor beach shower 

¹³²⁾ a sushi restaurant 

¹³³⁾ a trashed pawn shop

¹³⁴⁾ a divorce lawyer’s office 

¹³⁵⁾ an opium den 

¹³⁶⁾ a kids’ ball pit 

¹³⁷⁾ a silversmith’s workshop

¹³⁸⁾ an unassuming safehouse  

¹³⁹⁾ a turkish embassy 

¹⁴⁰⁾ a grimy sewer

¹⁴¹⁾ a federal evidence storehouse 

¹⁴²⁾ a loud public park 

¹⁴³⁾ a busy cocktail bar 

¹⁴⁴⁾ an army mess hall 

¹⁴⁵⁾ an empty stable 

¹⁴⁶⁾ a private investigator’s office 

¹⁴⁷⁾ a dog pound 

¹⁴⁸⁾ a hayfield 

¹⁴⁹⁾ a drive-in movie screening 

¹⁵⁰⁾ an apartment’s fire escape 

¹⁵¹⁾ a shipping container 

¹⁵²⁾ a yoga retreat

¹⁵³⁾ a duplex in a state of disarray 

¹⁵⁴⁾ an ice hockey rink 

¹⁵⁵⁾ a shooting range 

¹⁵⁶⁾ a blood drive 

¹⁵⁷⁾ a timber quarry 

¹⁵⁸⁾ a niche publishing house 

¹⁵⁹⁾ a private arts college 

¹⁶⁰⁾ a fairground in the dead of night 

¹⁶¹⁾ a last-chance rehab clinic 

¹⁶²⁾ an advertising agency

¹⁶³⁾ a theater on opening night 

¹⁶⁴⁾ a hectic rave 

¹⁶⁵⁾ a suburban pharmacy 

¹⁶⁶⁾ a green, sprawling valley 

¹⁶⁷⁾ a veterinary clinic 

¹⁶⁸⁾ a retirement community compex  

¹⁶⁹⁾ a hastily-emptied apartment 

¹⁷⁰⁾ a nightclub bathroom 

¹⁷¹⁾ a lush rose garden

¹⁷²⁾ a childhood bedroom

¹⁷³⁾ a military blacksite 

¹⁷⁴⁾ an airport lounge 

¹⁷⁵⁾ a television show set 

¹⁷⁶⁾ the 46th floor of a skyscraper 

¹⁷⁷⁾ a backpackers’ hostel 

¹⁷⁸⁾ an italian deli 

¹⁷⁹⁾ a failing hair salon 

¹⁸⁰⁾ a sensationalised haunted house 

¹⁸¹⁾ an off-grid commune 

¹⁸²⁾ a makeshift soccer pitch 

¹⁸³⁾ a landscaper’s toolshed 

¹⁸⁴⁾ a cruiseship’s engine room 

¹⁸⁵⁾ a photographer’s set 

¹⁸⁶⁾ a brightly-coloured daycare 

¹⁸⁷⁾ a neglected playground

¹⁸⁸⁾ a hardware store 

¹⁸⁹⁾ a nurses’ station

¹⁹⁰⁾ a tobacconist’s 

¹⁹¹⁾ a biker clubhouse 

¹⁹²⁾ a hunting club

¹⁹³⁾ a newsstand 

¹⁹⁴⁾ a sinking speedboat 

¹⁹⁵⁾ a monastery 

¹⁹⁶⁾ a medical examiner’s mortuary 

¹⁹⁷⁾ a grafftied phone booth 

¹⁹⁸⁾ a soup kitchen

¹⁹⁹⁾ a speakeasy hidden beneath a florists

²⁰⁰⁾ a pumpkin patch in july

[phoenixrisingastro]

Sun In The Houses: Your Core Identity and Purpose 🌞

In astrology, the Sun represents your core self—it’s who you are when the masks come off. Think of it as the light that shines from within, guiding your sense of purpose, vitality, and how you express yourself in the world. The house the Sun sits in your birth chart shows where your energy and focus naturally flow, shaping how you seek fulfillment and recognition in life.

Sun in the 1st House : The Natural Leader 🌟🦁

Core Vibe: People with their Sun in the 1st house are born to shine. They exude confidence and often take center stage without trying. These individuals are highly self-aware, and their personality is impossible to ignore.

Strengths: Natural charisma, leadership qualities, and a commanding presence.

Challenges: They can sometimes overshadow others or struggle with needing external validation.

Example: Think of someone who walks into a room, and all eyes are drawn to them—not because they’re loud, but because their energy is magnetic.

Sun in the 2nd House : The Builder 💰🏡

Core Vibe: Stability and security are everything to these individuals. The Sun in the 2nd house emphasizes self-worth and material success, often driving them to create a comfortable, abundant life.

Strengths: Strong work ethic, resourceful, and values-driven.

Challenges: Can tie their self-worth too much to money or possessions.

Example: A person who builds a life they’re proud of through sheer determination, whether it’s a thriving career or a beautiful home.

Sun in the 3rd House : The Communicator ✍️📚

Core Vibe: The mind is their playground. These individuals thrive on sharing ideas, learning, and connecting with others. They have a natural curiosity and a way with words.

Strengths: Excellent communication skills, quick thinkers, and great storytellers.

Challenges: Can spread themselves too thin or struggle with follow-through on ideas.

Example: Picture someone who always has something interesting to say, whether it’s at a dinner party or on social media—they’re your go-to for fascinating insights.

Sun in the 4th House : The Protector 🏠❤️

Core Vibe: Home is where their heart (and energy) lies. The Sun in the 4th house makes someone deeply connected to their roots, family, and inner emotional world.

Strengths: Nurturing, emotionally strong, and deeply loyal to their loved ones.

Challenges: They may prioritize family to the point of neglecting their own needs.

Example: The person who always creates a safe space for others, whether it’s a warm home or an emotional sanctuary.

Sun in the 5th House : The Creative 🎨🎭

Core Vibe: Life is a stage, and they’re here to perform! The Sun in the 5th house fuels creativity, playfulness, and a love for self-expression.

Strengths: Artistic, magnetic, and fun-loving with a natural ability to inspire others.

Challenges: They might struggle with being overly dramatic or needing constant attention.

Example: The person who turns every hobby into a masterpiece or lights up the room with their enthusiasm.

Sun in the 6th House : The Helper 🛠️💪

Core Vibe: Service is their middle name. These individuals thrive when they’re helping others or perfecting their craft. Their energy is often tied to routines and self-improvement.

Strengths: Hardworking, practical, and health-conscious.

Challenges: They can overwork themselves or focus too much on the details.

Example: A person who quietly gets things done and ensures everyone else’s life runs smoothly—whether they’re a team player or a selfless friend.

Sun in the 7th House : The Partner 🤝💍

Core Vibe: Relationships are the cornerstone of their identity. The Sun in the 7th house shines through partnerships, making these individuals thrive in collaboration and connection.

Strengths: Diplomatic, charming, and relationship-oriented.

Challenges: They may rely too heavily on others for their sense of self.

Example: Someone who’s always the perfect plus-one, building their life alongside others and excelling in partnerships.

Sun in the 8th House : The Transformer 🔥🔮

Core Vibe: Depth is everything to them. These individuals are drawn to life’s mysteries, embracing themes of transformation, intimacy, and personal growth.

Strengths: Emotionally intense, intuitive, and unafraid of life’s darker corners.

Challenges: They can struggle with trust issues or an obsession with control.

Example: Someone who’s not afraid to dive into the deep end, whether it’s in love, healing, or spiritual exploration.

Sun in the 9th House : The Explorer 🌍✈️

Core Vibe: Adventure and knowledge are their lifeblood. Sun in the 9th house individuals thrive on expanding their horizons, whether through travel, philosophy, or higher learning.

Strengths: Open-minded, inspiring, and always seeking growth.

Challenges: Can come across as preachy or struggle with commitment.

Example: The world traveler or eternal student who always has a story to share and a lesson to teach.

Sun in the 10th House : The Achiever 🏆📈

Core Vibe: Career and legacy define them. The Sun in the 10th house drives individuals to leave a mark on the world, often through hard work and leadership.

Strengths: Ambitious, disciplined, and highly respected.

Challenges: They may struggle with work-life balance or fear failure.

Example: Someone whose name is synonymous with success—they build empires and inspire others to dream big.

Sun in the 11th House : The Visionary 🌠🤝

Core Vibe: They shine brightest in groups and communities, bringing people together with shared dreams and ideals. These individuals are forward-thinkers and natural humanitarians.

Strengths: Innovative, sociable, and inclusive.

Challenges: They can feel isolated when they don’t fit in or struggle with overly idealistic goals.

Example: Someone who organizes movements, rallies communities, or is always part of something bigger than themselves.

Sun in the 12th House : The Mystic 🌙🌀

Core Vibe: Privacy and introspection guide their energy. These individuals are deeply spiritual and connected to the unseen, often thriving in solitude or behind the scenes.

Strengths: Intuitive, compassionate, and spiritually wise.

Challenges: They may feel misunderstood or struggle with self-doubt.

Example: The quiet artist, healer, or dreamer who changes the world in subtle but profound ways.

Which house does your Sun fall in, and how does it show up in your life? Share your placements 👇 🌟

[clemmmmmmmmmmmmmm]

“There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin.”

Bat boys x reader:Giving birth unexpectedly!

This is a filler headcannon. I will post works next week hopefully.This is inspired by the way i had my son;In our car in a campsite😭😭.wrote this while my partner and son are asleep (Finally.)💛Enjoy!!

Bruce Wayne –

Gives birth in the Batcave during a lockdown

• Bruce has contingency plans for everything. Protocols. Staff. Medical equipment. Even a direct line to the best OB-GYN in Gotham, complete with a private hospital suite prepped and waiting.

• So when you go into labor two weeks early during a surprise cave lockdown triggered by a bio-threat alert, Bruce realizes just how little plans mean in the face of reality.

• “Of all the days to trip the emergency security seal…” he mutters while trying to override the system that locked down the Batcave.

• You’re pacing in the command center, gripping his arm mid-contraction, and Bruce—THE Batman—is rattled. Not visibly. But his jaw is tighter than steel, and his voice keeps lowering into that clipped, deadly tone.

• “The ventilation systems are sealed. Medical wing is sterile. We’ll stay here.”

• He clears the armory’s examination table, then covers it with sanitized cloth from the medkit. Everything becomes clinical—measured.

• But then you cry out in pain and fear, and that cold steel in his voice breaks just slightly. “I’m here. You’re safe. I promise you—you’re safe.”

• He’s no doctor, but his hands are steady. He follows the steps like a soldier disarming a bomb, all while keeping your eyes locked with his.

• When the baby finally comes, Bruce catches them with reverence and holds them for a moment before laying them on your chest. “Hello,” he whispers, as if stunned. “You’re early. Just like your father.”

• Once the lockdown ends, Alfred is the first to arrive. He says nothing when he sees the scene—just places a blanket over your shoulders and smiles at Bruce. “Master Wayne, it appears your most impressive legacy has just begun.”

⸻

Jason Todd –

Gives birth in a remote mountain cabin during a snowstorm

• You and Jason were supposed to be taking a quiet getaway in the mountains—no crime, no city noise, just peace.

• But a snowstorm traps you both in the cabin, and you go into labor with no service, no landline, and no neighbors for miles.

• Jason tries to stay calm, but his hands keep flexing like he wants to punch the storm into submission. “You’d think after all the crap I’ve survived, I’d get one weekend off,” he growls while boiling water on the stove and digging out the first aid kit.

• The fireplace crackles as he builds a makeshift birthing space with every warm blanket he can find. He holds you through the worst of the contractions, whispering calming reassurances that are so unlike the man most people know.

• “You’re not alone. Not for a second. I’ve got you, and I’m not letting go.”

• You scream through it. Cry. Curse. And Jason stays right there, steady and strong, letting you dig your nails into him without complaint.

• When the baby comes, he doesn’t even realize he’s crying until you reach up and brush his cheek.

• “They’re perfect,” you whisper.

• Jason looks down at the tiny, red-faced bundle and chuckles—half disbelief, half raw emotion. “You know… I’ve cheated death, escaped hell….but this is the scariest, most incredible thing I’ve ever done.”

• The storm finally ends the next morning. Jason steps out onto the porch with the baby swaddled to his chest, looking out over the snowy mountains and whispering, “No better place to start over.”

⸻

Tim Drake –

Gives birth in the WayneTech server room during a tech emergency

• Tim was showing you around the newly renovated WayneTech R&D floor when the unthinkable happens: a massive tech breach hits the servers, and your water breaks at the same time.

• Alarms are going off. The elevators are frozen. And you’re gripping a rack of prototype tech while Tim stares at you in utter disbelief.

• “I—uh—okay. Okay. Baby. Yes. Not now, but yes.”

• He immediately drops into triage mode. He reroutes power, uses an emergency system override to lock down the room for privacy, and hacks a medbot to assist.

• You’re lying on a pile of foam floor tiles, breathing through a contraction while surrounded by glowing server lights and the hum of computers.

• “So…this isn’t exactly the sterile birth plan,” you groan.

• “Statistically speaking, no,” he deadpans, then flashes a smile. “But the lighting’s dramatic.”

• He talks you through each contraction, quoting snippets from baby books and software manuals alike, as if he’s compiling his own parenthood operating system in real-time.

• “You’re doing amazing. I don’t know how you’re handling this with only 20% battery and no Wi-Fi.”

• You scream again. “Timothy!”

• “Right, shutting up.”

• When the baby finally arrives, he goes silent. Truly silent. No jokes. Just wide-eyed, overwhelmed wonder.

• “They’re… ours,” he whispers, staring down at this impossibly tiny human like they’re a miracle.

He wraps you both in his jacket and sits on the server room floor with the baby in his arms.

Dick Grayson –

Gives birth in a subway car

• Dick had planned everything. He mapped out the fastest hospital routes, kept emergency bags packed, and even memorized breathing techniques like he was preparing for an Olympic sport.

• But fate has a flair for drama, and on a completely normal afternoon ride through the Blüdhaven subway, your water breaks in the middle of a crowded train.

• At first, you thought it was just a Braxton-Hicks contraction. Dick was even joking about the train delays. Then you grabbed his arm and said, “Dick… I think it’s happening.”

• All the blood drains from his face. “Happening like… happening happening?”

• He immediately takes charge with a surprising level of calm—because behind the charming, goofy exterior, Dick Grayson is a born leader.

• “Alright everyone, I’m going to need some space. My partner is about to give birth. Please—back up and someone call emergency services.”

• Someone tries to film, and Dick glares. “Unless you want a lawsuit and a shattered phone, put it down.” The phone disappears instantly.

• He helps you lie down on a bench in the mostly-cleared car, cushions your head with his jacket, and holds your hand like a lifeline. “I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

• Between contractions, you keep asking if the train is moving. It isn’t. Power outage. Of course.

• “You had to propose to me on a rooftop, and now our baby’s coming in a subway,” you groan.

• “What can I say? We’re just a very public transit family.”

• You scream at him to stop making jokes. He doesn’t. It’s the only thing keeping him sane too.

• When the baby is finally born, the train lights flicker back on—almost poetic. Dick holds them like the most precious thing he’s ever touched.

• “Hey, little one. Welcome to Blüdhaven Underground.”

• When help finally arrives, you’re both surrounded by a circle of subway strangers who are all a little teary-eyed.

• Dick doesn’t let go of either of you for hours. “I’ve done a lot of things in tights and under pressure… but nothing as incredible as this.”

⸻

Damian Wayne aged!up

Gives birth in an art gallery during his solo exhibition

• Damian, now 26, has traded the Robin mantle for a quieter life—he’s a respected artist known for surrealist pieces that blend traditional Middle Eastern motifs with Gotham’s harsh modernity.

• You’re 8 and 1/2 months pregnant when he unveils his latest collection in a sleek, intimate art gallery downtown. The night is supposed to be a celebration of his evolution as a person and creator.

• But the gallery is warm, and crowded, and you’ve been on your feet all night admiring his pieces with other guests. That’s when you feel the sharp, unmistakable pain of labor.

• “Damian,” you whisper, grabbing his hand. He thinks you’re just tired until you add, “It’s happening. Now.”

• His whole face changes. Not panic—just immediate, tactical focus. “We need to leave. Now.”

• But the contractions are fast and furious. You’re not making it to the hospital. A horrified gallery intern runs to grab supplies, while Damian helps you to the quietest room—a stark, white-walled exhibit space filled with his paintings.

• Ironically, the piece behind you is called Rebirth.

• Damian sheds his jacket and lays it beneath you. He calls Talia first—yes, his mother. Say what you will, she knows how to keep her cool in chaos.

• “She’ll be fine,” Talia says over the phone. “Trust her. Trust yourself.”

• He gently presses his forehead to yours between contractions, speaking to you in soft Arabic—his most vulnerable, instinctual language. “You are strength. You are life.”

• He coaches you through the birth with focused determination and awe. When the baby arrives, it’s quiet for a moment… then a cry. He exhales shakily.

• The first thing he does is lay the baby on your chest, whispering reverently, “My finest creation.”

• Someone tries to enter the room, and Damian growls, “You will not disturb them.” The door shuts. Fast.

• Later, he paints a piece inspired by that night—an abstract image of you and the baby, surrounded by the negative space of a blank canvas. He titles it Origin.

• “I thought my art was complete,” he says quietly, holding your hand. “But nothing I ever make will compare to the life we just brought into this world.”

[aceyalonso]

dirty dancing - DANIEL RICCIARDO

pairing : boss/bartender!daniel ricciardo x stripper!reader kinktober day 9

summary : what happens when y/n does a simple dance routine that turns into something dirtier?

warnings/notes : swearing, smut (with some plot), kinda public sex?, unprotected sex (always use a condom guys!), creampie, multiple orgasms, oral (both!receiving), fingering, begging, filming (security camera), hair pulling, dry humping, body worship, praise kink, use of "baby", "good girl" and "sir"

word count : 3.9k

a/n : i miss danny ric so much guys

main masterlist | kinktober masterlist

Y/n's body glistened with sweat as she moved gracefully on the stage, her lithe figure accentuated by the dim lighting of the empty club. The rhythmic beat of the music pulsed through her veins, guiding her movements as she practiced her new routine. Her long, dark hair swayed with each turn, the strands clinging to her skin like a second layer.

Daniel wiped down the bar counter, his eyes occasionally glancing towards the stage where Y/n performed. He couldn't help but admire her dedication and the way her body moved so fluidly, as if she were one with the music. As he finished cleaning, he noticed her looking in his direction, a questioning expression on her face.

"Hey, Daniel!" Y/n called out, her voice carrying across the empty space. "I'm trying out a new routine. Do you think it looks okay?"

Daniel set down his cleaning supplies and took a seat on one of the bar stools, facing the stage. He leaned back, his muscular arms resting on the counter as he watched Y/n intently. "Sure thing, Y/n. Let me see that routine again," he said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Y/n's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she nodded, ready to showcase her moves once more. She took a deep breath, centering herself before the music began. Her hips swayed sensually to the beat, her body undulating in a mesmerizing dance. She ran her hands along her curves, accentuating her assets as she moved.

As she danced, Y/n's eyes locked with Daniel's, feeling a surge of energy from his gaze. She could sense his appreciation for her performance, and it fueled her passion, making her movements even more alluring. The music swelled, and she spun around the pole, her long hair whipping through the air as she executed a series of impressive spins and flips.

Y/n gracefully came to a stop, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. She smiled at Daniel, grateful for his attention and feedback. "Thanks for watching, Daniel. I really appreciate it," she said, walking over to the bar.

"No problem, Y/n. You're doing great," Daniel replied, his eyes roaming appreciatively over her form. "I noticed you seemed a bit unsure during that last part. Have you thought about incorporating some audience interaction?"

She leaned against the bar, her elbows resting on the polished surface. "Interaction? Like what?" she asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Well, for that particular section, you could give someone a lap dance. It would add an extra layer of excitement to your routine," Daniel suggested, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Y/n's eyes widened slightly at Daniel's suggestion, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "A lap dance? I don't know, Daniel. That seems a bit... risky," she said hesitantly.

"Risky? Or exciting?" Daniel countered, leaning forward with interest. "Think about it. The way you move, the way you command attention... a lap dance would be a perfect fit for your routine."

Y/n bit her lower lip, considering the idea. She had to admit, the thought of giving a lap dance to a willing audience member did send a thrill through her body. "I guess you're right. It could add something special to the performance," she admitted, her voice soft.

"That's the spirit!" Daniel encouraged, his eyes never leaving hers. "Why don't you give it a try? I'll be your willing audience member," he offered with a playful wink.

Y/n raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Oh really? And here I thought you were just being helpful," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you sure you're not just using this as an excuse to get a free strip show and lap dance?"

Daniel leaned back, a roguish grin spreading across his face. "Me? Never," he said, his tone light and playful. "I'm simply offering my professional opinion as a bartender and your boss who's seen countless performances."

"Besides," he added, his eyes roaming over her form appreciatively, "I'd pay good money to see you dance like that."

Y/n laughed, shaking her head at his audacity. "You're supposed to be professional, you know that?" Despite her words, there was warmth in her eyes as she looked at him. "Alright, fine. If you're so eager to be my guinea pig, who am I to refuse?"

She sauntered back to the stage, her hips swaying with each step. She turned to face Daniel, a sultry smile on her lips as she began to move to the music. Her hands ran through her hair, tossing it back dramatically as she started to undulate her body to the beat.

Daniel watched intently, his eyes never leaving Y/n as she danced. He could feel the heat building in his body, her movements both alluring and tantalizing. As the music swelled, Y/n approached the edge of the stage, her eyes locked on Daniel's.

With a graceful leap, she landed in front of him, her body mere inches from his. She began to sway her hips, her body moving in a hypnotic rhythm as she slowly backed up, pressing against him. Daniel could feel the heat radiating from her body, her curves pressing against him as she started to grind.

Y/n turned to face Daniel, her back pressed against his chest as she continued to move. She reached behind her, her hands finding Daniel's and guiding them to her waist. She could feel his breath hot on her neck, his body tense with restraint.

"How's this?" she asked breathlessly, her voice husky with desire. "Is this what you had in mind?"

Daniel's hands tightened on her waist, his thumbs tracing small circles on her skin. "It's... perfect," he managed to say, his voice rough with need.

Y/n arched her back, pressing herself closer to Daniel as she continued to grind against him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and it sent a thrill through her body. She turned her head slightly, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "Is there anything else you think I should add?"

Y/n's breath hitched as she felt Daniel's lips brush against her ear. His voice was low and husky, sending shivers down her spin. "Maybe you should move your hips more," he suggested, his hands sliding down to grip her hips firmly.

Y/n gasped softly, her body arching into Daniel's touch. She began to move her hips more deliberately, grinding against him in a slow, sensual rhythm. Her hands came up to tangle in her hair, tossing it back as she arched her back, pressing her ass against Daniel's growing arousal.

"Like this?" she asked, her voice breathy and filled with desire. She could feel the heat building between them, the air thick with tension and unspoken words.

"Just like that," Daniel replied, his voice strained with effort. His hands tightened on her hips, guiding her movements as she continued to grind against him.

Y/n's movements became more frenzied as she felt Daniel's arousal pressing insistently against her. She could feel the heat building between them, her body responding to his touch with an intensity that surprised her. She ground her hips harder against him, her breath coming in short gasps.

"Fuck, keep moving like that and I'll bend you over the bar," Daniel growled, his control slipping. His hands gripped her hips tighter, pulling her closer as he thrust his hips against her.

She moaned softly, the thought of being bent over the bar sending a jolt of pleasure through her body. She turned her head, her lips brushing against Daniel's as she whispered, "Is that what you want? To fuck me right here on the bar?"

"Yeah," Daniel groaned, his control slipping further with each passing second. "I've thought about it every time I see you dancing. The way you move, the way you look..." His voice trailed off as he pulled Y/n closer, his arousal pressing insistently against her.

"I've wanted to bend you over this bar and fuck you senseless for months," he admitted, his voice husky with desire. "Tell me you want it too, Y/n. Tell me you want me to fuck you right here, right now."

Y/n's breath caught in her throat at Daniel's words, her body trembling with need. She could feel the wetness between her legs, her desire for him overwhelming. "Yes," she breathed, her voice filled with want. "I want it. I want you to fuck me, Daniel. Right here, right now."

With a swift movement, Daniel spun Y/n around, pressing her against the bar. His hands roamed over her body, exploring every curve and dip as he kissed and nipped at her neck. "You're so fucking beautiful," he murmured against her skin. "I've wanted this for so long."

As Daniel continued to kiss and caress Y/n's body, he confessed his deepest desires. "I always think about you, Y/n," he admitted, his voice low and husky. "I imagine what your lips would feel like wrapped around my cock, how good your mouth would be." His hands slipped under her top, his fingers tracing patterns on her bare skin.

"I think about how tight your pussy would be, how it would feel to be inside you," he continued, his arousal evident against her backside. "I've dreamed of this moment for so long."

Y/n moaned softly as she felt Daniel's hand slide under the waistband of her bottoms, his fingers finding her most sensitive spot. She arched her back, pressing herself closer to him as his skilled fingers began to play with her clit. "Oh god, Daniel," she gasped, her body trembling with each touch.

"That feels so good," she moaned, her hips moving in time with Daniel's fingers. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body responding eagerly to his touch. "Please, don't stop," she begged, her voice filled with need and desire

Daniel's fingers continued their relentless assault on Y/n's clit, occasionally dipping into her wet folds before returning to her sensitive nub. "You're such a good dancer, Y/n," he praised, his voice filled with admiration. "The way you move, the way you command the stage... it's incredible."

His other hand roamed over her body, caressing her curves as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. "You're so beautiful, Y/n. I can't believe I'm finally getting to touch you like this," he murmured, his fingers never ceasing their teasing motions.

Y/n's moans grew louder, her body writhing under Daniel's touch. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body trembling with anticipation. "Daniel," she gasped, her voice filled with desperation. "I need more. Please, I need you inside me."

Daniel's lips found Y/n's neck, his kisses trailing up to her ear as he whispered, "Be patient, baby. I want to make this last. You're so perfect, and I want to savor every moment with you." His fingers continued their relentless teasing, dipping into her wet folds before returning to her clit.

"You're so responsive, so beautiful," he praised, his voice filled with awe. "I've watched you dance for so long, dreaming of this moment. Let me make it unforgettable for you."

Y/n's body trembled under Daniel's touch, her moans growing louder with each passing second. She could feel the pleasure building within her, her body aching for more. "Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want you so badly."

Daniel's fingers moved faster, his touch becoming more intense as he felt Y/n's body tensing beneath him. "Cum for me, baby," he urged, his voice low and husky.

Y/n's body arched as the pleasure reached its peak, her moans echoing through the empty club. Her orgasm crashed over her like a wave, her body shaking with the force of it. Daniel held her close, his fingers never ceasing their teasing motions as he helped her ride out the intense sensations.

As Y/n's orgasm subsided, Daniel began to place gentle kisses down her back, his lips trailing over her skin like a feather. He held her arms behind her back, keeping her bent over the bar as he continued to worship her body with his mouth.

"You're so beautiful, Y/n," he murmured, his voice filled with adoration. "I want to taste every inch of you." His hands roamed over her curves, his touch gentle and reverent.

Y/n's body trembled under Daniel's ministrations, her skin sensitive from the intense pleasure she had just experienced. She could feel the heat building within her once more, her body craving more of his touch. "Please, Sir," she whispered, her voice filled with need. "I want you inside me. I need you."

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise at Y/n's unexpected request. He had never heard her call him "Sir" before, and the sound of it coming from her lips sent a thrill through his body. "Oh, you want to play that game, do you?" he asked, a playful smirk on his face.

He released her arms, his hands moving to the waistband of her shorts. "Alright then, let's see how well you can follow orders," he teased, slowly pulling her shorts down her legs. "First things first, I want you to spread your legs for me. Give me a good view of that pretty pussy of yours."

Y/n's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and excitement at Daniel's command. She had never been spoken to like this before, and the new dynamic between them sent a rush of adrenaline through her body. She obediently spread her legs, exposing her glistening folds to his hungry gaze.

"Good girl," Daniel praised, his voice low and husky. "Now, I want you to reach back and spread yourself open for me. Show me how much you want it."

Y/n's hands trembled slightly as she reached back, her fingers gently parting her lips to reveal her most intimate parts. The cool air against her heated flesh made her shiver, her body aching for Daniel's touch.

"Fuck, you're so wet," Daniel groaned, his eyes roaming over her exposed flesh. "I can't wait to taste you."

Daniel sank to his knees, his face mere inches from Y/n's glistening folds. He inhaled deeply, savoring the intoxicating scent of her arousal. "You smell divine," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin.

Without further hesitation, he leaned in and ran his tongue along her slit, a low moan escaping his lips as he savored her taste. Y/n gasped, her body trembling as Daniel's skilled tongue explored her most sensitive areas. He alternated between long, slow licks and quick, teasing flicks, his hands gripping her hips to keep her steady.

"Oh god, Daniel," Y/n moaned, her voice filled with pleasure. "That feels so good. Don't stop."

Daniel continued his relentless assault on her clit, his tongue circling the sensitive nub as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. He could feel her body tensing, her moans growing louder and more desperate with each passing second.

His tongue delved deeper, exploring her folds and tasting her essence. He could feel her body trembling, her moans growing louder as he brought her closer to the edge. He slipped a finger inside her, curling it to stroke her G-spot as he continued to lick and suck on her clit.

"Oh fuck, Daniel!" Y/n cried out, her body convulsing as the intense pleasure consumed her. Her juices flowed freely, coating Daniel's face as he worked her through her orgasm. He didn't let up, continuing to lick and suck until she was a quivering mess, her legs barely able to support her.

As her orgasm subsided, Daniel stood up, his face glistening with her juices. He leaned in, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss, letting her taste herself on his tongue. "You're so fucking delicious," he growled, his voice filled with desire. "I want to feel you wrapped around my cock."

Daniel took Y/n's wrists in his hands, holding them firmly behind her back as he pressed his body against hers. "I want you to feel every inch of me," he murmured, his voice low and husky. "I want you to remember this moment, the way I make you feel."

He reached down with one hand, freeing his hard cock from the confines of his pants. Y/n could feel the heat of his shaft against her backside, the anticipation building within her as she waited for him to enter her.

"Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want you inside me. I need you."

Daniel thrust his hips forward, driving only half of his cock into Y/n's tight heat. She let out a desperate whine, her body aching for more. "Please, Daniel," she begged, her voice filled with need. "I want all of you. Don't tease me."

Her hands gripped the air behind her back, her nails digging into her palms as she tried to find something to hold onto. The sensation of Daniel's cock stretching her, combined with the vulnerability of having her hands restrained, sent a thrill through her body.

"You want more?" Daniel growled, his voice filled with dark promise. "Then beg for it. Show me how much you need me."

Y/n's body trembled with desire, her mind consumed by the need to feel Daniel's cock filling her completely. "Please, Sir," she whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I need you. I want to feel every inch of you inside me. Please, don't make me wait any longer."

Daniel's hands tightened on Y/n's wrists as he slowly began to pull out, the head of his cock barely kissing her entrance. "I'm not convinced," he said, his voice low and teasing. "You'll have to do better than that if you want me to give you what you need."

Y/n's body tensed, her muscles clenching around his shaft as he withdrew. "No, please!" she cried out, her voice filled with desperation. "Don't stop, Daniel. I need you so badly. I'll do anything, just please, don't take this away from me."

She arched her back, pressing her hips against his, trying to draw him back inside. "I'm sorry for not begging properly," she whimpered, her voice breaking with emotion. "Please, Sir, I'll be a good girl. I'll do whatever you want, just please, let me feel you inside me. I can't take it anymore."

Daniel's heart raced as he listened to Y/n's desperate pleas, her words fueling his desire. He could feel her body trembling against his, her need for him palpable. With a low growl, he thrust his hips forward, driving his entire length into her tight heat.

"Fuck, you feel incredible," he groaned, his voice thick with pleasure. He began to move, his hips rocking against hers in a steady rhythm. "Is this what you wanted, baby? Do you like feeling me inside you?"

Y/n's moans grew louder, her body responding eagerly to Daniel's thrusts. "Yes, oh god, yes," she panted, her voice filled with ecstasy. "I love feeling you inside me. Don't stop, please don't stop."

As Daniel's thrusts became more intense, Y/n's moans grew louder, echoing through the empty club. "Fuck, you're so loud," Daniel panted, his voice filled with a mix of arousal and amusement. "At this rate, you'll be heard on the security camera footage."

Y/n's face flushed with embarrassment, but the thought of being caught only heightened her arousal. "I don't care," she gasped, her body writhing under Daniel's touch. "I want everyone to hear how good you make me feel."

Daniel's hands roamed over Y/n's body, his fingers digging into her hips as he continued to thrust into her. "That's right, baby," he growled, his voice low and husky. "Let them hear how much you want me."

He released Y/n's wrists, allowing her to grip the edge of the bar for support. He reached up, gathering her hair in his hands and twisting it into a makeshift ponytail. "I want to see your face when you cum," he murmured, his voice filled with desire. "I want to watch the pleasure wash over you as I make you mine."

He began to thrust harder, his hips slamming against Y/n's backside as he drove into her. The new angle allowed him to hit her G-spot with each stroke, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her body.

"Oh god, Daniel," Y/n moaned, her voice raw with emotion. "I'm so close. Don't stop, please don't stop."

Daniel could feel his own release approaching, his body tensing as he fought to hold back. "Cum for me, baby," he commanded, his voice strained with effort.

Y/n's body tensed, her muscles clenching around Daniel's cock as she neared the edge. "I'm cumming!" she cried out, her voice filled with ecstasy. Her orgasm crashed over her like a wave, her body shaking with the force of it.

Daniel continued to thrust, his own release building with each stroke. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice thick with pleasure. "You're so tight, so perfect. I'm going to fill you up, baby. I'm going to make you mine."

With a final, powerful thrust, Daniel buried himself deep inside Y/n, his cock pulsing as he released his seed. He collapsed against her back, his body trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm.

As Daniel caught his breath, Y/n gently pushed him off, a mischievous glint in her eye. She knelt down, her hands caressing his thighs as she positioned herself between his legs. "I'm not done with you yet," she purred, her voice filled with desire.

Without warning, she took him into her mouth, her tongue swirling around his sensitive flesh. Daniel gasped, his hands instinctively reaching for her hair. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice filled with awe. "You're insatiable."

Y/n continued to work his cock with her mouth, her head bobbing up and down as she took him deeper and deeper. She could feel him growing hard again, his body responding to her touch.

"I want to taste you," she murmured, her voice muffled by his cock. "I want to taste you, too."

Y/n's eyes locked onto Daniel's as she continued to suck him off, her lips gliding along his shaft with practiced ease. Her hand slid between her legs, her fingers finding her sensitive folds and beginning to stroke her clit. The combination of sensations sent a jolt of pleasure through her body, and she could feel some of Daniel's cum spilling out onto the floor.

Her other hand cupped his balls, gently massaging them as she worked his cock with her mouth. She could feel him growing harder, his body responding to her touch. "You like that, don't you?" she purred, her voice filled with desire. "You like watching me pleasure myself while I suck you off."

Daniel's breath hitched, his hips bucking slightly as he felt her fingers exploring her own body. "Fuck, Y/n," he groaned, his voice thick with arousal. "You're so sexy. I love watching you touch yourself."

Y/n's fingers continued to explore her folds, her arousal growing with each stroke. She could feel Daniel's cock throbbing in her mouth, his body tensing as he neared the edge once more. She increased her pace, her head bobbing faster as she took him deeper and deeper.

"I'm going to cum again," she moaned, her voice muffled by his cock. "I want you to watch me, Daniel. I want you to see how much you turn me on."

Daniel's hands gripped the edge of the bar, his knuckles turning white with the effort of holding back. "Cum for me, baby," he growled, his voice strained with desire.

Y/n's body tensed, her orgasm building with each stroke of her fingers. She could feel the pleasure mounting, her body trembling with anticipation. With a final, powerful thrust, she pushed Daniel over the edge, his cock pulsing as he released his seed into her mouth.

As Daniel's orgasm subsided, he looked down at Y/n, his eyes filled with admiration. "You're such a good girl," he praised, his voice low and husky. "Swallowing every last drop like that. You're incredible."

taglist

for all posts; @nepobbylver @wobblymug @xoscar03 @irishmanwhore

kinktober taglist; @cloud-55 @emryb @sie17136 @jaimeleannavanlloman @wosof1 @wholetmewritethat @glitterbitch1 @under-seasoned-pasta @sinners-98-world @lewishamiltonismybf

[reality-detective]

MARINES DETAIN 31 INSURRECTIONISTS IN LOS ANGELES

THE DEEP STATE JUST GOT SLAUGHTERED ON THE STREETS OF LOS ANGELES. United States Marines, operating with National Guard and Homeland Security, have taken down 31 PAID domestic terrorists who were lighting fires, smashing property, and attacking federal agents. These were not protestors. THESE WERE HIRED INSURRECTIONISTS DEPLOYED TO SABOTAGE TRUMP'S DEPORTATION AGENDA.

As thousands prepare for nationwide riots alongside today’s MASSIVE military parade in DC, 4,700 Marines and Guardsmen are crushing chaos in Los Angeles. Trump activated the Marines under Title 10 after masked militants assaulted ICE and National Guard troops. THIS IS DIRECT WARFARE ON AMERICAN SOIL.

A White Hat inside Task Force 51 confirmed: 31 ENEMY AGENTS HAVE BEEN INDEFINITELY DETAINED. They threw stones, Molotov cocktails, torched businesses, looted, and recruited more criminals. THEIR MISSION: DESTABILIZE THE NATION FROM WITHIN.

Undercover Homeland Security agents infiltrated these traitors and attended a secret meeting on June 9 inside an LA warehouse. The leader? THOMAS LAVOI — LONGTIME ANTIFA COMMANDER. Backed by ACT BLUE AND GEORGE SOROS MONEY, Lavoi promised legal protection for all who participated. Their orders: BURN GOVERNMENT VEHICLES. TRAP FEDERAL AGENTS. ATTACK MILITARY FORCES.

Homeland agents secretly captured photographs of 75 conspirators. Many unmasked, many armed. Lavoi handed out crates of masks for street violence. These images were immediately sent to TRUMP, DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH, AND DHS SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM. The president gave the green light: APPREHEND AND CONTAIN.

Between June 10-12, Marines from 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment launched full-scale urban sweeps. Nearly half of the warehouse conspirators, including Lavoi and his lieutenants, were captured DURING ACTIVE TERROR OPERATIONS.

THEY ARE NOW IMPRISONED AT ICE’S ADELANTO PROCESSING CENTER.

THE CABAL’S ARMY IS BEING SYSTEMATICALLY DISMANTLED.

THIS IS THE OPENING SALVO.

THE STORM HAS BREACHED THEIR WALLS.

NEXT TARGETS: DC, NEW YORK, CHICAGO.

NO MERCY.

NO ESCAPE. 🤔

[govindhtech]

Introducing Vertex AI’s Security Command Center

Google Cloud Security Command Center

IT teams are relied upon to support cloud infrastructure security as developers employ Vertex AI, Google Cloud’s end-to-end AI platform that includes user-friendly tools to create the next generation of AI apps. In keeping with the Secure AI Framework (SAIF) that Google unveiled the previous year, they would want to disseminate methods and resources that clients may use to assist in securing AI models, goods, and technology.

Advise use Google Cloud’s Organization Policy Service first. Organization policies, which include Vertex AI-specific rules to keep developers working inside centrally-defined boundaries, set limits on how cloud resources may be configured.

Google’s integrated security and risk management tool for Google Cloud, Security Command Center Premium, now integrates with organization policies to provide near real-time detection of modifications to AI resource settings and rules, both of which have the potential to raise cloud risk. The new Security Command Center features are now accessible to most people.

Preventive and investigative mechanisms to safeguard Vertex AI applications

Google Security Command Center

Security Command Center provides visibility of AI workloads and apps without depending on point-in-time snapshots that may easily go out of date since it is integrated into the Google Cloud architecture. This is critical because workloads using AI that are hidden from view cannot be protected.

Once identified, Security Command Center applies its first-hand understanding of the architecture and operations of Vertex AI to provide posture controls that are tailored to and advised for Vertex AI workloads.

The new features of Security Command Center include pre-built security controls that can be activated with a single click, in contrast to older cloud security solutions that often handle AI applications like any other workload. It provides ongoing monitoring to identify instances in which security rules are broken by Vertex AI resource setups. Then, when the setup of the core AI infrastructure deviates from security best practices, for example, when:

Recently developed Vertex AI Access to workbench notebooks is possible via public IP addresses.

File download functions are enabled by Workbench instances.

Workload access rights for Vertex AI are modified.

Additionally, Security Command Center alerts security managers to policy modifications, enabling teams to promptly ascertain if posture controls have been eased as a result of malicious intent or policy misconfiguration. In order to find common misconfigurations and vulnerabilities across different services required by AI workloads, such as computing, storage, and networking, it also offers Security Health Analytics (SHA).

AI workloads may benefit from defense-in-depth security when proactive posture settings are combined with near real-time detection in a single solution. The Security Command Center UI has a dedicated card that highlights pertinent security discoveries, making it simpler to enhance the security of Vertex AI implementations. Security teams may monitor their risk posture with the use of this quick overview of the AI security status.

Reacting to security situations involving Vertex AI

Built-in risk analysis tools may be utilized to evaluate the problem and suggest next steps for remediation when Security Command Center identifies a Vertex AI workload operating outside of defined security boundaries. Among them is attack route simulation, which simulates the access and compromise of Vertex AI workloads by an actual attacker.

Security professionals are able to envision how a hacker would use certain holes in cloud security to get access to valuable resources. Additionally, it offers a score on attack exposure to aid in prioritizing cleanup.

Furthermore, information demonstrating the security posture of Vertex AI workloads is provided by Security Command Center. To ensure that the appropriate application or devsec team receives them, reports may be tailored for certain folders, projects, or assets.

Positioning controls to meet common criteria of compliance

Security Command Center offers pre-made policy sets for compliance requirements that may be used with different kinds of cloud apps, in addition to safeguarding AI workloads. Detective controls uphold accepted norms like:

CIS 2.0

CIS Kubernetes Benchmark v1.5.1

NIST SP 800-53

ISO 27001

PCI DSS

FAQS

What is the security Command Center?

You get consolidated insight into Google Cloud resources using Security Command Center (SCC). SCC offers a single dashboard to assist you in preventing, identifying, looking into, and dealing with issues inside your company.

What are the benefits of security Command Center?

With the evaluation of your security and data attack surface, asset inventory and discovery, identification of misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and threats, and assistance in mitigating and correcting risks, Security Command Center helps you fortify your security posture.

What is the purpose of a command center?

A command center, also referred to as a headquarters or HQ, is a central location for executing directives and overseeing activities. Three main activities are shared by all command centers: inputs, processes, and outputs.

How do I activate SCC premium?

An organization must choose between subscription-based pricing and usage-based pricing in order to activate the Premium tier. You may choose how much to charge for your Security Command Center depending on how much you use thanks to usage-based pricing.

How to setup security command center in gcp?

Navigate to the Security Command Center page in the Google Cloud interface. Choose the project, folder, or organization that needs service management. Select Settings from the menu. Click Manage settings for the service that you wish to change.

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[meowrimo]

˖˙ ꔫ — E.A.T. ˚

꒰ synopsis ꒱ : law always knows how to calm your mind during times of distress.

꒰ contents ꒱ : MDNI . Trafalgar Law x reader ; reader has an oral fixation so finger sucking, thigh riding, brief mention of saliva, praise WC : 1.3k

“Enough.” Law commands, his arm reaches out to pull you closer by the waist and brings you onto his lap. One of his hands rests securely on your hip, keeping you in place as you straddle him. “Come here.”

The tower of paperwork he was sifting through sits idly on top of his desk, lain forgotten and left askew as soon as you had burst through the door of his private office. 

It wasn’t abnormal for you to drop by throughout the day or even during the wee hours of the many nights he’d stay up far too late, but the sense of urgency had him turning his head in your direction.

The Heart Pirates captain could feel his stomach plummet, turn over in torment as soon as he took in your slightly disheveled appearance.

How your pretty eyes were filled to the brim with crystalline tears that coat your lashes like dewdrops paired with your lower, slightly bitten lip that was quivering enough to slice through the strings that held his heart upright was enough to have him sitting up straight.

Whatever had happened had left your mind in shambles, something he couldn’t whisk away with the simple wave of his hand.

Unlike his desk, he can’t neatly rearrange everything and make it like new again — no, comforting you was much more complex and a task he would never treat so lightly.

If he could, he’d reach into your troubled mind and cut down every negative thought that tormented your pretty head, leaving you only with happy memories and dreamy visions of him.

He may be a skilled doctor but he knows there’s not always a way for him to snap his fingers and take all of that away. But at least he was exceptionally well versed when it came to reading you and knowing exactly what kind of things that would help center you. All you need is something to focus on. 

So, he improvises.

“Open.” His tattooed ring finger softly taps against your cheek. Once, twice, before you oblige. Your mental state was far too frazzled to oppose anything, especially with his piercing golden eyes set on you, set alight with concern and a hint of unyielding tenderness. “Good, very good.”

Careful as to not startle you, his hand slowly crawls into focus, the black ink that stretches along his skin comes closer as his fingers brush along your lips. The one decorated with an ‘E’ slips into your awaiting mouth, giving you a little nod that tells you to close it. 

Plush lips wrap around the digit almost immediately. Law had to choke back a groan at the sight and accompanying sensation, your obedience stroking his ego to life and his unbridled want for you. 

“Suck.” Again, you don’t fight him on this. Instead, you suck on his finger as if it was his cock, your mind growing hazier by the second by the familiarity of something being in your mouth. Law smirks a little, subtle smugness swirling with pride drenches his features and emboldens him to tuck another into your mouth — the ‘A’ this time. “Good job, keep going.”

The weight of the rings he wears sits on your tongue and coats it in something metallic. Curiously, you experimentally roll it over the gunmetal bands, slipping through both of the fingers that are poking and prodding through your mouth.

Law knew that you had an oral fixation and scoffed anytime you tried to deny it. Times like these only further proved his point but he was far too enchanted to start saying ‘I told you so’ right now. Not when he had more productive things to do.

“Wanna take another for me?” His voice was low, smooth as he drank in the sight before him — the way you eagerly swallow down his fingers, resting your hands on the expanse of his exposed chest and slowly begin to grind in his lap was causing heat to pool in his gut.

It was almost too easy.

Once you nod your head yes, he slips in the last one — ‘T’ and marvels at the way your tongue instinctually swirls around his thick digits. The hand that idly rests on your hips twitches before he guides you along his lap, letting your mind fog over with desire and pleasure to combat all of your sadness and anxiety away.

But as soon as you pitifully whine against his fingers with wide, glassy eyes pleading for more, he’s filled with the primal urge to see you come apart for him. To shed tears not from heartache and disappointment but from how good he can make you feel with a few pointed touches.

Quickly adjusting the way you’re sitting on him, he nudges you over to his thigh, tensing the muscle and beginning to drag your clothed cunt against it. 

The reaction is immediate, your eyes flutter shut as you take in his fingers even deeper with a wanton moan. Saliva pools in the corners of your mouth as Law begins to greedily thrust his fingers into it, overcome with how much he’s rendered you thoughtless.

The strain of his hardening cock presses against the tight jeans he mistakenly wore, pulsing in retaliation at the restrictive fabric and throbbing with the utter need to sink himself inside of you. 

But he was a patient man and you always came first.

“That's it, just like that. I’ve got you.” He coos at you, his velvety voice washing over you. The sweet, muffled sounds that try to slip past your lips were caught by his fingers as he helps your hips move along faster, steering you directly towards your impending high. “Let yourself go for me.”

The tone indicated it was an order, one that you would never disobey. Whenever he lets you finish, you’ve learned to take it and run, letting the ecstasy course throughout your body and fry all your nerves so he could rewire your brain to only focus on how good you feel.

Law basks in his own satisfaction as your legs begin to tremble, hips stuttering while you desperately chase the friction on his jeans. Your nails dig into his skin, unabashed whimpers and whines swirl around his fingers as he brazenly presses down on your tongue.

The final push over the edge was him shoving his digits further down your throat, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you finished right there and then with a muffled cry of his name.

Tremors of your climax roll over your body, wiping your mind clean of anything that plagued it earlier. With a satisfied smirk, Law pulls his hands from your mouth and coaxes your head down to rest against his now slightly scratched chest.

“There, better?” He asks as if he didn’t know the answer. His inked hand rests lightly on the back of your head to ensure you stay with him.

“Yes.” You nod, wrapping yourself around his body feeling fully satiated and liberated from the confines of your own mind. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” His voice was a little softer now, the welcomed gentleness easing more of the weight off of your slumped shoulders.

“No.” You say with a small shake of your head and an equally quiet tone. “Not yet. Can we just stay like this for a little longer?”

Law hums in understanding, not missing a beat as his lips brush along the temple of your head before sliding his hand down to flatten against your back.

He runs the palm down your spine in a soothing manner before quietly spelling out undecipherable adorations with the simple traces of his finger pads, repeating the comforting motion over and over again until you can make out exactly what he’s trying to say.

The words neither of you had said to each other yet but could both feel it course through your veins as your hearts beat as one.

I love you.

[buckets-and-trees]

No Way Out

Characters/Pairings: mean Alpha!Bucky x curvy Female!Omega!Reader Word Count: 5.9k Summary: Your first time witnessing a council meeting under Bucky's new regime. He sends a clear message about how things will go. (not a stand-alone read)

Content/Warnings: omegaverse; reluctant attraction; power dynamics; manipulation; threats; semi-violent murder; explicit smut: exhibitionism, cock-warming, vaginal fingering, orgasm denial, unprotected vaginal intercourse and insemination, oral (female receiving), cum appreciation; beefy Bucky (is a warning)

Author Notes: Been a few months since the last part, but I couldn't let Alpha April pass without tossing you back into this verse and its cruel White Wolf now, could I?

Previous: Entanglement | Series List

↠ Main Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

The massive doors to the council chamber swing open, and all eyes turn to you and Bucky as you enter. The room falls silent, the previous murmurs of conversation dying instantly. The council chamber is imposing with its high vaulted ceilings, ornate woodwork, and a large oval table dominating the center. Around it sit two dozen men and women.

You recognize most of the faces - regional leaders, mayors, the city council for the capital, military leaders, heads of major industries, and a few of your father's most trusted advisors. Some were loyal to your father, others were known opportunists, and a few are new faces - Bucky's people, no doubt. Their expressions range from surprise to curiosity to barely concealed hostility as they take in your presence. 

Bucky's hand remains firmly at the small of your back as he guides you toward the head of the table. There are two chairs there - one slightly larger than the other. The symbolism isn't lost on you or anyone else in the room.

At Bucky’s side, you keep your head high and shoulders squared despite the scrutiny of those assembled. The tension in the room is palpable as Bucky pulls out your chair first. The gesture appears courteous, but you understand it for what it is - a display, establishing your position as his omega while simultaneously marking you as subordinate.

"As some of you may have heard," Bucky begins without preamble once you're both seated, his voice carrying effortlessly across the chamber, "my omega and I have completed our bonding ritual. She will be joining our council meetings as an observer for the foreseeable future." 

Murmurs ripple through the assembled council members. You catch snippets of whispered conversations - "didn't waste any time," "strategic alliance," "what does this mean for us?" - before Bucky silences them with a sharp look. 

"I expect her to be afforded every courtesy befitting her station," he continues, his tone leaving no room for argument. "She knows this territory and its people. Her insights will be valuable as we move forward with our integration plans."

You notice several council members exchange glances. You keep your face schooled in a stoic expression. You are navigating this dynamic and figuring out exactly what the extent of your position - or your station as he put it - really will be. You suspect you are both tool and asset, a prop and a resource. 

Bucky begins the meeting with a territorial status report. Various council members deliver updates on security, resources, infrastructure, and economic matters. You listen intently, mentally clock which council members that are new representation seem competent and which ones appear to be merely parroting what they believe Bucky wants to hear. Among all - old and new - you note which ones seem genuinely concerned about their people's welfare and which ones are merely posturing. You're familiar with most of their districts, having visited them with your father during his governance tours.

Throughout it all, you're acutely aware of Bucky beside you. His presence is commanding, his attention laser-focused on each speaker. When he asks questions, they're precise and probing, revealing a depth of understanding about territorial governance that surprises you. You'd expected a warlord with brute force, not this strategic mind that seems to grasp the complexities of civil administration.

"The agricultural sector in the western region is still underperforming," reports a thin man with wire-rimmed glasses. "There’s been a notable decline the last two years, but there’s a marked different in production since you came to power - numbers are down fifteen percent from the same month last year."

"Causes?" Bucky asks sharply.

"We believe it's a combination of factors. We have reports of labor shortages, continued drought conditions, and equipment failures," the man replies. "Additionally, there is some resistance from local farmers to the deliver on the quotas," the man explains, shuffling through his papers nervously.

You notice how he carefully avoids mentioning that the "resistance" is likely passive protest against Bucky's regime. The western region had been particularly loyal to your father. 

Bucky's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "And what solutions are you proposing?" 

"We've increased water rations for irrigation and implemented penalties for farms that don't meet their quotas. We’re sourcing new equipment in some cases. We're also bringing in workers from the northern territories to address the labor shortages."

You feel a flare of indignation. The western farmers are already struggling, and penalties will only worsen their situation. Before you can think better of it, you shift slightly in your seat. Bucky notices immediately, his eyes flicking to you before returning to the council member.

"And how are these northern workers being compensated?" Bucky asks. "Are they being given fair wages and adequate housing?" 

The thin man shifts uncomfortably. "They're being provided with basic accommodations and standard compensation packages for migrant workers." 

You recognize the euphemism for what it is - exploitation. Your father had worked hard to eliminate such practices. 

Bucky leans forward slightly. "Adjust the compensation to match local rates and ensure proper housing. We need those workers content, not brewing resentment. And the equipment - I want a detailed inventory by the end of the week of what's needed." 

The man nods quickly, clearly surprised by the directive. 

"As for the quotas," Bucky continues, "I want them reassessed based on current conditions. Punishing farmers for factors beyond their control is counterproductive." 

The meeting continues with reports from other regions. Throughout it all, you mentally catalog the information, noting discrepancies between what's being reported and what you know of these areas. You're particularly concerned about the reports from the eastern mining communities where production is supposedly up, but there's no mention of the respiratory ailments that historically plague those workers without proper safety protocols. 

When the discussion turns to security matters, the atmosphere in the room shifts noticeably. Rumlow steps forward from his position near the wall where the STRIKE team members stand at attention. 

"We've neutralized three resistance cells in the past week," he reports with cold efficiency. "Seventeen arrests, five casualties during apprehension. Intelligence suggests two more cells operating in the southern district." 

Your stomach clenches at the casual way he mentions the deaths. You wonder who these "resistance fighters" were - ordinary citizens pushed to desperate measures, or truly violent insurgents. Under your father's rule, public protests had been permitted within reasonable boundaries. Now, any dissent is labeled as terrorism.

"Details on the casualties?" Bucky asks, his voice neutral.

"Three armed combatants, two collateral during a firefight in a market square," Rumlow responds without hesitation.

You feel a chill run through you. Civilians. Dead in a market square. You keep your face carefully blank, but inside, your mind races with images of the bustling southern market you've visited many times.

"Interrogations?" Bucky asks. 

"Ongoing," Rumlow replies with a slight smirk that makes your skin crawl. "We've extracted some useful information already. Names, safe houses, potential targets." 

"And the southern district cells?" 

"We're tracking them. Should have locations within 48 hours." 

"I want the weapons traced," Bucky orders. "And I want to know who's coordinating these cells. They're too organized to be operating independently."

"Yes, sir. We're pursuing several leads."

Bucky nods, seemingly satisfied. "Good. And remember our approach - surgical precision. Civilian casualties undermine our objectives." 

You feel a flicker of surprise at his words. It's not the ruthless response you expected. 

"Sir," Rumlow acknowledges, though you detect a hint of disappointment in his tone. 

As the meeting progresses, you notice several council members glancing at you perhaps wondering where your sympathies lie. You keep your expression carefully neutral, though inside your thoughts race. 

The Mayor of Oakridge reports on about infrastructure concerns in his district, Bucky shifts slightly in his seat beside you. His large hand slides onto your thigh under the table, the heat of his palm burning through your skirt.

Keeping your expression neutral despite the unexpected touch, you continue to focus on the presentation. But then Bucky leans in close, his breath hot against your ear.

"Come sit on my lap," he murmurs, his voice low and commanding. "I want you warming my cock while we finish this meeting."

Your body goes rigid, eyes widening at his words. You turn your head slightly, certain you must have misheard him. But his expression is deadly serious, his eyes dark with expectation. There's no hint of teasing or arrogance in his face—just the clear command of an alpha who expects to be obeyed without hesitation.

Your heart hammers in your chest as you glance around the table. At least eight more representatives still need to speak. 

His fingers tighten on your thigh, not painfully but with unmistakable dominance. “Omega,” he growls quietly.

You feel heat flood your cheeks, there is no room for argument. The expectation in his eyes is clear—this is a test of your obedience, perhaps even a reminder of your place after he granted you the concession of attending this meeting.

With your heart in your throat, you slide from your chair as gracefully as possible. All conversation stops as you stand, and every eye in the room turns to you. The silence is deafening as you move to Bucky's chair. He pushes back slightly from the table, making room for you on his lap. 

You perch sideways across his thighs, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity despite the humiliating position. Your movements draws many curious glances, but enough of the men and women around the room remain focused on the mayor's report. Your legs feel like jelly as you stand, smoothing your skirt in a futile attempt to prepare for what's to come.

Bucky pushes his chair back slightly from the table, creating just enough space for you to take the place he wants. His attention remains focused on the report while also monitoring your actions. 

You glance down at his lap uncertainly, and Bucky gives you a subtle nod of confirmation. His eyes flick down to his groin then back up to the speaker who continues explaining their infrastructure needs. With trembling fingers, you reach for his zipper, carefully sliding it down to avoid making noise. The sound seems deafening to your ears, but the council meeting continues around you as if nothing unusual is happening.

His cock springs free, already mostly hard. You wrap your hand around his impressive girth, giving it two slow strokes, feeling it stiffen further in your palm. Bucky's breath hitches almost imperceptibly, the only indication that he's affected by your touch.

Moving with as much grace as you can, you shift to stand between his legs and the table. Your hands reach for the hem of your skirt, and Bucky assists, pushing the fabric higher up your thighs. In one swift motion, he hooks his fingers into your panties and tugs them down. You step out of them, and he pockets the delicate fabric.

With his cock fully erect between you, Bucky guides you as you carefully lower yourself onto his lap, feeling the blunt head of his erection press against your entrance. Despite the anxiety of your situation, the humiliation of it, your body responds to his touch, and you're still wet enough from when he played with you in the car that he slides in with minimal resistance. You bite your lip to suppress a gasp as he fills you completely, stretching you around his considerable girth.

Bucky's large hands grip your hips, adjusting your position. Then one large hand smoothes up your spine, and he guides you forward until you're leaning against the edge of the table, your forearms resting on its polished surface. The position forces you to bend at the waist, allowing him to see over you to the council members continuing their reports.

Which is when you register that the room finally has become silent, and all eyes are on the tw of you coupled together. 

"Continue with your report, Mayor Harrison," Bucky says, his voice remarkably steady despite being buried deep inside you. 

"The southeastern bridge requires immediate structural reinforcement," the mayor continues, his voice strained as he determinedly stares at his papers. "We estimate costs at approximately—"

The tension in the room is palpable as you sit impaled on Bucky's cock, trying desperately to maintain your composure. The council members' expressions range from shock to discomfort to poorly concealed fascination. Some avert their eyes, focusing intently on their notes or the table before them. Others stare openly, either unable to look away or deliberately watching to gauge your reaction.

Shame burns through you, but so does desire, both hot and consuming. This public display goes beyond anything you could have anticipated. It's a clear power move by Bucky - demonstrating his complete dominance over you while simultaneously establishing his authority over the council. The message is unmistakable: he can do whatever he wants, to whomever he wants, whenever he wants.

Your muscles clench involuntarily around Bucky's thick length as humiliation and unwanted arousal battle within you. Part of you wants to disappear, to melt into the floor, but there's nowhere to hide.

And there’s an undercurrent of something else there inside you, too. 

As the next dignitary begins his report, you begin to grapple with the dark, primal thrill that’s also coursing through your veins—the same electricity you felt when Bucky first claimed you in the town square after seizing power. You remember the hot shame that had flooded you then, but also the unexpected thrill of being the focal point of his dominance, the object of his desire amidst his conquest.

Then again at your bonding ceremony, when he'd claimed you before the assembled dignitaries, his mouth hot on yours, his hands possessive and demanding as he marked you publicly as his. You'd felt it then too - that forbidden pleasure in being displayed as his prize, his most valuable possession.

Then again at your bonding ceremony, when he'd claimed you before the assembled dignitaries, his mouth hot on yours, his hands possessive and demanding as he marked you publicly as his. You'd felt it then too - that forbidden pleasure in being displayed as his prize, his most valuable possession.

And now, as you sit impaled on his cock, the power dynamics are undeniable: you, the conquered omega, servicing your alpha while he conducts business as though you're simply an extension of his throne.

The meeting continues, your body responding to every subtle shift of Bucky's beneath you. You manage to maintain an outward appearance of composure, though inside you're a storm of conflicting emotions. Occasionally, Bucky's hand move to your hip, adjusting your position slightly when you begin to tremble.

Finally, as the last council member concludes their report, Bucky speaks up, his voice carrying effortlessly across the chamber. 

"That will be all for today's general council," he announces, his tone brooking no argument. His hand squeezes your hip firmly. "Except for..." His finger points to several faces around the table. "Martinez, Davis, Williams, Campbell, Richards, Cho, Price, Jackson, and Franklin. The rest of you are dismissed."

There's a moment of confusion as those not named gather their materials and leave, casting curious glances at those who remain. The door closes with a heavy thud, leaving you, Bucky, and the nine named council members alone in the suddenly silent chamber. 

The tension thickens as the remaining council members exchange nervous glances. You recognize each face - Martinez from Trade, Davis who managed Military Resources, Williams from the Eastern District, Campbell who oversees Transportation, Richards from the Treasury, Dr. Cho from Health Services, Price from the Southern District, Jackson from Energy, and Franklin from Communications. A perfect cross-section of your father's government.

Bucky's hand slides up your back, firm and possessive, until it reaches your neck. His fingers wrap around the nape, not squeezing but holding you in place as he addresses the room.

"I imagine you're wondering why you're still here," Bucky says, his tone conversational despite the tension thrumming through the room. His fingers trace idle patterns on your hip as he speaks.

"You nine share something in common," Bucky continues, his voice eerily calm. "Each of you provided information, access, or assistance that made my takeover of this territory possible." 

A wave of horrified realization washes over the faces of those assembled. Some pale visibly, while others shift uncomfortably in their seats. You feel a cold shock run through your body as you process his words. These nine people—trusted advisors and officials—had betrayed your father, betrayed their territory... betrayed you. 

"Some of you acted independently," Bucky explains, his fingers still tracing patterns on your skin. "Others coordinated. But all of you decided that your personal gain outweighed your loyalty." 

Your body is rigidly tense as the implications sink in. These were people your father trusted enough with pieces of his territory, with governing his people, stewards you had worked alongside. People who had smiled to your face while secretly undermining everything your family had built. These nine people—respected officials you've known for years—had helped Bucky overthrow your father's government. Had delivered you into his hands.

"Sit up straight, Omega," Bucky commands, his voice in the quiet chamber.

You comply immediately, straightening your spine while remaining impaled on his cock. The movement causes him to shift inside you, and you bite your lip to suppress a moan.

"I want to thank each of you," Bucky says, his voice deceptively pleasant. "Your assistance made my conquest considerably easier." 

The council members shift uncomfortably, exchanging nervous glances. Some look relieved at what sounds like gratitude, others more wary. None of them will look at you. 

"That said," Bucky continues, his tone hardening, "your actions demonstrated something troubling about your character."

Martinez starts to speak. "Sir, I assure you our loyalty—"

"Is for sale," Bucky interrupts. "You betrayed the man who trusted you with power and position. You betrayed his daughter," his hand squeezes your hip for emphasis, "to me. While I benefited from your treachery, I'm not foolish enough to trust traitors."

A cold silence falls over the room. You can see the realization dawning on their faces as they begin to understand this isn't a meeting of appreciation. 

"So I've arranged this little demonstration," Bucky says, his hand sliding up to grip one of your breasts over your clothing, and your breath hitches. 

"I'm going to fuck my omega now," Bucky announces, his voice echoing in the chamber. "Right here, in front of all of you who thought it clever to betray her father and deliver her to me."

A collective intake of breath fills the room. Several council members shift uncomfortably in their seats, still unable to meet your gaze.

Bucky’s metal hand slides up from your breast to cup your jaw, turning your face toward his. His eyes lock with yours, something unreadable in their depths before he turns back to address the council.

"I want you all to see exactly what you've done – who you've betrayed and to whom."

Bucky simultaneously stands while manhandling you easily with his preternatural strength, pressing your torso flat against the table in front of him. He withdraws his cock, then thrusts slowly back in. Once, twice, groaning on the third thrust that he draws out even more slowly. 

Your body betrays you, growing wetter around his cock as the reality of being displayed like this — being used as an omega in the most traditional, primal sense — awakens something you've tried to deny. The sheer audacity of it, the public nature, the way every person in this room now understands exactly who owns you — it's horrifying and intoxicating all at once.

You did like it before - both times - and you like it now. 

"I want no misunderstandings about who holds power here," Bucky says, establishing a steady rhythm as he moves you on his length. "No confusion about my control."

Your cheeks burn with humiliation as fucks you, but your body ripples with pleasure. The fabric of your skirt bunches around your waist as Bucky's hands grip your hips firmly.

Bucky's thrusts grow more forceful, the table unforgiving beneath your splayed body. Your fingernails clutch at the polished wood as you try to anchor yourself. The shame burns through you, but so does the pleasure, both sensations intensifying each other until you can barely distinguish between them.

You can feel the attention in the room on you as Bucky's pace increases. The council members' expressions range from horrified fascination to shamefaced avoidance. Some stare at the table, others at the ceiling, but they can't fully escape the sounds of skin against skin, the wet noises of Bucky's cock moving inside you.

Bucky grips your shoulder and pulls you back against his chest, one arm wraps possessively around your waist while the other goes to your throat. His lips brush against your ear as he speaks. "Look at them," Bucky commands, his voice a low growl at your ear before his hot tongue licks at the sensitive spot just behind your earlobe. "Look at the people who sold you out." 

You force your eyes back open, meeting the gaze of each council member in turn. Some look away immediately, unable to bear your scrutiny. Others meet your eyes briefly before dropping their gaze in shame. Only Price from the Southern District holds your gaze, a defiant tilt to his chin despite the obvious discomfort in his expression.

"You all thought yourselves so clever," he remarks, his pace unrelenting as his cock fills you over and over. "Trading information for promises of power, for guarantees of safety. Did any of you stop to consider her fate? The woman who would have been your leader one day?"

Martinez shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "We were assured no harm would—"

"Silence,” he has no need to shout. His power in this room is absolute. 

"Did you think I wouldn't remember?" Bucky continues, pumping in and out of your cunt. "That I would be foolish enough to forget exactly who played what role in betraying their territory?" His voice drops lower, more menacing. "In betraying my omega?"

His words send a shock through your system. My omega. Not just the territory's former heir apparent or the governor's daughter, but his omega—as though your betrayal personally offended him, as though you had belonged to him even before he conquered your lands.

"What you fail to understand is the gravity of your betrayal." His voice drops lower, more menacing. "This isn't just any omega you handed over to me. This is my omega."

The possessiveness in his tone sends a shiver through you. There's something different in the way he's speaking now, something that wasn't there before.

"You thought you were simply delivering a territory, offering up a political pawn," Bucky remarks. "But once I set my sites on her, she was going to be mine.”

His hand tightens your throat, not squeezing but holding you firmly against him as he speaks. Your own hands move up instinctively to cling to his bicep, encouraging his ownership. "I would have conquered this territory regardless. Your assistance merely hastened the inevitable.”

His voice drops to a dangerous whisper that somehow carries throughout the silent chamber.

"Let me be absolutely clear," he says, his rhythm never faltering as he continues to fuck you. "Your lives mean nothing to me compared to hers."

The declaration hangs in the air, shocking even you. The council members' faces drain of color as the implication sinks in.

"I may allow you to maintain your positions while you remain useful," Bucky continues, his voice cold and matter-of-fact. "But make no mistake—your continued existence is not guaranteed."

His words send a ripple of fear through the assembled council members. You can see it in their faces—the irrefutable comprehension that their calculated betrayal has placed them in a far more precarious position than they anticipated.

His pace increases, his thrusts becoming more forceful as he nears his climax. You're helpless to stop the pleasure building within you, your body responding instinctively to your alpha's dominant display.

"Can you smell how wet she is," Bucky growls in your ear, loud enough for everyone to hear. "How her body knows exactly who she belongs to? Claimed and bonded not once, but twice."

You whimper at his words, the humiliation of having your display warring with the undeniable pleasure coursing through your body, the forbidden thrill in being watched, and the satisfaction in their own fear. Your inner walls clench around him involuntarily, drawing a satisfied groan from his lips.

With a final, powerful thrust, Bucky buries himself deep inside you, his body tensing as he finds his release. You feel the hot pulse of his seed filling you, marking you from the inside in this most primal display of ownership. Your body trembles on the edge of your own climax.

Bucky's hand slides from your throat to grip your jaw, turning your face to the side so he can claim your mouth in a bruising kiss. His tongue invades your mouth, dominant and possessive, as his hips pump more slowly, emptying every last drop of his seed into you. 

When he breaks the kiss, he addresses the council once more. "Consider this your final warning. Your only value to me is your continued competence in service to this territory. Fail in that, or show even a hint of further disloyalty, and you will find an untimely end of service.”

Bucky withdraws his cock from your cunt, and you whimper, distraught at being denied your own release. 

"You're all dismissed," he says coolly. "Except for you, Price. You stay."

The council members scramble to gather their materials, eager to escape the tension-filled chamber. They all avoid looking at you as they file out.

Price remains seated, his face a mask of defiance despite a flicker of fear evident in his eyes. He was always one of your father's more outspoken critics, often challenging policies in council meetings. 

"You seem to have something to say," Bucky remarks, his pace slowing but not stopping as he addresses the man. "I saw it throughout the entirety of our meeting.”

Bucky takes a seat again and pulls you back into his lap. He pushes your thighs wide, encouraging your legs to fall on either side of his knees, leaving you open to him. 

Bucky's fingers slide between your folds, still slick with his release, and begin to circle your swollen clit with deliberate, measured strokes. His ministrations send jolts of pleasure through your oversensitized body, causing your hips to buck involuntarily against his touch. 

“Get on with it, Price."

Price's jaw tightens, his eyes darting between Bucky's face and his hand working between your thighs. He straightens his shoulders and meets Bucky's gaze with a cool stare of his own.

"I've been loyal to this territory for twenty years," Price says, his voice steady despite the charged atmosphere. "I supported your takeover because the former Governor’s policies were weakening our defenses and economy. The southern district suffered most under his leadership." 

Bucky's fingers continue their relentless attention between your thighs as he listens, making it difficult for you to focus on Price's words, but you work to concentrate. Your breathing becomes more ragged as pleasure builds within you.

"Is that so?" Bucky asks, his tone deceptively casual - you feel the display through your bond. "And your solution was betrayal rather than advocating for change through proper channels?"

Price's eyes flicker to your cunt momentarily before returning to Bucky. "The proper channels were closed to us. The southern district's petitions were repeatedly ignored." 

You want to protest, to defend your father's administration, but a particularly skilled movement of Bucky's fingers sends a particularly strong wave of increased pleasure through your core. 

"And yet," Bucky responds, his voice hardening, "my intelligence indicates you never filed a single formal petition with the governor's office. Not one in the past five years." 

Price's face pales slightly, but he maintains his composure. "That's not true. I personally delivered multiple petitions—" 

"Save it," Bucky cuts him off, his fingers still working between your thighs. "I have copies of every petition filed in the last decade. Your name isn't on any of them." 

Your breath catches, not just from the pleasure building between your legs, but from the realization of how thoroughly Bucky had studied your territory before he ever set foot in it. He'd known the inner workings, the political alliances, the weaknesses to exploit. He'd been gathering intelligence for years, not months. 

Price's expression shifts, a flicker of panic crossing his features before he regains his composure and defiance. "There were unofficial channels—"

"Rumlowe," Bucky calls out calmly, not taking his eyes off Price. The STRIKE team leader steps forward from his position near the wall, his expression impassive. "Show Price what happens to those who lie to my face."

Price's eyes widen in alarm as Rumlowe approaches, drawing a wicked-looking combat knife from his tactical vest. "Wait—you can't—"

In one swift, practiced motion, Rumlowe is behind Price's chair, the blade pressed against the man's throat. Price's hands grip the armrests, his knuckles white with terror.

"Tell me the truth, Price," Bucky says, his voice dangerously quiet. "One last chance."

Price's eyes dart frantically around the room, searching for mercy he won't find. "I... there were no petitions," he admits, voice shaking. "The southern district was actually thriving, but I wanted more power, more—" 

Bucky gives a nearly imperceptible nod. 

The blade slices cleanly across his throat, blood immediately spurting forward in a crimson arc. A choked gurgle escapes his lips as his hands fly up instinctively to the gaping wound, but it's already too late.

You gasp in horror, your body involuntarily tensing, but Bucky's fingers only increase their pressure against your clit, circling faster as his other arm locks around your waist to hold you firmly in place.

"Eyes on me, Omega," Bucky growls in your ear, his voice low and commanding. "Focus on what I'm giving you."

Your gaze snaps to his, unable to disobey. 

Your eyes locked with his, you only hear as Rumlow and another STRIKE member drag Price's limp body across the polished floor of the chamber. Bucky's fingers never stop their relentless attention on your clit, the horror of what you've just witnessed somehow intensifying the sensations coursing through your body. Your hips buck involuntarily against his hand as the pressure builds to an unbearable peak. 

"That's it," he growls, his voice dark with satisfaction. "Let go for me." 

The orgasm hits you with devastating force, tearing a cry from your throat as waves of pleasure crash through you. Your body convulses in Bucky's firm grip, inner walls clenching desperately around nothing as your body shudders with aftershocks, your mind caught in a haze between pleasure and horror.

As your breathing begins to steady, Bucky lifts you from his lap with ease, handling your body as if you weigh nothing. He turns you to face him, then guides you to sit on the edge of the polished council table. His hands remain on your hips as he positions himself between your spread thighs, the evidence of your coupling still glistening on your inner thighs. 

With deliberate slowness, he places one hand on your sternum and pushes you backward until you're lying flat on the cool surface. The position leaves you vulnerable, exposed, as you stare up at the ornate ceiling of the chamber where your father once governed. 

Bucky looms over you, his powerful frame blocking out the light, casting his face in shadow. His eyes, however, remain piercingly bright . 

"I hope you understand your position now," Bucky says, his voice low and resonant as he traces a finger along your inner thigh, collecting the mixture of your fluids. "And the true nature of this new regime."

His words hang in the air between you, weighted with significance. This isn't just about your body or your pleasure—it's about power, control, and the new order he's establishing. It’s cruel, yet measured as you saw him handle the formal meeting with the full council with unquestionable competence. 

He moves back, settling into his chair once more, but instead of pulling you onto his lap again, he lowers himself until his face is level with your exposed cunt. His eyes darken as he takes in the sight of your combined spend glistening on your folds and thighs. 

"Beautiful," he murmurs, his hot breath ghosting over your sensitive flesh, making you shiver despite yourself. 

Without warning, he leans forward and puts his mouth to your cunt, his tongue laving a broad stripe through your folds, gathering your combined release. The sensation is so unexpected and intense that your back arches off the table, a strangled moan escaping your lips.

His hands grip your thighs firmly, holding you in place as he devours you, his tongue alternating between long, languid strokes and quick, precise flicks against your oversensitive clit. 

"Mine," he growls against your flesh, the vibration sending shivers through your core. "Every part of you belongs to me now." 

Your hands clutch at the edge of the table, desperate for purchase as he methodically takes you apart with his mouth. The room that just witnessed a cold-blooded execution now bears witness to an intimate moment. The dichotomy is jarring – death and pleasure, power and submission, all converging in this chamber that once represented order and governance.

Bucky's tongue works relentlessly between your thighs, his hands spreading you wider as he feasts on you. Your second climax builds faster than the first, your body still sensitive from his earlier attention. When it crashes over you, it's more intense, more consuming. You cry out, unable to hold back as your thighs tremble around Bucky's head. He doesn't relent, working you through the waves of pleasure until you're gasping and squirming from overstimulation.

Only then does he pull back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he rises to his full height. His eyes, dark with satisfaction and something deeper, more possessive, roam over your disheveled form sprawled across the council table.

"That's what loyalty to me earns," he says, his voice a low rumble. "Pleasure. Protection. Power. You will do well not to forget it, Omega.”

“Yes, Alpha,” you breathe. 

He helps you sit up, his hands surprisingly gentle as he adjusts your clothing, smoothing down your skirt and tucking stray hairs behind your ear. The tenderness is jarring after the brutality you've just witnessed, the public claiming, the execution. You're still trembling, your mind reeling as you try to reconcile the different facets of the man before you. 

"Come," he says, offering his hand to help you off the table. "We have other matters to attend to." 

You place your hand in his, allowing him to guide you to your feet. Your legs feel unsteady, and he seems to sense this, wrapping an arm around your waist to support you. The room still smells of copper and sex, a potent reminder of power asserted and lives ended. 

As you walk toward the door, you notice the blood has already been cleaned from the floor, no trace of Price remaining. The efficiency is chilling - as if he never existed at all.

You can’t help but wonder what else will be wiped away, wiped out, just as that dissenter and liar was today. 

next part: UNDER SIEGE

There's more story for you and Alpha!Bucky, but I'm desperately excited because this is the final piece that I wanted to share for this verse before introducing you to other alphas in the world of Fine Line. You're not ready. 😏

Introduction to General Ari Levinson: Rank and Promotion [7.5k]

↠ Main Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

I do not do tag lists, but FOLLOW @buckets-and-stories and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS to be updated any time I publish a new work!

[jcmarchi]

Modeling the threat of nuclear war

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/modeling-the-threat-of-nuclear-war/

Modeling the threat of nuclear war

It’s a question that occupies significant bandwidth in the world of nuclear arms security: Could hypersonic missiles, which fly at speeds of least five times the speed of sound, increase the likelihood of nuclear war?

Eli Sanchez, who recently completed his doctoral studies at MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE), explored these harrowing but necessary questions under the guidance of Scott Kemp, associate professor at NSE and director of the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Security and Policy.

A well-rounded interest in science

Growing up in the small railroad town of Smithville, Texas, Sanchez fell in love with basic science in high school. He can’t point to any one subject — calculus, anatomy, physiology — they were all endlessly fascinating. But physics was particularly appealing early on because you learned about abstract models and saw them play out in the real world, Sanchez says. “Even the smallest cellular functions playing out on a larger scale in your own body is cool,” he adds, explaining his love of physiology.

Attending college at the University of Texas in Dallas was even more rewarding, as he could soak in the sciences and feed an insatiable appetite. Electricity and magnetism drew Sanchez in, as did quantum mechanics. “The reality underlying quantum is so counterintuitive to what we expect that the subject was fascinating. It was really cool to learn these very new and sort of foreign rules,” Sanchez says.

Stoking his interest in science in his undergraduate years, Sanchez learned about nuclear engineering outside of the classroom, and was especially intrigued by its potential for mitigating climate change. A professor with a specialty in nuclear chemistry fueled this interest and it was through a class in radiation chemistry that Sanchez learned more about the field.

Graduating with a major in chemistry and a minor in physics, Sanchez married his love of science with another interest, computational modeling, when he pursued an internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. At Oak Ridge, Sanchez worked on irradiation studies on humans by using computational models of the human body.

Work on nuclear weapons security at NSE

After Oak Ridge, Sanchez was pretty convinced he wanted to work on computational research in the nuclear field in some way. He appreciates that computational models, when done well, can yield accurate forecasts of the future. One can use models to predict failures in nuclear reactors, for example, and prevent them from happening.

After test-driving a couple of research options at NSE, Sanchez worked in the field of nuclear weapons security.

Experts in the field have long believed that the weapons or types of delivery systems like missiles and aircraft will affect the likelihood that states will feel compelled to start a nuclear war. The canonical example is a multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) system, which deploys multiple warheads on the same missile. If one missile can take out one warhead, it can destroy five or 10 warheads with just one MRV system. Such a weapons capability, Sanchez points out, is very destabilizing because there’s a strong incentive to attack first.

Similarly, experts in nuclear arms control have been suggesting that hypersonic weapons are destabilizing, but most of the reasons have been speculative, Sanchez says. “We’re putting these claims to technical scrutiny to see if they hold up.”

One way to test these claims is by focusing on flight paths. Hypersonic missiles have been considered destabilizing because it’s impossible to determine their trajectories. Hypersonic missiles can turn as they fly, so they have destination ambiguity. Unlike ballistic missiles, which have a fixed trajectory, it’s not always apparent where hypersonic missiles are going. When the final target of a missile is unclear it is easy to assume the worst: “They could be mistaken for attacks against nuclear weapons or nuclear command-and-control structures or against national capitals,” Sanchez says, “it could look much more serious than it is, so it could prompt the nation that’s being attacked to respond in a way that will escalate the situation.”

Sanchez’s doctoral work included modeling the flights of hypersonic weapons to quantify the ambiguities that could lead to escalation. The key was to evaluate the area of ambiguity for missiles with given sets of properties. Part of the work also involved making recommendations that prevent hypersonic weapons from being used in destabilizing ways. A couple of these suggestions included arming hypersonic missiles with conventional (rather than nuclear) warheads and to create no-fly zones around world capitals.

Helping underserved students

Sanchez’s work at NSE was not limited to his doctoral studies alone. Along with NSE postdoc Rachel Bielajew PhD ’24, he started the Graduate Application Assistance Program (GAAP), which helps mitigate some of the disadvantages that underrepresented students are likely to encounter.

The son of a Latino father and middle-class parents who were themselves the first in their families to graduate from college, Sanchez considers himself fortunate. But he admits that unlike many of his peers, he found graduate school difficult to navigate. “That gave me an appreciation for the position that a lot of people coming from different backgrounds where there’s less higher education in the family might face,” Sanchez says.

GAAP’s purpose is to lessen some of these barriers and to connect potential applicants to current NSE graduate students so they can ask questions whose answers might paint a clearer picture of the landscape. Sanchez stepped down after two years of co-chairing the initiative but he continues as mentor. Questions he fields range from finding a research/lab fit to funding opportunities.

As for opportunities Sanchez himself will follow: a postdoctoral fellowship in the Security Studies Program in the Department of Political Science at MIT.

[theonion]

Despite the risks to national security from revealing such confidential information, the Pew Research Center released a study Thursday proving that 93% of individuals with one earbud in are receiving top-secret commands from HQ. “Nearly every person you see in public wearing a single earbud is currently undertaking a clandestine mission on behalf of an undisclosed government agency,” the report read in part, going on to state that the increase in persons wearing one earbud was directly correlated to the decrease in access to phone booths where agents would have previously accepted their assignments.

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