#creating and managing database connections

[dmsinfosystem]

Creating and Managing Database Connections in CMS is crucial for every business. Learn to create secure and scalable web applications from this guide.

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

Android (Leona) AU - Commission Piece

Thank you so much @nemisisnemi for the commission!!! (And for also being patient with me LMAO) So, general worldbuilding first, the basic headcanons for every character, Leona-specific building and a Nemi x Leona drabble to finish it off.

If you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, here's my (slightly out of date) comms info. Otherwise, just like/reblog/comment. It means a lot!!

----------------- General Worldbuilding

NRC - Night Raven Conglomerate

Night Raven Conglomerate is known globally for many of their businesses, however their most notable and profitable model comes from Yokai Tech Industries. YTI is responsible for the development of state of the art androids, available for public use. While widely referred to as 'andy's' or 'mechs', YTI has a model for all your personal and business needs, for any budget. (Any budget being from rich, to filthy rich) Each droid model name is indicative of it's role and what it's been programmed to do. Regardless of model, be aware that your bot will have:

Safe search on

A personality chip *please note it will take some time for your bot to develop its personality. It must cater itself to you as an owner and have time to research and develop a personality from external sources. This may mean your bot chooses a name for itself besides its serial number if you do not choose to disable this function

A direct connection to our troubleshooting department

Recording on **all bots 'eyes' or optics are set to record the world around them in order to create a database for themselves and be able to recall old files in order to learn

A user guide and personal password/key in order to access settings in back panel (including most items above)

A recharge station

The Models M.E.C.H- (Managing Everyday Chores and Homemaking) The most common bots on the market, and also, the cheapest! These bots are perfect for individuals and families, taking care of everything from meal planning and budgeting to getting kids ready for school and cleaning! They'll manage household finances and run your errands for you.

M.E.C.H's have a humanoid design, but are manufactured in a white-coloured metal alloy. Most have a feminine appearance, but by request/with permission from their owners they may alter their appearance. Clothing is simulated by internet research and metallic projections that allow them to emulate cloth. (M.E.C.Hs from the factory are often dressed in a maid-like outfit or in a pant suit.) M.E.C.H's are able to alter their "hair" style and colour, so long as it is considered appropriate by their owners. They are also able to shift their height slightly. (this design is somewhat inspired by Dominic Cellini on twt/insta)

M.E.C.H's are very durable and also easy to fix. They are capable of repairing themselves from damage after watching a mechanic fix the specific issue once, or contacting our troubleshooting team. M.E.C.H's are waterproof on their hands, and water resistant overall. They are fire resistant, and are equipped with safety measures in case of an emergency. They also have a direct line with 911. **A business model of M.E.C.H is also available for minimum wage jobs, usually those requiring hospitality skills. They are more susceptible to the emulation of emotion however, than the O.T.T.O model, and may shut down when dealing with a customer. This can usually be avoided by turning off the personality chip temporarily.

---------

O.T.T.O - Occupational Transport and Telecommunications Organizers (O.T.T.O) is a great model to consider for the workplace.

O.T.T.O bots are programmed to help increase efficiency and intrapersonal bonds in the workplace, comparable to an automated secretary. O.T.T.O bots do the following up, so you don't have to. Progress reports and statistics are created and analyzed in record time. They are also trained to deal with H.R conflicts in a calculated and unbiased manner. However, O.T.T.O bots have also recently been taking their place behind the wheel for public transportation, currently the only model approved to drive. So long as they are given ample time to either charge OR refuel, (like a car), they are a much safer option on the roads than humans are. They are a great choice as a chauffeur,( and YTI has proved as such by starting a cab company under a different name/brand.)

On public transit, their appearance is much more industrial than their office-working models. Most O.T.T.O bots tend to remain in their factory settings, remaining completely chrome in colour. They often maintain a bulkier looking chest and shoulder area for the sake of keeping potentially unruly costumers in check, though their arms and legs are capable of stretching and appear similar to bendy straws.

While these bots are reliable, they also seem susceptible to wear and tear. It's often cheaper to replace a bot when it no longer serves it's function properly. (cough cough planned obsolescence cough)

It is not recommended that these bots work in hospitality. YTI is currently working on O.T.T.O bots that may be considered for work in trades, though this has mixed reviews from the public as of right now, over concerns of the bots taking over jobs that require more certification than simple safety and a driver's license.

--------

EM-RR - Emergency Response Robot (often referred to as an "Emery")

This bot is built specifically with human safety in mind. It's only objective is to rescue human lives. These bots are manufactured to look like humans for the most part, as studies have shown receptiveness to being rescued was improved the more humanoid they appeared. These bots are equipped with basic paramedic training, fire fighting, extensive knowledge of the law and how it applies, medical equipment like that found on an ambulance, and search and rescue supplies, including a detachable drone that is a part of them. EM-RR's are also equipped with extra rations of food, water, blankets, toys, and radios. Besides M.E.C.H's, EM-RR's are the best bot to have around kids as they are often able to handle the responsibility, breakdowns and tantrums easily. These bots are also built to withstand extreme temperatures, pressures, and fluids.

They are not yet approved to operate in a rescue mission without a supervisor as many are still learning what does and does not harm a human in terms of handling them.

-------

E.L.U - Entertainment and Leisure Unit

These bots are made for the big screen, often boasting the newest and best technology YTI has to offer. Their appearances are highly dynamic and can switch on a dime according to their whims.

E.L.U's can only be afforded by the highest bidders, and only 1200 models have been made worldwide for the public to buy. (About 35 models are used for YTI's ad campaigns and as actors in movies, and of those models, only 1 is used as a social media 'influencer'.).

E.L.U's are equipped with exceptional emotion-imitating technology. They are able to replicate voices without issue, learn choreography immediately, possess perfect pitch, and are capable of playing any percussion or string instrument.

E.L.U's have been through the most rigorous testing and development. While being able to sustain damage fairly easily, nanotech allows for superficial markings and damages to repair itself. Any damage that occurs on a software level is unheard of, but would be covered by insurance. At least, unheard of to the public

----- Custom Bots (The YTI is currently working to develop a 'build your own bot' program for young aspiring engineers. The program will allow promising individuals to create a new android using the technology available to them in the facility, and also lead to streamlining the process by which someone could order a custom bot. Prototypes have been promising.)

-----

Rapid Fire World Building

Riddle - human toddler Trey - EM-RR - Firefighting specialty Cater - lives at home (mansion) with his dad, who is a banker and investor of Y.T.I Deuce - Mechanic Ace - Was the Roseheart's M.E.C.H, took care of Riddle, began to disobey orders from Dr. Rosehearts, was slightly dismantled and discarded of Leona - Explained Below (E.L.U) Ruggie - O.T.T.O bot, mainly working in taxis. Very friendly, has to do constant maintenance on himself so they don't take him out of service Jack - Mechanics assistant, M.E.C.H Azul - inherited his grandma's restaurant, investor of Y.T.I, has several M.E.C.H's at his disposal Jade - is set to take over his mother's jewelry business Floyd - no formal training as a mechanic, does the upkeep for the Ashengrotto restaurant. Has mixed feelings about the M.E.C.H's, sometimes breaks them just to put them back together Jamil - a hybrid of all three bots, meant to attend to Kalim. Has additional security measures built in place to act as a guard. Kalim - human, investor and advocate for android rights, as he believes they exist beyond just their programming and should be treated equally Vil - E.L.U owned by Eric Venue. Hates it. Rook - EM-RR - search and rescue specialty Epel - Mechanic. Doesn't really like Y.T.I's inventions. Too close to humans Idia - head engineer of Y.T.I. Can you guess why :) Ortho - DECEASED E.L.U model Malleus - a discarded prototype of the E.L.U model. The workers at Y.T.I believe it's battery is dead, but it has been able to hear everything around it for ages. Kept in the discard area, not even used for parts due to issues that came up during testing. "Cursed" Lilia - one of the engineers at Y.T.I. Starting to question whether the use of A.I was a good idea, the more he works with the newer and newer models. Silver - M.E.C.H's original prototype. It's "old" now, and does not hold a charge well. It is good friends with all the engineers and other workers at Y.T.I. Constantly has a mobile charging pack. Sebek - EM-RR, forensics specialty

Leona Specific Worldbuilding

Falena Kingscholar was one of the first investors for Y.T.I. For the sake of PR and as CEO of his late father's clothing company, he deemed his contributions to Y.T.I's research as charity - such a stunning new invention, such innovation could do so much to improve the lives of those less fortunate. He sealed the deal with action when, on M.E.C.H release day, he bought 250 models to give out at random.

Some might make the mistake of thinking he's a selfless man.

As one of the largest investors in Y.T.I, he is given advanced access to latest models, often receiving a prototype after development has been approved. As such, when he heard E.L.U. models were soon going to be able to customized, he approached the owner with a deal he simply couldn't turn down.

So four weeks ahead of schedule, after hours of video footage had been submitted, interviews, photographs, memories retold, AI training, the semblance of his late younger brother stood in his living room, though slightly less...organic, so to speak.

At first it was alright. E.L.U - C 12515141 Was equipped with the knowledge that it's name was to be Leona, it's pronouns from there on were to be he/him, and Falena Kingscholar had requested him to maintain a "brotherly" relationship with him. While he wasn't entirely sure what that meant yet, he agreed. He had been given the videos in his memory banks as to who he was meant to imitate after all.

Leona tried - but to be honest, there was very little footage of the boy he was meant to resemble that offered information about his personality. He mitigated this by asking Falena to take a short questionnaire regarding which siblings in media he wanted him to imitate.

When Leona got his answers however, the patterns didn't line up. The boys he saw in the videos did not match the dynamics Falena had selected.

He saw videos over and over and over again where Falena was the subject, and the boy he was meant to imitate was nothing more than a background character. Secondary.

Now, maybe it was the push to develop him so quickly, so something was overlooked, or maybe it was just how evolution was meant to take place in a machine as novel as he, but something changed about his programming, about his personality.

If the living boy had been nothing but an understudy for the success his elder brother had come out to be....what did that make him? A replacement for someone who was never truly cared for? Built to be a coping mechanism for someone who regretted their decisions? All he was, was the embodiment of Falena's guilt, and a pillar to be Falena's redemption. He wasn't built to be loved, or enjoyed, or even for entertainment, he was built from man's selfishness.

In the following weeks, Leona tried to keep to his programming, but between processing and cross referencing and research on both the family itself and the psychology that he would be expected to have, he started to lapse more. He would write off slips of the "tongue" as "glitches" or his body language began to become more pronounced, usually in regards to annoyance. In between it all, he was trying to figure out if he was experiencing real human emotions about this all...or if it was all just part of the programming.

Eventually, Leona's internal conflict got to be too much. Violent tendencies and impulses began to arise, resulting in him damaging himself, shutting down randomly to avoid external conflict, and an otherwise unexpected disposition.

He listened into the phone number Falena made to send him in for repairs to his "personality chip." Leona took it as a threat, and immediately blocked all outgoing signals to Y.T.I temporarily to find a way to remove his personality chip on his own. Using bathroom tools, the mirror, and damaged pieces of himself, he all but performed surgery on himself to remove it - only to be horrified to realize all the "simulated" emotions he thought he had were still very much present. Unsure what to do, he stored the chip in one of his compartments, out the window and ran.

He was blacking in and out as he went, from the sheer panic he felt but tried to keep under wraps. It wasn't until he made it to a junk yard, where he could bury himself in scraps to hide that he finally let himself dive into power saving mode, sitting silently for who knows how long.

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

Nemi x Leona Drabble

Battery Charged - 100% All Systems Back Online Rebooting Programming. . . Programming Error Detected - Contact Y.T.I? Yes No

"No. No don't contact Y.T.I." Nemi muttered softly, fighting the grime on their fingers to make the touchscreen respond.

It wasn't very often that Nemi or any of the junkyard crew found anything of value - at most maybe half a M.E.C.H or a catalytic converter if they were lucky - but a fully in tact, possibly operational E.L.U was unheard of. It was genuine too. How it had ended up in the junkyard was beyond him, but he wouldn't forsake the powers that be that left such a project to fall into his hands.

He rubbed his fingers on the cloth set over his shoulder, trying again to hit the button on the screen. To his relief, it finally registered.

Y.T.I Services can be contacted throu- (tap, uninterested) If your bot is not perf- (tap, that's what I'm here for...) System's Calibrating . . . System Calibration Complete E.L.U C 12515141 At Your Service, Courtesy of Y.T.I

The screen finally flickered black, before the metal beneath it flickered into the appearance the bot had had last, it's hand coming up to touch it's head as if it had a headache, it's "nose" scrunched as if it were in pain. The optics opened and shut a few times, the gentle whirr of fans blowing out dust and dirt build up that apparently, Nemi hadn't cleaned out thoroughly enough.

Whether the bot itself groaned, or it was it's internal workings coming back to life wasn't distinguishable, but Nemi stayed on his knees next to it as it seemed to slowly adjust to it's new surroundings. It squinted slightly, locking eyes with Nemi before glancing around the humble workshop.

It wasn't until it lowered it's arm it noticed that the chrome finish was no longer there - hell, the damage from his arm was gone. It was slightly bulkier than the other, but all in all, with a little buffing it would be good as new again.

It opened and closed it's hand experimentally, as if processing it was functioning like before.

"...You did this?" The bot's once blue optics much more closely resembled brilliant green eyes, scrutinizing the work of the supposed mechanic next to him.

Nemi swallowed hard, unsure what, exactly about this bot made him feel slightly uncomfortable, but cleared his throat and nodded, gently taking the bot's arm in his hands and turning it to show the carefully soldered metal, just the smallest glimpse of the wires beneath it.

"Yeah, I did. Um, you were partially crushed by a refrigerator? I think it fell on you from higher up in the stack, so I did my best to repair your arm myself. I...I may have taken apart your other arm to make sure I could make the servos match up properly, but everything's good as new. Promise. Name's Nemi, by the way."

The bot stayed quiet a moment longer, now looking down at both it's arms.

"....Why? I was supposed to be scrapped."

The bot finally moved, but only to tilt it's head back til it touched the wall, bringing a knee up to rest one of it's newly repaired arms on it, and closing its eyes. If it could sigh, Nemi was fairly certain it would have.

He adjusted himself, sitting flat on the ground instead, regarding the bot in some confusion.

"But you're an E.L.U. Nobody would just throw you away or, gods forbid, use you for parts. Any self respecting mechanic or robofanatic would repair you. You're gorgeous, top of the line, most sought after kinda model....how'd you end up out here anyways?"

The bot didn't seem to like that question, it's auxiliary power cord flicking, not unlike that of a cat as it looked away.

"Does it matter?"

Can a robot have an existential crisis? The thought passed through Nemi's mind, but he just shrugged in response.

"Not really. But it'd be kind of nice to know your name if you want to stick around here."

Nemi was met with an immediate glare of disdain.

"I'm not gonna follow your orders. Somethin' about defective programming probably came up on my reboot, right?"

Nemi shrugged again.

"Yeah, but you seem fine. Actually you seem like a lot more fun than most M.E.C.H's. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to, but it would be nice to have a friend here."

The bot remained silent, looking away from Nemi. The silence stretched on for a while, before it finally let out a slightly exasperated sound.

"You can stop staring. You can also...call me Leona."

Nemi couldn't help but smile a bit, extending a hand to shake.

"It's nice to meet you."

--------------------------------- OTL thank you again for the comm, hope this was up to expectation and also tag list time! @fluffle-writes @my-cursed-brain @distant-velleity @elenauaurs @lumdays @theleechyskrunkly

DM to be added/taken off ^^

[warsublime]

Open Source Note Taking

I know all of you have followed me for the horny posts about sexual violence but I have decided to post some recommendations for open source tools each Friday to promote my other insidious agenda of increased privacy, security, and independence from for-profit companies.

A lot of you here probably like to journal and take notes so I decided to start with some dedicated note taking apps. Of course you can also take notes in LibreOffice and Cryptpad, but those are more general office solutions similar to Microsoft Office or Google Docs.

Freeplane

For most of my my personal note-taking right now I like to use Freeplane. It's free and open source (hence the name), runs on pretty much every desktop, and provides a solid note taking environment. Notes are represented as graphs (typically trees) which can contain cells which have arbitrary data. These cells can be manipulated with a built-in scripting language which allows you to use it like a spreadsheet in addition to using to store notes. Nodes can be folded as well, and you can make decision trees, flowcharts, etc. very easily.

The interface may look somewhat intimidating since it's not just a regular note taking app, and many users take a mind-mapping approach, but you can just imagine it as a nested tree with the nodes closer to the root being broader concepts than the leaves.

Joplin

Joplin is a markdown based tool for note taking, though it provides a WYSIWYG style editor, intra-notebook links, the ability to store templates, to-do lists, and a few more advanced features. It has an android and iOS app as well. If you want to sync your notes between devices you can self-host a server, use some sort of file sharing tool (like KDE Connect), or pay for their service.

I no longer use it (having since moved to Freeplane, KDE PIM, and SQL), but it's a good program and it might be good for your problems since everyone has different needs.

KDE PIM (KOrganiser or Merkuro)

If you use KDE already, KDE has a PIM suite which allows you to create tasks, events, and schedule things. You can use these to take journal entries which can show up in any calendar you share CalDAV info with (which means that you can link most calendar services to it). It can also be used to share when you are free if you like to schedule meetings. I personally use it for my own daily journaling and task management.

Just Plain Markdown

You can also store things in just plain old markdown files (org mode in emacs or just regular .md

files). Many people swear by this and there are some compelling benefits (near universal compatibility with any text editor as well as a very simple interface for extending it). For this you don't really need any specialized tools, just a text editor of your choosing, ideally with some highlighting for markdown. Nearly every text editor has it, so there's not much to say there.

SQL Databases

This is a niche solution, but I am going to mention it anyways since it took me years to actually try it out despite knowing SQL since no one else mentioned it. If you know SQL just using straight up SQL with a SQL database management tool is actually really good. I have done it (and do it) since for some tasks like storing recipes the added structure is actually quite useful. (and you can do complex queries on the data as well) Essentially you just break your notes into different types (possibly even thinking about how to normalize your knowledge representation, though there's a lot of bikeshedding that way) and then turn those types into tables.

Postgresql is my preferred option simply because I use it at work (and let's face it, if you use SQL you probably do to). However, if you aren't already experienced with SQL it isn't something I would recommend. Though I would recommend learning SQL to everyone, since databases have a similar set of capabilities as spreadsheets but are even more powerful and useful.

[mochiwrites]

so since evo is part of the whole backstory thing I think? since you wrote something for it. does that mean crafting dead is scar’s backstory too? If so then how did grian and scar end up meeting/falling in love?

it is, yeah! I talked a little bit about how they met here and as a bonus, I talked here about some of the evo stuff!

so! expanding on my thoughts a bit more, I think they were pretty young when they first met. scar is young for a vex and grian is just a regular old human player. he's not an avian pre-evo

I'm gonna run with the idea that every server and player world is connected to one giant hub -- kinda like a computer database. so for scar, he had to escape from his crafting dead world (I'm thinking scar's world got corrupted, maybe by the watchers? but the corruption is how the virus broke out and the zombies appeared).

it took him a while because he had to get the materials to create a portal and he had to fix his communicator to even be able to connect anything to the main hub. I have to flesh this out more, but that's the basic idea rn!! soooo he manages to get out of the world (before it completely collapses and the code is destroyed).

scar kinda wanders for a bit, has to find himself now that he's not clawing for survival every day. and he ends up stumbling on the hypixel hub, which will give him exactly what he needs: an excuse to explore who he is and who he wants to be. he definitely picks up his conman lifestyle here.

then enter grian, who's essentially behaving as a nomad. I think he's a builder for hire, doing a lot of free lance stuff. he's got an apartment in hypixel and a somewhat established life.

as for how he and scar meet? well that's easy. scar scams him :D

scar gets maybe one or two days before grian is marching up to him and demanding compensation because he knows scar scammed him. scar tries to play it off but grian is Stubborn and really cute, and scar, in all of his smartness and not at all being influenced by his attraction, apologizes and offers to make it up to grian.

I think scar is kinda. homeless. he's just wandering hypixel, exploring what he can with what little money he manages to get together. so how does he make it up to grian? well, he puts those conman skills to good use! he manages to smooth talk his way into getting himself and grian a table at a restaurant for free ;3

and grian really isn't sure why he's agreeing to this... date, maybe it's due to curiosity. scar is offering a free meal, and he's easy on the eyes and sure. okay, yeah he'll let this handsome fella get him dinner.

it's through this dinner that grian discovers scar is homeless and impulsively decides to let scar stay in his apartment with him. and well. roommates to lovers :D

[the-batcomputer-project]

Batfamily (and other) Headcanons that will be canon in my DC timeline:

-Dick is Pansexual. Show me this man in romantic relationships with more than just woman. I also feel like he has potential to be a sex positive icon which I feel is important. Sex portrayed as something that can be fun and casual, not explicitly reserved for romantic partners and situations.

(edited to rephrase and remove offensive language towards the pan community)

-Jason is Asexual. Get some ace representation but also give him some healthy romantic relationships where sex is not the center or a necessity. (I’m partial to Jason/Roy but to each their own)

-Jon Kent is dyslexic. Insert Percy Jackson reference about his brain being wired for kryptonian, but no, the dyslexia comes from Lois.

-Jason was absolutely theater kid before his death who managed to get the lead role almost every time, and somehow maintained a healthy schedule of theater rehearsals, good grades, and patrols.

-building off of the last one, Jason is Bruce’s favorite allowing him to get away with pretty much anything, but no one notices this because Jason is convinced Bruce hates him, and everyone else (understandably) believes Cass is the favorite.

-Cass took up gardening after watching Alfred tend to the rose bushes out front, and is now responsible for the very impressive garden on the Wayne Estate. She loves being to create and nurture life instead of kill, like the was born and raised to. Jason also taught her the language of flowers and she has little flowerbeds for each member of the family. Only Jason knows what they mean (also Alfred but he knows everything)

-Tim isn’t a caffeine addict, but he does have severe insomnia and ADHD. Because of that, caffeine typically has the opposite effect on him, hence why he always seems to be drinking a cup. Either for the placebo effect to stay up and finish a case, or to make him tired enough to fall asleep.

-Damian struggles to connect with people and express gratitude, appreciation, and love. He asked Cass about her garden one day and very intently sat and listened while she taught him about the language of flowers. Each family member woke up the next morning to a drawing of a bouquet of flowers pinned to the door with a knife (Jason has his framed in a safehouse he is fairly sure none of his family knows about)

-The batcave has a secret vault of “bad ideas” which was started by Dick as a child with the original Robin suit Bruce designed (it had pants) along with videos of Dick wearing said costume and falling off of gymnastics bars. (Think of the video explaining why strippers don’t wear clothes with the person falling off the pole over and over)

-Bruce is autistic. He gives off tism vibes (you’re trying to tell me that a man who dresses up as a bat and fights crime as a trauma response to watching his parents be murdered in front of him is neurotypical?) and I also want to see more a positive autism representation in main characters in media.

-Dick’s use of made up words such as “aster” and “whelmed” come from the fact that he spoke very little English when he was first adopted by Bruce, and decided that using obviously made up words made his slip ups less noticeable, or people would assume he did it on purpose. Even after he mastered English, he continued using his made up words because they just made sense (the batcomputer and jl database have a hidden file called the “DICKtionary” unlinking all his words and their meanings)

-Jason can’t drive. He died when he was 15 (you have to be 16 in Jersey to get your permit), was revived in Nanda Parbat so there was no need to drive, and was too embarrassed to mention it by the time he returned to Gotham and the Batfamily. This is his deepest, darkest, secret.

-As a child, Dick was convinced Batman was a vampire (and still isn’t entirely convinced otherwise)

-Tim collects little trinkets. Dick noticed this early on, and made sure to get a little souvenir trinket for Tim every time he went on a trip. Bruce noticed and started doing the same thing, and so did his friends after a while. Tim proudly displays his collection, because to him, each trinket is a reminder that people are thinking about him and care about him. (Most of his possessions in Drake Manor were necessities like clothes, or things he had bought for himself. Barely anything was a gift)

-Jason has OCPD, and needs things to be an exact certain way, and struggles when they aren’t. It’s one of the biggest reasons why he is often so frustrated with Bruce, who tends to do things in a different, certain way.

-Cass is actually the most neurotypical in the family, though because she has learned how to be a person through observing, she has picked up on many neurodivergent traits, specifically stimming.

-Steph’s aesthetic is retro pastel pop, mixed with maximalism. She loves bright colors and loud designs (though purple is still her favorite by far)

-Alfred keeps guns stashed all over the house in case of emergencies. Bruce hates this and has tried to remove them, but has given up as he can never seem to find them all. Alfred also brought up the good point of “I am not a vigilante like you, Master Bruce, and I am not quite as young as I used to be. If there is ever an invasion of the manor, I would quite enjoy the security of being able to protect myself.”

-There is a list of who is banned from the kitchen. Bruce is at the top of the list, Tim isn’t allowed to make anything more complex than instant food, Cass and Damian aren’t very good, but at least make an effort to learn so are therefore allowed with supervision. Dick has a partial ban. He is an absolute disaster in the kitchen, except for soups, and sarma (his mother’s recipe was one of the few things he brought with him from the circus and was obsessed with perfecting it as a kid, leading it to be one of the only things he can actually make) Steph isn’t allowed to cook, but she is a proficient baker. Duke isn’t a horrible cook, but mainly avoids the kitchen, preferring to stay out of Alfred’s way. Jason is the only batfamily member who is not banned from the kitchen under any circumstances. He has a tendency to stress cook, and likes trying new fancy recipes, because on the streets he only ate what he could find. This gives him a sense of control.

-Superman wasn’t a great dad to Connor at first, opting to send him to the farm to stay with Ma and Pa, but after a stern talking to from Bruce, came around started making an effort. Connor is an excellent big brother to Jon.

[2and2makes5]

Media Analysis: Hetalia Axis Powers (Eps. 1 - 19)

I knew this one was coming. I've always known about Hetalia Axis Powers for the longest time, as I used to see it everywhere while growing up on the internet. I was never into it because of the amount of Yaoi content I've seen on the internet about it and I assumed that was what it was all about. However, I was mostly wrong about that. These first 19 episodes of Hetalia may seem like a light hearted comedy on the surface, but deep below, this show reflects deeper social and cultural dynamics embedded in the anime fandom. Using another reading from this week, World Conflict/World Conference: Axis Powers Hetalia by Sandra Annett, it can be shown how this show of personifying nations as attractive young men is a fantastic way to portray world history and how it manages to open up to a certain audience: young women.

Characters like Italy, with his infamous pasta obsession, or England, with his tsundere disdain for France, are not just historical caricatures; they’re built with "moe elements", designed to inspire an emotional connection. As Annett points out, these traits are very appealing to fujoshi fans, women who enjoy media with romantic relationships between male characters, who often consume this type of media for character dynamics rather than the story. For example, America's flashy "hero" persona contrasts well with Japan's restraint, which is a fan-fiction-creating factory in and of itself. This type of stuff allows for communities to grow and for creativity to flourish.

I'd also like to point out how short these episodes are. The five minutes that each episode lasts perfectly mirrors the idea of database consumption that Annett describes. One episode goes from talking about diet plans and then goes into personifying the Cold War's awkwardness. The idea here is that fans don't need a story; they need points for their favorite parings of characters, jokes, and interpretations.

Outside of the Yaoi and all that, Hetalia Axis Powers does do an excellent job at reimagining political topics in ways that people can better understand, turning history into something deeply personal and global.

[feruslands]

"Daddy Feri", part 8

My sketch fanfic for @reconstructwriter and @la-sopa who inspired me to continue this long story, and for everyone who loves "Vader/Ferus" (later Anakin/Ferus)

Warnings: rape, cruelty, war crimes

Vader told the Jedi that he would smuggle him onto the Destroyer secretly, but did not tell him how. Back in the fortress on the Vjun, he drugged the prisoner with a synthetic drug that plunged the Jedi into a deep unconsciousness. He brought it packed in a standard body bag on a personal TIE and landed in the Destroyer's general hangar.

He himself established the strictest discipline and strict observance of regulations on the ship. Unfortunately, it was working against him now. He couldn't have personally dragged the Jedi's body unnoticed past all the surveillance systems. But he knew exactly and in detail how the tracking systems on his Destroyer were located, so he quickly came up with a way to trick this system.

The freezer of the Devastator morgue had long been overflowing with dead bodies, so Vader ordered his subordinates to pull all the corpses out of the freezer, spread them out on the floor of the hangar and begin the process of collecting biometric data for identification.

All the dead bodies of the rebels had to be passed through the identification procedure before being destroyed. This allowed the Imperial Security Bureauto create a database of intelligent beings who were close relatives or friends of the killed rebels. Previously, Darth Vader considered these processes a waste of time and resources, but later he was able to admit that the formed databases justified their existence. Thanks to this data, the Empire became able to calculate potential enemies in advance.

Vader silently watched as the sorting and identification of the bodies took place. As soon as a dead body was identified, it was taken to a general recycling facility. At the same time, humans and droids were busy sorting and distributing the supplies delivered.

Canisters and boxes of medicines were placed next to the place where Vader's TIE was located, forming a barrier wall. Thus, a blind spot space for surveillance systems has been formed here. Vader used the Force to pull a black bag out of the TIE and, dragging it across the floor, added its edge to the line of the dead lying on the floor. The moment Ferus's packed body lay down in one of several rows of corpses, Vader had a strange feeling. He is one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy, and at the same time he is now smuggling his bitch in a bag for sexual pleasure onto his own ship. This made him chuckle. He felt so exciting only in his youth, when he managed to fool his young and inexperienced master for some little thing. But his youth is long gone. Sadness and pain came to Vader suddenly. They quickly turned to anger at their former Master.

He hated Kenobi so much! Kenobi cut off his limbs and left him to burn alive! He turned him into a crippled cyborg!

Unexpectedly for himself, the Sith did something that he had not done once in the last nine years. Vader reached through the mental channel of his previous connection and turned to the former master.

"Look at what I've become now, Obi-Wan! I rule the galaxy. I control the Force and it serves me."

He knew that in response he would run into emptiness. He knew, but the bitterness of the emptiness at the end of the connection still covered him.

"In mockery of the Order and you, I made my slut of the most exemplary Padawan."

But the Force remained as serene and silent as ever. Wherever Kenobi was now, it was as if he didn't exist at all. Could the old man have died over the years? And why did this thought create not rage inside him, but a void devouring him from within?

"I hate you, Obi-Wan!" He shouted through the mental channel of his former connection. "You are a disgusting Master! You're nothing as a human being! You..." he shouted insults and accused him for a long time, but there was no response. The silence was crushing and splitting him apart. It was unbearable. And the Sith forced himself to immerse himself in his work. Several hundred more corpses had to be disposed of before all this unfrozen cargo started to stink badly.

"My Lord Vader, the compliance check is complete. All medicines have been received in exact quantities", one of the senior officers responsible for receiving the next batch of medicines that were delivered to the Destroyer every month specifically for the Sith reported to him.

Vader looked at him. He felt that the employee was afraid of him, as were many other subordinates. Behind him, the Sith with masterly dexterity tossed a black bag inside one of the medicine crates. The lid of the box slid down smoothly and soundlessly. That's it, it's done.

"Bring this to my quarters as usual." Vader ordered.

The Sith looked at the datapad screen, and he didn't like something very much.

"By order of the Emperor, new medical equipment should have already been delivered. Why is it not on the list? "

"I... I don't know anything about it, My Lord. We do not have any data on such a delivery…"  The officer was sweating.

"So find out it." Vader ordered. He felt a sharp irritation that the emperor had decided to delay the delivery of his new medical station. This was the thing he needed so badly right now. The Sith was well aware that this delay was just a continuation of the punishment.

Gradually, all the distributed cargo was sent to the necessary compartments and the last work was completed. Darth Vader did not want any unpleasant surprises, and therefore he did not let go of control of the situation until the carrier droids brought all the things to his chambers.

When he finally found himself alone in his apartment, surrounded by a pile of boxes of medicines and cans of bacta, he dumped the Jedi's body out of the bag, and injected him with a dose of stimulant that was supposed to make his body fully function and bring him back to consciousness. But as soon as he woke up, the Jedi could not control his body, he could not even stand on his feet.

"Weakling", Vader thought contemptuously. Such a dose of stimulant brought him back to working condition after much more severe injuries. He wasn't going to send the Jedi to the medical droids, otherwise he would have had to mess with erasing their memories. Without giving him time to recover, Vader roughly grabbed him by the collar and dragged him across the floor to the place where the secret cell was located. He removed the wall panel and opened a small hole located at the bottom of the wall, which was more suitable for the passage of a pet rather than a human.

"I'll visit you later, bitch," Vader promised with a nasty grin, shoving the Jedi into a cramped cell.

He pushed a bag with a needle and an intravenous feeding wire into the cell with his foot, and blocked the passage to cut off the prisoner from the outside world.

**

Once in the cell, Olin felt as if he had been walled up in the walls. The ceiling was so low that he couldn't even stand up to his full height. Ferus settled down on the floor. He couldn't let go of restless thoughts about Leia. He didn't want to think about the horror the little girl went through when she saw Vader packing him in a bag.

He was afraid for her. Anything could happen while Leia was there alone. Vader, of course, considered his fortress impregnable. But the Sith had an overblown ego about everything. And what if the fortress is attacked, precisely at the moment of the owner's absence? Ferus had no idea how long this shitty assignment of Vader's would take, and that ignorance tormented him.

The main thing is not to die here. But his condition left much to be desired.

Exhausted by anxious thoughts, the Jedi fell into a dream filled with a kaleidoscope of nightmares. He dreamed of the Bast Castle, which was washed away by acid rains. He realized with horror that the ruins of the fortress had buried his daughter under the slabs. Ferus rushed forward, but saw only a grinning cyborg in front of him. At some point, his dream changed, and instead of Vader, the Jedi saw his former home, Bellassa. He lived there a long time ago, before he came to Alderaan. His dream was full of gloomy anxiety, but he did not know why. The streets of his hometown looked calm, quiet, but completely deserted. Ferus felt that something terrible and irreparable had happened here. How could it be otherwise? After all, the Sith have always acted meanly and cruelly. Whatever crime Vader had committed, it was just his normal, day-to-day job while he served Palpatine. Suddenly, the Emperor appeared in front of Ferus, smiling insanely. This ugly wrinkled old man stretched out his arms to strike him with lightning bolts.

Olin was abruptly awakened by the sound of the passage opening into the cell. Vader certainly didn't care about the Jedi's moral anguish or his physical discomfort.

The Sith was ready to act harshly if the prisoner tried to resist. But the prisoner was in a state where he didn't quite understand where he was, what time of day it was, and wasn't everything happening a dream? Due to the prolonged lack of medical care, the Jedi's brain was working very slowly. He looked blank and sick.

Ferus saw that Vader was crawling into his cell like a predatory alligator into a cage for prey. It seemed that the vile ghost of the Dark Side was spreading far ahead of its master.

"I'm going to fuck you," Vader told him this fact. Ferus blinked uncomprehendingly. Vader enjoyed watching the stupid confusion flash across the Jedi's face. What was the fool waiting for? That he climbs into this kennel to read romantic poems aloud to him?

Vader's foot slipped and he landed on his stomach. He swore. Olin didn't know the expletive, but he recognized one of the dialects of the Hutt language. So Vader spent his youth in Hutt Space? Was that where Palpatine raised his apprentices in secret? And in the end, Vader turned out to be the most capable student and just killed all the competitors in some monstrously cruel test, but he himself suffered terrible injuries? It seemed like the truth. At least Vader had the manners and characteristic brutality of a savage bandit on the edge of the galaxy, and Hutt space had been a stronghold for all sorts of assorted scum for decades.

But Vader's Force was really incredibly huge. Ferus's potential for Force sensitivity was only negligible compared to the Sith.

He was distracted from such thoughts by Vader, who grabbed the prisoner by the ankle with a Force's tentacle and dragged him across the floor by Force, pulling him to himself.

Vader took off only the part of his armor that covered his groin area.

"You've missed me already, haven't you, slag?" Vader whispered in his ear as he swung his leg over the prisoner's body and leaned on top of him.

Vader stank abominably of a mixture of sweat, burnt electronics and metal, medicinal mixtures and rotting flesh. And the Jedi felts this blend of stench especially vividly in such a cramped, stuffy cell.

The Sith puffed over him with pleasure, like a lustful animal, while he pounded his dick into him.

After the rape, Vader carefully wiped jedi's blood and his own sperm from his dick with prisoner's pants. Now this nerd would have to dress in a soiled rag, or stay lying here with his bare ass, and for some reason Vader had no doubt that this buttfucked bitch would choose.

"Here you go," Vader grinned and threw a wad of soiled pants at the prisoner. "it's a great rag, especially for an arrogant son of a bitch like you."

Vader didn't say anything else to him. He crawled away on all fours, crawling through the entrance hole in the wall. The Sith grunted disgustingly and breathed loudly like a snoring Hutt while he restored his breathing, which had become more frequent during sex.

"Stinking brute", Ferus thought, looking at Vader's ass crawling on the floor. He wanted to kick Vader in the ass. Despite all the damage and the presence of heavy armor, the Sith deftly crawled out of the chamber and blocked the passage.

Ferus closed his eyes, trying to distract himself with different thoughts from the pain, discomfort and his own shame that Vader had once again raped him.

Counting the past time was difficult, the Jedi had no idea when it was night and day. Sometimes he couldn't tell if he fell asleep for hours or just fell into unconsciousness for a few minutes.

Strangely enough, Vader did not come back. Ferus immersed himself in the Force, but did not feel the Sith's presence nearby, and did not hear any sounds behind the wall. There was tension in the Force. The Jedi did not know what exactly the Sith was doing, but wherever Vader was now, he was undoubtedly doing evil. Something really terrible was happening. Something compared to which rapes were just child's play. And again he couldn't do anything. Neither to prevent Vader's actions, nor just to help himself. Nothing.

**

There was complete chaos on Bellassa and it required Vader's direct intervention.

When the Sith appeared on the surface of the planet, he felt a surge of strength and immediately set to work zealously. The Bellassians were unwilling to acknowledge the emperor's authority and serve him. The workers did not want to work in the Imperial factories and maintain the headquarters. Such a cohesiveness of beings disloyal to the emperor could become dangerous. They really believed that the Empire would leave their planet if they resisted hard enough.

Vader personally eliminated the dissenters. But it was ineffective. The rebels hid well and often made sorties, after which they deftly hid in shelters. Every Bellassian considered it his duty to help anyone who fought against the Empire.

For a moment, Vader found it tedious, but the Bellassians still acted smoothly and defiantly. There were constant armed clashes in the city with stormtroopers patrolling the streets.

Vader understood that as soon as his fleet left the planet, the rebels would immediately come out of their shelters and start interfering with the work of the imperial factories again. However, they didn't hesitate to harm right under his nose. It was necessary to somehow suppress their will and discourage them from fighting for a long time.

Mass arrest of the rebels could have solved the issue, but Vader had a slightly different solution. Fortunately, he had a large enough army to stage massive raids all over the city. But the rebels were not the target of the capture. Vader ordered all the children from the streets of the city to be taken hostage. Stormtroopers broke into residential buildings to forcibly take children and hold them at the central headquarters until the local rebels surrendered and the workers stopped rioting and went to work in factories.

After these demands were made, the situation changed dramatically in just a few days. Because of the captured children, the Bellassians plunged into terrible fear and lost their fortitude. The Empire demanded that impeccable order be established in the city, and the local rebel leaders stopped armed uprisings and bowed to the imperial authority. And the Bellassians, broken by intense expectation, finally laid down their arms. Local workers began to go out to work in factories. They were ready to obey the Emperor if their children were returned to them. The Sith was surprised that it was possible to turn the situation in favor of the Empire so quickly.

And feeling the moral defeat of the townspeople, Vader ordered the release of the little hostages. Not out of mercy, but simply because he saw no point in holding them any longer.

The children returned to their families and after that the Bellassians completely surrendered and submitted to the empire. The workers ended the riots and went to work in the Imperial Factories. Civilians began servicing the imperial headquarters. The Bellassians were happy that their children had returned home alive, but for this they had to bow before the Emperor.

The Empire gained an easy victory and Vader's fleet departed.

The Devastator was flying in hyperspace when Vader received a call from Palpatine.

"You pleasantly surprised me, Darth Vader," Sidious's wrinkled snout stretched into a wide smile. "Strategic calculation has never been your advantage before. But I have to admit that this time, your idea of the weakness of the Bellassians was absolutely correct. A simple order to capture the children led us to complete victory in just a few days. And I already expected that they would fight to the point of complete extermination, but you were able to subdue them so easily! They really believed that we would bring their children back alive. It was very pleasant to break the will of the population of an entire city, wasn't it, my friend? "

"Yes, my Master."

"Everything that followed was tough, but very effective. Let our enemies be in constant fear of us."

"I am glad to serve you, Master. "

Satisfied with his apprentice, Sidious cut the connection.

Vader remained standing on the Destroyer's command bridge. For a while, the Sith stared at the bright blue stripes of hyperspace. He requested a report on the Bellassa case, and after reviewing the data, he called a senior officer to him.

"It says here that each captured 'unit' was injected on the final day of captivity for 'delayed death.'" Vader pointed to the datapad.

"Yes, sir. All the children of the rebels will die."

"I didn't ask you about their fate. I'm interested in who gave the order to act this way behind my back?" He demanded.

"Emperor Palpatine has given the order, My Lord."

"You are dismissed."

Darth Vader understood everything. Sidious did not cancel his order, he only refined this order, brought it to perfection, teaching a lesson to both the rebellious planet and his apprentice.

And with this order, Palpatine destroyed most of the younger generation of the capital of Bellassa.

Vader remembered the Master's recent words. From abstract reasoning, it so masterfully materialized into reality.

"When commanding everything, you must know how to maintain your power. Sometimes it is better to punish slaves for disobedience one more time, even when the slaves' will has already been broken and they agree to obey. Deferred punishment for insubordination, like an unexpected blow, is a wonderful way to cultivate obedience in them."

Vader closed the report summary on his datapad. This means that the captured children returned home in the morning to their parents, who were waiting for them so much that for this they rejected their principles and obeyed the will of the emperor, but by evening the counting of sudden deaths of children will begin. And so it will be until every single one of them dies.

Vader wasn't worried about the fate of the Bellassian children. He was glad that the task was completed so quickly, and he was already moving towards the Vjun.

He thought of the Bellassian who was currently imprisoned in his apartment. Did he want to make Ferus experience the same thing that the parents of the Bellassian children would experience?

Probably not. Fortunately, Vader had plenty of other ways to hurt him. Still, Sidious had taught him something today. Mercy is a weakness.

[the-nox-syndicate]

SysNotes devlog 2 - retrieving data from the database and NEW profile features!

Welcome back to my SysNotes update! SysNotes is a system management app for people with DID, OSDD, and those who are otherwise plural.

Today I will flesh out the backend of the application (which was completely missing in the first devlog) and add some new profile fields.

First Devlog (1) | Previous Devlog (1.5)

Pulling data from the database and populating the profiles

If you remember, in the first devlog I used hardcoded data to test the interface like so:

Storing data in code is not sustainable or maintainable, so in devlog 1.5 I have identified the most suitable database structure, created some tables, and filled them with test data. To populate the tables I generated dummy data using the Faker library which uses random Latin words to create sentences. This was the result for the Alter Profiles table:

First, let's delete the hardcoded data from the code. Wow, the user interface is looking so empty now!

I already implemented the basic code for processing alter data and displaying it on the page in devlog 1. However, I had to make some tweaks to it due to the nature of database queries.

Firstly, when loading Alter Profiles for the side menu, I'm only selecting their name and ID, without the other fields (description, history, etc). A common mistake beginner developers make in simple cases like this is retrieving the entire DB record. But the side menu does not need the extra information, and loading it in alongside the name would make the page slower!

You may also notice that I'm getting the names in alphabetical order - I thought this would look nicer on the sidebar than if the names were all random, and make it easier to navigate. I'm only getting the profiles that belong to the current user.

When I get the actual profile data, I retrieve it with its status and characteristics, which are stored in separate tables:

And here we go, the profile page now uses the data stored in the database!

New profile features

But this is all just using the the proof of concept profile fields I mocked up in devlog 1. In this devlog, I want to add NEW fields to allow the profile page to do more powerful things, and better integrate with the future features of Inner World and Front Decider (still looking for a better name for it 😩).

(By the way, I assigned the Ulysses profile to a different user for testing, so you won't see that profile in the sidebar from now on)

Alter origins

One new profile field I've been wanting to add is an alter's origins. Some of my alters split from trauma, others from loneliness, and others through being AuDHD. I created a new table called "Alter Origins" with an optional owner ID. This means that some origins are universally available to all users, while others can be created by users themselves to customize their profile. In this example, "stressgenic" is a custom origin my user (Test System) created.

To use this table, I need to connect it to the Alter Profiles table using a foreign key:

Now we can access it on the front end!

(It shows on the top line, highlighted red)

Side note: I had issues with most Tailwind v4 colors not working so I had to manually define the origin badge color classes based on the official Tailwind values 😓 I'm not sure how to fix it, I wanted to leverage Tailwind to allow users to select "custom colors" from the Tailwind palette... I'll look into it at another time.

Relationships

I wanted the ability to set up bidirectional relationships between alters and display them after the character traits area.

I created an Alter Relationships table with some relationships and their badge colors:

And then I created a pivot table where alter 2 is Alice, alter 3 is Amari, and alter 5 is Benji:

Now if we go to Alice's page, we will see:

And Amari's will show:

This feature took a long time to implement because I ran into some issues with the pivot table and model relationships. I'd be lying if I said I have a good grasp of Eloquent 😅

Alter categories

One last thing I want to add in this devlog is to add custom categories that the names in the sidebar could be sorted into, which would be helpful for systems with many alters (or those who want to store their alter data and OC data in one place but want to distinguish between them, like me).

I will add some default categories to the database - however, you will be able to add new custom categories to suit your needs. I also want each profile to have one OR MORE categories for flexible filtering. This means, annoyingly, that I have to tinker with yet another pivot table 😩

Here is my Alter Categories table. Like with origins and relationships, "owner_id" refers to the user who made the category, and NULL categories are available to all users.

The pivot table looks like any standard pivot table so I'll omit it for this feature. I've had enough of pivot tables. Luckily, I got the model relationships correct the first time 😎

And now, Alice's profile shows her categories under her relationships:

(And here are all the category badges so far)

But this isn't all! I want to be able to filter my profiles by category in the sidebar.

Let's create a drop down! I think this looks alright:

Now let's load the categories of our available profiles into the dropdown. For this, I will need to fetch the categories table when getting the profile names.

The dropdown code basically takes the array (list) of all profiles, compares each profile's category to the selected category, and adds them to the array of filtered profiles, then displays them. If the selected value is "-" it just displays the full list of profiles.

And here we go, our fragments are Alice and Colin:

I also wanted to add the ability to group profiles by their categories (e.g. grouping by Age will split the names in the side bar into "syskid" and "adult" boxes). But this devlog has gone on for quite a while, so I'll save that for another time ;)

What next?

I wanted to finish the whole Profile section and move on to the more exciting inner World and Front decider features, however the complexity of the profile section so far requires me to spend a few more devlogs on it, oops 😅 So here is what you can expect in the next few devlogs:

Rethink the User Interface of the Profile page (all these badge colors are getting messy! And is the current layout the best for displaying the data? Find out next on Dragon Ball Z!)

Add a way to create new profiles using the New Profile form

Add ability to edit the profile information and delete profiles

Do you have ideas on other fields and features I could add to SysNotes? Or maybe you have suggestions on how to clean up the UI? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading 🙌

[wisteriaiswriting]

Sabah Cecelia Candemir Info Post

Meet my valorant oc, everything from lore to ingame versions and voice lines underneath. (Please bear with me with the backstory, I don't really know much about science or how it works so I'm being vague)

Thanks to @mewcharm for the artwork!!

Moving all the way from Turkey, Replica is sent in to silently backstab his enemies. Confusing them all while also causing feelings of unease and deceit for his team to finish them off.

Voice claim: Aston Fox - Fantastic Mr Fox

Full Name: Sabah Cecelia Candemir

Alias(s): Replica

Gender: Male

Age: 26 years old

Place of Birth: İzmir, Turkey

Date of Birth: 17/01/2014

Star Sign: Capricorn

Race: Radiant

Occupation: Field agent

Height: 5’10 | 177cm

Weight: 71 kg

Skin Color: Ivory

Hair Colour: White

Hair Style: Tied back in a braid that ends around the waist, with a now rough and uneven fringe

Eye Color: White

Clothing: Light gray sleeveless compression shirt with the top half covered by a sleeveless purple and a gold jacket. Baggy black pants partly covered by tall, black laced boots.

Dark purple tv head; created to give his vision back (A grid, game like vision) also coded to occasionally have a face

Accessories: Dark purple straps clip at the back, holding his primary gun. Dark purple compression band just above prosthetic arm, with various clips and straps across the pants.

Features: Huge burn mark that stretches across his face, covering his eyes

Amputee: Lower left arm was lost, replaced by a more modern and sleek prosthetic

Blindness: Almost completely blind, without the helmet he needs guidance and help around

During any off days or undercover missions he uses a cane or an android service dog (Which was made to be able to pass as a normal dog)

Role: Initiator

Weapons: Primary is a Judge with sidearm being a shorty

Work style: Prefers to lurk, catching anyone trying to flank and flanking the enemies. But is often made to push, rushing sites with copied abilities.

Abilities:

Basic Abilities:

Stolen Not Copied - A small part of his arm can be removed and planted somewhere, being a one time use before needing to be collected and recharged. When a radiant passes by in close proximity it zaps the person, taking a chunk of their energy. Slowing their ability usage while transferring it to Replica.

Virus - A small device that is hidden in his pants pockets, always either dropped or hidden somewhere. With a few second delay when deployed, sending out two types of signals, one focuses on electronics / non-radiants, shutting down any that are in use in its reach. While the other targets radiants, stopping any abilities either in use or to be used. Quick to wear off though.

Signature ability: Able to make a clone of any selected person while going invisible himself. The clone is weaker and more easily damaged than a normal person, and the destruction makes him visible again. Mainly used as a distraction or a get away tactic.

Ultimate ability: With the helmet connected to the Kingdom database this allows Replica to scan through everyone, able to select anyone to change into and use their radiant abilities, (Expands to unaffected people as well) at will his physical look will change to match. This does mean he has to learn how to use or at least control the chosen ability, as the drawbacks are worse for his body.

Strengths: Alert, conscientious, dutiful, industrious, persistent, practical, self manageable, resourceful, prideful

Weaknesses: Apathetic, self destructive, prideful, stubborn, bitter, envious, spiteful

Family

Mother: Naila Candemir - 63 years old

Strained relationship often pushed him to do better than they ever did. Neglecting their chance to be a child growing up, keeping low contact until she retired, suddenly cutting all contact.

Knew everything about space, wrote books about her findings. Adores the stars, watches them every night without fail.

Father: Renat Candemir - 58 years old

A closer, still strained relationship. Comforting Sabah after his mother but never tried to stop her. Disheartened but understanding of going low contact, confused at the sudden loss of.

Always loved the ocean, writing down everything he knew or found out in a variety of journals that are stashed in his study.

Love Interest: Cypher

Meeting at 21 and 34 years old on Cypher’s undercover mission, meant to try to gather information from a young, promising scientist. Getting a small amount before getting distracted while causing a disturbance, causing the two to get caught in a flirty conversation before leaving.

Grew up in Amasra, Turkey, until the age of 7. That’s when the routine of moving due to his parent’s job started, moving around the world before settling down in Ontario, Thunder bay. Just before this Sabah was able to get a job at Kingdom, mainly supervising the research happening. On the day the collider was set to work the explosion happened, being trapped in a room right infront of it, escape wasn’t possible.

Trapped under rubble that took his sight and arm, he had to wait for someone to realise, being found just in time. Placed into a medically induced coma for a month, letting the body recover as much as possible before starting everything else. With his sight being nearly completely gone they worked on an android dog and a cane. Starting walking rehabilitation, continuing for nearly 3 months.

Tests during this time showed ‘unnatural’ changes, as he was so close to the explosion some of his DNA was changed. Specifically affecting his ‘human’ side, turning him into a radiant. But due to it being an artificial change, unlike the first light, the body couldn’t settle on one power, instead choosing all of them. (Copying)

With this change, Kingdom decided to rehire him, moving from a scientist to a field agent. Where his prosthetic arm and helmet was supplied. The helmet was created for him, giving him a game-like sight, (Grids / mapping) allowing him to do anything the others can.

Occupation: Kingdom scientist

Hair Style: Tied in a loose ponytail, neat fringe

Hair Colour: Light brown

Eye Color: Hazel

Hometown: Amasra, Bartin Province, Turkey

Type of childhood: Always busy, never able to settle down completely in one place

Pets: Siamese cat, Nuray

Did ballet casualty at various dance studios, wanting to go professional but never got that chance.

Basic Abilities:

Stolen Not Copied - EQUIP a sensor. FIRE to place, activating when an enemy walks past. Stunning them while taking an ultimate orb from the affected agent and giving it to Replica

Virus - EQUIP a Virus. FIRE to deploy. ACTIVATE to create a zone that temporarily shuts down any placed and in use abilities in the area.

Signature ability: Mirage - EQUIP a cloning orb. Select a character to copy, FIRE to create.

Ultimate ability: Mimic - EQUIP a screen, which lets you choose an agent to use their abilities. This allows you to look like and use the selected agent's abilities.

8 ult orbs to get

Voicelines time!!

Astra

Efia, let the stars guide us to victory, yeah?

That Astra and her gauntlet are full of mysteries, I have to know what they are.

Brimstone

Let’s show them what real agents can do, Kaptan. (Captain)

It’s time for this old dog to be put down.

Clove

Oi, Clove, I finished those mini figures you wanted, what were they for again?

After all these years and they end up here? Huge mistake, flutters.

Harbor

Bab– Varun… If you get me wet again- I see your smile, don’t you even think about it.

Luckily I’m waterproof, sorry but I won’t be deactivated today.

Omen

Hey, if you ever need to know anything, I’ll be around, yeah?

He knows so much but also nothing, what is he truely hiding?

Viper

Just like the old days huh? Maybe we should re-try some of those old experiments, for old-time sakes?

Look what you’ve become Sabine, how tragic.

Chamber

Don’t take another step, Hain… (Traitor)

Doing this again, really? Isn’t it getting old, Piç kurusu? (Bastard)

Cypher

Benim Yıldızım, will you be my eyes and keep me safe? (My Star)

All great things have to come to an end at some point, Umarım olmaz. (I hope not)

Deadlock

Deadlock, you gotta show me how you keep your arm so clean, I definitely need some tips.

That Deadlock needs to learn how to stay out of business that isn’t hers.

Killjoy

Hey Killjoy, think you could look at my arm, pretty sure their Phoenix fried it last time.

That Killjoy is smart, but dumb enough to try fight us. Let's teach her not to.

Sage

There’s no need to worry about me Sage, focus on the others today.

She’s taken more lives than healed, I really don’t want to fill in for her.

Vyse

Vyse, did you ever finish that story you were telling me about? No? Then you gotta after this.

Kingdom really doesn’t like loose ends, uh? Don’t worry I’ll cut her off.

Breach

Oi, Breach, want to double the trouble?

That Breach is useless without his arms, guess I’m better.

Fade

Fade, if you need more nightmares, please take mine. I don’t need them anymore.

She’s seen far too much, now she’ll pay the price.

Gekko

Hey, uh Gekko? Why has Thrash been following me around, does she want something from me? Does she need something?

Get his creatures before they get you, Kim bilir ne yapacaklar. (Who knows what they will do)

KAY/O

Keep your eyes off me, I’m not your enemy right now.

He keeps coming back again and again, I’ll put a stop to that.

Skye

Oi Skye, what's your favourite flower? Nerium’s are nice, I should bring some to show you.

Her animals sure leave a mark, kill her, kill them.

Sova

Stay close Sasha, we need your eyes.

We need to turn the tables. Make the hunter the hunted.

Iso

Them against us? They have no chance.

Back for more? I’ll bite.

Jett

Jett, you have to make more Japchae later, it’s the best when you make it.

Wind girl? Hah! That’s nothing, let me show you a true storm.

Neon

Neon, please stay over there, I really don’t want to bother Cypher today.

Get their Speedster, my helmet can’t keep up with her.

Phoenix

If burning the place down gets us the win, go ahead. Just guide it away from me this time.

That bird needs to learn to stay down.

Raze

Ay Raze, how’s this for a playlist, huh?

Rush her and stay close, let her take herself out, you probably don’t need to do anything.

Reyna

The Queen huh? Show me how it’s done then.

Who needs garlic to take down a vampire when we have plenty of bullets and amazing aim.

Yoru

Why do you stay here? You’re given, or you rather taken, this ability and you use it for this? Maybe you’re softer than you realise.

He can try hiding, but I’ll find him anywhere he goes.

On a team with Chamber on Fracture

Someone needs to watch you Vincent, keep your mains sales à toi-même. (Dirty hands to yourself)

Kill enemy Chamber

That was far too swift for true revenge, but I’ll take what I can get.

Match start on Fracture

Do your job and get out, there’s no need to hang around.

[moontyger]

Operatives working for Elon Musk have gained unprecedented access to a swath of U.S. government departments — including agencies responsible for managing data on millions of federal employees and a system that handles $6 trillion in payments to Americans.

During the past two weeks, Musk’s group of representatives — a presidential advisory board within the Trump administration known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — have taken control of top federal departments and datasets, despite questions about their security clearances, their cybersecurity practices, and the legality of Musk’s activities.

Whether a feat or a coup (which depends entirely on your point of view), a small group of mostly young, private-sector employees from Musk’s businesses and associates — many with no prior government experience — can now view and, in some cases, control the federal government’s most sensitive data held on millions of Americans and the nation’s closest allies.

The access by Musk’s DOGE team represents the widest-known compromise of federal government-held data by a private group of individuals — and little has gotten in their way. 

DOGE has acknowledged few details about its ongoing activities. That task has been left to the media, which has reported questionable cybersecurity practices and the breakdown in long-standing cybersecurity norms that risk sensitive government data from being accessed by nefarious actors. 

Much of DOGE’s work is avoiding oversight and transparency, leaving open questions around whether cybersecurity and privacy practices are being followed. It’s unclear whether DOGE staffers are following the procedures to keep this data from being accessed by other people, or if any other steps are being taken to protect the sensitive data on Americans.

So far, the evidence suggests that security is not top of mind.

For example, a DOGE staffer reportedly used a personal Gmail account to access a government call, and a newly filed lawsuit by federal whistleblowers claims DOGE ordered an unauthorized email server be connected to the government network, which violates federal privacy law. 

Whether DOGE staffers are bad actors misses part of the point. Acts of subterfuge, espionage, or ignorance could produce the same suboptimal outcome: exposure or loss of the nation’s sensitive datasets. 

...

DOGE’s takeover of government

Within a week of President Trump’s inauguration — and his executive order establishing DOGE — Musk’s staffers began infiltrating a variety of federal agencies. The U.S. Treasury’s sensitive payments systems, which contain personal information of millions of Americans who receive payments from the government, from tax refunds to Social Security checks, was among the first. 

DOGE has also gained access to the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources department that includes databases on the personal information of all federal workers, and USAJOBS, which has data on applicants who applied for a federal job. 

Officials at the OPM said they had no visibility or oversight into Musk’s team’s access to its systems. “It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications,” they told Reuters.

DOGE’s activity has led to widespread opposition, including from some Republicans.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who serves as the most senior Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, called Musk’s access to sensitive federal payments systems a national security risk, given the conflict of interest over his extensive business operations in China. A group of senior Democrats later said in a letter to the Treasury that DOGE’s access to sensitive government data “could irreparably damage national security.” 

In a post on Bluesky, former Republican strategist Stuart Stevens called the takeover of the Treasury’s systems “the most significant data leak in cyber history,” adding: “Private individuals in the data business now have access to your Social Security information.” 

The Treasury defended its move to grant access to the department’s sensitive payments systems, confirming in an unattributed response to Democratic lawmakers that Musk’s DOGE team has access to the Treasury’s banks of personal information on Americans. The letter confirms Tom Krause, the chief executive of Cloud Software Group, which owns Citrix and several other technology companies, is now a Treasury employee. Krause has not returned a request for comment. 

DOGE has since gained access to multiple sensitive internal systems at the Department of Education, including datasets containing the personal information on millions of students enrolled in financial aid. DOGE staff also demanded “access to all” systems at the Small Business Administration, including contracts, payments, and human resources information.

Musk’s team also reportedly has access to payment systems within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and access to data at the U.S. agency that administers Medicare and Medicaid. DOGE is also accessing personnel systems at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and plans to access systems at the Department of Transportation.

[dmsinfosystem]

Creating and Managing Database Connections in CMS

Specifically in content management systems (CMS), databases play an essential part in contemporary web development. A database connection in cms acts as an interface between a web application and a database server, enabling data retrieval and manipulation for the application. In this article, we are going to discuss the basics of creating and managing database connections in CMS by considering best practices and potential pitfalls.

Non-technical users can produce and manage material on websites with the use of content management systems. A CMS's efficiency, however, depends upon its capacity for access to information and manipulation. CMS developers must have a thorough understanding of database connections to ensure the system's data storage and retrieval function effectively. Without a properly configured database connection, a CMS cannot retrieve and display content correctly. Additionally, CMS developers must be proficient in database optimization to ensure quick loading times and efficient performance. 

What is a database connection?

A database connection is a communication medium between a web application and a database server. It makes it possible for the application to carry out database activities including insertion, updating, and retrieval of data. Database connections use specific protocols and APIs to facilitate data exchange between the application and the database.

Types of database connections

There are two primary types of database connections: persistent and non-persistent. Persistent connections remain open between the application and the database, even after the application has finished executing. Non-persistent connections, on the other hand, are closed once the application finishes executing. 

Persistent connections are faster, as they eliminate the overhead of establishing a new connection every time the application needs to access the database. However, persistent connections can lead to scalability issues and are not suitable for all types of applications.

Creating a database connection

Creating a database connection in a CMS involves several steps. First, the developer must identify the database server's hostname, port number, and database name. The next step is to choose a programming language and database driver that is compatible with the CMS.

For example, a PHP-based CMS may use the MySQLi driver to access a MySQL database. Once the developer has identified the required parameters and drivers, they can create a connection object and use it to execute database operations.

Also Read: Creating and Managing User Roles and Permissions in CMS 

Best practices for managing database connections

Effective management of database connections is critical to ensuring the CMS operates smoothly and can handle large volumes of traffic. Some best practices for managing database connections include:

 Closing connections when not in use: 

Persistent connections may cause scalability problems and server resource consumption. Developers should close connections when they aren't in use to prevent this.

Putting connection pooling into monitoring connection usage: 

To find and fix performance problems, developers should monitor connection usage. A sudden increase in connection usage, for instance, might point to a problem with the application server or database server. Connection pooling is a technique that involves reusing current database connections to cut down on the overhead of creating new connections.

Monitoring connection usage: 

Developers should monitor connection usage to identify and address performance issues. For example, a sudden spike in connection usage may indicate a problem with the application or database server.

 Potential pitfalls of database connections

Database connections are necessary for CMS development, but they can also lead to security flaws. SQL injection attacks, for instance, can happen when malicious users insert malicious code into a database query. Developers should use prepared statements to stop injection attacks and sanitise user input to prevent this from happening.

Conclusion

In conclusion, database connections play a vital role in the functionality of a CMS, as they allow the system to retrieve and store data efficiently. These connections, however, might result in performance problems and even breaches of security if improperly managed. Developers must therefore be aware of the many kinds of database connections, including permanent and non-persistent connections, as well as the best practices for handling them.

One potential pitfall that developers must be aware of is connection pooling, which can lead to resource depletion and a decrease in performance if not implemented correctly. The execution of prepared queries and input validation are only two additional measures that developers must take to stop SQL injection attacks.

Developers may build trustworthy, secure, and scalable online applications that satisfy the expectations of their customers by comprehending the various connection types, putting best practices for connection management into practice, and being aware of potential dangers.

[headedoutleft]

…

USAJOBS, the federal government’s official hiring site, was one of the systems that Musk's associates were given access to. The database stores personal information — Social Security numbers, home addresses, employment records — provided by private individuals who have applied for federal jobs, regardless of whether the applicants went on to work for the government.

Musk’s aides were also given access to the OPM’s Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) system. Contained within the EHRI are the Social Security numbers, dates of birth, salaries, home addresses, and job descriptions of all civil government workers, along with any disciplinary actions they have faced. “They’re looking through all the position descriptions… to remove folks,” one of the OPM staffers said of Musk’s team. “This is how they found all these DEI offices and had them removed — [by] reviewing position description level data.”

Other databases Musk’s team has access to include USA Staffing, an onboarding system; USA Performance, a job performance review site; and HI, which the government uses to manage employee health care. “The health insurance one scares me because it's HIPAA [protected] information, but they have access to all this stuff,” the OPM staffer noted.

…

 A new server being used to control these databases has been placed in a conference room that Musk’s team is using as their command center, according to an OPM staffer. The staffer described the server as a piece of commercial hardware they believed was not obtained through the proper federal procurement process.

There is a legal requirement that the installation of a new server undergo a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), a formal process to ensure the change would not create any security vulnerabilities. But in this instance, the staff believes there was no PIA. “So this application and corresponding hardware are illegally operating,” they added.

…

Upon gaining access to the OPM databases last week, Musk used the agency to email all federal civil employees simultaneously. The email announced a “deferred resignation” program, claiming that any federal employee who wished to resign effective September 30, 2025, would receive pay and benefits until that date and would not have to show up for work except in rare cases. Musk and the White House falsely described the offer as a "buyout" or "severance." The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, has condemned the program, saying it “will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.”

[carionto]

A Proper Welcoming Party - P3

Part 1 and 2

Two more discharges from the Main Defense Railgun to make a final point, then, once the Vice Admiral Krastina's ship, Darting Juniper, jumped in a couple of minutes after the last of the pirate ships had engaged their hyperdrives for an emergency jump, Bertha's Bosom docked back to the Heart of Liquid Stone to resume loading cargo. The Vice Admiral hailed the mining station:

"We heard your distress call and arrived as quickly as able. Seems like the show's over though?"

"Yeah, after the call we did a more thorough scan of their ships and realized they were no more than tin cans. The freight transport ship, Bertha over here, took a few shots, to a bit of a shock honest - completely atomized them, you can still see the trail even. Then they all fled in random directions."

"Understood. I'll sound a general alarm for the entire system. It'll at least be good to have everyone put what we drill all the time into action, even if the threat is less than the fake "Not-a-drill" drills us military crews go through."

"Still, Darting Juniper, we know there are some dumb enough out there to try. Next ones might be flying aluminium cans!"

Joked the station manager, Garrison Bronhjaven. The Vice Admiral, while chuckling internally, gave an expected serious military response, then after a few hours of no new reports, resumed her regular patrol and monitoring duties.

This incident will be recalled unflatteringly as "That time Bertha smacked a pirate fleet with her Bosom out of Sol."

...

Big Thrasher was alone.

He punched in the coordinates himself, but forgot his physique was above standard console size and fat-thumbed a really random patch of completely empty space.

Navigation computers get scrambled after an emergency jump as they require precise input and reference data for both the start and end locations to maintain knowledge of where in space a ship is. Doing so takes time as the computers need to access and cross-reference their current location with that in the database, and then calculate for time, distance, and spatial distortion to know where each of the relevant landmark objects will be upon arrival.

With an emergency jump, you just punch in a direction and go for however long the current energy reserves in the drive will last. There is a minor delay to let the computer adjust enough to not head straight for any known celestial object, but other than that, seconds compared to the minutes you don't have in an emergency.

Another double-edged sword to this - emergency mode raises the power use limits of a hyperdrive to be above energy generation, allowing you to travel much faster at the cost of not being able to stop until the drive is completely empty. Then to get the drive working again takes anywhere between a few hours and several days as you need to charge it to full before you can turn it back on. And then even more time to integrate all the navigational data back into the hyperdrive so that it can actually go anywhere.

In short, Big Thrasher will have quite a lot of time to think about the choices he made in his life to get to where he is right now.

Epilogue

_____________________________

I'm kinda averse to killing off characters in my writings, so I think I've accidentally created a recurring comedy villain here. Also, technology details, was not what I intended to write about, it just sort of happened, the words come out and I just go with it and use them however seems fitting. Don't mistake all these details and additions and explanations for a plan - I don't know what is going to happen or what I'm building towards, if anything. But when/if I do figure it out, I will make all of this connect and make enough sense. Hopefully.

[diadragonwrites]

Snapshot 👏 timeline 👏 time

Now, this is all subject to change, but I finally have Snapshot's (my IDW oc) backstory stuff sorted out. Everything here takes place before MTMTE.

TWs before we get into the meat of things

Discussions of PTSD, cannibalism, suicidal ideations, implied emotional grooming, VIOLENT CONTENT, unhealthy relationships, depictions of sex work, addiction, depictions of abuse, substance abuse(?)

This is a character with PTSD that became dependent on extremely unhealthy coping mechanisms for said PTSD. Please be mindful and respectful of that. Signed, someone who also has PTSD.

Generally speaking, his lore is kinda depressing so if you don't fuck with dead dove stuff, turn back now. I'll be using the tag #Sparkhunter for him.

Sparkhunter explained

Prediction algorithm explained

Pre/early war

Constructed cold in Vos, Snapshot was originally kind of shy and reserved. He was a courier before the war and was constructed with spark sensitivity and advanced facial recognition software to better do his job. But deep down he idolized mechs like Nightbeat and always wanted to be a detective/PI. Under functionism that's nigh impossible, but it didn't stop him from creating a personal database of everyone he encountered during his career. Coworkers and the like made note of how he could recognize anyone and give a short blurb about them, and it earned him his namesake. Did he want to make the most of his abilities? Yes. But he was content and comfortable with where he was at, so he kept on delivering packages.

As the war begins, he finds himself delivering medical supplies for the Autobots. The Swarm has been starting to grow and Cybertron is becoming less and less habitable, but he still must carry on. He's then shot down by Decepticon troops over a particularly nasty Swarm infested area. Grounded after a rough crash and with supplies he can't make any use of, it's only a matter of time before he becomes prey to the Swarm (as seen below, bc not everyone knows about it).

Herein enters what I've dubbed the Swarm Queen. A much larger and aggressive member of the failed insecticons. Over the course of a couple weeks, she slowly hunts down Snapshot while tearing him apart piece by piece. This event serves as a major point of trauma for Snapshot and catalyzes several things later down the line, but we'll get to that as it becomes relevant. What matters is him running for his life with a body that's falling apart, being hunted down by a monster that's playing with it's food. It's been weeks, he's low on fuel and severely damaged. The Swarm Queen is finally closing in on him. He can hear it coming closer as he scrabbles for cover, praying that his death is swift and painless. But the jaws of the beast never close around him. In a flash of fire and showmanship befitting a certain young speedster, he's saved from death's clutches by none other than Hot Rod!

Hot Rod calls in a rescue team as he comms base, saying he's found a survivor amidst the wreckage. The two get to know each other as Hot Rod won't stop yapping about what happened to anyone who would listen. People chalk it up to Hot Rod being Hot Rod and move on with their day. But some listen to the story and pay attention when he talks about the mech who survived the entire ordeal. How a young mech by the name of Snapshot survived such a terrifying encounter. How against all odds, he managed to survive and lived to tell the tale. And one day, Snapshot's approached by Prowl with a proposition.

"Hey kid, how would you like to join my Special Ops team as a spy?" But y'know, not said as nicely bc it's Prowl. So the next logical course of action obviously is to fake your death. Can't have the Decepticons drawing connections on a double life, so kill the first one so you can start over. However, 99% of the Autobots weren't told bc you can't expect that many people to keep a secret. This includes Hot Rod, and we will get back to that later.

Decepticon arc/Verator

So here comes along this lil newbie Decepticon named Verator (who is definitely not Snapshot, nope). No one really looks into it bc like. War. They can't afford to be picky about who joins, and they simply just don't know. His ability more than makes up not doing a thorough background check tho. Advanced facial recognition and great memory banks? Sounds like the perfect fit for a Grindcore prison warden to me! It goes about as well as you would expect. He meets Tarn and Skids tho! There is that!! Both are too busy with other matters to really pay attention to Verator tho.

Now, Verator has PTSD from the Swarm incident. He gets really bad nightmares and such involving the attack. Grindcore doesn't help with this matter, so he goes to therapy to try and alleviate the issue. Enter Froid, the most trustworthy guy around. The two have on/off sessions for a while, and don't seem to really get anywhere. Then suddenly Froid has the bright idea that maybe mnemosurgery could actually help and recommends Verator look for any surgeons he could schedule an appointment with.

Trepan. Verator goes to Trepan. Trepan is not a trustworthy mnemosurgeon. Trepan immediately finds out about Verator being a spy. Trepan blackmails and manipulates Verator into letting him "play" with his mind. Trepan is not a good mech. We don't like Trepan.

Essentially, he finds out and decides to have some fun with a tormented Autobot. Through a combination of manipulation, weaponizing guilt, sadism, morbid curiosity, psychosis, and a bit of sparkeater code, Trepan gives Verator a very unhealthy coping mechanism. You see, Verator doesn't like being hungry. It reminds him of the empty tanks he had to live with while being hunted. So we just scramble and corrupt the memories a bit and introduce some spark energy to the tanks and uh oh! Whenever Verator gets hungry now, his higher cognitive functions start to shut down and he becomes a beast with a taste for innermost enegon. The energon fills his tanks and satisfies that new touch of sparkeater with the lingering trace of spark energy found in innermost. Doesn't help that he's always been a bit spark sensitive either.

"Why did Trepan break this poor mech?" I hear you ask. Simple, Trepan is batshit insane and immediately saw an opportunity to see how far a single mech could be pushed before he would break. Getting blackmailed and pressured by both Froid and Trepan now to keep coming back so Verator can "be fixed" only perpetuates the abuse. They mock him for being a failure of an Autobot, standing idly by while his people are being slaughtered in Grindcore. "If they knew, they would want nothing to do with a mech as worthless as you," they say. And they're not entirely wrong.

Verator keeps pinging Prowl all the while with an SOS signal and their exchanges regarding the matter go a little something like this.

"Has your position been compromised to the Decepticons?"

"No, but…"

"Is your life at risk?"

"Not really, but…"

"Then what is the issue."

"I'm being targeted and harassed by two Autobots and they're making my life really difficult."

"Tough shit."

"Help me!"

"Couldn't even if I wanted to. We can't intervene unless you're in active danger or are at risk of breaking cover. Intervening on whatever's going on would bring unwanted attention to you and could put the entire operation at risk. Figure it out yourself."

So Froid and Trepan didn't like the fact that Verator kept pinging the Autobots. They don't want whatever the fuck it is that they're doing to be discovered and shut down.

"Oh honey, don't you know your precious Autobots aren't gonna come save you?"

"Here, let's show Verator how they really feel about him."

So the two sell him out to Pharma, a mech who historically hates Decepticons. Verator is then forced to undergo empurata without even knowing who's operating on him. All he knows is that it's a fellow Autobot, and he's hearing all the things he was afraid of hearing. Being called a traitor, a monster, and a failure of an Autobot.

The secret medical lab is discovered by the Autobots, but not before the operation is finished. Pharma gets away, but Snapshot/Verator is left with the consequences of a body he didn't ask for. On Ratchet's medical berth, he begs for forgiveness. He doesn't want to go back, and he calls himself a bloodthirsty monster. But Prowl doesn't let him quit. He has to go back, and no he's not gonna find out who did this to Snapshot. Prowl suspects Snapshot is getting paranoid, and he doesn't want to cancel the infiltration project this far in.

Snapshot really doesn't like this. He resents Prowl for ignoring his cries for help, and hates him further for the lack of support. Angry and confused about what to do next, he takes matters into his own hands. Froid's gone MIA, but Snapshot knows where Trepan is. So he does what he does best now. Hunt. He finds and attacks Trepan, but is captured and arrested before he can actually kill him.

Soundwave is actually the one who ends up bailing him out. With his all-seeing optics and empath abilities, he always knew. He was just waiting for the right time to step in. Soundwave takes Snapshot to Megatron and effectively has him stand trial before him. It's revealed (to a very small group) that he was operating as an Autobot spy. But Verator boldly claims he no longer wants anything to do with them. He looks up at Megatron, his EMF radiating resentment.

"Look at what they have done to me and ask me again if I call myself one of them. They have done nothing but hurt me and left me without a purpose."

Megatron recognizes that hatred, and finds familiarity in the confused anger. He looks at him with a crooked grin and holds out a servo to the poor mech.

"Then join us instead."

So Verator does. He no longer has a purpose, so the Decepticons give him one. He becomes a double agent for the Decepticons, while Soundwave takes him in as a protege. He gifts Verator a piece of code, to truly make use of his little archival quirk. A code that takes everything he knows about everyone he's ever met, and runs it through a prediction algorithm. With this new ability, he becomes a goddamn tactical fiend. (elaborated on more in the link at the top)

Verator also ends up encountering Swindle, and they end up working together. Verator used to be a courier before the war, so he helps Swindle with delivering his "products" to customers. This job pays pretty well and Verator is able to buy a backpack mod that houses two different pairs of cables which he installs on his back to help him with dexterity, now that his hands are no longer what they used to be. There comes a day where Swindle celebrates a job well done with Verator, and he opens a nice bottle of engex to celebrate. Its main ingredient is distilled innermost energon.

Error warnings pop up across Verator's hud as the sparkhunter reawakens. He thought it was gone, that the empurata finally got rid of it, but in actuality it set the malicious code in stone. The sparkhunter would awaken whenever he was hungry or in danger, but after empurata his processor is now convinced he's always in danger. Now he's stuck drinking innermost, a very expensive and rare form of energon. But Swindle makes another deal with him as a form of apology.

He uh. He offers to pimp Verator out in exchange for providing him with innermost. Look man, he's got cable tentacles! I don't know what you expect from me! Verator of course takes the deal, not that he really has much of a choice. They work everything out and Verator becomes a very popular mech under the name "Toxic". Yes there is reason behind that name, it relates to how someone requests for his services. With all this money and a newfound addiction, Verator splurges on getting a fancy new mouth mod so he can better tap into that instinctual need to get a lil sippy.

Verator meets Tarn again around this time, and thing get… interesting between them. Tarn sees how the small meek warden from Grindcore has grown into a true beast of a mech. He has to have them for himself. Through manipulation and promising to keep Verator fed, he has this brutal weapon of war literally eating out of the palm of his servo. You see, Tarn can afford to keep Verator fed, with him being the leader of the DJD and all. Tarn also pushes Verator to get the heavy body mods that allow for whatever the fuck is going on in the sparkhunter alt mode. Except it's not a true alt mode, just a showcase of said mods and dozens of micro transformations. Tarn quite literally shapes the sparkhunter into being, through pressuring Verator to lean into more monstrous motifs and teaching him how to brutally kill others.

He also kinda pulls a Getaway/Tailgate with Verator. And almost completes the Conjunx Ritus with him. But Tarn holds off the final act of service and instead says Verator will know when that time comes, when Tarn asks for the one act that will prove his loyalty.

With everything that's going on with Verator, it's not a surprise he quickly rises through the Decepticon ranks. Shrouded in mystery, but a terrifying piece on the chessboard that only few are privy to knowing about. And yet, he can't help but to ask if this was the right path to walk on. But it's truly too late to turn back now.

And then the war ends.

Verator is stuck in the Kimia wreckage along with all of the other Decepticons, but he knows he can't stay on Cybertron. If he does, it's only a matter of time before the Autobots find out he's betrayed them, and how he's been stringing them along for millions of years. He hears about the Lost Light, an unaligned ship. Verator looks at where he's come from and finally asks himself if this is the life he's always wanted. He's about to finally face judgement and he's not ready yet. So with his Sparkhunter alt mode and Soundwave's blessing, he makes for the Lost Light and seeks the nostalgic comfort of an old friend.

[hezekiahwakely]

As anticipated, here are my extensive red string notes from the pilot:

God knows how relevant any of this will turn out to be, but I'm nothing if not a collector of trivial information

Very long text beneath the cut:

Page 1

The Magnus Protocol Pilot 10/25/23

Characters (in order of appearance)

Alice Dyer -O.I.A.R. employee -Dated Sam in uni -Jokester -Training Sam -Gets along with Colin

Teddy Vaughn -Retiring from the O.I.A.R. after 4 (?) years -Going into insurance field

Colin Becher -O.I.A.R. IT Manager -Vegetarian 🥬 -On the hook of "his nibs" (boss, male) -Sensitive about FR3-d1 app development, communicates w/politicians, trying for 2 years -Only gets along w/Alice -Knows computers are listening -Jokes about being killed

Lena Kelley -O.I.A.R. Team/Department Manager -Authoritative, follows protocol -Doesn't think Gwen is qualified for management

Gwendolyn Bouchard -O.I.A.R. employee -Backlog of casework -Dislikes Lena, wants her job -Dedicated to detail -Accused of nepotism by Alice -Thinks current job is beneath her -"Not like most people." *static*

Samama Khalid (Sam) -New O.I.A.R. employee -Dated Alice in uni -Wanting to 'get back on his feet' -Familiar with TMI -Didn't know what the Incidents were before hire!!

Page 2

Pilot notes con. 10/25/23

Listening Tech - Turns on by itself 💡

Dated computers (O.I.A.R.)

"Manager's speakerphone" (Lena's)

CCTV (O.I.A.R. breakroom?)

Cell phone (Alice's)

*O.I.A.R. formed in 70s? Accor. to Alice*

*Response Department no longer exists*

Still in onboarding paperwork, "Response 121"

Sam ticked this box

Tech Specs

O.S. = Windows NT 4.0 (modified) -Extended support for this O.S. was ended Dec. 31, 2004 IRL -Runs on workstations connected by LAN -Similar GUI to 95; comes w/Internet Explorer

FR3-d1 -Custom research software circa mid-90s -Flags Incidents and creates a database -Can search private/protected sources (email) -Alice claims no one has understood its workings for 15 years -Written in German source code

*1 Year = Average Employee Stay*

Page 3

Pilot notes con. 10/25/23

Classification System

Used in FR3-d1's database

Structure: CATXRXXXXX-XXXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX

CATXRX -> From reference table (CAT = Category?) First four digits -> Main subject of Incident DPHW (?) Next eight digits -> Date of Incident Last eight digits -> Current date

Example: CAT2RC1157-12052022-13012024* -First one we hear they file. "1157" is the "DPHW" for "dolls, watching."

*Jan. 13, 2024 is the date of Sam's onboarding/training (after Teddy's going-away party)

*as listed in transcript; in-show, it's quoted as 22102023, or Oct. 22, 2023

Page 4

Pilot notes (con.) 10/25/23

FR3-d1's Voice to Text/Text to Speech

Voices (named by Alice, which Gwen dislikes):

Neil = Alex

Chester = Jonny

(those two most common)

Augustus = ?

Neil's Incident

Occurs in "Cyberspace" via the transcript

"I'm so sorry. I should have listened. I just couldn't face the thought of the rest of my life never hearing him again, I had to try." First lines 😢

Email from Harriet Winstead to Darla Winstead, May 12, 2022

Recitations *can* be paused by pressing "space"!

Chester's Incident

Also occurs in "Cyberspace"

Topic: Magnus Institute Ruins.

On forum, user RedCanary, begins April 10, 2022. Explored 4/19-20/22.

Third floor gone. No old papers.

Suspicious, occult (?) graffiti, stains (!)

Took box with strange symbols (same as ones on walls/floors)

4/30/22 Posted image of gore/eyes, possibly of themself. Banned + did not return.

Page 5

Pilot notes con. 10/25/23

Early release video Case #: CAT1RA1353-03102023-22102024(listed as 202"3" on Patreon)

Video was posted 10/22/23.

Listed as "Incident" on Patreon.

According to transcript, the O.I.A.R. offices are located in Royal Mint Court.

Johson (sic) Smirke Building

Main building.

5 storeys, Grade 2 listed.

Designed by James Johnson, but constructed between 1807-1812 by Robert Smirke after Johnson died. To be used for mint.

Entrance lodge also built by Smirke, in front of building.

Page 6

Pilot - Public Release -TMAGP#001

Changes:

Sam's first incident number - today's date

CAT2RC1157-12052022-13012024 -> CAT2RC1157-12052022-09012024

Voice (first incident)

Neil -> *Norris*

Minor word/date changes in incidents.

Minor line read differences.

Descriptions of Incidents in new transcript:

Norris': CAT1RBC5257-12052022-09012024 Reanimation (Partial) -/- Regret [Email]

Chester's: CAT23RAB2155-10042022-09012024 Transformation (Eyes) -/- Trespass [chat log]

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