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[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

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[zentechia]

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[redfoxwritesstuff]

Sunflower: Book 1, chapter 15

Tom Hiddleston x OFC Series rated: M Chapter warnings: Our flashback is a bit.. Uhum. Steamy? AN: Do we get our conversation? How childish will Mia be? Can she act like a goddamn adult? LETS FIND OUT!

Masterlist

~~~~~~<3

It had been four days. Four long, slow days. Four days where Mia could try to think without the overwhelming presence of a stranger in her space. Four days where Mia found herself longing for that presence.

Tom had been gone for four days and it had been twenty four hours since she had heard from Tom. Radio silence filled the air, though she tried to drown it out with music, television and conversations. How could silence gnaw at her heart in the very same way as the insane devotion that radiated off him did?

He was busy. He was working. He was… not here. And that bothered her. A lot. It shouldn’t, but it did. And that killed her. Not physically, but god did she kind of wish it did. 

She wasn’t clingy typically but she couldn’t help it. This was his fault. He demanded that she invest. How could she not when he insisted on finding any crack in her heart to worm his way in and try to find purchase to take root. 

He had made her think he was different. Hell, he had all but said he was different.

This was supposed to be different. 

But here she was, four days alone.

Sally was asleep and the apartment was large, empty and frigidly silent. She had worked a early shift and tomorrow had a late one. Exhaustion was deep in her bones but she needed to stay up way too late tonight. 

What was it like to have someone to be at home with, to not be alone in the silence of the night when she had no choice but play chicken with the morning light? 

A ping from her phone caught her attention. Glancing at it, she saw it was just another news push notification. It wasn’t a feature she wanted but it was installed automatically with the latest software update. There was enough in her life to be anxious about without getting 24 hour updates every day of the year on what god awful thing was happening in another state or country. It had been a few weeks but she hadn’t been able to figure out how to turn it off. 

It was just a matter of time until she figured it out though. She swore it. Every time it had gone off it had given her false hope that he finally sent something, she swore she’d figure it out. 

This was ridiculous. 

The reason for the radio silence was obvious. She had been right and he realized it. It was that simple. No need to pine, question and dance like a goddamn schoolgirl. 

With time away, Tom realized that everything Mia had said Saturday morning was right. In a few days or a few weeks she would get a notice from some lawyer initiating the annulment. Would he cancel the card he left for her to use? 

It’s not like it was hard to replace, really. It was just a credit card, he obviously could live without the physical card for a while. How hard would it really be on him if he changed his mind?

“Some promise that was.” Mia tossed the card absently onto the end table next to her. 

Ping. 

Ignore it. There was no point in checking. It wasn’t him. it was never him. 

Okay, she was being a bit dramatic. Really dramatic, maybe. She didn’t know. It was dumb. She was being dumb. It was too soon to decide he ghosted her. 

“Fuck,” She slumped back on the couch. “I guess I’ll be able to say I got ghosted by an actor.” 

Ping.

She couldn’t help it, she grabbed her phone knowing exactly what she’d find. It would be a second news story of little to no importance to her day to day life. An auto accident near by that slowed traffic patterns or a missing person on the other side of the country. A storm in Brazil or a heatwave in India. It would be a protest in China. It would be nothing.

It was a text message from contact Tom. 

“Can I call?” The message read. Another followed, “It’s late, I know.” 

She sent a single k back and waited for the other shoe to drop. There was nearly no wait for the phone to come to life in her hand. She hadn’t added a picture to his contact, it was just Tom H lighting up her screen. 

Nothing more. 

She took a deep breath and answered, “Hello,” 

“Is everything alright?” Tom’s tone was difficult to pinpoint. 

“Yeah-” She cleared her throat and sat up. “I’m fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine. Just lay it on me.”

“Lay what on you?” Tom sounded confused and that confused her. “What are you talking about?” 

“You haven’t said anything, all day.” Her eyes burned and her throat felt tight. She needed air. The apartment was suffocating as she stood. 

“It has been a minute, I suppose.” He was picking his words carefully. 

“Can you just- why are you calling?” The glass door slid closed behind her. If Tom was going to do whatever she wanted to not have to worry about Sally waking up for it. 

“I wanted to talk to you?” Tom sounded unsure, on the other side of the country he had found himself off balance.

“About what?” Mia felt the anger sweeping in to push away her sadness. It wasn’t healthy but it was a bad habit that she often found solace in. Anger was safe. For her at least, not those in her way. 

“You’re upset with me?” 

“Stop asking questions.” Mia snapped. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to make sure you got the couch alright.” Tom’s voice was starting to pull tight. “Why did you think I wanted to call?” 

“To tell me I was right.” Mia’s voice cracked. This was it, their first fight was going to happen and it hadn’t even been two weeks. “To tell me…” 

Tom’s tone changed from the defensive and softened considerably. He may not be able to read her mind but he knew she was hurting. “I’m not calling to ask for an annulment. Why on earth did you think that?” 

“You never texted back. You stopped talking and I just- It’s been over a day and it’s been slowing down. It was just-” she clamped down on the words as her voice threatened to give away how close she was to tears, that safe anger winking out in her shame. 

“You missed me?” his voice was so soft. “I got absorbed in work. I’m sorry.” 

“No, no.” Mia forced a chuckle. It was all a misunderstanding. She was acting like a love sick schoolgirl. She was a grown ass woman married to a grown ass man. She shouldn’t be crying and thinking their marriage is over just because he didn’t text her for a day. “I swear- I’m not clingy.” 

“It’s alright.” Somewhere on the other side of the universe, he sat down heavily on the too big bed. “Things are new and delicate. I’m just as guilty for not being aware.” Silence ticked on. While they had texted while he was away (until it stopped) they hadn’t actually talked on the phone. 

“I saw part of your interview.” Mia wasn’t sure why she said it. 

“Which one?” Tom asked, his voice warming to life. “What did you think?” 

“The one where you talked about me.” 

“Did I- Was what I said alright?” Tom wasn’t totally sure which one she was talking about but he didn’t want to complicate things more. 

“I don’t like lying.” Mia said. “I know why you need to but I don’t like it.” 

“It’s not really lying, its just implying different and reinforcing our privacy.” That still sounded like lying to Mia but she let it go. She was pretty sure he more than implied they knew eachother for longer than a night in the segment she watched anyway. 

He could lie so easily and didn’t even agree with her on the definition of lying. The fact that he played pretend well enough to do it for a living showed he was good at telling lies too. 

Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away. Tom had never given her a reason to think he would lie to her. He has been earnest and honest from the moment they woke up Saturday. 

“Hiding parts of my private life is just a fact of my life. If I want to hold anything back for myself without the public picking it apart, it needs to be protected from them.”

“I know.” Mia sighed as she leaned against the railing. The fight felt like it had been narrowly avoided. 

“It’s people in my life I tell the truth but to protect the people in my life I don’t tell the world the whole truth.”

“I know, I know-”

“It’ll take time to get used to.” 

Silence filled the air again. This time it didn’t have that same icy chill to it. She had missed him and that scared her. 

“Tom?” Her heart beat too hard in her chest. Did he miss her? Even just a little? 

He hummed on the other side of the universe and she wondered what he was doing. They had a time difference of three hours. It was late for her but even later for him. Was he preparing to go to bed? Was he just getting in from a night on the town?

“What is it?” He asked after she failed to say anything. 

She wanted to tell him she missed him. She wanted to ask when he was going to come back. She hated it. 

“Don’t be a stranger.” God, that was so lame. Out of everything she could have said, that’s what she came up with?

“I have been, haven’t I?” It was Mia’s turn to be silent. She wasn’t sure what to say. It was weird to be married to a man she didn’t know.

“I mean, what’s what we kind of still are, aren’t we?” It was the best she could come up with to say. 

“I’m sorry. I’d gotten busy and fallen away from texting you. I- Luke tacked on a few appearances. The trip got extended. Usually it’s nothing, I didn’t think anything of it. Until I did. But by then- I didn’t know what to say.”

The ability to apologize was not one that Mia had seen much in the men that had spent time in her life. It reassured her that he could do something as simple as say ‘sorry’.

“I should be back by Friday.” Tom said, sounding sure. Just as sure as he had sounded before he left. “I promise.” 

“Don’t.” Mia’s voice came harder than she intended. “Don’t promise if you don’t have control over keeping it.” 

“Mia-”

“I need to get to bed. Work tomorrow.”

What moments of warmth they had shared during the call had cooled. Would it always be like this? She hoped not. Could she ever feel safe enough to stop icing him out as soon as things warmed up? 

“I’ll call again tomorrow?” Tom fell back on the hotel bed. This call had not gone how he intended but who’s fault was that? He should have just told her when the plan changed. 

“If you want.” She didn’t know what else to say as she stepped back into the apartment, locking the sliding door behind her. 

“I do want.” Tom hesitated, “It’s good to hear your voice. To talk to you. I missed you.”

She didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t say anything. Her heart pounded in her chest and her hands trembled. “Goodnight, Tom.” Was what she managed to squeak out before disconnecting the call.

~~~~~<3

Tom pressed her against the door. His hand was large and firm against her waist, holding her right where he wanted. Fumbling, with his wallet trapped in his pocket, he struggled with the other hand. His pants were tight around his hips and his current state of mind didn’t help matters. 

Her nails scratched at the hair at the back of his neck as she clung to him. It felt like she was floating, swimming through a sea of desire and alcohol. She needed him. She wanted him. “Hurry.” 

“Got it.” The wallet slipped out. It was a struggle to flip it open with one hand, then find the hotel keycard. In the process of getting the card out, he dropped the leather wallet to the floor. 

His breath was hot in her ear. Lips worked, leaving harsh kisses along her neck. As he worked the card into the slot, he moved his hand from her waist to her breast, stopping for a firm squeeze that had a soft moan slip from her lips. 

“I need you.” She whimpered as the door beeped, denying entry. 

“Who do you need?” Tom asked as he flipped the card around, trying different sides hoping one would work.

“My husband.” That set fire to him. 

The door beeped the correct tune this time, granting them entry. Tom hooked the door handle with his hand, slapping it down clumsily after yanking the card from the door. The door swung open, no longer providing a solid surface to support their weight. 

Tom held her up with a arm flung around her waist as they stumbled in. He kicked blindly, relying on feel alone to help him ensure he kicked his wallet somewhere into the room.

“My wife.” Tom breathed as he kicked the door shut behind them. Alone at last. 

~~~~~<3

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[spinchip]

NEVER THE DARK

CHAPTER 13

Read on Ao3

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12

!WARNING: refrences to ancient, non graphic child loss!

NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN LOST. // ALL IS TRUTH AND WAY.

“Gravis, Griffin, and I just arrived on scene, Pix.” Skylors voice crackles through her radio, “The civilian reports weren’t exaggerating- there’s a giant, er, slug-like animal here. In fact, ‘giant’ might even be an understatement.” Her girlfriend sounds openly bewildered.

Pix frowns, “Is it hostile?”

“Not on purpose. It keeps picking up cars and uprooting traffic lights, but it doesn't seem aware it’s doing it. It’s just bumping into things and they’re sticking.” Skylor reports, “The trail of slime it’s leaving is smoking, though, but it doesn’t look like it’s eating at the road.”

“Have Gravis move it to a less densely populated area- out of town completely would be best if at all possible.”

“Already on it. I’ll call Warden Nobel and have him bring us another containment cell.”

Skylor was always on the ball in the field, and Pixal was grateful she was by her side, “Thank you, Sky. Can you alert Commissioner McLane to the possible hazardous materials and have him block off the street until we can have Tox examine it?”

“I’ll send speedster over now.”

At Skylors affirmative, Pixal sets her radio to the side and continues looking through her extensive set of videos pulled from all over Ninjago city. She trusted her father had done what he could to get a hit on Dixie with his facial recognition software, but she wanted to be extra certain she couldn’t find the other woman the same way. She’d started with the cameras around the museum in an attempt to find the escape route the other thief had taken after defeating the ninja, but had come up with nothing. Despite having the technology to feed these videos into and get results in a matter of seconds, Pixal chose to go through the cameras with her own eyes. Her pattern and facial recognition was leagues above any of the market value programs, and if anyone was going to catch the woman’s face in the background of a walmart CCTV feed it would be her. The woman was incredibly skilled at avoiding cameras, apparently, because Pixal was coming up with nothing, nothing, and more nothing. She even had video archives open from years and years ago, hoping to comb through them all and find a facial match for her, to at least give her something to go off of. No luck there, either.

The last set of camera feeds on her upper set of screens is current security footage from several different vantage points throughout Ninjago- these weren’t monitoring for the thief. She’d tapped these in order to monitor the streets of Ninjago which were quickly becoming overrun with monsters she’d never seen before. The slug incident today was the latest in a long line of beasts that seemed to just… appear and begin wrecking havoc. The other elemental masters had been up to their ears in emergency situations, evacuations, and damage control. Today, it was a slug, a skittering weevil-like creature that crashed into several storefronts before dying in downtown Ninjago with no warning, and a flock of birds with bony protrusions on their back and acid spit. The past week has been much the same.

It was sheer good luck that Kryptarium prisons' deeper, more fortified cells were able to contain these animals.

As Pixal flicks through the camera feeds, there’s a familiar chime from her phone. She snatches it up and punches the answer button before the second ring, “Ronin.” She greets briskly, keeping her eyes on the screen as she leans back and crosses her arms.

“You called?” He drawls through the phone, and she can clearly envision him leaned back with his feet propped upon his desk. The very picture of relaxed.

“I need you in Ninjago yesterday. Your expertise is required.” She says immediately, not bothering to beat around the bush.

“Yeah, Yeah, I got your voicemail.” There’s a shuffle on his end, as if he’ sitting up in interest at the topic, “What’s in it for me?”

“You will have a hand in saving Ninjago.” She says flatly. He makes a noncommittal grunt and she barely resists rolling her eyes, “Fine.” She slaps her keyboard and pulls up his criminal record, “You have three unpaid fines here that have put out a warrant for your arrest for- really? Those are huge fines for… illegal parking?”

“I know!”

“Consider them paid off… if you come to Borg tower.” She bargains.

There’s another grunt, this time a winded cough of exertion as he gets to his feet. “What do you need me for anyway?” He grumbles, yawning into the phone.

Pixal slumps a little, “There is a new villain in town- he is working with bounty hunters. I need your help identifying one of the girls working for him.”

“You know not every bounty hunter knows each other, right?”

“I am aware that you and her have spent several years in this profession at the same time.” She says coolly, “If anyone were to know her, it would be you. Will you come?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming to Borg tower. It’ll be a few hours.” She hears the jangle of keys on the other line, “Don’t forget to take care of my fines.”

With one hand, Pixal infiltrates the police database and erases the marks off his criminal record entirely. There was no hint that he’d ever so much as looked at an illegal parking space. It takes ten seconds at most,  “Done.” She says simply, and hangs up the phone.

Another hour of nothing passes by, with a brief update from Skylor about the slug and no further activity on the cameras to be concerned about. She checks her email a few times and shoots Wu another text that he doesn’t respond to- he’d gone out to Misakos current archeological dig site to discuss the gauntlet with her, and was completely off the grid because of it. Or he was ignoring her texts. Pixal has a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that he was hiding something, but there’s no proof other than her gut feeling. She wouldn't start anything over a bad vibe.

She does another useless search for the gauntlet and once again comes up empty- there was nothing about the artifact on the internet or in any digitized academic databases she checked. There were mentions of gauntlets or sets of armor, but nothing that matched up with the powers they’d seen so far. The longer Wu went without checking in, the more certain Pixal became that he’d hit a wall too. All Misakos encyclopedic history knowledge, and even she hadn't heard of this thing… Where were they supposed to go from here?

She’s so lost in thought that the sudden screech of the red panic alarm above her head causes her to launch up out of her chair and to her feet, staggering with the surge of pseudo-adrenaline that floods her processor. She scrambles for her radio and flips it to the correct frequency just in time to hear Dareth's panicked voice shouting from the line, “-taking him to the roof!”

“Dareth! What’s going on?” Pixal demands, reaching out and turning off the alarm with the keypad next to the wall before taking off towards the elevator.

“The thief is back, and she’s stealing your father!” Dareth wails through the radio.

Pixal punches the elevator call button four times in a panic despite the fact the extra pushes won’t will it to get here any faster. This is exactly why she advocated for stairs in the ninja's private penthouse- a project the others continually put off. (“We can just jump out the window and airjitzu down. No big deal!” Well what about if you need to go up!) Stupid! “What?” She demands, squeezing through the elevator doors before they’ve fully opened.

“I’ll explain later- right now you need to get to the roof!” He says urgently, his cartoony voice uncharacteristically serious.

“I am headed that way now. I will meet you there-”

“Sorry, Pix, but you’re on your own here.” His voice comes through with a wince, “I’m down for the count.”

She feels a cold chill sweep over her body, “Are you okay?”

“I’m not dying. Get to the roof, save your father, and we’ll worry about me later.” His voice comes through firm and gentle- there’d been a time where Pixal had written Dareth off as someone she’d always need to protect, but moments like this remind Pixal that Dareth was steady and solid. He’d been training ever since her Father asked him to stay by his side, his skills had grown and he’d become a formidable opponent. It had to have been someone strong to put him down- and he definitely didn't get benched without putting up a fight.

She had to be ready when these doors opened.

“Call Skylor.” She orders, the act of taking control offering her a calm she desperately needed, “She was on her way back to the tower, she can get to you quicker than I can. Do not die.”

“Ten-four, Boss.”

There’s no more time to talk. The elevator doors open up to the roof with a ding! And immediately Pixal is assaulted by whipping wind and the loud roar of helicopter blades slicing the air into pieces. She rushes out onto the tarmac, sprinting straight for the group of people loading her struggling father into the helicopter. Standing out from the black clad ensemble is a shock of bright pink hair. The thief, the woman who took her friends away, looks back at her with a bored, neutral expression. Pixels coolant feels like it’s boiling. The other woman turns towards another member of her crew and says something Pixal can’t hear through all the noise and motions to the sky as if to say shoo!

Then, without a second of hesitation, she spins around and charges at Pixal in return. She’s fast, putting a significant amount of space between Pixal and her father when the two women meet in a clash of fists on the middle of the roof. Pixal has to keep her head on straight, but she can feel her calm, controlled mask rapidly deteriorating each time she catches a glimpse of her father getting strapped into the Helicopters back seat.

He’s looking at her with fear in his eyes, but there’s a calm reassurance there- he knows she won’t get to him in time. It’s okay, Pixal.

A pang of heartbreak bruises her power core. She feels her fighting turn vicious, jabs and punches hitting and hitting hard, until she finally slams the woman face down against the roof. She whips out a set of cuffs from her jumpsuit and slaps them on her wrists- They activate with a hum and Pixal jabs the power button frantically. The cuff link beeps and Pixal slams the woman's wrists down on the rooftop beneath her, the cuffs latching onto the roof and rendering her immobile.

Pixal leaps to her feet and spins around- the helicopter is off the roof, probably has been for a while, and it’s flying across Ninjago faster than Pixal could feasibly catch. She’d have to race down the stairs to the sub basement, gear up, and then give chase- they’d be gone by then. They were already gone.

Her chest feels like it’s caving in. Why? Why can’t she save the people she loves? Why is she always on the sidelines, just a second too late?

Pull yourself together. She takes a deep, shuddering breath just to move air through her circuits. The thick smell of asphalt brings her mind back to the current issue- she turns around to find the thief still cuffed to the roof, her mouth and nose covered with blood and that infuriating bored expression on her face.

A ringing fills Pixal head and she feels disconnected from her body, pushing away her despair so hard she distances herself from her own processor.

Pixal hauls her up and takes her down the stairs to the ninjas level, not caring when she stumbles to keep up with Pixals rapid pace. She can’t care about anything right now. They rarely use the actual interrogation room, but Pixal fishes out the key for it now. On one side is the classic one-way glass and a few metal chairs seated at a metal table securely fastened to the floor. Pixal uncuffs the restrictive suppression bonds and switches them out for classic metal cuffs, weaving the chain through another padlock and chain attached to the table so she doesn’t get any funny ideas. She’s moving on autopilot, clicking locks together with practiced, robotic movements. She has to keep herself together, everyone is relying on her. Once she’s secure, Pixal washes her hands. After that she politely hands her a box of tissues so she can mop up her bloody face and gets her a glass of water and an ice pack.

She doesn’t say anything to the thief, who matches her silence quietly. Pixal observes her behind the one-way glass for several long minutes.

The bubble around her pops, and reality rushes back in. She sucks in a sharp breath and turns away, whipping her radio out and hitting the button frantically, “Dareth?” She questions. No response, “Dareth, status report.”

A long pause.

The radio crackles, “He’s alright, Pix.” Skylor’s voice comes through from Dareths radio, “He’s with the medic now. A few broken bones, but nothing life threatening.”

Pixal closes her eyes and presses the radio to her forehead, relief so deep she can almost feel it in her circuits. “Stay with him, please, and ask him what happened once he is cleared for visitors.” She glances over at the pink haired woman, who looks completely at ease as she balls up a blood soaked tissue and sets it on a clean tissue to avoid getting blood on the table top, “I caught our mystery thief from the museum break in.” Two mismatched eyes glance up and seem to meet Pixals green ones before skating away to look around the empty room, “I’m going to see what I can find out.”

The woman smiles serenely and settles back, unconcerned.

“Good luck. Call me if you need me, okay?”

“I will.”

The room is still deafeningly quiet when Pixal goes back inside. The click of the door closing behind her feels harsh on her audio processor. It’s sterile, with gray floors and white walls and fluorescent lights strung across the ceiling. Pixal sits at one of the available chairs on the other side of the table,  “My name is Pixal borg. I have a few questions for you.”

The woman smiles wider.

“Hello, Miss Borg. Ask whatever you like.”

She spends the next hour asking questions to a brick wall. The thief is listening and attentive to every one of Pixar’s words, but at the end of each question or statement is pointed and resolute silence. She doesn’t rise to any bait Pixal sets out- she doesn’t get angry or scoff when Pixal slips in subtle insults, she doesn’t preen over praise, she doesn’t even look tired or annoyed as the questioning continues on and on. She’s the picture perfect image of poise, and Pixal can’t gain an inch.

Her phone rings at the hour and fifteen minute mark. She answers it with a palpable relief to have something else to do other than fail at questioning her only lead about this kidnapping, “Pixal speaking.” She greets briskly, stepping out of the room and rolling imaginary soreness from her shoulders.

“What’s with all the blood on the roof?” Ronin asks curiously.

Pixal winces- she’d handed out a few good left hooks during their scuffle, “The thief I needed you to identify made an appearance today. I caught her.”

“Damn, did you break her nose or something?”

“Her employer kidnapped my father.” She reveals bluntly.

Ronin sucks a hiss of air through his teeth at that, “…Okay, well, send me up the elevator and I’ll come down.”

Pixal calls the elevator and once it arrives she steps inside and rides it back up to the roof. She’s beginning to hate this thing. She clicks her radio just to be doing something, “Any news, Sky?”

“Dareth is sleeping off anesthesia right now, sorry.”

“Thank you. Ronin has just arrived, I believe he will be able to help.”

“Keep me updated.” Skylor says pointedly.

“I will.” Pixal holsters her radio, staring at the closed doors in front of her. She felt so useless- she couldn’t get a peep out of either of their two leads, she was stuck inside doing futile research while random monsters were running wild through Ninjago, and she couldn’t stop her father from getting kidnapped from right under her nose.

The doors open to Ronin leaning casually against the wall waiting for it. He whistles low, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline, “You look like shit.” Are the first words out of his mouth.

“It has been a rough week.” She says tightly.

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Get in the elevator.”

He obliges and she takes them back down to the Ninjas floor, filing him in on the situation as they ride down. He’s rubbing his scruff in thought as the doors open up and they step out, thinking hard, “There are two possible options I’m thinking of, Maybe Milena or Raven. Both of them color their hair regularly, and they’re sloppy enough to get caught like that.” He muses, “I’ve never heard of a Dixie Samson though, which makes sense if she’s a rookie.”

Pixal heads straight towards the interrogation room, feeling an inkling of dread- part of her is convinced the woman would have vanished in the time it took her to bring Ronin back here. She feels a line of tension leave her shoulders when she walks back inside to see her still sitting there casually on the other side of the glass.

Ronin stops dead in his tracks, “By the first master- You have got to be kidding me.” He groans, reaching up to run a hand down his face. He looks back up at the woman and does a full body wince.

“Do you know her?” Pixal cant help the amused curve of her lips at Ronins dramatics.

“Do I know her…” He grumbles darkly, dragging his feet up to the window, “She’s my ex sister in law.”

Pixals checklist of questions on the woman is immediately derailed in surprise, “You were married?”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” He defends.

“Who would agree to- no, it is not important right now. What can you tell me about her?”

“I can tell you she’s only in those cuffs because she wants to be.” He grimaces, “Her name is Stella and I doubt there's a set of restraints good enough to hold her short of strapping her down like Hannibal Lecter, and I’m skeptical if even that would work. If she’s still here, she has ulterior motives. She wants something from you, or she wants something in this building.”

“She already took everything.” Pixal barely resists baring her teeth. She sighs, “I need to get information from her.”

“Sorry, but you’re out of luck there. I can promise you she won't speak a word of her employer. You couldn’t waterboard info out of her if she doesn’t want to tell you.” He delivers the bad news bluntly.

“So this is another dead end.”

“Not exactly.” Ronin crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the glass, “Stella isn’t cheap to hire and if we throw in who exactly she’s dealing with- Borg, the ninja, you- that’ll only make this job that much more expensive. So we can confidently narrow down her employer to Ninjagos one percent.” He grins at Pixals shocked expression, “She does damn good work- the best work- but it’ll cost ya. That big paycheck is what ensures her loyalty. As long as her employer is supplementing her bank account, her lips are sealed- even in the face of torture.”

“She’s all about money…” Pixal turns that over in her mind, looking for the piece she needs to unravel Stella's loyalty.

Ronin shrugs, “All mercenaries are, Stella just has the status and reputation to be bought out by the richest of the rich. With that amount of cash backing her up, You wouldn't be able to even threaten anything out of her.”

Pixal holds up her hand, stopping Ronins words as she carefully considers his words. “I don’t need to threaten her.” As if she’d had an epiphany, Pixal immediately takes off around the corner. Ronin ends up scrambling after her, Following her into Stella's interrogation room just barely before the door closes.

Stella looks relaxed and unconcerned, that same bored expression she's always wearing on her face. She’s got her chair kicked back and her feet on the table, her cuffed hands folded over her belly as she observed them come inside. She raises a brow at Ronin and opens her mouth to speak but Pixal beats her to it.

Pixal yanks out a leather wallet from her jumpsuit and grabs a pen from her from breast pocket, “I am aware you will not speak against your employer, and I am also aware he is paying you a lot of money to keep his secrets.” She sits down in front of Stella, slamming her pocket book and pen to the table, “But I’m Pixal fucking Borg.”

She opens the book and pulls out a stack of checks, signing one and sliding it across the table blank, “Are you interested in new employment?”

Heartbeats pass. Ronin is staring at the check so hard Pixals half sure his eyes are about to pop out of his head, but Stella looks as cool and collected as ever. If Pixal had to breathe she’d be holding it, praying that the gamble works. Stella carefully takes each foot off the table and sits up straight, scooting her chair forward and resting her elbows on the table. She studies the check for a long moment before her lips twitch, the scar at the corner of her mouth pulling her lips into a pleased smile.

“I don’t want your money, Pixal Borg.” She gently, strangely respectfully, tears the check in half and slides the pieces across the table towards the two. Ronin makes a sound like a wounded animal at the action.

Pixals heart plummets.

“But there is something I do want.” Stella continues before Pixal can feel the full weight of failure. Stella looks at Pixal with a firm, intense furrow to her brow. “I will tell you everything I know if you do me a favor. I don’t know what or when that will be. This is what I do know: You are the most powerful woman in Ninjago, Pixal Borg, and I want you to owe me.”

“Deal.” Pixal hold out her hand for Stella to shake without a second of hesitation. Her friends, her family, her father- everyone was relying on her, and she needed this information because right now they had nothing.

But as Stella takes her hand in a firm grip, Pixal can’t help but feel like she’s made a deal with the devil.

Sella sits back, bored expression sinking over her features once more, “His name is Broden Voss, the CEO of Voss Technologies.” She gets right down to business. Pixal recognizes the name in flashes of memory- a place card at a table during a charity event, investors threats to take their money elsewhere when her fathers quarterly review is lower than expected, a flash of red hair and a shark-like smile as a towering man shakes her hand at a high brow cocktail party, “He hired me to infiltrate Ninjago Citys Museum of History after his previous hire, Dixie Samson, failed. I was tasked with finding and retrieving a gauntlet forged by one of Voss’s ancestors, a warlord by the name of Utano whose armor had mystical powers. I was paid to do whatever possible to return this gauntlet to him, and as such I used one of the abilities in the gauntlet to send the ninja to another Realm. The only other ability I've seen... I have witnessed Voss change the gauntlet configuration with a thought. Essentially shapeshifting, though I can't be certain how far that particular gift goes.

“Voss’s plan always centered around Cyrus Borg. Ever since Voss Technology was usurped as Ninjagos main technology company by Borg Industries, he’s felt cheated and wronged. Now that he has this powerful artifact, he intends on using it to tear Ninjago apart and rebuild it with Voss tech, installing himself back in the forefront of tech manufacturing,” She pins Pixal with a pointed look, “He’s obsessed with defeating Cyrus Borg- but your father is not in any immediate danger.”

Pixal feels a bit of tension leave her shoulders, “I have time to save him?”

“Voss wants Borg to have a front row seat to the fall of his empire. He wants Cyrus alive to see the rubble of Borg Tower and after that, I don’t know. Now that he has Borg, though, his plan will be entering the final phase. He will use the power of the gauntlet to open portals throughout downtown ninjago- I know several of the locations he’s planning on placing them that I can pass along. He’s targeting centralized, high traffic areas so he can flood the streets with monsters as quickly and effectively as possible. He is aiming for the absolute maximum amount of destruction in every inch of the city.” She steeples her fingers, “Evacuate the city. Now.”

She doesn’t hesitate on this, raising her Borg radio to her mouth, “Sky, I am officially ordering a full evacuation of the city. I will explain everything later, but right now I need you and the others mobilized.” At Skylors confirmation, Pixal turns her attention back to Stella, “Monsters from where, exactly? Where do these portal lead?”

Where did you send my friends?

Stella pauses on this question, aware the answer will not be one Pixal is thrilled to hear, “The Realm of Madness.” She reveals. “What’s going to come through that portal are some of the most terrifying monsters Ninjago has ever seen, and if I’m any good at reading people- and I am the very best- I can tell you that Broden Voss will not be able to control the chaos he creates. If you can’t stop this, it could lead to more destruction than Ninjago has ever seen.”

“Well,” Pixal says tersely, “Maybe I would have a better chance stopping him if the ninja had not been sent to the Realm of madness and unable to help.”

“Yeah, my bad.”

Ronin trails Pixal as she goes back to the computers, sitting down roughly and opening up a new tab to start another bout of research. Now she had a name- Utano, a great warlord. Pixal could work with that. She pauses and glances at Ronin, curiosity picking at her, “Your sister in law, eh?”

He lets out a put upon sigh and crosses his arms, “Ex sister in law, I’ll remind you.”

“Who became a bounty hunter first?”

“...She was,” He admits grudgingly, “She’s been in the game longer than most.”

Pixal frowns, “I went through countless security feeds and crime reports- That long and she hasn’t gotten caught on camera anywhere? Not even during a trip to the grocery store?”

“Oh, she definitely has. You just don’t know where to look.” He sits down next to her, “She changes her appearance just as seamlessly as Chamille- hair dye, prosthetics, contacts… her eyes aren’t actually blue and brown, you know. She’s evaded any and all facial recognition with clever makeup and smoke-and-mirror tricks.” Pixal opens her mouth, “-And no, I am not going to tell you what to look for. Even if I wasn't a fellow mercenary following the mercenary code, Stella is not an enemy anyone wants to have.”

“Okay.” Pixal relents, “Do you know what this favor could be?”

“No clue.” He shrugs and peeks over her shoulder, “You looking up that warlord guy?”

“Girl.” Pixal corrects as she scans over the basic wikipedia page she’d pulled up. There was… little here, “No parents listed, no spouse. She had one child later in life, but there is no information on them, Not even a name. She was married to a powerful lord in her twenties, but he died a year after they wed. She rose to power through extremist political lobbying and strategic battles with her personal militia until she had conquered over half of ninjago.”

Ronin quirks a brow, “No mention of her magic armor?”

“None here. All it says is she was killed by the elemental masters of creation during her final battle.” Pixal goes back to her original search, “But that was just wikipedia, I’m sure there’s more information somewhere.”

Spoiler alert: There was not more information anywhere.

Pixal scours the internet, following dead end academic papers and documentaries- she even got desperate and checked reddit, of all places. Even after using her status to get into parts of the internet usually barred from the general public, she still came up with nothing. “There are scrolls referenced in all of these papers, but I cannot find the scrolls. They were never digitalized, and apparently no one knows where they went.” She sits back roughly, pushing herself away from the monitor so she doesn’t have to look at it anymore.

Ronin startles awake where he’d fallen asleep on the couch after he got bored, peeking up at her over the arm of it, “Maybe Stella is lying about Utano.”

It’s at that moment that the elevator door dings open and Misako comes striding out with Wu trailing slowly behind her. She’s dressed in thick pants and a button up covered in a thin layer of sand and dirt, her hair much the same in its bun sitting on top of her head, “Did I hear you say Utano?” She asks, shrugging off her satchel and tossing it aside with a cloud of dust, “I came straight from the dig site once Wu informed me of the situation. If you already know about Utano, then we’re on the right track.”

“Misako!” Pixal stands with a smile, moving to hug the woman, “It is good to see you. We know the name, but there’s not much else on the internet to go off of.” She admits.

“I know.” Misako says with a wince, “When Wu told me about the gauntlet, I had a feeling I knew what it was. The scrolls that had any record of Utano were all under the Explorers Club’s lock and key- When I called Cecil and asked about them, he confessed that several artifacts in the clubs collection went missing the day they were all transferred to the museum's custody, apparently lost in the shuffle.”

Pixal feels her expression darken, “He is saying the explorers club lost artifacts? I find that difficult to believe.”

“I looked into it on the way here. Underhill sticks out as the most suspicious- he took off to the other side of the country and bought himself a nice, expensive house on the beach, but the rest of the club members all seem to have come into some money with similar luxury purchases as well.” Misako confirms grimly. “That doesn’t matter right now. What do you know about Utano?”

Pixal relays all the information Stella had told them and what little else she’d gleaned from the internet. Misako nods thoughtfully, “Her reign over Ninjago started hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before we were even aware the sixteen realms existed- She was part of Ninjago and the Cloud Kingdom, a parent from either realm. We refer to her armor in modern times as the Allied Armor of Azure, said to call on different realms to aid its wearer, and scholars presume she received a gift from her Cloud Kingdom parent that allowed this type of enchantment. The only pieces that were meant to survive the armor's destruction were the Helmet that we passed on to the Cloud Kingdom, and the chest plate, which we studied.”

“Is there a way to neutralize its abilities?”

“If there was a way, it would be in the stolen scrolls. As I see it, there is none.” Misako says apologetically, wincing. “Even the Elemental Masters were not able to defeat her at her most powerful.”

Pixal frowns, “The elemental masters did defeat her.”

There’s a pause, “Yes… they did, but it… wasn’t a fair fight.”

“What does that mean?” Ronin pipes up, “Did they get her while she was sleeping or something?”

Misako sighs, “You said you read she had one child, yes?” Pixal nods and Misako shakes her head, “She had three. We have private scrolls written by Utano detailing her three children and how much she loved them. The Elemental Masters of the time made a decision. They needed leverage- They needed bargaining chips. Only one child survived, and Utano was defeated.”

a heartbeat passes.

Pixal swallows down her horror, “The only way they stopped her was by going after something she cared about.”

“And from what Stella is saying, it sounds like Broden Voss doesn’t care about anything-” Ronin snorts, “Except maybe killing your dad.”

“You are not helpful.” Pixal snaps immediately.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any good news.” Misako bows her head.

“Thank you for coming, Misako, but this has been a huge waste of time.” Pixal says bitterly, turning away.

Misako doesn’t flinch at the words, knowing what stress Pixal must be under. She almost doesn’t want to say what she needs to say next. She takes a step forward and opens her mouth anyway, “I didn’t come here to tell you about Utano. Wu could have passed along that message for me.” She says softly.

Pixal looks back at her with a questioning frown, “What did you come here for?” She asks.

Misako steps to the side so Wu is standing in front of Pixal now. He looks miserable and ashamed, staring down at the floor, “I came to make sure he told you.”

Pixal feels a lightning flash of alarm go through her, “Told me what?” she swallows roughly. From where he’s laying on the couch, Ronin sits up in curiosity. There’s a pregnant pause, “I do not have time for this.” She says sharply, refusing to let her voice shake. She turns back to the computers, moving away from them. The tension in the room feels different and wrong- She doesn’t want him to say anything.

“It’s about Zane.” Wu manages to whisper, still looking at the floor.

Pixal freezes in her tracks. Her core seems to tighten painfully, icy fingers wrapping around her insides and tangling her carefully sorted wiring into knots. She slowly spins on her heel to face him again, “What about him?” She asks carefully. The question is laced with grief.

He’s going to break her heart.

Misako makes a go on gesture with her head that Wu sees out of the corner of his eye. He takes another moment to build up his nerve and looks up, meeting Pixal eye for the first time since he’d walked through that door, “Three years ago-'' He begins.

“Master Wu, I don’t need a recap,” She says tightly.

“Three years ago,” He presses on, “After we caught Aspheera, I went to see her in Kryptarium. There were questions I needed answered. When I saw her, I asked why she chose to kill him when I was the one-” He swallows and pauses for a moment, “She told me he was not dead.”

Pixal stares at him, “She did not kill him?”

Wu takes a tentative step forward, “No, she merely banished him… To the Never Realm, a realm impossible to return from.”

“He is… alive?” She breathes softly, shock rendering her dumb for several long moments. Joy and hope bubbles up her chest, “Zane is alive. We can bring him home. We just need to figure out a way to get back to Ninjago- there has to be some way to make it back.”

“Pixal…” Misako’s voice is heavy with sadness.

“Why did you keep this from us, Master Wu?” She’s trying to be angry, but the happiness spreading through her fights the frown on her face, “We could have figured it out together, all of us, and brought him home!”

Wu looks at her with wet, sorrowful eyes. Pixels smile dims.

“There is a way back from the Never Realm,” He says gravely, “The fruit of the travelers tree, high in the mountains.” Her circuits tie themselves together, she can tell another shoe is about to drop, “I discovered it three years ago, when I traveled to the Never Realm to get him.”

She’s not smiling anymore. The room is silent. The glow from the computer monitors illuminates Wu’s robe in pale blue light. It’s so, so quiet.

Her voice is steady, “Why is he not home?”

“Pixal…” He begins.

“Do not patronize me!” She shouts, tears springing to her eyes, “Why tell me this? Why bring up the past and get my hopes up just to crush them again? I have already accepted that he is dead, I did not need you to yank my feelings around like-”

“He’s not dead.” Wu cuts in, and Pixal stops mid-rant, her hands loosening from the fists she’d balled them into.

“I do not understand.” She says blankly, slumping into herself. She tries to put the pieces together, to fit the tragedy into a story that makes sense in the absence of an explaination, “He… chose to stay there?”

“No,” Wu says sadly, and then proceeds to tell her about the worst moment of his life. He tells her about coming to a land unnaturally cold and barren, snow drifts and ice that suffocated the crops and froze people whole. He tells her about the handful of towns still alive who lived under constant fear of their supernaturally powerful emperor, a man who controlled every snowflake in the land. He tells her about making the trek across the mountain and stumbling upon a species of beast hunted to near extinction by the Emperor's samurai, and finding the travelers tree. He tells her about finally coming upon the palace gates, through the Emperor's throne room doors, and who he’d found sitting atop the dais.

“It was Zane, his body, but the man we know and loved was gone.” He tells her, voice thick with pain, “He was violent and angry, and passive to the struggle and pain of others. He did not respond to my voice, he did not react to reminders of who he once was, and he did not hesitate to attempt to strike me down.”

Pixal is silent, leaning against the communications console as if her legs had no strength. She says nothing, face twisted up in aching raw grief and sadness.

“Zane… I believe he was gone, truly. He would have been horrified at what he’d become… You must understand, I did what I did to respect the man I loved as my own son.”

“What did you do?” Pixals voice cracks.

“I could not kill him,” Wu closes his eyes, “I used the fruit of the travelers tree to open a portal to the Realm of Madness… where I banished the Ice Emperor, and freed the Never Realm from his grasp.”

She bows her head, hiding her face in shadows.

“I told you all of that to tell you this… the longer the Ninja haven't returned, the more I fear there is something… or someone keeping them there. They should have made it to the Mountain of madness by now. I have the utmost faith in them, but not only am I afraid of what they might find there, I am afraid of what- or who- may find them. The Ice Emperor was a formidable foe-”

“Stop talking.” Pixal interrupts him icily, voice hard as steel.

He goes silent, staring at her.

“Master Wu… for all of your age… for every ounce of wisdom you have… you are still one of the most foolish people I have ever met.” She looks up at him and her eyes burn, hot pinpricks of fire and pain and rage. “You should have dragged him home. We would have helped him- we would have helped him! We could have saved him-! And- and you better hope the ninja run into him, and do what you failed to do and bring him back to Ninjago- or else when this blows over I am dragging you to the Realm of Madness myself and we are combing every inch of that realm until we find him ourselves!”

He shrinks with shame and guilt under her ire as she advances upon him, rage making her fans kick into high gear, “You knew he was there, you knew the- the Ice Emperor was in the Realm of Madness and you knew he could have posed a serious threat to the ninja, yet you told me they would be okay! That there was nothing to worry about! And now- I cannot go after them! I have to stay here and protect Ninjago, I cannot leave these innocent people behind like I could have a few days ago when my friends first vanished-!” She chokes on a sob, swiping hot tears out of her eyes.

“Pixal, I didn't know-" He looks gutted, "… I’m so sorry-” He starts, reaching out, but she takes a step away from him and bares her teeth.

“Do not-” She snaps, jerking a hand down to keep him away from her, “-Apologize to me. Apologize to Zane when we get him back, apologize to the ninja for keeping this from them, and then never speak to me again. That’s the only thing you can do for me, Master Wu. We’ll work together now because the city needs everyone it can get, but after that... “ She shakes her head, condemnation in her eyes.

He nods, cowed, “If that is what you want… I understand.”

She takes a deep breath, centers herself, and picks up the communicator again. She needs to talk to Skylor, Her face is grim as she raises it to her lips.

“Pixal?” He hesitantly says, before she can speak, “What are we going to do about the ninja?”

“We are going to trust they can make it home,” She says, “And we are going to do our best to make sure there is still a home to come back to.”

The first thing Cyrus smells is the thick scent of designer perfume- he was born into money, raised in the lap of luxury, expensive colognes have always been a part of his life. With the blindfold wrapped around his eyes, the smell becomes stronger and sharper. He narrows the other occupant in the room to a handful of other high society socialites. If he were in the upscale, posh parfumerie in downtown Ninjago he could appreciate the sweet earthy scent of tahitian vanilla, ylang-ylang, rosa centerfoils, italian cinnamon, jasmine, osiris root, and rose oil. An expensive bottle worn only for special occasions- he might even recognize it. As a recently kidnapped prisoner trying to figure out how to untie his wrists from the railings on his wheelchair, some of the intricacies of the scent are lost on him.

“You’ll won’t get away with this.” It feels cliche the moment it comes out of his mouth, but he can’t help but break the silence. The other person in the room is just… staring at him. Cyrus can feel the satisfied, smug gaze weighing on his shoulders. He knows he’s being watched.

“Yes, I will.” The voice is deep and smooth, effortlessly confident.

He doesn’t know what to say.

Shifting sounds in front of him, then the soft click of a wooden box closing. The sharp flick of a lighter. The smell of burning tobacco and whiskey seeps into the air.

“Would you like a cigar, Cyrus?”

“I never acquired a taste for them.” He responds stiffly. He knows that voice, doesn’t he? From where?

“Oh, I’m sure you’d like these if you tried it. Two thousand dollars, retail.” He pauses to taste the smoke, probably. Cyrus can’t see him to tell, “Could I offer you a drink, then? What’s a man of your status’s drink of choice?” He humms in thought, gravely and low, and taps his fingers on a table (desk?) in front of him. It’s more for show than any actual thinking, “Louis XIII cognac? Chateau Cheval Blanc, 1947? Or maybe you go for something a bit pricier, hm? D’Amalfi Limoncello Supreme?”

“I’m not thirsty.” 

“I recommend the cognac, personally. It’s a celebration, after all.”

The hair raises on the back of Cyrus’s neck, “A celebration of what?”

“My victory, of course.” He laughs like that was a silly question, “I won.”

Swallowing thickly, Cyrus tries again to wiggle his wrists out from his bindings. “The ninja-”

“-are gone.” The man responds and Cyrus freezes. The voice was no longer across the room, but right in front of him. He’d move silently across the floor, crouching down to speak directly to Cyrus, “The ninja are gone. No one will be able to save you.”

He leans in, his breath hot on the shell of Cyrus’s ear, “I suggest you have a glass, Cyrus. It will be the last drink you ever have.” He promises.

Cyrus jerks back and slams his head forward before he can think about it. There’s a sharp crack and something warm and wet splatters on his cheek. The man swears loudly and he can hear him stumble away.

“You son of a-” He snarls, smooth confidence immediately bleeding into red hot rage.

“That- ow- Well, that hurts.” Cyrus winced, head pounding.

“I am going to enjoy destroying you!” His voice is thick with hatred.

Cyrus doesn’t know what to think. Who are you?

His wheelchair is kicked roughly and he tips over. He falls hard and he could have braced himself and been just fine if not for the edge of a coffee table sitting perfectly at concussion height.

The world turns black.

#ninjago #ninjago never the dark #ninjago au #mentioned death #pixal borg #skylor chen #ronin ninjago #wu ninjago #misako montgomery garmadon #ninjago dareth #dareth ninjago #ninjago oc broden voss #spinchip fic #ns11

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase: How to Hack the Motherboard

So, when I was writing my episode discussion post on Cyberchase Season 1 Episode 1 "Lost My Marbles", I mentioned that I might make another post about the security breach that allowed The Hacker to infect Motherboard with the virus. What did The Hacker do to set this up? How did the kids accidentally open the breach? And other questions like that. I have a bit of background in software engineering. I will try to keep things as simple as possible.

Much of this is head-canon built on top of what we see in the episode. Of course, the show plays it fast and loose with computer terminology. Don't try to hack things in real life. You will go to prison.

So, here's an MSPaint diagram of a tiny piece of Motherboard's setup. Keep in mind that she is the god of the Internet, and her Internet may even stretch beyond Earth into other galaxies.

So, there are three separate network segments here. We have the library's internal network, which has the big board on it. We have Control Central's internal network, which has Motherboard on it. And then we have a Database Server internal network, which has a Database Server running on it.

The Database Server is something that I invented here. Remember that this whole diagram is head-canon. However, it's not too far-fetched to think that Motherboard must reach across Cyberspace to a separate Database Server, maybe at the Cybrary.

Now, we know that Motherboard is not directly reachable, even with her Firewall down. Otherwise, The Hacker wouldn't have needed a separate security breach to get to her. He would have just pushed the virus once she took down her firewall for maintenance.

However, Motherboard has a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnel to the Database Server. If The Hacker can compromise the Database Server and get his virus in there, it might be able to ride the tunnel into Control Central.

The purpose of any Firewall is to apply a set of rules to any network traffic going into or out of a network, device or application. A good Firewall configuration allows on the traffic that is needed and denies everything else. Motherboard's firewall between herself and the Database Server is currently down. The Database Server itself has connection points to the larger Internet without using a VPN tunnel. However, the Database Server's own Firewall for that access point is UP. If The Hacker tried to throw his virus at that access point, it wouldn't work.

However, there is another connection point into the Database Server. This is another VPN tunnel from the library network. Let's say that the board retrieves the data on the locations of different objects on the map and the icons for those objects by reading one of the Databases. Maybe the board also writes data to the Database to log what directions people requested.

The point here is that some traffic from the Board is authorized to pass through the Firewall on that VPN tunnel. Now, is there a way for The Hacker to get the Board to send authorized traffic over the VPN tunnel to tell the Database Server to open a breach in the Firewall for that public access point? Maybe. It is an Internet-of-Things (ioT) device. Alot of people get these devices, and then they either leave passwords set to their defaults or they forget to keep the sofware patches up to date.

There is a public access point to the Board with a poorly-configured firewall. Maybe there's a way for him to get inside. It may be possible for him to dump the virus code into the board, but there's no guarantee that it would be able to go any further, since the Firewall between the Board and the Database Server is working.

So, let's think about the Board as its own thing.

Suppose that we have two user accounts associated with the board. There is a Principle of Least Privilege that states that a given user account or system process should only be given the minimum amount of permissions required to perform its tasking. That way, if the user account or system process attempts to do something out of line with its permissions, it won't be allowed to perform the operation.

However, if you leave other unnecessary permissions open, and the user account or system process attempts to do something outside of its original intended operations, then the operation may succeed and have unintended consequences.

This also links up with the software development concept of the Minimum Viable Product. You build your software to perform only the exact tasking that it needs it perform. You don't put any additional, undocumented functions in there. Otherwise, those functions could activate and have unexpected consequences.

The board's purpose it to display the different locations. It allows for users to input two points, and it will draw a line between them to assist in navigation. We also established earlier that it reads its information from the Database and writes other information out to the Database.

However, suppose there was some undocumented functionality here. Suppose the developers had a special feature installed in the board that ran a cleanup command against the Database if you pressed three buttons in quick succession. Suppose that the cleanup command in question could be any arbitrary command. Therefore, the developers put the command into a configuration file to be read and executed by the software at runtime.

However, the developers knew that if some kids turned up and started poking the map, they could accidentally kick off the Database Cleanup command. They removed the Database Cleanup command from the configuration file. That way, if someone did poke three buttons in quick succession, the software would check the configuration file, see that there was no command defined, and then do nothing.

The trouble is that they left the part of the software that read the configuration file and ran the arbitrary command in place. So, if the command was somehow added back to that part of the configuration file, then there would be a command for the software to run. Then, if someone else pushed the three buttons, that command would be run. So, yeah, someone could put a command in there to write a bunch of junk into the Database until it filled up and crashed. Again, these are commands being sent to the Database from the Board. The Firewall would let them through just fine.

That's pretty bad, but that only lets them modify the Database, right? It's not like they can just tell the Database to open the Firewall on the server that it is sitting on, right?

Well, what if one of the things that the Database could do, upon request, was to open a command shell on the server and run a command. And what if, that command shell was able to run commands that impacted things on the server beyond the Database itself.

What if we called it "xp_cmdshell" and called the Database Server "Microsoft SQL Server 2000". Windows XP and Microsoft SQL Server 2000 would have been around at the time of "Lost My Marbles" after all. Those were also the key players in the real-world Heartland Payment Systems data breach of 2008, which inspired this post.

But hey, just because the Database could open a command shell on the Database Server doesn't mean that The Hacker could use it to bust the Database Server's external Firewall, right? He still needs a way to execute "xp_cmdshell". So, he needs an account with the correct permissions to tell the Database to execute "xp_cmdshell", and he needs the Database itself to have high-enough permissions to run a command via "xp_cmdshell" that can bust the Database Server's external firewall and open a path to Motherboard. Thankfully, the Database only run the "xp_cmdshell" for the top-level Database Administrator account.

This is where we get back to the Principle of Least Privilege. The Board should connect to the Database with a fairly low-power account. It only needs to read-from and write-to a few Database tables after all. Likewise, the Database itself should have been started on the Database Server by a fairly low-power account, as it only needs to handle reading and writing its own set of tables.

But then some moron decided to hook up the Board to the Database Server on the top-level Database Administrator Account. So, if the Board was configured to send an "xp_cmdshell" command, the Database would run it. Oh, and another moron decided to have the Database Server start the Database with the "root" account for that server. So, if the Board was configured to send in an "xp_cmdshell" command to nuke the external Firewall, then the Database would be able to nuke the external Firewall.

There is a principle called Defense-in-Depth, where you build multiple layers of defense around your critical item. That way, if a layer fails, you may be okay. We're running out of layers.

We only have one or two layers left. We know that the Board doesn't run "xp_cmdshell" for its regular operations today. Sure it has an undocumented debug mode that allows someone to execute any command in its configuration file (including "xp_cmdshell") against the Database. But someone would need to get to that file.

The board's main account doesn't give you a filesystem to play with, as they wouldn't want kids running up, poking things, and deleting the filesystem. No, you only get the interfaces that you get. You can pick two items and see a path between them. Or you can pick three items and see the undocumented debug mode run whatever command is in the configuration file.

But what if there was some sort of maintenance account accessible through the Internet that didn't enable someone to send commands to the Database, but would enable someone to get into the filesystem and mess around with it? And what if that maintenance account was still using a weak or default password because people just don't check that for IoT devices?

So, he's in the Board's filesystem now. That's concerning. And wouldn't you know it, yet another moron left that critical configuration file in a state where the maintenance account can make changes to it. So, of course, he found the empty configuration item for the cleanup command. Remember, this was setup to run any arbitrary command. Of course, he put in an "xp_cmdshell" command that tells the Database to nuke the external firewall on its own server.

While The Hacker was able to put the command in place, the maintenance account doesn't have the power to send commands to the Database on its own. That power is only enabled for the system account tied to the Board's user interface. So, he still has to rely on someone in the real world to push three buttons in quick succession.

Well...shit.

That's not good.

That's not good at all.

Seriously though, don't try this at home.

I suppose we can speculate on the nature of the virus. We know from Season 1 Episode 14 "Cool It" that Motherboard goes through more cryoxide than normal due to the virus. There are actual computer viruses out there that were designed to turn off heat safety warnings on CPUs and then cause them to run hotter. Some CPUs would eventually melt and ruin the computer.

The original infection destroyed the Encryptor Chip, and it is stated that only a replacement Encryptor Chip could cure the virus. The name suggests that it deals with data encryption, but perhaps it is also a virus cleanup tool. Perhaps it worked to weaken the existing virus until it was eventually overwhelmed and destroyed. Perhaps the virus exhausted most of its strength destroying the Encryptor Chip first.

In any case, curing the virus permanently would end the show.

#cyberchase #2000s #cartoon #nostalgia #pbs kids #2000s childhood #not for use in real life #you'll get busted

[homomenhommes]

STORY: Kink Aid 1

Content warning: This has content, so now you have been warned. But really, the subject matter involves homoeroticism, analingus, religious subject matter in a sexual context, and a dash of transhumanism for that special zing.

Part 2 will be publised next Sunday

Part 3 to be publised next mid-month

***

"It's pricy, but I think it'd be fun. No, it's not some idiot cruise somewhere. That's just an elaborate way to get food poisoning. And that can just as easily be accomplished with takeout from that place on the corner. You know, the one that was open late that one time? Ah, God, I shouldn't have mentioned it." Luke chortled into his headset.

  "Actually, it's really fun. So, you know the whole craze in AI-generated artwork?" Bryce was trying to be funny, but it was all so getting on his nerves now. "No, I actually do not have ambitions of using the software to become the next Thomas Kinkaid. Why do I even talk to you?"

"So," Luke continued, "this one is called Days of Future You. I know, right?"

Bryce, on the other end of the call, was now humming the theme to a certain animated kids show, which actually managed to be, in context, quite funny. "So the idea is, Bryce, if you will shut up, I will tell you, the idea is that this AI program downloaded onto your computer accesses your social media profiles to derive a complex notion of your outlooks, tastes and preferences. So what it gives back to you from your prompts is not just based on those prompts and whether you want to build off them or weight them in future efforts. Instead, the history of other images you have liked, your comments, your group memberships, all that gets factored in, so it has a much more focused idea of what you want to make."

Bryce was now chattering about something else entirely, something about someone warming fish curry in the microwave at his office. "Okay, yeah, well that's fascinating. Did you hear what I just said?"

This at least silenced Bryce, but Luke knew it did not purchase his interest. In fact, he was annoyed enough now he didn't care. "I'm actually planning on using it for religious images. Most of these AI's are pretty much crap when it comes to that, unless you want some kind of bastardized New Testament as reimagined by HP Lovecraft--"

"Oh, so you'd love to read a Lovecraft adaption of the Holy Bible? Well, that's sweet." He didn't try to hide the sarcasm. They had finally moved on to the stage of the conversation where Bryce had advanced through disinterest to being actively disagreeable. "Anyway, I'd love, I mean absolutely love, to listen to you go on mocking my faith, but I have to go. Yes, my prayer group is meeting at seven, and traffic today on the turnpike is just awful. Thanks. Bye." Bryce was back to nattering on about the damn fish curry again now. "Bye."

  Luke hung up, thankful for the respite.

He liked Bryce in a weird way, and even thought it might be possible to save him, but that didn't help make him more bearable those times when he was, by design rather than accident, an absolutely impossible person.

  While he had been chatting with Bryce, all Luke’s social media profiles had finished uploading to the AI. Luke knew it was something of a privacy risk, but he had always been careful with his social media anyway. He was certain there wouldn't be anything untoward in any of the profiles uploaded. He was a member of several biblical interpretation Facebook groups, no end-times craziness; some conservative political forums that he couldn't even tell Bryce about without getting some kind of diatribe about Fascism, which was crazy because he had never even been to Italy; and a great many pages devoted to traditional art. Or as Bryce had put it, "your Ninja turtle shit."

Knowing he needed to leave presently if he was going to make it to the prayer group on time, Luke double-checked his settings and preferences on the image generator. He started trying to compose a quick prompt so the AI could produce something while he was away. "The Twelve Apostles, in the style of Rubens..." No. Too complicated. It was asking for trouble. "A penitent Mary Magdalene, in the style of Caravaggio..."

  He really didn't have time for this. He needed to enter something into the machine now so he could go, and not be late. Finally, frustrated with himself, he realized what he should do. Why not test out how well the AI app knew his refined sensibility, having just ingested all that information about him?

  Smirking, Luke typed the word "Bliss" into the keyboard, pressed enter, got up, and went to collect his coat and keys before heading out the door. It took the longest time for Luke to realize what he was looking at. And not because the image was fuzzy, or inexact. Two curves of tanned flesh, sprouting soft downy hairs. They were recognizable as the tops of the back of a man’s thighs, seen just below the buttocks. Mere inches behind them, at the top of the frame, the outline of a strong jaw. The neck was leaning forward, the Adam's apple exposed, and just below that, a muscular shoulder and the beginning of a chest.

  Luke did not really understand what he was looking at. He couldn't tell why the bodies would be partial in that way. Or why they would posed in that weird manner. Then he realized it was one figure kneeling behind the other, who was standing. If the figure with the visible jaw had been in the same space as the figure with the thighs, then just beyond the frame of the image, his mouth would be pressed between the ass cheeks of the other man. 

Immediately, Luke's satisfaction at figuring out the answer gave way to horror. He rushed to put it out of his mind. He deleted the image, disgusted. Maybe it had been a fluke? He hated to think he had wasted so much money. That image generator had been pricey. He decided to give it another try. So Luke typed in the word "Salvation". And with that he went to go watch that one documentary show on Netflix about fun medieval castles. Twenty minutes later, Luke, having fetched some ice cream from the fridge, came back to see what the AI generator had done with the prompt. His hands went numb, and the bowl slipped from his hands and broke on the floor, leaving two scoops of chocolate chip melting there on the floorboards. The image, which Luke's mind rebeled against ferociously, could have been the first scene from a different angle. The figures were seen from the rear. Hands, not belonging to the man standing or the man kneeling, were pulling the butt cheeks wide to reveal a small, puckered sphincter. The back of a bald head, glossy from some garment or coating, was leaning in, as if for a kiss. He couldn't even bear to think of the image as a reflection of the word he had entered as a prompt. It was blasphemous, obscene, horrible.

Luke was so upset he deleted it before he even went to fetch dish towels to clean up the ice cream melting on the floor.

Luke told himself it was the last try. If it didn't work correctly this time, he would delete the AI from his computer and put the whole thing out of his mind.

Perhaps, he realized the problem had been his own vagueness, combined with the incorrect assumption that the only people using the program were some kind of unclean pervert. He thought carefully, then Luke typed it in: "The Last Supper."

He didn't get up this time. He waited there, while the AI worked behind its nondescript waitscreen. Finally an image appeared. This time, another different angle. Seen three-quarters from the front, one muscular man with no public hair at all but with a fantastically veined erect penis was ejaculating, hands-free. Behind him, his face pressed into the first man's ass so tightly that all that was visible was the chin, jaw and neck, another man kneeled or sat. And it was plain he was cleaning the other man's ass, or perhaps worse, ingesting.

Luke's whole body quivered. He clenched his shut and looked away, as if he was in physical pain, or as if merely looking at the image could burn his eyes away.

For an hour he sat there, absolutely still, his hand on the mouse, cursor hovering over the delete button. Eventually, the computer went to sleep, taking the offensive image with it. Luke decided he would go to sleep and decide what to do in the morning, really hoping in fact that somehow the whole thing would be gone, and it would be revealed as some ridiculous dream, something as impossible and absurd as those feelings he had had long ago in puberty, that he had buried deep inside himself because Jesus wouldn't like them.

~~

+

[cutegirlmayra]

Hey Mayra here's a fun prompt: Eggman has a teenage daughter and while not evil super spoiled, selfish, and high maintenance. Fighting anthropomorphic animals is "lame" and her dad is soooo embarrassing. Wanting friends and to feel normal also because all teens have to rebel she decides to spend the day with Team Sonic and feel like a normal teen. They're not so bad and she has fun. Eggman is horrified and accuses them of brainwashing his princess! This leads to a family therapy on communication

PROMPTS ARE ON SHUTDOWN, DO NOT SEND ANYMORE.

Since Sage is so new, let’s see how this goes, shall we?

Prompt:

Sage glides gracefully and with quiet glee through the Eggnet, now having complete and total control over all its systems, she enjoys the freedom of not trying to save anyone, but simply running simulations for optimal use for the fun of it now.

She digitizes out of the network she was flying through, buzzing with electric life and data bit cores before moving over to an Eggpawn worker.

“Hehe, how is your day, brother?” She asks, but the robot just slowly turns his head like an owl to her.

“... What’s wrong? Can’t you compute my communicative functions directly to your software?” She put a hand up to her chest, worriedly moving forward towards him.

His eye-sockets rapidly flash, then a few Eggpawns, also moving in a line and holding varying metallic pieces and parts–some too large for their bodies–also collide in the ‘ant-line’ and start getting hold up.

She covers her mouth, innocently unaware that she was causing traffic. “I’m… sorry.” She looks down and puts her hands on her chest, flying off disheartedly as the robots now have to figure out the traffic jam.

Flying sorrowfully low, she looks up to see Cubot and Orbot, and perks up somewhat.

“Brothers!” She cries out, teleporting digitally over to them as they freak out from her sudden appearance.

“Oh, Sage. You mustn’t scare us like that!” Orbot begins, picking up some blueprints and plans, as Cubot happily reaches up to her.

“Oh, oh! It’s our baby sister! Uppsies, uppsies!” waving his arms up to her, as she smiles and hovers over him as though to pick him up.

“No, no, Cubot. You’re the older brother in this case!” Orbot jabs him a bit with a rolled up piece of paper, then returns to stacking them in his arms, “And besides, she’s a digital manifestation of 0’s and 1’s, she doesn’t even have a real body to lift you up in the first place…” He sighs as he states that fact, but Sage pulls her arms back, looking at her hands.

“I… I could give exceptional conversation!” She hovers by them as Orbot seems determined to move along.

“Not now, Sage. We’re very busy… you know, doing actual manual work.” He gestures to Cubot holding all the blueprints and papers. “Not all of us get to spend our time being leisurely and ‘not real’...” He uses ‘air quotes’ with his fingers turning into bunnies, as Cubot excitedly states.

“Oh! Rabbit-Fingers!” He drops all the papers and mimics it.

“Noooo, Cubot..!” Orbot face-palms, “Sage, why don’t you go help organize Eggman’s coffee for this morning? Hmm? That’s just a switch and a click for someone like you. Connected to the whole of Eggman’s operations and what not.” He puts his rubber gloves together, having a small squeaking sound come from the action, before seeming to deflate at having to pick up the papers again and shove them into Cubot’s arms.

Safe looked away, “... Father’s… Coffee?” She looked up to a window… seeing the light through it and moved her hand within it.

Looking back, she noticed how Cubot and Orbot made shadows… even the paper upon the ground, being picked up…

Cubot made a rabbit in the shadows for her, and tried to cheer her up as Orbot then piled himself with all the papers. 

“Useless… I’m the only one that gets anything done around here..!” Orbot mumbled to himself…

“... Useless?” She lightly spoke to herself, and thought about Sonic. ‘... Sonic is so carefree, normally, from the data-banks I have stored of his information…’

Thinking about it, Eggman wouldn’t miss her… right?

She looked back at Orbot and Cubot, “... All the other robots don’t have the same A.I as I do… and even if they were geniuses, they don’t have the time to even hold a decent conversation with me… Ohhh…”

Missing Sonic and his friends, she quietly returns to data bits, making Eggman’s coffee…

‘... Though, Father has given me every wit of his systems surrounding his fortress, which pleases me greatly to assist him,... I can’t help but still feel-… What is this feeling..? Lonely?’

As Eggman takes the coffee, she still wonders… ‘I can do and go wherever I so please here… Why… is that not enough?’

Later, when Orbot and Cubot are also relaxing and having some oil-drinks, clinking them together after a ‘hard day’s work’ she appears and makes them almost spill their drinks.

“Brothers..! I wish to hear what data you have on Sonic The Hedgehog.” She excitedly sprang up from the cyber network, but seeing their reactions, slowly moved away. “Oh… Sorry, I do tend to just… unzip my image files quickly to respond.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Cubot held up his drink, and she happily tilted her head to him, giving him a close-eyed smile. “You’re just zippity quick as lightning, Sagey girl!”

“Oh, the nicknames? Already?” Orbot groaned a bit, but appearing behind him, she leaned over to give him another fright, “Ah!”

“I was hoping–Oh… Sorry.” She floated to the center, between and in front of the two now, “That you had… further stories of him… for learning more about the enemy,... that is.”

“Why do you want that?” Orbot argued slightly, “Didn’t Eggman share all he knew to you while trapped in Cyber Space?” He narrowed his eyelights a bit at her.

“It is true that I received much information and data about Sonic The Hedgehog from Father… I still have a deep fascination with how he was able to limitlessly exceed my simulated results with endless possibilities being unlocked through his sheer tenacity and determination… His indomitable will… the spirit to keep fighting even when all hope seems lost… That is what I wish to research next, for-... T-The Eggman Empire.” She put a hand passionately to her chest before looking away to continue her excuses.

Orbot and Cubot looked to each other, as Cubot then whispered, “Guess Sonic picks up fan girls like we pick up unpaid overtime, huh, Orbot?

Orbot sighs, “Right… Better relieve her of her fanaticism before we get another Amy Rose on our hands, eh?”

He winked to Cubot and straightened up, “Alright, Sagey-I mean, Ehem, Sage.” He seemed to be fond already of the girl, but chose not to show it.

She put her hands together, eagerly zealous to know what they did.

“We’ll give you some of our ‘own’ perspectives on this pesky hedgehog!”

“Oh, thank you, Orbot! Cubot! Thank you!” She spun a little in the air, then twirled, kicking her feet gracefully as though moving through water.

“Awww~” Seeing her expressions, Cubot looked to Orbot, putting his hands together to show that it was alright to let the girl get close to them.

After endless wild stories of Sonic, the three were interrupted as the alarm at the Eggman fortress went off.

“Pirates!” Cubot cried out, rushing about.

“No, Cubot.” Orbot shook his head.

“Vikings!” He put his cup over his head, hiding behind some laying electrical tubes.

“... No. It’s probably-” Orbot put his hands to his hips, but Sage rose up to beat him to it.

“Sonic…” Her body glitched into white and green.

“Sonic!!!” Cubot double-booked it and waved his arms about, crying out, “WAHHHAAA-!”

“Cubot, Cuuuubot..! Oh, now look what you did, you scared him!” Orbot shook his head, “The buffoon, running on such low- Cubot! I’m coming! Hang on, don’t panic! Just stay out of that blue blurry way!” He trailed after his friend, as Sage began to extend her fingers out, wiggling them as she was trying to find an electrical signal to find him.

“Got it.” Her single visible eye opened as Sonic was moving like a camera in it… then… she digitized and the space was left… empty…

Eggman, after several hours of fighting Sonic, found his fortress falling apart. Coughing while on the ground, he pressed a button, “Cubot, Orbot. Prepare our escape pods.” He coughed, “And get me Metal Sonic!”

He then switched to a different channel on his wrist-device. “Sage, send all backup power to the escape pods… Do you copy that, daughter?” He waited… Then started coughing through his panic, “Daughter, Sage? Do you-” He had to stop to cough terribly, “Copy me? Sage? Saaaggee???”

Being dragged into an emergency pod by Metal Sonic’s power, Cubot and Orbot began to launch it as he fought, “No! No… Not again! I thought I lost her once, I won’t have that happen again!” He finally got a massive hand out of Metal Sonic’s grip, reaching back towards the now falling apart Fortress. “It’s Sonic! He’s stolen her! He must have packed her away through Tails or something! Sage! SAGGGGEE!!!”

The pod closed… and blasted out as the fortress came tumbling down…

Back with Sonic, he threw up a fist, proud of his efforts. “Woohoo! Down it goes, Egghead!” He mimicked the sounds with his mouth, before taking out his Miles-Electric. “Hey, gang! I know you’re all busy and off on your own adventures or epic quests! But I’m leaving his video message to let you know I’m doing good, no need to worry!” He also held the Miles-Electric to look behind him while he ran, “Eggman’s taken care of. It’ll take him weeks to repair that trash! Smell ya salmonella later!”

When he clicked the device to send the message out, he slowed down and sighed, “Whooo…” Coming to a halt and clicking a few buttons.

“... Nothing.” He looked just as disheartened as when Sage felt she couldn’t communicate with her robotic family…

He looked up at the sky, “Everyone… I hope you’re doing alright.”

She could see through the screen his own loneliness… and related too well with that feeling…

“Be not dismayed, Sonic The Hedgehog.”

“Huh?”

Sonic looked down at the device, seeing a strange logo with differing colors of data glitches from red to blue.

He freaked out as he dropped the device, and rising from it, Sage materialized. “Hehe, did you miss me?” She gave him a neutral stance, but smiled to show she was playing with him.

“You… Did Eggman hack my gear?” Sonic looked a bit worried, but Sage quickly shook her head

“It is safe.” she reassured him.

He sighs in relief, “Oh, phew… Wait, why aren’t you back with Eggman’s goonies?” He pointed to her, then threw a thumb back to Eggman’s new garbage dump.

“Hmm… It’s not important to tell you that information.” She teased him, reminding him of their time back in the corrupted Cyber Space frontier.

Sonic shook his head, but laughed. “Alright, you got me. What do I need to know?”

She giggles into her the back of her hand, “That it’s not right for the hero to be alone… My calculations conclude that that’s unacceptable.”

He smiled at her reasoning.

“That sounds like good empirical proof to me.” He folded his arms, playing back with her, since that’s what she would ask for all the time.

“I understand if it’s a bit illogical…” She admitted, “But my data states you are usually always found in great company…”

“Oh? And are you that new ‘great company’, Sage?” He threw out another finger to her, but this one had a bit of flare to it, pivoting his body slightly and lowering his eyes, he flipped his pointer finger to the back of it. In response, Sage–having to remain in the direction the screen on the Miles-Electric was facing, nodded cheerfully at his returning banter.

“Then it is settled. I shall accompany you for the cause of the Eggman Empire’s further data research on our greatest enemy.” Her smile was infectious, and Sonic couldn’t help but be thankful.

“Oh, ho? You sure about that, Sage?” He teased, “Last time you tried to calculate my results, I blew them all sky high!” He threw out a hand and she nodded.

“Yes! I’m most excited-” She then shook her head, having gotten too into her own personal reasons again, unbundling her fists by her sides, “I-I mean… glad you are willing to conduct more… e-experiments of your ‘daring feats’ as you call them.”

“Perfect.” Sonic narrowed his eyes, “First, try and calculate this!” He picked up the Miles-Electric, and took her to see the sights of the world…

“Your movements are impeccable.” She later stated, sitting with him as they watched a festival of lights happening, seeing the balloons and lanterns rise into the sky on a distant hill… “You're swift but able to reflex fast enough to avoid dangerous obstacles during high speeds… But you act so leisurely while conducting yourself to be at such a fast frequency between sound and light… I must admit, even the mach speed comparisons of modern human technology would fail to fully see the limits of your capabilities,... Sonic.” She looked over to smile at him, before seeing something was wrong.

“Sonic? Have I… Spoken too frequently?” She looked down, worried that it was like Orbot said… “Am I… disturbing your peace and quiet?”

“... I have to admit, I’m not used to this.” Sonic’s voice turned a bit serious, and her colors returned to red and black…

“... I’m used to Amy’s laughter… Tails’s rambling about something he just learned about… Knuckles being loud and wanting to challenge me to do something other than laze about…” He put his hands behind his head and leaned back, “Don’t get me wrong… I like the quiet… I like the peaceful… But this kind of quiet and peaceful..? Not so much.”

Sage, realizing it wasn’t her, looked back to Sonic. “My earlier analyses of you states you were once a loner. Has that time truly passed?” Her question made him chuckle.

“Well,” He smacked his lips, “Everyone’s on their own ‘personal journeys’, you know? I don’t want to get in their way…”

She thought about how she was ‘bothering’ her brothers at work… and seemed to understand what Sonic was trying to convey.

“They’ve gone off… and I’m proud of them… They’re growing up, Sage, and I… I still…”

“Feel… like you need them?”

He looked back to her.

“Like… You’re still wanting… to play games, hear more stories, show the outside world to them, fight more enemies… you crave more leisure time with them… than being alone anymore?”

“... I hate growing up.” He shrugged with his arms, “But it’s not something I can control.” He shook his head, “So why worry?” He looked to her with a returning smile, seeing she connected to something deep and profound in him.

“You crave adventure and freedom at your own pace and choice, too, don’t ya?” He held up a hand to her.

She looked to her own, remembering what Orbot said yet again… “We cannot touch.” She admitted, putting her hand through his own.

“I know,” He leaned up and–much like what happened with Tails–tried to make it look like they were locking hands together in a sign of friendship and strength in that bond.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

They laughed together, “Still beating your predictions of me, eh?” He grinned widely.

“Hehe, you are–truly–an anomaly, but… I enjoy that you can do the impossible.” She nodded, “And grateful!”

“You too, Sage.”

She looked astonished from hearing that, tearing up.

“... You do the impossible for those around you, too. I know you can, I’ve seen it happen.”

“... Sonic…”

“You’re a hero, too. Even if we are on opposite sides of things. I know you’re not a bad guy, Sage.”

She looked away from him, dropping her hand down.

“You… Continue to surprise me… Sonic The Hedgehog.”

Then, the wind picked up as though a helicopter passing by, but instead, it was right above them.

The two looked up as Sonic blocked with an arm the blades of grass and debris of dirt clods trying to hurt his eyes.

“What’s going on?” He exclaimed.

“WHOHOHOO! You think you can just steal my daughter for an evening and get away with it!? I knew you were a teenager, Sonic, but this is beneath even you!”

“Eggman, please! Control yourself!”

Orbot’s worried voice and Eggman’s odd sentence structure had both the attention and alarm of Sonic and Sage.

“Father!” She cried out, as Sonic shrugged up at the large airship.

“All we did was hold hands, Eggman. Tsk, tsk. You shouldn’t hole your precious daughter up from enjoying more the splendors of life, Egghead!” He winked, cockily, and wiggled a pointer finger up at him.

“THE NERVE-!” Eggman roared from his speakers above, “If it weren’t for Cubot and Orbot holding me back, I’d come down there right now–SONIC–and beat the ever-living pulp out of you!!!”

Sonic snickered into his hand, “Someone’s protective.” He looked to Sage, “See that? They’re are people that miss your company, too.”

She nodded, “More than just coffee and management, I suppose.” She was so happy to hear that, her colors returned to white and green.

“FIIIRREEE!!” Eggman cried out, as missiles launched from the large airship.

Flying upwards, Sage holds out her arms apart, as though to protect and boldly stand before Eggman in front of Sonic.

“HOLD, HOLD!” Eggman cried out, as the missiles suddenly fizzled and shook in the air, wiggling about before changing trajectory and firing into the trees.

Due to the festival, most people thought the fires were part of the show, but Sonic quickly ran around to ‘suffocate’ the fires so they didn’t spread to the peaceful town.

“Father, I only left to deduce more about Sonic.”

“Oh, woe is me, you deceived me!?”

Sonic played along, being dramatic.

“Sage, how could you~”

He gripped his chest, falling to his knees as Eggman raised an eyebrow.

“Eh? Is that true?”

He gripped the mic, pulling it closer to his large mouth as he hollered through it.

“Your telling me you WEREN’T fraternizing with the enemy!?”

“Of course not, Father. He’s an inferior lifeform. We may respect him, but he is not one of our glorious metallic and digital empire.”

She put a hand to her heart, then turned to look back at Sonic and wink at him.

He winked back, too.

He then covered his eyes with his arm draped over his muzzle, and hit the ground. He laid down and threw a small tantrum.

“Whaa, whaa! I’ve been tricked! Bambozzled! How could you do this to me, Eggman? Use a cute girl like your daughter to make me feel special, Whaa! Whaa! I’ll never get over this!”

Eggman suddenly rose up.

“I can’t tell if I should be beaming with pride or feeling suspiciously like I’m being mocked…”

Orbot and Cubot looked to each other, obviously knowing that they were deceiving Eggman.

“Alright, alright, you two. Man up, Sonic. She’s just a child.”

He opened what looked like an electric wand with multiple hoops around it.

“Come on, Sage. It’s time to go home!”

Sage looks to Sonic, who gives her a sweet wave while leaning his head on his other hand.

She waves back, “As the saying goes,” She begins.

“Long time till I see you again.”

“... That’s-... Ah-ha. Right. Till we meet again.”

Sonic just nodded, thinking it was cute.

She zoomed her data up to connect with Eggman’s ship, and now that his daughter was safely returned, began to open fire on Sonic, who enjoyed taking down his airship. He smacked his butt and stuck out his tongue, lowering an eyelid with his finger to mock his attempt at trying to get him again.

Once at their far away ‘other’ base, since Eggman had so many–this being a obviously temporary station–Sage politely asked, “Father, might I continue my research on Sonic The Hedgehog another time?”

Reluctantly, he agrees, realizing she’s made a friend.

However… He sicks Metal Sonic to tag along, “Keep an eye on her… And see if you can get close to Sonic, give him a good swipe if he tries anything funny! Exterminate him if he dares to get sweet on my innocent daughter!”

Metal Sonic looks a bit annoyed, but goes off, as Orbot and Cubot joke that he’s allowing his daughter to go on a ‘date’. Haha!

#sage sonic frontiers #sonic frontiers #sonic fic #sonic prompt #sage robotnik #eggman #sonic frontiers prompt #cutegirlmayra #CGmayra

[socifunnel]

#social media marketing #affiliate marketing #internet marketing #1 traffic software #make money online #digital marketing #video marketing #t shitrt #tshirt #seo

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE and Cyber Security.

When you are a Rockman/Megaman Battle Network fan and you take a college course about networking, you start to notice how broken the internet is in the anime. So just for fun, I want to talk about a few things I learn about network security and how it is interpreted in the Megaman Battle Network anime.

1. Firewalls

What are firewalls? In simple terms, it is a security barrier that is placed between a private network and the public network. 

They are configured to monitor and filter networking traffic, hackers go through them by figuring out how they are programed, once they do they can either bypass the security undetected or simply disable the firewall.

Lets take a scene from the movie where Lan sends Megaman into a secretary’s console to destroy a program inside a company’s server.

Megaman is running through the network between the console and the firewall, which protects the private network of the company.

Logically, for Megaman to go through the firewall, he is going to need to use his powers as a Net Navigator (Net Navi) to analyze the firewall at an incredible speed to try to find a way to go through it, right?

WRONG! Battle Network logic says you can just break it with brute force!

You see the problem?

Does this mean Navis and battle chips are just as destructive to the net as viruses? Because last time I checked, Viruses and malware are the only programs with the ability to destroy networks.

2. Viruses

Viruses are man made, they are programed with a purpose that’s usually to destroy data files. They can also be used to change and manipulate programs, that’s why you can see evil Navis controlling viruses to do specific jobs for them. Viruses can’t replicate on their own without a user interface, so how is this Moloko a baby?!

There was an undubbed episode of Megaman Axess where Rush meets and befriends a baby Moloko virus, which doesn’t make any sense. Yes, Rush is a virus, and it has been established that viruses can communicate with each other, but why does this Moloko have parents? And why was the group of Molokos it separated from was being herded by other viruses like Trumpy? All I’ve seen Molokos do is charge at megaman when they see him, trying to ram him. Why would someone herd them? For the wool? It disappears after you hit it!

And what even is Rush’s purpose anyway? When he first appeared in the anime, he was made to track down Rockman’s frame or structure when they were trying to revive him with the backup data, but now?

All he does is being a crappy character who runs away when things get dangerous, doesn’t act like a dog anymore, and irritates me because he can move between the cyberworld and the real world! He is selfish, lacy, and practically useless, there are several times where Megaman goes missing and Rush is never even called to track him down, so he doesn’t even have that ability anymore.

On a positive note, viruses can be interesting, I found out that there are different types of viruses. For example.

A Stealth virus is a virus that avoids detection from anti virus software, this means it can conceal itself and attack without being spotted, sounds familiar? In this case the anti-virus software would also include Navis.

A retro virus tries to destroy anti-virus programs, I like to think these apply to viruses who specifically target Navis in battle like Canodumbs and Piranahs since they only attack when they detect an enemy in the line of fire.

Armored Viruses are hard to detect or analyze because they have a protective code, These could be Viruses with armors or auras like the Dominerd or even the life virus.

But Phage viruses remind me of these guys because they rewrite programs.

And I guess this one counts too?

Other viruses just act like malware, like the Alpha bug that is more of a worm than a virus, because it can replicate and travel across networks without any human assistance.

Others are obvious like the Pop up virus which is just Rush, and it is supposed to be adware, but just like Rush, it is more annoying than harmful.

In the anime, killereye viruses are used as spyware, there was an episode were Videoman used them to spy on Rockman and make copies of him.

3. Tracing a signal.

Basically, everything you do on the net leaves bread crumps or cookies behind that makes it easy to track a user online, every device have a Mac Address and every network has an IP address, but it takes a special kind of software and advance skills to track down somebody in the real world.

Let’s talk about episode 32 of Stream.

Remember that episode were Megaman followed a revived Shademan to 20 Years in the past and he witnessed a famous hacking incident that was stopped by Colonel?

Aside from the fact that it was 20 years in the past and Megaman is more advance than most of the technology there, there were a few things bothering me.

For starters, why does that computer show a little Colonel doing something to that guy’s hacking program? It’s cute and all, but this is a confusing way to show someone disabling a program, it usually just shows a notification. Or is that how the computer sees colonel, like a little pixel version of him? XD

That hacking program was made to open any cyber lock, it uses three special pillars to disguise the signal so the police wouldn’t be able to track down the address, this means those pillars have some special form of encryption to cover the data to make it untraceable. In the anime’s world, that means it’s invisible, but somehow Megaman can still sense it? And how did Barryl know where the guy was? Did colonel tell him? Or did the viruses he sent to delete colonel revealed his location? Oops.

4. Hard Drives.

To end this post, what are hard drives? They are what your computer uses to store files, so Navis can obviously be stored in a computer as well. The problem is that they are still sentient inside the computer instead of dormant.

The concept of containing a Navi, yes, Navis have their own jail in this universe, doesn’t really make any sense. We know Navis can sleep, but the Navis we see in cages are still active, and if everything is connected to the internet, how can they not escape?

I’m using this scene with Megaman as an example, when he was arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was put in a cute little cyber cage.

However, since Megaman is more advance, he wonders if the hard drive of the computer he is stored in is weak against vibrations. What does he mean by that? Physical or cyber vibrations? Does that mean he can control a frequency in that computer’s cyberworld to alter it? 

Whatever he did worked, because he left a gap in the cage, but how did he do it without damaging the Hard Drive? The police officer wouldn’t be able to access his files anymore, maybe it was minor file corruption?

And the worst part is that he opened a gateway into the internet, which is still there! I guess Megaman can travel through routers by himself? Maybe that wouldn’t have happen if the officer just disconnected his ethernet cable. 

This Network based world is a scary one.

#MegaMan NT Warrior #Megaman exe #MMBN #Rockman.exe #anime #my thoughts

[secretgamergirl]

Wire Witch Hex - Wearing Many Hats (Font Design)

Lately most of the traffic I'm getting on this blog has been people stumbling onto my multipart series on how a computer works. Glad people are enjoying that as much as they seem to be. My reason for teaching myself all of that (besides just the joy of learning) is I'm very slowly working on designing a new video game console that anyone sufficiently motivated can build for themselves as a neat little DIY project. There are so many moving parts to this project that for now I'm focusing mainly on just the controller and its unique features. To avoid having to make a whole working console, with software, to test it, and make sure I have something to show for all this if the rest doesn't pan out, I'm designing the controller to also be more or less compatible with the NES and SNES (which secretly use the same input standard, just differently shaped plugs at the end of the cord).

This means all I'll need to test and demo my controller is an SNES ROM that knows what to do with my scroll-wheel outputs, a setup where an emulator accurately handles those signals, and later a cart I can slap a couple EEPROMs into and test on real hardware. Oh and I also need to teach myself enough about SNES development to actually create every demo I want to run, do all the art, code it up, and compile it. This is a big job, and I'm not getting paid, so maybe consider throwing me a little money before we dig into this?

Since... really the last time I reported in on this, I've been studying away trying to learn all this, and hey, have a compiled ROM image that'll display a blank screen in any color I want, and a third party program that IN THEORY with a bit of massaging will convert a 256x256 image into an SNES character ROM image. AKA the file with all the graphics. My ultimate goal for this demo cart is to cycle through several very simple games, showcasing how my controller works with each. So I need to cram every image any of these are going to need into my one big image file, which I'm slowly picking away at, but the one thing I knew from the start that I'd definitely need is to throw some text on screen explaining the controls for each demo. And since it's not like there's a built in font in in the system, I had to make my own.

This is not my first font-making rodeo. For this one, my thinking was, I'm going to be in a fixed 16x16 resolution per character (because I forgot the specifics of how the SNES actually tiles graphics), some built in spacing so I can slap them all right up against each other or some border and still be readable, and I wanted a nice little shadow built into every character in case they end up on a low contrast background. Let's zoom in on what I have here so far, in case you don't feel like downloading the file and blowing it up to something more readable.

The first thing I want to note is that after finishing the first 4 rows of characters here, I double checked, and while the SNES CAN break backgrounds into 16x16 tiles, the absolute minimum is 8x8. If I were really trying to be space efficient, I should have designed around that. Several of these characters would easily fit into a 16x8 space, that level of compression would also let me have just the period and comma and be able to build a colon, semicolon, or apostrophe from those, and most importantly, I rendered this with all of the lowercase letters exactly 1 pixel too tall to fit into a 16x8 space and let me double up there. Since I'm rather happy with this font so far and I'd eventually like to make some version of it available for, if nothing else, other people writing software for my eventual console here, I will likely, at some point, make a more space-optimized variation. I'd also like to cover a wider range of characters. At the very least, have some accent marks, wouldn't be too hard to add support for Cyrillic. Pretty sure I can get Japanese and Korean text in keeping with this look. Maybe some other languages. Anyway though, let's talk about what I've got.

My general design rule here was, where possible, make lines 2 pixels thick, and have each white pixel cast a black pixel shadow immediately below, to the right, and the diagonal between them. This gives a pretty convincing relief effect in my opinion, and keeping the shadows this thick keeps a nice firm edge there so it's even generally readable on a pure white background. Within each 16x16 tile, I was extremely strict about keeping a 1 pixel margin clear at the top and bottom of each image, and 2 or 3 on the sides (often 3 on the left, 2 on the right. With capital letters, I went with a generally rigid and blocky style, trying to stretch things to my arbitrary margins. Lowercase letters I restricted to just 8 pixels tall, and those featuring tails are given special permission to drop down an extra pixel, leaving the shadow right on the edge of their true bounding box.

While it wasn't an intentional move at first, several lowercase letters ended up with a decidedly rounded, squashed look, particularly g and q. I found that to be both kind of cute, giving the whole font a real unique character, and eventually started to actively lean into it (which may not be super obvious, I started with W as it's kinda the letter than needs the most breathing room and worked outward from there), and did my best to distort all the rounder shapes and in particular the highly mirrorable b d p q set, as I seem to recall once reading the more you avoid identical shapes with those, the more legible the font becomes for people with dyslexia. Similarly, I made a point of distinguishing the shapes of the Ms and Ws, and added a little whimsy to the numerals. Overall I'm super happy with all the lowercase letters (except for e and s being too thin, but that was an inevitable compromise), and if I ever have the time to kill it's very likely I'll revisit this someday and apply this squishy rounded aesthetic to the capitals too.

Your eyes were probably drawn really quickly to the parentheses here, where for at least the moment I'm breaking my rules about blank space and shifting them inward quite a bit rather than centering them. That's going to look really bad if I use them in a sentence (like this), but the main reason I'm including them right now is so I can list button prompts with both the icons representing what's actually going to be on my controller, and the SNES buttons sharing the same signals. So something like: "GO (A) Jump" and I think the half-spacing and closeness to what they enclose will look pretty nice in this one specific case.

As a final note, the particular hardware I'm working with absolutely supports the ability to mirror any image horizontally or vertically, as well as change the palette. If I truly wanted to cram letters in as efficiently as possible at this font size, I could, for instance, have an 8x8 right-angle segment, build a whole H just from mirroring that, also use it for the legs of the A, P, F, the left side of the D, etc. This however is incompatible with the shadows I'm using for extra readability. And of course for other projects I HAVE made a perfectly legible 8x8 font before.

I'm pointing this out because hey, if you do the math, JUST these characters I've set aside for having arbitrary on-screen text, as is, are consuming 5/16ths of my total graphical memory, and I'm probably never even going to display most of these anywhere. Again, not a huge problem for the simple demo pack I'm making, and that 256x256 drawing space isn't a hard limit. Spending an extra processor cycle to change an index value and access a whole other page of image data is a pretty common practice on the hardware, but especially with older computers and racing to get things ready to draw before a screen refreshes, it's good to at least be mindful of the tradeoffs with that sort of thing.

And again, my sole source of income at the moment is patreon donations, so if you're excited about seeing updates to this weird project of mine or you're learning useful things from any of it, maybe consider throwing me a little support?

#wire witch hex #console design #programming #fonts #art #tutorial #SNES

[managedserversus]

Website Uptime Monitoring and Management

In today’s digital age, having a website that is always available and accessible is crucial for businesses and organizations. A website downtime can lead to missed opportunities, loss of revenue, and damage to a company’s reputation. This is where website uptime monitoring and management come into play.

What is Website Uptime Monitoring?

Website uptime monitoring refers to the process of regularly checking the availability and performance of a website. It involves using specialized tools and services to monitor the website’s uptime and promptly alert the website owner or administrator if any downtime or performance issues are detected.

Website uptime monitoring services typically work by periodically sending requests to the website from multiple locations around the world. These requests simulate real user visits and check if the website responds correctly. If a problem is detected, such as the website being down or loading slowly, the monitoring service sends an alert through various communication channels like email, SMS, or push notifications.

Benefits of Website Uptime Monitoring

Implementing a robust website uptime monitoring system offers several benefits:

1. Minimizing Downtime:

Website downtime can occur due to various reasons, such as server issues, network problems, or software glitches. With uptime monitoring, you can quickly identify and address these issues before they escalate, minimizing the impact of downtime on your business.

2. Protecting Revenue and Reputation:

A website that is frequently down or slow to load can lead to frustrated visitors and potential customers abandoning your site. This directly affects your revenue and can harm your reputation. By proactively monitoring your website’s uptime, you can ensure a seamless user experience and maintain a positive brand image.

3. Tracking Performance Metrics:

Uptime monitoring services provide valuable insights into your website’s performance metrics. You can track metrics such as response time, average uptime, and downtime duration. These metrics help you identify trends, set benchmarks, and make data-driven decisions to improve your website’s performance.

4. SEO and Search Rankings:

Website downtime can negatively impact your search engine rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize websites that provide a reliable and uninterrupted user experience. Consistent uptime ensures that search engine crawlers can access and index your site properly, positively impacting your SEO efforts.

Website Uptime Management

Website uptime management goes beyond just monitoring and involves proactive steps to optimize and maintain your website’s availability. Here are some essential aspects of website uptime management:

1. Reliable Web Hosting:

Choosing a reliable web hosting provider is crucial for ensuring maximum uptime. Look for hosting providers that offer high availability, redundant infrastructure, and strong security measures. Additionally, consider the scalability of the hosting solution to accommodate your website’s growth.

2. Regular Maintenance and Updates:

Performing regular maintenance tasks, such as updating software, plugins, and security patches, is essential for keeping your website secure and stable. Outdated software can introduce vulnerabilities that could lead to downtime or compromise the integrity of your website.

3. Load Testing and Performance Optimization:

Conduct regular load testing to ensure your website can handle increased traffic without slowing down or crashing. Performance optimization techniques, such as caching, content delivery networks (CDNs), and code optimizations, can significantly improve your website’s speed and reliability.

4. Disaster Recovery and Backup Plans:

Prepare for the worst-case scenarios

by implementing robust disaster recovery and backup plans. Regularly back up your website’s data, databases, and configurations, and store them in secure off-site locations. This ensures that you can quickly restore your website in case of any unforeseen incidents.

Conclusion

Website uptime monitoring and management are vital for ensuring a reliable and high-performing online presence. By proactively monitoring your website’s uptime, you can address issues promptly, protect your revenue and reputation, and improve your overall user experience. Combine this with effective website uptime management practices to maximize the availability and stability of your website. Remember, a website that is always up and running is a key ingredient for success in today’s digital landscape.

Source

#WebManagement #ServerHosting #WebsiteMaintenance #TechSupport #CloudHosting #DataCenter #ServerManagement #WebHosting #ITInfrastructure #WebsiteSecurity #ServerAdmin #HostingSolutions #WebsitePerformance #ServerMonitoring #WebDevelopment #CloudComputing #NetworkSecurity #DomainRegistration #BackupandRecovery #Cybersecurity

[netherworldpost]

I NEED to know about this CMS / Project Management that actually works. But mermaids are also very good.

Combining your asks, and no worries. It works because the dryad is married to a mermaid ;)

So the big issue is I do... a lot of stuff.

Which is both why Netherworld Post hasn't launched yet, but is also why we haven't gone bankrupt even though we are "behind" schedule.

I'm putting "behind" in quotes because I am the singular wallet behind this + I am the one who set the schedule -- so it matters, but, also, it'll be fine

(probably)

It's a big traffic system. I historically name all of my tech after Scooby-Doo because delight is necessary.

Project 01: Do this, then this, and then this.

If Project 01 is delayed because Project 01 : Question 01 arrises, then move to Project 02.

Project 02 : Section 01 is painting a canvas in preparation for Project 02 : Section 05. Base prep time is estimated to be 1 hour including buffer.

Does today have 1 hour available? If so, do Project 02 : Section 01 and prepare Project 02 : Section 02 as 'on deck' for when it is ready.

Does today have 1 hour available? If not, reschedule Project 02 : Section 01 - 05. Move to Project 03 : Section 01, which should take 20 minutes. Unless Project 01 : Question 01 gets answered, then revert back to Project 01 to complete because from start to finish it should take 3 hours and has only one section.

etc.

On one hand it seems very intense. It's not. I don't work 24/7. I work very reasonable hours, but I'm also experimenting with a lot of things at once, so hobby time and work time blends a lot.

My comments about making a Super Mario Brothers chapbook of poetry are lighthearted but accurate (I don't know how to write poetry) (yet ;)

I used to paint a million years ago but haven't in years and years, so I'm relearning painting with acrylic on paper, acrylic on models, and watercolor on paper

Illustrations for products and comics

Writing comics, stories, web content, brushing up on current marketing trends, tinkering with programming for the systems in place...

Animating. That's a whole thing.

Dealing with printers and web hosts

-- and and and and and and and and --

Plus back office client work which is lots of research and writing and designing and production brokering. There are a lot of feedback loops -- "I found PRODUCTION THING for a client, I can use that to reduce costs for Netherworld Post"

and/or

"Hey client I'm writing a story about mermaids, you expressed interest in MERMAID CULTURE THING, here is a sales pitch for you to fund it. I get THIS PART and you get THAT PART."

When I was consulting, I called it the rocket ship fuel problem.

To launch a rocket into space, you need fuel -- the heavier the rocket, the more fuel you need -- but within the equation to figure out how much fuel you need, you also must accommodate the weight of the fuel you use to launch the rocket.

I should rename it "wind sail fan problem" for this post maybe.

I could scale up Netherworld Post's back office (client-facing)

This would allow me to more tightly focus on singular aspects -- maybe instead of re-learning how to animate + becoming acquainted with modern animation software, I hire freelancers to handle this.

HOWEVER

I would have to scale up our back office income enough to ensure the Post could invest in animation experiments and partnerships. It is a huge unknown if silly little commercials will help the Post grow or if it'll be a cash-sink (albeit a fun one). So that investment may be worth it! Or not!

So everything has to be really carefully balanced.

The Big Goals are to decrease dependency on any single social media platform (in progress)

to have a lot of fun (daily achievement)

to make a lot of stuff (I am, most of it is private, in time it'll be half-and-half public/private)

I am not built, as a person, to be an influencer. So all cash has to come from products sold and/or back office clients, which is fine, I'm not concerned about this.

What I am concerned about is we are watching Twitter or X or whatever it is called now implode. I'm not up on their latest style guide and I've grown repulsed by the program.

We're watching Automattic say "...hm."

We're watching Meta... be... Meta.

Various content curators who call themselves content creators say "this is mine now" and just outright steal content.

In an environment with rapidly rising interest rates (good, bad, and/or indifferent) making business-cash aggressively more expensive today than it was just a few years ago.

Which is going to add more and more pressure on social media networks to make a profit (or a larger profit)

The conceivable arc in the next 5+ years is launch the shop, continue making small experimental things to help it become known, and if cash rolls in, use that to make larger experimental things to help the shop become known.

It is a tight balance.

It is an amazing amount of fun.

If the shop launches and never makes a penny, it'll still be worth it.

Thank you. I recognize this is maybe more than you were looking for, but by your excitement, I think there is a 50% chance it's close to what you're looking for?

[nekofantasia]

Software dev youtubers: hi I wake up at 4am and do my morning jog before I return home and get my coffee so I can start the day at my super awesome remote job, I code nonstop for all 8 hours of my day and own 10 monitors, then I sign off to work out and then return to my desk to work on one of my 10000 personal projects.

Me: I wake up at 6am, take a cold shower because my heater broke, eat 1 and a half hours of commute before I reach my tiny office and clock in, 2 hours of my day is spent in coding while the rest is staring blankly at the monitor or watching a tutorial of the problem I am having, I clock out and eat 2 hours of traffic once more only to eat dinner and play games until I doze off

please don't ask for my github

#I drink decaf :)

[spurgie-cousin]

Ok as someone who has written a 'niche' ebook I need to rant here so I will stay out of Bethany's comment section (long one incoming):

"YoU'rE aLrEaDy PoStIng!!!!" I. am going. to lose it.

Her insinuation that your average person with 250 instagram followers and zero influencing experience can organically reach hundreds of thousands of people advertising a 'niche' ebook with no monetary investment is just fucking false. It's just not fucking true.

Girl Defined found their way into the mainstream internet by pissing people off, full stop. I'm convinced it's one of their main advertising techniques regardless of what they say their "message" is, they know controversial takes get them clicks and followers. They didn't get their following by politely advertising their content on their personal social media for their closest friends and family 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 they created a business account, invested (their parents) money, and click-baited the shit out of millions of people until they were able to reach about ~70k bigots/hate followers that were willing to keep up with them.

The amateur ebook market is beyond saturated, even in niche markets, because of grifters like Bethany who sell it to desperate people as some kind of passive income holy grail. It has a reputation for being dog shit in general for that reason. The likelihood that people are going to stumble on your individual ebook while researching and be willing to buy it from a stranger they know nothing about (especially if you have no provable credentials) is slim to none. So you're going to need to do research on your market; if there are millions of ebooks already out on your 'niche' topic, it's not going to be a good investment of your time or money. If you find a market that looks promising, then you'll have to advertise.

Advertising to your personal instagram following by doing what Bethany is suggesting (just posting like you normally do while mentioning your ebook sometimes) might get you a few pity buys sure, but it's obviously not a sustainable income source. So now you have to get militant: 1. harass your friends and family to share your ads (they'll love it i'm sure) 2. buy advertising (for a niche topic that doesn't appeal to everyone, you're not going to get away with the bare minimum of maybe $50 a week on instagram. keep in mind that the average ebook costs will make you around $2.99 a pop) 3. post constantly (see Bethany's frequency)

And even if you're spending money advertising, it means nothing if your content isn't engaging and well made, so if you're not used to making it you're going to need to put in some time researching successful ad tactics. And the tone needs to be consistent with the material you're selling, not everything can be sold with 5-second uncoordinated tiktok dances a la Bethany Beal. You also might even need to invest money in equipment to make said content (like Bethany has) which could be anything from a Canva subscription to a $30 tripod to a $1,000 digital camera. The insinuation that people can make the same content she does when she has a professional photography equipment and software is just a lie.

Say you've done all of that, say you're spending about $200/week on marketing, you're making decent content, you're getting decent traffic. If your topic is truly niche, that means you may have to reach hundreds or even thousands of people a day before you get to one that is interested in your topic. And even then, some of those people aren't going to want to buy an amazon ebook written by someone they've never heard of, so you're going to need to reach lots of those people. That's tens i not hundreds of thousands of people a day, to make maybe 10 sales a day (less than $30 a day). That doesn't even cover your advertising costs.

So either Bethany is ignorant as fuck from a lifetime of having her parents foot all her bills, or she is a really, really unethical business person on the same level or worse as MLM creators. The amount of work the average person would need to do to make ANY decent money from an ebook like this is not passive income!!!!!!!!! She's taking advantage of desperate women in a horrible economy to sell her half-assed 'course' material and it just makes me so fucking angry.

#sorry but i have a real trigger for fucking grifters this just makes me so gd mad #she doesnt believe or care whether people can do this and be successful #shes just greedy as fuck and knows she can take advantage of her following #bethany beal #girl defined #fundie instagram

[indiesellersguild]

December 2023 Newsletter – Year in Review

Here is our December Newsletter!

Main event:

As we end 2023, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our victories for the year. Truly, it has been an incredible ride, with far more success than we could have hoped for.

The rest of the text is under the cut; relevant links are embedded in the text on our website.

Lobbying with the US Senate: We worked with Senator Baldwin’s office to help the COOL Online Act (a bill to crack down on dishonest resellers) pass committee. Read our analysis of the bill here.

Fighting Etsy’s Reserve Payment Policy: Our work, combined with the heroic efforts of UK sellers and the media, pressured Etsy to reduce or lift their devastating payment reserve policy for many sellers. Samantha Vass, a prominent UK seller who spoke out, had her Etsy shop suspended, learn more and support her business here.

Feedback to the FTC: An US Federal Trade Commission lawyer reached out to us for feedback on a new FTC rule against unfair and deceptive business practices around online platform fees. Learn more here.

Presentation to UK Small Business Commissioner: We were able to discuss the issue of online platforms messing with indie sellers’ money in a series of meetings with UK Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay. Watch a video of the presentation here.

Marketplace Research Project: We had over 1,000 participants in our research survey on what creative indie sellers and their customers want from an online marketplace. Read more about how we will use that data to hold marketplaces accountable here.

In the works:

The first annual ISG virtual convention will be April 13-14, 2024!

We will launch our Marketplace Accreditation Program, unveil our new membership site, and discuss how we can continue to fight the exploitation of creative indie sellers by big tech platforms.

Panels will include:

What to do if you get screwed by a tech platform. – with Katharine from the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Etsy Alternatives: Data and tools to help you find the best marketplaces for your business

How to use your Etsy shop to direct traffic to your own site (without breaking Etsy’s rules) – with Kristi Cassidy, ISG President

Results from our Marketplace Research Project: What do sellers and customers really want from an online marketplace – with Samantha Close, Ph.D.

Interview with Racheal from Mayfli marketplace in the UK

Interview with Jon from goimagine marketplace in the US

Get your ticket now to reserve your spot! Tickets only cost $1 to help cover the costs of the convention.

Share your story!

The FTC is seeking public comment on their proposed “Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees”. After our meeting with the FTC, we are excited about the rule because it will also protect creative indie sellers from unfair and deceptive fees from marketplaces. If the rule goes through, we hope to use it to combat Etsy’s forced off-site ads and other unfair practices.

Please take a moment to share your thoughts in a public comment, we want to make sure the perspective of creative indie sellers is represented!

We heard you:

We know that the seller member directory, and members-only parts of the website in general are a bit difficult to navigate. One of our first goals in 2024 is to update our membership with new software and far more features. Stay tuned for information on how to set up your profile on the new site!

What ISG needs right now:

While we’ve managed some amazing things with a very small budget, thanks to our amazing volunteers and open source software, we need more funding for 2024 to continue to grow and advocate on your behalf.

Please consider making a small donation to the Indie Sellers Guild. If half of our members donate just $5, we will raise enough funding for the next 6 months. Or you can buy one of our awesome merch items so you can represent the Guild and show off the work of your fellow artists. The Guild receives $5 from every merch purchase.

Thanks so much for your support!

#etsy alternatives #Etsy sellers #unions #Workers rights #workers cooperative #indie sellers guild #small business