#to be clear i am 100% onboard

[itsgonnagetinspiringsoon]

The way this fandom's opinion of Buddy Dawn has 180'd in the blink of an eye

[tomorrowusa]

The Donald Trump hush money trial starts today in NYC.

Jury selection is the first order of business. In normal trials that may take a day or two. With Trump's legal foot-dragging, that could go into weeks.

There had been some doubts about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's approach to this case. There is some new ground here. But Slate's Mark Joseph Stern, an attorney who initially had some reservations about the prosecution, is now "fully onboard" with it.

Over the past year, though, I have realized that my initial doubts about Bragg’s indictment were misplaced. It now seems clear that Trump’s New York trial, slated to begin this week, will be the former president’s only criminal trial before the November election. The other three strong indictments against him in other jurisdictions have unfortunately been delayed by a corrupt judge, a foot-dragging Supreme Court, and a district attorney’s questionable conduct in an already complex case. This, combined with Bragg’s excellent pretrial briefing, has substantially strengthened the case for this prosecution. It is important to American democracy that Trump be forced to defend at least some of his alleged criminal conduct before a jury of his peers in advance of Election Day. [ ... ] Shortly before the 2020 election, Trump wanted to kill a story about his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress. So he allegedly directed his longtime fixer Michael Cohen to pay off Daniels, through a shell company, for her silence. Afterward, Trump funneled $420,000 to Cohen in installments. But he allegedly concealed the payments by listing them as legal expenses for a retainer that did not exist. Last year, I was uncertain whether this scheme, while sordid, rose to the level of a felony offense. I am now convinced that, if proved that he took these actions, it surely does. The falsification of business records is, by itself, a misdemeanor under New York law, but it’s a felony when it’s done with the “intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” In his indictment, Bragg claims that Trump lied about the payments with the intent to violate election law, which is what elevates the crime to a felony. Initially, I was suspicious of this theory; what election law, exactly, was the former president attempting to violate? The district attorney’s initial statement of facts was hazy on this crucial point, raising the possibility that he couldn’t tie the underlying fraud to a state or federal statute. Turns out he could. Bragg has argued, convincingly, that the former president intended to violate at least two election laws—one state, one federal. First, Bragg asserted that Trump and Cohen ran afoul of the Federal Election Campaign Act by making unlawful campaign contributions (in the form of a payoff) at the direction of a candidate (that is, Trump).

As a criminal defendant, Trump has to be in court for the trial. And except for holidays, court will be in session four days a week.

So Trump will be in Lower Manhattan quite a bit for the next couple of months. The New York County (Manhattan) Courthouse is at 100 Centre Street. And he owns a major property at 40 Wall Street (modestly called The Trump Building) where he might occasionally be seen. Google Maps puts the walking distance between the two locations at 0.8 miles (1.28 km). So if you're tempted to exercise your First Amendment right to express your opinions to Trump...

[akookminsupporter]

I am getting extremely frustrated around all this debate surrounding 3D. And so am just going to rant. Please feel free to ignore.

I did not like the song. I did not like the way it objectified women. I don't need clarification on what the lyrics meant, that was clear as day the first time I heard the song itself. I do not need clarification on who is being called a "w***e". I don't need to be given a lecture on how this is rap culture or R&B vibe. I don't need to be called immature or childish, considering I am normally older in an average crowd of Army but not that old that I don't know what is relevant.

Why is it so hard for people to understand that there can be people with another opinion and it's not wrong. I don't see the point of posts like I am not a 100% onboard the song, but I will still stream it cause I support JK. What is the crazy level of fanaticism where you believe your idol can do wrong. And obviously in this case even JK acknowledges that the song may not be for everyone. So why does Army have to keep pushing it?

I actively moved away from Pop, R&B songs when the content became unpalatable for me. People are going around giving examples of WAP to say that the contents of 3D is much tamer. But I never said that I was a fan of WAP either. Why do I not have the choice to actively listen to and support music I choose and I like. What is the herd mentality that this fandom cultivates?

Onto 3D itself, it's purely my opinion that the song covers themes that are acceptable but in a very outdated manner which does not speak to the evolution we've had on deobjectifying women in music. I do believe that with JK's vocal talent, he could be doing far more than he is currently doing. But if this is the direction he wants for himself, I as a fan am in no way going to dictate that he shouldn't. I'd probably just pick and choose what I can support. I wasn't the most comfortable with the stalker-ish themes shown in Seven (there again I felt we had regressed into an age where such tendencies were considered romantic) and it's just sad to me that JK believes that these are the content that show how adult he is. It's sad that he has pigeon holed himself into this. But again, I can only support what I can from where I stand and I shall continue to do that. This again does not allow me to dictate what other fans should be doing and I think it's time, especially in Chapter 2, for Army to realise as well that not everyone can like everything and that is okay.

Also, unrelated side note. I read a thought piece on the MV of 3D which only left me wondering why Army are so desperate to find meaning in the most random of things and justify behaviours to themselves. I did have a laugh about whether anyone involved in production had put in even 1/10th the effort to evolve the MV in the direction this thought piece prompted.

Anyway to summarise my long rant. Let people be. It's okay to have a difference of opinions. It's what helps individuals grow and understand situations and circumstances better and don't try to force your ideology down unwilling throats and saturate fandom spaces with cultist behaviour.

Opinions.

[waheelawhisperer]

to me about the radiant knight margaret nearl yo

Gonna assume this is for the ask game.

This is an unfair question because she is my WIFE she has my RING on her FINGER and -

Okay the obvious one is Nearl x Followers (Shining and Nightingale). This is the one that's been teased in canon, she has good chemistry with both of them, my heart nearly burst when she danced with Nightingale in Near Light... yeah, I am a firm supporter here.

Nearl x Candle Knight: Viviana Droste has the biggest gayest crush on Nearl imaginable. Their whole fight during Near Light was dripping with gay tension. The only thought in Viviana's head at any point when Nearl is within 100 feet of her is "Please kiss me please kiss me please kiss me please kiss me".

Nearl x Doctor: Jock x Nerd ship, you guys know the drill by now, except it's even better because Nearl's also secretly a nerd (both versions of her ask for access to the Doctor's library and Meteor mentions that she used to be a shy bookwork). While I don't read any of Nearl's talk lines as explicitly romantic, they make it clear that Nearl holds the Doctor in high regard and places a great deal of trust in them, and that the Doctor reciprocates those feelings - Defender Nearl specifically expresses gratitude toward the Doctor in two separate lines and swears to defend both their honor and their life in her onboarding line, while Guard Nearl makes no effort to hide how happy she is to be back at Rhodes Island and in the Doctor's presence specifically. I think the following lines speak for themselves:

"I'm gladdened to be by your side once again, Doctor... Yes, may the light be with you as always."

"Oaths and trust both are unchanging in the passage of time. Isn't that so, Doctor? The Radiant Knight, Margaret Nearl, rejoins you here."

"I have never held the slightest hesitance to entrust my life to your hands."

That last one makes my heart beat like a machine gun. If anyone ever asks me to justify Doc x Nearl again, that line is all I need. This is more important than it seems - prior to their amnesia, the Doctor was known to have been callous with the lives or their operators, to the extent that a number of prominent figures in Rhodes Island were either ambivalent toward or outright opposed to the mission to rescue them. Nearl, by contrast, places unwavering faith in the Doctor. Even if she joined Rhodes Island while the Doctor was in Chernobog, she's surely heard the rumors regarding how they used to be, and she still chose to take part in the rescue operation and played a pivotal role in the Chernobog affair.

Like I said, the Doctor reciprocates Nearl's feelings to some degree, as shown by this talk line:

"Is my previous dormitory still left for me? Thank you, for going to the trouble."

According to this, the Doctor preserved Nearl's old room for her even after she left Rhodes Island to stay in Kazimierz after the events of Near Light (yes, maybe someone else gave the order, but Nearl certainly seems to think it was the Doctor, and I don't see any reason to doubt her). Doc views Nearl as part of Rhodes Island, now and forever, and clearly wants her by their side, and Nearl Alter's talk lines demonstrate that she agrees that her home is with Rhodes Island. There's obviously a deep and powerful bond between Nearl and the Doctor, and while I don't think the game's writers intend it as romantic, I think it could become romantic with only minor tweaks/exploration.

Yes, I'm aware that Doc x Nearl is a bit self-indulgent on my part, but I also don't care. I'm gonna pet this horse and none of you can stop me.

As for honorable mentions, Nearl x Siege, Nearl x Hoshiguma, Nearl x Saria, and Nearl x Degenbrecher all appeal to me for one reason or another. A knight needs a queen to serve, Nearl could bond with Hoshiguma and Saria over their similar mindsets, and the thought of Degenbrecher and Nearl going from rivals to lovers is just funny to me.

Don't darken my doorstep with the weird incest shit the fan artists like to draw the Nearl family engaging in.

[infinitestaging]

PUBLISHED 05.09.2023

proceding almost four weeks of intensive internal investigation and two weeks of complete silence on all Infinite Stage Entertainment channels, as well as related idol social media accounts, the company has announced that former CEOs Cho Hosung and Han Sooyin will be stepping down. the company communicated through official news channels that they found the CEOs no longer capable of conducting ethical leadership, and the board of directors in compliance with shareholder wishes has decided to instead shift leadership to the son of former talent manager Sun Hyunsuk, Sun Jihoon. 

this shocking move is a pivotal moment for Infinite Stage Entertainment, which was originally founded by the husband-wife CEO duo. they have guided the company for nearly two decades, and although no official statement has been made yet several insiders claim that the former CEOs did not step down voluntarily.

while this undoubtedly casts a shadow on ISEs already unstable reputation, Sun Jihoon has made clear during his appointing press conference that he is confident that he, with the strength of his new team, can help ISE and its idols reach the heights they were meant for.

Sun Jihoon brings with him newly appointed COO Nam Eunwoo and creative director Jenny Lee, as well as onboarding former ISE idols Sang Minji and Connor Seong full-time as ISEs new in-house producers.

(Nam Eunwoo, Jenny Lee, Sang Minji, Connor Seong, pictured left to right.)

what are your thoughts?

[ +100 / -22 ] while i do think it feels a little strange that nothing else is going to happen to the old ceos i am happy that the company and all of the idols finally get to move on and heal from all of this. just hoping they make sure to also fire all of the abusive staff and not just use the ceos as the sacrificial lamb. [ +62 / -17 ] so long as none of the idols have said anything I don't give a fuck!!!! he needs hyejins stamp of approval before I trust anything this man says [ +36 / -13 ] nothing more important than a ceo who actually cares about his idols and also looks hot while doing it [ +31 / -10 ] BITCH AND WE ALL CHEERED

[voxofthevoid]

Hi!

I just dropped by to say that you are one amazing author. I found your fic "little lamb to slaughter" and i absolutely love the way you wrote goyuu and their character and interactions. the intensity left me breatheless. I'm so happy to have you joined our fandom and to write for goyuu. they are actually my favorite otp, so to have you write fics about them and give the fandom such a brilliant masterpiece is like winning the lottery. I'm looking forward to more goyuu fics from you, of course, at your own pace!

I just have one question, I hope you don't mind. why do you like goyuu? and what made you ship them?

Actual footage of me reading this ask 🥺

Thank you so much, anon!! This is incredibly sweet, and I don't even know what to say. I got into goyuu thinking it's a fairly small fandom/ship (by my standards—I've spent several years onboard juggernaut ships like victuuri and stucky), not expecting much interaction, but you guys have been so damn amazing from the start. I'm delighted to be here, and honestly, I'll be here for quite a while at the rate Gojou and Yuuji have me writing fics for them.

I don't mind at all! I'll put my answer under a cut because I am incapable of being concise, and I sure have many, many thoughts about this ship.

There's not really any rhyme or reason to the kind of characters or ships I like, only that I need to (a) love both characters a lot individually and (b) love their interactions in canon enough to want more of it—doubly so if I'm to write for it.

And honestly, both Gojou and Yuuji ticked off those boxes pretty early on. Yuuji's hands-down one of my favorite characters of all time. I liked him a lot in the anime itself, and by the time I caught up to the manga (it was around Chapter 200 at the time), I adored him beyond reason. Gojou was a wild ball of delight from the very first scene, and the more I saw of him, the more I liked him. I won't get into the whys of either now since that's not really the question, but suffice to say that both of them make me want to dig into their psyches teeth-first.

The shipping kind of evolved naturally. I blame MAPPA for the initial visual appeal—Gojou getting up in Yuuji's face and generally being a shameless thot definitely made me perk up. The whole basement training arc added fuel to the fire with the sheer potential of it all. But what made it go from cursory appreciation to full-blown obsession is that there's a lot of genuine affection, respect, and ease between the two of them despite the extremely brief time they know each other.

From Yuuji's end, there's adoration without awe and respect without fear. At first, it might be because he doesn't have a clue what Gojou's capable of, but then he sees Gojou's domain and watches him rip the head off a curse and step on it—and still nothing. Acknowledgement, yes, but he still treats Gojou as human first and foremost. When he dies the first time, he mentions Gojou in the list of people he doesn't have to worry about anymore with 100% sincerity—and who the hell worries about Gojou? Why would they? But it's consistently something Yuuji displays, even at Shibuya. Well before shit goes up in flames, he thinks Gojou should have support, and after he's sealed, it's clear Yuuji's concern is all for Gojou the person, not Gojou the strongest sorcerer. One of my favorite scenes from the Shibuya arc (which is saying something because I'm rabid about that entire arc) is Yuuji, bloody and utterly wrecked from Kenjaku's attack, snarling for them to give Gojou back. The fear, the worry, even the phrasing—kills me every damn time. It's there in the recent chapters too: Yuuji's unflinching willingness to die to free Gojou, his gratitude Gojou and Megumi gave him a role to play, his complete faith that everything will be fine once Gojou's free. Plus him not even batting an eye at Gojou's pre-battle aura in Chapter 220. There's just a lot of genuine trust and comfort there.

From Gojou's end, there's that instant liking to Yuuji. The anime legitimately makes it seem like he sees Yuuji shirtless one(1) time and decides to tap that, but even putting that aside, especially after the scene in the crematorium, it's pretty clear he just likes who Yuuji is as a person. There's an impressive number of scenes where he's just looking at Yuuji, and I am forever weak for how he takes off Infinity for Yuuji from, literally, Day 2. And apparently makes it enough of a habit that Yuuji takes it for granted and is comfortable asking him to lower it—which Gojou does, changing the whole mood of that scene in 220 for the better. I would kill to see more of their interactions in the post-unsealing times honestly. The reciprocal faith and respect also compel me. In the couple of weeks between Gojou meeting Yuuji and Yuuji dying due to Sukuna, Gojou gets attached enough to give us one of his few genuine displays of uncontrolled rage—as opposed to the usual deranged grin or coldness we see when he's violent—and also comes to believe Yuuji could've one day matched his power. Coming from him, that sure is something. Then there's how Sukuna, of all people, imply that Gojou never intended to let Yuuji be executed—which I do think tracks with Gojou's attitude toward Yuuji and the whole vessel business from nearly the start. There's just a lot of consistent care and faith there.

I can keep going, but you get the gist.

On top of all that, it's been a hot minute since I've sunk my teeth into a pairing with all sorts of power imbalances: adult/minor and teacher/student, plus the whole walking death sentence/executioner angle (Yuuji's willingness to die, Gojou not planning to let him but never telling him, etc.). It's fucked up, and as my Ao3 in general shows, I have a deep and abiding love for that kind of thing.

Also, I think Yuuji deserves to bend his pretty teacher over and rail him into infinity. As a treat. Since not much of that content exists, I will make it exist.

[teagrl]

Andor ep 9 Oh shit it’s ON

So that’s my takeaway with that absolutely amazing ending. I AM HYPE for next week.

Andor’s thesis seems to be THE EMPIRE IS A PIECE OF SHIT and also to FIGHT SHIT YOU GET DIRTY and I am here for it. Note that it’s 100% about what Luthen said, people who aren’t involved are going to get hurt, are going to die. 

See Bix’s unspeakably horrible “clean” torture, which is just as horrifying as anything gruesome. Imagine the Empire weaponizing the last stand of a species they massacred to torture others, profiting from their anguish? Horrific, but they would. They totally would. 

I had to laugh at how Dedra being unsettled by Syril, a “true believer,” if you will. There’s something so ironic in her on one scene going on a power trip with all of the Empire’s terror tools and then being caught off guard by Syril stalking her. I feel like Syril is going to bite it for something dumb along these lines, for wanting to “help.” Possibly this will be the type of thing which will blow up in the Imperials’ faces in the end? Again, just like the Empire. It’d be a marvelous turn of events for it to end up being something minor they actually killed a whistleblower for and it would have a certain symmetry with the beginning.

So Vel is Mon’s cousin! Keepin’ it in the family, I see. Also I loved her repeating what Cinta told her to Mon. You get Mon’s frustration, her feelings of being ineffectual and her fear at what being found out would mean -- not just for her. That shot of her after Vel leaves, has her so alone, but I LOVE that the show then says wait, but Mon’s in her deluxe apartments, lets go see how Bix is doing now. It’s perspective is unflinching and it’s clear that Mon is a small piece of this highly charged landscape where there’s real costs. I LOVED how she now has to deal with a “thug” she deplores. I seem to recall in some Legends material that the Rebels did do deals with the Hutts and that’s fucking awful, but like really real and exactly what I wanna see from my guerilla Rebellion.

Lastly, the prison segments were just amazing. I love the pacing of Andor so much. Those three ep arcs are  inspired. I ended up being so caught up with fury and anxiety over everyone -- seeing Andor bond with the other prisoners, the chilling mystery of what happened to floor #2, and Ulaf’s fate being what breaks the camel’s back for Kino and (presumably) gets him onboard to giving Andor the info he needs. (I couldn’t help but be moved at how the group protects Ulaf and of course it was heartbreaking for Kino to repeat that he had only 40 shifts left...) My heart of heart hopes for a HUGE prisoner takeover considering the whole zero sum nature of the prison, but we’ll see what develops but I’m sure whatever will happen Andor will get out as a bonafide radical. The show hasn’t disappointed me yet!

[thegothicviking]

It's papa viking's birthday today! 🥳

So we went to see a over 100 year old norwegian veteran warship that survived service in both world wars and was saved from rust and damnation to be restored in the 1970's. This ship sure had Titanic vibes as it was built around the same time (1910's) but it was much more lucky!

It was amazing to see how they had restored the entire ship! Its fit for a crew of 17 people and inside there was even a huge list over the 14000 (something) norwegian sailors that served in wars at sea. The ones that survived and those that sadly didn't.

I hope my great grandad is on that list (but it was impossible for us to find him as the names wasn't arranged alphabetically!). According to my dad, my great grandad survived 2 shipwreckings (hit by torpedo on 2 of the ships he served on during world war II and survived! Cheating fate twice!) My great grandad died two years ago. But if he would have been alive today he would have been 100 years old!! And right up until 15 years ago when I saw him the last time (my family is sadly split up due to silly fights and my great grandad lived a bit far away from me) he was sharp in the head and still with a clear hatred in his heart and soul for what the nazis did to his country and to the world. He really said to be that "all those fucking nazis should have been gassed or pushed out from "Preikestolen" (which is a huge cliff in Stavanger in Norway.)

I am proud to be the great grand daughter of one man who served his nation in the marine and the other (who sadly died before I was born) having survived a concentration camp (sachsenhausen). It brought me to tears to read the diaries and hear the diaries re-enacted of those 15-16 year old boys that had to fight at sea. Not knowing if they would make it back home to their mothers. Fighting in wars or not...they were boys in the end! Missing their mothers!

I just thought about that today. That world war II is not even 100 year away from us. And about all those boys and girls that had to grow up way too fast and serve their nation!

I just thought about that and also how they need volunteers on the veteran boat. And ok even though I have fishermen and marine folks in my blood... I still may not be a full blown sailor...but it sounds like an adventure to live at sea on a ship that have experienced so much and survived so much. Needless to say I would feel very safe on that ship!! Haha.

Even though I won't get paid I am considering it. To be a volunteer. I am very used at being onboard at boats/ships since my dad has worked on many ships and have taken me and my sister onboard from we were kids. And my grandad took us out fishing quite early too. (My parents met each other when they worked at the same ship so I might even be made at sea!)

Anyway all jokes aside: I just wanted to share this because I am proud of what my great grand dads have done and what they have survived.

Ok. That was all. Now you can go and enjoy the weekend! Because we truly are the lucky ones!

Oh and one last thing; how cool are these ventilation wheels on the doors to the cabins?

Ok that's it. Enjoy your weekend!

[stellarcyber-security]

2024 cybersecurity predictions: GenAI edition

Unless you have lived under a rock for the past year, you know that generative artificial intelligence applications, such as ChatGPT, have penetrated many aspects of our online lives. From generating marketing content, creating images for advertisements and blogs, or even writing malicious code, we are all interacting with the results of generative AI in some ways daily.

So, when I was thinking about writing about 2024 predictions, I thought, why not give Gen AI a shot at making some predictions for the upcoming year? So, I did just that. I will provide the raw ChatGPT results and then give each of its predictions a grade. Let’s see how it did.

First prediction: Ransomware evolution and targeting of critical infrastructure

Ransomware attacks will likely evolve in sophistication and intensity. Threat actors may increasingly target critical infrastructure sectors such as energy, healthcare, transportation, or finance, aiming to disrupt essential services and demand high ransom payments. They might utilize advanced tactics like double extortion, where stolen data is threatened to be published or sold, in addition to encrypting the victim’s files.

Steve’s grade: B+

While I cannot say this is the most unique prediction for 2024, I give it a B+ in applicability. It’s hard to debate that ransomware won’t continue to be a huge issue for organizations in 2024. Just last month, MGM Grand got hit with a massive ransomware attack that disrupted normal business operations to a $100 million loss.

Attackers will undoubtedly continue to deploy these sorts of attacks across all industries in the coming year. The key for organizations is to continue to shore up their defenses. The sad fact is that, in many cases, a ransomware attack could be averted with more cybersecurity training for employees, patching known vulnerabilities when they arise, and ensuring proper network segmentation.

Second prediction: AI-driven cyberattacks

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) could be employed by malicious actors to enhance the capabilities and efficiency of cyberattacks. AI-powered attacks may include more convincing phishing attempts, automated malware creation, evasion of security measures, and personalized social engineering attacks, making it harder for traditional defense mechanisms to detect and prevent them.

Steve’s grade: A++

This prediction immediately brought to mind the famous scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, where HAL, the onboard AI, tells Dave that he knows about the plan to disable him and won’t let him do it. he fact that ChatGPT, a GenAI app, predicts that GenAI will make attacks harder to stop by traditional means is certainly ironic, if not indicative of the power of AI in today’s world.

I am sure most organizations are trying to strategize how to combat AI-driven attacks in the future, but there is no clear leading approach. Without a doubt, vendors will introduce new products and capabilities attempting to identify and thwart AI-driven attacks in 2024 that use AI to identify AI attacks, which brings to mind another famous movie scene from the cult classic War Games.

In the movie’s ultimate scene, the WOPR takes control of the nuclear missile codes and attempts to start World War III. Our hero turns the computer against itself in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe, eventually leading it to the ultimate decision that the only winning move is not to play the game or start a global thermonuclear war (lucky for us).

All kidding aside, there is a real chance that the near-term future threat landscape might look wildly different than it does today once attackers incorporate the full power of AI. Forward-leaning security teams need to be vigilant in seeking out new technologies to augment their existing security controls; otherwise, the battlefield they have worked hard to even might quickly become one-sided – and not in the direction they want it to be.

Third prediction: Exploitation of IoT devices and smart infrastructure

With the increasing adoption of IoT devices and the development of smart cities and homes, cybercriminals may exploit vulnerabilities in these interconnected systems. Attacks could range from IoT-based botnets for DDoS attacks to unauthorized access to sensitive data through compromised smart devices, emphasizing the need for robust security measures and IoT-specific defense strategies.

Steve’s grade: A

The barriers between traditional IT infrastructure and the expanding IoT world are quickly vanishing, and attackers know it. Recently, there was a not-so-publicized attack where the attacker penetrated an organization’s environment through – wait for it – an internet-enabled fish tank thermometer. Once they owned the thermometer, they could hop to the internal network and deploy their attack.

Now, who am I to say only some appliances we use need to be connected to the internet? I enjoy that my new washer and dryer send notifications to my phone when their cycles are complete. However, the conveniences we enjoy that make everyday tasks a little less annoying come with a price.

For security teams, the best way to protect the entire environment is to ensure that those IoT devices used by employees and contractors are appropriately partitioned off from the intranet, minimizing the chance for a creative attacker to turn your internet-enabled espresso machine into their initial attack vector.

Fourth prediction: Supply chain attacks and third-party risk

Supply chain attacks might become more prevalent as attackers target software vendors and suppliers to compromise their products, affecting a broader range of organizations. Third-party risks could be exploited to gain unauthorized access to networks, inject malicious code, or steal sensitive data. Organizations will need to focus on securing their supply chains and closely vetting the security measures of third-party providers.

Steve’s grade: A+

The dreaded third-party risk can keep even the most confident security professional up at night. As your organization expands and your use of contractors grows, the risk that one of them could unwittingly be patient zero of an attack becomes very real. We all remember the Target hack of 2013, where a third-party contractor that fell victim to a phishing attack led to a multimillion-dollar breach with losses that exceeded $200 million.

While that attack was a wake-up call for many organizations to be more vigilant regarding their network segmentation, third-party access, and more, only some have taken the appropriate steps to ensure they are protected from a similar attack.

Security solutions like our Open XDR Platform, which automatically correlates security-relevant alerts and data from any number of security products, are a great way to ensure that anomalous behaviors most certainly did occur during the Target breach, do not go unnoticed. Since this prediction focuses on supply chains, let’s briefly discuss it.

We know that when supply chains are disrupted, we all feel it. Remember when many shelves in our favorite stores were suddenly empty due to COVID? Now imagine supply chain disruptions due to a successful cyberattack impacting multiple suppliers of products we depend on, with no easy resolution. Talk about pandemonium.

The good news is that the risk of a widespread supply chain disruption due to a cyberattack can be mitigated with good network hygiene and following architecture best practices. While eliminating the potential of an attack is unrealistic, ensuring proper network segmentation, adopting new automation capabilities regarding security analytics, and (yes, again) proper cybersecurity training for everyone, including contractors, can go a long way.

ChatGPT ends its predictions with this statement: “It’s essential to stay updated with the latest developments in the cybersecurity field and adapt to emerging threats as they evolve. Organizations should invest in proactive cybersecurity strategies, employee training, and robust incident response plans to mitigate potential risks.”

I couldn’t agree more. Well said.

Overall, I have to admit that ChatGPT came up with some pretty decent and applicable predictions for 2024. The fact of the matter, though, is that no one knows what the new year has to offer, aside from the fact that attackers will continue to attack, defenders will continue to defend, and vendors and service providers will be here to help.

Thanks again to ChatGPT for collaborating with me on this article. Well done, my AI friend.

[daydreamin-the-starscape]

This is just a rant please ignore because I don’t wanna trauma dump on my friends rn.

I’ve had a shitty fucking financial situation for the better part of a year and I take 100% accountability for the stress it’s put on my relationship.

I spent sometime with my fucked up family just to learn THAT hard lesson, and came back with the intention of job hunting, but the timing was so fucking bad. His parents came for 10 days, we were leaving in two months for two weeks to go to his parents house, and like what fucking job is gonna give me two weeks vacation after working there for two months?

And the weather has been weirdly 100% overcast and I was fighting in the trenches of SAD and developing some agoraphobia and just got crazy anxiety every time I tried to leave the house. I’ve been trying to doordash for grocery money and selling a ton of stuff on depop, but I’ve definitely been not even scraping by.

Either way, I’ve been struggling, but I fucking did it!! I found a job I start January 2nd!! I am so relieved!!(please please god send me the onboarding paperwork I’m starting to get nervous)

Anyways, so l told my BF what I wanted for Christmas, I wanted to keep it cheap and easy so I told him a vegetable chopper($15-$30 on Amazon) so it could be in a price range that I could reciprocate. Cool! He told me he’d order it after Christmas so it wasn’t left on the porch for two weeks, even better!

I wound up selling a ton of my sentimental higher end hobby clothing and ended up with $600. I wanted to get him a really nice gift just as a thank you for supporting us for the past year, so I was thinking season tickets to this league in my city($500 for two) for a sport he is insanely into.

But I wanted to run it by him first because I didn’t want to add further financial strain to our situation by blowing that much money on something “stupid” when I could put it towards more important things around the house that he wanted me to pay for until I got my first check. I would have *totally* spent that money because it was the only reason I pulled out that stash of clothes to sell, but honestly I didn’t want it to be like a slap in the face to everything he’s paid for the last year. I’m trying to be a lot more responsible with money, I don’t want to continue adding onto the shit. I take accountability for my part and I DO WANT TO FIX IT. This was after I accepted a job position btw.

Well I asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he said he didn’t want anything(this is before I told him about the depop money). I asked him if he was sure and told him about my potential plan and my depop account balance. He said to save my money and we wouldn’t be exchanging gifts this year, he was just getting me the chopper because he knew I wanted one.

He went on to keep making drunk comments about how he was taking me home for Christmas, but he bought the plane tickets on credit because his parents were giving us $1000 for our gift(which is fucking insane to me I grew up on ebt and foodbanks) and he was gonna use the full amount to pay off the plane tickets on his card.

It didn’t bother me, honestly, I know my broke ass was stressing him out so I was more than happy with this. I was just happy I wasn’t gonna be alone for Christmas like I was last year. He flew home because his parents bought his ticket but I couldn’t afford mine or a cat sitter. I was just upset that he acted like this was his Christmas gift to me? Like he did that, when really his parents are covering it.

What DID bother me was the care and consideration he put into his families gifts and that he couldn’t even think of one cheap thing to get me. He spent a month picking out different patches on eBay for his dad, picking out a shadow box and assembling it and tried to learn photoshop to clear up an image to on a plaque for his mom. He hunted down some pretty awesome 4k steelbook sets for his brother and got a movie shelf to boot.

Since we’ve been at his families house, he’s spent every night buying them more stuff on Amazon to wrap up before the big day. It’s not about how much money he’s spending, it’s 100% his and we have separate finances. it’s just that he’s never went through this much effort to plan a gift for me in three years of dating, it’s always oh send me what you want and I’ll order it.

His dad pointed out his amazon shopping and jokingly asked me what I wanted since my bf is clearly buying and I kept the bit going and said the only thing I want is a vegetable chopper! Well his dad knew how cheap they were and literally ordered me one while we were all sitting there, and my bf was kinda pissed! He was like, what the fuck now what am I supposed to get you, I was supposed to buy that!

I know he loves his family but I’m getting pissy he calls them every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for like five hours each day. I know we don’t have money to go out and do shit but like can’t we play video games or watch a movie or do anything together? And since we’ve been at his parents house it’s been pretty wierd ngl, he didn’t show me the plaque when it got here, he’s not really talking to me, and like takes every opportunity to run off with various family members. Idk I feel wierd and sensitive. I’ve been stuck on the same spot on the couch working on these cross stitches I’m making his family, but I really like them all and they love my crafting gifts which thankfully are something I can afford rn.

And idk I’m getting tired and I need to force myself to sleep but fuck man, I’m just upset that he couldn’t try to think of anything on his own for me.

[kivewor]

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[karodigital]

How Can Digital Marketing Agency Earn 1,000 Crore?

IMPOSSIBLE..! That's what most agency owners will think after reading the question statement.

To be honest, that's not your fault, most of the agency owners struggle even to get a client who is willing to pay 1 lac per annum to them. 

But I am gonna share some real-time facts and figures which will blow up your mind & make you believe that yes, 1000 crore is the number that an agency can achieve or even more.

Recently a pr was made public by Mindshare group India( Marketing agency), which stated that Mindshare India won new business worth rupees 1,100 Cr within a span of 9 months.

Mindshare is having a market share of 18.6% in India, which means in a big economy like India out of 100 businesses, almost 18 are giving their marketing money to Mindshare.

Along with Mindshare, there are a few players too like Madison Media, Maxus(Group M), and Lintas Media Group. They are the big fishes in the market who are making crores from their agency business.

                                              India- The Goldmine of Agency Business

India is currently witnessing the era of digitization. More & more people are coming online these days, be it social media or search engines the penetration of digital life is increasing day by day in India.

Businesses are understanding the value of digital transformation. But due to a lack of proper knowledge, they are wasting their money on cheap service providers with no almost no ROI.

In tier-2 & tier-3 cities where a maximum of the business owners are not digitally transformed they are the goldmine for your agency business. 

Guys, you can't even imagine how much you can charge from them once they get clarity on the benefits of going digital. The thing is they just need a proper consultancy on the benefits of going digital.

Always remember the fact that a confused mind always says no. So dont be sales pitchy to them, you just need to educate them & clear all their confusion by showing the complete roadmap of digital transformation.

And for that, you first need a proper mindset. For example, your thought process should be that “with just a mere 18.6% Mindshare is able to generate revenue over 1000 cr that too just in metros, so why can't I do the same in small cities”

                                                           MINDSET- THE SUCCESS MAKER

During the whole process of growing your agency to a 7 digit revenue model you will face many challenges & rejections but dont you dare to fail because it's the consistency & patience which will pay off to you in the end. 

A proper mindset is a necessity before you start your journey to start digging the goldmine. What kind of videos you will make, for whom you are gonna make them, who is your target audience, and do you have the team to deliver what you are promising to your clients after you onboard them. 

These are the few key points that you need to understand & plan first.  

So here I am sharing a video link which will explain in detail, so just click on the link & start your digital marketing agency which has the potential to earn crores. 

[itslauren-97]

Welcome Home

 Disclaimer: I am 100% not a writer! This is honestly just me having a little fun, nothing super serious. Feel free to let me know your opinions, good or bad, i won’t be offended I promise. Let me know if I should keep trying or if this is a big ‘hit and a miss’. 

TW for slight hints of childhood trauma, panic and self-doubt.

Credit for Coops and all the Sweater Weather characters goes to the amazing @lumosinlove

The past few months had been pretty busy. They had just ended the hockey season for the year, they had been running about making sure they had everything ready for their new arrival, all while keeping the exact details secret from their family and friends. 

But just a few hours ago on the 20th June. All the stress and worry they had been feeling vanished as they watched as their daughter was brought into the world. They had both cried when they first saw her, and in all honesty they weren’t sure they had actually gone 5 minutes without one of them shedding a tear, all in pure happiness of course. 

The two had become a three, they were a family, no longer just a married couple. They were now responsible for a tiny little human, their tiny human. As daunting as that may be they couldn’t be happier in their little family bubble.

Had there been moments in the past couple of months where they had doubted if they were ready or prepared, naturally. But they had both been there for one another in moments of doubt. 

Remus had found Sirius numerous times in their newly decorated nursery, with panic written all over his face. Remus had been expected him to be nervous, with how his own childhood had been, but he was prepared and 100% sure Sirius was going to be the best Dad, which he told him each time.

Sirius was struggling with his own memories of growing up, about how his parents had treated him and Regulus. Knowing he wanted to be nothing like them, but not having that loving relationship in his founding years, how was he suppose to know how to be a loving Dad, without knowing how that felt. It took talking with Remus, Dumo, Lyall and Regulus that he started to realised that because of the thing he had been through, he was going to know exactly what a baby would need from a parental figure, and how to be the opposite of his parents.

Sirius had not been quite as prepared as Remus had been to find his loved one in somewhat of a panicked state one night. He had woken up without Remus beside him, after looking around the rest of the house, he made his way to the only place left, the rink in their basement. Sure enough that’s where he found Remus, shooting pucks at 3 am one night. Just as Remus had done for him, he managed to find out that Remus shared his worries in not being a good father. Remus’ reasons were different however, he was worried he would not live up to the expectations he felt were on him. In growing up with such loving parents, it felt he would need to live up to his own parents. Sirius assured him that nobody was expecting anything from him, and that he would be his own amazing version of a father, undoubtedly one of the best out there. 

Knowing they were both experiencing similar thoughts, they began confiding their worries to each other, which definitely helped them on their journey to parenthood. They knew they would work through any difficulties together and they had a huge support system waiting to help them if needed.

After 24 hours under the care of the maternity staff, their little one had been given the all clear to head home, meaning they were now on their own. 

The drive from the hospital to their house had been the slowest journey Remus had ever been on. Sirius drove all the slowest roads he could find to get home not wanting to risk anything with such precious cargo now onboard, much to Remus’ annoyance. Remus had sat in the back seat with the baby, in case she needed anything on the drive home. 

“Finally, we’re home little one” Remus said softly to the still sound asleep newborn in their baby carrier. He unbuckled just as Sirius opened the back passenger door to grab the baby carrier.

“She is the tiniest thing I’ve ever seen” Sirius stated as he walked to the front door with the baby, as Remus grabbed the bags and went to open the door. 

“And the cutest, I still can’t believe she’s ours.” Remus had said as they walked into the entryway of the house, “Well, here we are Rosie. We’re home” 

Sirius had placed the carrier down and had unbuckled the newborn and lifted her to his chest carefully and walked into the living room rocking her gently. 

Remus made his way over to the two and slotted himself bedside them, placing a soft kiss to his Sirius cheek before the top of their daughters head nested into Sirius’ chest just over his heart so she could hear his heartbeat. Sirius whispered to thier daughter, 

“Bienvenue à la maison, ma petite Rose” 

Translation (hopefully it reads, using Google translate): Welcome home, my little Rose

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Among us but the whole crew are imposters but one who's normal and trying not to be ejected out of fear

There are 9 Impostors among us

The words that showed up on your tablet chilled you to the bone.

Out of ten people..you were the only normal crewmate? You were terrified at the realization you could be killed so easily--or even ejected if they decided to throw you out and take over the ship.

You took a deep breath and switched the screen to view your tasks. One that you hadn’t noticed before caught your eye.

It was the one that’ll save your life:

Send Distress Signal

With fear gripping your heart, you decided to carefully make your way to comms. Hopefully you’ll be able to send out a call for help.

Though just as you arrived, the doors suddenly slammed shut behind you, along with the lights going out. But fortunately there were no vents in this room, so you felt around for the chair, finding it and sitting down.

‘Maybe the Impostors haven’t noticed me yet..’ You hoped as you quickly booted up the computer, the screen lighting up in the darkness.

“SOS. My ship is overrun by Impostors. Somehow I am the only normal crewmate onboard. Please help me.”

You quickly hit send after giving the coordinates, waiting for the loading bar to reach 100% as the message was passed onto MIRA HQ.

When it finally did, the lights returned to normal and the door behind you opened. Then you heard footsteps and, in a panic, hid underneath one of the desks right as not one...but two Impostors walked in.

You could only see their boots, and you noticed they were dragging them a little--as though they were limping. But you held your breath as you saw one of them brandish a gun.

Weapons like that were incredibly risky to carry around. ‘They better not shoot at the walls..or else all the oxygen goes kaput. Even the canisters I got won’t be enough to save me..’ You thought grimly, keeping quiet till they were finally gone.

Their supposed enhanced vision didn’t seem to work in their favor, thank goodness.

You finally emerged with a shaky sigh, wondering if you were gonna survive this--or if it was even worth trying to survive--

‘No. It’s worth it..I-I’m not gonna let them scare me..’ Clearing your head of any doubts, you just stayed in comms for a little while longer, deciding to map out your escape plan.

Hopefully your message will be received soon. Until then you’ll do your best to survive.

[just-a-fangirl13]

Thoughts & Theories about MacGyver 5x10 [MacRiley]

HOLY SHIT! 

This episode was absolutely INSANE. Im writing out my thoughts once and for all because I need to stop thinking about everything that happened (I highly doubt I will be able to but here's to trying)

SPOILERS FOR 5x10 OFCOURSE

Straight off the bat, I was screaming *internally* and yelling at Mac when he showed the diamond to Bozer. I suspected it yesterday when we got the snippet of Murdoc saying the words DIAMOND and RING with extra emphasis..(everyone on twitter said I was jumping to conclusions.. I thought so too honestly) But damn I did NOT expect them to actually do that!

Now here's why I am not mad about it anymore. [this is my interpretation you are free to disagree]

Firstly, when Mac told Bozer he was going to propose he didnt say I’m doing it because I love Desi or I want to spend the rest of our lives together or because she’s the one (doesn't mean he doesnt care for her ofcourse)

He said “Ever since I lost my dad & Jack, I have been thinking about the bigger picture and a commitment to make things work is exactly what Desi and I need right now. A grand romantic gesture.” He wanted to propose for stability so he could finally be on the same page with her. They never really defined their relationship before and this was a way for Mac to final bring it together. A grand romantic gesture is usually something people use to win their partners back which is what Mac was trying to do I guess. It almost sounds like he has to do it so he doesn't lose her again 

(ill get to my second reason in the end)

Then ofcourse Bozer tells Riley about it so she can be prepared. Bozer is such a good friend. He is supportive of Mac AND wants to protect Riley. I love him for it! He really is doing everything to be the best friend he can to both of them. (Leannas death was so painful and I just want to hug him but thankfully Riley had that covered.)

Next we get the BIG REVEAL. The moment all of us had been waiting for. 

The moment that SHOOK Angus MacGyver and CHANGED EVERYTHING!

Rileys Feelings!

“You want me to say it out loud? Fine. Yes I had feelings for Mac. There I said it. and yeah watching him and Desi together was breaking my heart so I moved out of his house. I should have said something to him a long time ago but I didn’t and now its over. ”

I had the opposite of a HEART ATTACK! (my heart rate was through THE ROOF!)

I have to say they really really outdid themselves on this reveal. 

SIDE NOTE: If anyone comes for Riley and tries to call her a slut or a home wrecker? You will have me to deal with. Even after Murdoc played the clip of her confession she still tried to deny it and brush it off so it wouldn't complicate things for Mac and Desi. If Riley had wanted, she could have easily told Mac this to his face while he was dating Desi and then let things happen from there but she DIDNT. She kept that secret buried so deep she herself was in denial.

(also if anyone calls Mac a player or anything like that.. I will end you. He is doing his best to deal with everything that has happened to him and people keep giving him shit for it....)

Anyways, we see Mac’s expression & he is just confused and shocked and clearly not trying to think about it because it changed EVERYTHING for him. 

[Murdoc saying I THINK IM ON TEAM RILEY was a HUGE HIGHLIGHT for me! I love him so damn much!]

Desi took it really well too actually. If they keep going down this road of growth and maturity for her I think I could actually like her again. (Russ too when he apologised to Bozer) 

She didnt throw a hissy fit or say I knew it or look at Riley like she was the villain. She focused on the mission & I respect her for that.

(Riley does say, “the next thing you are going to hear on that recording-” and then gets cut off by Desi.. If this will come into play at some point later on or if it was just her trying to explain herself, remains to be seen.)

Then after the climax, we finally hear Riley say the words to Mac in real time and we get our FIRST MacRiley hug of the season! 

At this point I thought they would agree to be friends and make the friendzone thing clear BUT NOPE. (you have no idea how happy I am about it not going down like that!)

I was also a puddle on the floor. SO

“Mac look-”

“You don’t have to say anything if you dont want to. Really.”

“I want to. Last year in Germany. I realised I was starting to have feelings for you. Real feelings. I didnt want to make anything weird between you and Desi. I didnt want to mess up our work or our friendship so I decided to bury it. Until the feelings passed.”

“Emotions aren’t a science. You can’t control them.”

Gosh they are so perfect together! The way they look at each other and the HUG! OH MY GOD THE HUG! Its just perfection.

Now we also see this from Desi’s POV. Again no anger or jealousy from her. I think it was an understanding. She realised that she and Mac were never going to work.. maybe a little pain but honestly everything that went down with her and Mac was her fault too. The lack of trust and understanding was always a problem for them. Sure, things were going well but she didnt seem like she was ready for a commitment if im being honest. If Mac had proposed I think Desi would have said no.(again nothing wrong with that) 

She didnt want to label their relationship..they haven't said the words I love you to each other and I dont think they even live together. It really was way too sudden.(these are just things im assuming people define how well a relationship is going by.. I have no experience.)

Then ofcourse we have what im calling the goodbye scene. Its the break up before the break up in my opinion.

Desi tells Mac that they should pretend the last 24 hours never happened (that might actually include Mac wanting to propose but make of it what you will..) and that they should have a clean slate. But its very clear from Mac’s face and Desi sees it too that he isnt 100% onboard with it. He cant forget about it.

Which is when Desi says “Look Mac just do whatever you feel is right” and Mac looks confused.

She then gives him a goodbye kiss. 

Look if you have ever watched any show/movie before where the characters are saying goodbye to each other or breaking each others hearts...THERE IS ALWAYS A KISS ON THE CHEEK. A final farewell of sorts. 

That is what it seemed like to me. It was Desi telling Mac to do what he has to. Even if it inevitably leads to their break up.

Again real emotional maturity from Desi here!

Then we get the scene, Monica Macer (the show runner) tweeted about back in December.

Mac knocking on someones door. If im being honest? I thought it was Desi’s place and he was going to propose...

BUT it turned out to be Riley’s.

Mac clearly hasn't stopped thinking about what happened. I wouldnt either if my best friend who has put her life on the line for me and trusts me 100%, now has feelings for me? That would turn my world upside down too.

especially if I had feelings for her that I buried so deep that I never acknowledged them.

Also this is my scenario for how their first kiss goes down just FYI.. (Mac showing up at Rileys doorstep and finally confessing his feelings and kissing her *probably won't happen that way now though, but I still love it*)

Mac hesitates for a second before finally knocking on her door.

“Mac? Everything okay?”

“I can’t pretend like the last 24 hours didnt just happen. They did. So I gotta ask. Did it work?”

“Did what work?”

“Hiding your emotions and letting it pass. Did they go away?”

and I proceeded to pass out. My brain just checked out...

Now initially in all my freaking out I thought Mac was asking Riley about his feelings. If HE buried them deep enough would he still be able to move on with Desi but then I rewatched it and I realised he was asking RILEY if her feelings were still there, if there was still a possibility of something ever happening. 

She never told him its all good now! my feelings are gone and it was a long time ago. She told him she buried it but he needed to know if a future with Riley was something tangible. 

BASICALLY ANGUS MACGYVER ASKED RILEY DAVIS IF SHE WAS STILL IN LOVE WITH HIM. *I think I need to go to a hospital now*

So this was my second reason for not being annoyed about the proposal. The writers used it to show what a huge impact it would have on Mac. How much Rileys feelings would actually mean to him. the GAME CHANGER it would be.

A friend of mine said it was kinda funny and a little jarring but I liked it. (I could have done without the proposal) But I understand why they did it. They couldnt have Mac and Desi break up the same day Riley’s feelings came out because then people would hate Mac. They had to make him want to take the next step with Desi but then drop a bomb on him, that would make him question everything.

Again this is what I took away from it.

BUT GOSH WAS THIS EPISODE AMAZING!

I do get that some people are not happy with this and some said it was too sudden *not like we’ve been waiting since season 1 or anything* but I think after 5x11 things will slow down again. Mac may break up with Desi only at the end of the season when he finally comes to terms with his feelings. (Some people are still cautious and I get it but after everything that just happened I find it hard to believe that Mac and Riley won't end up together after all.. not to mention the leaked script conversation between Mac and Riley from 5x15)

Now I dont know how the final scene ends.. they definitely dont get called away for their solo mission immediately after because Mac’s cheek injury is relatively healed in this stills, which means Riley does answer Mac’s question. She may try to avoid it or deflect but he is standing right there so...who knows.

Next weeks episode is a MacRIley solo mission and lets just say things definitely are heating up a bit..*wink wink*

YUP IM HYPED. 

BRING ON THE SEXUAL TENSION AND THE ANGST!

[mittensmorgul]

Hi! Could Dean (while being Michael's vessel) have seen Cas' true form?

Ooh, see, we do have a fantastic fanfic gap in 13.23 that we could perfectly fill with this.

In fact, I know there was coda fic written of this episode that explored this as a possibility... heck if I can think of any right now, but I'm sure I read some at the time.

**Edited this in before posting as reminder to folks reading this that I was 100% onboard the Human Cas Endgame that canon had been setting up for years and years, and that I don't harbor a romanticized attachment to a concept of an angel's "true form." And that in most respects, I find it kind of insulting to Cas as a character. If this viewpoint is upsetting, I would suggest giving the remainder of my reply a pass. Thanks.

That said...

We don't know what happened before Dean said yes. Did Cas try to talk him out of it? Did Dean say anything to Cas? And then what happened immediately after Dean said yes, when Michael was still honoring their agreement on vessel control? Did Dean say anything to Cas then? Did Cas say anything to Dean?

We know Dean was in full control of all of Michael's other angelic powers (wings, glowy-floaty, etc.), so theoretically he could also "see" the angel possessing a body, since we know canonically that Cas (even when he was fully human) recognized angels in their vessels, and we know canonically that Cas isn't "possessing a vessel" in the traditional sense anyway and "is" that body now (he died and was reconstructed how many times in that body now? at least four... he's not possessing Jimmy's corpse and hasn't been for the vast majority of his time in canon, and for those still confused about this they ABSOLUTELY made that clear after Cas's body was burned entirely in 12.23 and he was just... booped back into existence in an entirely new body... "what's burned stays dead," we had a whole entire arc about that at the beginning of s13... but I seriously digressed here >.>)

Where was I? OH right. Did Dean see Cas's "true form."

I think Cas's body that looks like Jimmy is actually his true form, or at least a significant part of his true form, since Cas has identified with that body for a very long time now. I personally detest the description of Cas's angelic form as his "true" form, you know? It feels... wrong... It's his angelic form, and I don't personally believe that he's identified solely as that being in years.

The only times Cas has ever referred to his angelic self as being his "true form" was in 4.01 when he was at his least human, and in 6.07 when he retorted to Samuel about his "true form is approximately the size of your Chrysler building" because Samuel was being obnoxious and hostile to him. The only other angel to refer to their "true form" in canon was Zachariah, who also used it to put Sam and Dean in their places in 5.16, while strong-arming them into saying yes to Michael and Lucifer in Heaven. Like... it's not a phrase that fills one with the warm fuzzies. It's meant to be an intimidation, to remind the lowly humans he is not one of them. That he's somehow "better" than them. So yeah, since Cas fell in 8.23, especially, I can't really see him even thinking of that form as his "true form" anymore.

But for the sake of the question, yeah, Dean was probably able to see Cas's grace form in 13.23 before he flapped off to stab Lucifer. Considering how much Cas had been struggling with the waning of his own powers since s9, I have no idea how much of that grace form he actually retained to see anyway. He probably also saw Lucifer's true form during their fight. Considering how Sam and Rowena both talked about how that experience was deeply traumatizing, Dean held it together pretty well.

Well I think I might've come close to answering this question? Maybe? But I personally have become sort of uncomfortable with how a lot of folks engage with the discussion of Cas's "true form," and I'm finding I can't really get excited about a discussion of it all without explaining how I see Cas as a character, and how he identifies with himself. Years ago I used to love the concept, but since s9... eh... not so much...

I am, however, disappointed that Dean and Cas never had a conversation in canon about what exactly Dean did see in those moments. He had to have seen things in Cas that could've given us insight into what exactly Cas had become. Granted, Michael attempted a conversation along those lines in 14.10, but again, he was doing so from a position of hostility and manipulation, and not for Cas's personal growth and benefit. Dean would've surely addressed all of those issues from a different perspective.

Sorry if that's a slightly disappointing take :P