#i may have posted something along these lines already but idc

[so-many-ocs]

through gritted teeth: it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be written. it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be written. it doesn't have to be good

[insuke69]

Miles!42 headcanons p2

Part 2 because 2 ppl asked and have sm thoughts of this boy HSJKS

Warnings: No warnings except possesive/jealous?? (I feel like hes a lil toxic, red flag sometimes but red is my fav color <3)

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

-He's good with kids but would secretly try to teach a kid curse words

-Is almost always texting you when you two aren't physically together, he's had his phone taken in class so many times because of it.

-He apologizes with flowers, necklaces, Food, make-up making out occaisionally

-Listens to your music taste and definitely has recommended good songs

-He will NEVER tie his shoe laces, just for no reason whatsoever and if you tell him to tie them he'd ask you to do it.

-STALKS YOUR INSTAGRAM NON-STOP. when yall first got together he liked all your posts of the last month

-Would deadass beat anyone who trys grabbing you in any intimate way, almost killed a dude that slapped your ass in the street in public. (Mostly cause one, without consent is a no-no, 2 was disrespectful, 3 only he is allowed to touch your ass smh)

-Thinks you're hot when upset/when y'all argue, hate makeout seshes go hard

-ARGUE-FUCKING-ING. He will piss you off sometimes so he can watch you storm out and a few hours later text him to come over, scenario;

You two were arguing about a post, an instagram post Miles made. It was a picture of you but you didn't know he took it, in the image you were chomping on a big ass burger and had ketchup and some cheese on the corner of your mouth. To Miles it was adorable but to you it was embarrassing, you storm out to your house, pissed, the one moment you were dirty because of food Miles took a picture and POSTED it. You check the Picture again as you lay on your stomach on your bed over a pillow to lay comfortably, remembering the moment; Miles made a stupid joke as you took a bite which made you almost choke as you turned your head to cough, smudging the corner of your moth a bit. Damn, he was so fun.. Missing him already you decide to watch a movie, him never leaving your mind so you just text him once the 2 hour movie was finished.

"Come over pls"

"Be there in 20"

"ily"

-loves movies, If y'all go on a movie theater date he gets tickets in the back, hand over yours the whole time.

+ If the movie ends up sucking y'all just make out in the theater and making jokes about the lines, acting, etc.

-He hates dark chocolate with a passion, deadass HATES it for whatever reason (he claims its too bitter.)

-If you have a guy bsf Miles would really have to get to know the guy and need 24/4 notifications about you and the guy bsf. If you confront him about being jealous or something he'd say anything along the lines of "You don't know the mind of a guy, You may not want anything but he does." and 9/10 he was right.

-DEBATING WITH HIM SUCKS this man will immediately gaslight sm shit that'd make you question life itself. (yet half the time he is talking out of his ass.)

-He is atheist 100% (Fact over faith + lost most of his faith when his dad died :(.)

-He doesn't like white girls, more into latinas/black girlies. (Idc if you're white, its more likely he is more into girls he can semi-relate to in a way.)

___________________________________________________________

Low-key wanna make scenarios so jst reply what yall want :D

[misspickman]

moss might i please have some trans tim headcanons. or trans kon if you’re feeling it.

Hii blink thank you blink i always have those<3

Kon is nonbinary and transfem to me and i do have a more specific way this happens in mind which is he starts questioning his gender after already figuring out hes not straight, and this is a few years down the line post sb 2011, so hes getting comfortable living on the farm and having a group of friends there, being a part of the kent family (hes never had a family before!!) and its because of that new personal comfort and safety that he can think more about himself as a person and not just. An icon with a role.

I read his tt03 era as his big Repression Period (along with cassie) where he figures he has to be a Normal Real Boy so he ditches the 90s superboy charm for a more traditionally masculine look, which maybe works for his secret identity but isnt what he actually enjoys. So later he starts growing out his hair and tiptoes around more flashy costumes which are daunting now, because kon has a lot of hate for his younger self for being foolish and a try hard, and this all reminds him of himself back then.

Its a slow process but he will get there eventually and i think living with ma helps a lot. Being away from the public eye and with someone who wouldn't judge him for not wanting to look as masculine would do kon wonders. Also he hangs out a lot with the yj girls, and i imagine cissie would eventually she starts putting makeup on him for funsies (and bc cassie doesnt let her) which kon has many feelings about. No worries! Anita braids his hair like she did cissies so many times and kon goes haha does this mean im one of the girls now as a joke and then has many feelings about that too bc what if he Wants to be one of the girls? Uh oh

I have less of a specific timeline for tim so some scattered ones are:

It would take her a long time to make peace with being trans and to come out, bc imo tim would not be a fan of the Coming Out Process. Would hate to do it. Would only do it once its the last feasible option bc shes sick of lying (again) and being seen so wrongly by everyone. I think she just writes cassie a note or something like it would be funny.

Jack having been so obsessed with tim being his perfect masculine son would make all of this especially hard but also make certain stuff make more sense in retrospect. Its impossible to think about tim being queer in any way without thinking back on jacks behavior.

Theres a v sweet image in my head of helena braiding tims hair bc once she lets it grow out tim does not know what to do with it and helena has to do something about that (set in a future where helena knows tims identity. The cowl doesn't really show hair. But boy it must be sweaty gross in there).

While i think kon would be big into makeup and all sorts of fun clothes and shoes i dont imagine tim being That much into it, is not as much of a makeup girlie, loves a nice dress but mostly for occasions and such.

One of the reasons why itd take her so long to figure herself out is she mostly didnt get body dysphoria until she thought of the possibility of Not Being A Man and then started noticing little things that bothered her, bc tim would be very aware of which traditional standards for being a woman she is not fulfilling. Very aware of and held back by the Issue Of Bodies And How They Are Perceived, as you do.

The initial realization would probably be something sudden that she refuses to think about for a while bc tim v much lives by that post thats like i may be trans but i have a job so idc about that rn. Its in the back of her mind and she is Not examining it when there are bad guys to punch out there.

[avtrbee]

Unexpected Secret

inspired by the tumblr post above!

this fic defies almost everyhting that is canon but its really cute and fluffy in my opinion so idc idc idc

Petra was furious.

I’m gonna kill her, Petra thought, mopping away the last of the dirt from the stables. I don’t care how but I’m going to make it look like an accident.

Petra was furious.

Putting her anger on the mop she had gripped in her fist she aggressively wiped the stable floors clean, but her thoughts were somewhere else. Y/N L/N was the reason why she was stuck cleaning the stables during a Friday night when she could’ve spent the day in the market with Oluo buying cute clothes or enjoying a new café or getting drunk or just about anything. 

Petra loved her friend but no matter which way Petra tried to twist the situation, Y/N was the sole reason to blame. Y/N was the one who suggested getting drunk in her room that night, Y/N was the one who suggested the game, Y/N was the one who proposed the punishment, and Y/N was the one who called her a pussy for backing out, so of course Petra had to do it. Petra had to run through the hallway, from the stairway and back to the room naked. 

It didn’t help that Y/N’s room was the farthest room from the stairwell. Petra didn’t have a problem getting naked around Y/N and their friends- they’ve seen each other’s bodies enough with the communal showers and the occasional first aid outside the walls. Petra isn’t ashamed of her own body either, she may look petite but she was hardened muscle from all the training she endured to become the one of the best. Though Y/N had her own private room as one of the Survey Corps’ Section Commander, her floor was also near the other superior’s private spaces. 

Once Petra made it out, she dashed to the stairs as fast as she could before turning back and running like there was a titan behind her to the privacy and safety of Y/N’s room. Until Hange, Levi and Mike came out of Erwin’s room from their own private party only to stare at Petra like she was a dog with three heads. 

Petra could’ve died right there. In fact, she would have preferred it if she did. Hange laughed (“Oh, it’s one of those nights, eh?), Levi looked away with disgust evident in his face and walked to another laughing Y/N, who witnessed the entire incident, instead. Mike just stood there with his brain probably short circuiting and nose occasionally twitching. To make matters worse, Erwin came outside to see what Hange was laughing about.

I’m gonna kill her, Petra thought, mopping away the last of the dirt from the stables. I don’t care how but I’m going to make it look like an accident.

Petra looked up from her hard work and wiped her forehead. She smelled like horse shit and probably looked like one too. A few yards away from her clean stable stood Y/N and Eren together under the sun with Mikasa not so far running towards them.

Petra watched as Mikasa hastily put herself between Y/N and Eren with a glare on her face. Was it really a glare or was it just Mikasa’s usual stoic face? Petra didn’t care- a plan was slowly starting to form in her head. 

-

Petra didn’t bother rushing to the cafeteria to get first in line like she usually would. Instead she ate some heavy snacks before and took her time. Thinking back, Y/N was the only one out of her superiors to sit on another table other than the space designated for them. She usually sat with Eren, with Levi occasionally joining them. 

Once she strolled inside, the place was packed with soldiers along with hundreds of conversations going on at the same time. Perfect. Just as she planned. Just as she thought, Y/N and Eren were chatting away alone on one table with Mikasa several tables away shooting them looks every now and then.

Petra smiled. Victory tastes so sweet. She slowed down her steps and savored her way to victory as she walked over to Mikasa. “Oi, Mikasa.” she said obnoxiously loud, gathering the attention of several people.

Mikasa turned her head from Eren and Y/N’s table, and stared at her with her cold gray eyes. “Yes, Petra?”

Petra giggled, unable to keep her mood down. “Y’know, Y/N told me a secret.” She said, voice getting louder with every word.

Behind her, Petra heard Y/N speak. “Done from the stables, darling?”

Faint snickers from around the hall erupted. No doubt the story has already gone around. Petra felt a nerve in her head pop. That almost got her. Almost. 

Ignoring the rest of the people, Mikasa kept her eyes on her. “What did she say?”

She crouched down and put a hand on her cheek like she was about to whisper. “She told me that she loves Eren, very, very much.”

Silence. 

Utter silence. 

From the corner of her eye she sees that Sasha had a spoon halfway through her mouth filled with seconds of today’s dinner, while Jean and Connie’s eyes were darting back and forth to her and Y/N, who had gone up from her seat and was walking towards her.

Petra stood back and let herself smile a truly evil smile. That’s what you get, Y/N. You bitch. To be honest, Y/N was probably going to beat her up. Petra didn’t care. She could try if Mikasa won’t get to her first.

Mikasa blinked. “Well, I sure hope so. Eren and I love her just as much.”

Wait- “What?” 

That wasn’t the reaction she was expecting.

“Oi, oi, Mikasa. You’re going to make your mother cry. I’ve never heard you speak like that before.” Y/N clasped a hand on Petra’s shoulder. Y/N had this smirk as if asking oh is this what you planned?

Huh, wait- “Mother? You mean-”

At the same time, Mikasa looked at Y/N. “Okasan, I have told you I loved you many times.”

“What do you mean okasan- are you-?” Petra turned her head to Y/N. 

Y/N leaned shifted her weight on one leg and crossed her arms. She was smiling, probably enjoying Petra’s confusion. “Yes. I am.”

“But-” Petra stuttered. “Eren too?”

“Yes.” Y/N laughed. Petra should’ve been furious, but at this point she was too focused on solving this familial situation she accidentally uncovered. Plus, everyone was listening in. They were curious too.

Petra shoved her hands in her hair. “They’re siblings?”

“Well, I thought we’ve established that before.” Y/N replied. 

“But I thought- Mikasa was charging at you because you were with Eren just a while ago!” 

Y/N deflated. “Oh, that. I was scolding the brat. He was reckless during the last expedition again. You’d remember, you were the one who saved him.” Fuck. Yes, Petra remembered very well. She almost lost her right hand because of that boy. “Mikasa just came over to protect her brother. I might’ve gone overboard too…”

“Then why isn’t Mikasa sitting with you?”

“Oh, I’ve been encouraging her to interact with people other than family. She barely has friends, y’know.”

“Don’t they have different last names?” Petra asked. She was losing her sanity. 

“What, Jeager? L/N was my dad’s. Jeager my mother’s name, I had him when I was young. And, well, technically, Mikasa isn’t mine by blood.” Y/N sat down beside the girl and slung her arm around Mikasa. “She came with my marriage. She’s still my daughter though.” Petra saw Mikasa hide a smile under her scarf.

“Married?” Petra asked. “You’re married?”

“Yup,” Y/N replied, popping her words. “When are you and Oluo gonna tie the knot, by the way-”

Petra couldn't even be bothered to blush at the question. She saw Oluo choke on his food from their usual table though. “Is he in the military?” 

“Yes. We met years before he was in the military though.”

“Is he in the Survey Corps?”

Y/N grinned. “Yes.”

“Is he a superior officer?”

Y/N’s smile grew wider. “Yes.”

Petra felt dread creep down her spine. “Is it Commander Smith?” If Petra really did just try to call out the commander’s wife in front of everyone, she’s dead meat. She’s probably gonna clean the stables on Fridays forever. 

To her relief Y/N said, “Pssh, Mikasa isn’t blonde y’know.”

Petra was losing her patience. “Then who the fuck is it-”

“They literally have the same last name Petra.”

Silence.

Only this time, Petra wasn’t smiling. Her brain was probably overheated from all the information Y/N gave her.

“Oi, Petra” said Levi who was coming inside the cafeteria. “What the hell is going on?”

“Captain!” She squeaked, not expecting his voice. Perfect timing too. 

“Don’t tease her anymore, Levi. It’s my fault, I was just telling her about our familial situation.” Y/N said. 

“Tch,” Levi lightly slapped Y/N at the back of her head. “What happened to keeping it a secret?” 

“Oh, well, they were bound to know anyway. Your son over there can’t keep his mouth shut, I’m surprised he lasted this long.” Y/N nodded to Eren back to her table while the latter hid his face on the table, occasionally banging his fist on the wood. “Though I didn’t expect them to find out this way though...and the entire Survey Corps for that matter.”

“You’ve caused us a nuisance.” Levi deadpanned at Y/N- at his wife? Petra was still trying to comprehend everything.

“Let’s go home.” Levi announced, heading out of the cafeteria. “I can’t stand to be stared at any longer. It’s making me feel like a pig with fucking wings.”

At the words of their Captain- Father?- Mikasa and Eren stood up and picked up their empty food trays. 

Oh, that's right. Petra knew that Y/N and Levi had a separate house somewhere near their HQ; she just didn’t even consider the possibility that they were living together. Fuck, she has seen them leaving too, but she just assumed that they were walking each other because they lived in the same neighborhood or something. 

Petra even spotted Mikasa and Y/N together in the market shopping for vegetables, but she thought it was only a kind gesture. Y/N can be like that sometimes. She even spotted Eren and Levi inside a cleaning shop when she was buying a new mop once. And Mikasa and Levi’s surnames? Petra didn’t even suspect anything because it was common knowledge in the Corps that two of their strongest soldiers had the same last name- had none of them suspected anything?

Looking around, Petra spotted similar confused faces like her own. Ah, so no one did. 

She felt her legs give up on her and plopped on the seat Mikasa previously sat on. She watched as Levi, Y/N, and their children walked out the cafeteria with a blank stare. What the fuck just happened? 

btww,,,the vibe of reader and petra here are like really close friends that tease each other a lot. i can understand why people think that petra seems like the “villain” here but i swear its just that kind of friendship 😭 im sorry if it didnt deliver properly but ill try better next time !!

[roodllle]

Year in Review - Animal Crossing New Horizons

I started writing this review/criticism in May of 2020 but decided to update it as the year went along and post it on the anniversary of NH’s release. I would like to preface that this is mostly going to be full of questions of criticisms, I love this game. I have not been able to put it down since I got it on March 20th. My first AC game was NL and then I played HHD. I was ecstatic when they announced NH at E3 2019 and kept trying to find other games to fit in my AC shaped hole in my heart but I wasn’t able to fill it till this game came out. I feel like the pace of the game is great with how you build up to unlocking terraforming and 5 stars, and I feel like the updates are well timed especially with how crazy 2020 was for everybody. That being said there were some things that irked me. 

Some of the points I will bring up came from other people/commenters I have seen on here, Discord, Reddit, and Twitter that I also agree with. Some other points are from Youtubers such as ShayMay and ChuyPlays. And others are from me. 

With that out of the way, let’s get on with the review. Warning, I guess, don’t expect this to be an essay, this is just a patchwork quilt made up of thoughts.

Terraforming

I wish cliffs/tiers had a smaller level? Like how we’re able to make stepping stones for our rivers if we don’t want to put a bridge down/use our vaulting pole. I just wish there was a cliff alternative. 

Another cliff alternative would be if we could put bridges between cliffs. I think we’ve all been there where we see this picture 

          thought ‘we can do that!!” then realized it was photoshopped

When we go into terraforming, I wish a grid showed up on our island. It would make it much easier to avoid hitting the wrong square when I’m trying to change a river. 

Having us be able to “close” a waterfall from a lower level but not create a new on at the same spot. 

Also the fact we can add a 4th tier but can’t put anything on it is just strange to me. I know we have to have a limit to how high we can go, but at least let me put nature stuff, such as trees/flowers/bushes, on top of it instead of just a flat piece of land. 

Houses

Why no ceiling items? Find it odd they added a bunch of stuff in HHD and didn’t add that to the new mainline game

There’s no reason I can think of to why we can’t access our storage when we’re crafting inside our house. 

Buildings

Dodo Airlines

The Dodo Islands right now are very boring and barely use them. I have enough money and materials to not go farming and save up all my NMTs for when I go villager hunting, which has also become a rarity. I think it would be a good idea to make some islands seasoned themed. Have them be all rare, but have an island where it’s fall and has maple leaves falling, a cherry blossom one, one with snowflakes. I wouldn’t recommend they make Holiday themed ones, but having seasonal ones would be nice.

When I mess up a dodo code or accidentally hit ‘make a bridge’ instead of incline, etc. why do I have to restart the ENTIRE conversation instead of the characters just being “oh? did you mean “x” or “would you like to retype it?” like is it that hard??  

Resident Services

As much as I love Isabelle this game has made me very indifferent towards her. I think they gave her a role that didn’t need to exist. They could have either let us roam around without any warnings to who was roaming around our island, in the campsite, or any weather updates. Just have us rely on our villagers, the TV, and our eyeballs. OR they could have given us a social media like app and/or a weather app. Instead, they gave us Isabelle that only announces something once a month.

Nook’s Cranny

This might just be me but can they add a little DIY area in the store? Maybe just make to where you can only customize things?? This is more out of convenience than an actual problem  

Speaking of customization, since you can make medicine but also buy can we do the same for the custom kits and bait. Like make it where we can buy bait and also make our own custom kits? I just think it’s weird that they give us either/or for medicine but not for the other 2 that I honestly use way more than medicine.

Why do the Able Sisters get to have all of the colors of an item in their shop but Nook’s Cranny can’t? And why can’t we just be able to customize all items that have multiple looks/colors? Example, why can’t I just be able to change the wood type for the antique set instead of having to buy each one? I get that the furniture catalog is already small, but that’s not my fault. They’ve decided to not add past furniture sets into NH. 

Able Sisters

Let us multi select clothes instead of it just being how much we can wear. idc if it’ll just put those clothes in our personal storage and then we’ll have to run home and put it in that storage, I just hate having to walk back in and out every time I want a dress in multi colors. ALSO tell us if we already bought it, like a little storage icon or something

Why can’t we hang any article of clothing on the back wall, why do we have to either make it or have the OG qr designer come to our island? 

Why can’t we have the transparent option when designing clothes? I think it would make many designer’s lives easier instead of having to make 8 versions of the same outfit.

NPCs

I have played this game almost every day since it came out, minus 2 days. I have also been able to make friends on discord that help with trading/cataloging/etc. I have all of Saharah’s, Kicks’, Label’s, and Redd’s items. I have all of the fish/bug models I want and have no desire to “catch them all”. I haven’t talked to Wisp in months because I have most of the items and his idea of “expensive” is 10k bells. The only NPC I actively look forward to is Celeste because even though I now have all of her DIYs, she still gives out star fragments, regular large or horoscope, when I talk to her. 

What I’m wondering is if they’re planning on doing anything else with these characters. Before I speak further I’m going to weed out characters that I am actually fine with. CJ and Flick will always be there if I want a bug/fish model, I understand that Saharah/Kicks/Redd have a ton of stuff to get and w/o the help of my discord friends, I probably wouldn’t have gotten everything till late 2021. 

So that leaves Label and Wisp. I understand Wisp is there for beginners, but now that I’m at a point where I am a bell millionaire and have most of the Nook’s items cataloged, there is no reason for me to talk to him. I wish Nintendo had put in a system where depending on the person who Wisp is talking to, it determines how much money you have in your bank account/looks at your catalog, Wisp’s item’s worth goes up.

As for Label...I never saw her as viable. I also thought the tickets were dumb and you don’t even have to talk to her to have her items show up in the shop the next day. I think it would be great if when you bought all of her items, she decided to join the Able’s sisters in their shop like in NL and then have Gracie show up in her place for the weekly NPC. 

Where is Blanca? Or Brewster? Or Shrunk, Katrina, Gracie, or Kapp’n and his family? I understand we will probably never see characters like Harriet or Pete because they have been replaced by a new system, but what is the excuse for these other characters? I’m hoping they show up in year 2 of NH but...we’ll see.

Villagers

I think having your first villagers living in basic homes is a good idea but one that quickly gets annoying. I found Sherb while villager hunting for the 1st time and have had him ever since, but his house is stuck at basic lazy setup. Instead of me going back and forth on whether or not i should trust somebody enough to hold Sherb, get somebody else out, then get him to move back to my island, You can have it to where you let them leave, then just wait till he comes to the campsite to visit and reinvite him. You get his actual house and he still remembers you. This could also go for you accidentally letting somebody go or letting somebody go then regretting it. Also it’d be fun to see some old villagers again.

I was curious and looked back on past games to see how many new villagers were released each game and NH has been the least amount. NL released 112 new villagers in total while NH has released 8. I’m hoping they might release more down the line but, hella disappointing imo. Along with the Sanrio update and adding those characters to the game, I am more hopeful that they’ll be adding new characters!

Having an “event” of sorts where you visit a villager’s house and they’re looking inside their closet. They look at you in surprise when you walk in and sheepishly explain that they were going through their clothes/items. They then decide to ask you for help since they can’t decide what to get rid of/what to keep and think you have a good eye for that sort of thing. Basically, a way to get rid of any clothes/items your villager somehow received bc I guess Isabelle scolding them isn’t enough.

A big problem I feel like everybody has is the villager dialogue. Yes they added sub personality types for each personality but they are not perfectly cut in half, ex. are the Sisterly types where there are 4 B types and 20 A types, like?? How I have “fixed” this problem is by having one of each personality type on my island so I always have different conversations with my villagers, but I understand not a lot of people do that. Some people just want normal/peppy types on their island bc they’re cute as hell, I get it. I know it would be...difficult to come up with unique dialogue for all 399 villagers, including Sanrio, but....you could at least for the “gimmicky” villagers. Some examples of these villagers are Ribbot and Sprocket, Lucky and Ankha, the super hero squad, and Kabuki. 

Quality Life stuff

Why cant we sit AND wish on stars? And I don’t mean the sit emote; why can’t I sit on a bench and wish on stars?

It sucks when I’m about to hit my rocks or just do a lot of dig work and then my shovel breaks in the middle of it. To show the tool is about to break, cracks should start to form on the handle and get deeper/longer as you keep using it, starting when you have 5 uses left. You can also add an auditory element by making the tool sound like its struggling when you are using it. Net/Shovel/Axe/Fishing Pole can have cracks show up on the handle, Slingshot can have crack show up at the bottom of the 2 spokes while having 1 at the top of the handle. And the watering can have cracks at the base of the can.

If our inventory is full when I dig up a flower, why can’t I replace it with another flower to bury? And if I can dig up an item at an diagonal item, I should be able to bury it again at the same angle.

Other

Having more...liveliness?? on the island, idk how else to say it. Example is whenever you travel by plane there's a chemtrail in the sky afterwards, maybe just seeing other planes go by throughout the day. Maybe you can get a hint Redd or Gulliver will be visiting you tomorrow if you see their boats beyond the horizon, Redd’s just crusin’ and the Gulls’ boats looking messed up. On a week where you don't have a new camper, maybe have an old villager visit. That leads me too

I wish villager’s doors could count as “exterior decorating” and we can just put any ornamental on there instead having to hope that your villager will put the wreath on their own door. 

Conclusion

If you read this whole thing holy shit, thanks!! Go treat yourself on my part lol If you disagreed with me or whatever feel free to chat with me about it! 

[fusefireside]

Every question from the vaguely not safe for work one

1. Are looks important in a relationship?

I would say, at least in my case, yes.  

2. Are relationships ever worth it?

They are. Sure, most will come to an end but that doesn’t mean that you can’t get something out of it

3. Are you a virgin?

No

4. Are you in a relationship?

Single pringle ready to flamingle

5. Are you in love?

Nope

6. Are you single this year?

Yes

7. Can you commit to one person?

Yup

8. Describe your crush

Daisy Ridley 

9. Describe your perfect mate

I can’t say that I have an ideal “mate” because what’s important for me is how the person’s characteristic harmonize with one another

10. Do you believe in love at first sight?

You mean infatuation?

11. Do you ever want to get married?

I’d like to

12. Do you forgive betrayal?

It depends. I have found that sometimes I can

13. Do you get jealous easily?

I want to say no but, in reality, I can be a jealous person

14. Do you have a crush on anyone?

Daisy Ridley 

15. Do you have any piercings?

no

16. Do you have any tattoos?

I wish ;.;

17. Do you like kissing in public?

Sure?

20. Do you shower every day?

Ya

21. Do you think someone has feelings for you?

Maybe? It’s hard for me to pick up on that

22. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?

Possibly?

23. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?

This isn’t at all hard. You either commit or break it off. Don’t be a shitlord

24. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?

Who knows 

25. Do you want to be in a relationship this year?

yes and no? I’m rolling with the punches atm. If something good comes my way or makes itself known, then I’ll go for it

26. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?

Yup

27. Has someone ever written a song or poem for you?

No, but I have had people sing to me

28. Have you ever been cheated on?

Yup

29. Have you ever cheated on someone?

Nope

30. Have you ever considered plastic surgery? If so, what would you change about your body?

It’d be nice to get rid of my stubborn belly fat so I don’t have to struggle to maintain abs during cutting season, but nah

31. Have you ever cried over a guy/girl?

yup

32. Have you ever experienced unrequited love?

yup

33. Have you ever had sex with a man?

nope

34. Have you ever had sex with a woman?

yup

35. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

yup

36. Have you ever liked one of your best friends?

yup

37. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?

Ya

38. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?

Ya

39. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?

Yes

40. Have you ever written a song or poem for someone?

I tend to, yes

41. Have you had sex so far this year?

Yes

42. How long can you just kiss until your hands start to wander?

It depends on how interested I am

43. How long was your longest relationship?

a little over a year

44. How many boyfriends/girlfriends have you had?

6 i think?

45. How many people did you kiss in 2012/2013?

Idk?

46. How many times did you have sex last year?

Fuck if I know lmao

47. How old are you?

Almost 24!

48. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say?

I can’t say I wouldn’t be disappointed, but I wouldn’t fuss over it. If anything, I’d wish them luck

49. If you have a boyfriend/girlfriend, what is your favorite thing about him/her?

Don’t have one

50. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?

What are you apologizing for lmao?

51. Is there a boy/girl who you would do absolutely everything for?

Yes

52. Is there anyone you’ve given up on? Why?

Plenty of people. I realized that, to put it simply, they weren’t worth my time

53. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

Who knows and who cares tbh?

54. Is there someone you will never forget?

Yes

55. Share a relationship story.

Sitting in my car in the middle of the night rambling about heavens knows what until the early hours of the morning.

56. State 8 facts about your body

My knuckles are permanently bruised, I am 5′11.5, I’m flexible, I can’t grow a full beard, my legs are hella strong, I have a weak upper body (my bench should be heavier than what it currently is), my middle toe is weird looking, and my clavicles are very prominent 

57. Things you want to say to an ex

How’s it going?

58. What are five ways to win your heart?

Trust, honesty, food, star wars, and stability

59. What do you look like? (Post a picture!)

If you’re reading this, message me and I will later. I may not remember because I’m probably going to be drunk in a few hours

60. What is the biggest age difference between you and any of your partners?

2 years or so?

61. What is the first thing you notice in someone?

Their eyes

62. What is the sexiest thing someone could ever do for/to you?

the only thing that’s coming to my mind atm is having someones run their finger down my chest

63. What is your definition of “having sex”?

consent

64. What is your definition of cheating?

breaking whatever parameters both you and your partner have established as governing the relationship

65. What is your favourite foreplay routine?

Tbh, nothing in specific. Being spontaneous I suppose? Like, looking at each other and just going at it

66. What is your favourite roleplay?

Graduating from law school with a stable job

67. What is your idea of the perfect date?

Spending time with the other person. idc about the activity so long as we’re both enjoying each other’s company

68. What is your sexual orientation?

straight

69. What turns you off?

dishonesty, lack of initiative, passiveness, etc. 

70. What turns you on?

Honesty, kindness, lip biting, clawing

71. What was your kinkiest wet dream?

The only one that comes to mind is one I had years ago in which I was having sex in a public elevator

72. What words do you like to hear during sex?

idk?

73. What’s something sweet you’d like someone to do for you?

I can’t point to anything in specific. maybe something along the lines of “Hey, this reminded me of you”

74. What’s the most superficial characteristic you look for?

How physically attractive I find you to be

75. What’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for you?

Probably call me out of the blue to say something like,as I’ve already said, “this reminded me of you”

76. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for someone?

Cook for them probably

77. What’s your opinion on age differences in relationships?

Be fucking reasonable. Don’t break the law. Make sure both of you are of more or less equal maturity.

78. What’s your dirtiest secret?

I once ate an oreo off the floor

79. When was the last time you felt jealous? Why?

idr and probably over something petty tbh

80. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?

Earlier to my mom

81. Who are five people you find attractive?

Daisy Ridley, Robin Wright, Natalie Dormer, can’t think of another 2 atm

82. Who is the last person you hugged?

My mom

83. Who was your first kiss with?

My first girlfriend

84. Why did your last relationship fail?

I wasn’t feeling it anymore

85. Would you ever date someone off of the Internet?

probably not

[fuck-customers]

idfc anymore

I was tempted to go anonymous but I am far too tired.

I haven't really made a post yet, I've just been following this blog for quite a while as a release as I'm sure is the same for most. But things have changed and I thought for the better, not so sure now.

this does not include the 2nd job I'd gotten WHILE working this one, which put me at 7 days a week, a little around 60 hours a week, for 9 months. That in itself was hell and requires an entirely different submission.

It'll probably get long so just scroll to the tl;dr at the bottom if you want idc.

When I had just graduated HS, I waited the summer out before applying for a job. I already knew I wasn't going to college - a 2.3GPA isn't going to get you anywhere, especially when you're in the working class just brushing the poverty line. Getting loans is not something I wanted to do either, since everyone I'd ever met, seen, or heard who'd gotten them were miserable fcks.

At the suggestion of a relative I dropped off my resume everywhere it interested me. I got hired. Things looked good. I bonded with one of the coworkers, wasn't so bad. But I was inexperienced. And their idea of 'training' was to send 3 different people from 3 different parts of the business to train me on their own time, separately, and then argue about it because either something was miscommunicated i.e I was taught to do something one way but another person said that was wrong so they'd scold me and then "re-teach" me. This went on for a few weeks.

Okay, cool, fine. Whatever. That's stupid, you do you. Shit kind of improves. But because of this miscommunication, I get a write up for talking to one of the co-workers about something I wasn't supposed to because technically they're NOT a coworker and I don't find out exactly what that means until later (paid under the table) nor was I told I couldn't speak to them about the fact that this random ass volunteer was not only getting in the way of my work, but was being a safety hazard for my clients, despite my many warnings and corrections. Because obviously we are a hive mind and I must know that 1. Do not speak to paid-under-the-table "employees" 2. Do not tell mentally unstable child to not crawl into bin and taunt clients 3. Especially do not ban him when he was spraying the hose nozzle directly at clients.

So I get a "strike". Boss lady holds out her fingers and ticks them off once by one, as If I had made a horrible grievance upon the business. I'd only been working there for a few months, I believe. Still early, still new. Still young, fresh out of HS. 

A little back story cause I really feel this is integral to the story and hopefully for those with the same issues will look at this like "ye same" and those who haven't might be able to understand the following actions on the part of myself and others. Either way, here you go:

I've got diagnosed C-PTSD, Anxiety, Depression Bipolar, and ADHD. It has been heavily suggested I also fall along the Autism spectrum (by various doctors and nurses). I am also a victim of emotional, psychological, mental, and physical abuse (with a little stockholm I recently discovered, it's not something you yourself are generally aware of and now that I am it's ... It's worse than if I didn't know.), and I have been suffering with it for as long as I've been consciously aware to the present day. I don't always like to be so forthright with this kind of knowledge because there are quite a few people that either don't believe me, or then don't think I'm reliable enough to function and/or work. So it's usually best I don't.

And during the entire time of my employment there, I underwent a lot of manipulation and emotional abuse. A lot. By a person who believed they were doing a service for others. 

The months go on. I continue to be mistreated but it doesn't get bad until my family decide they want to adopt from the shelter boss lady also happens to run. I'm at work and I am notified of the cutest little puppy who had just gotten surrendered. I immediately asked my parents if they'd like the foster (we'd been looking for a 'family dog'). Said yes but couldn't get down there. I said that's fine, I'll fill the paperwork out. So I go to the other side and I fill everything out, we're set. We go home later on and she fits in perfectly. We decide then we'll adopt her come morning when the shelter opens up again.

Morning comes, I'm about ready to walk out the door to go to work, but I'm sent a message from one of the coworkers. "Bring the puppy in" was essentially the message being sent. Puppy's mom had originally surrendered puppy because she couldn't find a place to live that would accept dogs. So she surrendered her. But then in the morning she found a place. What a moron. Anyway.

Boss lady accepted her to having her dog back. No communication to me other than "Bring the dog in". Well we were about to adopt. Essentially what this scenario was turning into was: You work for me, therefore I 1. Don't have to explain myself 2. You work for me 3. The dog is my property.

So I'm texting the coworker back and forth like "Uh I need a little more info, also my parents want to talk with the ACO". This takes way too long, I eventually get the number, mom and ACO have a chat. I thought it went well. Apparently it didn't. He was giving her the script, paraphrased and a little blase. Moms pissed, understandably. She blows it out of proportion, note she's a psychotic bitxch and does this often with everything involving life but I can see where she's coming from with this. I'm like alright well I have to go to work, good luck barring the doors from the "Police". We go to work and it's kind of fcked.

We open the doors and everyone goes silent and turns towards us, in the kind of way you know they were just talking about you. Cause we got everyone in one room. The Boss Lady, the girl txting me over the phone, the ACO, some unnamed volunteer[s]. It's fcking uncomfortable and idk whats going on. The coworker I'd been txting was known and a little too happy to gossip, run her mouth, and cause problems. I was not surprised this was what was going on, but it didn't make me any less pissed.

Boss Lady confronts relative who'd dropped me off at work. He barely says a word, just stares at her, while she's maybe a couple inches from him. She says things like "Don't stare at me like that, this is how it works" "They are MY property, and as MY property I CAN call the police and they WILL show up on your front door do you want that?" "Peeriet, go with him to get the dog so I know she's coming back." And other really really volatile bullshit. The fact that she called the puppy her PROPERTY, threatened to call the POLICE, like...I was there during all of these interactions. My texts were neutral and just asking questions, my moms convo with the ACO was really calm and easy, and the relative was doing nothing but standing there and staring as she went off her rocker. So. 

I said no, I have to go to work, I'm not going with him to get the dog but he's going to get her. So he goes, I clock in, I leave.

I go to my job and vent to my coworker about the situation because I was still trying to wrap my head around it, when the ACO shows up wanting to have a private "chat."

The fcking conversation went something like this.

"So uh, you really care about your job, right?"

this fcking asshole was alluding, in so many words, probably to get the point across while also saving his ass so if I had gone to anyone saying he THREATENED MY POSITION OVER MY HEAD TO MAKE ME COOPERATE it may have been a problem. Wonder why.

So I said yeah, it's not even an issue also, they're bringing the dog back, etc. They'd even said because I filled out the application under my name that I was liable for anything to happen if it were to happen and that, because it's under my name, well, shucks, this is all your responsibility at the end of the day, we can wipe our hands clean and call it good.

Even though we were following the 'rules' and never once 1. Yelled 2. Caused a scene 3. Refused 4. Or threatened.

So that's settled. I thought. I go home and moms pissed. Que the next few weeks of absolute stupid shit storm via the internet by way of her leaving a trail of bad reviews. Of course this falls on me.

Everything my mom ever did or said, was my fault, as they "alluded" because we can't tell the truth in this business lest we be taken to court for whatever illegal activity we're probably doing behind closed doors.

So that started a whole new thing. They're hatred becomes amplified. Coworkers I'd bonded or befriended just outright stopped talking to me, barely acknowledging my precense and going to my manager for anything, including relaying messages to me. This did not stop for another 2 years.

So eventually things calm down, as calm as it could get. I continue to get harassed a lot, manipulated. I get injured at work fairly frequently, more than most - injuries that required medical treatment. I lied my first visit because it was after work. I was truthful the other time. I'd already been told by a few coworkers but Boss Lady specifically had a few special conversations with me about not telling any of my family I got injured at work, "Because you know how your mom is". They always spoke too sweetly, too nicely and feeding me excuses to cover up the real reasons. And I'd been so used to abuse my whole life that stockholm was bleeding into my work life and if anyone has ever fcking experienced that, it is fcking hell.

So I didn't tell anyone.

Until I'd gotten injured real bad. A dog had clamped full jaws onto my leg and shook. I had an indent for every tooth, including at least 3 deep punctures. I had it disinfected, shot a water missile into the punctures to make sure debris was out, wrapped, and given meds, orally and topically. I limped when I went home. And at the weekend went bye, I continued to get worse emotionally. I couldn't keep this a secret, I was experiencing actual physical pain because of the situation I'd been put under and I, mentally, could not cope. So I blew up in the kitchen. I had a meltdown, I showed my leg, I explained what happened, I said sorry but that I couldn't hide it anymore. 

The next day or days at work I told boss lady I couldn't hide it. I just couldn't. She backpeddled, explained "Oh no no, you shouldn't feel like you have to hide it, I never said that." This was her keyphrase after being called out for every single threat, warning, and manipulation. "I never said that.". Because it was true. She didn't. She said it in a way that couldn't hold her accountable in any true legal situation.

Months go by. I continue with the abuse not just at home but at work now. Abuse most people wouldn't even consider was abuse, but unfortunately I'd been groomed for this sort of thing my entire life, so when it happened at work? I fit in so naturally I didn't even know it was abuse/wrong until I'd left. 

And the real kicker is that she knew of my mental disorders. Because when stockholm had got me good, and I was especially tired, and I'd suffered some real hard shit at home, I'd break and I'd confess to boss lady in hopes of some kind of understanding: See, this is what I deal with, please don't mistreat me.

I wrote letters. I tried talking to her one on one. I tried working so hard at work to show how good I'd gotten.

Each letter was misunderstood. She'd bring me into her office after our oral talk and tell me that, because of what I'd written, I could be misunderstood, taken 'at my word.' "Well it says here that you don't ... want to work with your clients? Well if this is true then I legally can't have you with them. Because you wrote it. And legally I have to put this in your file." So I had to rewrite it, delete everything incriminating so I was left with my personal feelings.

Talking with her wasn't possible. She used tactics my mother does, so I physically couldn't talk, and I did, it was only "Sorrys" and "Thank yous" and accepting I was wrong and she was right and yes, I understand.

Working hard didn't work. I paid for my training personally and attended a school solely to improve. I kept making mistakes though. I wasn't good enough. I was doing some of the work my manager was with none of the pay, none of the acknowledgment or acceptance. I brought her in money, and clients, and good reviews, for nothing more than what I'd already had. Because she knew I wouldn't fight for it. Because she knew I'd continue giving her money and she didn't have to shell out anything more. And legally she didn't have to, because I had no experience, I was out of HS, and no official schooling.

But she'd always give me 'tidbits' of 'rewards'. The kicker for anyone with stockholm and/or abuse is you can basically continue to abuse them without too much issue if they 'reward' you and make it seem like they're doing you a favour. You know what I mean?

So she'd have occasionally 'positive' conversations, or she'd 'comment' something good about me, but I really loved when she'd give me a .50cent raise about twice in 2 years disguising it under her "charity" when it was probably because it was actually required. Cause in her office I was like "Why do I have a .50cent raise?" "Why are you asking, that's not something you normally ask when getting a raise." "???" "It's cause -....Just be thankful" Yeeee you see that? See that? How she almost said something but didn't? Yeah.

When she hired a new person they actually made about the same as me but more than another coworker, who'd been there longer, and when asked, boss lady said she basically didn't want to pay him if he wasn't sticking around (What kind of bullshit is that). He was. He corrected her, and his pay got fixed.

Again, months passed. Sometimes It'd be so good and I truly loved my job. I formed relationships with the clients to this day I can't think about because I get emotional. And every time she would critique me. Make things harder for us, she'd always be watching us on the cameras, and if she didn't see us, she'd assume we weren't working. She'd even come out of office to walk by just to watch us as she passed. 

2 months ago she made some changes. She'd hired someone that was her irl friend. The entire business save 1 or 2 people, were connected either by blood, marriage, or irl friendship. Which wasn't a good thing.

So she hires this new manager. Does ok for maybe a week or two. But then they started making some changes. She redid how we did our payments and filed clients in a really convoluted way. We went back to the old system in a week.

Then she switched everyones schedules. Really inconveniently and without asking anyone for confirmation like she said. She never even spoke to me like she did the others. 

Then she wanted opening crew to take our lunches back to back. Which made the early morning person take their lunch 6-7 hours after they'd already been clocked on, and me take mine only a couple hours after I'd been clocked on. Well, what about the afternoon crew?

Afternoon crew, as Boss lady told our manager and new morning crew person, didn't have to take a lunch now because of the new schedule. Which put him at over 5/5.5 hours anyway, despite the hour cut.

My hours were being cut. She'd just hired new manager and new morning crew, who'd taken over everything of mine previously. She'd also already fired a few people, and the new minimum wage mandatory increase was right around the corner.

I watched my hours. I waited. Few days pass. The next week comes, everyones on edge, I'm a fireball.

She tells us we're not allowed to keep our "belongings" with the rest of the other clients when we're on lunch. We must remove them into an entire separate room, because they would otherwise make our numbers higher (of total clients allowed in a space per person ratio) and thus become "illegal". We'd been seen by a health inspector twice in a year or so by request of a client who wasn't too keen on our 'policies'. Boss Lady was adamantly covering bases, which meant fcking everyone over.

It was kind of the last straw. I applied elsewhere, got accepted, and left. I spent 2 weeks after my last day literally going through a detox/withdrawal. I became physically ill. I had mental breakdowns about once every couple days. It was hell, it was horrible. I hated every minute of it.

Someone else left. A month later another person left. Several people that'd gotten hired have already been fired. And apparently a business too similar to the glory days of the place I'd left, has moved a couple blocks down the road to a second location. 

I've gotten a new job, but It's only partially an improvement, and I am still affected everyday by the abuse I'd suffered at that place, coupled with everything I already go through at home. And I am tired, and I do this alone, and I've been looking for a place to move into for years but minimum wage isn't a livable wage.

I am tired.

tl;dr how tf do you even summarize that?

[businessliveme]

Apple Bets on Cameras, New Pro Model to Sell Its Latest iPhones

(Bloomberg) — Apple unveiled new iPhones with camera enhancements and improved battery life, making incremental tweaks to lure buyers ahead of a more substantial overhaul of its handsets in 2020.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook presented three iPhones on Tuesday during Apple’s annual product roll-out in Cupertino, California. The company also introduced updates to the Apple Watch, revealed pricing for new video and gaming subscription services, and debuted a low-cost iPad.

Many of the new iPhone features were expected, including upgraded camera capabilities, better water-resistance and improved Face ID unlocking technology. Still, Apple managed to save a few surprises, such as longer battery life for the iPhone Pro models and aggressive pricing.

Apple, a pioneer of the smartphone era, has struggled recently to maintain the once-frenzied demand for the company’s best-selling product. Most Western and Chinese consumers already own a smartphone and are more reluctant to upgrade due to high prices, cheaper rivals and a lack of new, breakthrough features.

Researcher IDC forecast industry shipments to slip 2.2% in 2019, the third year of declines. IPhone shipments are seen dropping 15% this year, according to IDC. New 5G wireless technology may bring back growth, but not until 2020, it said.

During last year’s holiday period, Apple missed its own sales estimates for the first time in about two decades. This year, Apple is hoping the latest models — and a slew of new digital services — will keep revenue growth ticking along until bigger handset updates in 2020. Analysts expect total revenue to climb 2% year-over-year in the 2019 holiday quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max are successors to the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max lines. They look similar from the front and continue to have the more advanced organic light-emitting diode screens on the high-end models, and a liquid crystal display on the regular iPhone 11. The new models will distinguish themselves from their predecessors with new colors and finishes as well as new photo capabilities that rival traditional cameras.

The iPhone 11 adds a second camera on the back for improved Portrait Mode, wide-angle shots, and deeper zoom without a reduction in clarity. The iPhone Pro and Pro Max gain a third back camera with new video and photo software. The phones also add Night Mode for improved pictures in the dark. Google has had this feature on its Pixel phones for some time. The front cameras on the new iPhones now are 12 megapixel and support wide-angle, 4K, and slow-motion image capture.

The iPhone 11 will come in green, purple, black, white, and red, while the iPhone Pro and Pro Max will come in space grey, silver, gold, and a new green color, Apple said.

The iPhone 11 will start at $699, below the $749 iPhone XR price from last year. The iPhone Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone Pro Max costs $1,099 or more. Those prices are the same as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max from last year.

“Price declines on Apple’s current models are something I haven’t seen in the past,” said John Butler, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. “Very telling about the mature state of the smartphone market.”

Apple is keeping the XR and pricing it as low as $599, down from $749. The iPhone 8 stays, too, and will cost $449, also down from the previous price.

The U.S. government is set to impose 15% tariffs on the iPhone on Dec. 15. Other products, such as the Apple Watch, have already been hit with this levy. Apple doesn’t seem to be passing these extra costs on to consumers.

In addition to the camera features, the iPhone 11 adds stronger glass, an hour of more battery life compared to the iPhone XR, faster Face ID, and a new A13 chip. Here are the main upgrades coming to the iPhone Pro and Pro Max:

A similar design to the iPhone XS and XS Max, but with new matte backs

The A13 chip in the Pro models include upgrades to machine learning performance and low-power functionality

iPhone 11 Pro will last four hours longer than the iPhone XS. The iPhone 11 Pro Max will last five hours more

A new 18 watt charger to charge the device more quickly

An upgraded camera app to take advantage of the three back cameras

A new Deep Fusion mode that blends together nine photos to generate an image (this feature is launching via software update later this year)

Live video editing in the Camera app

Multi-angle Face ID

Apple was one of the first smartphone makers to sell handsets for more than $1,000, with mixed success. The company is working on another cheap iPhone, a successor to the iPhone SE, for next year, Bloomberg News recently reported.

It’s also prepping bigger changes in 2020: a new design, 5G connectivity, and 3-D cameras for enhanced augmented reality apps, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. For next year or the year after, it’s planning in-screen fingerprint scanning. This year’s models all include Face ID, Apple’s facial-recognition technology for unlocking the phones.

The new models go on sale Sept. 20 after pre-orders open Sept. 13. That means some sales will be part of Apple’s current fiscal fourth quarter.

The post Apple Bets on Cameras, New Pro Model to Sell Its Latest iPhones appeared first on Businessliveme.com.

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[terabitweb]

Original Post from SC Magazine Author: stephenlawton

Deception technology is far more sophisticated than the traditional honeypot. Today’s deceptions look and feel like the real deal, but will attackers take the bait?

If you are a Star Trek: The Next Generation aficionado, you might recall the episode “Ship in a Bottle” where Sherlock Holmes’ archenemy Prof. James Moriarty took control of the Enterprise from the holodeck and threatened to destroy the ship unless his demands were met. The threat was averted when the holodeck program was rewritten to create a false reality within live memory. The Moriarty program was deceived and redirected to the false but realistic pseudo reality and the Enterprise was saved.

Star Trek was ahead of its time by imagining what effectively was a malicious insider threat to the equivalent of a corporate network and using deception technology to redirect the malware. Like so many other technologies — the communicator and the medical tricorder for example — Star Trek’s deception technology of 1993 is reality today.

In fact, such technology is one of the latest weapons being added into the cybersecurity arsenal in which automated decoys are used to lure and trap attackers before they penetrate the network. Deception per se is hardly new — honeypots have long been used as basic deception — and in and of itself, deception technology is not a panacea, security experts stress. However, when used correctly and in tandem with other lines of defense, it can be very effective.

“For the first time since I’ve been in cybersecurity we have tools that tip the weight in favor of the defenders,” observes John Strand, owner of Black Hills Information Security in Spearfish, SD, a DARPA-funded open source security consultancy. Unlike intrusion detection tools, which create an alert once an attacker is already inside a network, deception technology prompts detection earlier in the attack lifecycle, he says.

Traditional cybersecurity tools do not contain the element of surprise, observers note. They can be easily purchased by cyber attackers in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China, which can launch attacks that bypass static technologies, says Strand.

“Every security technology that exists today — I don’t care who the vendor is — can be bypassed. We need to evolve beyond static analysis,’’ he says. “Regardless of what [vendors] offer, it’s pretty much the same [technology] across the board, and when you throw cyber deception into the mix, it greatly increases the opportunity for the attackers to make mistakes. We’re trying to increase the amount of time it takes an attacker to break into a network.”

Deception technology provides a level of uncertainly about a trap until they step into it, “and that gives us little more of advantage,” Strand adds.

“Cyber deception is blowing [security defense] wide open,’’ he says. “It’s dynamic and changing and not same old song and dance we’ve been doing.”

While the deception technology market pales by comparison to some other security product offerings, it is projected to reach $1.33 billion by 2020, according to a 2016 report by research firm Technavio. By comparison, the security information and event management (SIEM) market already was at $2 billion a year ago, according to industry statistics.

According to the Worldwide Semiannual Security Spending Guide from IDC, the 2020 spending on deception technology will be roughly 1 percent of the $102 billion that IDC estimates will be spent on security-related hardware, software, and services.

Enterprises need to keep evolving their defensive strategies. The average cost of a data breach globally is $3.86 million, a 6.4 percent increase from 2017, according to the 2018 Ponemon Institute report.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Deception technology can be a key part of a holistic cybersecurity approach that includes good firewalls, antivirus software and patch management, agrees Elvis Chan, supervisory special agent in the San Francisco division of the FBI, who manages a squad responsible for investigating national security cyber matters.

Like many technologies, you need to consider the good, the bad and the ugly. In the case of deception technology, when it works correctly, it “mimics a server that may have some juicy-looking information,” Chan says. “If you’re able to monitor a bad actor getting on your network, you can see tools they’re dropping, ports they’re going to — the treasure trove of activity. That’s the good.”

The bad is, “If you don’t do a good job making your honeynet part of your network, the bad guys know their cover is blown and will bail out of there,” Chan notes.

Gorka Sadowski Senior Director, Gartner

Then there is the ugly. This would be the scenario where, if a cyber attacker realizes someone is trying to fool them, there could be retribution, Chan says. “If you’re only aware of them being in the honeynet, they may be in another portion of your network and burn that down.”

Sweetening the honeypots

The history of cybersecurity boils down to enterprises first ignoring it, then trying to prevent attacks, then giving up, then trying to protect systems, observes Gorka Sadowski, a senior director and analyst at Gartner. “Now, it’s about detecting [an attack] as efficiently and quickly as possible by shortening the time between something happening and reacting to it,” he says.

Deception tools traditionally have been highly distributed with an emphasis on creating and managing the lures and fakes deployed all over an organization, he says. And honeypots have been expensive and very complex to use, he adds.

“The goal for honeypots was to trap the attackers for analysis,’’ Sadowski says. “You wanted to bring them into a sandbox to observe the enemy and that’s why those systems were complex.”

Doug Saylor, director Information Services Group

In general, deception technologies have a place in the cyber-protection scheme alongside a defense-in-depth approach, says Doug Saylor, a Dallas-area director at the global consultancy Information Services Group (ISG). These technologies offer an additional layer of protection and in some cases can be used to fool hackers into attacking environments specifically built to track and study attack patterns.

Although they have been useful in identifying attackers, honeypots are cumbersome to manage, Saylor agrees, “effective use in large environments requires extensive automation capabilities.”

Fast forward to today and deception tools have evolved into high-fidelity sensors with machine learning approaches that provide cost-effective believability, says Sadowski.

For example, a machine learning deception system will go into an active directory and analyze the naming conventions an organization has adopted. Then it will generate 100,000 fake users that will all abide by whatever policy has been put in place. What is interesting, he notes, is that the system learns the information on its own.

Machine learning is one of the new pillars of deception technology, and whereas in the past, this work had to be done by hand, today deception systems are cheaper because they are machine-learning driven, Sadowski says.

Newer deception technology products that are targeted at preventing specific type of attacks, such as from ransomware and zero-day [attacks], are becoming more commonplace and are proving effective in identifying and stopping attacks, says Saylor.

Like Sadowski, Saylor says the introduction of advanced machine learning into these products continues to increase their viability in the cyber tool portfolio, along with tools that use cloaking technologies.

Where deception vendors are pushing boundaries is on the feedback loop, Sadowski believes. Deception tools observe the behavior of an attacker to learn, for example, if they are going after a specific person, like the company’s vice president or CIO or someone in engineering — or perhaps a random employee.

“Then what’s interesting is using lures and fakes targeted at what the attacker is looking for. Now you’re enticing the attacker by putting bread crumbs in front of him or her that you know they’re looking for,” he adds.

Humans are sometimes involved to understand how the attackers work, but for the most part the systems are automated; it is the algorithms that understand indicators of compromise (IoC) and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), he says.

“Yesterday’s honeypot was not for the faint of heart and today’s can be operated by teams that are not experts in field, and that’s contributed to deception vendors having an opportunity to go back to pitching this type of solution today,” Sadowski says

It is the reduction in complexity and cost that is driving renewed interest in deception systems, he says.

The problem, Sadowski believes, is that these systems could end up being “priority number four when organizations only have budget for the first three. For me to be bullish, I need a clear vision that it will become a big domain in cybersecurity and I’m not convinced about that, because we’ve already gone through cycles of very promising technologies that fizzled.”

That said, for the foreseeable future, “deception technologies are a very valuable tool in an organization’s arsenal to combat threat detection and response,” he opines.

A work in progress

The FBI’s Chan believes deception technology is “sound,” but “it needs to be seasoned.” Deception systems will only work if the honeynets look authentic. “We also call it ‘pocket litter,’” he notes, like the odds and ends people carry around with them. “You want your honeynet to have good-looking pocket litter and all the directories have names that sound authentic. There’s a little bit of an art to that.”

John Strand, owner Black Hills Information Security

For example, if you are developing a honeynet that is supposed to look like a research and development server for a specific project, it should have “the topics and directories and documentation that would make sense, and a locked door people will try to bang against,’’ Chan says. “You have to make that door leading to nowhere look enticing. That’s where you’re going to learn … the trade craft of a bad actor, and you can hone your system to harden it.”

Strand believes that cyber deception technology is only just beginning to make waves. He likens a cyberattack to a room that an attacker is able to enter and turn on a light switch and move around with full visibility. “Now, imagine that room is dark and has all kinds of obstacles … so they bang their shins on a table and that’s what we’re trying to do. And cyber deception gives us that ability.”

Government activity

The reality is, deception works, and it is working right now at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Sandia developed the High-Fidelity Adaptive Deception & Emulation System (HADES) platform as a method for defending against adversaries in real time. The platform is comprised of software-defined networks (SDN), cloud, dynamic deception and agentless virtual machine introspection (VMI) technologies.

Vince Urias Computer Science Researcher Sandia National Labs

The idea is to create deception and directly interact with the adversary. At the onset of an attack, the platform “live-migrates the attacker into a realistic deception environment that is a high fidelity, functioning copy of the breached environment,” says Vince Urias, a computer science researcher at Sandia.

The platform is designed to perform multiple steps: It isolates the deception environment from the host system to protect data, offers the defender an undetectable but omniscient view of the attacker’s movements, enables instantaneous adjustment to the adversary’s changing attack vectors by modifying the deception environment; and provides comprehensive analytics about the attack for both real-time and post-event analysis, he says.

Unlike static honeypot-based approaches that trigger when a bad actor touches a honey token or cue, Urias maintains that HADES has the ability to “obscure the real target, devalue information gathering and cause the adversary to waste time and resources.” It also forces the adversary to reveal advanced capabilities, expose their intent and limit the scope and duration of attacks, he says.

Echoing Chan, Urias says that honeypots and other decoy environments traditionally have not provided a sufficiently realistic environment in which the adversary will perform actions that display his or her capabilities.

“Thus, they often result in wasting some of the attacker’s resources but do not keep the adversary around long enough for the defender to study him and gather actionable intelligence,’’ he says. “And while these methods can be effective at protecting data if a breach is detected, they do not provide valuable intelligence about an adversary.”

They also alert the adversary that they have been detected, allowing them to learn the defender’s strengths, refine their TTPs and launch new, potentially more successful future operations, Urias says.

More recently, crude deception-based approaches have been deployed, or proposed in academic literature, Urias notes, but he claims that these approaches have significant limitations that inhibit their effectiveness as a comprehensive defense strategy. This is because most fail to leverage virtualization or SDN to assist in the development and technological implementation of high-fidelity environments, he says.

They also lack centralized management and deployment and do not provide rapid or automated response, Urias adds. “The lack of complexity in networking, services and hosts of current deception networks do not leverage resources for a sophisticated emulation for the adversary to interact with.”

Chan declined to comment on the ability of HADES to protect a network from rogue activity by a nation state but says “all national labs are all very aware they’re targets of nation states and we work very closely with all” of them.

Looking ahead

While deception tools are critical to any security environment, the labor associated with the management of these platforms is unwieldy for large organizations, notes Saylor. As the volume and sophistication of attacks increases, it is very difficult for enterprises to keep up with managing the rulesets and configurations required to keep intruders out, he says. As a result, enterprises are significantly increasing staff associated with the maintenance of their existing toolsets.

However, automation is slowly making headway into the security space, he says, although he thinks it will be another two to three years before it makes a significant dent.

“The use of next-gen appliances is also helping reduce overhead, as are the use of software-defined networks and micro-segmentation technologies in the compute and network layers,’’ says Saylor. “The main issue we see today is lack of discipline in hygiene and configuration management, leading to the introduction or re-introduction of vulnerabilities hackers are able to exploit. A strong focus in this area would significantly reduce attacks.”

One of the best ways organizations can keep attackers at bay is by adhering to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework, Chan believes. “The reason I’m not talking about tools is you can use different tools or hardware to get to the same aim.” The framework remains the same, he says, and is the single most important thing organizations can implement.

“The one [other] thing that’s not even a tool or hardware that drive me crazy and I wish more companies did, is table-top exercises to flex their response plans and then just ongoing regular cybersecurity training for their employees,” Chan says. “When I see intrusions happen, it’s 90 percent [due to] people clicking on things they shouldn’t or using the same passwords and not doing two-factor authentication.”

For Saylor, it is about ensuring configurations are locked down, using strong encryption for data at rest and data in motion, and maintaining a skilled workforce that has the proper amount of time to focus on security presentation and remediation activities.

Chan says there are no enterprise-level tools that are new and different. “I see what is working defensively: segmented networks, firewalls,’’ he says. “The secret sauce is defense in-depth.”

Yet, there is no doubt in his mind that deception technologies are a part of the recipe when organizations are setting up or honing their cyber strategies.

“However, if we’re going to analogize this to an automobile, I would say firewalls are like seatbelts and antivirus is preventative maintenance,’’ Chan says.

“Where deception technology fits in is it’s the laser guide that lets you know when you’re too close to the car in front of you,” he says. “It’s a nice-to-have option if you can afford it … and if you can figure out patch management, good firewalls, good AV, good access control, segmentation of your network — those are all the basics.”

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Go to Source Author: stephenlawton Deception pointe Original Post from SC Magazine Author: stephenlawton Deception technology is far more sophisticated than the traditional honeypot.

[realtionshipthings]

Uh, right so I saw this post that talked about how girls abuse guys like that? You know with that long list, dunno where it’s at but, you know guys do a lot of things too. But how about this small little rule list for you about both parties and what they shouldn’t do(Btw I have a RIGHT to say what I’m about to point out because in no way have I ever abused anyone I’ve ever dated. I’ve dated literally two people, and let me tell you, they’re the ones at fault and if you don’t believe me read what I’ve PERSONALLY dealt with below.)

Don’t cheat on them. This may sound simple, but you would not believe how many times BOTH of my boyfriends cheated on me. The first one was guilty and cut our relationship off to atone for himself, and the second one just didn’t give a damn.

Don’t lie to them. If they ask where you were, answer. If they ask what you did, answer. Honesty is key.

Don’t keep secrets(unless it’s a surprise, or something along those lines, that’s all fine) from them. If they ask why you’re upset, don’t say “don’t worry, it’s nothing” when in fact your dog just died and you need comforting.

Don’t MAKE the other person feel insecure. Meaning: don’t go days without texting, or say “Are you wearing that?”

Don’t purposely flirt with other people in front of your girl/guy. That’s got to be the most hurtful thing... If someone tries to flirt with you, politely let them know you already have someone and are not interested, and if they advance further *snip snip* cut then outta ya life.

Don’t talk to people that you KNOW they have problems with, that ALSO hurts and makes them feel like you’re not on their side, even if they’re being petty about something. Support is key.

Don’t say something that makes them wonder if they’re doing something wrong. Watch your words, especially if the person you’re dating is REALLY REALLY insecure(me af rip).

Don’t ignore them if you get mad at them, talk shit out with your significant other instead of crossing your arms and pouting like a little child. Playing the silent game can be their strength. Like if you decide to ignore me, fine I didn’t need to speak to you either.

Don’t raise your voice in arguments, usually that is where all problems advance further. Calmly argue, or better yet DON’T ARGUE.

Don’t hit them, this means simple slaps(ladies) and straight up pushing (my dudes). Self defense is okay, but whoever hits first is at fault. Hitting is wrong, shoving is wrong. If you get pissed, walk away, talk it out later. Go punch a wall. (Personally I would rather hurt myself than my person. That person is MY person)

Don’t refuse compliments. If a guy tells you you’re cute, you’re cute. If a girl says you look hot, you look hot. You may not agree, but just take it for what it is and ride the tide baby. It’s annoying when you tell her/him she/he looks good and she/he says “no I don’t.” Like bitch I complimented you.

Don’t say things like “If you love me you would...”. That’s fucked up man, not cool. I personally never experienced this, but I seen it and you don’t do that.

Don’t use things that you know your partner is insecure about against them. “You’re fat”. Another example would be if his/her Mom died and you said “Your mother wouldn’t approve of this”(not personally happened to me but I witnessed this ones. It was a friend who said this to her bf, who I was also good friends with. Let’s just say she and I aren’t friends anymore, but he texts me frequently!!!)

Don’t hold past words against them. “Remember when you called me fat?” Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. But choose your words carefully. Don’t say something that they will ever be tempted to use against you (unless it’s in a cute/sexy/seductive way, like “You said you’d play nice :c”)

Don’t use answers like “I dunno you decide” or “Whatever you want idc”. That’s the most annoying shit ever. They asked you and want to know YOUR decision. If you don’t know, how about making shit up as you go along? “I don’t really know. Does it sound okay if we just go grab a coffee and make our decision there? I’ll buy.” (<—that is how it’s done.)

Don’t tell them their hobbies or things they like are stupid. “Why do we have to watch baseball? that’s so lame”. Instead try “I don’t understand baseball. Explain it to me?” (My first bf was clueless about dancing, I dance, he asked me what stuff was that I did. That’s how we lasted a year.)

Don’t put down their friends. “Katie’s a bitch.” “Dawson is a dickwad.” That is NOT okay. They care about their friends, then YOU care about their friends, aight?

Don’t refuse to go places. If she wanna go to the mall, you wanna go to the mall. If he wants to take you to a video gaming party(if a guy ever dated me and invited me here I would say yes, I love gaming), let him.

Don’t knock shit till you try it. If she says hot Cheetos with bean dip is good and thinks you’d like it, try it and THEN tell her it’s gross.(that’s good btw try it lol) If He says that starbursts and skittles taste good together, then try it.

Don’t ditch each other.

These rules are fundamental. You follow these and you’ll be one step closer to marrying. (Or maybe not, sparks do die out but if they do then be HONEST with each other.)