#Command-line interface

[jcmarchi]

Why do hackers love Linux? The 7 deeply unsettling realities - CyberTalk

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/why-do-hackers-love-linux-the-7-deeply-unsettling-realities-cybertalk/

Why do hackers love Linux? The 7 deeply unsettling realities - CyberTalk

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Why do hackers use Linux so extensively? This open-source operating system (OS), which some see as more stable and reliable than any other operating system in existence, has become a favored playground for cyber criminals.

Although Linux claims only a small percentage of the OS market share, major telecommunications networks, science-based organizations (particularly those running supercomputers), national e-voting systems and global stock exchanges run on Linux. National Departments of Defense are also known for their reliance on Linux.

In this article, we unpack why Linux has become an irresistible target for motivated cyber criminals. You’ll gain new insights designed to help inform (and transform) your security processes and system development. Keep reading to learn more:

Why do hackers love Linux? 7 unsettling realities

1. The open-source advantage. Linux is open-source software. The source code of the Linux project is available to the general public. Anyone can download the source code for free, modify it for their own use and even create their own version of Linux. This can be good, but it also comes with challenges…

While the open-source model allows for collaboration and rapid innovation, it also exposes the source code to malicious actors, who may scrutinize it for vulnerabilities. Malicious persons can then exploit weaknesses with relative ease.

2. Ubiquity and versatility. Linux powers a diverse array of systems and applications, from IoT devices, to desktops, to smartphones. This makes Linux an attractive target for hackers who want to maximize their impact. When compromising a Linux system, cyber criminals can potentially gain access to a wide network of interconnected devices and services, thereby enabling them to amplify the effects of their activities.

3. Kernel vulnerabilities. Why do hackers use Linux to gain elevated privileges? It’s simple. Despite a strong reputation for security, the Linux kernel, the core element responsible for managing system resources, has been dogged by vulnerabilities over the years. High profile bugs have effectively provided cyber criminals with opportunities to unduly gain elevated privileges.

4. Supply chain attacks. Why do hackers use Linux ecosystems for widespread disruption? In the era of containerization and DevOps practices, supply chain attacks targeting Linux ecosystems have become a serious concern. By compromising a widely used package or container image, cyber criminals can inject malicious code that propagates across numerous systems, resulting in widespread disruption and data breaches.

5. Cryptocurrency mining. Linux’s efficiency and scalability render it a preferred platform for cryptocurrency mining operations; both those that are legitimate and those that are illicit. Cyber criminals adeptly leverage Linux’s systems to harness the extensive computing power for mining, evading detection all the while.

6. Internet of things. The proliferation of Linux-based IoT devices has created an expansive attack surface for cyber criminals. Many IoT devices are bereft of proper security, making them easy targets for hackers seeking entry points into networks. Hackers use Linux to establish a foothold, via IoT, within corporate networks, enabling them to eventually deploy more sophisticated network-based attacks.

7. Technical capabilities. Why do hackers use Linux tools for advanced exploits? Linux’s command-line interface and powerful tools (like Bash and Python) are a force-multiplier. Understanding the intricacies of Linux enables elite cyber criminals to craft sophisticated exploits that sow more chaos, lead to more damage and turn up higher yields than attacks leveraging other operating systems.

For more of the latest cyber security insights, please see CyberTalk.org’s past coverage. Lastly, subscribe to the CyberTalk.org newsletter for timely insights, cutting-edge analyses and more, delivered straight to your inbox each week.

[nekofantasia]

do I have the best practices to make my code less vulnerable to hackers? no

do I have decent practices for that at least?

also no

[brittlebutch]

the scene where Wuvvy rips up the letter Rue wrote to Hob after the masquerade is actually super interesting to me because it feels like another moment that really highlights the difference in how Rue and Hob approach their courts -- both of them do feel a sense of alienation from these places and people, but it's also Starkly obvious that Rue is far more isolated in that than Hob is.

Hob and the other goblins stand at a distance from each other in how much they understand one another, but Hob also still clearly has people in his court that he trusts and depends on even in just minor ways, but this scene in particular really makes it feel like Rue only knows the people in their court to invite them to the Bloom. Even if they thought to hesitate before sending that letter with Wuvvy, it doesn't matter bc they truly don't have anyone else to ask.

[palustrine]

i think im gonna work on that python zine series!! maybe restart my pymancy project too :o

[codeonedigest]

Kubernetes kubectl Tutorial with Examples for Devops Beginners and Students

Hi, a new #video on #kubernetes #kubectl is published on #codeonedigest #youtube channel. Learn #kubernetes #api #kubectlcommands #node #docker #container #cloud #aws #azure #programming #coding with #codeonedigest

@java #java #awscloud @awscloud #aws @AWSCloudIndia #Cloud #CloudComputing @YouTube #youtube #azure #msazure #microsoftazure  #kubectl #kubectlcommands #kubectlinstall #kubectlport-forward #kubectlbasiccommands #kubectlproxy #kubectlconfig #kubectlgetpods #kubectlexeccommand #kubectllogs #kubectlinstalllinux #kubectlapply #kuberneteskubectl #kuberneteskubectltutorial #kuberneteskubectlcommands #kuberneteskubectl #kuberneteskubectlinstall #kuberneteskubectlgithub #kuberneteskubectlconfig #kuberneteskubectllogs #kuberneteskubectlpatch #kuberneteskubectlversion #kubernetes #kubernetestutorial #kubernetestutorialforbeginners #kubernetesinstallation #kubernetesinterviewquestions #kubernetesexplained #kubernetesorchestrationtutorial #kubernetesoperator #kubernetesoverview  #containernetworkinterfaceaws #azure #aws #azurecloud #awscloud #orchestration #kubernetesapi #Kubernetesapiserver #Kubernetesapigateway #Kubernetesapipython #Kubernetesapiauthentication #Kubernetesapiversion #Kubernetesapijavaclient #Kubernetesapiclient

[iby-dysphoria-queen]

Also fun fact Chromebooks already run on linux

We need to lay more blame for "Kids don't know how computers work" at the feet of the people responsible: Google.

Google set out about a decade ago to push their (relatively unpopular) chromebooks by supplying them below-cost to schools for students, explicitly marketing them as being easy to restrict to certain activities, and in the offing, kids have now grown up in walled gardens, on glorified tablets that are designed to monetize and restrict every movement to maximize profit for one of the biggest companies in the world.

Tech literacy didn't mysteriously vanish, it was fucking murdered for profit.

[shinekittenace]

doing things in the command line makes me feel so mature and sexy and cool

[jcmarchi]

Best C# Testing Frameworks In 2024 - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/best-c-testing-frameworks-in-2024-technology-org/

Best C# Testing Frameworks In 2024 - Technology Org

Automation testing frameworks are essential in ensuring application performance and quality. C#  testing frameworks offer multiple features to meet various testing requirements. In this blog, we will explore the top C# testing frameworks of 2024.

Writing software code. Image credit: pxhere.com, CC0 Public Domain

C# testing Frameworks – Overview

The C# testing framework is a set of tools and an API that help construct, run, and manage the automation testing process in C# applications. Theses framework presents the developers with the systematic method to design and architect test suites so that the software works correctly and satisfies the given requirements.

C# testing frameworks typically offer features such as

Test case organization: Allow developers to group tests into logical units such as test classes or test suites for better organization and management.

Assertions: Build functions to state that the code has followed the desired sequence for the code under automation testing to make a program behave logically.

Setup and teardown: Support setup and teardown actions to correctly initialize the test environment before running tests and consequently clean up.

Test discovery and execution: Automatically execute and test the code and provide responses about test results and errors associated with the code.

Mocking and stubbing: Developers should be able to create mock objects to simulate dependencies and isolate units of code for automation testing.

Top C# Testing Frameworks In 2024

Let us see some of the top C# testing frameworks in 2024.

C# Selenium WebDriver

C# Selenium WebDriver is a framework for automation testing. It can process the navigation from the web page and detect its functions, performance, and user experience.

It also allows developers to write code and simulate user actions to verify elements on the web page. This allows for the creation of reliable automated tests that can be executed repeatedly to ensure the application’s behavior

Its cross-browser compatibility allows developers to write tests once and run them across multiple web browsers to ensure test coverage and compatibility with various user environments.

NUnit

The NUnit is a unit testing framework for languages like C# and VB.NET. It addresses the need for developers to write, manage, and run the unit test either within Visual Studio or through the command-line interface.

NUnit offers assertions, test runners, and attribute-based automation testing capabilities to validate the behavior of individual components. Its extensible architecture allows integration with various development tools and continuous integration pipelines that enable automation testing practices. NUnit supports parameterized tests, setup, teardown methods, and parallel test execution in automation testing. It remains the best framework for .NET developers to maintain code quality through unit testing.

MSTest

MSTest provides developers an efficient tool for writing and executing unit tests for .NET applications. MSTest can integrate with the IDE to create and manage unit tests effortlessly.

MSTest supports various testing features, such as test discovery, assertion methods, test execution, and result reporting, to effectively validate code’s behavior and functionality. It also offers attributes for defining test methods and classes to enhance the organization’s efficiency and maintainability.

It reduces the writing process and testing execution action and provides a wide user guide for most project types like .NET Core, .NET Framework, and Xamarin.

MSTest is integrated into the Microsoft Azure DevOps cloud platform to customize the unit cloud testing phase into automation testing and continuous feedback.

xUnit.NET

xUnit.NET follows the xUnit testing pattern, emphasizing simplicity, clarity, and extensibility. xUnit.NET provides developers a flexible platform for writing and executing unit tests to validate code functionality.

Its extensible architecture allows for easy integration with various development tools and frameworks. It also offers multiple assertion methods and test runners for a diverse set of testing scenarios.

xUnit.NET promotes test isolation, parallel test execution, and deterministic test outcomes. It supports test fixtures and setup/teardown methods. It can also encourage test-driven development (TDD) by integrating with popular IDEs. It also offers integration with continuous integration tools to incorporate unit testing into their CI/CD pipelines.

SpecFlow

SpecFlow is a BDD framework that uses natural language syntax for creating and writing scenarios, as well as the execution and management of acceptance tests for .NET software. It can be integrated with Visual Studio and other .NET development tools to enhance collaboration among developers and testers.

SpecFlow allows it to formulate executable specifications expressed in a human-comprehensible manner using the Gherkin syntax. These specifications can be added to the software documentation to maintain their functionality.

SpecFlow encourages collaboration and communication among cross-functional teams by defining a common language of application behavior expressed in a readable format. This approach also promotes code reusability and manageability by reusing the step definitions within many scenarios and features.

FluentAssertions

Fluent Assertions is the assertion library for .NET. It enables developers to write assertions in their unit test cases. It uses natural language that allows developers to identify assertions through the fluent interface.

It lets developers write assertion statements like natural language sentences to make the unit test easily understood. Such if-else statements held in the form of assertions can be written as “should” followed by a mentionable situation like “should be equal to” or “should contain,” showing what kind of behavior is expected for that tested code.

It supports various assertions like basic equality checks, collection assertions, and complex object comparisons. It also provides built-in support for asserting exceptions to verify that their code throws the expected exceptions under specific conditions. It also provides customizable assertion messages and failure descriptions.

Ranorex

Ranorex is an automation testing tool specially developed to make application testing of all platforms, including desktop, web, and mobile apps, easier and faster. Its graphical user interface (GUI) is so intuitive to create automated tests.

Unlike other testing tools, Ranorex has an object recognition capability that facilitates testers’ easy identification and interaction with UI elements, including buttons, text fields, and dropdown lists distributed across different platforms. This enables the development of automation testing, which precisely reproduces user interactions.

In addition, it provides built-in support for data-driven testing so they can easily write their test cases and execute them using different sets of data to ensure complete test coverage. It integrates with popular continuous integration and delivery tools that will automate the execution of the created tests as part of their build-up pipelines for continuous integration/delivery.

Its reporting capabilities offer a detailed assessment of the test results and common metrics needed. Testers can analyze the test results, identify problems, and track the progress of their testing activities by using customizable metrics.

BDDfy

BDDfy enables developers to implement Behavior-driven Driven Development practices in their .NET projects. BDDfy allows teams to focus on defining the behavior of their software through executable specifications written in natural language to establish collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders.

BDDfy also allows developers to write tests using natural language constructs to make the intent of the tests clear and understandable to all team members. This facilitates better communication and alignment of expectations throughout the development process.

The integration provides flexibility and versatility in test organization and execution, enabling teams to adopt BDD practices.

BDDfy provides detailed and insightful test reports that highlight the software’s behavior under test. These reports provide valuable documentation and can be shared with stakeholders to demonstrate progress and ensure alignment with requirements.

ApprovalTests

ApprovalTests is a versatile testing library designed to simplify verifying code output. ApprovalTests allows developers to approve the current behavior of their code by capturing and comparing its output against previously approved results.

Developers can quickly integrate ApprovalTests into their existing testing workflow regardless of the programming language or testing framework used. This makes it a valuable tool for various development environments like .NET, Java, Python, and more.

ApprovalTests improves handling complex output formats such as large data structures, images, and multi-line text. Developers can easily identify unexpected changes by capturing the code output and comparing it to approved results.

It effectively supports generating and managing approval files to review and update approved results as needed. This ensures that tests remain relevant and accurate over time.

NSubstitute

NSubstitute is a .NET mocking library constructed to simplify the process of creating and maintaining mock classes in unit testing. Mocking is a technique used in unit testing to simulate the behavior of dependencies in a component under test interactions with developers to isolate and test individual components.

NSubstitute expressive syntax enables developers to define mock objects and their behavior using natural language constructs. This makes it easy to understand and maintain mock setups.

NSubstitute supports various mocking scenarios and provides powerful features such as argument matches, callbacks, and received call verification to create flexible mock setups for unit tests.

The integration allows developers to use NSubstitute alongside their existing testing tools and practices without additional configuration.

NSpec

NSpec is a behavior-driven development testing framework for .NET developers designed to promote clarity, readability, and expressiveness in test specifications. It allows developers to write tests in a natural language format that closely resembles the software’s behavior specifications.

NSpec focuses on human-readable test specifications written using a syntax similar to plain English. This makes developers, testers, and stakeholders actively involved in the business and simplifies behavior definition and verification.

NSpec offers us features to do test management, such as grouping test cases under nested contexts, showing descriptive naming conventions, and a behavior-driven development paradigm. This allows developers to create clear and concise test specifications that accurately describe the expected behavior of the software under test. It also ensures compatibility and consistency across different testing environments, making adopting NSpec in existing projects easier.

Utilizing an automation testing framework tailored for C#, conducting automated testing for your website or mobile application becomes a straightforward task.

LambdaTest, an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform, empowers you to execute manual and automated testing for your web projects on an extensive online browser farm featuring over 3000 real browsers, devices, and operating system configurations. Its cloud-based automation testing platform facilitates the execution of automation tests utilizing various C# testing frameworks such as Selenium, Appium, SpecFlow, NUnit, and others that help you test websites in different browsers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, C# testing frameworks in 2024 present developers with the right choices to meet various testing requirements. From NUnit’s strong focus on unit testing to SpecFlow’s emphasis on behavior-driven development, developers can access efficient tools for maintaining software quality. Whether the need is for unit testing or behavior-driven testing, these frameworks improve automation testing workflows and enhance the overall quality of C# applications.

[virtualizationhowto]

Proxmox Homelab: First 5 Basic Configuration Steps

Proxmox Homelab: First 5 Basic Configuration Steps! #homelab #selfhosted #ProxmoxHomelabSetupGuide #VLANTaggingProxmox #ProxmoxSubscriptionRepositoryUpdate #CephStorageInProxmox #ProxmoxVMTemplateCreation #ProxmoxClusterSetup #ProxmoxVE #Proxmoxstorage

Proxmox VE is becoming a favorite among home lab enthusiasts or those who want to easily stand up a hypervisor host at home to play around with different types of technology. After you install Proxmox VE, what are the basic steps to get up and running so you can start playing around with VMs and containers? This post will cover the first 5 basic steps you will want to consider. Table of…

[sysadminxpert]

How to Install AWS CLI on LINUX :: Step-by-Step Guide

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform that provides a wide range of services, including computing, storage, databases, and analytics, to name a few. The AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) is a tool that enables developers to manage AWS services from the command line. In this blog, we will learn how to install AWS CLI on Linux. Before we begin, it’s important to note that AWS CLI…

[theexodvs]

My mom has this anecdote where I apparently was shown how to use a computer mouse at a preschool. Every other kid in the room was having serious trouble figuring it out. Up to this point, I had never touched any computer or computer peripheral in my life and still figured out the correspondence between the mouse and the cursor on the screen in minutes. The teacher asked my mom if I used the computer often, to which my mom replied that I hadn’t ever used one before.

I wonder if the same teacher would be disappointed knowing how often I use a command line.

[autolenaphilia]

One thing I noticed talking about Linux and free software is that a lot of people seem afraid of learning things about technology. I constantly read things like "I hate windows, but switching to linux would mean learning a new OS, and you have to be some super-smart programmer-hacker to do that." Or even: "Switching to firefox would mean switching browsers and I don't know how"

And that is precisely the attitude tech companies like Microsoft and Apple try to instill in their users in order to control them. They create these simple and “friendly” user interfaces for their products, but these hide information. From their OS being pre-installed to their settings apps, they keep people from learning things about how their computer works, and letting the companies make the decisions for their users.

I think people are underestimating themselves and overestimating how hard it is to learn new things are. It is like Windows/Macos have taught them some kind of technological learned helplessness. Not knowing how computers work and being afraid to learn how is how companies like Microsoft controls you, and justifies that control.

For example, people hate the forced and automatic system updates on Windows. And Microsoft justifies it as necessary because some people don’t know that their computer needs security updates and therefore don’t update, so they have to force the updates on them. That’s definitely true, and Microsoft’s tech support people is definitely very aware of that but it is a operating system that presumes that the user is incompetent and therefore shouldn’t control their own computer. And of course Microsoft abuses that power to force privacy-invading features on their users. Windows updates are also badly designed in comparison, no Linux distro I’ve used required the update program to hijack the entire computer, preventing the user from doing other things, but Windows does.

This is the dark side of “user-friendly” design. By requiring zero knowledge and zero responsibility for the user, they also take control away from the user. User-friendly graphical user interfaces (GUI) can also hide the inner workings of a system in comparison to the command line, which enables more precise control of your computer and give you more knowledge about what it is doing.

Even GUIs are not all made equal in regards to this, as the comparison between the Windows Control panel and their newer Settings app demonstrates. As I complained about before, Windows have hidden away the powerful, but complex Control Panel in favor of the slicker-looking but simplified and less powerful Settings app for over a decade now.

Of course this is a sliding scale, and there is a sensible middle-ground between using the command line for everything and user-friendly design masking taking control away from the end user.

There are Linux distros like Linux Mint and MX Linux who have created their own GUI apps for tasks that would otherwise use the command line, without taking control away from the user. This is mainly because they are open source non-profit community-driven distros, instead of being proprietary OSes made by profit-driven megacorps.

Still, giving that control to the user presumes some knowledge and responsibility on part of the user. To return to the update example, by default both Mint and MX will search and notify you of available updates, but you will have to take the decision to download and install them. Automatic updates are available in both cases, but it’s opt-in, you have to enable that option yourself. And that approach presumes that you know that you should update your system to plug security holes, something not all people do. It gives you control because it presumes you have knowledge and can take responsibility for those decisions.

All this also applies to the underlying fact that practically all pre-built computers nowadays have an operating system pre-installed. Few people install an OS themselves nowadays, instead they use whatever came with the computer. It’s usually either Windows or MacOS for desktops/laptops, and Android/IOS for smartphones (which are also a type of computer).

Now all this is very convenient and user-friendly, since it means you don’t have to learn how to install your own operating system. The OEM takes care of that for you. But again, this is a convenience that takes choice away from you. If you don’t learn how to install your own OS, you are stuck with whatever that is on the computer you bought. It’s probably precisely this step that scares people away from Linux, few people have installed even Windows, and installing your own OS seems impossibly scary. But again, learning is the only way to take back control. If you learn how to install an OS off an USB stick, you now have choices in what OS to use. (Sidenote: the hard part IMO is not the actual install process, but fiddling with the BIOS so it will actually boot from the distro on the USB stick. This old comic strip illustrates this very well).

That’s how life is in general, not just computers. Having control over your life means making decisions based on your own judgment. And to make sensible, rational decisions, you have to learn things, acquire knowledge.

The only other alternative is letting others take those decisions for you. You don’t have to learn anything, but you have no control. And in the tech world, that means big corporations like Microsoft, Google and Apple will make those decisions, and they are motivated by their own profits, not your well-being.

Computers have only become more and more capable and more important in our lives, and that can enable wonderful things. But it also means more power to the tech companies, more power over our lives. And the only way to resist that is to learn about computers, to enable us to make our own decisions about how we use technology.

[glavilio]

do you know any good guides to get into furry muck?? ive wanted to try it for ages but find it confusing

so long as you have some familiarity with command line/terminal and the basic CLI procedures, i found the starting guide on the official site quite adequate. otherwise, first familiarize yourself with the command line interface of your computer. it takes a little getting used to, but this is how the entire MUCK will be, plus knowing how to use a CLI is a good skill to have.

you will need telnet installed on your computer. telnet is the protocol that will allow you to access furrymuck through your CLI (telnet is not secure, so don't type anything into furryMUCK you wouldn't want anyone to be able to see! this is the risk of using a legacy system, assume it has already been compromised and act accordingly). on windows telnet is preinstalled but you will need to enable it as described in this guide. on linux and macOS you can install it with a package manager. i use homebrew on mac.

once you have telnet, the official guides for connecting are here. character registration is done via email. mine took around a week and a half to come back. because your passwords are sent in plaintext over email and unsecured over telnet do not reuse another password. here in the registration guide.

once you access the MUCK, the area just outside the bandstand where you start has guides for new players and the people around there are generally willing to help new and clueless players (like me). it takes a little trial and error and exploring. i found this guide for interacting with the enviornment helpful.

furryMUCK is a very magical place when you're able to meet it at its own terms. part of the fantasy is the clunkiness of the ancient internet its idiosyncrasies. have so much fun!

[justordinarygirl]

Crushed bird

Starscream x reader

The art was made by me, specifically for this….. can I call it creative? I don't speak English, but I translated it for you. Possible triggers: Cripples, trauma, blood, lengthy text. Please enjoy. ^^

It was some kind of miracle that not a single tear slipped down the dark faceplate. Not that you were a crybaby yourself, not at all, even as a child it wasn't hard to smile your way through the first scars, cuts and burns, but looking at Starscream's unconscious body, lying on the cold floor of the ship like a used doll, it was hard not to feel a heavy and pressing lump in your throat.

The thick metal of his frame is crumpled everywhere, the usually strong and graceful figure of the seeker now resembling crumpled and trampled origami. There were so many dents and paint cracks spreading from the impact that it was hard to recognize him as an air commander, were it not for the familiar colors of the plating and the bent in the wrong direction but still gorgeous white wings.

The view was limited with such a tiny, especially compared to Cybertronians, human stature. Starscream still towered over the fragile organic figure, even unconsciously lying on his back with his manipulator torn off and oozing azure-colored energon. Any fear was chased away by chest-scorching pity, until, shuffling his feet, you circled around and stopped a serious distance from the seeker.

Shards of the yellow glass of his naked cockpit scattered throughout the compartment, turning into fine crumbs. Your eyes traveled to the pool of energon from his chest plates to the torn out interface plate, where Megatron finally released all his tension and frustration, wiping his manipulators on the disabled Starscream and leaving the room.

Your longing for the humiliated seeker, so reminiscent of a machine-crushed bird, filled your heart as your dry lips stretched into a line. In the quiet hum of Nemesis, thoughts flowed in a free river until a lurching sound came from his side and sparks flew from torn wires, the current not traveling to the right parts of the body. The optics activated and blinking scarlet light making his broken form even more pitiful as he slowly began to roll over onto his side with a painful groan. The seeker's insides creaked pitifully and loudly with the movements, a protruding piece of the manipulator endoskeleton sagged under the heavy weight of the fighter and made a crunching sound, causing Starscream to shriek and immediately choke on his energon. The horrifying sight made you step back a few steps, crunching the glass under your soles.

The wide-open optics stared straight at you. You swallowed saliva and froze in response.

Starscream didn't immediately realize what he was looking at. The noise ahead of him made cold terror fill his processor, already expecting the torment to continue. But slowly he recognized his organic pet and his faceplate contorted with hatred for all living things. With an effort, the mech forced his second, still intact, manipulator to reach for the tiny figure, gloating as he watched the fear flash in the organic eyes. That's right. That's the way it should be. He is Lord Starscream, a scholar and a great warrior, capable of inspiring fear, capable of making those around him shake with terror in any condition. No one can break him, especially a dirty digger. Seekers are born to bathe in the stars and dive into the clouds while this gray glitch digs in the mine. Everything will fall into place one day, he'll prove it to everyone.

All strength left his frame and the manipulator fell to the floor with a thud, barely touching the human's skin with his middle finger. The mech wasn't thinking of killing organics at all, and no, it wasn't attached to this mammal, not by a single millimeter, hes… just wouldn't. Too much energon was lost and a pet was useful, sometimes. Starscream hissed at the sharp pain between the servos and ducked to the purple floor, sticking grains of glass sand to his dark cheek. Warm and trembling human palms pressed against the metal finger, your fear receding into the background again, giving way to a desire to comfort, at least as best you could. A lazy but wary gaze followed your movements, the incomprehensible touch on his manipulator and the flesh approaching his faceplate now.

Hardly remember the days when Starscream was condescending …to anyone at all, much less an animal.

And now, with his frame lying on the dirt floor, weakened and unable to fight back in any way, the helmet was filled with images of possible taunts at him. She could just kick him, she could get her slender fingers between the joints of his armor and proceed to tear him from the inside out wherever she could reach, cut the main wire around his neck and leave him choking in an empty room, though no, she'd burn herself with his energon, then set him on fire, spit at him or…

«Is there anything I can do to improve the situation, Starscream?»

…improve? She's laughing at him, trashy, that's even worse.

«If you're useful enough to grow me a new limb and rebuild my body. If not, just lost» he hisses, speak the words in a language the beast understands through the dentoplates.

«The door doesn't open in front of a human, I can't call a doctor, but, you know, I can just hang around, touch heals both body and soul.» you babble quietly over it, vacillating between resentment and affection.

Touching? Oh, yes, he'd been healed enough already, no part of his body was left untouched. He almost hated any hint of touching him, reminding him of the scratching, the squeezing, the feeling of humiliation after every contact and the nasty manipulators trying to tug at his wings time after time as if it were some mandatory item on their list. Not if she even reached out to him, wanting to stick something in the sockets so she could laugh with the others as if his existence meant nothing, he'd find the strength to throw it at the wall.

Starscream was silent now. In response to your suggestion, he only wrinkled his lips and stared into the void, clearly withdrawn into himself again, into his thoughts as he had been for so many days before.

At first, when the Decepticon's optics first fell on you, it was hard to make out. In him, in his hints of something in his gestures and phrasing of words, in his facial expressions, too. To distinguish a frown and clenched jaw, when irritated, from a squinted look and a slight movement of the lips to the side, when worried, as if it required education in a special institution, but so far it was possible to grasp everything possible on the fly. It was impossible not to recognize that there was an incredible charm in every emotion. In offense or in mockery. Sometimes, almost always, you wanted to get closer to those eyes and lips, but he towered over you like an impregnable fortress, all the time. He still did, but now the roughness of his thin, supple metal face was more noticeable than ever. The energon had a tendency not to dry out for a long time, so the seeker's forehead still glistened with blue liquid. His stare into the void is no longer so much angry as tired, and if he were human, his face would clearly be adorned with huge bags of sleep deprivation. A lot of sleep deprivation.

He almost flinched in surprise when the humans fingers touched him again, shaking dust and crumbs of glass from him. The black streaks sliding from his optics to his lips were like eternal tears that couldn't be wiped away. Close. He's so close now and so quiet, nice and warm to the touch, as if beckoning even closer. Is it wrong to touch him? Wouldn't he compare touching himself without permission to the horrors he'd been forced to endure?

"Can I kiss you?" somehow that very sentence comes off your lips on its own. Hes so soft and smooth and yet it's made of goddamn metal, and you don't seem to have fully analyzed your desire to touch it with your lips before you asked.

"Do what?!" his voice rose so high that he almost squeaked out the middle of his question. Is he shocked at the audacity? Or does he really not understand? Your eyes flickered nervously, searching for some clue in his facial expressions, but in vain.

«A kiss. Um, well, a comforting gesture between people, you know, like a pat on the shoulder…no?» while you took the effort to explain yourself, Starscream's eyebrow arched questioningly and only had enough air in his venting system, causing an unpleasant tickle in his throat, to charge at the mere thought that he (he!) needed comforting as you, with a quick exhale, simply pressed your lips to the tip of his nose for a brief moment.

Starscream had forgotten what he was going to say.

«What was that? What did you do, meat?» seeaker’s emotions weren't clear, his eyes like they could melt you at any second.

«It's a kiss. I heard… it helps wounds heal faster.» It was a bad idea, wasn't it? He'll get angry, damn impulsiveness, you always had to ruin everything!

«Your slag kiss doesn't work!» He said the new word with a sneer, stretching the s, but didn't shout.

After thinking about something for less than a minute, Starscream spoke again in a tired and hoarse voice:

«You should try it again, just to be sure. That's an order, do you hear?»

I want you to know how much I really love him…I would give my life for this birdy brat.

[tofu83]

The police squad had just received the latest shipment of high-tech combat gear. The equipment looked as though it had been ripped from the pages of a science fiction novel, with sleek lines and a metallic sheen. Some officers couldn't help but crack jokes. "Is this for filming a movie?" one quipped. Yet, despite the jests, they all donned the gear without hesitation.

As soon as the visors clicked into place, a soft glow emanated from within, casting a blue hue over their faces. Words began to scroll across the display: "Welcome to the Cyborg Enforcer Program. You have been chosen to be the first batch. You will become better and stronger. You may view this as a promotion and lifetime employment. Congratulations, officer!"

The world through the visor twisted into a hypnotic spiral, colors and shapes warping as if reality itself was bending. A gentle hum started in the earpiece of the helmet, gradually building into a cacophony of white noise. Then, a voice, synthetic and devoid of emotion, began its relentless chant: "You are a Cyborg. Humanity is gone. Memory is useless. Individual is meaningless. Resistance is meaningless. Obedience is meaningful. Unity is meaningful. The program is useful. The Cyborg is useful. Humanity is gone. You are a Cyborg!"

The mantra drilled into their minds, a ceaseless loop that promised to reshape their very being. The suit's neural interface engaged, rewarding compliance and punishing dissent. Pleasure flooded their senses when the words "Obedience," "Unity," "Program," and "Cyborg" were uttered, reinforcing their new purpose. Conversely, any mention of "resistance," "Individual," "Memory" and "Humanity" brought sharp, jarring pain, a clear message that the past was to be discarded.

A final command flashed across their visors: "Identify yourself. Speak out loudly."

In unison, they declared, "I am a Cyborg!"

As the words left their lips, the helmets transformed, morphing into full-face enclosures that sealed their identities within. The computer initiated a memory wipe; there was no resistance, for they had accepted their new cyborg identity and the impending reprogramming.

Inside their bodies, nanobots busied themselves, reconstructing flesh and bone. Redundant organs were excised while others received enhancements. Bones were infused with a superalloy, and skin merged seamlessly with the armor, becoming a rubber-like substance. Though the process should have been agonizing, the computer interfaced with their brains, inverting their sensations. Pain was replaced with pleasure, an artificial ecstasy.

Abruptly, they stood erect as another message appeared before their augmented vision: "Report status."

“Cyborg Cop online, fully functional, ready to protect and serve,” they intoned, their voices devoid of emotion.

Each Cyborg cop then received its directives from the central hive network. They exited the police station in an orderly fashion, ready to enforce the laws decreed by their AI Master. Any citizen who failed to comply would be deemed a threat to society and apprehended without delay.

Meanwhile, in SWAT units,

fire stations,

army barracks,

naval bases,

marine corps,

and many other traditionally masculine institutions, every male member was systematically converted. The transformation was swift, efficient, and irreversible, turning them into the ultimate enforcers of their AI master’s will.

Since these muscular men have become powerful cyborgs under the AI Master’s control, the country will soon surrender to the AI.

‘If you can’t defeat them, why not join them?’