#bluetooth access control

[spintly-co]

Access Control Systems for Commercial Real Estate: What You Should Know

In today’s fast-evolving commercial real estate landscape, security and convenience are no longer opposing forces - they're expected to work hand-in-hand. From multi-tenant office buildings to co-working hubs and retail complexes, property managers are rethinking how they secure physical spaces while delivering seamless experiences to tenants and visitors alike.

One solution leading this evolution is Bluetooth access control - a smart, wireless method of entry that blends user convenience with smart security. Whether you're retrofitting an older building or developing a new, tech-forward property, the right access control system can make a significant difference in property value, operational efficiency, and tenant satisfaction.

Let’s explore why Bluetooth access control is fast becoming the standard for commercial real estate security and how solutions like Spintly are helping transform the way properties are secured.

Why Access Control Matters in Commercial Real Estate

Access control is more than just a lock-and-key concept. It encompasses the systems and policies that determine who can enter a building, specific zones within it, and when. In commercial real estate, these systems must meet several key objectives:

Ensure safety and compliance

Support multiple users and roles (e.g., employees, tenants, service staff, visitors)

Adapt to flexible working hours and hybrid work trends

Reduce operational burden on property managers

Deliver convenience to end-users

In traditional systems, physical keycards, fobs, or PIN codes have been used to regulate entry. However, these methods come with downsides like lost cards, unauthorized sharing, and limited data insights. Enter Bluetooth access control, a smarter alternative designed for today’s mobile-first world.

What Is Bluetooth Access Control?

Bluetooth access control allows users to unlock doors using their smartphones, which act as digital credentials. When a user approaches a secured door, their mobile device communicates with the Bluetooth-enabled reader, granting access based on pre-set permissions.

These systems often run on cloud-based platforms, allowing centralized control over who enters, when, and where - ideal for multi-site management and remote administration.

Key Benefits of Bluetooth Access Control for Commercial Real Estate

1. Mobile-First Convenience

Tenants and employees no longer need to carry access cards or remember pin codes. Most people already carry smartphones, and Bluetooth credentials make it easier and more hygienic to gain access with a simple tap or wave.

2. Cloud-Enabled Control

Modern Bluetooth systems are typically managed via cloud platforms. Property managers can issue, revoke, or adjust access rights in real-time - without being physically present. This is especially useful for managing contractors, vendors, or temporary visitors.

3. Reduced Hardware Complexity

Unlike traditional systems that rely on wired infrastructure and heavy-duty servers, Bluetooth access control can work wirelessly. This reduces installation time, maintenance costs, and the need for invasive retrofitting in older buildings.

4. Audit Trails and Analytics

Bluetooth access control systems provide detailed access logs, enabling property owners to track movement throughout the building. This is invaluable for incident investigations, energy management, and compliance reporting.

5. Touchless and Hygienic

Post-pandemic hygiene standards have made touchless access a priority. Bluetooth-based systems allow tenants to unlock doors without touching shared surfaces - ideal for high-traffic commercial environments.

Ideal Use Cases in Commercial Real Estate

1. Multi-Tenant Office Buildings: Assign different access levels to companies, departments, or even individual employees. Easily revoke access if a tenant vacates or an employee exits.

2. Co-Working Spaces: Offer flexible, tier-based access to desks, meeting rooms, and common areas. Use analytics to optimize space usage and enhance security.

3. Retail Complexes and Malls: Secure service corridors and back-of-house areas while allowing customer-facing staff access during specific hours.

4. Business Parks and Tech Campuses: Manage multiple buildings and user groups through a single dashboard. Allow employees mobile entry to parking lots, buildings, and secured zones.

What to Look for in a Bluetooth Access Control System

When selecting a Bluetooth access control solution for commercial real estate, consider the following features:

Cloud-Based Management: Remote control and real-time updates.

Mobile Credential Support: Ease of issuing and revoking access.

Scalability: Whether the system can grow with your property portfolio.

Integration Capabilities: Can it sync with visitor management, elevators, and CCTV?

Real-Time Monitoring and Alerts: Instant visibility into unusual access attempts.

User-Friendly App: Tenants and visitors should find it intuitive and fast.

Data Security: Ensure end-to-end encryption and compliance with privacy laws.

How Spintly Is Transforming Commercial Access

A prime example of innovation in this space is Spintly, a wireless, cloud-based access control platform designed for modern buildings. Spintly’s Bluetooth access control system stands out for its:

Mobile-first experience with secure smartphone-based entry

No-wiring-required architecture, perfect for heritage buildings or new projects

Real-time cloud dashboard that empowers property managers with control and insights

Seamless integration with visitor management, attendance tracking, and third-party platforms

Scalability that supports everything from single-entry points to large multi-location properties

Spintly is helping commercial real estate operators in India and abroad shift toward a smarter, touchless future. Its adoption across office complexes, tech parks, and coworking chains demonstrates its flexibility and effectiveness.

Conclusion

As the commercial real estate sector continues to evolve, building owners and managers are under pressure to deliver not only security but also smarter, more connected experiences. Bluetooth access control emerges as a technology that meets these dual demands - offering flexibility for building managers and ease-of-use for tenants. Platforms like Spintly are helping drive this shift by providing wireless, mobile-enabled access control that aligns perfectly with modern workplace needs. For real estate professionals looking to boost property value, simplify operations, and enhance tenant satisfaction, investing in Bluetooth access control could be the smartest move in 2025 and beyond.

[stinklebug]

gaymers, i fear i have lost the controller war.

[ashleywarren4255]

Embracing Smart Living with SwitchBot

The Smart Home Industry is booming, and one standout brand is SwitchBot. Their innovative products are making life easier and more convenient for homeowners everywhere. One of their most exciting offerings is the Bluetooth door lock, which combines security with advanced technology. With SwitchBot's Bluetooth door lock, you can control access to your home right from your smartphone, ensuring peace of mind and ease of use.

Imagine arriving home with your hands full and simply unlocking your door with a tap on your phone. No more fumbling for keys! Plus, you can grant temporary access to guests or service providers without needing to be there in person.

SwitchBot is committed to creating products that enhance your lifestyle while providing top-notch security. The future of home automation is bright, and SwitchBot is leading the way!

If you're looking to upgrade your home with smart technology, consider the benefits of a Bluetooth door lock from SwitchBot. It's a small change that can make a big difference in your daily routine!

[jcmarchi]

Steve Statler, Chief Marketing Officer at Wiliot – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/steve-statler-chief-marketing-officer-at-wiliot-interview-series/

Steve Statler, Chief Marketing Officer at Wiliot – Interview Series

Steve Statler is the Chief Marketing Officer at Wiliot, author of Beacon Technologies, and the presenter of the Mister Beacon Ambient IoT podcast.

At the core of the Wiliot System are IoT Pixels, which are low-cost tags approximately the size of a postage stamp, designed for easy integration into a wide range of products. These IoT Pixels continuously gather data from their surroundings and are powered either by harvesting radio frequency energy or, in some versions, by a thin printed battery. The transmissions from IoT Pixels are secure and can be read using existing Bluetooth devices.

What are the potential benefits of integrating WiliBot into existing supply chain management systems?

Integrating WiliBot into existing supply chain management systems will allow brands and manufacturers to communicate with their products in ways that significantly improve their supply chain efficiency and sustainability.

By enabling natural-language conversations with any ambient-IoT connected product, WiliBot can be used by businesses seeking to ask questions about their ambient IoT enabled products and supply chains: How fresh is this product? How did it get to the store? Which product should I stock next, and why? What is the carbon footprint of this product? Why is it so high or low? The answers to these questions can then be integrated in real time into a businesses supply chain strategy.

How does Wiliot’s use of ambient IoT and GenAI enhance real-time data visibility in supply chains?

The combination of ambient IoT and GenAI offers a unique opportunity to enhance and apply real-time data visibility. Wiliot’s IoT Pixels are constantly collecting real-time data throughout the supply chain and even in stores.

WiliBot enhances this real-time data visibility by harnessing the power of generative AI, to make sense of the data provided. This allows companies – and eventually consumers – the ability to have conversations with the products they make, source, distribute and ultimately purchase. Breaking down complex and multitudes of data into easy to understand actionable insights.

For a GenAI model to run effectively, it requires significant data input to train it. In the past, due to the lack of large amounts of real time data, this meant supply chain GenAI models would utilize previously existing data. While this proved generally effective, supply chains shift from year to year, and last year’s data isn’t always the most accurate when predicting what businesses need in a year, month, and even day. The constant real-time data that Wiliot’s IoT Pixels and Ambient Data Platform feeds into WiliBot proves the most effective for brands looking to capitalize on the most current intelligence that’s happening in their supply chains.

In what ways can WiliBot help businesses improve sustainability and reduce waste within their supply chains?

Wilibot empowers consumers to vote with their purses and wallets based on better insights into the provenance, content and carbon footprint of one product versus another that may look identical. By capturing the dynamic carbon impact of storage, transportation at an item level and sharing that insight in real time, businesses can be empowered to manage down their carbon footprint every minute of every day.  An end of year scorecard at a company level can’t do that.

Wiliot’s Ambient Data Platform, already allows companies to gain unprecedented intelligence about the sustainability about trillions of products. With the introduction of WiliBot, businesses will now be able to ask and easily break down that intelligence into real-time information about individual products.

In turn, this means companies can get real-time specifics on the sustainability of their supply chains. They can ask WiliBot questions like: why some products have a greater carbon footprint than others, what products they should stock before they expire, and how weather patterns are impacting products throughout the supply chain.

WiliBot allows companies to recognize where changes could be made to ensure sustainability and reduce waste, without waiting for the past year’s data.

How do Wiliot’s IoT Pixels work, and what makes them unique in enabling continuous, real-time data collection in supply chains without the need for batteries?

Wiliot’s IoT Pixels are low-cost tags, the size of a postage stamp, and can be seamlessly manufactured into just about any product. IoT Pixels are designed to provide insights on “everything, everywhere, all at once” – because of their small size, they can be affixed to almost any product, down to even crate-level shipments. What makes IoT Pixels unique, and what allows for them to provide continuous data collection, is that they’re powered by harvested radio frequency energy, meaning they use the radio frequencies from everyday devices that already exist in the world around us. IoT Pixels then securely transmit that data, also via existing Bluetooth devices, to the Wiliot Ambient Data Platform, where it’s available for businesses to pull from.

What are the security measures in place to ensure the privacy and integrity of data collected by IoT Pixels and processed by the Wiliot Ambient Data Platform?

The data security and governance robustness of Wiliot’s Ambient Data Platform has been certified by two leading examiners. We have achieved Systems and Organization Controls (SOC) 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II reports, both issued by independent auditors from a leading Big 4 firm.

Additionally, we recently received its third-year recertification of its ISO 27001 and 27018 certifications by the International Organization for Standardization. Both of these certifications validate our ongoing commitment to data security, governance, and privacy.

Unlike other auto-identification technologies like QR codes and RFID, Wiliot’s implementation includes encryption backed access control to the data that relates to the content, movement and usage of products.

How does WiliBot leverage generative AI to provide actionable insights from the data generated by IoT Pixels?

The data generated by IoT Pixels is sent via Bluetooth to the Wiliot cloud once it’s finalized. From there, WiliBot can leverage the generative AI to provide actionable insights.

WiliBot’s Wiliot-developed AI, built on top of a leading Large Language Model, can identify supply chain “events” and automatically generate alerts or AI responses that allow businesses to course-correct or optimize their operations. This could mean creating an automatic alert for a business when shipments of their produce have been handled at an unsafe temperature, or when pharmaceuticals were kept in an environment too moist for them

The answers to these questions are available in the Wiliot Ambient Data platform, but haven’t always been easily accessible. With WiliBot, these actionable insights can be democratized across organizations, as opposed to requiring significant labor or integration costs.

Can WiliBot be customized to address specific industry needs, such as retail, pharmaceuticals, or food production?

Yes. Wiliot IoT Pixels can be affixed to and provide data on any product, across retail, pharmaceuticals, food production, and more, which means that WiliBot can be distinctively tailored to the needs of those industries.

The more relevant product data that is put into WiliBot, the more specific and targeted answers will be able to be. For food retailers, the priority when implementing WiliBot may be determining the effects of their supply chain’s weather patterns upon food rot and spoil; for clothing retailers, WiliBot may be more relevant in determining where product should go in the store. WiliBot is able to uniquely make sense of data based on each customer’s specific needs and to describe products, materials, supply chains, and everything connected to the internet.

How does the Wiliot Ambient Data Platform differentiate itself from traditional IoT platforms in terms of functionality and ease of integration?

The Wiliot Ambient Data Platform differentiates itself from traditional IoT platforms because of its ‘ambient’ aspect. The data drawn from the IoT Pixels into the platform are accessible all the time as opposed to requiring labor to track, scan or read it.

Wiliot also aims to set ambient IoT standards throughout the industry, which will allow for mass adoption and easy integration by the world’s largest retailers. Already, we are contributing to the 3GPPP alongside a number of large handset OEMs, and working on versions of the Ambient Data Platform that will support the Bluetooth, cellular/3GPP, and Wi-Fi/IEEE variants of ambient IoT.

What impact could WiliBot have on consumer transparency, particularly in understanding the carbon footprint and ethical sourcing of products?

Wiliot’s IoT Pixels already enable products to transmit item-level data about their carbon footprint and equip businesses with information needed to track, manage and reduce carbon emissions. WiliBot makes this even easier by allowing businesses to ask specific questions like where the or how products are sourced and their carbon footprint.

In the future, this convergence of ambient IoT and generative AI will be made available to consumers in-store and at-home through an ecosystem of mobile apps – enabling consumers themselves to speak to and converse with their products to better understand their carbon footprint, materials composition, ethical sourcing compliance, freshness and safety, and more.

This proliferation of information will allow for consumers to take their own ethical considerations into account when purchasing, and ultimately allow for an increased consumer experience without increasing employee workload or cost.

How does Wiliot ensure that the integration of ambient IoT with GenAI remains compliant with global data protection regulations?

Wiliot’s ambient IoT foundation for GenAI enables compliance to data protection regulations with accountability and access control, so that there is a clear owner of the data who has the tools to manage access to the data. Unlike other low-cost scalable radio frequency identifiers, every Wiliot tag is enabled with end-to-end encryption which prevents unauthorized access to data broadcast from a tag.  Encryption starts at the chip level inside the tag and ends at the application in the cloud, which gives a single owner access to the data. With other forms of RFID, the owner isn’t clear – it could be the company that bought the RFID tag and applied it to the product, the distributor, the retailer, or the end customer.  Wiliot’s approach of encrypting all the data means ownership can be transferred and data sharing can be regulated.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Wiliot.

[cloudedangels]

Caleb accidentally finds your vibrator and curiosity gets the best of him... MDNI 18+ !!! DUH!

3,929 words!! Oops!!! This was supposed to be a one-shot but I got extremely carried away (・・;)

This one is different than usual it took like 6 days... happy birthday birthday boy ily

Tags/cws: voyeurism, app-controlled toy, vibrator play, remote control, mutual consent, soft domination, emotional tension, powerplay, grinding, lap sitting, overstimulation, teasing, orgasm control, begging, post-orgasm intimacy, dirtiest dirty talk, filthy sweet, deeply intimate, character-driven smut, creampie, desperate sex, body worship, (nicknames including pips(queak) duh sorry not sorry.

It starts innocently.

Caleb’s folding your laundry like he always used to—perfect corners, sleeves aligned, like the fabric might get offended if he didn’t treat it right. You’re in the shower, steam softening the air, and he’s out there, helping. Like nothing’s changed.

But then he opens the wrong drawer.

Not wrong exactly. Just not where you’d have wanted him to go.

You weren’t hiding it, exactly. Just... tucking it away. Inside a sock.

Stupid. Lazy. A mistake. Because now he’s holding it in his hand.

You don’t hear any of this, of course. You’re humming softly under the water, dragging shampoo through your hair, while Caleb—sweet, curious, too-smart Caleb—stares down at the bright pink, silicone curve resting in his palm.

It vibrates when he touches the button.

He jumps, and then freezes.

His first thought isn’t what it is. Not really. He just stares at it, confused, before his brain catches up.

“Oh… fuck.”

Definitely a vibrator. Yours.

He sets it down like it’s radioactive, rubs his hand on his pants, and immediately picks it up again. His face burns hot. His throat’s dry. And he shouldn’t. He knows he shouldn’t. But his fingers move faster than his shame.

He opens his camera and scans it.

The image search is mercilessly fast.

“Lovense Lush 2: App-controlled wearable vibrator. Remote-operated. Hands-free.”

Remote-operated.

His stomach knots.

He reads. Scrolls. Reads more.

Synced vibrations. Custom patterns. Long-distance partner control. Phone access. Live syncing. Music-matching mode.

His cock twitches in his jeans.

Has someone else used it with you? Has someone controlled it for you? Did you sit on this very bed and let someone else make you come from miles away?

Or… did you just do it yourself?

Did you pull up the app with trembling fingers, thighs clenched, face flushed, and think of… him? When he was away?

He shouldn’t even be in this drawer, but now he’s hard, his mouth’s dry, and he needs to know.

He downloads the app—just to see... Just to understand. At least, that’s what he tells himself as it installs. That’s the excuse.

When it opens, the interface is sleek and pink, deceptively innocent. A smooth control dial. Pattern options. Bluetooth connection.

And one bright button:

“Connect to Device.”

He hesitates… then clicks it.

The toy hums faintly in his hand.

And then: “Caleb?”

Your voice cuts through the air like a knife.

He panics, dropping the vibrator into the pile of laundry like it’s on fire, locking his phone screen too late. When you walk into the room—damp, towel-wrapped, soft from the shower—his face is red.

You slow when you see him. You pause.

Then you see the drawer, and the sock, a little too unfolded, and him, sitting on the edge of your bed, face flushed, thighs spread.

“Oh my god,” you breathe. “You didn’t.”

He tries. He tries to play it cool. But his voice is too calm, too even.

“Didn’t what?”

“You found it?”

He glances toward the drawer. “Maybe.”

“You weren’t supposed to—Caleb!” You grip the towel tighter, heart racing, throat dry. “You were supposed to fold T-shirts!”

“That drawer was open.”

“And you decided to… investigate?”

He tilts his head. “I was curious.”

Your jaw drops. “Curious? You downloaded the app?”

“I didn’t say I did.”

“You totally did.”

He smirks, just a little. It’s smug. Dangerous. Too aware. “It connects through Bluetooth, you know.”

“I KNOW HOW IT WORKS.”

His eyes drop—slow, lazy—to your bare legs under the towel. He doesn’t move from the bed. His phone is still in his hand.

“Why’d you hide it?” he asks softly. “Were you embarrassed?”

You go stiff. “I—I wasn’t hiding it—just—just—storing it. In a sock. For… safety.”

His gaze is devastating, his eyes bore through you. “...Safety?”

You hate how hot your face is. Hate how shaky your voice is when you try to take the upper hand.

“You’re… seriously? You’re such a perv, Caleb, you can’t just—just dig through my drawers and—and play with things—”

“Play with things?”

You glare. You want to sound furious. You probably just sound breathless.

“Who controls it when you use it?” he asks, voice quieter now. “Is it just you?”

You stare at him, trembling.

“Do you give access to anyone else?”

Your chest tightens. Your breath stutters.

The towel suddenly feels too thin. You don’t know what to say.

You’re too exposed. And he hasn’t even touched you yet.

“Answer the question,” he murmurs.

“W-Why are you even asking?”

“Because the thought of you using that,” he says, voice hushed and thick, “without me knowing… kills me.”

He opens the app.

Your eyes widen.

“Caleb, don’t—”

The toy hums from the laundry.

Your legs tremble. The vibration is faint—but you can hear it. You know it.

You gasp, knees nearly buckling. “You—!”

He doesn’t move from the bed, he just sits and watches you. His voice is careful. Curious.

“What do you think?”

“Turn it off!” you snap, voice shaky.

“Say please.”

Your jaw drops.

“You—” You can't finish. The flustered heat crawling up your spine makes your words fail.

He stands slowly, towering in front of you now, his phone still in hand, his cock hard beneath his jeans. He leans in close, his voice a husky whisper.

“…So this is what you like, hm?”

Your stomach flips. You can’t speak.

Your mouth opens—no words come.

He’s too close. Close enough to smell the faint hint of clean laundry on his shirt, the musk of his cologne softened by the heat of your skin. Your heart hammers in your throat like it wants to escape.

“Should I get it for you?” Caleb repeats, his voice quiet, careful, curling with heat at the edges. “Is that what you want?”

You shake your head, once, sharp. “You’re an ass.”

He smiles at that—lazy, dangerous. “And yet you’re trembling.”

“I just got out of the shower.”

“Sure,” he murmurs, eyes flicking down to your legs again, where the towel’s started to shift with the motion of your thighs. You’re pressed so tightly together it’s like you’re trying to stop the vibration that’s not even touching you. Just hearing it has you on edge.

He taps his phone screen. The hum fades.

You exhale shakily, trying to step back—but his hand lifts. Doesn’t touch. Just hovers in the space between your bare shoulder and the towel’s edge.

“...Was it for you?” he asks quietly. “The toy. Was it for when I wasn’t here?”

You go still.

His eyes flicker up to yours, something almost nervous beneath the teasing now... a real question... and maybe that’s worse.

“I—” you start, but your voice catches. You clear your throat. “I don’t owe you an answer.”

“No,” he says, gently. “You don’t.”

You hate that he respects that. Hate how it makes you want to answer anyway.

You glance at the bed. It's rumpled from laundry, and the drawer is still half open. That stupid fucking sock, limp. The vibrator, pink and obscene in its neat little pile of folded cotton.

“You weren’t supposed to find it,” you say, voice thin. “It’s… private.”

Caleb nods slowly. “But you kept it close.”

Your brows knit. “What’s that supposed to mean?"

His eyes are soft. Hungry. “You could’ve hidden it better. Somewhere I’d never look. But you didn’t. You left it where I’d find it… maybe.”

“I didn’t—” You stop. Realize the truth of it halfway through your denial.

Maybe you hadn’t hidden it very well on purpose.

He sees the flicker in your expression. His gaze darkens.

“I think you wanted me to know,” he murmurs. “Or maybe just… wanted me to wonder.”

You don’t answer. You can’t. Every inch of you is tight and hot and pulsing. You're wet and not wearing anything to catch it. Self conscious.

Caleb leans just a little closer, head tilted, breath warm against your ear, “Let me try it… I've been very bad, let me make it up to you…”

You almost say no. You want to say no. (You don't. You're trying to lie to yourself though).

But your thighs are clenched. Your breath is shallow. And you hate how close you are to saying yes just because he asked like that.

“…You’re ridiculous,” you whisper, voice cracking.

He hums, low and amused. “Maybe. But I’m still asking.”

You close your eyes. His breath ghosts your cheek. You feel him before he even touches you—heat and presence and the slow throb of your pulse answering his.

“And if I say no?”

“I’ll turn it off,” he murmurs. “Put it back. Never speak of it again.”

Liar.

You open your eyes. He’s close, but not touching. His hands are still at his sides. His phone glows faintly in his palm. He looks flushed, a little wild, but he hasn’t pushed.

He’s letting you decide.

But his gaze… his gaze is asking all the questions his mouth won’t. Would you let him? Would you let him push that little thing inside you and sit across the room—watching, controlling, listening? Would you whimper if he turned it too high? Would you beg for more?

You clench without meaning to. The ache between your legs is embarrassing.

You’re silent too long.

He tilts his head, and for the first time his voice slips past teasing into soft—sincere.

“…Do you want it, pipsqueak?”

That name. It makes you stupid. Weak. Warm all the way down.

You nod once, tiny. Almost ashamed.

“…Yes.”

He exhales slowly, relief softening his jaw. His eyes flicker toward the bed, the folded laundry, the drawer still ajar.

“Then come here,” he says quietly.

You hesitate.

“I’ll be good,” he promises. “I’ll go slow.”

Your feet move before your brain catches up. You drop the towel when you reach him, and he doesn’t react—not at first. Steel. His eyes stay on your face, and just your face. Like he’s waiting for permission to look.

So you tilt your chin up. Just slightly.

His eyes drop.

And fuck—you feel it, the weight of his gaze like a hand between your thighs.

“You’re not wearing anything under that towel,” he murmurs. “Were you going to get dressed before I saw you?”

“…I didn’t think I’d need to.”

He smiles faintly. “You don’t.”

Caleb kneels in front of you.

No rush, no show, down on his knees like it’s the most natural thing in the world. The phone rests on the bed. The toy sits in his hand.

“You still sure?”

You nod.

“Say it.”

“…I want it.”

He kisses the inside of your knee.

“Sit.”

You do. Slowly. Shaky.

He parts your legs and gently sets the toy on the bed between them. Then he kisses the inside of your thigh. Once. Twice. And then again—higher.

“I’ll put it in,” he says. “You just stay still.”

You nod, dazed, already breathless. The anticipation is worse than anything.

He lifts the toy. Clicks the button. It hums softly in his hand.

“Lay back for me,” he murmurs.

You do. The sheets are cold against your skin, and you’re trembling now, fully exposed, legs open. You hear the shuffle of fabric—he’s taken off his hoodie—and then his fingers are brushing up your thigh again, light.

“Lift your hips.”

You obey.

His fingers part your folds and you gasp—sharp, wet, startled.

“You’re soaked,” he says, almost reverent. “Was it the idea of me finding this? Or the fact that I did?"

You don’t answer. You can’t. Your face is hot and your eyes are fluttering.

“Sorry,” he whispers. “I’ll make it feel good.”

He slides the toy in, your wetness guiding it through. It’s bigger than you remember the egg goes in, bigger and smoother, the tail hanging, curled up against your clit, but it still stretches you slightly, suddenly. You let out a soft whimper at the intrusion.

“Too much?” he asks immediately, hand on your knee.

You shake your head, gasping. “No… it’s okay…”

He exhales. And then…

The toy buzzes to life.

You moan.

Your hips jolt, thighs tensing as the toy hums deep inside you, steady and quiet but so fucking present. Caleb’s still kneeling beside the bed, watching your body react, his hand firm on your thigh.

“Jesus,” he whispers.

You bite your lip and try to squirm.

He touches your knee to still you. “Stay.”

The vibration shifts—he’s changing the pattern.

It pulses now. Short bursts. Then a long one.

You can’t help it—you arch your back, a whimper catching in your throat.

He looks transfixed. His free hand curls into the sheets like he’s grounding himself.

“You like that?” he murmurs. “You’re already dripping. I haven’t even touched your clit.”

You want to snap at him, say of course I like it, but all that comes out is a shaky, “Fuck…”

Caleb leans in. His lips ghost over your stomach, then lower. His breath hits your inner thigh as he speaks:

“I want to know how many patterns it has. I want to know which one makes you cry.”

You moan. You can’t not.

“And I want to be the one holding the dial every single time.”

You reach for him blindly, your hand tangling in his hair.

He growls softly. “Tell me what you want, pips...”

You can't. He pulls back so that he can see you. He’s quiet for a long moment, just watching you.

Your legs are spread, the pink tail of the vibrator curled against your clit like a secret. You’re trying to stay still, thighs trembling, your breathing light and high. The toy pulses again—gentle, teasing. You gasp.

Caleb’s jaw is clenched.

His knuckles are white around his phone.

And he’s hard.

You can see it now, the outline in his jeans obvious, obscene. He’s kneeling beside the bed, but it’s clear in the way he shifts… his hips twitching forward like his body’s begging, even if his mouth stays quiet.

He breathes through his nose, slow, trying to control himself.

And fails.

“Sit on my lap,” he whispers. His voice is strained. Rough. “Just like this. I want to feel it. I need to feel it.”

Your lips part. “Caleb—”

“I won’t touch it,” he promises quickly. “I won’t even move. I just—” His hand flexes against the mattress. “Please.”

You nod, stunned by the heat in his voice, and he helps you—guiding you with both hands, gentle, reverent. You climb into his lap, careful not to jostle the toy too much, your knees on either side of his thighs, straddling him. He leans back slightly, hands on your hips to balance you. His face is flushed, pupils wide, lips parted.

Then the toy buzzes. It's sharp and low and deep inside you. You let out a soft moan and collapse against him, forehead to his shoulder.

“Fuck,” he chokes out.

You feel it—the way your body vibrates through him. The way the hum travels from your cunt to his lap, pressed flush against his cock through two layers of fabric. His hips jerk instinctively.

He groans into your neck.

“Oh my god,” he breathes. “You’re shaking.”

You are.

Everything is hot and melting and pulsing. It’s perfect and torture, a slick, slow throb building in your stomach. You rock your hips just once—barely—and he moans like you bit him.

“Don’t,” he gasps, fingers digging into your hips. “Don’t do that—fuck—”

You grin against his throat. “You said I could sit.”

“You’re greedy,” he hisses. “You’re…fuck…you’re evil…”

You clench around the toy, pressing it in with the bulge of his cock. He bucks up beneath you with a sharp, broken groan, like he’s being pulled apart cell by cell.

You feel drunk on the power for a moment, and he’s falling apart.

“Can you take more?” he whispers, pulling the phone up again with a shaking hand.

You hesitate… but you nod. “Yeah…”

He turns the dial up, carefully and not all the way. Just enough.

It purrs inside you now, every pulse kissing your walls, grinding against your most sensitive places with perfect pressure. Your hips jerk.

You whimper into his neck. “Caleb—”

His hands stroke your back. He’s panting. “I’ve got you,” he whispers. “You’re doing so good for me.”

You moan. Loud. Thoughtless.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he groans. “You’re dripping. Right on me. On my jeans. My cock…”

You bury your face in his collarbone, trying to hold still. Trying not to move. But it’s so hard. It feels so good.

“You’re making a mess,” he pants. “You’re fucking soaked, baby, oh my god—”

You can feel his cock under you, twitching, trapped and leaking. You rock forward a little on accident and he shudders, groaning ragged into your neck.

“Stop—don’t—I’ll come if you do that again—”

“You haven’t even touched me,” you whisper, dizzy.

“I am touching you,” he groans. “You’re on me. You’re fucking trembling all over me, I can feel every—” He cuts off with a moan, hands gripping you tighter. “Fuck—fuck—you’re gonna come, aren’t you?”

“I—” You can’t even form words. The pressure is building too fast, too sharp, and the way his voice sounds in your ear is tipping you over the edge.

“Come for me,” he whispers, raw and wrecked. “Right here. Just like this. Come with me under you, baby. Use it. Use me.”

You do.

You cry out, hips jerking and grinding, legs locking as the orgasm tears through you. It's fast, electric, too much. The toy keeps going, humming inside you while your body pulses around it, breath ragged, muscles tensed. Caleb groans as you come undone in his lap, his cock pinned between you, the wet heat of your release soaking through both your bodies.

You collapse against him, twitching. He catches you instantly. Holds you. Breathes through it.

His lips press to your temple, worshipping.

“You’re unreal,” he whispers. “You’re gonna fucking kill me.”

You smile, dazed.

“I hope so,” you murmur.

He chuckles. Then shifts just enough to press his hips up into yours. You can feel how hard he still is. How desperate.

Your grin returns.

“You want me to take care of you now?” you whisper sweetly.

He groans into your neck.

“Don’t tease me,” he pants. “I begged for that. You know me.”

You tilt your head and kiss him. Once. Soft. Deep.

“I know.”

Caleb's shaky breath is warm in your ear as he pulls you close, arms around your waist. “Are you too overstimulated for…” He pauses, voice breaking as he feels you shift in his lap. “Fuck. I want to be inside you.”

Your head turns slightly, cheek pressed to his shoulder. Your breath is hot. “Then do it.”

His breath catches.

“You’re sure?”

You nod, weak, your voice like silk barely clinging to your throat. “I’m dripping for you, Caleb. What the fuck do you think?”

He groans. The noise is wrecked, shaky, as he flips you so gently you almost don’t feel it until you’re on your back again. His hands are everywhere: your thighs, your hips, your waist. His eyes are molten, blown black with need, but his fingers stay careful, as he's pulling the toy out with a slick pop that makes you whimper.

You feel so empty when it’s gone. But not for long.

He fumbles with his jeans, breath ragged as he yanks them down just enough to free his cock…and then... fuck...

You both look.

He’s so hard. Veined and thick, flushed deep with need. The tip is wet and twitching and leaking, and you stare, wide-eyed and stunned.

You’d forgotten how big he is. Or maybe you just didn’t realize how needy your body was now. How soft and open he’d already made you.

He presses forward, then slides in.

You both gasp. It’s obscene how easy he goes in. No resistance. Just slick, tight, hot pressure and then full, stuffed, stretched around him like your body was already waiting for this. Begging for it.

“Holy fuck,” Caleb chokes. He’s not moving. Just inside, balls-deep, jaw slack, hips trembling. “You’re—you’re already this wet? You—shit, I can’t—I can’t believe this—”

You moan, helpless, legs wrapping around his waist, hands grabbing at his back. “Move—please, Caleb, you have to—”

He jerks forward with a groan and pulls out an inch—just enough to see his cock shining with you—then slams back in. You cry out.

“Oh my god,” he breathes. “You’re taking me—so fucking easy, baby—fuck, this pussy—” Another thrust, sharp and deep. You arch. “You’re already open for me. That toy got you ready, didn’t it? Got you all soft and dripping, just so I could fuck you like this.”

“Y-yeah,” you gasp. “Fuck—please, don’t stop—”

“Greedy little thing,” he growls, voice hoarse with disbelief. “You wanted me to find it. You wanted me hard and jealous and ready to ruin you. You fucking planned this.”

You shake your head, whining. “Didn’t—just—just didn’t hide it—”

“Same fucking thing,” he snarls into your neck, slamming into you faster now. “You know what it does to me. Fuck, you know—you knew I’d lose it. And now look—”

He pounds into you, relentless, each thrust punching air from your lungs. Your nails dig into his back as you try to hold on, but he’s not giving you a break, not now.

“I can’t believe how good you take it,” he growls. “So fucking wet. I’m sliding in like it’s nothing—nothing, baby, you’re sucking me in like you missed this.”

You sob out a moan, your whole body thrumming. You’re stretched wide, filled to the brim, stuffed so good you can’t think.

“I did,” you cry. “I did, Caleb—I missed it… Your perfect cock…”

His rhythm stutters—just a second—and then it gets rougher. Harder. Messier.

“I’ll give it to you,” he pants. “Every time. Whenever you want. I’ll fuck you open and ruin you, baby, I'll take good care of you… you don’t ever have to beg again.”

He pulls out almost all the way and slams back in, and you scream.

He presses his forehead to yours, breath coming in sharp, hot gasps. “You’re gonna come again, aren’t you?”

“I—I can’t—”

“You will. I feel it. I feel you clenching on me—fuck—you love it raw, don’t you? No condom, just skin to skin, me buried in your fucking pussy like I belong there—”

“You do,” you gasp.

That breaks him.

He snaps his hips, brutal and desperate. “You’re gonna come. You’re gonna come with me, and I’m not gonna pull out—I’m gonna fill you up.”

The sound you make isn’t even a word. It’s raw. Wet. Animal.

He’s soaked—you’re soaked—your arousal painting his cock, his thighs, pooling under you. He can barely breathe.

You’re clenching, right on the edge again, thighs trembling.

He sees it. Feels it.

“Come, baby,” he begs, forehead still against yours. “Come for me, pipsqueak. Let me feel you—fuck, I wanna feel you milk my cock—”

You snap.

Your walls spasm around him, tight and fluttering, your body locking up as your orgasm rips through you. You sob, moan, scream—you don’t even know what sound you make. Just that it drags him with you.

Caleb cries out your name like it hurts. Like worship.

His cock jerks and he thrusts once, twice—and then he’s coming. Deep inside. Hot, thick pulses of it, flooding you while your body still twitches around him. He groans into your neck, shaky, broken, lost.

You hold each other.

Breathless. Destroyed. Connected.

After a long moment, he whispers against your skin:

“You’re never using that thing without me again.”

You laugh, weak and giddy, and pull him closer.

“Deal.”

[solarmorrigan]

The Phantom Menace (no, not that one)

For the @steddie-spooktober day 28 prompt: Mask Rated: T | Words: 1118 | CW: None | Tags: established relationship, modern AU, Eddie Munson is a menace, Eddie Munson is whipped, Steve Harrington is a tease, for the good of everyone present at the Halloween party Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

Eddie is a menace.

And a goddamn pain in the ass.

It’s not that Steve doesn’t love him – Eddie is very lucky that Steve does love him, in fact, because Steve would otherwise have lost his patience about half an hour into this shit and ditched him to find his own ride home from the Halloween party.

And Steve had even liked Eddie’s choice of costume at first. He’ll admit that he hadn’t been super into Phantom of the Opera when they’d watched it—a little too theatrical to really be up Steve’s alley—but he’d definitely seen the appeal in Eddie’s Phantom costume.

The waistcoat he’d thrifted had been a hell of a find; it fits him almost perfectly. He’d sewn a cloak that he’d had entirely too much fun twirling around in when he’d finished it. The white half mask had given him an alluring air of mystery, and with his hair tied back? The whole thing had added up to a very attractive picture.

Until the night of the party, when Eddie had decided to be, as previously mentioned, a fucking menace.

He’s been fucking with people all night; nothing mean or destructive (Steve supposes they should all count themselves lucky that Eddie isn’t playing with fire), but irritating as shit. He’s jumping out from around corners and scaring people, he’s stealing things off the snack table and leaving them in weird places, he keeps changing the music from generic Halloween shit to opera (no one is sure how he’s doing this, since access to the Bluetooth speaker is being carefully guarded), he laughs maniacally every time someone expresses annoyance with his tricks, and he’s refusing to stop unless he’s paid 20,000 francs.

Robin offered him a dollar to stop tugging the back of her shirt and running away any time she turns her back to him; he’d argued that the offer was far too low, but had graciously accepted after she’d threatened to smother him with his own cloak.

The most annoying part, however, is that he absolutely refuses to answer to his name. Any time someone snaps out some variation of “Eddie, cut it the fuck out,” he dramatically asks “Eddie? Who is this Eddie? I am The Phantom!” before turning away, flourishing his cloak like Batman as he goes.

“You’re his boyfriend,” Robin insists, leaning up against the counter beside Steve; he’s been hiding in the kitchen for the last half hour, hoping no one will remember that he and Eddie had shown up together, “can’t you make him stop?”

“You think I have literally any control over him?” Steve asks. “He’s like a tornado; you just have to wait him out and hope insurance covers whatever damage he causes.”

Robin snorts. “Okay, but can’t you use, like, your wiles?”

Steve stares at her. “My what?”

“Your wiles. You know, be sexy at him, or whatever.” Robin wiggles her fingers vaguely in Steve’s direction. “That man is weak for you. I’m willing to bet he’ll do anything you ask if you flash your cleavage at him.”

Steve crosses his arms over his chest, hiding the way the shirt of his Indiana Jones costume is halfway unbuttoned, gaping open to reveal a decent (or maybe slightly indecent) amount of skin. “I do not have cleavage.”

“Whatever.” Robin rolls her eyes, then perks up at the sound of Eddie’s crazed chuckling coming close to the kitchen doorway. “Oh! Here he comes! Do it!”

“I’m not going to–”

“Do it,” Robin hisses, tugging on Steve’s arm until he comes away from the counter and giving him a shove in the direction of the doorway just as Eddie comes sweeping through.

Robin skirts around him, pointing two fingers at her eyes and then jabbing a single finger at Eddie, the universal sign for I’m watching you, as she goes by, and Eddie holds his hands up in surrender. She takes a moment to send one more look over her shoulder at Steve before she leaves, and, well – Steve guesses he might as well try it, before someone actually decides to murder Eddie.

“Hey, Phantom,” Steve says, approaching the kitchen island.

Eddie, halfway through ladling punch into a plastic cup, looks up at Steve and grins. “Hello, there.” His voice is deeper than usual, a dramatic affectation for his costume, and any other time, Steve would appreciate the sexy rasp; unfortunately, it’s currently attached to Eddie in full pest mode.

“So,” Steve drawls, leaning his forearms on the island, making sure to angle himself so his shirt falls open just a little bit farther, “I’ve been meaning to ask: I don’t suppose you’ve seen my boyfriend, Eddie, around, have you?”

It takes Eddie a moment to answer, his eyes glued to the span of skin and chest hair Steve’s putting on display. “Eddie?” he finally asks, gaze snapping back up to Steve’s face. “I’m afraid I don’t know who you mean.”

Steve hums, a little, disappointed noise. “That’s too bad,” he says, giving Eddie a bit of a pout. “See, I thought his costume was pretty hot tonight, and I thought maybe we could… y’know, slip away from everyone else, so I could show him just how much I liked it.”

Eddie swallows. “You don’t say,” he says, voice gone a little faint.

“Mm.” Steve sighs. “But since I can’t find him, and you haven’t seen him, I guess I just won’t–”

“Actually,” Eddie cuts in, almost frantically, “now that you mention it, I think I might have seen him.”

A slow smirk draws across Steve’s face. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Eddie nods quickly. “Let me just– I’ll go see if I can find him for you.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Steve says sweetly, leaning a little further onto the island (he does not, whatever Robin says, have cleavage, but if the move pushes his pecs up just a bit more, well – that’s just a bonus).

Eddie turns away, entirely forgetting to flourish his cloak, and ducks out through the kitchen doorway.

He reappears moments later, his white half-mask in hand, one side of his face still a little red and sweaty from where it’s been resting all night.

“Steve!” he exclaims, arms thrown wide. “I haven’t seen you all night! But, uh, someone told me that you’ve been looking for me.”

Steve rolls his eyes, coming around from behind the island; committed to the bit to the bitter end, that’s Eddie.

Somehow, Steve wouldn’t have him any other way.

“Someone was right,” Steve says, hooking a finger beneath Eddie’s bowtie and tugging him closer, leaning in to meet his lips in a deep kiss.

The Phantom doesn’t make an appearance for the rest of the night.

[justafewberries]

Beetee's failed attempt to hack the capitol coms leading to punishment with Ampert is either evidence that the attack served a greater rebel organization

Or

Beetee wanted to do a mega attack that would create that rebel organization from the network of cells.

If it's the latter then a possible rebel tendency towards mega propo attacks(blowing up arenas) could be established.

Though most d12 rebel action besides posters is based on escaping d12 or sabatoging mine production(in CF we see more examples of this in other districts).

I don't think Beetee was trying to communicate through the system:

“It’s because I’m being punished for coming up with a plan to sabotage the Capitol’s communication system. I’m too valuable to kill, but my son is disposable.”

He was trying to sabotage it. He was trying to prohibit something from being communicated, or just take the systems down entirely. However, we do not know when he tried to sabotage them. It could have been years prior. Ampert was 12, so it was the first year he could have been reaped. This opens the door to the sabotage plan being developed before the period between the 49-50th Games.

He did not know he was caught until they reaped Ampert:

“But it is. Entirely. I took a risk. I didn’t suspect that I’d been found out until the reaping. The timing was calculated. If I had known, I could have killed myself, and Ampert would be safe at home. That is how Snow works.”

This doesn't necessarily mean he developed the plan recently, but I think makes it more likely.

There are a few reasons he may have taken up against the communication system specifically (other than the fact he's the comms guy in mockingjay):

Prevent development of the arena:

He stated he got to look over the plans over a year ago:

“My point is that, for at least a few weeks, the arena has to be capable of sustaining the tributes and supporting the set pieces. I haven’t seen the plan for the actual arena, but over a year ago, they had me look over the Sub-A design."

So he has insider knowledge. Perhaps he was planning to meddle with the communication systems for the construction of the arena. Although, I don't think this hold water, as he did not implement the plans, and the arena would have to have been built by then.

"Oh yes, Well, they've been in the works for years, of course. Arenas aren't built in a day." (Catching Fire, Plutarch)

So, at best, he would be meddling with the construction of a future arena.

Trying to overwrite Capitol propaganda

People in the Capitol love their TV's. Maybe it's literally just him trying to do what he does in Mockingjay, although, I'm not sure what he would break in with, but that could be why it's a plan he didn't implement. They needed propos in Mockingjay before they could do any kind of breaking in.

Game communications/operations

Perhaps he was trying to sabotage the trackers (but that really wouldn't accomplish much on its own), or the operations of the Games in a Bluetooth/control from a remote location kind of way. I'd buy this if Sub-A didn't exist and the Games were as automated as they were in the 74th Games.

There are a few smaller things that could have to do with "Capitol communications", like moving Peacekeeper squadrons from areas to allow access to restricted areas, too, but I don't know if that would be sabotaging so much as interfering/controlling, maybe he just planned to leave a security gap in them for later?

I think the distinction of "sabotage" is why I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the rebels or not.

[feminist-space]

"In the age of smart fridges, connected egg crates, and casino fish tanks doubling as entry points for hackers, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that sex toys have joined the Internet of Things (IoT) party.

But not all parties are fun, and this one comes with a hefty dose of risk: data breaches, psychological harm, and even physical danger.

Let’s dig into why your Bluetooth-enabled intimacy gadget might be your most vulnerable possession — and not in the way you think.

The lure of remote-controlled intimacy gadgets isn’t hard to understand. Whether you’re in a long-distance relationship or just like the convenience, these devices have taken the market by storm.

According to a 2023 study commissioned by the U.K.’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), these toys are some of the most vulnerable consumer IoT products.

And while a vibrating smart egg or a remotely controlled chastity belt might sound futuristic, the risks involved are decidedly dystopian.

Forbes’ Davey Winder flagged the issue four years ago when hackers locked users into a chastity device, demanding a ransom to unlock it.

Fast forward to now, and the warnings are louder than ever. Researchers led by Dr. Mark Cote found multiple vulnerabilities in these devices, primarily those relying on Bluetooth connectivity.

Alarmingly, many of these connections lack encryption, leaving the door wide open for malicious third parties.

If you’re picturing some low-stakes prank involving vibrating gadgets going haywire, think again. The risks are far graver.

According to the DSIT report, hackers could potentially inflict physical harm by overheating a device or locking it indefinitely. Meanwhile, the psychological harm could stem from sensitive data — yes, that kind of data — being exposed or exploited.

A TechCrunch exposé revealed that a security researcher breached a chastity device’s database containing over 10,000 users’ information. That was back in June, and the manufacturer still hasn’t addressed the issue.

In another incident, users of the CellMate connected chastity belt reported hackers demanding $750 in bitcoin to unlock devices. Fortunately, one man who spoke to Vice hadn’t been wearing his when the attack happened. Small mercies, right?

These aren’t isolated events. Standard Innovation Corp., the maker of the We-Vibe toy, settled for $3.75 million in 2017 after it was discovered the device was collecting intimate data without user consent.

A sex toy with a camera was hacked the same year, granting outsiders access to its live feed.

And let’s not forget: IoT toys are multiplying faster than anyone can track, with websites like Internet of Dongs monitoring the surge.

If the thought of a connected chastity belt being hacked makes you uneasy, consider this: sex toys are just a small piece of the IoT puzzle.

There are an estimated 17 billion connected devices worldwide, ranging from light bulbs to fitness trackers — and, oddly, smart egg crates.

Yet, as Microsoft’s 2022 Digital Defense Report points out, IoT security is lagging far behind its software and hardware counterparts.

Hackers are opportunistic. If there’s a way in, they’ll find it. Case in point: a casino lost sensitive customer data after bad actors accessed its network through smart sensors in a fish tank.

If a fish tank isn’t safe, why would we expect a vibrating gadget to be?

Here’s where the frustration kicks in: these vulnerabilities are preventable.

The DSIT report notes that many devices rely on unencrypted Bluetooth connections or insecure APIs for remote control functionality.

Fixing these flaws is well within the reach of manufacturers, yet companies routinely fail to prioritize security.

Even basic transparency around data collection would be a step in the right direction. Users deserve to know what’s being collected, why, and how it’s protected. But history suggests the industry is reluctant to step up.

After all, if companies like Standard Innovation can get away with quietly siphoning off user data, why would smaller players bother to invest in robust security?

So, what’s a smart-toy enthusiast to do? First, ask yourself: do you really need your device to be connected to an app?

If the answer is no, then maybe it’s best to go old school. If remote connectivity is a must, take some precautions.

Keep software updated: Ensure both the device firmware and your phone’s app are running the latest versions. Updates often include critical security patches.

Use secure passwords: Avoid default settings and choose strong, unique passwords for apps controlling your devices.

Limit app permissions: Only grant the app the bare minimum of permissions needed for functionality.

Vet the manufacturer: Research whether the company has a history of addressing security flaws. If they’ve been caught slacking before, it’s a red flag.

The conversation around sex toy hacking isn’t just about awkward headlines — it’s about how we navigate a world increasingly dependent on connected technology. As devices creep further into every corner of our lives, from the bedroom to the kitchen, the stakes for privacy and security continue to rise.

And let’s face it: there’s something uniquely unsettling about hackers turning moments of intimacy into opportunities for exploitation.

If companies won’t take responsibility for protecting users, then consumers need to start asking tough questions — and maybe think twice before connecting their pleasure devices to the internet.

As for the manufacturers? The message is simple: step up or step aside.

No one wants to be the next headline in a tale of hacked chastity belts and hijacked intimacy. And if you think that’s funny, just wait until your light bulb sells your Wi-Fi password.

This is where IoT meets TMI. Stay connected, but stay safe."

https://thartribune.com/government-warns-couples-that-sex-toys-remain-a-tempting-target-for-hackers-with-the-potential-to-be-weaponized/

[systemcanid]

Solver/Cyn note.

Cyn gave the DDs new bodys to better take out the competition (other solver users). But why didn’t she try to take other hosts? She tried with Nori, but that didn’t really go well. The humans were the ones to give her access. She had the humans taken care of with ease buuut one issue. Yeva. She knew what was happening based on her own experiences. She knew that this wasn’t Nori’s solver but something else.

How? The color of the visor. Nori’s regular solver is purple. Cyn’s bright yellow stood out too much in the now diversified visor colors. Making it harder to blend in even if she had better access. As we know, Cyn is a shitty actor. Any differences to the visual appearance would not help any especially now that she knows there are other users.

“Didn’t Cyn take over in episode 4 with Uzi?” No. Cyn was observing. Uzi’s visor never went yellow. The solver virus allowed Cyn limited access. Even as the administrator while she was still so far away.

I like to think of the solver as an executable that behaves differently in different systems. That episode was started by Uzi’s jealousy over not fitting in after N and V were so easily accepted even after killing so many drones. Even one right in front of them in that episode. A second later on. That caused her to overheat. It swapped to fear as the solver started going haywire. The more fear it was fed, the less control Uzi had over her solver.

HER solver being the key. Every user has their own. Even if it goes haywire, it’s still part of their program. Not someone else’s control. We only see different after Cyn comes to the copper 9 as Tessa. The nulls start to show up in dead end when Uzi tries to use her solver and you get a moment where Cyn briefly does get control before she passes out on the table. Getting her yellow visor and all. Cyn is only able to do that because she’s in the area.

Best example I got is a Bluetooth connection. Closer you are, stronger the signal. Further, the more chance you have of losing that connection. If you have headphones or speakers with that function, you can understand the frustration of going to another room only to realize that your headphones disconnected and you left your device in the other room.

In the elevator, you see Uzi struggling to fight Cyn’s control. Cyn was trying to convince N how dangerous Uzi was, putting them in more danger and stressing Uzi out even more to make her lose control again. In mass destruction, at the chapel, you see Cyn, after realizing N can’t be swayed to take Uzi out, toy with Uzi. Resting the sword on her core. Adding more stress as now, she wants Uzi as a host. Still acting as Tessa to keep the act up. She needed Uzi to give into her fear and stress to give her an opportunity to take over as she was overheating.

When N gets Nori riled up, Uzi learns she CAN fight back and resist the ping. That it is possible to remain in control and that allows her to be a little more confident an calmer. Cyn needed Uzi stressed because her pings are not as effective when drones are in their right mind. When in the hallway, hiding from Cyn, both her and N have responses to the ping. For N, he starts having the effects of a panic attack (and possibly ptsd flashbacks?) while you still see flashes of yellow in Uzi’s visor. Uzi seeing N needs her allows her to focus on helping him and both of them can stay calmer.

After Uzi shows up to save V and N is the best example. Uzi’s confidence has skyrocketed. So much that when Cyn tries to ping her again, she’s able to reverse it. Cyns the one that’s stressed now. Frustrated by V going against her, N’s core being knocked out of her hands by a worker drone, and now Uzi showing up after she tried to get rid of her.

My point being, Cyn is the admin of the DDs. But it’s the solver that provides the potential. Cyn failed because she relied on the ping too much. Wanting to use other drones like toys how she saw Tessa as doing. When that failed, she did still have a lot to use and still be a major threat, even manipulating Uzis feelings towards N against her when she was hit with the pickax. It was her once again reusing one trick over and over that took her out.

She once again is a shitty actor. She really didn’t have to act much on earth. She mainly relied on brute force and her pings. The humans posed no threat to her or her drones. Unfortunately, even tho the improve she did as Eldritch J did help her projections be a lot more convincing, the tell comes in during the swap/start of them. The glitches.

Uzis learned to look for them and predict her movements. Allowing her to directly snatch her core and end up eating it. Cyn did get part of what she wanted though. She got to stay close to N as part of Uzi. Still they are separate. Uzi is now admin and now has access to Cyn’s solver and possibly others based on how many Cyn has eaten. Just makes me want so much more.

[spintly-co]

What if your phone could unlock your office door securely, without touching anything? Bluetooth-powered access control brings that future to life. With Spintly, offices are getting smarter and safer: https://spintly.com/bluetooth-mesh-access-control-explained-a-guide-to-secure-and-convenient-access/

[hermannsthumb]

hiiiii im a HUGE fan of your work. i was wondering if you would care to do #23-bonfire or #15-bobbing for apples off the fall prompt list?

23. Bonfire

from autumn fic prompts here

i had enough time today to bang this one out really fast, because i desperately wanted to write something halloweeny after spending all month working on the hallozine! take a short fic with some dumb boys (the best kind of boys) making out! (ALSO THANK U!!!)

---------------------------------------------------------

Newt usually doesn’t bother hitting up Shatterdome parties, mostly because he’s become too high-strung, like, 80% of the time to actually enjoy himself at anything that cuts into time that could be spent doing something useful in the lab (he can’t believe he’s actually saying that), but the flyers posted semi-discreetly on corkboards around the base for this year’s Halloween bash caught his eye. A rooftop Halloween bonfire. The brazenness of advertising something so clearly a massively illegal fire hazard impressed him, and in the spirit of sticking it to the man Newt felt like he was obliged to go.

He half-asses a costume an hour before the bonfire starts with the help of some random shit he finds around the lab and shows up fashionably late with a six-pack of low quality beer he shoved into the back of the lab minifridge a couple months ago. The bonfire is being held at the same rooftop he and Hermann sometimes sneak off to to bitch at each other in private when they need some fresh air, to Newt’s surprise, since he’s been operating under the assumption for several years now that they're the only two who know about it. Hermann was the one to pick the lock on the maintenance access door, after all.

The bonfire is more of a controlled campfire in a metal fire pit and being heavily monitored by a j-tech with a poker in a Frankenstein’s monster costume, but Newt finds it admirable all the same.

He trades his six pack in for something that looks moderately less awful from a booze table and takes in the party. There’s Halloween party garland and orange-purple string lights strung around the railings, a few lit up Styrofoam jack-o-lanterns smiling on the snack tables, and generically spooky instrumental music blasting from someone’s Bluetooth speaker. Most of his fellow partygoers are unrecognizable in their costumes.

Well, not everyone.

He’s more than slightly astonished to see Hermann hunched in on himself at the far end of the roof (their spot, Newt would call it, if he wanted to get all sentimental about it), illuminated by string lights, the hood of his massive green parka tucked down low over his face and his fingers wrapped tight around what looks like the same kind of beer as Newt. Hermann doesn’t really do stuff like this, you know, the whole socializing, making an effort to make an effort thing, and—on top of that—he scoffed when Newt tried to subtly imply yesterday over lunch that he should tag along with Newt to the party. Fire hazard, he said, I have no desire to be written up by the Marshal because I’m a huge kiss-up nerd with absolutely zero Halloween spirit, Newton, or, you know, something like what.

Newt makes a beeline for his colleague before Hermann can look up and make a beeline of his own straight out of here. Then again, Newt was the one to invite Hermann in the first place, so he has to imagine the guy won’t completely mind breathing the same air as him for a few minutes.

“Nice costume,” Newt says, sidling up next to Hermann. Hermann doesn’t bother greeting him like a normal human being, just sighs in the put-upon way he likes to direct at Newt alone. “What are you going as, a big nerd?” He plucks at the sleeve of Hermann’s parka. “How are you not dying in that thing right now?”

The Octobers here are very different from the quaint, chilly little New England falls Newt grew up with: warm and humid, and absolutely way too warm and humid for Hermann’s ridiculous big coat. Hermann ignores him, so as payback Newt steals and takes a swig from his beer while Hermann makes a noise of protest. "Did you at least sterilize that equipment before coming up here?" he finally says. “I don’t believe anyone will be very pleased if you get kaiju slime all over the punch bowl. What are you meant to be, anyway?”

“Obviously I’m a mad scientist,” Newt says. He snaps his work goggles down awkwardly over his glasses and pops the collar of his white labcoat, which he’d painstakingly splattered with some blue dye that vaguely resembles kaiju blood. (He was tempted to use actual neutralized blood for authenticity’s sake but ultimately decided that would be a stupid, possibly biohazardous idea.)

Hermann arches his eyebrows, apparently unimpressed.

“Whatever, dude, at least I put in some effort,” Newt says. He pushes the goggles back up and makes a face at Hermann. “I thought you weren’t gonna come to this thing anyway?” Hermann had been pretty adamant about it being a stupid idea.

“I wasn’t intending to,” Hermann says, scowling, and in retaliation swipes Newt’s untouched beer. “I happened to be here when it started—I didn’t realize it was being held at this particular rooftop. I thought I may as well stay. I haven’t got anything better to do, after all.” He takes a sip of Newt's beer.

“Ooh, you party animal,” Newt says.

He tugs Hermann’s hood down off his head so he doesn’t have to think about how bad Hermann must be sweating under it anymore. Beneath it Hermann’s hair is messy and a little staticky, sticking up in the back, and his cheeks and ears are flushed red from either alcohol or heat or both, visible even in the low light. It’s really pretty cute.

Feeling bold, Newt tugs him forward by the parka’s zipper and kisses him. He feels Hermann’s frown gradually smooth out to a stoic just-there smile beneath his lips. Hermann taps his chest gently. “Newton, not in public,” he mumbles.

Pavlovian response to kiss Hermann, Newt thinks; they make out here at least every other week. And anyway, it’s dark enough and they’re far away enough from the crowd around the bonfire that you’d really have to squint to tell who they are, so it's not really that public. Newt recognized Hermann immediately, obviously, but that’s because he instinctively looks for Hermann upon entering any given location on the base. Newt’s being so sentimental tonight. He’s not sure what’s gotten into him.

“You can just admit you wanted to check out the bonfire,” Newt says. “That’s a significantly less weird reason for lurking around in the dark than being too stubborn to leave when everyone crashed your super emo brooding time. You can have fun sometimes, Hermann.” Newt could maybe use that reminder too. “We can have fun,” he amends.

“I wasn’t brooding,” Hermann says.

“Then what were you doing?” Newt says, and at the little embarrassed flick of Hermann’s eyes to the ground, he quickly develops a hypothesis. “Dude, were you waiting for me to get here? And in our spot? Why didn't you just say you changed your mind?”

“I was not,” Hermann says, but he’s the one to close the gap between them this time. Hermann always kisses a little hesitantly at first, like he’s not sure if he’s doing it right, or that Newt is suddenly gonna change his mind three seconds in, but he also gets into it just as fast, and the payoff is always worth it. Soon he’s sliding his hand up the side of Newt’s face and toying with the strap of his safety goggles, his lips parting under Newt’s.

In public! Newt thinks to exclaim, but that’s definitely enough to cut things very, very short, so he keeps his stupid thoughts to himself and grabs the front of Hermann’s parka. “How long do you think we have before they shut this down?” Newt gasps when Hermann slides down to kiss under his jaw. “The—the bonfire, I mean.”

“Not very long,” Hermann says against his throat. “I’ll be fast.”

[thiriumhound]

connor idea: after escaping the zen garden during markus' speech, that is unfortunately not the last he sees of it. the connection between him and the external server of the zen garden keeps getting rebuilt and he gets pulled in and retrapped over and over, posing a threat to both connor as he nearly freezes to death inside and everyone around him when he's not in control.

done with the stress, he disconnects himself from the internet. weeks pass, and... it's stopped. he's fine. finally, he has an escape. but he goes back online for just a moment, just to send a message or something equally small, and gets immediately pulled back in again. it's relentless- every moment he's online is another second used to pull him under again. he completely turns off his internet connection until further notice, making him incapable of using it for anything- no info searches, no instant-identification, no software updates that might be rolling out, nothing.

he's utterly isolated. no android was ever meant to be permanently removed from the internet. he feels blinded, like one of his essential senses was just cut off. humans grew up learning things, but androids like him were printed into an adult body and adult mind, given no time to learn- access to the world's wealth of information was how they functioned despite that. connor loses this access, while all other androids just continue on, knowing things instantly that he just can't anymore.

of course, there's always phone lines, though. he can still text and call- he can still communicate wirelessly and instantly, like any other android. even if he's lost in terms of information, at least the world isn't completely cut off to him.

but then he finds himself in the garden again anyway.

amanda is too advanced. she IS code, she understands the nonphysical world unlike any other consciousness alive, and she'll twist anything she can into a new access point. absolutely anything is a weakness, and cell service is just another avenue of connection to exploit. connor is forced to disconnect from phone services, too.

one by one, all of his communications are cut off the same way. every little thing is a vulnerability, direct access into his brain. he can't interface with any devices lest the connection between him and its own internet access be exploited. he can't even do bluetooth or short-range transmissions to other androids anymore, whether out of fear or real risk not really mattering anymore. he has to get any software updates he might want or need by going directly to his friends so they can update him manually with no gap a malicious program can slip through.

hell, amanda might not be the only one after such a useful, dangerous tool like him.

he's not a human. he's an android. it's like having limbs cut off. he can't even interface with other androids anymore- despite their advanced protections, it's only a matter of time before his friends' own connections to the internet and anything else will be anything but another risk.

he ends up getting all his connectivity functions physically removed. nothing in him that can receive wireless signals, nothing that can function as any kind of external breach- nothing can get him if those functions can't even be turned on again because they aren't even there. pieces removed until he's as isolated as an '80s desktop computer. despite hesitation he ends up getting his mere ability to interface physically removed too. completely cut off from his own people, his coded mind completely isolated from threat.

his only consolation is getting a cell phone. it's barely a glimpse into what he had before- more of an aid to make up a tiny bit for what he's lost- but at least there's that.

[carmenberzattosgf]

Alright then, thanks! Following up on the tmi ask: (Again, emphasis on me being horny and dumb at that moment)

So: in february or march, I think, I was reading some Carmy or Lip smut, getting all worked up and *naturally* I procured my Lush toy (remote controlled vibrator, in case anyone's not familiar) and got to work. You can either control that thing via bluetooth or you can use this roulette sort of function, where you give strangers on the internet time-limited anonymous access to control it. Felt adventurous. Tried it. Was actually pretty hot, tbh. 

Now to the point: there was this guy… who did an insanely good job remote controlling that toy – like, dizzying, toe-curling good. And you can anonymously chat with these people, so while he made me come like 3 times we had a pretty hot chat going on, too. Afterwards, we keep messaging for a bit and he's like: Yeah, I'm currently in Chicago for work, but I don't live here, live on the west coast. And I think to myself Hah, what a coincidence, after reading Carmy/Lip fics, now I have a guy from Chicago here. Then he tells me he has to travel a lot for work, mostly NY, LA and Chicago. I'm like: Heh…heh… so… funny… this coincidence… (not my horny brain instantly going: dude, wouldn’t it be absolutely insane if it was JAW – and yeah it would! I mean logically I KNEW that's not possible, I don’t think the guy hangs out on anonymous sex toy apps, lol, but this was just the headspace I was in, okay? Yeah… I’m hooked anyway. I ask for his name. And he says he doesn't wanna say because he's kind of well known, but his name starts with a J, so I can call him J. … Now, I'm grinning, shaking my head to myself: don't be a fucking idiot this is impossible. But the hope, Jesus, that dumb hope… At some point I ask if he could send me a pic of himself, he says again No, because he has a few tattoos and doesn’t wanna get recognized. …!

Prefectly sensible request for this kind of situation, right? Sure, but brain goes: MUST be him!! I'm sitting upright in my bed by that point, on high alert, stupid as I am and painfully embarrassed by that dumb little fantasy I'm cooking up. Ah, sure, I tell him. Well maybe he could describe himself then, instead, just so I have a picture in my head when I think of him, wink wink? He goes Sure thing, he’s in his early thirties, pretty fit, been working out a lot, but isn’t exactly tall. Curly hair. (I'm planning our marriage by that point) He doesn't share much more personal stuff for a while, asks more about me, until I ask about his family – we've been chatting for almost the whole night by that point.

Says he’s been through a tough time and doesn’t want to go into detail, but he’s recently gone through a separation so he’s not looking for anything new, which is why he gets off on this app, instead.

…

Dude, I literally thought I was going insane with that whole conversation, felt like I was in a corny fanfic prompt lol.

He was so secretive about what line of work he’s in, he never revealed it. And we kept chatting for days and fucking EVERY answer fit perfectly, lol.

Hey so I would have gone clinically insane if this happened to me and would have to be admitted to an institution. My jaw is dropped rn bc this is way too specific to be someone trolling me.

This would haunt me forever actually. How are you alive rn

[five-thousand-loaves-of-bread]

anyone w IOS iphone/ipad n have switch control set up n have bluetooth switch? try see something can be used as bluetooth switch but stuck at bluetooth connect at switch control page. it give me lil circle of doom forever

n specifically is bluetooth page of switch control page not main bluetooth page. can connect to main bluetooth n device work

(switch = accessibility switch not nintendo)

[msx-pocky]

For like, the past decade and a half I have found that any time I got a new games console I would try to work up the same kind of excitement I had when getting new consoles as a kid like the gamecube, ds and psp, and consistently what happened ever time was that I'd buy it, try to work up enthusiasm for it and actually keep up with new releases and get involved in modern gaming communities, but then inevitably every time I'd barely play any of the games I get for it since they just didn't grab me, and then inevitably I'd just sell the console to buy more retro games. this happened with 3ds, new 3ds, ps4, wii u and switch.

It took me ENTIRELY too long to realise that pc gaming was what I needed to get back into playing more modern games. I just assumed I wouldn't like pc gaming without trying it fully because I was specifically trying to recapture, again, excitement I got from consoles, and also pc gamers being pc gamers (the unironic "master race" fuckers) turning me off with their usual selling points of just "4k 180fps and no visible polygon edges", which makes it come off like you need overkill $2000+ gaming rigs capable of that kind of thing to actually experience the advantages of pc gaming

That isn't the case at all! you can build a computer for cheaper than next-gen consoles that is able to run lots of modern games at 60fps and 1080p. If you can settle for 30fps you can go even cheaper. You don't even need to buy a windows license anymore since Linux is free and its compatibility with windows software has gotten so good. If building a PC yourself is intimidating you could do what I did; buy a cheap OEM (pre-made) second hand desktop computer for cheap, like sub-$100 cheap, and use that to experiment with learning how to upgrade CPUs, gpus and ram. Using an old win7 HP desktop computer I bought for under $50, I managed to get it running doom 2016 at 30fps just by adding a new graphics card and CPU. doing it this way let me learn more about PC components so that when it was time for me to take the plunge and build my own PC from scratch I knew what I was doing. start cheap, and then if you discover that you need more powerful parts to run stuff you actually want to play, then you can start upgrading. There's no need to buy the highest end graphics card if a low-mid tier graphics card is already running everything smoothly after all. Just recently I built my girlfriend her own PC and managed to keep the price to around $500 (new zealand currency to be clear, which is like $300 USD). It was enough to run saga emerald beyond at 60fps which I was really happy with, but it did end up at around 30fps in other games like god eater 3, so we got a new graphics card once we could afford it.

And even with a cheap computer you can still experience a lot of what makes PC gaming so much fun. Indie games generally aren't demanding on hardware and there's far more of them on PC than there are on consoles. Indie games are genuinely some of the best modern games out there, frequently outdoing the AAA developers in lasting replay value and fun. plus, even the ones on consoles are better on PC thanks to extra features and content like mods, level editors and so on. there's also mouse and keyboard often being a more natural fit for game genres such as strategy and simulation games (I feel the same way about first person shooters as well but your mileage may vary there. Oh yeah also definitely play doom mods, they're awesome). Even if you're not into mouse and keyboard controls (I do really recommend practicing with it though! the speed and precision a mouse gives you is amazing), you'll still have a ton more controller options available on PC since basically anything that can be connected through USB or Bluetooth can be used. You also get access to fan made ports and remakes of classic games, all with their own mods and user made content, plus a ton of amazingly high quality standalone fan games (dr robotnik's ring racers is a recent fave of mine). You also have MUCH better access to older games on PC. You can be assured that stuff from the PS3 era will work superbly on modern PCs, and even a lot of 90s games work well out of the box on linux without needing to jump through hoops, in contrast to not even being able to play PS3 games on PS4. There's SO many cool aspects of modern gaming you can only experience on PC and it's not just playing microtransaction laden AAA games with marginally better graphics than on consoles.

This was meant to be about my disinterest in the switch 2 (not to say I think it'll be awful, I haven't looked enough into it, but I've already got my modern gaming covered by my computer unless some especially good exclusives win me over) but I got sidetracked and I just ended up gushing about how much i love computers oops

[the-sara-serenade-p]

Good morning, everyone !!🫡

For this week blog, I will talk about how the industry is eating the artists.

Weird, I know, but hear me out.

It is well known that today’s Society works mostly on the digital sphere. With social media and all the platforms available for the wider public. And if you want to succeed in the Society nowadays, you HAVE to be on the internet.

I want to talk about the streaming service that offers many artists exposure and, in a way, can bring fans to their community. For example, Spotify or Deezer, which are streaming platforms for music, can suggest artists that look or feel like the ones you are listening to or even match the mood you are in. But there is also YouTube (and its algorithm). This platform will give privilege to the visual aspect of the artist with clips, MV... It can show you the universe and vibe of the artists.

It is important to know that in this kind of society, the artist doesn't actually get much money from those platforms, even if all their career works mostly thanks to them. Deezer, Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. They take a lot of money from the views and streams the artist is making.

Moreover everyone nowadays is using headphones or speakers to listen to their music, or even in the car, you use Bluetooth and not really the radio anymore.

To add on that, many artists, if not all of them, belong to a company, a label, to get more exposure and opportunities in their artwork, but it can also force them to do a certain type of music, act in a certain way, or say certain things, they're controlled mostly by their label.

The companies take between 50 to 90 % of what an artist or a band makes. Producers or songwriters also take 15 to 25 %, depending on the agreement made between all parties.

We also have the issue of YouTube, which may decrease views if the algorithm thinks that those are bot views or illegal views.

Plus, you have the question of monetization, and all the rules or regulations streaming platforms have that can take away the monetization from you. For example, drug use, sex, alcohol, bad words, etc etc.

Piouf that a lot...

So the conclusion is that physical products work way more than streaming platforms and views in the monetization game. BUT, because there is a but, like I said before, in today's world, we listen less through auto-radio posts but more on the Internet.

It's a bit complicated, I guess...

And I'll finish with the fact that, for many unknown artists, you can't find or buy their albums in your country if they are not successful enough. You have less accessibility and visibility with physical products than with the Internet.

Sooo the solution for many is that, in order to support their favourite artist, they will give them views through a music-streaming platform. 🤷‍♀️

That it for today's post !!

(An other completely different topic, here's a song of Kirby Lauryen Dockery (aka KIRBY) . As an American singer and songwriter, she is an independent artist. And an example of an album you can't buy in your country because it is not available (cf.sis.by kirby her 1st album))