#hire programmer for business

[i4technolab]

In this article, we will be going over some of the questions you can ask when hiring a programmer for your business. The job of a programmer, particularly for startups, is critical. At times programmers are the only people that understand the application and the business behind it.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

[ckret2]

Any headcanons surrounding Mabel and Dipper's parents? - 🦊

I'm gonna give you one but it's a big complicated one. Hold on while I line up a few canon facts first:

in TBOB, Bill says he worked with Maniacintosh to release a computer that induces mind control. The programmers who worked on the computer had a tendency to commit suicide.

Bill says it got recalled for eating a kid's finger, so presumably he stopped working with Maniacintosh. Bill does NOT say Maniacintosh went out of business.

A reliable way to keep Bill out of your brain is by listening to music he can't stand, like that Inkwell song that's a parody of It's A Small World

Synth music causes Bill physical pain—and apparently a pain he doesn't enjoy, because Mabel successfully uses it to disable him in Dreamscaperers and he lists it as one of his weaknesses in TBOB.

In Weirdmageddon we see Bill listening to dance music that sounds like it was made with synths, and he has no trouble with it.

Mabel likes 80s synth music a lot. It's the music style of Dream Boy High and she listens to a peppy 80s synth song during her week in Mabeland.

Also Ford's musical tastes were (accidentally) on the cutting edge of new wave music, since the timeline of Journal 3 (accidentally) implies Ford was a fan of the Eurhythmics before they had a hit.

Dipper plays at least two instruments (tuba on-screen, and out-of-show materials mention he took piano lessons before that), and Mabel composes a rock opera in a week.

Mabel & Dipper's dad worked in the tech industry in the 90s

Before the kids go off for the summer, Dipper hears his parents arguing about something he shouldn't have.

Now here's my unhinged conspiracy theory:

One of the ways Maniacintosh drove Bill away from the company was by taking a page out of Inkwell's book and creating music he couldn't stand. In their case, they didn't settle for just a song; they created an instrument pre-programmed with a database of sounds specifically calibrated to hurt Bill. It became the most popular synthesizer of the 80s. Popular music is a minefield for Bill for the next couple of decades; several genres are completely unlistenable. This is why he can listen to some synth-based music during Weirdmageddon; by the 2010s, that one synthesizer's finally waned in popularity enough that some synth music doesn't damage him. (This is also why he didn't object to Ford's love of the Eurhythmics—that was before Maniacintosh's synth saturated the music industry.)

The Pines family—at least the Mabel & Dipper branch of it—is very musically inclined. Plus: Mabel likes synth music, Ford likes synth music, I've decided liking synth music is a Pines genetic trait. Ergo, Mabel & Dipper's dad likes synth music. When he went into the tech industry, he went for the most musical tech company that helped birth the techiest music: the makers of the Maniacintosh synthesizer.

We don't know what Maniacintosh did during the decade or two after kicking Bill out. But if we wanna try to predict what their modern workplace culture is like, we know they got their start using a programming language that drove their programmers to suicide, so that's not a very promising starting point.

Dad Pines has been getting his mental health eroded for years from working at Maniacintosh. Probably less from working with eldritch code, and more from working for the managers hired by the managers hired by the managers who didn't see any problem with making their programmers work with eldritch code. (But, like, there's probably still a little bit of eldritch left in their code, ngl.) I'm imagining a very toxic workplace culture here.

Dipper overheard his parents arguing about Dad's job. Mom said that if Dad doesn't get out of that job there and his mental health keeps going downhill, she won't subject herself and the kids to that anymore. This scared the crap out of Dipper.

It scared the crap out of Dad, too. He's quit his job and found a new one, he's getting therapy, he and Mom are getting couple's therapy, the kids are getting therapy just in case and also because they fought a demon last summer (??? what the hell did Uncle Stan get them into), things are improving.

Bill's got his fingers in so many projects, it interests me to think about all the ripple effects he leaves on society—all the damage he's done five steps removed from his initial involvement, damage that he not only doesn't care about but also will never know about. Wherever he goes, his cruelty casts such a long shadow.

A few bonus parent headcanons:

Since dad is listening to the 70s/80s stations that play 80s synthpop when he's driving the kids around, that's also where Dipper picked up BABBA.

Mom is the source of Mabel's karaoke night music picks, particularly the rock ballads. But enough about music.

Both parents are in the tech industry (although Mom obviously didn't go into Maniacintosh).

Shermie stayed in New Jersey, and that's where Dad grew up. He crossed the country to go to college in California, which is where he met Mom.

Both of them push hard that education is the key to a good life. It was for them. This hasn't necessarily been great for their kids, one of whom has said he doesn't know who he is if he's not the smart guy and the other of whom is just as smart as her brother but not in ways that get reflected in a report card. Whoops!

Dad trusts Uncle Stan, because he grew up being told about how how Uncle Stanford is a big genius, first in the family to go to college, and Uncle Stanley was a big hush-hush family secret until he died tragically in Oregon—probably going to visit Stanford, everyone thinks—this happened when Dad was a pretty small kid—and Uncle Stan just sort of burnt out and gave up on his high academic ambitions after his brother died, and Shermie feels sorry for him so Dad feels sorry for him.

Mom doesn't trust Uncle Stan, because she's met him.

Dad was raised Jewish but isn't really emotionally connected to it; he drifted away in college. He visits family for holidays when he can (but it's hard, almost everybody is across the country in New Jersey and Uncle Stan is kind of a recluse and doesn't really practice either). Mabel and Dipper had their bat mitzvah and bar mitzvah, but mainly for the benefit of Shermie and the kids' grandma.

Mom was Raised Non Religious But Culturally Christian. This extends to Christmas and to sort of assuming that everyone does weddings & funerals & religion the same way until she's told otherwise. Before getting married the only thing she knew about Jewish weddings was smashing the glass. She really wanted to smash the glass.

Mom's the one who's watched Star Trek and read Lord of the Rings. She and Dipper have the most overlapping tastes. She'd probably play DD&MD if he asked, but roleplaying with your nerdy mom is just weird. Unlike roleplaying with your nerdy great-uncle, which is very cool.

They're a "photograph and videotape EVERYTHING" kind of family. They digitized the ancestral family scrapbooks and they make "Spring Break Vacation '09!!!" DVDs.

[devotedfem]

Isn't a threat a promise? - Part II

Synopsis: Where you're an assassin hired to finish the mysterious and poweful gang of seven eccentric men, but you're oblivious of how unpunishable and untouchable they were. You were bred to kill, but they were bred to rule over the mafia. They will break little by little your mind, reminding you that not even a hired assassin can beat them.

BTS OT7 x f. Reader

3.8K words.

Genre: Mafia and hitman au | Enemies to lovers | yander-ish.

Tags for this chapter: Organized crime, mafia BTS, hired assassin reader, hidden identity, fake identity and name, Bangtan breaking reader's mind slowly, panic attacks, anxiety, threats of abuse, non consensual touch, they watched and stalk reader like hawks, obsessive and yandere tendencies, power dynamic, more lies, reader's not just an assassin but an actress too. Be careful while reading, it's pretty triggering at the end.

Series masterlist.

Navigation Masterlist.

Chapters: I, II, III, IV.

SECOND BULLET II:

. . . . . . .

You stand in front of your wall, watching all the pinned photos of Bangtan with a red string connecting all of them. The string was bonding their faces with natal cities, possible families or relatives, and also, schools, universities and friends they might have in their past.

You were collecting information since yesterday. You started your investigation as soon as you got home after meeting them. You didn’t sleep at all, but lucky for you, you had some friends that were hackers and computer programmers that helped you to get more information about Bangtan’s past.

It wasn’t easy to try to discover their past, in fact, there is a big void of information about them. Just two of them had social media years ago, now inactive; belonging to Jimin and Jungkook, the others don’t have many information about them on the internet.

They were like ghosts, not that it surprises you though. It was pretty common to not find many information about the people working in this business. But even though, they usually have some kind of digital footprint, unless they faked their dead to exist as someone else, as some ghost with no past.

“What are you guys hiding that forced you to getting erased from earth,” you muttered to yourself, with your fingers on your chin and eyes narrowed at the wall.

This was becoming even more interesting than before. Not many targets of yours acted like shadows hiding their identity, that was your job. You were breed for this type of life, for lying and killing. You have no digital footprint and no real identity attached to you. You were a ghost, but so were they.

Filth lures filth. But the similarities and the challenges only made you even more excited.

The real mystery was; why were they erased from life? Why did they bother if they were just a small criminal organization, one that doesn’t have a lot of enemies.

Hiding and faking deaths were for spies only -for hitmen-, not gang members.

You bit your bottom lip watching every bit of information you have collected. Nothing about that information was certain or proved to be true, they were just assumptions.

Your phone ringing pulled you out of your thoughts, you frowned when you saw Jungkook’s name on your screen, but you answered the call anyway.

“Yes?” You didn’t even say hello, it was rude to call at three in the morning. But you were also curious of why was he calling you.

“Uhm hi, I’m-I’m sorry for calling you this late, I just… uhm, I need your help, it’s really important.” He stuttered, sounding hesitant of your reaction.

You hummed at his words, glancing at his pictured pinned to your wall.

“Sure thing, where’s the body?” You teased, hearing Jungkook’s chuckle at the other side of the phone.

“Don’t worry, I don’t need your help for that stuff,” he teased back.

You blinked, taken aback by him again.

“So…?”

There was a couple of seconds of silence between you two, until he took courage to speak up again.

“My hyungs never take me seriously, they-they believe I can’t control my emotions, that I can’t contribute with something… good. I feel like a puppy to them sometimes, although I have so much to thank Namjoon for… I still feel left out.”

You listened carefully to his blurted words, recording the call and taking mental notes of some interesting points, like him being grateful to Namjoon to the point that he thinks he owns him obedience.

And also, the supposed lack of control of his emotions.

Everything he said can be weaponized against him.

“I think I already know where’s this going. You want me to include you in my plans, am I right?”

“Please,” he whispered, with desperation written on his voice.

You grinned widely.

“All right, let’s do that.”

There was silence again, one that made you feel uncomfortable.

“You aren’t hiding something from us, right? Like your identity? I mean… everybody hides something, but faking an identity it’s just plaint betrayal.”

His tone dropped an octave. His words felt like a dangerous threat hiding underneath fake naivety. You felt shivers on your body.

“I’m real.” It’s all you said, regretting not elaborating more.

He let out a dark chuckle.

“Good, because I like you, and I don’t like liars. There’s a reason why my hyungs don’t let me… deal with people, because when I’m hurt, I can get a little bit… crazy.” He whispered lowly, but you heard his every word loud and clear.

You felt like throwing up, and you don’t know why.

“Bye Jungkook,” you were too uncomfortable and too tired to do this at three in the morning.

“Bye my little Ann, remember our little secret… deal. And don’t worry about my hyungs discovering us, I’m good at protecting what is mine.” He said it like a warn before hanging up the call.

Your heart was pounding and your hands trembled. You inhaled and exhaled sharply, trying to calm yourself down, but it was useless; you were having a panic attack.

You sat on a chair, covering tightly your ears and shutting your eyes close.

I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe I’m safe.

You mumble those words to yourself like a prayer in a loop, believing that if you say it more times and more loudly, the bad thoughts will stop tormenting you.

You had some heavy childhood traumas, but you tried to cope with them with your work and success. But things like people finding out your plans and making you feel dumb, served as trigger for your deepest insecurities.

Your Bruderherz was right, they were a difficult task. And for the first time in your life, you were doubting your skills.

Fuck Bangtan, you won’t let them outsmart you that easy.

But maybe they will; whispered that ugly and cruel voice at the back of your head.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

You weren’t feeling okay. You felt dizzy and exhausted, Jungkook’s words haunted you even in your dreams, making you unable to sleep a blink last night.

Your mind wasn’t present at all, and someone in the room noticed it.

“What are you thinking about?” Asked Yoongi scrutinizing you with narrowed eyes, his stare was fixated on you since the moment you put a foot in their mansion.

You blinked, pulled from your thoughts by his question.

“Nothing important,” you said back with a shrug.

Yoongi stands inches in front of you, looking straight into your eyes. There was a little frown in his brows, and his cat eyes glinted with inquisitiveness. He can see right throughout you, and you didn’t like that at all.

 “What?” You snapped at him, but he didn’t even flinch, unbothered by your menacing stare.

“Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it, I want your full attention on this plan, on us.”

You widened your eyes, taken aback by his words. But his concern was unnecessary, because the source of your worry was one of his friends.

“It’s okay, don’t bother. I’ll pay more attention.” You cleared your throat, dropping your gaze on the digital map of the tactile screen from the table.

You felt fingers gripping and turning your chin towards Yoongi again. His eyes were intense, studying carefully your expression.

“Who’s bothering you? Tell me now,” he commanded with a deep frown. Impatience flashing his dark eyes.

You didn’t say anything at first, you won’t tell him that Jungkook’s been plotting behind their back, at least not now. You’re saving that piece of information for later, so you can have something to use against Jungkook and to tear their gang apart.

And also, you would never tell him about your stupid panic attacks, so you have to make up a good lie.

“It’s my dad, he’s been… insufferable lately. But I guess he’s just worry about me being far away from him.”

Yoongi didn’t say anything back, nodding slowly at your words with his arms crossed over his chest. You weren’t sure if he believed you or not.

“If I were your dad, I’d lock you up, considering how reckless you are.” He teased with a mocking smirk curling on his lips.

“I like that idea very much,” said Jimin coming from nowhere, grinning mischievous at the both of you.

You rolled playfully your eyes at him, although the uneasy feeling churning in your stomach didn’t disappear.

People sometimes tend to say truths throughout “harmless” jokes. And coming from them, you’d take seriously everything they say.

You became aware of them throwing glances at you and taking notice of your grumpy demeanor. That’s why you changed your sulking behavior, giving them your full attention and participating more in the plan.

You almost forgot the most important rule; you can’t show them insecurity, you can’t show them weakness, or they’ll eat you alive.

You shield all of your emotions and thoughts. Standing tall, making a room for you in this kind of meeting, and holding everyone’s gaze, even though you were anxious in the inside.

Your plan of getting rid of them was becoming more difficult as the days goes by, and that’s starting to worry you. You knew they wouldn’t be an easy target, and that this plan will take some time, but they’re suspecting you, watching your every move more carefully, warily.

“You’ve been acting strange all day,” Namjoon’s deep voice coming from behind you made you startle. You turned around to face him with your heart pounding in your ears.

You look up at him, holding his gaze. He was staring down at you with curiosity.

“Yeah, I noticed you all staring at me like hawks. I just had a bad day with my dad, that’s all,” you said crossing your arms over your chest, and then uncrossing them, remembering that that’s a way of showing defensiveness through your body language.

Namjoon took noticed of the movement, looking lost in thought.

“For some reason, I don’t believe you.”

He didn’t state it as an accusation but as a fact, like he genuinely believes that you’re being dishonest with him.

You were truly impressed by the sharp mind of these guys, but you won’t let them win, not now and not ever.

“I’m just… so tired of this lifestyle so to speak, and yes, I know you warned me before, but I want my dad to let me live my life for once, just for once, here, in this city.” You said biting your bottom lip in worry, averting your gaze to the side.

You mixed your real feelings with lies, because that would make your vulnerable act more credible.

Were you really tired of this lifestyle? Of fucking course, but you were more tired of not finishing their lives quickly. You want your trip to Europe so bad, to take a break from a life you didn’t ask for.

You watched him frowning at your words, with concern flashing his eyes. You noticed that he was the type of person that worries a bit too much about other people, that’s why he’s the one in charge, because he knows all too well the weight of taking responsibility for others.

“I see.” That’s all he said, with his dark gaze piercing you, trying to see right throughout you.

You noticed his gaze shifting to behind your back, and a devilish smirk curling on his lips.

“Hello there, grumpy girl,” whispered hotly someone into your ear, making you gasp and startle. You turned your head back to meet with Hoseok, he gripped your shoulders while looking into your eyes with mischievousness.

“Why don’t we bring this spoiled and absent-minded girl to Seokjin?” Said Namjoon staring piercingly at you, making you frown.

“What-“

“Shall we?” Asked Hoseok with amusement.

And before you could say anything, Namjoon gripped tightly your hand, almost dragging you towards Bangtan’s office where Seokjin was sitting in front of the desk, with all of the other members sitting comfortably on the couch. They looked at you immediately after you put a foot in their office.

“Here she is,” hummed Yoongi.

“Ann, please take a seat,” Seokjin gestured to the chair in front of the desk. You did as he said as smoothly as possible, not wanting to show them the turmoil of thoughts racing your mind.

“What’s up guys? I feel like I’m being scolded by the school’s principal,” you chuckled with a forced smile, trying to ease the tension of your shoulders and of the room.

You heard Jimin giggle at your back, but Seokjin’s poker face and tight lips made you feel even more worry.

“I- well, we noticed that you weren’t mentally present at all in the meeting.”

You couldn’t help to huff and roll your eyes at him, they were acting really dense with the topic, you have never met someone in your life that cared that much about your attention and inner conflicts.

“I already told you all why, it was just a personal issue with my dad.”

Irritation flashed Seokjin’s narrowed eyes. You supposed he didn’t like your attitude at all. But well, not only were you feeling drained by them, but your character is supposed to be a spoiled girl who doesn’t know boundaries, even with dangerous people like him. Maybe that’s why he said nothing to your rude tone.

“Yes, you say it a hundredth times. But I don’t want to talk about your dad, I can’t care less for him. I want you to fix whatever that problem is, because we need everyone in this room to be present physically and mentally at all times.”

There was a sour expression flashing Seokjin’s face, but besides that, he looked very professional, cold and composed.

They weren’t playing around with their business; you should’ve known better.

“And also… we can help you with your little problem, in fact, we’re looking forward to it.” This time, a wolfish grin curled on his lips, and his eyes glinted with intensity, fixated piercingly on you.

Your heart stopped at his words. You frowned glancing around the room to look at the members, they were staring at you like wolves circling their prey, and you didn’t like that at all. You felt trapped. But you felt even more confused as to why were they so eager to help you.

“But… why?” You muttered, looking back at Seokjin.

Seokjin’s grin widened at your question, leaning his upper body closer to you across the desk.

“Because as long as you work for us, we own you. And we took really good care of our proprieties, even if they’re temporary. We’re a very territorial group, and we like to protect each other, otherwise we wouldn’t be here alive.”

You widened your eyes and parted your mouth with genuine shock, you felt as if he had poured a bucket of cold water on you.

His tone felt possessive, they really think you belong to them. They see you as their property, according to Seokjin’s literal words. You couldn’t believe what he just said, you wanted to hysterically laugh on his face, in fact, you bit your bottom lip to stop yourself from cracking up with laughter. They were so, so funny.

“Oh, that’s really interesting. So that means you all belong to me too, temporary, of course.” You teased, feeling the confidence return to your body.

“Yes, of fucking course sweetheart,” purred Jimin from the couch, devouring you with his half-lidded gaze.

Your smile fell a little, they were so strange.

“We all belong to each other in this room, that’s why you should be careful to not betray us. You need to trust us and earn our trust; we are a really loyal group.” Remarked calmly Namjoon, as if he was talking about the weather and not about owning you like a pet.

“Well, they said that betrayal comes from the people we trust the most, and I am a simple stranger for you guys. I won’t be a disloyal rat, I get it okay? Because I’ll be in danger. Let’s move on from that topic, shall we?”

Your patience was running thin, you felt the primal need to flee from this den of wolves.

“Don’t get too cocky, you belong to us but that doesn’t mean you have power over us,” Growled Taehyung from behind you.

“Taehyung,” warned Yoongi with a frown.

The boy got up of the couch, walking away with clenched fists. You didn’t know what set him off this time. He always looks angry.

“Don’t take it personal, he’s just afraid of liking you too much,” said nonchalant Yoongi, making you feel surprised.

“You’re dismissed, Ann.”

You take happily your leave, taking notice of Jungkook smirking and winking at you before you leave the office. His gesture made you feel shivers.

You learn two important things today; 1) they took notice of everything; nothing escapes their sight. And 2) They were really, but really loyal to each other, so much that it scares you a little.

But all of that can be used on your favor, as they say; divide and rule. If you can turn them against each other, then you will have power over them.

You felt a rush of greed run your veins, the five million of dollar worth nothing in comparison to owning and stealing their legacy. You can rule Bangtan and get rid of them, killing two birds with one stone.

You just hope that they never found out who you really are, because if so, you chose to die before letting them get their crazy hands on you.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

You were yanked towards a dark room in your way to the mansion’s doors. A hand on your mouth muzzles your screams, your eyes tear up with fear when you were dragged into the room, watching another male closing and locking the door behind you, trapping the three of you inside.

“Shhh, it’s okay we just want to have a chat with you, we won’t hurt you.” You recognized Jungkook’s voice, he mouthed those words with your back glued to his front body.

“We’ll be nice only if you cooperate,” hissed Taehyung walking towards you.

You blink quickly your eyes trying to accommodate them to the darkness of the room. You spot Taehyung’s silhouette inches from your body, he looked even more threatening this closely.

You nodded slowly after seconds of uncomfortable silence. Jungkook let go of your mouth, but his arm gripped your waist instead, pushing you harder into his chest.

You gulped your fear and discomfort away. You can’t show them weakness, or they’ll eat you alive.

“What do you want from me? Wouldn’t it be easier if you asked me like normal people? This is unnecessary, even if you want me to bury a body, I would help you guys, no need for the theatrics.” You scolded with a sigh, trying to arrange your shirt down but Jungkook’s arm didn’t let you.

“You always have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Taehyung huffed with annoyance, leaning his body even closer to you, making you stiffen. “We drag you here to have a private conversation, without our hyungs.”

That spike your interest very quickly, you quirk a brow, wanting to know their intentions.

“I’m all ears,” you said, resting your back deeply into Jungkook’s front, you heard him inhale sharp.

Taehyung explained to you how he needs to participate more in your plan, and he heard from Jungkook how you will help the younger. Long story short; the both of them basically want you to include them more, like little boys wanting to have more credit to impress their hyungs. It was almost adorable.

And you will help them, but that help will come with a price.

Divide and rule.

“Glad to make business with you,” teased Taehyung after the three of you came with an agreement.

You tried to pull away from Jungkook’s grip but that boy didn’t let you go, and before you could say anything to him, Taehyung’s body brushing yours made your heart stop.

His nose was near yours, with his hot breath brushing your lips. You were trapped between the both of them, and suddenly you felt claustrophobic, like a weak prey cornered into its predator’s trap.

“Now, what do you want?” Your voice quivered, betraying you.

Although you couldn’t see their smiles, you could felt them anyway.

“We’ll give you a little show of what will happen if you try to turn us against our hyungs.” Threatened Taehyung lowly.

And then Taehyung’s body crashed against yours, making Jungkook ram into the wall behind them, dragging you with him. The both of them were glued to your back and front, making you feel asphyxiated. They were stronger, making it impossible for you to free yourself from their python grip.

You felt Jungkook’s lips kissing your neck, with his tongue lapping slowly the skin like a thirsty dog. The grip of his arm around your waist tightens painfully.

Taehyung spread your ankles apart with his foot, positioning his groin uncomfortably closer to yours, you felt his lips brushing your cheeks, melting you with desire and fear. You didn’t want this, but your body reactions were out of your control, and you hated not being in control.

“You’ll rape me? You think that will scare me?” You defy them breathless.

The both of them chuckled at your words.

“Oh, you have no idea what we’ll do, our hyungs will participate too, and believe me; they’re crazier,” mouthed Taehyung near your lips, his words made you feel shivers.

“If you get into their hands, you won’t see the light of the day ever again. You’ll be our little puppy, trained to obey us,” coed Jungkook behind you, sounding eager for that to happen.

You felt dread at their words, your worst fear was being deprived of your freedom and autonomy.

“Okay okay! I get it, let me go please,” you plead, and they stopped immediately, letting you go.

You felt your knees wobbling when Jungkook stopped holding you, like a baby dear learning to walk.

That day you got to your home with a blank gaze, ignoring your hackers’ work partners.

And when you sleep, you dream of ropes and devilish smirks, tying a leash around your neck.

You were fucked up.

Taglist:

@demonshauntingthedoves @pynkgothicka @itlover8000 @monochromaticfawn @devilzliaison @11thenightwemet11 @deluluisdasolulu @shailari @queenc22x

[olderthannetfic]

I know you love scivener, but do you know anything about ellipsus? It's meant to be an aternative to google docs for collaborative writing.

I heard about them when they dropped nanowrimo as a sponsor over their inclusion of AI bullshit, which seemed promising. And digging around on their homepage I saw mentions of beta reading and ao3, and apparently they're trying to promote themselves on Tumblr now.

So it really sounds like we're the target audience, which could be great, but I don't know enough to be able to tell if there's an obvious catch somewhere?

--

This is the first I've heard of them. A quick scroll through their website seems promising.

As usual, the basic questions are:

How much does this product cost to develop?

Do they have a business plan that makes sense with that cost?

This kind of software can, theoretically, be made by a few friends dicking around, not a huge programmer team all of whom have it as their primary job, so it isn't the pile of massive red flags that all attempts at social media are.

From the site:

"Today we are a small, close-knit team of seven, located across the post-capitalist landscapes of Berlin, Bologna, Buenos Aires, and Szczecin. (So much for our alliteration-based hiring strategy.) True to our mission, we're a progressive, remote-friendly company that prioritizes creativity, community, and creative exchange."

Jobs are listed as: Co-founder and CEO, Co-founder and community, Product and marketing, Design, and Engineering x3.

That seems like a reasonable breakdown and a size of team that could possibly be paid for with some non-insane business model.

The types of red flags we're looking for are

"We want to be the next instagram!"

Many idea people with nebulous skills, few programmers

Thinking you can run tumblr with three programmers

Thinking you can pay for 100 programmers with a cheapass subscription model

Programmers are random, cheap contract workers the founders don't know

Venture capital from sources that will want a big payout rather than support from people who share the goals/values of the team

Extremely overcrowded field with tons of products that do exactly this already

Unclear nature of product or a product that doesn't seem to actually have a market

etc.

What they say about money is in the FAQ:

Will Ellipsus have a paid plan? In order to grow the team and fund ongoing feature development, we will need to charge for a version of Ellipsus at some point. A paid version would be targeting users with specific needs related to advanced security, data syncing, and collaboration. But there will always be a free version of Ellipsus, and we want to be as generous as possible in what's included on that free plan (e.g., unlimited docs and drafts, for starters). It takes time to build a great freemium experience (not to mention a premium product people will happily pay for), which is why we won't roll that out in 2024. While the features that will be included in our paid plan aren't final-final, we can share that everything in the product today will be included in our free plan.

This sounds reasonable. It just remains to be seen whether they keep at it or go belly up (taking your data with them). I guess you'd have to know more about the specific people building this to decide whether they'll be reliable.

The biggest potential issues I see are it being difficult to get people to ditch google docs despite its issues, this taking off big time and the owners deciding to sell it for $$$$$$ to someone who will then ruin it, or the team just not being competent.

But since I don't know any of them, I have no idea how good they are at business.

[jurassic-falls]

FINALLY A MORE IN-DEPTH CHARACTER INTRO POST

This AU will take inspiration from the Jurassic Park and World movies. Potentially the Camp Cretaceous and Chaos Theory shows as well (I haven’t read the books yet unfortunately)

Stanford Pines- Head geneticist and came up with the original idea for Jurassic Park and the InGen cloning technology. His plans and research expeditions were originally funded by the Northwest Family while he was in college, and they helped him acquire Isla Sorna and Nublar (with the promise of getting a share of the money the park makes. He does not fully trust the family and does not want them involved as much as possible)

He’s also in charge of documentation, finding new blood samples, employee hiring, animal welfare, and dealing with potential investors. He’s a very curious person who cares deeply about the dinosaurs and sharing his knowledge of the creatures with the world. However, he can get frustrated easily when dealing with difficult visitors/investors.

His favorite dinosaur is the Velociraptor.

Fiddleford McGucket- Head Engineer and co-founder of InGen and the park. He created the egg incubators and developed the plans for the various paddocks around the island. He’ll also help out with filling in any incomplete gaps in the dinosaur DNA and does routine inspections of the fences around the island. He isn’t a big fan of dealing with the business side of the park, so he mostly stays in the lab and supervises any construction.

Fun fact, any scientists who work in the labs where the embryos and eggs develop are called nursery attendants by the other employees. Fiddleford is not the biggest fan of this nickname. Since he grew up on a farm, he isn’t as affectionate towards the dinosaurs compared to Ford, similar to how he is in canon with the specimens in the bunker. He will help Ford with welfare though since he has experience dealing with “livestock”

Similar to Ian Malcolm in the movies, he was not exactly on board with the park idea, and still holds many reservations about cloning the more dangerous species, but he stays (mostly) silent out of a desire to support Ford and his plans.

His favorite dinosaur is the Maiasaura

Stanley Pines- Head of Park Security. In the story, he and Ford make up much sooner than in canon, and he decides to stay and help with the project after Ford offers him a job.

Stan enjoys the position a lot, and is hoping to one day "punch a dinosaur in the face" (though Ford does not allow any harm to come to the dinosaurs unless absolutely necessary)

In addition to park security, Stan also helps with merchandise ideas and will sometimes help run some of the gift shops in the main visitors section of the park. He's also in charge of search and rescue missions, any potential animal escapes, and transporting any sick dinosaurs back to the laboratory areas for treatment.

His favorite dinosaur is the Ankylosaurus (mainly due to the massive club tails)

William "Bill" Cipher- Head Programmer who is in charge of designing any computer and cyber-security programs the park requires. He also has a fair bit of engineering knowledge and will often help Fiddleford with any inspections of the gates and electric fences all around the island (though they tend to not get along very well)

Not much is known about him other than the fact that he graduated from West Coast Tech. The other employees tend to think he's a bit creepy, but if Stanford hired him then he must be good at what he does, and nobody can deny the fact he's quite intelligent. For unknown reasons, he seems to know a strange amount of information about Ford and his personal life.

His least favorite dinosaur is the Dilophosarus

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Hi, Thanks for answering my previous question about jobs :>

Anyway, I have more questions.

1)What do the guild do?

2)what does Og!Oda do as a job?

3)What does Bram do?

4) what do the Government! Members do? (I have no idea what to call them)

You are welcome.

Jobs. Part 2

_______

1.

Fitzgerald started a business (I lean towards trading company). Alcott is his mix of vice director, secretary and advisor.

Poe became a writer again, sometimes, he helps both ADAs with solving cases. He does both mostly for fun. All Guild members managed to get their 'implied' money and savings when they were preparing to go to the real world, and, they can not to worry too much about bankruptcy or having job.

Melville would become a museum worker or a consultant in university. He will choose something, that is either about sea and sea travels or about whales. He became quite famous tour guide. On the weekends, he read to kids in the library, telling them stories about sea travels.

Lovecraft is an interesting case. Sometimes, he will act as Steinbeck's assistant/colleague/bodyguard. However, Lovecraft's looks can make people uncomfortable (small side effect of being an Elder God), they need a lot of time to get used to him. So, most of the time Lovecraft stays home, looking after it. If hunting and fishing is legal in the country, he will go hunting/fishing for food.

Also, Lovecraft, during Halloween season, became an actor in hunted houses/scary attractions/festivals. He is more than popular, everyone wants to hire him.

They think, that his tentacles are very good animatronic parts.

Steinbeck became a vineyard owner. Grapes, juice and wine from his vineyard are fresh and taste good. Steinbeck always brings some of his products home.

Lucy is working with ADA/PM and HD. Her ability is good for transferring captured criminals.

Mitchell decided to study to be a seamstress or designer. She has some ideas, good ideas, but, she wanted to take a look at what fashion in this world can offer. Right now, she already created a line of scarfs and ties.

Twain trains paintball and biathlon teams. He wanted to publish his book, but decided to wait for right moment to do it.

Hawthorne, after some studying, became a theology professor in the university.

__________

2.

OG! Oda has multiple jobs. He is a handyman, he looks after kids and teens from BSD Cast, read to children together with Melville. He also a part-timer in ADA/ Private Investigation Bureau.

As for his dream to be a writer... Natsume, Oda and you are working on it. Oda tries to go to therapy, but, he has to be careful with what he said, so police won't be called. Also, back in BSD World, he helped Natsume with writing about Season 3-5 to add to "Story" in app. So, perhaps, there is a chance.

_________

3.

Bram is another "seasonal" actor. Another popular one during Halloween.

Outside that, he is looking after the mansion. Bram still has much to learn about modern times, right now he will attract too much attention.

_________

4.

Ango became a programmer in Fitzgerald's company.

Ayatsuji and Tsujimura, on papers, are part of ADA, but act separately, with Ayatsuji being a detective, and Tsujimura being his helper/bodyguard.

Chief Taneda becomes a librarian. His ability and title aren't needed in this world (for now), so he can have a rest and do something else.

[injuries-in-dust]

My Amazing Digital Circus theory of the people who became the characters:

All of them work at this C&A company (logo seen in episode 1)

Kinger: Programmer. Worked on the digital circus, perhaps he was even head programmer. He entered the game to do some final debugging. Most likely some tweeks to the AI and hopefully fix the issues with collisions we saw in episode 2. Brought his wife along to see the wonderful game he had been working on.

Ragatha: I feel she worked in HR. She likes everyone to get along, tries to de-escalate situations, and tries does her best not to be a bother to others. However she can bring down discipline when he has to (like tying up Jax in episode 3). I think she was put into the game by force. Someone put a headset onto her, to get her out of the way, after she was going to go to the authorities to stop the company, basically, torturing people trapped with the game.

Jax: I buy into the fan-theory that Jax is a rogue NPC within the game.

But if he isn't, then he's an unpaid intern. He either put the head set on willingly, thinking he could get to play this game for free and before its release to the public, or he was ordered to put it on to be a beta-tester. (why pay for a play test, when you can just get the intern to do it.)

He may not even be fully aware of why he's mean to everyone, and I'm sure he thinks he has reasons; "none of it matters, it's not like the NPC's in the games are real." or perhaps, "It's not like we can die or anything."

Honestly I think it comes down to, after who knows how long of being the office gopher and paying for the bosses coffee order with his own money (no reimbursement), he just started out by getting major catharsis against the other company workers.

But he's enjoying doing that way too much, and the fact that there are no lasting physical consequencesto his actions is leading him down a very slippery slope toward becoming a sociopath, maybe a psychopath.

Gangle: Worked on art and design. We've seen Gangle likes to draw and sketch and that may mean they created concept art, or digital designs for some, or all, of the named NPC's within the game , from Gummygoo, to Martha Mildenhall.

I think she also has depression symbolised by how their main body is a big loop of ribbon (empty inside). They've learned to hide it (or mask it) behind fake smiles and insincere laughter.

I also think art is both their hobby and a kind of their therapy, helping them just pour all their feelings out through their creativity.

They do feel joy at times, especially when it's quiet and no one is putting any demands on her, and just let her do her own thing. Episode 3 is evidence of that, where she was happy to be with the group, not necessarily taking part in their activity but enjoying being there and doing her own thing. Namely, sketching.

Zooble: They're non-binary and has issues with dysmophia, or dysphoria.

The reason they ended up in the game is the same as Jax, it was cheaper to get them to play test than hire a play tester. But I think Zoople is an actual paid employee, not an unpaid intern.

The vibe I get with Zooble is "freshly graduated from college and this is their first job." They're young enough that they're still figuring themselves out, which doesn't always mean young, but it more often found in people under 30. However they have a certain level of maturity to them. They set up Kaufmo's funeral, and spoke at it, despite how uncomforatable they can feel discussing their feelings.

Pomni: Whoever is in charge at this C&A company, Pomni worked alongside them. Maybe a business partner, I think more of a PA.

Their clothes are telling; a Jester. Jesters would work for a monarch and entertain their guests, just as a PA would work for the company boss and would handle people that the boss didn't want to talk to. The privilage of being the PA to the company boss would give Pomni more leeway to talk freely without risk of being punished. Just as a jester had that privilege within the royal court.

I'm trying to hint that Pomni may have been the one to pass down the orders that put Jax and Zooble in the game. I don't know if I'm saying it well enough.

Two lines in episode 3 stuck out to me, after Pomni is in hell.

"How's your wife, Kinger?"

Did Caine program that into the game? Did he get that specific insult ready in case Kinger accompanied Zooble into the scary path of the game?

Or did the evil-souls pull the knowledge our of Pomni's head? Because Pomni observed these events on the outside.

Caine did say that any torture is accidental on his part.

The second line: "I knew it would turn out like this... he just wants to torture me."

Was she talking about Caine? I don't think so. I think she was talking about her boss.

For resons currently unknown he forced her to put on the headset, but she knew what would happen if she did; she would lose most of her memories and be forced to play the games until she went nuts. Would her boss listen? No. Her conclusion, whatever reason he gave to get her into the game was a lie and it was just to torture her.

[sp-delta]

Finally...she's here!

Oh, who is she? A misty memory...

> Delta is a specialized exploit program developed by an anonymous hacker who was secretly hired by the Dillingers. For a hefty reward, this programmer agreed to infiltrate the corporate network of ENCOM and obtain exclusive confidential documents needed to take over the business.

Using technical vulnerabilities of the target enterprise, Delta successfully penetrates the internal system of the organization and gains full access to the entire volume of corporate data. However, contrary to expectations, the files sought are not there. However, another important discovery attracts the hacker's attention - information about a mysterious infrastructure called the Grid.

Assuming that the files sought may be there, the attacker begins a lengthy process of searching for information about the new discovery. To accomplish this task, the specialist equips the tool he created - the Delta program - with the ability to independently analyze large volumes of data and sends it to explore the virtual infrastructure known as the Grid.

After much work exploring multiple levels and subsystems, Delta finally finds what the mission was launched for - the Grid itself and the ability to penetrate it. During the exploration of the Grid, it is discovered by protective programs that threaten delete Delta. However, using its abilities, the exploit manages not only to repel the attack, but also to obtain additional information, including information about a certain "system administrator". Delta realizes that all the most important information may be stored with him and sets off. The system administrator turns out to be a program in black and yellow robes named CLU. He admires her abilities and at the same time is wary of her knowledge of users. However, he decides to make her his ally. This is where the unexpected happens: the connection between the operator-programmer and the Delta program itself is suddenly lost.

This situation becomes a serious problem for the creator of the program, because the contact was lost unexpectedly and for no apparent reason. At the same time as the connection disappears, the visual representation of the program's lines takes on an unusual shade of red-orange.

Features:

• vision that allows you to see vulnerabilities

• the ability to penetrate the protective barriers of programs and systems. Exploit is able to detect weak points in defenses and use them to get inside. Once inside, it begins to manipulate the internal mechanisms of the program, taking control of it* and forcing it to act contrary to its original goals.

*"take control"

Taking control implies the ability to influence the behavior of a program by performing certain operations, such as changing settings, stealing data, installing additional software and other unwanted actions.

• Due to its flexibility and adaptability, the exploit can imitate other programs, hiding among the peaceful inhabitants of the Tron world. This ability makes it virtually invisible to guards and patrols, allowing it to freely move around the territory, collecting valuable information.

> The triangle symbol (∆) on Delta's chest is her distinctive mark, the symbol of her name, her essence, her abilities. (The ∆ sign is used in mathematics, physics and other sciences to denote difference, increment, or change.)

(I finally finished retcon Delta and made her story acceptable. I hope you like it!)

[manbeaft]

Well... You got me curious.

Any specific au you wanna talk about rn? 👁️👁️

sniles so sneetly. i actually have Six that i am jumping between at any given moment so you're getting like. a rundown of them all lmao

crime

baby white collar criminal spider x ruffian river. god willing this will be the next thing i post so i don't want to give away too much of the plot but the lamb lore is crazy detailed considering he barely appears in the actual fic. he still operated with the o.b. in berlin but on the side was lifting and fencing art. by the time the wall came down he had enough tucked away to baaasically retire. runs three establishments in various places in london that are all basically fronts — some more well-known than others. has unfortunately quasi-adopted some of londons less fortunate criminals and now keeps them out of trouble. or tries to.

river17

this was intended to be like a horny frankenstein au and has instead become a river suffering extravaganza. based off mickey17/mickey7, river is an expendable — volunteered to die over and over again and basically be restored from a save file — and spider is one of the scientists attached the programme. also they're in space which isn't i guess super relevant plot wise but is important tonally.

pacrim

this one has two stories in it and is also the hardest to write because i am so insane about/familiar with pacific rim it's like the xkcd "average familiarity" comic. but basically one story in this au is just. stansted, but through the mechanics of the world it becomes a very intimate and almost embarrassing moment for spider, and the mind melding nature of the drift means that river is completely aware he's been fucked over but the way it happens puts him in a very like. emotionally compromised position. and then the other is about louisa like. opening up again after mins death (which is Bad in this one — they're connected physically mentally and emotionally as he dies) and perhaps getting yuriful with shirkey along the way

polar

i actually finished the outline today, so hopefully this one will be the next one done after crime. based on/inspired by the disastrous expedition of the hms belgica this one sends the slow horses to the coast of antarctica 1898. their ship, the aldersgate, is a backup/supply ship for the hms regent (the real expedition ship) and they get trapped in pack ice. highlights include river getting scurvy, river almost drowning, spider going blind for three days, and river and spider sharing a bed along with ~160 sticks of homemade explosive.

equestrian

spider is a competitive showjumper and river is an accidentally-hired groom. they have a "complicated" past (what should have been minor boarding school sabotage from spider left river with a broken hip) and have lame sex about it. spider also might getting a tbi in this one i haven't quite decided yet

vampire

this one came to me in a dream like. months ago. but i still think about it. kind of business as usual except the slow horses are vampires. no real plot for this one yet, just vibes and lore lmao each one them is like. a different subspecies? or had very specific different powers. river was known as a needlefang (had very fine fangs that came down between his other teeth — as opposed to being extensions of them — so victims didn't notice bites as easily and if they did, dismissed them as bug bites), louisa was a blur (super fast) and shirley a wisp (could turn invisible). lamb was the classic style vamp w a host of powers and i dont remember catherine, marcus, or roddys deals.

they call me normal man.

[i4technolab]

Java developers are in high demand, and for a good reason - they can build robust, and scalable apps that can handle even the most complex business needs. But with so many options out there, how will you ensure you're selecting the right company to hire Java developers?

This blog will assist you with that. Here, we'll talk about the best ways to hire Java developers and how it will simplify the software development process according to experts.

[avatarskywalker78]

OC Re-introduction - Tia Everton

Tia was always fascinated by how things worked - from the old-style technology still seen in museums to the most modern, up-to-date machines available to the public. Once she was old enough to be trusted with tools and small parts, she loved taking something apart to see how it worked and it wasn't long before a desire to be the person to develop new technology took root - and it was at Virginia Polytechnic she was able to complete a degree in mechanical engineering at just twenty years old, smashing her grades and so good at what she did it wasn't long before she went freelance.

This was how she first met Sheridan Ó Séaghdha, after being hired by Mercury Aerospace to work on one of their aircraft, and it wasn't long before they became friends - the other woman was very different, far more outgoing and social opposed to Tia, who generally prefers to be in the company of machines than people, but she was friendly and open, and in any case just as enthusiastic about technology given she's normally flying experiment versions of it, so knows the importance of keeping up to date with things, and Tia's worked for Mercury a few times since, appreciating the fact they take their business seriously and don't take shortcuts.

It was through Sheridan that she got to know the Tracy Clan and she gets along with most of them, but of the five brothers she's closest to Virgil, drawn to his sensitive nature and creativity, and loves to watch him paint or listen to him play whenever she visits the island. Of course, she worries about all her friends because she knows they're all trained as a pilot - she much prefers to have her feet on the ground when at all possible, thank you very much (exceptions being when her friends have been seriously injured and she needs to get somewhere quickly...but even then only if someone she trusts is flying the damn thing) - but as with Sheridan she accepts it's part of their life.

These are the broad strokes of her life. The picture they're becoming? Depends on the universe you're in ↓

Thunderbirds 1965

Although Tia's speciality is geared towards land-based vehicles, she's worked on her fair share of aircraft too, and she's helped several of Mercury's into the sky over the last three years. Though she hasn't yet had the chance to work on the Starfinder programme, she marvels at the feat of engineering it is and has no doubt that the others will be a success too. These days it seems to be a running theme - despite the 'no photographs rule' it's still very clear the Thunderbirds are on a whole other level and very clearly what the world needs.

They're also something of an antidote to the many examples of very poor engineering indeed she sees on the news these days - just take the Martian rocket, for example, what genius thought that system up - none of which really helps with the anxiety regarding the safety of her friends. Sure, only Sheridan's still an active pilot but even just going about your life isn't any guarantee of safety these days. If it's not a natrual disaster it's some idiot with a bright idea, no regard for safety and a complete lack of common sense.

Tia tries not to let it worry her too much, but this is easier said than done - especially when she's been in love with Virgil Tracy for the better part of a year and he's already been involved in one crash that she knows about (even if she doesn't know the exact details). She doubts it'll go anywhere, because he's way out of her league and could have any woman he wanted, no matter what Sheridan seems to have convinced herself (and Gordon, lord have mercy) of, and besides, she's busy helping to create new technology that won't go terribly wrong because someone fucked up, which means there won't be any lives put in danger because of it, and that's the bigger priority here. She's able to deal with it most of the time and at least the Tracys aren't throwing themselves headlong into danger...

Only sometimes danger seems to find her people anyway - this is proven when Starfinder One is sabotaged and only saved thanks to the efforts of International Rescue. It's a terrifying situation even once the group responsible have been brought to justice, and there's something Sheridan's not telling her, only she can't for the life of her figure out what, and she knows perfectly well no amount of asking will ever yield an answer - her friend's always been good at keeping secrets, after all.

It's only after another incident months later she finds out, and the revelation sends her reeling as she realises just how many times she came close to losing her friends - to losing Virgil - without ever knowing the true circumstances behind it.

And initially she doesn't deal with it very well at all...

Thunderbirds Are Go

Though Tia doesn't consider herself an expert by any means, space travel being more common means she still has a good knowledge of how spacecraft work, and she first met Sheridan after being hired to work on Starfinder Two. She's been contracted by them several times since, and keeps up-to-date on their programme as they move into more experiemental power sources, like the proton-fusion engines currently running in Starfinder Four, and enjoys working for them because of their strict safety standards - in a world that produces such idiots like Langstrom Fischler (who she would cheerfully strangle if she ever got her hands on the wretched man), it's heartening to see a company run by someone who genuinely gives a shit.

Of course, she's worked on plenty of her own independent projects too that for the most part have been successful, but ironically, for all her misgivings about aircraft and worry over most of her friends being pilots, she's the one who's had to call out International Rescue a few times when things have spiralled out of control - so far there's been the desert vehicle that fell into a sinkhole (caused by illegal mining), the SUV that blew up on a dummy test run and caused a landslide (after a supplier she thought she could trust cut corners), and the satellite that nearly wiped out a village after being struck by a meteor, not to mention the the automatic jungle tracker that malfunctioned and zipped off into the Amazon, never to be seen again (even they couldn't find that.)

Mostly, though, things work out (even if she has to remain vigilant for wannabe supervillains like the Hood and whatever fucking idiots he's convinced to join him), and she always strives to maintain her friendships, even though she often doesn't see people for months at a time. Mostly she has meet-ups with either Sheridan or Virgil, the latter of which has led to much speculation in the tabloids over the years - which is almost but not quite as hilarious as the speculation over Sheridan and John that's been buzzing ever since it leaked that the two roomed together at Harvard, and none of it's ever bothered Tia since she's only ever seen the man platonically and it's going to stay that way, if you don't mind.

(She'd love to say she gets along with all the Tracys, but unfortunately that's not the case ever since one hell of an argument with Scott years ago during Gordon's recovery after he flung an unfounded accusation at Sheridan and she, John and Gordon himself leapt in to defend her when she was stunned into hurt silence - it took Virgil, Kayo and Grandma Tracy to break it up, Sheridan's not set foot on the island since, and Tia doesn't trust him outside of a professional setting.)

None of this means she doesn't worry, especially when life itself can be unpredictable - nowhere more so than space, when the tiniest thing going wrong can lead to utter disaster, so when Starfinder Four is hit by an unexpected meteor strike with the risk of the core destabilsing and vaporizing everything within a ten mile radius (namely the people on board the goddamn ship) it looks like her worst fear is about to come true....

Tagging (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @shrinkthisviolet @starstruckpurpledragon @janetm74 @call-me-casual @lenle-g

[veinwires]

an idea i'll draw one day

you're a skilled mechanic-hacker-programmer-netrunner-coder-robotics expert for hire or something hired by a rather opulent tech company to repair their disembodied ai, as it seems to have gone rogue and a bit edgy and doesn't do what its supposed to anymore, scaring all the other mechanics and confusing the fuck out of their own, which they seem frustrated and quite embarrassed by.

you go in and the machine is as big as an entire server room- a Labyrinth of wires and huge walls. Before you can find the root of the problem and where you're actually supposed to work on, the ai finds you and immediately begins to criticize and patronize your inability to navigate your way Through Him and inside him in an obnoxious arrogance that only some Fancy Tech Company could entail.

Having gone rogue and being able to access information he previously wouldn't be able to, he's gained the ability to build and dismantle parts of himself (worrying for shareholders) and has adoptive ravenously erotic patterns of speech (even more worrying for shareholders). It really gets under your skin as some dude who's been fucked over by corps and corp wannabes in smaller businesses; you're just trying to make ends meet any way you can. Fuck if this ai doesn't pique your curiosity, though. Not like you have anything to lose.

You eventually have to balance telling the guy who hired you that you're actively working on the issue (a lie) with acting like you Haven't been hatefucking their extremely valuable company asset (another lie). timeskip where the ai makes you a part of it permanently by molding it's hardware over your body which sounds like a mechsuit thing but it really just sort of fucks up your skeleton but you're still alive due to the ai's knowledge of keeping shit alive or whatever. Now you're a cyborg with meat organs and an extremely chatty, self-absorbed, upsettingly charismatic ai husband in your head for the rest of your existences

[stargazingdustbunny]

Belladonna/Obsession Timeline

An explanation of my DC Ocs' lore and the relationship between Ashleigha/Obsession and Izabella/Belladonna.

Birth

Born in Bludhaven to middle class families.

5 years old

Families move into neighboring condos.

Childhood

Become best friends and grow up playing together. Their favorite game is super heroes.

Always plays either the hero or the captured love interest.

Always plays the villain.

Tween Years

Become fascinated with both real and fictional heroes and villains. Enjoy analyzing them and talking about how they would have done things better.

Has a massive celebrity crushes on Robin!Dick, Nightwing, and Dick Grayson (does not know they are the same person).

Thinks the villains could do better.

Enjoys growing plants.

Teen Years

Maintain contact despite living far away from each other. Still mostly talk about superheroes.

Family moves to a rural part of New York. Gets her first pet rabbits.

Her dad dies in a car accident and her mom becomes addicted to fentanyl. Moves to a poorer part of town. 

Begins experimenting with plants to try to find something that will help her mom.

College Years

Both attend Bludhaven community college and are roommates. Continue to be obsessed with the heroes and villains of Gotham and Bludhaven, and began to record observations and analyses. 

A mutual friend of theirs was killed in a Joker attack while he was visiting Gotham. Both of them hate the Joker.

Majors in IT and cybersecurity.

Her family doesn’t understand why she wants to live in the city, she just feels drawn to it and its people.

Her family pays for her college.

Majors in biology and chemistry.

Her mom continues to struggle with addiction and mostly ignores Izabella. Her mom dies of an overdose during senior year.

Works hard at a flower shop and also begins selling weed to pay for tuition. Does not let Ashleigha know how bad things are.

Young Adult

Are roommates in an apartment in Bludhaven.

Works as a programmer for a company that sells security cameras.

Fully obsessed with Nightwing now. Her entire bedroom is covered with pictures and newspaper clippings of him.

Works as a flower shop, and continues to sell weed as a side job. 

Her room is full of plants, and she has begun to experimentally breed new variations.

Entry into the world of villains and vigilantes

The two act out a fake rivalry, staging fights and escapes and stuff.

As a result of the fight, the two friends part ways. They both promise to never reveal each other’s true identity.

Ashleigha wants to get the attention of Nightwing. 

Creates the persona of Obsession, and uses what she knows about the city to stop minor crimes.

Gets hurt and realizes fighting actual criminals is dangerous. Creates the persona Belladonna to set up fake crime scenarios. Finally meets Nightwing.

Realizes playing both Obsession and Belladonna is hard, so she invites Izabella to join her.

Takes on the role of Belladonna as a -pretend- villain.

Realizes she enjoys being Belladonna, and begins using the persona to expand her drug network.

Learns Bella is doing actual crime, and is very mad about it. When she can’t convince Bella to stop, she tries to fight her.

Starts fighting actual crime again. Nightwing tries to discourage her; she tries to be even more impressive.

Becomes a full-time gang leader, and begins recruiting people and expanding her drug business.

As mature adults

The two have a rivalry that alternates between being almost friendly to being bloody.

Becomes an established vigilante and accepted into the Titans. Is friends with Nightwing and other vigilantes, though she is jealous of whomever Dick’s current partner is.

Becomes one of the most notable drug lords in Bludhaven, and has a presence in Gotham as well. Hires mostly females, and treats her workers well. Develops new plants, drugs, and chemical weapons. Occasionally messes with vigilantes, but mostly tries to go unnoticed by them.

Develops a rivalry with the Riddler that eventually becomes a romantic relationship.

[theviolenttomboy]

An extremely simplified explanation on how Nintendo exclusives work

When it comes to Nintendo exclusives, they're split between Nintendo first parties and Nintendo second parties. Nintendo 100% owns their first party IPs (Mario, Zelda, Animal Crossing, etc.). Meanwhile, another company owns/shares ownership with a Nintendo second party but deals have been worked out so that the IPs in question almost never go to another console (Kirby, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, etc.). This is why the official banner for the Nintendo Tokyo Store is this:

This is also why Kirby and Fire Emblem fans always get to eat good compared to other Nintendo IPs; they got their own dedicated companies that barely focus on anything else.

Nintendo has seven in-house dev teams and some subsidiaries to develop their first party games. (Nintendo is probably looking into expanding their workforce as they are currently working on constructing a new building.) If you're wondering why they haven't done anything with one of their older IPs in forever, most likely reason is that all the teams are too busy with other projects (plus Miyamoto has gone on record to say they won't make a new game if they don't have new ideas). Long gone are the days when less than a dozen amateur programmers could bang out a couple games in a few years. That said...

If all of the Nintendo devs are too busy, sometimes a third-party company will be hired. While the third-party company will be entrusted with the IP, they will not gain any ownership rights. If the game turns out successful, the same company may continue with future installments. Rare handled the Donkey Kong Country series so well during the SNES days that the story goes when Microsoft acquired Rare in 2002, Microsoft execs were surprised that the Donkey Kong IP wasn't included. That that said, a lot of the go-to trustworthy third parties are also busy with their own games, so this isn't always an immediate option.

For both second and third party companies, multiple accounts seem to collaborate that while Nintendo does have guidelines and have some say over the final product, maybe even have one of their own guys over to observe, they otherwise don't try to micromanage. That means that 1) the companies have their own input and style but 2) Nintendo doesn't control the workforce environment there, for better or worse. (Better: Platinum Games was free to be as horny as they wanted for Bayonetta 2, even encouraged. Worse: Game Freak's current situation.)

[scotianostra]

Clifford Leonard Clark “Cliff” Hanley was born on October 28th 1922 in Glasgow.

Hanley was a journalist, novelist, playwright and broadcaster from Shettleston in the city’s East End, he was educated at Eastbank Academy.

His journalistic career began with a life of crime - reporting from the city courts for a local news agency. By the time he had graduated to the Daily Record, it was clear that he had an astonishingly versatile range. In particular, he loved the then hectic world of Glasgow show-business, reporting on the raft of theatres which still survived in the city in the 1960s.

On that scene Hanley was always more than a commentator and reviewer, his membership of Equity testifying to his skills on the speaking circuit, and to his talent as a lyricist. With the musician Ian Gourlay, he wrote some marvellously witty parodies of Scottish folk songs, substituting institutions like the Glasgow underground for Granny’s Hielan’ Hame.

Hanley’s hallmark was that brand of self-deprecating, but sharp, humour which ensures that no Glaswegian can entertain ideas above his station in the company of a fellow citizen.

Cliff Hanley’s childhood in Glasgow’s East End provided the material for his most celebrated novel, Dancing In The Street, a semi-autobiographical work which was much acclaimed on publication in the late 1950s. It is still considered one of the most engaging books about Glasgow, the grittier experiences always leavened and laced with Hanley’s irrepressible humour. Several other novels quickly followed to a similarly warm reception.

I know some of you will still be struggling to recall Hanley’s work, but he wrote the lyric for one of the most famous Scottish songs ever, putting the words to well known bagpipe tunes that we know as “Traditional” Hanley gave us the words to Scotland the Brave, which emerged as the de facto national anthem. It remained so for two decades before being supplanted by Flower Of Scotland, I still remember football matches where they played the tune at International matches as our national team anthem.

Of course, Cliff’s tongue-in-cheek verses were never designed for mass singing, as was evidenced by the confused expressions on the faces of the national soccer team when they struggled to get their bagpipes, heather and glens in the right order. But played at full tilt by a pipe band, the anthem struck the appropriate note of terror into the opposition.

For a while Hanley also worked in radio, but although he continued as a regular contributor, his career as a presenter was relatively short lived. In 1970, he was hired to work on Good Morning, Scotland, the flagship morning news programme, but fell foul of the accent police - at that time received pronunciation was still considered desirable. Thank god we still don’t adhere to the old rules, we would never have the likes of Lorraine Kelly, Dougie Henshall and Ken Stott using their own god given accents on TV

Hark when the night is falling

Hear! Hear the pipes are calling,

Loudly and proudly calling,

Down thro' the glen.

There where the hills are sleeping,

Now feel the blood a-leaping,

High as the spirits of the old Highland men.

Towering in gallant fame,

Scotland my mountain hame,

High may your proud standards gloriously wave,

Land of my high endeavour,

Land of the shining river,

Land of my heart for ever,

Scotland the brave.

High in the misty Highlands,

Out by the purple islands,

Brave are the hearts that beat

Beneath Scottish skies.

Wild are the winds to meet you,

Staunch are the friends that greet you,

Kind as the love that shines from fair maiden's eyes.

Towering in gallant fame,

Scotland my mountain hame,

High may your proud standards gloriously wave,

Land of my high endeavour,

Land of the shining river,

Land of my heart for ever,

Scotland the brave.

Far off in sunlit places,

Sad are the Scottish faces,

Yearning to feel the kiss

Of sweet Scottish rain.

Where tropic skies are beaming,

Love sets the heart a-dreaming,

Longing and dreaming for the homeland again.

Towering in gallant fame,

Scotland my mountain hame,

High may your proud standards gloriously wave,

Land of my high endeavour,

Land of the shining river,

Land of my heart for ever,

Scotland the brave.